TOKYOPOP’s RISING STARS I: JESS STONCIUS ON WORK BITES

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

Like all other Rising Stars of Manga contest winners who’ve signed book deals with TOKYOPOP, Jess Stoncius, from Carbondale, Illinois, is getting a bite out of, well, Work Bites, an original manga created by the RSOM4 finalist.

Kicking off a series of features focusing on the next generation of manga-kas from the #1 publisher of manga in the U.S, we caught up with Stoncius for more on winning the contest and life after…

But first, here’s what editor Tim Beedle has to say about Work Bites: “Work Bites began as a Rising Stars of Manga entry that was a runner up in our 4th anthology. The concept of a vampire, a creature that's usually portrayed as darkly sexy and dangerously cool, suffering the far-too-familiar humiliation of working a minimum wage part-time job, was a fresh approach to the vampire genre. (A genre which, in my opinion, takes itself far too seriously) Equal parts Clerks and Interview with the Vampire, Work Bites was silly, irreverent and fun, and it proved to be one of the most popular entries in that collection among fans. In my opinion, asking its creator, Jess Stoncius, to expand her idea into a full series was a no-brainer.”

Okay, on with the show...

Newsarama: What made you decide to enter the Rising Stars of Manga contest?

Jess Stoncius: Well, the first one I entered was Rising Stars of Manga 2, and I entered it because I was interested in a career in comics and because I thought I might be good enough to win… which is pretty hilarious now that I look back on it. Yeah, okay, the entry wasn’t bad, but it had its share of flaws and obviously wasn’t good enough to win. It was a lot of hard work, but getting it done was a good motivator for me… because then I knew I could finish a 15-20 page story in the time allotted, so I had no excuse not to enter subsequent contests.

I entered the contest two more times, because now that I knew I could do it, the priority was improving each time I entered until I had improved enough to place or possibly win. If I hadn’t placed in the fourth contest, I can guarantee you I would have entered the fifth, sixth, seventh, thirty-ninth, and so on until I won something. “Giving up” is not in my vocabulary… even though I just used it in proper context there...

NRAMA: Your winning entry in RSOM4 was called “Work Bites” too. Before we get into Book One of Work Bites, what was your short story in RSOM4 about?

JS: The story was about a vampire named Lars (not Count Larsula) who works at a lame coffee store at an equally lame mall. He has to put up with a lot of crap from the customers, and hilarity, misunderstandings about the nature of the apocalypse, and cryptic, badly-misspelled notes ensue.

NRAMA: And how does it lead to the first volume Work Bites?

JS: Work Bites is the continuing epic saga (and by "epic," I mean "somewhat inane") of Lars the vampire as he struggles to become the "Lord of the Night," which is kind of like the Grand High Pooh Bah of vampiredom. To do this, however, he has to first gain the approval of other vampires, and that means he needs to have a lot of cool crap that they wish they had to prove that he is their superior, like leather pants and cell phones with appropriately Goth-y polyphonic ring tones. Since Lars is an adult, however, his father refuses to give him money to buy cool crap like mesh shirts and pimped-out hearses... therefore, he has to get a job. Initially, it's at a coffee store in the mall, but Lars doesn't have the best work ethic (or much in the way of sanity, really), so I wouldn't expect him to work at one place forever. Yes, this is a comedy. Most of it will take place malls, which are rather bizarre microcosms of society in themselves.

In the first volume, we see Lars entering the work force, and all subsequent parts of the story will involve his various misadventures in the working world, which is just as scary to vampires as they are to most people.

NRAMA: What inspired you to create this comedy… with fangs?

