FLIGHT

Now you brought up your webcomic Reman Mythology, so take us through the story here. The who’s and what’s?

The story basically follows the adventures of Tabetha Cohen, a girl from a New England suburb, through the world of Rema. She's guided and protected in Rema by her new friends, Philip, Raed, and Paeter. All of them are police/soldiers who defend Rema from attacks from the neighboring planet. Along the way Tabby discovers the culture and history of Rema, as well as its social and political problems. She eventually becomes deeply involved in the planet's future as the religion of Rema dies and the worlds begin to fall apart. It's a typical fantasy plot, but with a heavy emphasis on character relationships and the way in which the environment effects how people see things. It's kind of hard for me to summarize this story clearly since it's been so close to me for so long...!


How will the short in the Flight anthology tie into the regular Reman series?

The short in Flight takes place when Philip is around 13 years old, this is about 5 years before Tabby comes to Rema from Earth. It's also a few years after Philip's father has died, who he still looks up to despite Raed's attempts to be in control of his dreams. It's not necessary to read this story in terms of the main storyline, but I think it's a nice character study for those who are already familiar with the online comic.


You mention the manga and anime influence, but always remaining unique which is really the most important thing for people with that sort of influence. There are a lot of people with the same influence who will only end up mimicking what they’ve already seen and that just doesn’t help anyone. What other sort of influences helped you to develop your style? Carla Speed McNeil certainly shows in RM, though it was interested to read you were also influenced by Jim Lee.

Besides being influenced by life experiences (my trips to Korea for example heavily influenced the landscape on Rema as well as the clothing), Rumiko Takahashi, Hayao Miyazaki, Glenn Keane, Herge, Bill Watterson, and others have also influenced me. And of course the people in Flight, as well as my friends Becky Cloonan, Larry Chy, June Kim, and Jen Quick. I also get a lot of inspiration from film and photographs, most recently Robert Zemeckis, Chris Cunningham, and a website called trekearth.com. Music plays a big part in the layers of detail I add to my comic (mostly trance and movie/video game soundtracks), as well as my favorite authors inspiring me countless times (Philip Pullman, Madeleine L'Engle, Carl Sagan). I also really love some corny things like The 10th Kingdom and Farscape. As embarassing as it is, I'm sure things like those have influenced me in some way.


How did attending SVA help you develop your art? I think it’s a common inside joke that a lot of aspiring comic artists tend to drop out after the first year, if they make it that far.

I think SVA was one of those things that happened at a nice time in my life. I think I needed the direction, especially since I hadn't taken my drawings too seriously beforehand. I was really lucky to have some great teachers that taught me how to express myself through my work, how to expand my tastes, and how to keep an open mind that remained curious. I guess the drawing classes were important too haha~ It was also useful to take storytelling for animators and scriptwriting classes. I think those kinds of classes that emphasize composing a good story and having it come across clearly should be required for all cartooning students.

Also, if I hadn't attended SVA I would never had met the closest friends I have today. I consider them all my brothers and sisters, and if anything SVA was worth it just to become friends with them. Although admittidly, college isn't for everyone.


I’m not sure which is cooler, being in Flight or having your own title with TokyoPop. How did you land that gig?

After winning third place in Rising Stars of Manga 4, I asked the editor I was in contact with if she'd be interested in a story that continued the tale I told in the contest entry. Fortunately she was interested, and we worked together to create a good pitch. The staff at Tokyopop seemed to like it and I've been working with them since!


On top of all these projects you’re also an illustrator and animator for Gamelab. Is this a sort of come-and-go as you please job ‘cause with all these projects you’ve got a lot on your plate?

Actually I should change what it says on my website. I left Gamelab about a month ago so I could focus on Tokyopop and comics full time. I still feel like I have a lot of projects, but I think I can handle them if I take them one step at a time! But if anyone wants to see the last project I worked on with Gamelab, go to shockwave.com and check out "Diner Dash". Beware! It's addicting!

FOLLOWUP: How does the toy work compare to your own work? For instance, some company projects will have a set artistic style and all artists would have to meet that style, despite having a unique style of their own.
When i was working for the studio in Sydney it was exactly that. Very rarely was it original work...it was toys based on licenses only...like the latest Disney feature or kids cartoons like Pokemon. So it was a matter of working from style guides and really it's a bit souless, the creativity comes more in concepting the mechanics of the toy (ie: what the toy is going to do) rather than how it looks. Since i've gone freelance however i've hooked up with a couple of companies here in Melbourne that deal in original work only...which has been great.

