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Indie
Comic Creator Interview
with Don W. Seven April 2013 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.
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