Anson Jew
10/26/2005

KAREEM: What is your background, Anson?

ANSON:I currently work as a freelance storyboard artist. Some of my credits include "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow", "Anacondas: Hunt for the Blood Orchid", "Inheritance", "Cat in the Hat" and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" as well as a number of computer game related projects. I've always been interested in film and animation and storytelling. I grew up making my own super-8 films and comic books. A lot of those skills helped me get into the computer game industry in the early 90's, when adventure/story games were king. I worked as an animator/artist at LucasArts for 9 years. By the end of the 90's, a lot of the older artists like myself were getting downsized in the game industry, but a lot of former Lucas employees found greener pastures freelancing for the film industry, so I figured I'd toss my hat into the ring.

KAREEM: What are your favorite animated movies and favorite animated TV series?

ANSON:I love everything that Pixar does. Toy Story, The Incredibles...Good stories, told well. Story is king there and it shows. There doesn't seem to be a conscious effort to play to a specific demographic like a lot of other studios. I love The Wrong Trousers, Iron Giant, Pica Towers/Jojo in the Stars, Sleeping Beauty. I don't watch that much TV, but I've never seen an episode of The Simpsons or King of the Hill that didn't get a laugh out of me.

KAREEM: What are your favorite live action movies and TV series?

ANSON: Features: The Graduate. Amelie. Heavenly Creatures. The Man Who Wasn't There. Risky Business. I like movies that are intricate, yet concise, are observant and deftly weave their visual style into the telling of the story. These films do that. Not necessarily the best films, but they are my favorites.

TV: Not much of a TV watcher. The Twilight Zone was a favorite growing up. The episode "Its a Good Life" still holds up pretty well.

KAREEM: What are your favorite books and why?

ANSON: Admittedly, I don't read much, other than news and articles and stuff off the internet. I have a really short attention span. I'll read short stories or essays, but I don't have much patience for long form fiction. If I read anything book length, it's generally non-fiction. I enjoy reading David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell for their wit and obsevation. I enjoy the odd but mundane work of Haruki Murakami or Bailey White. Those stories would make great comics. "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott was a great book about life and writing. "The Tao of Pooh" was a clever look at Taoism. Sorry to all the academics if it sounds like Sarah Michelle Gellar's booklist to you, but that's what I like.

As far as comics, there aren't that many current titles that get me into the comic store. I generally browse and buy whatever appeals to me at the time based on art or subject matter. Derek Kirk Kim is a talent to watch.

KAREEM: Do you play video games?

ANSON: Although I worked in the computer game industry for more than 9 years, I've never been much of a game player. But if there's a game with a lot of good art/animation, I'll have a look. Or if there's an adventure/story game with good art and good writing, I'll sit down in front of it for a while. While I was working at LucasArts, I played games a little more simply because I was in the industry. Some of the titles that actually captured my attention (other than the ones I worked on) included Tomb Raider, Day of the Tentacle, The Incredible Machine, Grim Fandango. My all-time favorite adventure game was one I worked on at LucasArts called Full Throttle. Currently, the favorite among my tiny collection of PS2 games is War of the Monsters. Also, I'm looking forward to seeing Psychonauts and a few games I did storyboards for that have yet to be released.

KAREEM: How about your influences? Who has had the most impact on your work?

ANSON: My short attention span was a factor growing up with comics as well. I didn't go in much for long, endless serialized stories. I like to drop into a world, take a look around and then leave. So l was reading MAD magazine, horror comics like House of Secrets, Creepy and Eerie. Most of the 60's DC titles didn't serialize their stories, so I was more likely to read those comics. Some other titles I liked back then included The Phantom Stranger, The Rawhide Kid and Master of Kung Fu. These comics had a atmosphere other than the regular superhero vibe. Once I got older, I began reading Eightball, Optic Nerve, American Splendor, Crumb. Why I Hate Saturn and The Cowboy Wally Show were also big titles for me.

As a writer, I generally try to take Edgar Allan Poe's idea of "single effect" in short stories to heart. Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird," a book on writing, is also a big influence on me. I enjoy David Sedaris, and would love to be able to write like that someday. Growing up with Creepy, Eerie, House of Secrets and The Twilight Zone as a kid has recently manifested itself in me doing a lot of Twilight Zone style stories. I like horror/suspense stories a lot; "The Devil's Backbone", "The Reflecting Skin" and "Seconds" are some influential favorites. As far as drawing, I learn a lot by looking at Alex Toth, Rodolfo Damaggio, Serge Clerc, Mitch O'Connell, Egon Schiele.

KAREEM: What are your all time favorite comics? How about the current set of comics - any favorites?

ANSON: The Cowboy Wally Show, Why I Hate Saturn, Same Difference, early Clowes, especially "The Future", "The Stroll", "I Love You Dearly", "I Hate You Deeply" and "Ghost World". Crumb's comics, like "My Troubles With Women". American Splendor, especially "The Harvey Pekar Name Story" and "Pickled Okra (Okry)". I used to read Optic Nerve a lot, but my favorite remains one of his mini-comics stories called "Laundry". I also liked Yoshihiro Tatsumi's Goodbye and Other Stories.