FOLLOWUP: You’re also doing a graphic novel with Jai which you mentioned earlier, how did you two hook up for this project?
I think (my memory is pretty poor) i put my name down on the CBR comic book idol list for a bit of a lark last year. Which Jai saw then contacted me through email. Mentioned he had a couple of projects he wanted to get off the ground and in front of publishers...and Heidi was born.

d.

1) How did you get involved with Flight?

I had heard the buzz about Flight 1, and was totally impressed by the talent they had contributing to the book (I had peeped them at APE in 2004). Then a little later my pal Amy Ganter asked me to contribute to volume 2. How could I refuse??

2) Tell us about your story and what inspired it?

A lot of my work is inspired by tattoo flash, so when I approached this comic it was almost like designing each page as a sleeve.

3) One of strongest things the Flight anthology has going for it is its sense of community in drawing so many creative people from different walks of life all under one banner. How has this implication of convergence influenced you or affected your work?

The diversity of the group has been really motivating, it's just a great feeling to create something along side of so many different, talented people. And everyone is so passionate about their work, it really brings the book together.

4) How do you feel your piece contributes to the overall quality and diversity of this book? [And just so you know – you all have something very distinct about your styles and your stories that make you perfect for being involved with Flight.]

The short story I did is a departure from my usual work, it's much more design heavy, and illustrative. The comic is less story driven, and pieced together more like a song. I think it's a good breather from most of the other story driven comics in "Flight." The "lyrics" were written after the comic was finished by Vasilis Lolos, a comic artist from Greece who I'm sure you will hear of very soon.

5) What’s next for you following Flight? [Note-use this Q to pimp yourself to your hearts content – be sure to mention any websites or forthcoming projects you’d like to promote]

After finishing Demo, I've been working on a graphic novel based on Bram Stoker's "Dracula" for Penguin Books/Puffin Classics. The script was adapted by Gary Reed, and it's been really fun to work on. I am not sure of the street date yet, I think sometimes summer/fall 05.

After Dracula wraps up, I am working on a short series of graphic novels (which I am writing and drawing) called "East Coast Rising." It's sort of like "Mad Max" meets "Jason and the Argonauts" meets "The Warriors." Should be fun! After that... Who knows!? More comics, that's for sure!

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life aint nothin but comics and money

I think the natural thing is using the tools available to you, whether it's a computer or a #2 pencil. Most kids today (at least most kids today of a certain economic background) are growing up with computers in their homes and none of the anti-technology prejudices I see in artists all the damn time. Plus, if their experiences are like mine, they aren't getting adequate artistic education at school, and they're teaching themselves on their own time.

I also have to edit a couple of my previous answers, because shit decided to happen last night... See below. O_O



My “big project” of the moment is Salamander Dream, for the Secret Friend Society (http://www.secretfriendsociety.com). More on that later!

This spring and summer l’ll have short pieces in the Beguiling’s Free Comic Book Day comic book, the first volume of anthology You Ain’t No Dancer (http://youaintnodancer.com/), the second volume of cartoonist Brendan's Syncopated Comics, and in True Porn 2 (http://www.trueporncomic.com/) if my submission is accepted. I’m also finishing up a tiny joint project with Meg from crossedfingers.net.




Well, I’ve been lettering for them, which doesn’t really parlay itself into publication, but they have made a tentative offer which I haven't followed up on yet. I'm not entirely sure my work is suited to Oni, but I'll definitely give it some thought when things settle down around here!

I’d love to see Salamander Dream (which should clock in around 100 pages) published, though--especially if I could wrangle a spot color out of somebody! I may end up trying for a Xeric.

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hopelarson.com
the secret friend society

Hi John, thanks for asking all these great questions...

1) How did you get involved with Flight?

Well, I ran into Kazu for like 10 seconds at the San Diego Con in 2003, a month later he emailed me to say hello...then, that November, I found his Flight site and I talked to him some more; I asked him what the chances were of me doing a story for Flight 2, to my surprise I didn’t have to pass a rigorous physical or anything, all he said was “Sure…you’re in,” BAM! That was it ...It isn’t that easy to get in anymore, so I was pretty lucky I got in to Flight when it was still undiscovered.

2) Tell us about your story and what inspired it?