JS: That's a good question! The idea really just sort of hit me all at once, but it's mainly as a result of the fact that vampire stories really take themselves way too seriously for how ridiculous the subject matter is. There's either all this beautiful angst or all this angsty badassery, and somehow we wind up missing the fact that, hello, vampires have a history of being kind of silly. Like, I was really into [i]Dark Shadows[i] (the 1970's soap opera, yes. Stop laughing!) when they were showing it on Sci-Fi in the mornings. That has a vampire in it that turns into a freaking rubber bat. And the show is so angsty and tries to be serious, but they have a vampire in it who turns into a rubber bat!!! Or like, in a certain vampire movie I know of, some 1337 vampire starts what appears to be a Korn coverband to, uhm, well, I don't know what he's actually trying to do, but he's wearing leather pants while he's doing it. This is why I can't take vampire stories very seriously... so mine isn't meant to be taken seriously.

NRAMA: Count Larsula, I mean, Lars is the main character. Who’re the other main characters in the story?

JS: Lars is the main character. I mentioned before that he's a vampire, but he's kind of an atypical vampire in that he's not threatening or seductive or anything. He's cute, I guess, but he's kind of a loser, as far as vampires go. He wants a lot of things, but he's not necessarily willing to put the effort in to actually get them; he’d rather just be handed things. He's not exactly the sharpest cabbage in the sky, but he thinks he is... always a dangerous combination. He winds up taking a lot of crap from various sources, which stresses him out a lot.

Adonis is another main character, but he's an elf and Lars’ sworn enemy and greatest rival. Because elves have recently become so en vogue with the mainstream, Adonis (which isn't his real name) is convinced he's hot stuff. Elves and vampires are natural enemies in the wild, so of course his main goal in life is to make things difficult for Lars. Adonis has more social skills than Lars does, but he’s possibly even more deluded by his own perceived greatness. He’s fun.

We’ve also got Tiffanee. While Lars and Adonis are under the grand delusion that they actually are cool, Tiffanee is widely regarded as the coolest girl at the mall. Which means she gets to sit at the cool tables in the food court and gets to check out at the cool registers, and that everybody else in the mall is pretty much subservient to her. Both Lars and Adonis want to take her to the trendy event to end all trendy events—the town ice cream social. However, she won’t date a guy if he doesn’t have a cool car.

There are also a bunch of other characters, like the Mallcore Gothsquad (which are a trio of androgynous teenagers who hang out at the mall and try to con Lars into making them vampires), Lars’ traditional vampire dad, and a rather cantankerous alpaca.

NRAMA: Like the others, winning the RSOM contest has changed their lives entirely. How has yours been since the RSOM talent search?

JS: Well, I have a job now because of it; that's probably the biggest thing. I’d probably be in grad school, racking up some debt, if I hadn’t been hired to do this. Or I’d be doing graphic design somewhere while I worked on entries for the next contests or putting a submission packet together. This was always kinda the path I intended to travel, but winning the contest made it a lot easier to get there.

NRAMA: What have you learned from your editor, Tim Beedle and the guys at TOKYOPOP?

JS: Learn? We don’t learn anything these days! Learning is for schoolchildren… [laughs] But no, seriously, my editor is the coolest guy in the universe. We seem to be on the same wavelength regarding humor, and that’s pretty valuable to have, since he understands my jokes and helps me refine them so everyone else can understand them. Uh, other than that, I’ve never really worked on a project of this scale before, and it really is a learning experience. It’s an exercise in motivation and pacing, and while it can occasionally be frustrating for somebody as impatient as I am, it’s also a very rewarding experience. Working for TOKYOPOP is awesome… my first experience with actual manga was reading a friend’s MIXXzine when I was a sophomore in high school (though I’d known about anime and manga before then and watched anime regularly), so it’s really cool to have come full-circle like this.

NRAMA: What’s the release date for Work Bites?

JS: Well, we're aiming for early 2006, but there are a lot of factors involved. If I get kidnapped by the Dog People of Cerberus 9 and am forced to crochet festive doilies for them at the sweatshop labor rate of six bark'tors a day until the holiday season is over, then the date might get pushed back. But, if I replace my arms with cyborg parts and can get a system installed to supply my body with a constant stream of Red Bull so that I never have to sleep, it might get pushed up. Since neither of those things appears to be happening right now, we’re aiming for early 2006.

