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QRD #60 - Indie Comic Creators Part V
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about this issue
Indie Comic Creator Interviews:
Mike Dawson
Floyd Lewis
A.P. Fuchs
Darin Shuler
Trevor Denham
Jules Rivera
John Steventon
Lorenzo Ross
John Allison
Michael San Giacomo
Matt Chic
Jackie Crofts
Don W. Seven
Derek Baxter

Interview Series Updates:
Nate McDonough
Jason Dube
Brian John Mitchell
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Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Don W. Seven
Indie Comic Creator Interview with Don W. Seven
April 2013
Don W. Seven
Name: Don W. Seven
City: Chattanooga, TN
Comics: babysue, Jesus, autobiographical stories, & various others
Websites: babysue.com, LMNOP.com, dONW7.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?

Don – Started reading comics in grammar school, probably at age 6 or 7... really liked things like Sugar & Spike & Peanuts... began drawing about the same time, trying to recreate the characters I liked.  It wasn’t until many years later (early twenties) that I started creating my own characters & cartoons.

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

Don – Not sure about this...it could have been an Archie comic book...

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

Don – Probably 21 or 22 (?).

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

Don – Wow, that’s a hard one...I like stuff from the 1920s & 1930s...but it’s hard to say whether those are the best decades or not...?

QRD – Why comics instead of just writing or drawing?

Don – Because it seemed like the most direct way of getting ideas across.

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

Don – Either way or both...it depends on what the artist wants to do with their work.

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

Don – They’re all online now.

QRD – How much do you think comics should cost?

Don – Ideally everything in the world would be free.  I don’t buy comics now unless I find them at yard sales really cheap.  & even then I have to admit that I’m not a big reader in general.

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

Don – Again, everything is online at present. Each month new cartoons are uploaded to the website(s) along with stuff like recipes, poems, music reviews, & other miscellaneous stuff.

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

Don – Either way, both are valid.

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

Don – Comic strips are quick & immediate...whereas books require more time & attention to absorb.  Don’t prefer one over the other.

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

Don – Comics are published/uploaded within 3 to 4 weeks of their creation.

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

Don – Probably not a lot...mainly interested in messing around with words & ideas rather than being a great visual artist.

QRD – Do you do thumbnails?

Don – Not sure what these are?

QRD – At what size do you draw?

Don – Probably about 9” wide on the monitor.

QRD – What kind of pens do you use?

Don – It’s all electronic now...so an electronic graphic pen.  I used to use all kinds of ink pens when I was drawing on paper...basically anything I could find cheap at yard sales.

QRD – What does your workstation look like?

Don – It looks very much like a computer with a graphic pen tablet beside it.

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

Don – The entire time.

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

Don – They’re just as valid as the old fashioned kind.

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

Don – Enjoy working with color & black & white.

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

Don – One person, five people, ten, or one hundred...doesn’t matter.  Everyone’s jobs should be whatever they enjoy doing.

QRD – How do you find collaborators?

Don – Don’t collaborate at present, although a close associate gives some great ideas & inspiration.

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

Don – Super tight...or totally loose...depends on what the situation requires.

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

Don – Roz Chast, she’s a top favorite.

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

Don – Most aren’t aware that I do any of this kinda stuff.

QRD – What do you think of superheroes?

Don – Not into them in general; but, as with everything, it all depends on the specific situation.  Just watched a Sky Captain film & was surprised at how entertaining it was.

QRD – Marvel or DC?

Don – Don’t prefer one over the other.

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

Don – Never even thought about this...?

QRD – Ideally would you self-publish?

Don – Have always self-published, even from the beginning.

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

Don – Don’t attend conventions, but not opposed to them.

QRD – What do you do to promote your books?

Don – Promote the web sites through word-of-mouth, links on the internet, social media (Twitter, Tumblr, Linked In, Pinterest), cross pollination, giving stuff away, & trading stuff with other folks.

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

Don – No idea on this (?).

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

Don – Never really thought about that one (?).  Not into money & fame, so neither are motivators.

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

Don – A little of both, but mainly a creator.

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

Don – Don’t have enough knowledge to answer this one (?).

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

Don – Whatever they want to do with them.

QRD – Anything else?

Don – My main goal is to enjoy whatever it is I’m doing with the freedom to create without restrictions or censorship.  The reward is when anyone laughs, thinks, re-evaluates their own thoughts & viewpoints, or looks at their life or the world differently.