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

Blair – As long as I can remember, there was always a box of comics at my grandparents’ cottage that my brothers & I were given free reign over.  I read comics pretty consistently until college, where I had a few years where I didn’t buy any & my focus shifted to animation.  My brother Mike got me back into them a few years after college.

QRD – What was the first comic book you ever bought?

Blair – I remember my mother buying us a pack of comics (one of those 3 in 1 packs from the department store) & the comic that stood out in the pack was The Amazing Spider-man 233 (with Mr. Hyde & The Cobra by John Romita Jr.)  It’s still one of my favourite Spider-Man comics.

QRD – How old were you when you put out your first comic?

Blair – I was 29 years old when I self-published my first Possum comic.

QRD – What decade do you think produced the best comics?

Blair – Every decade has some good ones (& lots of bad ones), but I like the 70s.

QRD – Why comics instead of just writing or drawing?

Blair – I really like animation as an artform, but with comics you can tell a complete story all by yourself at a minimum cost & I love having something tangible to hold in your hands afterwards that doesn’t require a computer or TV to view it on.  Comics are timeless.

QRD – Do you see mini-comics & indie comics as paths to mainstream comics or as
their own unique media?

Blair – Depends on what your goals are.  I like self-publishing & indie comics, so for me those are the end goals.

QRD – How many copies of your comic do you print in your first run?

Blair – I’ve been printing 6000 copies of each issue (5000 of issue #1).  With offset printing, the price goes down significantly after the first 2000 copies, so I always print extras to sell at conventions & use as promotional material.

QRD – How much do you think comics should cost?

Blair – The cheaper the better.  Unfortunately, with smaller print runs the price is going to go up.  I wish they could be 12 cents again.

QRD – How many books do you produce a year & how many would you like to?

Blair – I’m currently averaging one issue a year.  The goal is to someday publish monthly.

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

Blair – I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way, but for me I like them serialized.  It really depends on the artist & the type of story though.

QRD – How are comic strips different than comic books & which medium do you
prefer?

Blair – Comic strips focus on the single gag.  Comic books tend to have a bit more room for experimentation & can focus on a more complex story.  I like them both.

QRD – How long is it from when you start a comic until it’s printed?

Blair – Just over a year when you factor in the day job. 

QRD – What do you do better with your comics now than when you first started?

Blair – I try to focus on bettering a new weakness with each comic that I do.   Right now I’m focussing on my inking a bit more, so I’d have to say that’s an area that’s a lot better now than issue #1.

QRD – At what point in the artistic process do you work digitally?

Blair – I ink everything on illustration board & scan my pages into the computer after that for laying down grey tones or colouring (in the case of the covers).

QRD – What do you think of digital comics & webcomics?

Blair – There’s nothing like reading & holding an actual comic book in your hands.  (Especially when you can smell the old newsprint!)  I think digital comics & webcomics are great for reaching as many people as possible, but when it comes to reading them for myself, I like the real thing.

QRD – Do you prefer working in color or black & white?

Blair – Black & white.

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

Blair – I don’t think there’s a right way or a wrong way as long as everyone is happy doing what they are doing.  Obviously, the more people involved, the smaller each piece of the pie should be & the harder it is to keep everyone happy.

QRD – How do you find collaborators?

Blair – So far, I’ve only drawn comics alone.

QRD – How tight do you think a script should be as far as telling the artist
what to draw?

Blair – The writer should right to the artist’s preference.  In my case, I’m the writer & the artist, so I tend to keep the script very loose & then complain about the lazy writer when I’m drawing.

QRD – What comic book person would you be most flattered to be compared to?

Blair – Sergio Aragones & Dave Sim are my two biggest influences.

QRD – What do your friends & family think of your comics?

Blair – They tell me they like them to my face…….

QRD – What do you think of superheroes?

Blair – When done well, they’re great.

QRD – Marvel or DC?

Blair – Neither at the moment.

QRD – What comic characters other than your own would you like to work with?

Blair – Cerebus, Groo, & Spy Guy.

QRD – Ideally would you self-publish?

Blair – Yup.

QRD – What conventions do you try to attend & why?

Blair – I live close to Toronto, Canada; so the Toronto ones are always on my list; but I try to get to a couple out of town conventions each year.  San Diego, Wondercon, & The Toronto Fan Expo have been some of the more successful ones for me, but S.P.A.C.E. & SPX had a really nice vibe to them.

QRD – What do you do to promote your books?

Blair – Comic conventions & message boards, but I’m starting to try & focus on more local advertising.  Without proper distribution, I think it’s important to start local & then work your way outwards at a natural pace.

QRD – Do you think your comics are well suited to comic shops or would sell
better elsewhere?

Blair – Every comic shop that has carried The Possum, that I’m aware of, has had success with it.  The problem with comics geared towards kids is that a lot of kids don’t even know what a comic shop is unless their parents take them there (& comic shops are the last thing on most parents’ radars).  It’s a shame there isn’t a way to get comics back into variety stores & grocery stores, but for a self-publisher that’s a tricky one.

QRD – What other medium would you like to see some of your comics made into
(television, film, games, action figures, etc.)?

Blair – I’d love to have a crack at animating The Possum, but I wouldn’t want to do it by sacrificing the comic & I wouldn’t want to give up creative control to do it.  I’m all for merchandising as long as it’s quality merchandise & I’m still in charge.

QRD – Do you consider yourself a comic collector or a comic reader or both?

Blair – I’m a collector & a reader, but if I had to pick one it would be a reader.  What’s the point of having comics if you don’t read them?

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

Blair – Hmmmm…..  It would be nice to see some smaller distributors having success again, but it seems like quite a daunting task to break Diamond’s stranglehold.  You’d think that with the internet that micro distribution would become more viable.  Maybe a group of creators getting together to distribute each other’s comics via their online stores.  Digital comics are appealing for the simple fact that there’s no postage & handling charges as well.

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

Blair – How about wearing them?  In all seriousness, I’d like to see more artists moving away from the work for hire model of publishing & start taking their creativity into their own hands by publishing their own work & focusing on good storytelling.

QRD – Anything else?

Blair – Maybe some fries?