Showing posts with label Square City Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Square City Comics. Show all posts

Monday, September 25, 2023

Meet a Local Comics Writer: A Chat with Alex Lupp (updated)

Alex Lupp flanked by collaborators Erin Lisette and Jade Lee
by Mike Rhode

This past weekend the second comic in Alex Lupp's Sand universe debuted at Fantom Comics. Sand is written by Lupp and illustrated by people he contracts with for the work, so far his friends Jade Lee (the first one) and Erin Lisette (the new one). I hope to feature interviews with all three. Alex is the first before his travelling to MICE to sell the book this current weekend. UPDATED with a Square City question at the end.


What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I am a writer, although I have occasionally done some work (digitally) lettering comics.


How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

Being a writer it's probably easy to assume that most of my work is done on a computer, but the initial phases of brainstorming and outlining are often done by pen in a notebook. It's only later when the script begins to take shape that I switch to a computer where it's much easier (and quicker) to sift through the ideas and give them shape.

Sand art by Jade Lee

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I was born in 1987 in Bucharest, Romania.


Why are you in Washington now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in?

I came to the DC area in 2000, when I was 13 years old. Ever since my life has pivoted around Washington, whether going to high school in Arlington, VA, or currently being a professional (yes, day jobs are a reality of comics work). Throughout the years, I've lived in both VA but also MD, although somehow never in DC. This area is my home.


What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

It's all self-taught. Easy to say for a writer (I know!), however being friends with comic artists, seeing their process and slowly absorbing as much as possible has added up over the years. Outside of that, I read a lot, and after seeing one or two example scripts in the back of comics, I thought hey I should try that too!

That said, the one invaluable experience I've had as a writer has been to letter my own comics. Having to (literally) put the words over the art myself was eye opening, and definitely helped me write better for the finished page. I suppose there is something to the Marvel style of comics writing, where dialogue is written after the art is done for each page.


Who are your influences?

The very first comic script I wrote used a nine panel format, most easily recognized as that used by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons in Watchmen, so it would be disingenuous not to recognize that influence. That said, I am an avid consumer of books, comics, movies, television and anime like Dragon Ball or Sailor Moon, and later Trigun and Cowboy Bebop, all of which left their mark in some way and certainly informed the world building of my current comic Sand. Then when it comes to desert worlds, how can we not mention Frank Herbert's Dune as well? it's all in there somewhere! Even the work of (local legend) Carla Speed McNeil has had an influence on my world building. Discovering and reading Finder about a decade ago was foundational!

Sand: Tale of Luc & San art by Jade Lee

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

I would have pursued learning to draw. The job of a writer in comics is to be a good communicator. If you cannot convey your ideas to the artist making them come alive, then you have failed. It's taken years to better understand that side of the collaboration, and nothing could have conveyed that better than having more hands-on experience myself. It all just gives you more perspective, it's no surprise that the likes of Keith Giffen, Becky Cloonan, Jeff Lemire, or even Grant Morrison are either also known as artists or capable of drawing.


Sand art by Jade Lee

What work are you best-known for?

Sand, which currently spans two issues, with more coming soon! 

The story of Sand begins with a sibling rivalry between two twin deities that accidentally results in the creation of a world. This Tale of Luc & San is told in the first issue, which debuted all the way in 2017 at Small Press Expo (SPX), and was illustrated by Jade Lee.

This world created by the twins is called Sand because of its vast deserts, and is then explored in the succeeding issues. First in Of Wolf & Prey we learn something about the pre-human world of fauna and flora. This issue was illustrated by Erin Lisette, and debuted this year (also) at SPX.

Another two issues, Eyes of Red and Twin Blades, are planned for next year, and will cover later eras and the evolution of the world from prehistoric to complex (human) societies. Eyes of Red is currently being illustrated by Margaret Huey, and will tell the tale of Kayla Red Eyes and her journey to discover the source of life on the world of Sand. We're hoping to debut Eyes of Red in early 2024.


Windswept

What work are you most proud of?

Definitely Sand, it's my most ambitious work to date. That said, a short comic I did several years ago, Windswept, is very personal to my experience as an immigrant and roots in Romania, and deserves a special mention. It was illustrated by Emily R. Gillis, and initially featured in the Square City Anthology Sensus Obscura. It can now be found on my website for free.


What would you like to do or work on in the future?

Keeping this simple, I'd like to finish telling the tale of Sand.