NRAMA: As a reader, what're some of your favorite manga/comics?

JS: As far as manga goes, I tend to read a lot of stuff that's either shounen-ai or has shounen-ai subtext, or at the very least, well-drawn male characters as a prominent feature. I really liked Fake. That's the only series right now that I actually own all of (it's only seven volumes and it's been out for a while). The chemistry between Dee and Ryo is really what makes that series stand out to me. I read Gravitation, too, which is becoming increasingly weird, what with random panda mecha, but I think it's hilarious, and K is awesome. And, I've been on this huge Saiyuki kick lately. This series truly owns my soul right now. I named my motorcycle "Sanzo," if that gives you any idea.

As for comics, Watchmen was really good. Epic, even. And Sandman rocks, of course... but Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman could probably write stories about mutant tadpoles who sing opera, with illustrations by a dead gerbil, and I would probably read it because it would probably be awesome.

Really, if it has either hot guys or a good story, I will probably read it and like it. If it has both, then that’s a major plus.

NRAMA: And how much have these influenced you as a creator?

JS: Uh, well, I like drawing hot guys, and manga has a lot of those (particularly Saiyuki, of the ones I mentioned), so I guess that’s one thing… I think the funny moments in manga influence me the most, because I watched a lot of cartoons as a kid and a lot of American cartoons recycle the same jokes they were doing in the 30’s and 40’s in the Merry Melodies cartoons… so you can see all of them coming a mile away and it becomes less funny the more you see them, because you know that the pie’s gonna be in somebody’s face the moment it shows up onscreen. I’m sure a lot of humor in manga is recycled, too, but I can’t spot it miles off, usually, and the cultural difference might be part of that. It’s just a lot more random and unpredictable and therefore, funny to me. I haven’t read the Excel Saga manga, but the anime is hilarious…I like stuff like that. Weird, oddball stuff that doesn’t really make sense.

NRAMA: Anything else that you’d like to add about Work Bites?

JS: I just want people to find it entertaining. I don't think there are any groundbreaking themes being explored, and that's not the point, really. Some of my fondest memories of comics were the Super Mario Bros. comics published by Valiant when I was a kid, because I thought they were really funny. Similarly, I read manga because I want to be entertained, and I draw it because I want to give that experience to others. I love manga because it entertains me…I enjoy the aesthetic, certainly, but my primary goal is entertainment.

Related articles:
TOKYOPOP’S RISING STARS II: FELIPE SMITH ON MBQ

TOKYOPOP’S RISING STARS III: M. ALICE LeGROW ON BIZENGHAST

TOKYOPOP'S RISING STARS IV: AMY KIM GANTER ON SORCERERS & SECRETARIES

TOKYOPOP'S RISING STARS V: LINDSAY CIBOS ON PEACH FUZZ

TOKYOPOP'S RISING STARS VI: CHRISTY LIJEWSKI ON RE:PLAY

RISING STARS of MANGA VII: IRENE FLORES ON MARK OF THE SUCCUBUS

RISING STARS OF MANGA VIII: RON KAULFERSCH & MIKE SCHWARK ON VAN VON HUNTER

RISING STARS OF MANGA IX: SHANE GRANGER (w/ JASON HENDERSON & TONY SALVAGGIO) ON PSy-COMM

TOKYOPOP'S RISING STARS X: WES ABBOTT ON DOGBY WALKS ALONE

ON FIVE SETS OF RISING STARS: JEREMY ROSS ON TOKYOPOP'S RISING STARS OF MANGA

[Knightmaresbane]

This looks hilarious. Definately going on my pulllist.

Long live american manga(and Saiyuki fans, them to.)!!!


\m/ \m/

[SmileOnADog]

Good to see more American manga so I can stop reading books from right to left.

