Ten years ago, give or take a few months, I did an interview with John Gallagher about his career to date. The City Paper may be doing something to its archives due to its current covid-19 financial trouble, but I'm interviewing John this week about Max Meow his new children's graphic novel from Random House, and I couldn't find the original talk we had, so I'm republishing it here so I can refer people to it.
Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat
with Buzzboy’s John Gallagher
Posted by Mike Rhode on Mar. 29, 2010 formerly online at
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/03/29/meet-a-local-cartoonist-a-chat-with-buzzboys-john-gallagher/
With
his character Buzzboy, John Gallagher has been a
mainstay of the local independent comics scene for years now—for a decade
it turns out. John’s a regular exhibitor at Baltimore Comic Con’s section for
children’s comics, and is a nominee for the 2010 Harvey Award, which will be given
out at the convention. Although he’s got a full-time job, he tells us that he’s
also about to launch a new Web comic.
Washington
City Paper: What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
John
Gallagher: I am primarily a creator of kids comics, but in the same sense Calvin
and Hobbes was a “Kid’s Comic.” I have self-published Buzzboy, a
fun and funny super hero comic, for 10 years through my own Sky-Dog Press. I am getting ready
to launch a web comic and simultaneous graphic novel called Zoey &
Ketchup, about an imaginative little girl and her golden retriever. I also
speak at schools across the country, talking about the magic and educational
values of comics.
WCP: When (within a decade is
fine) and where were you born?
JG: December 28, 1967—same
birthday as Stan Lee, just 40 years later, and with none of
the fame!
WCP: Why are you in Washington
now? What neighborhood or area do you live in?
JG: I moved from rural PA to
the area after college, for no other reason than my best friends from high
school lived here, and that’s all that really mattered, having someone to hang
with on weekends. Now, most of them have moved away, but I have stayed in the
area, and maintained a high level of immaturity, living in Falls Church VA.
WCP: What
is your training and/or education in cartooning?
JG: Mostly self taught—I went
to a year of art school as part of Temple University in Philly—but
it was just too small—when I transferred to Penn State, I was
happy to be part of a very prestigious graphic design program, but was shocked
to find no illustration classes. Most likely I would have gone to SVA
or Kubert School, if I only knew they existed (no Internet
back then!), but it turned out to be a godsend—I now do a combination of comics
and grahic design, combining many of these skills for animation and comics for
corporations, and pro sports teams like the Washington Capitals, Dallas
Cowboys, and New York Islanders.
WCP: Who are your influences?
JG: The first art I drew was
duplicating the Alex Toth-designed DC Comics’ Super
Friends characters, and it was the foreword to Jules Feiffer’s
The Great Comic Book Heroes that gave me the idea that I could create
my own comics. As the years went on, Chuck Jones, Jack Kirby, Kyle
Baker, Walt Kelly—they have all had a great influence on me.
Currently, Richard
Thompson, Steven Pastis, and Raina Telgemeier are
my faves.
WCP: If you
could, what in your career would you do-over or change?
JG: I am
right where I like to be—on the verge of mediocrity. Kidding—I am lucky
enough to be drawing comics and cartoons, and making a living at it—every few
years my goals change, so now I have my sights set.
WCP: What
work are you best-known for?
JG: Buzzboy, the adventures of the
world’s coolest super-sidekick.
WCP: What
work are you most proud of?
JG: I am really proud of the upcoming Zoey &
Ketchup comic, which is being co-written with my
daughter Katie, a comics virtuoso at age 8! It’s the first time I have really
stepped away from super heroes, and embraced the kids side of what I do—it will
really be a hybrid of sorts, part comic strip, part graphic novel, part
diary-type, prose sections, when the story calls for it. Zoey keeps a
sketchbook, like I did as a kid, and it chronicles her strange thoughts, like a
diagram of the inner workings of her brother’s brain, consisting of one part
drool, and the other part pickle obsession.
WCP: What would you like to do or work on in the future?
JG: I am intrigued about the connection between the cartoonist
and the audience that takes place in a Web-based comics blog—so that’s why
Zoey & Ketchup will be a fun change.If I could take over anybody’s
character, I would love to draw DC Comic’s Shazam/Captain Marvel,
because he was the star of the first comic I ever read— the little boy in a big
hero’s body is every kid’s dream.
WCP: What do you do when you’re in a rut or have writer’s
block?
JG: I do one of two things—one is to reread my favorite comic
strips (Peanuts, Pogo, Get Fuzzy, and Calvin & Hobbes),
and let my mind start to get in the fun comics mode—the danger here is I often
get so caught up in the story, I forget why I started reading, and don’t get
back to the drawing board.
The other thing I do is do the opposite of comics, I goof off, I watch TV, I
play with my kids—it’s living life that gives me ideas for stories, so walking
through the real world allows me to see things and think, “What if this
happened?”
WCP: What do you think will be the future of your field?
JG: For comics—a mix of Web, digital e-readers, and books and
graphic novels only. Comics shops will become more like book stores, and floppy
comics, at least by indy artists, will disappear, due to a combination of high
print costs and poor distribution options.
Comic strips, the same, except I feel they may become even more
important to the struggling newspapers—and could see a resurgence, if they are
found to help circulation as much as I think they do.
I think the idea of giving away the short form comics on the Web or in the
newspaper, will lead to better sales of the books and graphic novels.
WCP: What’s your favorite thing about D.C.?
JG: Well, Batman is pretty coo—oh, you mean Washington, DC!
For one, I found my wonderful wife, Beth there—and she thought I wouldn’t find
her wearing that fake mustache. C’mon, we’re the capital of the coolest
freaking country in the world, everybody loves us!…
WCP: Least favorite?
JG: …except those who don’t love us.
WCP: What monument or museum do you take most out-of-town
guests to?
JG: Air and Space at Dulles—they have a space shuttle!
that blows just about everything else away. Natural History is cool, and the
Smithsonian’s pop culture exhibits are truly inspiring, like last year’s Jim
Henson exhibit.
WCP: Do you have a Web site or blog?
JG: Wow, a plug? I wouldn’t think to benefit from… oh, OK.
I’ve already mentioned
skydogcomics.com and zoeyandketchup.com,
but there’s also stuff for sports teams at www.starbridgemedia.com.
WCP: One last note—on the
Starbridge Media site is a link to NASCAR Heroes
comic books.
by Bruce Guthrie 
