THAT’S RIGHT, I SAID COMICS Issue #13 – HERO HOUSE Interview With Justin Aclin!
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Location
Midtown Comics
459 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY
United States
Justin Aclin is the editor of Toyfare Magazine and the lead writer of Toyfare’s long-running and popular humor strip “Twisted Toyfare Theatre.” He’s also a comic book writer, and his new book Hero House is available now at finer comic book stores and mainstream book stores nationwide. Since today is new comic Wednesday, there’s no better time for me to tell you to run out and find a copy of the Hero House trade paperback – it’s a light-hearted and likable superhero story that reminds me of some of the Marvel Comics I grew up on (only much, much funnier).
You can find out more about Justin at his website, but first check out this interview, where Justin was nice enough to let me ask him a bunch of dumb questions, but more importantly, gave an informative view of the comic creating process, and offered some terrific advice for aspiring creators.
It really is a terrific read – check it out!
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First off: Why comics? What do you love particularly about the art form, and why was it the best fit for Hero House?
I could be cute and say it's in my blood, but the truth is I don't know why comics appeals to me the way it does. My dad was an artist for Marvel before I was born, but I didn't really get into comics until I was around 10, and it's always been a major part of my life since then. I guess there must be an element of escapism or empowerment to it, since I tend to gravitate to superhero comics, but it's probably just everything - the experience of reading them, the stories that they tell, the larger-than-life characters that star in them. I've wanted to write comics since I was a kid, so Hero House could never have been anything else. It was conceived to be a comic - my first entry into the world of comics writing.
Who are your influences? In particular, does Hero House owe anything to any specific inspirations?
Many of the comics writers who really inspire me are guys I could never hope to hold a candle to - guys like Neil Gaiman, Brian K. Vaughan, Mike Mignola. Hero House, though, did have a specific influence, which is Brian Michael Bendis' early issues of Ultimate Spider-Man. That book was so invested in its characters, who were so recognizably human, that they could do an entire issue where Spidey never appeared, like the one where he revealed his identity to Mary Jane, and you wouldn't bat an eyelash. That's what I tried to accomplish with Hero House - telling a story about people who also happened to be super heroes.
Was Hero House always intended as a graphic novel with chapters, as it currently exists? Were there ever (or are there now) plans to turn it into a series?
It was originally conceived as a four-issue mini-series, and then early last year Arcana and I took a look at the periodicals market as it now stands and decided the best bet was to just collect it right away as a graphic novel. And I really didn't mind - the end goal was always to have that book that could sit on my shelf. I never thought of Hero House as a continuing series, especially not when it took five years to put these four issues together.
How did you find and pitch Arcana, your publisher?
They had gotten a bit of notice in the comics press around that time, this is back in 2004, for some of their titles like Kade and Ant, so I pretty much knew the name. That summer I got sent to Wizard World Chicago for work, and I ended up taking a pitch packet – basically five pages of art with word balloons, and then a story outline – around to nearly every indie publisher that was there. And Arcana ended up agreeing to publish it, and I think it was a great fit.
How did you find Mike Dimayuga, your artist? Could you discuss the collaboration?
I was looking on a website called Digital Webbing, which has a message board where comic artists can post their work, and creative teams can try to get together. I posted an ad looking for an artist, but I actually ended up reaching out to Mike when I saw a piece that he had posted – it was a pin-up of DC Comics’ Hawkman, about to hit Adult Swim’s Harvey Birdman in the face with a mace. And the detail on Hawkman was so great, and Birdman’s face was so expressive, that I knew Mike would be able to pull off whatever I asked of him. Collaborating with Mike was great, and it was definitely a learning experience – this was my first time working with an artist, and it was Mike’s first time working on such a long project. I had most of the script written by the time Mike came onboard, but there were a few changes I was able to make to play more to his strengths. One of the best things about working with Mike is that he was so enthusiastic, and he believed so much in the project, that it kept me going a few times when I probably would have gotten frustrated and walked away, otherwise.
How did you find the rest of the art team?
Frank E. Stone, our inker, was someone who Mike knew from his local art scene out in California. Brian Gabrillo, our colorist, came to us through a coloring studio, Big Cat Studios, that was recommended to me by a colorist in the comics biz. And I got hooked up with Shawn DePasquale, our letterer, through Arcana directly. And they’re all top-notch guys.