My story is about a young Cuban baseball player, Francisco Sanchez, looking back at his time spent with his old neighbor and mentor, Armando Gonzalez…This is really the first story I have created and written on my own, I was afraid I wouldn’t have anything to say, no stories to tell...then while I was lying in bed one night I thought “Hey, I like baseball! I should do a story about baseball…and I’m part Cuban, I should do a story about a Cuban baseball player…”

Francisco’s life story developed in my mind very quickly, but deciding on exactly which slice of his life to tell took me months to develop, then I decided I could do a short story about his mentor Armando Gonzalez…I have been lucky enough to have a slew of mentors in my life…my grandfather, Armando, was a strong influence and memory, as were my Uncle’s Armando II and Paco…my cousin Ramon,...but the more direct influences for this character came from my old neighbor Lloyd “Dan” Daniels, a WWII vet…he used to sit me down and tell me stories about his youth and of the war…teach me about life and how to live it. I never asked for these lessons, he would just say “Richard, damn it, get off my lawn…come over here, I wanna tell you a story…” I loved his stories. The last influence comes from my Uncle ‘Naldo, he used to play pro baseball in Cuba in the 1940’s and 50’s, heck, the man still plays on softball teams today, and he is in his 80’s, I just love talking baseball with him every time he comes in from Miami…

3) One of strongest things the Flight anthology has going for it is its sense of community in drawing so many creative people from different walks of life all under one banner. How has this implication of convergence influenced you or affected your work?

Being a part of this project has definitely opened my eyes to new art styles and new ways to tell story…One of the things that struck me the hardest about a lot of the Flight artists is how personal their stories are, they don’t even try to hide, seeing that has helped me become a better storyteller. Being a part of Flight really let me appreciate how many great, unknown artists there are in this crazy world...I love being exposed to new artists and art, especially ones as talented as this crew.


4) How do you feel your piece contributes to the overall quality and diversity of this book? [And just so you know – you all have something very distinct about your styles and your stories that make you perfect for being involved with Flight.]

Well, my story has more words in it than most of the others…I guess that will force people to stop and read the book a bit more…other than that, I don’t know, it has baseball in it…and you can never go wrong with baseball.

5) What’s next for you following Flight? [Note-use this Q to pimp yourself to your hearts content – be sure to mention any websites or forthcoming projects you’d like to promote]

Next, I will be trying to finish up a story called “Hector Spectre,” it’s a comic I published with my friend and writer Joshua Pruett, I think we have a great, fun story to tell, I can’t wait to get started on it, I will update my site with a preview of the book,…I am also working with some of my other best friends, www.thethoseguys.com, on some comic collaborations, a few of the ideas we have shot around are really getting my blood flowin’…Oh and I also will be doing a story with writer Mark Smith (Amazing Joy Buzzards), it’s a samurai story, should be fun to do! Check out www.richardpose.com, I should be updating the site more regularly, I hope.


Richard Pose:
1) I notice you like to use bold lines and elongated anatomy in your art, and were possibly influenced by Dungeons and Dragons at some point, maybe even a little bit of a Mark Andrews influence, who are some of your artistic inspirations?

I feel like a ham, but I don’t think I know Mark Andrews work, got a link?! If its D&D related, I bet I’ve seen it, I used to play when I was a teen, but I really just played so I could read the Monster Manual and Legends and Lore book, I loved reading the descriptions and looking at the art…

I think the bold lines look comes from a few places, one is every time I feather something, my friends say “Dik, stop feathering, just do solid lines.” That’s cool, but I like the old school inkers…I want to ink like those guys someday…I also went to school and studied animation, so I became influenced by the animation style as well....As far as elongated anatomy, it probably started from the same place as the bold lines, I used to draw really squat, stocky figures, people kept pointing it out to me and so I tried going the other way...

But my influences in art have really come from all over…I love looking at NC Wyeth, John Singer Sargent, Norman Rockwell, Al Hirschfeld, Michelangelo, JC Lyendecker, Dean Cornwell, Monet, JC Coll, Frank Frazetta, John Buscema, Jack Kirby,….its all good, I love good art.



2) What are some of your favoured experiences in the world of art? I see you’ve done everything from storyboards to comics, to face painting and caricatures.

