THOSE PUNK KIDS: FIALKOV & CHAMBERLAIN TALK PUNKS: THE COMIC

[MattBrady]

by Chris Arrant

No matter how many comics you've read, or how big your collection is, you've never seen a comic like Punks.

Coming this July is The Punks the Comic Summer Special 2007 #1. Published by Digital Webbing, this 48 page digest sized full color book is created by writer Joshua Fialkov and artist Kody Chamberlain. Punks first came to the public mind last year when a free PDF story was released. Quickly noted as "brilliant" by writer Warren Ellis, the series became one of those to watch out for in the coming months. Now with the release of the first issue only two months away, Fialkov and Chamberlain are taking to the streets, and the internet(s), to make more people aware of it. For what is a party if no one shows up to remember it?

NRAMA:. Josh, you live in California so what is the Hollywood pitch for Punks? I'm not asking for casting choices, but can you give us a quick and dirty taste of the book?

Joshua Fialkov: It's like Friends but not shitty?

That was actually an early tag line, but we realized we were going to alienate the 'shitty taste' market. So, our new tagline is It's like Everybody Loves Raymond, but not shitty. We're perfectly willing to alienate that audience.

NRAMA: That's cold… but.. yeah. Can you give us a rundown of who's who in Punks?

JF: Sure. We got Abe Lincoln. He's the 16th President of the United States, liberator of the slaves, and hero of the civil war. He also knows how to party.

Then we have Dog. He's a political radical with a Morrissey fetish. He also knows how to party.

Then there's Skull. He's a Punk Rock superstar who breathes fire. He also knows how to party. And finally, there's Fist. He's got a fist for a head and communicates through a combination of signs and semaphore. Unfortunately, he no longer knows how to party due to an unfortunate accident involving Bell Biv Devoe.

NRAMA: Ouch --- BVD never looked street-tough, but I guess I'm wrong.
I've read the preview pages and the short from Free Comic Book Day. I can't quite explain what it is, but it's good. Irreverent and really good, and far away from what's currently seen on comic store shelves. Is this something that came naturally, or just evolved further and further as you two worked?

JF: We tried to make it really crappy.

NRAMA: [laughs]

JF: We had this like big epic crossover story involving characters nobody's ever heard of, but we make them feel guilty about it, and then they pretend they know what we're talking about. And then everybody transforms into giant combining robots. We also tried to just insert the word "Penis" a lot. Both of these things had negligible success.

NRAMA: OK. Let's try for a straight answer..

JF:What we did was just try to make something different and fun. The kind of comic we both liked to read as kids, but, just don't exist anymore. I remember really looking forward to reading comics whenever I got them, and with a few exceptions, I don't think that's de rigeur any more.

NRAMA: The buzz for Punks has been building for quite some time, starting with your release of some preview page last year. But let's go back further – how did Punks come to be?

Kody Chamberlain: My degree is in graphic design and advertising, and I had done a ton of gig flyers in college and started to really explore and dissect the old punk flyer style and very rough textured look from photocopying things a hundred times. There was an edge to that stuff that really appealed to me. I was using it in my student work in college and at one point I made a little book from photo collage. It wasn't a comic, just an art book. That's where the Punks style was born and I always thought it'd make for a good comic or graphic novel. I didn't have a story or actual concept yet, so I put it on the shelf.

Josh and I have been chatting online and at conventions for a few years and we've been trying to connect on a project the whole time. Cut to a few years later, Josh sends me this story idea about a punk rock band and I told him about this style I had worked up and wanted to use on a comic someday, to me it seemed like a perfect match! Basically we came to this project from two different directions and it fused together to become Punks. But Josh was swamped with work, doing a million things including Elk's Run which was just getting started. So I just started working on my own playing with the designs on the four main characters. I sent that image with the characters to Josh with a little email note saying that I thought these were incredibly iconic, and I thought they represented PUNK to me without being overly cliche. And when I say punk, I'm speaking mostly of the images found on the album art, the gig posters, and the flyers. There's a language there that compliments the music, but also stands on its own as a highly unique visual language. Josh took the basic designs I worked up, fused it with his original punk story and tossed in a ton of new stuff along the way. We've bounced a million ideas back and forth, it's been one of the most enjoyable creative experiences I've ever had. The result is definitely Punks.

JF: I still think it happened after we both got hit in the head by the trunk of our cars and were sent into our mutually exclusive private fantasy worlds. Mine involved Raymond Burr and John Candy.

NRAMA: What was in your private fantasy world Kody?

KC: ….

NRAMA: Moving on.. Kody, I've seen your previous comics work, and even picked up your sketchbook at San Diego Comic-Con last year. But your Punks work stands far afield of that… so tell us, how did you come to this new style?

KC: I do tend to jump around with different styles. I like to think that I don't have a definite style this early in my career, I try and adapt what I do to fit the project best I can. If I'm not learning something new that usually means I'm not thinking hard enough about the work. I suppose that's part of being a graphic designer. You want to tailor what you to fit the project, even if it's minor tweaks. Choose the method and style that fits the project.

