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Indie
Comic Creator interview
with Tyler Sowles July 2015 Name: Tyler Sowles
City: Grand Rapids, MI Comics: The Numbered (Arcana Studio), Durontus: The Lost Serpent (Self Published), Hank Steiner: Monster Detective (Self Published), Fallstreak, Renegade Websites: Killustrationstudios.com, thekillustrator.com, durontus.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? Tyler – I was into reading whatever was on magazine stands as a kid -- mostly a lot of Spider-Man & Spawn. I lost interest in comics in middle school thanks to video games, but then got back into them in college. By that time comics were no longer just DC or Marvel & new & interesting titles from Dark Horse, Image, & IDW made me want to read comics again. QRD – What was the first comic book you ever bought? Tyler – As a kid, I’m not sure, probably Spider-Man. Anything with Lizard or Venom in it. As an adult, it was Hellboy & Invincible. QRD – How old were you when you put out your first comic? Tyler – I put out a mini comic in my early 20s, I think 22 or 23. I did my first full length comic when I was 27. QRD – What decade do you think produced the best comics? Tyler – This one. QRD – Why comics instead of just writing or drawing? Tyler – Comics come naturally to me -- the idea of movement based scenes, sequential work, is something that’s easy & fun for me to wrap my head around. There IS a way to make a living in comics, too. It’s just not easy. Making a living drawing or writing seems... even more difficult. QRD – Do you see mini-comics & indie comics as paths to mainstream comics or as their own unique media? Tyler – Both. It depends on what the creators’ goals are. I’ve personally seen friends go either direction as they take off. QRD – How many copies of your comic do you print in your first run? Tyler – 100? I think. QRD – How much do you think comics should cost? Tyler – This is tough. Overseas large print runs basically run the media. It’s hard for a small publisher/indie creator to match those prices. I find that $5 or $6 is pretty standard for smaller print runs. Even then, creators make very little back. QRD – How many books do you produce a year & how many would you like to? Tyler – Right now, I produce between 5-10 books a year. I wish I could do a book a month. QRD – Do you think stories should be serialized or delivered as complete works? Tyler – Again, I think it’s up to the creator. I really don’t think there’s a right or a wrong in this regard. QRD – How are comic strips different than comic books & which medium do you prefer? Tyler – It’s been a long time since I’ve talked about this. It seems to me that comic strips are simpler in presentation -- usually only a few panels to convey a message, which seems even more difficult. I feel that strips have to be sharp & to the point. The art is often highly stylized. I guess I prefer comics, simply because it’s more of what I grew up with. QRD – How long is it from when you start a comic until it’s printed? Tyler – This depends on who’s printing the book. Your “team” plays a big factor when it comes down to printing & distribution. For self-publishing, it could be next day (once the files are prepped) or a month later. It sorta depends on who’s printing the material, too. It usually takes me a month or two to complete the art for a standard 22-24 page comic. QRD – What do you do better with your comics now than when you first started? Tyler – Hopefully everything. I feel like every time I draw a page, I learn something. I’ve learned a lot about finalizing things, inking & making the art look dynamic. At least, I’d like to think so, anyhow. QRD – Do you do thumbnails? Tyler – Sometimes, especially if the writer wants it, or I’m having a hard time figuring out a page. Typically though, I prefer to rough stuff straight to the page. QRD – At what size do you draw? Tyler – 11x17 comic board. QRD – What kind of pens do you use? Tyler – I don’t. I typically ink in Photoshop with a med sized Intuos Pro. If I ink traditionally, I use a brush & liquid ink. QRD – What does your workstation look like? Tyler – A disaster. QRD – At what point in the artistic process do you work digitally? Tyler – Depends on the book. I still like to do pencils traditionally, but I LOVE inking digitally. QRD – What do you think of digital comics & webcomics? Tyler – I dig them, too. QRD – Do you prefer working in color or black & white? Tyler – I typically do pencils & inks. My wife (& art partner) Sara Sowles, usually handles the color. QRD – How many different people should work on a comic & what should their jobs be? Tyler – Typically, it’s a small team of 3 to 6. You have a writer, penciller, inker, colorist, letterer, & sometimes an editor. A lot of the time, the penciller also inks, unless there’s a tight deadline & a big budget. Sometimes folks are just able to handle more than one job. QRD – How do you find collaborators? Tyler – Conventions! Online helps sometimes, too. Pencil Jack & Digital Webbing are good resources, but the forums can be... annoying. I prefer meeting people in person at conventions. QRD – How tight do you think a script should be as far as telling the artist what to draw? Tyler – This depends on the team & your goals. Lazy writing is a bad thing, but leaving some things open to interpretation for the artist can be rewarding. Writers & artists should come to some sort of agreement ahead of time of what they need from each other. I prefer reasonable direction, as long as I can make changes to make things more interesting or dynamic as they come up. QRD – Do you think it’s important to have a full story arc completely written before starting to draw? Tyler – Maybe? I think it’s a good idea to have a general objective in mind in the very least. Perhaps you might not have every issue written, but you DO have a skeleton of the next 4 issues. That works. QRD – What comic book person would you be most flattered to be compared to? Tyler – I’ve been compared to both Mike Mignola & Tony Moore. I’m not nearly as talented as those guys. It’s immensely flattering. QRD – What do your friends & family think of your comics? Tyler – A plethora of feelings. I think most of them are supportive -- friends think it’s cool. I have a LOT of friends who DO comics now. My family thinks it’s weird, I think, & they don’t get it, but they’re still supportive. QRD – What do you think of superheroes? Tyler – They’re the comic standard. There are good superhero stories out there. They used to monopolize the industry, but there’s a growing interest in different kinds of stories & small publishing. Thankfully. QRD – Marvel or DC? Tyler – Dark Horse. QRD – What comic characters other than your own would you like to work with? Tyler – I’d love to do a Hellboy pinup. Or Godzilla. For sure. QRD – Ideally would you self-publish? Tyler – I take what comes. I have a couple great comics that I’m passionate about, but if a large offer comes through, I would pursue that, too. QRD – What conventions do you try to attend & why? Tyler – Midwest area. Try not to fly -- it’s too expensive unless you’re a guest. QRD – How do you feel about doing work for anthologies? Tyler – I like helping out. QRD – What do you do to promote your books? Tyler – Twitter, conventions, signings. QRD – Do you think your comics are well suited to comic shops or would sell better elsewhere? Tyler – Comic shops for sure. Indie & small press! QRD – What other medium would you like to see some of your comics made into (television, film, games, action figures, etc.)? Tyler – Any. Maybe? I don’t know. A Hank Steiner toy or movie would be dope. QRD – Do you consider yourself a comic collector or a comic reader or both? Tyler – I’m definitely a reader & creator. I don’t collect. Most of my comics are destroyed due to misuse & tons of reading. Coffee stains, bent all to hell from travel, rips. QRD – What do you see as the most viable mediums for comics distribution 10 years from now? Tyler – The internet. Print is slowly dying. Comics are one of the few mediums left. QRD – What would you like to see more people doing with comics? Tyler – Reading & supporting indie & small press. We all love Batman, but seriously, give something different a try. There’s a lot of passionate, talented folks making comics in YOUR neighborhood. You just have to look for them. QRD – Anything else? Tyler – Nope. Thanks for the interview!
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