This project has definitely been a great experience, being able to tell my own story was really refreshing and fulfilling because I think ultimately, I just like telling stories, whether its spoken, written, or draw…

I think face painting for kids was great too…I remember not wanting to do it, but once I got started, the kids really energized me… that was the day that I realized that kids really don’t care what your drawings look like, they don’t have to be perfect, they just have to have energy in them, they need to be fun…that’s it…that day was a fence post in my life in art…one can learn something in every job they do…

3) Could you tell us about your project Smoke?
Sure, Smoke was a story I co-created with my buddy and writer Josh Pruett (yep, I already mentioned him as the writer of “Hecter Spectre”)…Smoke is a world in which dragons exist, and they live amogst us, but since their bellies are constantly aflame, they need a disguise, they hide as smokers…at least this is what our hero, Simon, believes…he sees himself as a modern day St. George, he “knows” the dragons are there, but no one else sees them, its very well possible that he is completely delusional…oh, and he has influenced a whole slew of children to follow his dangerous crusade…

Josh and I will definitely be revisiting this world, we have a story we need to get out of our system…I like having some closure with the stories I start, and “Smoke” left a wide gaping hole in me…



John, Sorry if I wrote too much, but if you need more, just ask.

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http://www.richardpose.com

FOLLOWUP: Though this isn’t your first exposure to Monet, you actually grew up influenced by his work correct?

Yeah, I learned about impressionism in art class back in high school -- who knew I'd actually learn to like something like that back then? I wouldn't really say my work has been 'influenced' by Monet's paintings; it's just more of an admiration thing.


FOLLOWUP: When did the Exit Music series of stories begin?

I think the first 'official' story was drawn in January of 2004. It was basically an idea that spun out of my previous work with journal comics and my first couple of experimental webcomics that mixed both comics and music together.

The 'gimmick' of the Exit Music comics is that each story is based on, or inspired by, a particular song. I do still experiment a little with timing these comics with music (for example, "Passing Afternoon" or "One With The Freaks"), although there are obvious legal ramifications that prevent me from taking these experiments further from offering these comic/music hybrids for free on the web.


FOLLOWUP: Right now you’ve got the minicomics available for sale on your website, but have you thought of maybe combining them and soliciting through Diamond? In fact – I say this to everyone here – Xeric Foundation – I expect you all to pitch something

Yeah, my plan all along for the Exit Music comics was to eventually collect the stories into a graphic novel. There are certain threads and recurring themes that actually play out in the stories that I never intended or planned for, so I definitely think it would make for a fairly cohesive read, despite the fact that all the stories are only 10 pages or so in length. But right now I'm only 60 pages into it, and there's still plenty of material waiting to be written.

I certainly like the idea of the 'do-it-yourself' aesthetic, and even though it would seem impractical for a full-colour graphic novel to actually be awared a Xeric, it would be an awesome goal to shoot for, if only for the experience.

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keaner.net
the secret friend society

AMY:

FOLLOWUP: Tell us about Sorcerers & Secretaries. Do you feel it's easier to construct a story when you have a graphic novel with a set cap on pages then when creating an ongoing piece for the web?

FOLLOWUP: Did you have reservations about TokyoPop considering recent rumblings about their handling of new talents and contract structures?



BECKY:

Thanks for chiming in - I'll have some specific Q's for you in a bit - great work on your story BTW - Maybe some of your best stuff yet



HOPE:



see, now ya know i knew that was going to happen right?



RICHARD:



Mark Andrews - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0028764/ - worked on the Iron Giant film and did a OGN called Colossus published by Scott Morse - it's about a knight trapped in a hulking suit of armour who battles werewolves and an evil paladin - though your flight story compared to smoke looks a little more leaning to brian ralph

FOLLOWUP: I thought the Smoke story was really well told, is there any future there as it's own series?


KEAN



ditto - one of my fave paintings from high school is raft of the medusa by Gericault - though i was never really moved to draw a bunch of wooden planks tied together - oh, and if you want a good song that tells a story - hunt down nick caves 'where the wild roses grow'


EVERYONE:
Be sure to check out http://www.xericfoundation.com/ for more info on grants and applying therein -
Doug, Jai's had experience with them - a grant for 'tales from under your bed' could help with promoting your book -
also be sure to check out some of the past recipients - you'll find A LOT of familiar names

ALSO - if anyone wants to show a photo of themselves to accompany the int - just let me know and i'll make sure it goes up

And if anyone else still wants to jump in on this int - go right ahead because i'm already going to format this into a big ass feature

best all

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Jonathan Ellis
Co-Editor in Chief - PopImage.com

Aaah, a Cave classic. Pre-remake-Kylie sounds incredible in that song, and Murder Ballads is by far Nick Cave's best album in my opinion. Then again, I'm a sucker for concept albums.

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keaner.net
the secret friend society

Have you seen The Favourite Game, film based on Leonard Cohens novel? might like it

ltr

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Jonathan Ellis
Co-Editor in Chief - PopImage.com

Becky

here's some specific Q's just for you, all for you, you, you, you... enjoy

Since you brought up tatt flash pages as an influence, are there any specific artists you’re into?