[Stoncius]

Thanks! Hilarity is a personal goal of mine, so that is awesome that you find it thus. I, personally, find the material very funny, but that may be because I wrote it...but, other people seem to find my writing humorous, so we'll see.

If anybody has any questions about anything, I could conceivably answer them...or artfully dodge the question while offering up some shiny tidbit or another to distract you. I'm good at that.

(and uh, yes, this is the same Stoncius that's in the article above. Nobody would pretend to be me...nobody sane, anyway!)

[Rivkah]

*shameless plug for Jess*

For all those out there who haven't read RSOM, Jess's writing really is quite amazing. It's rare to see a full-length graphic novel centered around humor--and someone who can pull it off. Even the sound effects made me laugh.

Jess manages to pull off her wit in all the little details that so many people overlook. Whether it's the aforementioned sound fx, a work badge that changes with the character's mood, or one-liners and side-liners that leave you rolling in your seat, this is one book people should read--even if it's simply for the sake of the way she writes humor. Other than weekly comic strips, there simply isn't enough of this kind of sly, witty writing out there. This is a book I really look forward to reading.

-Rivkah

[tania del rio]

Congratulations, Jess!

The art looks great - I'm looking forward to picking this one up. Oh, and it's great to hear about someone else who loves the Super Mario Bros. comics. I still have the anthology in my studio! They were hilarious

Tania

[Crispy]

I'm excited about Jess's book too. Her RSOM entry had me laughing. It's so rare to find a comic that makes fun of itself and its own nonsensibilities here in America.

Anyone who hasn’t read her entry in the RSOM anthology really should give it a shot. Her writing is, as aforementioned, filled with hilarity. Work Bites will definitely not be your conventional vampire comic, and that’s what I like about it.

[Marine]

i'm not all that taken with the art, it's a bit generic manga artist wannabe, the kind of stuff that populates deviantart and elfwood. hopefully the writing will make the purchase worthwhile.

[Stoncius]

i'm not all that taken with the art, it's a bit generic manga artist wannabe, the kind of stuff that populates deviantart and elfwood. hopefully the writing will make the purchase worthwhile.

LOL, hopefully.

And, everybody else, thanks for the support! Support is awesome.

(And the Mario Bros. comics were truly amazing, what with their subtle pop culture references and all. Chuckberries! Barbara the Bush! That's comedy platinum right there, and still makes me snicker inanely ten years or so after the fact, heh heh heh. I always read FUNNY comic books, because the superhero ones were always too scary and mean for me...which is kinda funny, now that I think about it.)

[schiz]

The first time I ever picked up a Rising Stars volume was to read Work Bites.


I just want to congratulate you on your licensing! When I heard that a graphic novel would be coming out I screamed just as I would have had ten excited hamsters been dropped into my pants. Only in a happy way. I will wait with bated breath for the release...hey it's only a year away. If I can wait for a darned Harry Potter book that long I can sure as heck wait for this one! Here's to hoping your success in the workforce is greater than Lars'.

[psycha]

That is the worst, and I mean THE WORST, comic book artowrk I've ever seen. For reasons I don't even need to point out

[Antihero]

Well I've never read it! ( I probably will though, I'm good like that) But I am your stalker, and we are both members of Friends of Alpacas, and therefor, it merits that I post here.


And here I shall post. And rant and rave on your mighty awesomeness ( which, might almost be as great as mine.) As well as wish you the best of luck on your manga ( not that you need it, hot chicks like us make our own luck!)

But yeah, don't mind any of the little people that will try to put you down by saying things that likely aren't true. They're just jealous of your Mad Skills, and upset that they'll likely amount to nothing. In fact, they'll probably work drive-through window at McDonalds for the rest of their life, and spend their spare reading your manga in their mothers basment (Voume sixty-something) and weeping bitterly.

>.> anyway, I'm done. I <3 your stuff, it make my mouth stop frowning.