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Indie
Comic Creator Interview
with Derek Baxter April 2013 Name: Derek Baxter City: Columbus Comics: Drunken Cat Comics Websites: www.DrunkenCatComics.com QRD – How old were you when you first got into comics & did you always stick with them or did you come back to them? Derek – Whatever age I was when the X-Men cartoon show first premiered, that’s how old I was when I first got into comics as a fan. I didn’t actually draw my first comic until last year. I also didn’t read comics for several years, but they were always in my periphery. QRD – What was the first comic book you ever bought? Derek – Probably a Roger Rabbit comic. QRD – How old were you when you put out your first comic? Derek – 29. QRD – What decade do you think produced the best comics? Derek – I am on a really big very late 80s/early 90s kick right now. I am reading a lot of Batman from that era. I like the 80s as a decade for comics in general. Reading books from that decade fills me with a sense of nostalgia, even if I didn’t actually read the books when they were initially released. QRD – Why comics instead of just writing or drawing? Derek – It allows for more creative control. QRD – Do you see mini-comics & indie comics as paths to mainstream comics or as their own unique media? Derek – I guess they are their own unique media. It might border on pretentious to say it, but it seems like the idea of “mainstream” is evolving & changing in an age in which anyone can put their work on the web & find an audience. QRD – How many copies of your comic do you print in your first run? Derek – Between 25 & 50 issues to gauge how they sell at cons. QRD – How much do you think comics should cost? Derek – Depends on the comic. Small press creators are putting a lot of their own money into the publishing, so I feel like it’s only right they get a fair price for their work. QRD – How many books do you produce a year & how many would you like to? Derek – I wrote & illustrated one book last year myself, & then collaborated on several others. I would like to build up to producing several books a year. QRD – Do you think stories should be serialized or delivered as complete works? Derek – I like serialization that can build up & be sold as a complete work. I guess it depends on the story being told. QRD – How are comic strips different than comic books & which medium do you prefer? Derek – Strips have a traditional set up & punch line. Books have more of a three act structure. I prefer comic books. QRD – How long is it from when you start a comic until it’s printed? Derek – It depends. Usually several months. QRD – What do you do better with your comics now than when you first started? Derek – I’ve learned a lot about filling in negative space & paneling. QRD – Do you do thumbnails? Derek – I am guessing now, since I am not sure what this is asking. QRD – At what size do you draw? Derek – I’ve learned to draw bigger than what you will print at. When I started, I was drawing the comic at exactly the size I wanted it printed. This left no room for re-sizing. QRD – What kind of pens do you use? Derek – Micron. QRD – What does your workstation look like? Derek – A coffee shop. QRD – At what point in the artistic process do you work digitally? Derek – I color & add text in Photoshop. QRD – What do you think of digital comics & webcomics? Derek – I enjoy them & produce a daily comic for our website. QRD – Do you prefer working in color or black & white? Derek – I love color images; but if I am pressed for time, I will do something in black & white. QRD – How many different people should work on a comic & what should their jobs be? Derek – This really depends on the comic. QRD – How do you find collaborators? Derek – I only really collaborate with one person & we’ve known each other since high school. QRD – How tight do you think a script should be as far as telling the artist what to draw? Derek – My only experience with this is writing with my friend & we’ve developed our own style. In general, I feel it should explain the story & panel breakdown, but leave room for the artist’s own interpretation. QRD – What comic book person would you be most flattered to be compared to? Derek – Gary Larson. QRD – What do your friends & family think of your comics? Derek – Some laugh. I am not sure how many of them know the full extent of what I do. QRD – What do you think of superheroes? Derek – Pro. QRD – Marvel or DC? Derek – I like Batman & I like Spider-Man. QRD – What comic characters other than your own would you like to work with? Derek – I would be too intimidated to work with other people’s characters. I am always afraid I wouldn’t know enough about the “character bible” to do them justice. Maybe I could revive Sleepwalker? QRD – Ideally would you self-publish? Derek – Yes, as this would allow for maximum creative control. QRD – What conventions do you try to attend & why? Derek – I love SPACE, because it’s local & a lot of my comic artist friends show up. It’s like going to summer camp each year. QRD – What do you do to promote your books? Derek – Tell anyone who will listen to check out the website. QRD – Do you think your comics are well suited to comic shops or would sell better elsewhere? Derek – Probably elsewhere, if not for the irregular release schedule alone. QRD – What other medium would you like to see some of your comics made into (television, film, games, action figures, etc.)? Derek – Animated TV show. QRD – Do you consider yourself a comic collector or a comic reader or both? Derek – Reader. QRD – What do you see as the most viable mediums for comics distribution 10 years from now? Derek – Hopefully there will still be comic stores; but as older comics start to deteriorate, I hope they cab be preserved digitally. I would love to have a digital library of every Batman comic published. QRD – What would you like to see more people doing with comics? Derek – Just telling interesting stories. QRD – Anything else? Derek – How is Marmaduke still being made?
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