Style. With Demo, each story had its own style to it and with your Flight contribution you seem to depart from the sort of work you did there. Is style something you find you’re constantly developing or do you try to go with what feels right when approached with a specific project?

With the Dracula project you’ve been using brushes and ink, are you at the point where you trust it enough to go straight from blank page to ink or do you still do roughs in pencil?

Do you grow up influenced by stuff like Dracula? Your dark and heavy lines was certainly what drew me to your art when I first saw it those many years ago, but back then it was more of a 'punk' or 'Paul Pope-ish' thing to do, but when you've got a project with Gary Reed and start making references to the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari... that tends to raise an eyebrow.

When is comes to using zipatone, do you find it acts as an enhancer to the page or does it ever get to the point where you find yourself relying on it?

Will these forthcoming graphic novels be with Ait/PlanetLar as well?

best

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Jonathan Ellis
Co-Editor in Chief - PopImage.com

Ahhhh...THAT Mark Andrews...I didnt recognize his name until you mentioned he worked with the Iron Giant/Incredibles crew, yeah, I dont't know his stuff that well, I haven't seen much of his work, but the little I have seen is incredible...I will have to track down a copy of Colossus, ...thanks for the lead!

Thanks for the compliments on Smoke...As for Smoke being a future series? We will see, I definitely know Josh and I want to tell at least one big important story in this world, it's living inside of us, we keep talking about it too often to not do a story with Simon and the dragons, anything after that would just be gravy... we had originally designed it to be an ongoing series, but I think both of us would rather not do a "soap opera", I would rather see a story told with a nice, satisfying ending. Open ended for sequels? Yes...but an ending none-the-less...

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http://www.richardpose.com

FOLLOWUP: Tell us about Sorcerers & Secretaries. Do you feel it's easier to construct a story when you have a graphic novel with a set cap on pages then when creating an ongoing piece for the web?

Sorcerers & Secretaries is a romantic comedy that takes place in NYC. It continues the love story between the two characters in my Rising Stars of Manga entry and has an emphasis on the creative process along with the feel-good romance. The page limits actually help me rather than hinder me in this case because it forces me to edit myself and keep me focussed on the end product. I think there is a bit of something lost however when you don't have that unlimited freedom of exploring to your heart's content.


FOLLOWUP: Did you have reservations about TokyoPop considering recent rumblings about their handling of new talents and contract structures?

I had a couple friends that worked with Tokyopop, and they had nothing but good things to say. Also, the editors I was in contact with were great with answering any questions I had, so my impression of them were pretty positive. I'm still happy with working with them and I can't really complain about anything, granted I've only been working with them for a few months now. It's like working with any other company I've worked with in the past so far.


Thanks for the follow-ups, Jon! My answers are kind of long.. I tend to ramble! Appologies. This feature is going to be massive...

Hello Jon!

Apologies for the delay in replying. That's when I realize that english is not my first language. I can be so sloooow!

1) How did you get involved with Flight?

I knew Kazu a bit through his Copper comics. I loved his stories, and when I learned he was making a book called Flight along with a few other artists I knew of, I contacted him to get a bit more information on that project. Turns out he had also seen some of my work and liked it, and he mentioned to me I was on his list of people to contact for future stories. I was very flattered!

2) Tell us about your story and what inspired it?

I have two short stories. Mousetrap is a very classic story of cat and mouse. I was doodling the cat a lot at that time, and I wanted to do a fun little story with it. The second one is Icarus, inspired by the greek myth. It's set before the actual story of the myth. I had been reading about the history of aviation and all those crazy early plane designs and crashes. My brain just made a mental link between these and one of the earliest story of man's attempt at flying, and images started popping into my head.
Now that I think about it, I should have called this story "Icarus: fall".

3) One of strongest things the Flight anthology has going for it is its sense of community in drawing so many creative people from different walks of life all under one banner. How has this implication of convergence influenced you or affected your work?

I've always enjoyed reading a wide variety of styles, but to actually be working amongst such a talented, intelligent bunch of artists is the biggest creative push I've had in years. All of them make me want to experiment, tell other styles of stories. I don't know how much I can succeed at that, but now I have an urge to try rather than staying with what I know how to do. Seeing the others' creative process is a big learning experience and great inspiration.

4) How do you feel your piece contributes to the overall quality and diversity of this book? [And just so you know - you all have something very distinct about your styles and your stories that make you perfect for being involved with Flight.]

