Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Jimmy Palmiotti

Welcome back kiddies! This time I tricked Jimmy Palmiotti to come down into the dungeon. So go on and take a look at what he had to say when he woke up and found out he was trapped in the interview chair.

Alright lets start out with a short answer section and get the usual out of the way.

Name: Jimmy Palmiotti

Age: OLD

Married/Single/Dating/Other: ENGAGED.

Pets: Snakes, Raccoons, Hawks, Lizards and Armadillos. I just call them by what they are. They are all in my yard.

Highest Education Level: Art Students League and NYC Tech

High School Mascot: A paintbrush

First Job: Mowing my aunts lawn or shoveling snow.

Favorite outdoor activity: Swimming

Staying with short answers lets talk about what you do.

Writer, artist, creator of weird things.

Comic(s) you created Before July 4, 1985:
None other than the ones in my bottom drawer.

July 5, 1985 - September 1, 2009:
too many to mention....thats what google is for.

September 2, 2009 - Tomorrow:
Powergirl, Jonah Hex, Last Resort, Time Bomb, Splatterman.

Alright all that stuff aside lets get to the meat of the interview.

What do you do when not making comics?
I spend a lot of time with Amanda Conner...we eat, swim, travel, go to movies, bowl, conventions, visit friends, shop, beach and all sorts of normal things.

Your Ipod breaks and it gets stuck on one band. What band are you hoping it is?
Probably my classical music section. Easiest to work to.

Your join the Army and while at boot camp you are given a serum. What are you hoping you turn into?
Someone that isn't in the army anymore and can turn invisible at will.

When you were 10 what were you for Halloween?
I think I was a skeleton, always loved them.

Favorite comic character when you were 9 and 13 and 16?
9: Superman
13: Hulk
16: Conan

When it comes to tv what are you watching?
Big Bang Theory, Medium, Rescue Me and films on IFC.

Sports wise, who ya rooting for?
NY teams always. Right now, Yankees.

Back to comic stuff for now.

Knowing that Iceman is the greatest hero of all time, why do you think he is so underused?
Because he isn't the greatest hero of all time. He is a buff snowman.

Alright your making a comic about a 7 year old girl who gets lost in woods with nothing but a pocket knife and a canteen full of gasoline. Whats the name of the book and sell me on a quick pitch? Go!
HAPPY ON THE SURFACE: A girl goes into the woods chasing after her parents killer. She eventually tracks him down with the help of the animals living in the woods . The big reveal is that its her uncle Harry, and he was responsible for repeated rape years before and disappeared until that very night to kill her family. Betty, the girl, was unfamiliar with the woods and left a trail of gasoline behind her ...until she catches her uncle sleeping next to a tree. She then pours the gas all over him...stabs him in the groin with a pocket knife and lights him on fire. As he burns alive we see a demon that resembles a spider monkey covered in tar, rip out of his stomach and run deeper into the woods. Betty follows the gasoline trail now on fire back to her home and calls the authorities to deal with her butchered parents. The end.

We all know how good you are can write a story or two but what can you do with some dental floss, 2 rabbits feet and a slotted spoon?
I can throw them out my car window while doing 90 and cause major damage to some poor bastard on a bicycle.

Where is the real money at in comic creating?
Owning the property...the character.

When your making comics whats going on around you? Music, what kind? Silence? TV on?
Music...classical.

5 years from now. Where do you see yourself?
In my house, hopefully less fat with a good amount of money in the bank.

Alright we can finish up with a quick word association game. I will say a word, you give me a quick one sentence response.

Last Resort? 5 issues from IDW, out now.

Zombies? Done to death

Horror Comics? Love them

Pot Belly Pigs? Tasty

Muffins? Vagina

Muppets? Felt put to good use.

The number 8? Octopus

Towels? Shower

Decapitated Dan? Lost without a head.

Thanks Jimmy

If you want to know more about Jimmy Palmiotti you can check out his blog @ http://jimmypalmiotti.blogspot.com/

Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: David Lillie

Welcome back kiddies! This time we welcome David Lillie into the dungeon. Sit back and relax as he tells us about who he is, what he does, and what we can expect from him in the future. Trust me, you will like what you read!

Decapitated Dan: Hey David. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me about Dreamkeepers and any other projects your working on. First of all lets talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?

David Lillie: Who am I... Well, I'm an art college grad who works as a night shift security guard. While it's not the most glory-drenched career, it does give me the valuable opportunity to pay bills while working with my wife Liz on our books. Doing art professionally wound up sapping all my time and energy, whereas now that my joe-job doesn't tap into my creative time I can pursue the comic much more effectively.

DD: How did you find yourself getting into making comics?

DL: It was kind of a boomerang effect. I was a picky kid, so I never read many comics growing up. I drew a lot, though - from the time I was twelve until I graduated high school, I wrote & drew my own 7-part comic series. Art college kept me too busy for creativity over the next four years, but I did have time to snowball an animated series concept with a friend. After researching the business end of Hollywood, I realized it was eminently unlikely a nobody like me could pitch a cartoon and retain creative control. At that point creative control was becoming very important to me, as I was falling in love with the characters and the story... So the natural choice was to return to comics, and enjoy storytelling with no restraints.