The origin of the Punks style is really just a result of me throwing more graphic design into the illustration process. Lots of studying punk flyer, album and poster art, and loads of experimentation. Tossing stuff out constantly and pouring all these photocopies on the desk and moving things around. I eventually worked up the main cover image with the 4 characters. knew that the style would look much better if I did it all using the traditional techniques, a blade, scotch tape and a glue stick. So I'm still doing all the pages with those techniques. There is no drawing on the pages, and the only Photoshop is done in the coloring and lettering stage. I think that most people see the work and assume I'm Photoshopping everything, but Punks is in fact all done old school paste up. I've actually got a few other style ideas I'll pull out eventually, when the right project comes along. I don't ever want to force the experimental styles on the story, the story really has to be right for it to work.

NRAMA: When exactly can people hold a copy of this book in their hands?

JF: July 2007. Assuming they pre-order. If they don't, there's a distinct possibility they won't get a copy of it. Or they won't have hands. It's one or the other.

NRAMA: For our wealthy jet-faring friends reading who want to fly to remote places to see the spectacle for themselves, will either of you be making any convention appearances this year?

JF: I'll be at Silicon in San Jose, and San Diego Comic Con. I'm still trying to figure out where else I'm needed to inject a much needed sense of suberbosity.

KC: I'll be at San Diego Comic-Con for sure, probably Wizard Chicago, and I'm always at Wizard Dallas. If deadlines permit, I'd like to squeeze in one or two more.

For more on Punks, visit the website at www.punksthecomic.com .

[EmeraldGuy32]

I hadn;t heard about this. But considering how amazing Elk's Run and WToT was, I'm gonna go to my LCS and reserve a copy.

[astronato]

Punks Not Dead! ...Well actually it is. But I'm gonna check this out anyway.

Looks like fun.

[TheFinn1225]

"For what is a party if no one shows up to remember it?"

Ha. Switch that sentence around, I think.

[PopArtStudio]

Kody´s art is just amazing... cant wait to read Punks!

[Colonsus]

Attending a Wizard World Convention is about the least punk thing anyone could ever do. That's more along the lines of bending over and spreading for the man.

[c_andrew_s]

This project is something I have really been looking forward to

[Kody]

Originally Posted by Colonsus

Attending a Wizard World Convention is about the least punk thing anyone could ever do. That's more along the lines of bending over and spreading for the man.

That's exactly what "the man" told you to say.

You know you want it, so bend over and spread.

[Blackbeard]

I'm really looking forward to Punks.

Nicely done interview, Josh and Kody.

[JABSEN]

Kody, That is just insane looking.

[Brian Reed]

I read Punks, then asked Josh Fialkov to marry me. It's that good.

[Kody]

As a side note, for those with interest in the book, you really should pre-order. Chances are the majority of shops out there won't bother ordering a single copy of the book.

Pre-ordering through Previews is probably the only way most readers will ever see it. So do yourself a favor and print this little graphic, then drop it at your local comic shop. Easy as pie.

Alien spider egg pie.

[Kody]

Originally Posted by Brian Reed

I read Punks, then asked Josh Fialkov to marry me. It's that good.

Congratulations! Fialkov will make a wonderful housewife.

[Skinshark]

Some really awesome stuff guys...I've loved the look of this book since day one.

I'll be at Chicago...hope you'll have the shirts there!

I need me some hard-drinkin' lincoln!

=s=

[Tony Lee]

Reading PUNKS made me virile, handsome and rich.*

Wearing the PUNKS T-Shirt made all the girls love me and want me in many, dirty ways.*

This can happen for you, too.

BUY PUNKS.

BUY PUNKS.

No, seriously. I'm not kidding. You won't regret it. They might even invite you to the Reed / Fialkov Wedding Breakfast.




*No. REALLY.

[toolverine]

Looks great, I'll definitely be picking it up.

[hoarseandbuggy]

Originally Posted by Brian Reed

I read Punks, then asked Josh Fialkov to marry me. It's that good.

I like how everyone assumes I said yes.

[Kody]

Originally Posted by hoarseandbuggy

I like how everyone assumes I said yes.

Damnit !! Wish I had time to do a Conan style "if they mated" photo.

[carriertone]

Unless Kody's already claimed it, can I be flower girl? I look better in a dress than he does anyway.

- Carl

[Cientista]

I NEED. TO GET THIS.

[Kody]

Originally Posted by Cientista

I NEED. TO GET THIS.

I'm sure you'll dig it. The comic is a blast. I was actually laughing out loud while working on the pages. It's that good.

[hoarseandbuggy]

Just a quick heads up to anybody watching this thread. Punks is out and available now! Please let us know what you think.

Unless you didn't like it. My ego is horribly fragile.