What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

I go for a run. Whenever I'm stuck, the repetitive exercise always seems to do the trick. I suppose it's like a form of meditation, your mind clears, and then the ideas just come bursting out. Then it's just a matter of having the discipline to write consistently so those ideas can take shape and grow.


Sand art by Erin Lisette

What do you think will be the future of your field?

Comics will never die, there is something essential about the combination of written word and visual image which uniquely speaks to the human imagination. However, how we consume comics is something that is constantly changing. There is no one source of truth, whether it's the mainstream of DC & Marvel, or webcomics, or alternative press, or indie press, etc... If we can look beyond comics as an IP farm for movies & television, there is always something exciting happening in artist alleys or indie shows.


What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Awesome Con, or others? Any comments about attending them?


I've attended or exhibited at many local shows, from the Small Press Expo to Awesome Con, or Baltimore Comic-Con. Hard not to mention DC Zine Fest or Baltimore's Hallow-Zine as well, where I've never exhibited, but deserve mention for all the amazing local talent they feature. Comics is a small community on the grand scale, and even with all its occasional bumps and bruises, it's always heartwarming to be reminded we're all in this together whenever we gather for a show or convention.


 

What comic books do you read regularly or recommend? Do you have a local store?


My local store is Fantom Comics, I've been going there since 2010 when they had a store at Pentagon City in Arlington. Their events and community have been a lynch pin of my comics experience, and easily a weekly highlight when I get my comics.

I don't even know where to start with recommendations, but how about a plug? I also do a podcast, called Double AA, with my friend & collaborator Adam Wescott. We talk about everything from comics and manga, to video games, and anime. We recently featured Atomic Robo by writer Brian Clevinger and artist Scott Wegener and River's Edge by Kyoko Okazaki. We also have an episode coming up about the manga publisher Glacier Bay Books, and the unique spot they occupy in terms of bringing indie and alternative manga to the US.


What's your favorite thing about DC?


How cosmopolitan it is. Being an immigrant, I am never too far from reconnecting to my roots, or being able to connect to something entirely new. Living here it's easy to take the cultural diversity for granted, but it's unique and should be treasured.


Least favorite?


The gentrification, it's killing the city's identity.


What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?


The National Gallery of Art, not just because of the art collections or installations, but also their (free) screenings which vary from classic art cinema to documentaries.


How about a favorite local restaurant?


Not in DC, but Bob & Edith's in Arlington is a local staple, and the best dang diner around (I'm not saying that because I grew up around there or anything...)


Do you have a website or blog?


Where you can find my collaborators:

You can also find my podcast, Double AA, on Spotify (among other places): https://open.spotify.com/show/4taL95534um97w4TO5gkQZ?si=3dcb3b82d2c4455b

Lastly, you can find my comics work on sandcomic.com.

 

How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected you, personally and professionally?


COVID is a big reason why Sand has taken longer to produce. Everything just took longer. The time in quarantine was not a magical time to create, nor was it good for collaboration. The unique mental stress brought on by a world changing pandemic froze me and many others in a statis where creation was impossible. The ongoing risk of COVID remains a factor even as we've returned to comic shows in the past year. Losing several weeks while being sick with COVID last year was hard, both for the day job, but also in terms of staying on track with creative pursuits. If there is one silver lining, it's that work from home has become possible for some, and is (maybe) being normalized as an alternative work location. Having to balance a day job and creative pursuits by night is always hard, but becomes easier when work from home is a possibility -- just the time earned back by not having to commute alone is invaluable. 


You mentioned your work in a Square City anthology. Were you a member of the Square City Comics co-op? If so can you tell us something about the group? Does it still exist?

 

 I was, and in fact a member of the "Inner" Square (basically the leadership group). I took a step back in terms of my involvement in 2019, largely because I wanted to focus on my creative output. It was just too much to help organize activities, edit the anthologies (while having a day job) and then also write my own stuff. At the same time some of the original creators behind Square City left the area, or otherwise became less involved.

With the pandemic in 2020, especially how it affected comic shows, it became harder to keep in touch or have in person events in general. After all that, I'm really not sure about the status of Square City. 