DD: So what can you tell me about Dreamkeepers?

DL: If I could only live once, it's the story I'd want to tell. And by all indications that is indeed the case, so I'm getting right to work. It takes everything colorful and fun that I love about cartooning, and applies it to a story which doesn't pander to children. Dreamkeepers doesn't fit on the fantasy shelf next to the sword and sorcery books - but neither does it match adventure, horror, romance, or humor genres precisely... It kind of has a life of its own. I know that probably sounds terribly pretentious, but the project really does have a layered scope to it. The challenge so far has been using that to intensify the narrative, rather than dilute it.

DD: What's it all about?

DL: Demonic nightmares infiltrating the Dreamworld to butcher our otherworldly counterparts, the dreamkeepers. Once they kill off the dreamkeepers, they'll have access to our unconscious minds while we dream, which is a bad thing. (Dreamkeepers are basically cartoonish animal influenced versions of ourselves.) The story begins with some young dreamkeepers who really have no awareness of the events that are beginning to take shape - they have their own personal lives to worry about. But as the impending bloodshed begins to gather momentum, they get caught in the undertow, and in the end become key players in the unfolding cataclysm. I guess I would call it an epic of personal proportions.

DD: Who are the main characters?

DL: Things kick off with Mace and Whip - two dirt-poor orphans with big plans and a talent for creating trouble. They're contrasted against Lilith and Namah, the upper-class daughters of the elected Viscount - although Namah is illegitimate and concealed from the public. This contributes to her perennially cheery perspective on life. We get to show their childhood back stories in our weekly web comic 'Prelude', which is considerably more light-hearted than the graphic novels. Monsters haven't started eating people yet.

DD: Where did this idea come from?

DL: A college roommate and I brainstormed some on the basic premise - what would it be like if there was something to protect our dreams while we slept? What would a story taking place in the Dreamworld be like? Over the summer, I hit the library with books on dreaming, the unconscious, dreams in human mythology and ancient culture... And began to draw up the cast members for the series. I continued doing concept art and developing the idea all through my last year in college, right up until we started the first graphic novel.

DD: What are you hoping readers can take away from this story?

DL: I honestly have no idea. I certainly hope others enjoy it, and the feedback I've gotten so far has been extraordinarily supportive. But really, I just have this vivid, enticing vision in my head of what this story could be. It seems almost like a real and independent thing, and I want to do everything I can to bring it into the world properly.

DD: Can you talk a bit about the coloring process on your books. From what I have seen this is one of the highlights aside from the story.

DL: Photoshop and I get along rather well. My stint in art college was useful in exposing me to some of the lighting techniques used in digital animation... Although I don't apply 3-D software to Dreamkeepers, the lighting principles and experience show. Everything is done manually in Photoshop with layers and adjustment layers - I actually have a brief tutorial up on Youtube that shows how it works. The end goal is to do more than simply create a believable alternate reality, of course. The settings must have mood, impact - they're really an unseen character all their own. Creating something immersive for the reader is always a goal, and I believe helps magnify the impact of the events being portrayed.

DD: When all the volumes are done, can we expect a larger book collecting them?

DL: Certainly! I'm expecting a collection someday, and self publishing conveniently puts me in a position to make those kinds of calls. Assuming I don't utterly fail, of course - but I'm not planning on doing that.

DD: What can we expect from you in the future?

DL: In the next few months, I'll be finishing the Dreamkeepers website and getting digital book sales available on the first two books. That will dramatically lower the buy-in price for prospective customers, and I hope to expand my audience as I finish the 3rd Volume of the graphic novel saga over the next year or so. After that? I'll start book 4. Eventually I want to be the first independent comic publisher to take an idea truly mainstream, and have the financial ability to publish other creators as well. Or at least that's what I like to imagine as I stroll through my security site at night.

DD: What comics are you currently reading?

DL: There's a fantastic webcomic titled Lackadaisy that I've been enjoying, and I've also been revisiting my childhood Calvin and Hobbes collection lately.

DD: So in summary give me a quick recap on Dreamkeepers and why fans should give it a try.

DL: Well, it's good, and neat, and... Alright, I suck at self promoting. Drawing is easier. Listen folks, just read Dan's review, or go to my site dreamkeeperscomic.com - I've posted a ton of reader and professional feedback on the graphic novel page. See what they're saying, poke around, read some of the free stuff, and see if you'd be interested in following what Liz and I are making. We'd love to have you visit.

DD: Thanks so much David. I hope people can jump on board and check out your books. I know I have been really impressed by what I have been able to check out so far.



If you would like to know more about Dreamkeepers please check out David's site dreamkeeperscomic.com

Just posted 5 new reviews. Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom, A Very Zombie Christmas #1, The Field on the Edge of the Woods #1, FVZA #2 and Incarnate (full series).

Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Darick Robertson

Welcome back kiddies! This time we welcome Darick Robertson, all around bad ass artist, into the dungeon. He tells us about his comics, and so much more. So enjoy!

Alright lets start out with a short answer section and get the Usual out of the way.

Name: If you don't already know, this will be a pointless interview.

Age: Old enough,.. yadda yadda

Married/Single/Dating/Other: Married to a formerly Single woman who I was Dating and no Other since.