KAREEM: What advice would give you give to someone just starting out?
Any tips for the up and comers?

ANSON: If you're interested in film or computer games, don't be suprised or take it personally if you do a lot of work that never gets seen. Its just the nature of the beast. If you're interested in pursuing comics, try to go to sources other than comics for inspiration.

KAREEM: What about comics, or the comics industry do you not like, or disagree with?

ANSON: By far, the biggest problem is that it's far too inbred. The writers and artists are people who grew up with and are influenced only by other comics writers and artists.

KAREEM: Are there things in comics today that feel are missing? A genre, a style, anything?

ANSON: I'd like to see more comedies, perhaps a little more wit. What if David Sedaris wrote a comic book? Or Charlie Kaufman? What would those comics look like? Where's our Dorothy Parker or Fran Liebowitz? How about a romantic comedy? Even something like "Annie Hall" or "When Harry Met Sally" would be something completely new in the comic book medium.

In general I think comics creators need to reach outside of the comics world for their stories. Your typical comics creator doesn't have a unique voice; he has a list of influences. I'd like to see comics that reflect a more personal point of view. I'm not saying that everything has to be an autobiography. I'm not talking about that. What I mean is that the tone, the rhythm, the entire approach of most comics tends to be recycled from other comics. There are also a lot of things to talk about that have never been talked about in comics. There are a lot of things to say and ways of saying them with words and pictures, yet most comics are narrowly derivative of other comics.

Also, I'd like to see more storylines dealing with the reluctant hero who has been prophesized to be "The Chosen One". There isn't enough of that out
there. Heh.

KAREEM: We at Komikwerks dig superheroes just fine, but we also feel that there is room for more non-superhero genre comics. What are your thoughts on that?
What would you like to see and what can be done to grow readership for that genre?

ANSON: Its odd that American comics are so completely dominated by a single genre. In Japan and Europe they have sports comics, business comics, historical comics. Anyone off the street can find something they're interested in. But here in America, almost anything that's not a superhero is automatically going seen as an oddity inside the comics world, and therefore difficult to market. Outside the comics world, superheroes are the oddity. So in America, the only way to grow readership in any genre that isn't superheroes is to reach outside of the comics world.

As far as ways of growing the readership outside its insular parameters, I think one thing that would help is to start marketing comic books the way traditional books are marketed. You can't just try to sell the book, you have to sell the author. If the author has something interesting to say or an interesting way of saying it, or has an intriguing world view or has an appealing personality, people will be interested in what they have to say no matter what medium it is in. Traditional authors do interviews on TV, radio and mainstream magazines, give speeches and do readings at bookstores (comics folks might adapt that into slideshow presentations). Comics authors need to do this, too. The only thing is that the comics authors have to have something to say that is of interest to people other than just other comics people, whether its politics or society or whatever; again, this is the problem of comics being too inbred.

KAREEM: What are your thoughts about the current popularity of live action movies based on comics?

ANSON: Its a good thing. If the movies are good, it's an even better thing.

KAREEM: If Galactus fought Texas, who would win?

ANSON: Galactus would eat Texas, but would get sick from gas.

KAREEM: So Texas wins.

KAREEM: Do you think the Silver Surfer would be more popular if he had a full head of hair? Is there some bald discrimination going on there?

ANSON: He's got Shalla Bal. He's a stud. Bald is beautiful. Can you guess what my head looks like?

KAREEM: What is your dream car? why?

ANSON: Ever since I was a little kid, I've always wanted Adam West's Batmobile. It's a 1955 Lincoln Futura.

KAREEM: What is your dream vacation? Why?

ANSON: I've never been to Europe. I wanna go to one of those comics festivals they have in Spain and France.

KAREEM: If Aquaman spent less time talking to fish, and more time talking to women, do you think he would be a more popular super-hero?

ANSON: If you walk around all the time in tights and smell like a fish, you're not gonna be very popular.

KAREEM: Why does the Spectre, the Spirit of Vengeance, wear green bikini briefs? Do you think God has a dress code?

ANSON: God has a dress code, and all the superheroes are going to hell.

KAREEM: The digital age is changing the way comics are made and distributed from sales on Amazon to print on demand to creators being able to publish and commune online. Do you see that affecting your work?

ANSON: Absolutely. The internet for comics will be what radio was for music. Its a great place to sell and promote and talk about comics. It won't replace the traditional ways of doing things, but its a welcome addition. Print on demand is a good development. I say this as a self publisher with 3000 copies of Saturday Nite #1 crowding up my closet. If companies like CafePress can get their prices down, I'd buy stock.

KAREEM: As the internet continues to become a strong distribution system for independent artists, do you think that will open up the doors to new types of comics? Alternative radio went thru a similar introspection in the 90's when alternative became mainstream. So what becomes mainstream if more people are making their own comics than working for hire for someone else?

Does the mainstream then embrace this new set of creators or fight to maintain the status quo?

