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May 2015
Comics: Terra Kaiju, Memoirs of the Mysterious, Outside the Lines
Websites: joebadon.blogspot.com, facebook.com/joebadon
QRD – How old were you when you first realized you wanted to be a cartoonist?
Joe – It was 2nd or 3rd grade that I created a comic, xeroxed it, & sold it at my school. I think I was 30 or 31 when I decided to begin pursuing a career in comics.
QRD – What are a few highlights of your cartooning career?
Joe – Storyboarding for movies & commercials. I did a VW & a KFC commercial. That was cool! My latest personal comic Terra Kaiju I’m very proud of it.
QRD – At what age did you decide you wanted to become a father?
Joe – I guess a couple years after I got married - around 22.
QRD – What are some positive & negative impacts your family has had on your career?
Joe – Positive - It motivates me to work harder just to pay the bills, put food on the table, etc… Negative - Can’t travel too much.
QRD – What are some positive & negative impacts your career has had on your family?
Joe – Positive - I can work from home, my kids are homeschooled, so we have A LOT of family together-ness. Negative - I work A LOT, probably 60 - 70 hours a week. So that can be a stress at times.
QRD – Have your children effected the comics you make &/or read?
Joe – I guess I tend to lean to be more kid-friendly because of having kids.
QRD – Have you had problems with the lack of steady money from an artistic career providing the security you feel necessary in your household?
Joe – At times, but I’m actually doing better now than I was when I used to work a regular job.
QRD – Given the limitations having a family has on going on the convention circuit, would you have showed more earlier in life if you’d known?
Joe – It’s definitely hard to travel the convention circuit. I definitely would have shown earlier, but I didn’t really start earlier so there’s that.
QRD – Do you think being a father or a cartoonist has a greater impact on your community?
Joe – Ha, I don’t know. Being homeschooled & working from home, I feel like we’re hermitting away from the rest of society. I guess we’re not out there robbing people, so that’s good!
QRD – Would you rather see your children eventually become cartoonists or parents?
Joe – Parents, having kids is a wonderful thing. It’s something parents definitely take for granted. There’s so much joy in sharing your life with new life.
QRD – Both family & comics seem like things that will take up as much of your time as you’re willing to put in. How do you end up dividing your time?
Joe – We take one full day off a week to spend time with each other, go on hikes, watch movies, go to the beach, whatever. We also try to do at least 2 or 3 little vacations a year. It seems to work for us.
QRD – What do your kids think of your comics?
Joe – They love them!
QRD – Do you think you could ever do a comic project with your children?
Joe – Definitely! They’re getting older & they’re both extremely creative, BUT I want them to pursue whatever creative endeavors that they want to. I would rather be assisting them in a creative project instead of them assisting me.
QRD – Any words of advice to young people?
Joe – Start working on your dreams as early in life as possible (even if your 80 years old) - there’s no time like the present. Also, & this is the most important, WORK HARD at what you love. You’ll either be working hard at a crappy job or working hard at what you love - so choose the latter!