Pets: Cat, Tango. Rat, Kirby.

Highest Education Level: Just High School and the School Of Hard Knocks.

High School Mascot: the 'Aragon Don', which I designed for my school and they're still using actually.

First Job: Cook/Cleaner Chicken Unlimited.

Favorite thing to eat at the movies: Popcorn and Junior Mints.

Staying with short answers lets talk about what you do:

Comic(s) you created Before 1995:
Space Beaver, Ripfire, co-created Nightman and designed all the Strangers for Malibu's Ultraverse.

From 1995 - June 16, 2005:
Transmetropolitan, The Boys.

June 17, 2005 - The end of time:
I'll get back to you on that.

Alright all that stuff aside lets get to the meat of the interview:

What do you do when not making comics?
Spend time with my wife and kids, hang out with friends, travel whenever possible, play guitar and sing.


Favorite TV Shows past and present?
Currently loving: Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Weeds, Simpsons and South Park, Entourage, Bored To Death, Curb your Enthusiasm, Flight Of the Conchords.

Favorite past: Spaced, Jekyll, Red Dwarf, Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Malcolm in the Middle...

You're stranded on a desert island for 5 years. You get one comic to read, what is it (trades are allowed)?
I hate these kinds of choices. I'm a mad collector and have as much stuff as I can hold onto. But it would have to come down to my hardcover Frank Miller Batman collection.

When you were 10 what were you for Halloween?
Batman!

Favorite Music when you were 6, 16 and 26?
6- EARLY Olivia Newton-John (pre-Grease), Abba, and other pop that my older sister listened to.

16- That was my transition year: Van Halen, REO Speedwagon, U2, The Ramones, Joe Jackson, The Smiths The Cure, English Beat, Roxy Music, Talking Heads, Duran Duran, The Stranglers...

26- Mid nineties stuff, all of the above and discovered Jellyfish, Sarah McLachlan, Gin Blossoms, Tori Amos, Better Than Ezra, Del Amitri, Fastball, Green Day, the PIxies,

I give you a remote control car. You get to choose one action figure to put in it to be a driver. Who is that character and where would you take it to play with it?
The most posable one that fits the scale and can look believable behind the wheel, that fits the them of the car.

Back to comic stuff for now. Knowing that Iceman is the greatest hero of all time, why do you think he is so underused?
Too easy to defeat, and acts like jack-ass too often.

If you were to make a comic about the life of a house wife circa 1950. What would the title be and sell me on a quick pitch? Go!
Suburban Hell. 50's house wife by day gets into the occult out of boredom, and turns her life upside down with black magic.

We all know you kick ass drawing ? But what do you really want to do when you grow up?
Too late. If I haven't grown up by now, I'm not going to.

Where is the real money at in comic creating?
In movies.

When you're making comics what's going on around you? Music, what kind? Silence? TV on?
Usually TV on to political blah blah or talk radio, sometimes music when the prior gets to be too much.

10 years from now. Where do you see yourself?
New Zealand.

Alright we can finish up with a quick word association game. I will say a word, you give me a quick one sentence response.

Frankenstein? Poor misunderstood bastard.

Space Beaver? Poor misunderstood bastard.

Transmetropolitan? A smart choice in the 90's.

Horror Comics? Awesome and poised for a comeback as soon as people regain a sense of
humor.

Fruit Stripe Gum? Delicious and affordable.

Robocop? Great character never properly exploited.

Marvel Comics? Owned by Disney.

Pillow Fights? Fun with topless girls in 70's films.

Decapitated Dan? needs a body.

Darick Robertson? Is done!

Thanks so much Darick.
You bet!

If you want to see what Darick is up to check out his site http://darickrobertson.com/

Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Alex Thompson

Welcome back kiddies! This time we welcome Alex Thompson, into the dungeon. Sit back and relax as he tells us about who he is, what he does and what we can expect from them in the future. Trust me you will like what you read!

Decapitated Dan: Hey Alex. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me about Approbation Comics and the projects your working on.

Alex Thompson: Hey, Dan! Always a pleasure. Apologies on the delay… I had the flu. Thankfully, not any of the exotic versions. The basic kind was bad enough!

DD: First of all lets talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?

AT: I am Alex Thompson and I’m a writer. Mostly comic books and screenplays. I also do a little acting and other behind the scenes movie related work.

DD: How did you get into making comics?

AT: I’ve always been a storyteller using a mixture of words and pictures. I always thought I’d tell those stories via television and movies, but those routes were a bit out of my reach due to lack of cash and connections. Then I discovered comics and after analyzing the hell out of them I learned that they were just like television and movies, just on paper. I could tell my stories that way without as much up front cash, plus I’d have more control of the final result.

DD: So what can you tell me about Approbation Comics?

AT: Approbation is the place I can play… do the books I want when and how I want to do them. This is a big deal because in Chinese astrology I’m a Horse sign… we tend not to like being fenced in and like to go all out on projects when the mood strikes us. This tends to not be superhero stories (aren’t there enough of those already out there?!) and are usually of the horror variety.