Is there any element of autobiography to this story?
There is, but not as much as you might think. There’s a bit of me in just about all the characters, which is probably true of any work by any writer. I definitely experienced that feeling of going from being a reasonably big fish in high school to one of thousands at college, and had to deal with adjusting to not being quite as special as I once felt. But I didn’t end up checking out in quite the same way that Nate, the main character, does. The frat elements of the story are based on personal experience, even though I was never actually in a frat. My freshman year I joined a sketch comedy group, and it was probably about as frat-like as you can get without actually being in a frat. Most of the dynamics of the group and the feeling of coming in and having to prove yourself are based on my experiences in that group.
When you write, what kind of music is in your head? What would be on the Hero House soundtrack?
I usually get into a zone when I write and tend not to have any specific music in my head. The one exception was an action movie script I wrote in college, and every time I had to plot out a fight scene I’d listen to “Never Going to Come Back Down” by B.T. featuring Mike Doughty. I highly recommend anyone writing a fight scene to listen to that song. The Hero House soundtrack would feature whatever you listened to in college, because it’s really about you! Not you, Jon. The reader.
Animale has the ability to turn into any creature he can think of. What is the best animal, and why?
The best animal is man, because he can create and/or read comic books. All the other animals are totally jealous.
Without spoiling anything, the end of the book leaves the door open for future adventures. Is that going to happen anytime soon? Can you give us an idea of what kind of stories would happen next?
I’d love to do more stories in the Hero House universe, but it really depends on there being an insane amount of fan demand to see them. That said, I do have an idea for the second graphic novel, and it would fix one of the biggest mistakes that I think I made with the first one. That is, females would play a much huger role in the sequel. Hero House is a little bro-heavy.
Can you talk about what upcoming projects we can look for from you and your collaborators?
Mike has a one-shot out from image with writer Tim Seeley called “Colt Noble and the Mega-Lords,” which is a He-Man by way of teen sex comedy parody. His art’s really awesome in it and it’s well worth seeking out!
As for me, I’ve got a story in the June issue of “MySpace Dark Horse Presents,” which is still amazing to me, because Dark Horse is one of the greatest publishers out there. It’s called “S.H.O.O.T. First,” and the acronym stands for “Secular Humanist Occult Obliteration Taskforce.” Basically, it’s about a group of militant atheist paranormal hunters who hunt down creatures like demons and angels that they don’t even believe in. Well, they believe they exist, but they don’t believe they’re what they claim to be. It’s hard to explain, but it’s worth reading, especially since it’s free – it’ll be up on June 2nd at www.myspace.com/darkhorsepresents. My artist on that is named Ben Bates, and it’s really, really great looking.
Do you have any practical tips or profound life advice for aspiring comic book creators?
I’d give them the same advice that was given to me: no one’s going to let you write a comic book because you insist you’d be good at it. You have to get out there and do work, make comics, and then editors can judge you on the work you’ve done. It’s not easy to make your own comics, but if you work hard and persevere it’s very, very possible.
And finally, I’d like to conclude this interview with the questionnaire, which was employed for 26 glorious years by my great hero Bernard Pivot in France.
1. Justin, what is your favorite word?
Ostentatious. Because it is!
- What is your least favorite word?
There’s this great site where a bunch of different artists draw the same character every week, but the site is called “Comic Twart,” and Twart is by far the worst word I’ve ever heard.
- What turns you on?
My wife.
- What turns you off?
Certainty without any basis in facts.
- What sound or noise do you love?
My younger daughter is 13 months old and starting to try to talk. And I don’t exactly know what she’s saying, but I love it.
- What sound or noise do you hate?
There’s a particular alarm clock noise that they use in commercials, that sounds exactly like an alarm clock I used to have. The sound of it fills me with existential dread.
- What is your favorite curse word?
You can’t go wrong with the F-Bomb, can you? Although I’m fond of “What the shit?”
- What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Maybe it’s a cheat because it’s related to my profession, but I’d love to write for television.
- What profession would you not like to do?
Anything that doesn’t involve writing. I’m living my dream now, and I’d rather not backtrack away from it.
- If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“I really don’t mind that you wrote a comic about militant atheists killing angels – come on in!”