Living in Montreal, we get big influences from both the US and Europe, especially in terms of comics. I hope this mix shows a bit somehow in my work. Though basically, I just wanted to do a little something to make people smile. if I managed that, I'll be happy.

5) What’s next for you following Flight?

I'm in the slow process of putting together my three mini comics of Horus into one book, fixing some art and dialogues along the way. I'm already sketching the next story at the same time. I find my output of personal work slow, but the full time day job does that. I should have a short story in the upcoming Zowie Deux!, and hopefully, another story for a future Flight.
I should also be able to update my website every once in a while: www.qosmiq.com/rufftoon

How does working in a comics page compare to working in animation?
I've not done any personal film, only worked in commercial animation where you're often confined to one role and only touch upon one aspect of the production. I used to do character design, and only characters, production schedule oblige. I had no creative input into the story.
Doing storyboards though is the closest thing to drawing a comic and at the same time, it's a different language. Planning a comic page layout has not the same flow as planning a serie of scenes in a preformated screen size. On a page, you guide the eye around; panels shape and lettering can add to the mood. What I've learned from boarding has influenced my comic storytelling and vice versa.

You tend to draw inspiration from old mythologies and fantasy, is this something carried over from childhood or more of an artistic discovery?
Definitely from childhood. I grew up reading europeans comics and they were a big influence. They have a very large variety of historical, fantasy and mythological titles.

Are there any mythologies you find particularly stimulating?
I love history in general, and all countries and civilisations have wonderful stories. But anything from ancient Egypt has the strongest hold on me. It's an old fascination. There are also the old Faery lores of northern Europe.

Could you tell us about your series Horus
I always have trouble describing it; I feel I don't do it justice. It is set in ancient Egypt, where a young girl finds a boy with a falcon's head. Could he be the god Horus...as a child? Word of that discovery reaches the court, and that's the beginning of chaos. Divinities are not supposed to be walking the earth with mortals...

I had been thinking of doing comics for years, and Horus was the project that I knew I was not going to get bored drawing. It's still done on a pretty low budget at the moment (read photocopies), but that should change when I collect all three existing mini comics.

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Amy is right, this is going to be massive! Edit and cut wherever you want.

I finally had a couple minutes to answer these. Thanks for the opportunity.

1) How did you get involved with Flight?

I was talking to a friend of mine (Joel Carroll who contributed to Flight I) and he told me about this anthology that Kazu was putting together called "Flight." I told Joel to put in a good word for me and that I really wanted to do soemthing for it. Then I got an email from Kazu who told me he already had me in mind to do something.

2) Tell us about your story and what inspired it?

I was watching one of the old Silly Symphonies cartoons, the one about the ugly duckling and it struck me as what a timeless story that is. I wanted to do something like that. Soemthing timeless. While thinking of stories I also had robots on my mind so I thought what if instead of a goose being raised by ducks there was a confused robot being raised by ducks. The more I thought about it and sketched the more the idea developed into what it is now. Less about acceptance and more about friendship.

3) One of strongest things the Flight anthology has going for it is its sense of community in drawing so many creative people from different walks of life all under one banner. How has this implication of convergence influenced you or affected your work?

I think it's great. We feed off of each other. I remember on the first Flight book Kazu posted the pencils for his copper story and that got my creative juices flowing like the colorado river in spring. I wanted to create something on par with that. I think there's a level of competiton here too. The healthy kind. The kind that makes you want to take your story a little further and bring your art up a notch.

4) How do you feel your piece contributes to the overall quality and diversity of this book? [And just so you know – you all have something very distinct about your styles and your stories that make you perfect for being involved with Flight.]

I think it fits nicely. Last time around I did an adventure story, and a lot of the stories had that element of adventure in it. This time I toned it down a bit and tried to do something that still had a sense of something outside of this world but also still grounded in reality. That thread runs through a lot of the stories in two.

5) What’s next for you following Flight? [Note-use this Q to pimp yourself to your hearts content – be sure to mention any websites or forthcoming projects you’d like to promote]

Well, besided my story for Flight 3, I'm working on a little self publishing venture not unlike my Agent44 Art Digest I published last year. I'm going to have that printed just in time for San Diego Comic-Con. I'm also developing a children's book based on my story in Flight II. You can stay up to date on all my work by checking my website: www.agent44.com

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-Jake Agent44 - My Art Blog
roboready

hey Jon:

are you posting page examples of our stuff from flight?

if not instead of a photo can i give you a small kimbly image?

Thanks
Ryan

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