DD: What's titles do you currently have out? (descriptions of each on if you can)

AT: Our main focus right now is Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies. Right now we have nine issues out via our online store at Indyplanet.com. That’s a big deal for me as I’ve never had nine issues of any one comic title out and we are hard at work on getting issues ten through twelve out! We really would like to get Chaos Campus out there in the local comic shops in the form of graphic novel collections and we’re trying to get people’s help on making that dream a reality via our page at KickStarter.com.

Some other titles…
Vampires Unlimited, which isn’t your typical love struck, poetry writing, prissy vampires. These were contemporary people who were turned in a science experiment who try to find their way not fitting in with their old lives or the new lives of the supernatural. I’m planning on restarting this series from scratch under the name, The Lazarus Factor.

The Evil Inside and Amour were a horror and romance anthology series I did to experiment with short 7-ish page stories and to try and stretch my writing abilities. It was a fun little exercise with interesting results.


DD: Where did this ideas for all of these titles come from?

AT: There’s this Idea Store online that I order ideas at a bulk rate… okay, I kid (maybe). They come from wherever. They come from excitement, they come from boredom. They come from events and non events. They come from dreams. They come from everywhere. I just try to be receptive when they pop up.

DD: What are you hoping readers can take away from your books?

AT: I’m at a crossroads in my writing career right now… usually I’d be happy with people just enjoying the work and going away with a smile on their face from being entertained. In a way I still want that, which is why I’m doing a book called Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies!

On the other hand, I’m ready to strive for the next level… to touch the soles of the feet of the great writers who really teach a lesson and really make you ponder, think, and possibly change or improve things relating to the human condition.

DD: Can you talk a bit about what it takes to come up with so many different titles?

AT: Haha, huge heaping parts of frustration, restlessness, stubbornness mixed in with a touch of ADD, bi-polarism, and poverty.

DD: How did you go about finding all of these artists for your books?

AT: After doing this stuff for ten years, sometimes I strike up the initial conversation and sometimes I’m the one approached.

DD: What can we expect from you in the future?

AT: More insane, random, and wild fun times with the Chaos Campus series. There are 60 issues of this series planned and I really intend to write “The End” on the last page of that 60th issue. I have the series split into three 20-issue acts… so if I’m not able to do all 60 you’ll at least get the first 20 issues even if it kills me.

Blood, Shells, & Roses through Arcana. I’ve been saying this for years and this project has had every single freakin’ roadblock possible thrown at it. But it’s almost done. And this series just might really kill me. But it will come out. Soon.

I’m also working on a few horror screenplays and comic mini series. I really want to get these right so I’m doing further extensive rewrites on these. I won’t mention them here, but for those who are REALLY interested in knowing, do a quick internet search on me… I’m sure you’ll discover those projects.

DD: What got you into horror comics?

AT: I just like horror, period. Whatever form I can get it. I do horror comics because I like writing horror and there aren’t many horror comics out. There are so, SO many superhero comics. I’m not really a superhero fan. I can do it in small doses or for particular stories here and there, but it’s frustrating to me how the genres in comics are split. 95% superheroes and 5% everything else?! That’s CRAZY to me! Do you see things like that in other entertainment mediums? Movies? TV? Novels?

DD: What comics are you currently reading?

AT: I’ve kinda been slacking on the comics lately. I still love The Boys, Bomb Queen, and Hack/Slash.

DD: So in summary give me a quick recap on Approbation Comics and why fans should give your titles a try.

AT: Approbation Comics is where you turn when you want a break from superheroes! You don’t have to cut them from your reading diet, but is that ALL you want in your reading diet? I love pizza, but could you eat it every meal, every snack, every day of every week, month, year?! Variety is a beautiful thing.

But yeah, come on over… we have Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies! How can you not have fun with hot girls fighting the undead?! People have preconceived notions about the series that either makes them jump on the book or they run away. Those who run to it get what they expected, but stay because there is so much more to the book than insinuated. Those who run away but eventually come back to check it out are usually amazed that this isn’t the early 90’s mindless T&A crap… yeah, there’s T&A, but they end up staying because of humor, the storytelling, and our heroines aren’t mindless bimbos but young feminists in their own right.

DD: Thanks so much Alex. I hope people can jump on board and check out your books. I know I have been really impressed by what I have been able to check out so far.

AT: Thank you for having me, Dan! I appreciate the compliments and the help you’ve given to expose more people to Approbation Comics and Chaos Campus!

7 New Reviews Posted

Sorry everyone got way behind. Have posted 7 new reviews. Dead Future #1, Victorian Undead #1, Zombie Dave #1, Happy Panda Funtime Show #1, 28 Days Later #4, Asylum of Horror #2 and FVZA #1.

Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Josh Howard

Welcome back kiddies! This week human trap caught a Josh Howard. So go on and take a look at what he had to say when I found out he wasn't dead but trapped in the interview chair.

Alright lets start out with a short answer section and get the usual out of the way.

Name:
Joshua Cain Howard

Age:
32

Married/Single/Dating/Other:
Married

Pets:
none

Highest Education Level:
Art Institute of Dallas, but didn't finish

High School Mascot:
Lynx, then a Bulldog

First Job:
It was a summer job driving a tractor. (I grew up in a very small town). Corporately, my first job was selling books at Barnes and Noble

Favorite song to sing:
I don't sing.

