QRD – How old were you when you first got into comics & did you always stick with them or did you come back to them?

Brandon – My parents both read comics so they were always around.  There was a lot of Tintin & Furry Freak Brothers.  I’ve always stuck with them. 
 
QRD – What was the first comic book you ever bought?
 
Brandon – I remember buying the TMNT Raphael special real early on.  With “one in a one issue micro series” on the 2 color cover.

QRD – How old were you when you put out your first comic?
 
Brandon – I remember a thing I did based off of seeing The Last Unicorn cartoon when I was 7.  My first whole comic of my own was this thing called October Yen that came out when I was 19.

QRD – What decade do you think produced the best comics?
 
Brandon – I’m fond of a lot of the 80s books but also that’s just when I was first getting most into it.

QRD – Why comics instead of just writing or drawing?
 
Brandon – It complicates things in a nice way. There’s just so much that can be done when you combine the 2.

QRD – Do you see mini-comics & indie comics as paths to mainstream comics or as their own unique media?
 
Brandon – I like to say that getting into mainstream comics is like trying to fuck an ugly girl that can’t remember your name.  “Just not worth the effort.”

QRD – How many copies of your comic do you print in your first run?
 
Brandon – Couple thousand.

QRD – How much do you think comics should cost?
 
Brandon – I think the cost is less important than what you are asking for.  I’m into density. Even if it’s part of a continued story it should hold up as solid & entertaining.
Even if that’s the only issue the reader ever sees.

QRD – How many books do you produce a year & how many would you like to?
 
Brandon – I guess I do about 200 pages a year.

QRD – Do you think stories should be serialized or delivered as complete works?

Brandon – I like both. There’s something I really enjoy about having a comic showing up in issues.  When I was a kid the stuff I enjoyed the most was the Adam Warren Dirty Pair & Shirow’s Appleseed.  They came out as books that were broken up into 4 or 5 monthly issues.  & it avoided all the fill in artists & whatnot you get with ongoing books.

QRD – How are comic strips different than comic books & which medium do you prefer?
 
Brandon – Yeah, I think of them as a different animal, but you can do strip style stuff in books.  Books allow for a lot more.

QRD – How long is it from when you start a comic until it’s printed?
 
Brandon – I like to work far ahead of print. I’m working on what’ll be out next year.  It’s a nice time capsule in that way.

QRD – What do you do better with your comics now than when you first started?
 
Brandon – I’ve gotten more comfortable in my comic book skin.

QRD – At what point in the artistic process do you work digitally?
 
Brandon – Just at the end when I scan pages to color or grey tone it & get it all pretty for print.

QRD – What do you think of digital comics & webcomics?
 
Brandon – They’re cool. Here’s a couple online comics I really enjoy:
http://lizsuburbia.corkyberlin.com 
http://thechipperwhale.com
http://www.oglaf.com

QRD – Do you prefer working in color or black & white?
 
Brandon – I like them both. I spent most of my life doing stuff in black & white so now I’m having a lot of fun seeing what I can do in color.

QRD – How many different people should work on a comic & what should their jobs be?

Brandon – I like to work alone & then turn in finished lettered with a logo comics to the publisher.  Different strokes though - I like some comics made by teams too.

QRD – How do you find collaborators?
 
Brandon – If I did I’d want to look for like-minded people - the same way you find friends.

QRD – How tight do you think a script should be as far as telling the artist what to draw?
 
Brandon – I don’t play in that game. You might as well ask me about how baseball should be coached.  (BB coaches should be tough but fair.)

QRD – What comic book person would you be most flattered to be compared to?
 
Brandon – I like Moebius a lot. Just that he’s managed to spend his whole life making new & exciting work is something to aspire to.

QRD – What do your friends & family think of your comics?
 
Brandon – My family is really cool with it & my friends like to give me shit about it. All is well in the world.

QRD – What do you think of superheroes?
 
Brandon – I don’t know any personally, but maybe they do some good. 

QRD – Marvel or DC?
 
Brandon – I like artists & writers, I care less about who they work for.

QRD – What comic characters other than your own would you like to work with?
 
Brandon – I’d like to do something with Sherlock Holmes.  I have this idea for a one shot that would just show a normal day of Holmes & Watson hanging out without any big mystery & how they use their deductive powers to bond & interact with the normal world. That’s always my favorite parts of the Conan Doyle stories.  & I’d like to do a Dirty Pair comic.

QRD – Ideally would you self-publish?
 
Brandon – I like working with the publishers that I do, Image & Oni.  It’s nice to be able to focus on the work & have them deal with the phone calls & $$ end.

QRD – What conventions do you try to attend & why?
 
Brandon – The Seattle Emerald city con is fun. Stumptown in Portland too.  This year I’m going to TCAF in Toronto, I’ve never gone but I’m looking forward too it.  Canada is still new & alien to me.  And I go to the local shows run by Leonard Wong, I like that guy.  It’s cool to meet up with like-minded people & see far away friends.

QRD – What do you do to promote your books?
 
Brandon – I write about them on the internet mostly.

QRD – Do you think your comics are well suited to comic shops or would sell better elsewhere?
 
Brandon – Ideally I’d like my stuff to be bought in a good comic store with some quarter bins & cool people behind the counter.  But that’s just because I like to hang out in those places.

QRD – What other medium would you like to see some of your comics made into (television, film, games, action figures, etc.)?
 
Brandon – I’m really a making comics for comics’ sake dude.

QRD – Do you consider yourself a comic collector or a comic reader or both?
 
Brandon – I’m really into reading the things.

QRD – What do you see as the most viable mediums for comics distribution 10 years from now?

Brandon – Lazerpumas traveling by ghost rail!  I like to think that the art form will putter ever on & people that are excited about it will find the work.

QRD – What would you like to see more people doing with comics?

Brandon – I just want people to make the kind of comics they want to read.