 

(editor's note: The Twitter group defined itself as "A collective of comic creators who meet in the DC Metro area." The group's Facebook page hasn't been updated since late 2018, and the same appears to be true for the Tumblr blog)



Friday, March 27, 2015

Emily R. Gillis on Jikosha and 24-Hour Comics

by Mike Rhode

Emily R. Gillis was a Smudge exhibitor, selling a collection of her webcomic Jikosha. She's a founder of the local cooperative, Square City Comics, and one-half of Wayward Studios. Her comics can be bought here.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I primarily do longform fantasy comics with a style heavily-influenced by anime I grew up watching. I also have participated in the 24-Hour Comic challenge for the past 4 years and like to turn those into minicomics.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

Mostly traditional. All of my comics are first drawn with pencil then inked with microns and brush pens, though I've been experimenting more with brush and ink. Coloring and lettering are all done digitally though most of my coloring is done by the other half of Wayward Studios, Crystal Rollins. I've been practicing digital colors with her help, but she is a magician with them!

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I was born in '84 in St. Paul, MN (dontcha know), though I grew up near Denver, CO.

Why are you in Washington now? What neighborhood or area do you live in?

I moved to the Baltimore area to seek out more work opportunities and to move in with my boyfriend, now husband. Currently, we're up north in Cockeysville, MD. I'm down in DC every month though for events and for meetings with my friends in Square City Comics.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

I earned a bachelor's degree in graphic design back in 2006. I never formally studied cartooning, but I remember making comics as far back as the 4th grade when I turned my teacher into a superhero for a story. I mostly learned from reading books on the subject and just reading other comics.

Who are your influences?

Starting out, I was heavily influenced by anime like Sailor Moon, Magic Knight Rayearth, and Dragonball Z. Currently, my work is most influenced by other local creators I've met as well as webcomics I follow. Comics like Namesake, Sister Claire, and Stand Still Stay Silent are the first ones that come to mind for works I look to for inspiration and technique.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

Get serious about comics sooner. I went into graphic design since I figured I could both get a job more easily with that degree and I could apply what I learned there to comics, though I'd never really considered comics a valid career option. I didn't pursue it seriously until a few years ago and it's been a struggle trying to turn it into a full-time gig rather than something I have to make time to do outside of my day job.

What work are you best-known for?

I'm best known for my webcomic Jikoshia. I began writing the comics back in high school and rebooted it three times before bringing it to print.

What work are you most proud of?

I have two comics that I'm super proud of. Jikoshia has come so far and turned into a project I really love. I recently brought my latest 24-hour comic to print as well, All You Held Dear, and for being a comic written in such a short amount of time, I'm really happy with the way both the writing and the art turned out!

What would you like to do or work on in the future?

I just want to more time to work on personal projects. I have a "vault" of story ideas and scripts I have yet to finish and I'm anxious to get to them!

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

That's when I refer to Crystal. Part of why we formed Wayward Studios was to help each other out when we get into blocks. We'll talk through problem scenes or give the other a kick in the pants if we slack off. Another trick I've learned is to go read another comic or play a video game for a while. It gives me a chance to step out of the worlds I've created and into another, helping me refresh my viewpoints.

What do you think will be the future of your field? 

With the advent of crowdfunding, I'm looking forward to seeing more creator-owned works come to life. A lot of great projects have come about because of this resource (including my own!).

What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

I go to almost every one I can find! I regularly attend Katsucon and Small Press Expo and look forward to this year's Awesome Con. I've only managed to go to Intervention once so far, but would definitely like to again! I also make appearances at smaller shows like Tiger Con in Towson, Library Con in Petworth, and Nippon Con in Westminster. I'm currently planning a small show for a comics group I'm a part of called Square City Comics in June and hope to turn that into an annual gig.

SPX is my favorite event of the year and I recommend it to everyone looking to get into comics. Just make sure to set a budget for yourself otherwise you'll definitely spend your lunch money on books instead of food. Not that I've ever regretted it.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

I like that I don't have to drive to most places and that there's so much to do! Before moving to the East Coast, I was living in a very small mountain town and doing anything involved at least a 4-hour drive. Having everything I want to do be so close took some time to get used to and I love having so many options.

Least favorite?

Traffic. My sense of direction is a bit off and too much traffic really throws me for a loop! Plus one-ways are the bane of my existence.

What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?

My parents came out to visit for the first time a couple years ago so I took them on a tour of the National Mall. My dad was like a kid in a candy store at the Air & Space Museum. Next time he comes out I'm taking him to the one in Dulles.

How about a favorite local restaurant?

District of Pi in Chinatown is my favorite, though I've heard there's a great ramen place in Rockville I need to try. That might unseat the pizza's throne.

Do you have a website or blog?

You can find all of my work and learn where I'll be next on waywardstudios.net. I also sometimes post work and news to my Tumblr (thealmightym.tumblr.com) and Instagram (@thealmightym).