Staying with short answers lets talk about what you do:

Comic(s) you created Before 2001:
Created Dead@17, T-Bird and Throttle, and others best forgotten

January 1, 2002 - January 2, 2002:
Created Lost Books of Eve

January 3, 2002 - Today:
Published Dead@17, Lost Books of Eve, and Black Harvest with many more on the way.

Alright all that stuff aside, lets get to the meat of the interview:

What do you do when not making comics?
Read books. Mostly fantasy type stuff, some non-fiction every now and then. I also collect action figures - mainly Masters of the Universe Classics and DC Universe Classics right now.

Favorite place to shop in person and online?
In person: Barnes and Noble.
Online: Amazon.com

Your in a plane flying over the Rockies, when BOOM! Engine blows and your going down. What do you do while your stuck in the mountains for 4 months?
I write. If not on paper, then at least in my head.

When you were 15 what were you for Halloween?
Did not dress up at 15. I think I stopped at 10 or 11 and I was a Ghostbuster.

Favorite comic character when you were 9, 19 and now?
At 9, the only comics I was reading were GI Joe and Transformers, so probably Optimus Prime. At 19, I wasn't really into characters so much as artists.
Now, I don't read that many current comics. I mostly pick up collected editions of older stuff like DC's Showcase Presents and IDW's Dick Tracy books. But from ages 11 - 17 I was all about Batman, and I've really learned to appreciate Superman over the years. So if I had to pick a character, it would be one of them.

If you got off a bus and someone came up to dancing and you got served, what would you do?
First I need to find out what it means to get "served."

Back to comic stuff for now. Knowing that Iceman is the greatest hero of all time, why do you think he is so underused?
I blame Icism.
Alright your making a comic about a team of gerbils who run a science fair every year. Whats the name of the book and sell me on a quick pitch? Go!
Super Gerbil Team Science Fair. It'll be manga.

We all know how good you can work with the pencil but what do you really want to be when you grow up?
A writer.

Where is the real money at in comic creating?
There's money?

When your making comics whats going on around you? Music, what kind? Silence? TV on?
When drawing, mostly talk radio, but sometimes I'll have a DVD on in the background.
When writing, sometimes music, but usually silence.

10 years from now. Where do you see yourself?
Hopefully a bigger fan base and 3 or 4 more comic series under my belt as well as my first novel. A movie based on Dead@17 wouldn't be a bad thing either.

Alright we can finish up with a quick word association game. I will say a word, you give me a quick one sentence response.

Dead @ 17?
Can't believe I'm still working on it 10 years later.

Dr. Acula?
Ed Wood.

Horror Comics?
The only person doing them right is Bryan Baugh.

Pop Tarts?
Frosted Strawberry.

Tom Cruise?
Never liked a movie that starred him.

Veggie Tales?
My son's #1 obsession growing up (just glad it wasn't Sesame Street).

Chevrolet?
Never driven one.

Decapitated Dan?
Nickname or current status?

Josh Howard?
Bleh.

Haha. Thanks so much Josh.

If you want to see what Josh is up to please go to http://joshhoward.typepad.com/

Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Gothology Co-Founders

Welcome back kiddies! This time we welcome Jack and Justin, Co-Founders of Gothology, into the dungeon. Sit back and relax as they tell us about the first volume and what more we can expect from them in the future.

Decapitated Dan: Hey Guys. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me about Gothology and other projects your working on.

Jack: Thank you for taking time out for us.

Justin: Yeah, we really appreciate it.

DD: First of all lets talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?

Jack: Jack Sullivan, art student, co-founder/editor/contributor for Gothology.

Justin: Justin King, publisher, writer and comic artist. And, I'm also the co-founder/editor/and a contributor for Gothology.

DD: How did you find yourself getting into making comics?

Jack: Comics are the best way for one person to tell a complete story. You're really only limited by your own abilities with comics, which is nice because I'm a bit of a control freak. I wanted to be a director for the longest time, but I got a taste of that and hated the bullshit and drama of dealing with actors and crew. Scheduling and teaching and all that. You can choose to work with others in comics, but at the end of the day you have the capacity to tell a complete visual story that purely reflects your ideas, and that's unique.

Justin: I have been drawing comics since I was around 6 or 7. I don't really remember the reason I started drawing them, but they were incredibly stupid and usually starred my cats. I got my first taste of producing comics in high school, when my friend Doug Harvey and I made a series about our lives in school and the main character was our friend Padro - who was literally like a giant 5 year old. It was a huge hit and somehow got circulated all over the school to the point where people I didn't know would come up to me and tell me they were fans. That was really what sparked my interest in comics and publishing.

DD: So what can you tell me about Gothology?

Jack: Gothology is a comic anthology series we started to help promote artists/writers we felt weren't being given the opportunities for exposure they needed, and we wanted to make five million dollars.

Justin: It is a series of comic anthologies. The Eternal Sad, which is the first volume, is already out, and the second volume, Misery Loves Company, is currently in production, and should be out in January of 2010 if everything goes well.


DD: What's it all about?