ANSON: The internet will be a new inexpensive avenue for readers to discover new titles and artists, but it doesn't mean a thing unless there are artists out there that have something to say that connects to new readers. The internet is all about choices. Nobody's going to spend their valuable time checking out your work unless you have something to say that's relevant to them.

There's too much other stuff to do on the net. Comics can attract new kinds of talent to its ranks, but in order to do that, it first has to attract new kinds of readers.

KAREEM: Do you feel that there are now two tribes of comicbook creators; those who embrace digital creation and distribution, and those that don't in much the same way music listeners rush to download to a tune or insist on purchasing a disc? Why?

ANSON: The downside of digital is that it is too easy for anyone pirate digital work; to make and distribute copies. It drives the value of the work down; which sucks, considering how time and work intensive creating these works are. Making art and expressing oneself is fine, but people want to be fairly compensated for their efforts. I see digital comics and internet distribution as a good promotional tool for traditional analog ways of doing things, but not as a viable replacement. I haven't done the research--are readers willing to pay full price for a digital comic--when they can burn a copy from their friend for free? How can you make money if everyone except you is distributing your comic?

KAREEM: Right now digital comics offer more diversity than print comics. Do you think this is because they don't have to worry about the bottom line the same way art films aren't made for the masses?

ANSON: To a point. I don't think that the lack of diversity in comics is entirely due to the bottom line, although it's definitely a factor. A lot of it is just the inbred nature of the industry. Things have always been done a certain way and nobody thinks to do anything different. If digital comics seem more diverse, it's because the established companies haven't started doing digital comics yet. If Marvel and DC started doing digital comics, I guarantee digital comics would just be as lacking in diversity as traditional comics are.

KAREEM: Do you think that the big companies will push into the digital world more?

ANSON: If the small companies start making money at it, the big companies will follow. Just like in everything else.

KAREEM: Most American readers are into comics for collecting and need to touch a comicbook to enjoy it. However a successful online comic can have hundreds of thousands of readers. Is the fact that one is for sale give it more justification as being successful?

ANSON: This is a quandry that the music industry is currently experiencing now that we're in the internet age. While it is nice for an artist to reach a large audience, art is hard work and an artist deserves to be paid appropriately for their work. You can't put food on the table with popularity and/or critical acclaim alone. You gotta be financially reimbursed, too. Art for its own sake is a trap that a lot of young artists can fall into, opening themselves up to being exploited. As if wanting to be paid for your work is selling out. I'm not saying money=success, but your labor and what you have to say has value. You deserve to be paid appropriately for it. If digital online comics can facilitate an artist being paid for his work, I'm for it.

If its just another way for artists to be exploited (by their own fans, no less), I'm against it. This "I'm your biggest fan, gimme your work for free" business is for the birds. If a fan truly likes an artist's work, he should have no problem paying full price for it whether it's digital or paper.

KAREEM: What do you see as the perfect marriage between print and digital comics?

ANSON: The internet has the potential to be for comics what radio used to be for music. I would like to see digital comics follow the model that radio singles had for albums, because comics as a monthly paper pamphlet has just about run its course for widespread use. Digital comics, whether online comics or ibooks or print on demand could be made available cheaply or even free and act as a teaser or promotion for a more expansive (and more expensive) traditionally printed graphic novel with exclusive content. In this way, comics has an advantage over music: it's way harder to scan all the pages in a 200-page graphic novel and distribute copies than it is to make digital copies of a music CD and distribute it.

KAREEM: Please tell us about your upcoming projects, and shamelessly plug yourself and your friends...

ANSON: I've got a half a dozen projects going on at any given minute. I'm currently working on several "Twilight Zone" type stories, most of which I will make available as mini-comics as I finish them. I will eventually collect them into an anthology. I also hope to do a small collection of autobiographal comics and a long story called "The Offending Eye." You can buy my sketchbooks and my Xeric winning Saturday Nite comic from my website.

If you are interested in my work, go to my websites:

Comics: http://www.satnitesite.8k.com

Pinups: http://www.badjoojoo.8m.com

Swag: http://www.cafeshops/badjoojoo

Storyboard portfolio: http://ansonart.tripod.com

Quick hits...

KAREEM: Do you take your peanut butter smooth or crunchy?

ANSON: Crunchy. Always.

KAREEM: Would you destroy the ONE RING?

ANSON: Then how could I destroy all those disgusting wizards and elves and dwarfs and hobbits?

KAREEM: Thing you'd most like to say to Stan Lee?

ANSON: Whose idea was it to give The Hulk purple pants?

KAREEM: Little yellow bat-symbol or no little yellow bat symbol?

ANSON: Back in the 70's, I used to think that the rule was that the Batman with the black insignia was the Batman who crept around Gotham city chasing thugs as the World's Greatest Detective, and the guy who kicked around with Superman and Wonder Woman and beat up aliens had the yellow logo. The same superhero; but no need for story continuity between the two versions. I don't know if that ever was actually the case, but maybe it should be. The Batman Adventures/Batman Animated art style kinda holds that purpose today. The "kids" version of the character actually has the more sophisticated aesthetic in my opinion, though.

KAREEM: If you were a type of berry, what type of berry would you be?

ANSON: A Crunchberry.

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