Jack: Gothology is, shockingly enough, themed around Gothic subculture, which translates to basically everything and anything dark. I'm not a goth and never have been, though some people might disagree with me on that. Which is sort of what makes it interesting. Goth is a lot like punk but more subtle. You're not if you say you are, and nobody knows what it actually means. Everybody calls everybody posers but they won't call themselves goths outright. It's interesting. Goth is a huge subculture, there's those Siouxsie and Cure fans with bigass hair, metal fans with too much makeup, teen witches, masquerade vampires, horror movie addicts, deathrockers, gravers, mansonites, mallgoths, corp goths, steam punks, etc. etc. Basically if you wear more black than colour and like dark shit, someone somewhere thinks you're a goth, and someone else thinks you're a poser. It's hysterical. The books are a little tongue in cheek from our end, but we do run a lot of great dramatic/serious material as well. Diff'rent Strokes.

Justin: What Jack said. It sort of jumps all over the place in terms of styles and content, and it has something for everyone. We were very afraid all the artists would either take it way too seriously, or just the opposite where it turned into one giant Goth burn-fest. Luckily it has a very nice mix of both, and they all fit together surprisingly well. In The Eternal Sad, for instance, you can find comics about a crow's unrequited love, a blind and deaf pair of conjoined twins, a haunted doll, a group of cats that are too goth to sit out in the sun, a girl trying to resurrect her beloved cat, and all sorts of other ones - 25 more to be exact. So, as you can see,there is plenty of variety.


DD: Where did this idea of putting this together come from?

Jack: Myself and Justin had wanted to start publishing comics for awhile, and one night we were talking and conversation turned to goths we knew in high school. I didn't really know anyone that called themselves goths, but a bunch of them totally were. Totally were. The same really went for both of us, as we kept talking we put it together with our want to publish an anthology, and Gothology was the result. Honestly it started as a joke, but it's way funnier now that we've actually done it.

Justin: Yeah, we both wanted to publish comics. I had actually been trying to put together a publishing company for a little while beforehand, and I found out that a lot of other companies got their start by publishing anthologies. I loved the idea of getting up and coming artists the exposure they deserved, but at the same time thought it would be way to difficult to put one together. Eventually, I sucked it up, and decided the good would out weigh any difficulty, and started putting together a food themed anthology. A while after that, Jack and I came up with the idea for a Goth themed anthology from what was just a random conversation about the goths that were to the recent revival. We both thought this would be a brilliant time to release a Gothic themed anthology, and it took over as the anthology DAPshow Press would release. Luckily, none of the artists really got past concepting stages, and gladly switched to the new project.


DD: What are you hoping readers can take away from this collection?

Jack: We want readers to be entertained and to find new artists and comics. There's a ton of comic artists out there and a ton of comic fans and everyone has an audience that'll get them and an artist they'll enjoy. I think the anthology properly represents the gothic subculture with great accuracy, it's hugely varied in theme and content, and I guarantee everyone and anyone can find something they'll enjoy somewhere in it. It might be a little bit much, but I'd also like for people to gain a sort of appreciation for a much maligned subculture. The majority of the contributors aren't goths themselves, but they'd all been influenced in some way by some facet of what falls under the umbrella.

Justin: I want readers to finish the book and think it was a good comic anthology. A lot of anthologies have a bad rap for having shitty comics and being poorly put together, and we knew this, so we put forth a lot of efforts to make it great, to get great artists, and we also tried to do some original things with how it was read. Hopefully readers enjoy it as much as we do, and there are comics in it that they want to come back to and read again.


DD: Can you talk a bit about your experience putting this collection together?

Jack: Putting this together was way fun. Basically we just got to have fun and traipse around as this sort of anonymous super goth. With all the descriptions and invitations we were writing I'd kind of mastered the art of gothspeak. Sorrowful litanies issued from the depths of a sympathetic twilight's womb blah blah blah. It's not as easy as it looks, but for a while I had a problem not doing it.

Justin: It's a lot of work, but that makes it a lot more fun at the end. It is a bit weird, while putting this together, I started thinking and feeling more and more like a goth.

DD: How did you go about finding all of these creative teams?

Jack: Astral projection. We abandoned our corporeal forms and sent whispers into the ether, knowing they'd reach the ears of the deserving. AKA we used the internet. We set up a metric ton of accounts on as many social sites as we could find. The biggest boon was DeviantArt which got us the majority of our contributors through stupid creepy comments, mostly posting things like "We see you know the darker side of the unending sorrow of life, join us in our misery." More often than not we just told people "You should be in me." under the book's account, which worked well. Our advice: If you want people to take interest in your projects, make vague sexual passes at them, while posing as an inanimate object. But honestly, we sort of set up a persona for the book and tried to suck people in with that. The way we presented ourselves really helped us I think.

Justin: We also sent out emails and messages asking artists to join in. Those were generally presented normally, so that the artists didn't think we were insane and would take the invites seriously. Although, a few still didn't get it and thought we were accusing them of being Goths and would get all butt hurt at that thought. Which in reality, probably DOES mean they are Goths.

DD: Can we expect more collections from you in the future?

Jack: We have two more volumes of Gothology in the works that we hope to have out by 2010, and are planning a series of themed spin-offs, starting with Night of the Living Gothology, which will be a zombie themed book. Big things on the horizon for sure.

Justin: In addition to the Gothology series, DAPshow Press has some other books coming out next year, including The Gonk, by Sarah Fowlie, which is about zombies. Also, I am planning on turning my original Gothology comic, Hardcore Fetish Boys, into a web comic to be published on DAPshow which will hopefully be published alongside some other web comics.


DD: What comics are you currently reading?

Jack: A lot of Zuda stuff, Zuda's really cool free comics. At the moment I'm reading through Azure and Supertron, and am way into I Rule The Night and stoked for RockStar. A bunch of Japanese horror comics as well, Franken Fran has been my big obsession for a while now. Way cool medical horror comedy drama.

Justin: Mostly indie comics. I've pretty much given up on the big boys, although DC has done a great thing with Zuda. I have also been a huge fan of Crayon Shinchan for a while, and like to read through volumes of that during my free time.


DD: So in summary give me a quick recap on Gothology and why fans should give it a try.

Jack: Gothology is as rad as it is sad, it's got a variety of up and coming comic talent, there's something for everyone, and we haven't made five million dollars yet.

Justin: If you like to laugh, if you like to think... if you like action, if you like drama... if you like to sit in a dark corner while listening to depressing music - Gothology has something for you.

DD: Thanks so much guys. I hope people can jump on board and check out this project. I know I was really impressed by it and can't wait to see what else you can put together.

Jack: Thanks for the support, Dan. Don't forget, fangs out.

Justin: I am glad you liked it. Thanks.

If you would like to buy Gothology: The Eternal Sad or read more on what the book is all about please go to http://books.dapshow.com/gothology/

Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Tim Seeley

Welcome back kiddies! This past week I went human hunting and caught me a Tim Seeley. So I put him in a box and carried it down into the dungeon. So go on and take a look at what he had to say when I found out he wasn't dead and he woke up to find himself trapped in the interview chair.

Alright lets start out with a short answer section and get the usual out of the way.

Name:
Tim Seeley

Age:
32
Married/Single/Dating/Other:
I just got married!

Pets:
Two cats! Lucy and Zoey. I would have named them Fuckhorse and Ms. PurrPurrpants, but my wife named 'em.
Highest Education Level:
I have a BFA in Illustration from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. La Dee Da!
High School Mascot: A pine tree. Lame.

First Job:
Burger King whopper maker.

Favorite place to get a bite to eat:
Not Burger King. Any Thai or Sushi place will do fine by me.

Staying with short answers lets talk about what you do:
Comic(s) you created Before 1999:
Nothing you'll ever hear about again.

January 1, 2000 - January 2, 2003:
Lovebunny and Mr. Hell, Kore, and G.I.Joe!

January 3, 2003 - Today:
Hack/Slash, Forgoten Realms, Halloween, Exiles and Wildcats.

Alright all that stuff aside lets get to the meat of the interview:

What do you do when not making comics?
Bike, eat, make custom action figures, watch lots of movies and read the occasional book.

Favorite place to shop in person and online?
Quake Toys in Chicago...they have everything an 80s toy nerd could want. Online, I like Amazon, I s'pose.

Your in a through the desert, when BOOM! Engine blows and your stranded. What do you do while your stuck in the desert for 4 days?
Masturbate to conserve water. Err...wait.

When you were 15 what were you for Halloween?
I believe that was the year I was too old to trick or treat but too young to be cool again by dressing up. So, my guess is I went as a lonely board kid from Wisconsin.

Favorite comic character when you were 10, 20 and 30?
10: Spider-Man
20: Cyberfrog
30: Animal-Man


If you got served, what would you do?
Lay down and die from the shame.

Back to comic stuff for now. Knowing that Iceman is the greatest hero of all time, why do you think he is so underused?
Because he just ain't the same with Spidey, Firestar and Ms. Lion.

Alright your making a comic about a team of chickens who run are trying to bring down a large corporation. Whats the name of the book and sell me on a quick pitch? Go!
It's called "LIVE FREE AND DYE EGGS" and we find the team of chickens, each with her own military special must overcome their dark, mysterious pasts to take down the sinister Dr. Paas, a rabbit bent on turning the chicken's children into tasty, colorful Easter morning treats.

We all know how good you can write and draw but what do you really want to be when you grow up?
A lesbian.

Where is the real money at in comic creating?
Being Todd McFarlane.

When your making comics whats going on around you? Music, what kind? Silence? TV on?
I listen to a lot of indy music off the internet. WOXY mostly.

10 years from now. Where do you see yourself?
On a couch. Still watching episodes of 80s He-Man cartoons and realizing how sad it is for a 42 year old man to be watching them.

What do you know about the process of making Dill Pickles?
I'm from Wisconsin, man. We pickled fucking beets and rutabagas . Dill cukes are pedestrian!

Alright we can finish up with a quick word association game. I will say a word, you give me a quick one sentence response.

Hack/Slash?
Stress. Must finish script before honeymoon,

Snake Eyes?
Dude, how do you make Snake Eyes suck? I dunno..but the movie did it.
Horror Comics?
Ahh..a welcome respite from men in tights.

Jack the Ripper?
Now there's a guy who could have really benefitted from watching The View.

Christina Applegate?
When I was like 11 or 12 I cut out a picture of her from the National Enquirer and hung it on my bulletin board. She had torn pants and an eagee.

Sea Lions?
When I was in San Francisco on vacation, a bunch had taken over a pier. They smell horrible. But they're fun to watch.

Smurfs?
When I was in San Francisco on vacation, a bunch had taken over a pier. They smell horrible. But they're fun to watch.

Decapitated Dan?
All I know is he posts on boards as puyabusto or something. I think that word is Spanish for "eating so many chimichangas that your spleen prolapses."

Tim Seeley?
That dude drinks way too many Iced Soy Chai Lattes to be male.

Thanks so much Tim.

To learn more about Tim and to see what he is up to please check out http://www.timseeley.com/

Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Ken Haeser

Alright kiddies it’s time to bring another Ghoulish Guests into the Dark Dungeon. I have lured Ken Haeser, Co-Creator of The Living Corpse, into the depths to pick his brain about TV, music and New York Pimps from the 80’s.

Alright lets start out with a short answer section and get the usual out of the way.

Name: Ken Haeser

Age: 34

Married/Single/Dating/Other: Married

Pets: Does a kid count as a pet?

Highest Education Level: Graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic art aka comic book college.

High School Mascot: Some furry douchbag I believe.

First Job: Stock boy at a liquor store. I miss free booze...

Favorite thing to eat at the movies: The hearts of those that can't shut the fuck up for 2 hours.

Staying with short answers lets talk about what you do:

Comic(s) you created Before 1995:
Super Dude, Electro (not the Spidey villain, mine was an energy based hero), and about a thousand others created before high school.

From 1995 - September 12, 2009:
The Jersey Devil, The Eyes of Asia and a bunch of other little stuff here and there.

Sept. 13 - The end of time:
The Living Corpse, Spider-man and Batman

Alright all that stuff aside lets get to the meat of the interview:

What do you do when not making comics?
There is something other than making comics? I guess eat and sleep.

Favorite TV Shows past and present?
The Simpsons, Family Guy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, Quantum Leap, Looney Tunes, Tales from the Crypt, Justice League, This Old House, To Catch a Predator, How it's Made, Clash of the Gods, He-Man, Forensic Files, CSI (you never know when that info will come in handy!), Mythbusters, Star Trek, The Muppet show and Baywatch Nights.

Stranded on a desert island you get one comic to read for 5 years what is it (trades are allowed)?
I know most people would say Watchmen but that is what I would want to bring. I've read it like 20 times since I was in high school and still find new things in it every time I read it.

When you were 10 what were you for Halloween?
I believe I was the Hulk.

Favorite Music when you were 6, 16 and 26?
Cartoon theme songs, Guns and Roses and White Zombie

Back to comic stuff for now. Knowing that Iceman is the greatest hero of all time, why do you think he is so underused?
It might be because of the unresolved tension between Iceman and Maverick that he uses to cover up his overly blatant gay undertones. He can never get the spotlight that he deserves and be the greatest jet pilot as long as he’s… what? Oh, you mean the X-men guy. Sorry. Um… cause he can’t fly a jetplane?

If you were to make a comic about the life of a Pimp circa 1980 New York times Square, what would his name be and sell me on a quick pitch? Go!
It would be the story of Trick Magnet with the Pimp Hand of Iron. Watch out ho’s, he’s mean and fly and it’s hard to turn tricks when your missing most of yo teeth!

We all know you kick ass drawing monsters? But was it your first choice comic wise? In other words as a kid did you draw something, hate it, put red all over it and realize that Zombies were the way to go?
Not really. I always wanted to do a zombie comic because I love them but to me every zombie comic has been a rip off of the Romero zombie movies. It wasn’t until I started hanging out with Buz and our love of zombies and horror in general made us think hard about doing something different with zombies. We came up with the Living Corpse and the rest as they say is history!

Where is the real money at in comic creating?
That’s a damn good question. Let me know when you find out!

When your making comics whats going on around you? Music, what kind? Silence? TV on?
I listen to music when I’m writing and it all depends on what I’m writing too. Action scenes I gotta listen to something loud and angry and with character driven moments I stick on some classical music--- Beethoven, Bachs--- stuff like that. While I’m drawing I have the tv on but usually with stuff on that I don’t need to look up too often--- the History channel, director commentaries on a DVD—stuff like that.

10 years from now. Where do you see me at in my career of a headless journalist?
I think you’ve got a great future! As long as you don’t loose your head! Ha!!! I’ll be here all week.

10 years from now. Where do you see yourself?
Still doing comics but fatter and balder.

Alright we can finish up with a quick word association game. I will say a word, you give me a quick one sentence response.

Zombies? George Romero

Living Corpse? Obsession.

Horror Comics? My favorite kind of comics--- if done well.

Taco Bell? Heaven.
Dead Alive? Not enough gore.

Marvel Comics? Gimme a job!
Swinger Parties? Is that an invite?
Decapitated Dan? Makes me think too much while interviewing…

Awesome! Thanks for stopping by Ken.

If you want to know more about Ken and what he does head on over to http://www.corpsecomic.com/