COMICS TAKE FLIGHT IN JULY

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

What do you get when a bunch of artists decided to group together to plan to take over the comic book industry?

Witness the year that comics took flight, according to cartoonist and comic guru Scott McCloud.

In his introduction, McCloud wrote this visionary piece:

“Ah, 2004. I remember it well.

Today, fifty years later and with the benefit of hindsight, it's easy to see the historical significance of the Flight Anthology first published in that year. Many of its contributors would become giants of the comics industry not long after its release, and three would eventually become household names, yet in its day, it was seen as just one of several such books, noted for its high quality, but unremarkable in most other respects.

Little did they know.”

Written and illustrated by some of today’s talents destined for international stardom (according to McCloud), Flight is an anthology book that collects comic short stories by creators in the comic and animation industries, coming together to celebrate the graphic narrative medium. These are professional and non-professionals whose work and visions were inspired by internationally-acclaimed storytellers such as Hayao Miyazaki and Moebius.

From the maiden voyage of a home-built plane to the adventures of a young courier and his flying whale to a handful of stories about coming of age and letting things go, the 208-page first volume of Flight is set to take flight (no pun intended) in July.

Newsarama got in touch with the 26 year-old Kazu Kibuishi for a look at the genesis of the project, its inspiration as well as the creators involved in Flight.

Newsarama: In a nutshell, what is Flight?

Kazu Kibuishi: Flight is a big book full of stories, done in comic form. The first volume features some of the best comics I have ever seen, and being a real stickler for good work, I say that objectively despite my involvement in the project! The contributors really pulled through with their stories and produced some of the best work of their careers. They're such heartfelt, incredible comics.

NRAMA: Miyazaki’s clearly an influence here…

KK: A while back, I picked up a book called Hayao Miyazaki's Daydream Notes. It was filled with Miyazaki's watercolor comics that were published in Model Graphix magazine. One of the stories, a three-part fifteen page comic, was the basis for one of my favorite films, Porco Rosso. What's amazing about this comic was the fact that in just 15 pages, Miyazaki managed to fit the entire story of the film. If you watch the film and look at the comic, you'll see that nearly everything is right there! Anyway, at the time, I worked at a small animation studio doing 3D work. I wanted to find a publication that would allow me to do something similar, to exercise my storytelling skills like that, but I was hard pressed to find anything out there. It's one of the reasons I started up my website.

Anyway, when Catia Chien decided it might be fun to put together a nice little black and white book for the Alternative Press Expo featuring ourwork and the work of our friends, I thought it was a great idea, and saw it was an opportunity to get a good short comic story in print. I started inviting some other people that had a similar sensibility in their work to participate, and after we started posting work in a private online forum, we were basically inspiring each other to try harder and create better stories. From there, the project snowballed into what it is now.

NRAMA: What format is it going to be?

KK: It will be the standard Graphic Novel/Trade Paperback format. The interior will feature 208 full color pages of stories.

The book will debut at the San Diego Comic-Con and will be in stores at about the same time.

NRAMA: Who are the main players in the stories?

KK: Aside from my "Copper" stories, and Rad Sechrist's "Beneath the Leaves", the book is full of all new characters and worlds. Most of the pieces are standalone short stories, but there are a few with characters that will most likely be featured in future volumes of Flight, such as Jake Parker's Hugo Earheart (more info at www.agent44.net) and Phil Craven's Tug McTaggart (www.bluepillow.net). You can find stories featuring Copper and Fred at www.boltcity.com, while you can find other "Beneath the Leaves" stories featuring Timber at www.radsechrist.com. If you were to also go through the links at www.flightcomics.com you can find a whole bunch of great online comics by some of the other contributors, most notably the work of the Pants Press Gang (http://pp.projectkooky.com/) So much stuff!

NRAMA: If you were to compare this to another work of art (movie, comic, etc), what would you best compare this to?

KK: Oh man, that's a difficult question. The influences are so many and so varied that it would take up too much room to cite them.

NRAMA: How did you break into the comic book business?

KK: By accident. I drew on the side, after hours at work, by updating my website with new material. It eventually came to a point where I was doing it more than work stuff, so now I'm here, drawing comics all the time.

NRAMA: Okay, expanding on what we had earlier discussed, how did the various creators get involved in Flight?

KK: Many of them were friends of mine, and others I had gotten to know from e-mails and message boards on the Internet. I could tell from seeing a lot of their work that they had wanted to do this kind of work.

NRAMA: What's "Copper" about?

KK: “Copper” is an ongoing comic about a boy and his dog. It started out as a darker comic about a scared kid living in a scary town, but it turned into this big, colorful, fairly inspirational monthly one-page comic. When I began, by biggest influences on it were Tim Burton and Jhonen Vasquez, but since then, it's been more influenced by artists like Bill Watterson and Winsor McKay. It's kind of a weird mix, but people seem to like it. Copper and his dog Fred have two stories in Flight Volume One.

NRAMA: What about "Beneath the Leaves"?

KK: “Beneath the Leaves” is the creation of Rad Sechrist. It follows the adventures of a young squirrel named Timber, and his group of friends. The stories Rad writes are incredibly heartfelt and full of life. When I first saw Rad's work, I was reminded of the great Walt Kelly. Rad's taken that influence and made something wholly his own, with a wonderful charm that is very particular to the way he is as a person. “Beneath the Leaves” is beautiful stuff, and definitely one of my favorite comics out there.

NRAMA: One of the contributors, Derek Kirk Kim, has been nominated for Eisner 2004 (for 2003 publications), specifically for the "Best Short Story" (for "Same Difference" in Same Difference and Other Stories (Small Stories)) and "Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition" categories. Is Kim's story in Flight a reprint of "Same Difference"? Otherwise, what's his short story about?

KK: Nope, it's not a reprint. Derek did a story for Flight called "The Maiden and the River Spirit". It's hilarious. Derek is probably the best humor writer in comics, and that's not to say he can't pack a punch with his poignant moments. He can write dramatic moments just as well. The artwork for his story is also fantastic.

NRAMA: How many short stories are there going to be in the first volume?

KK: It looks like there are some last minute stragglers that are gonna make the bus, which will bring the grand total to 23 stories.

NRAMA: What's the gist of each of the other short stories?

KK: Jake Parker's "Hugo Earheart" is the story of a young courier that ships parcels to fantastic lands while still trying to live a normal life as a boy. He juggles schoolwork with adventure. It's a wonderful concept and the characters and story are incredible.

Bengal contributed a story about an airship robbery gone awry called "Formidable". The action sequences in his story are unbelievable, and the story and characters are wonderfully charming.

Enrico Casarosa's "Air and Water" is a short meditation on the flight of a seaplane, inspired by the writing of Antoine de Saint-Exupery. You can almost feel the mist of water on your face when you look at Enrico's work. It serves as the brilliant opening piece for Flight Volume One.

Vera Brosgol's "I wish..." is a story about a girl who has woken up one morning to find that she has grown some wings. She and her friend take a stroll and discuss what they used to believe and wish for when they were young and how it affects them in the present. It's a very wise, beautifully-drawn story from a nineteen year old who will take over the comics industry. Nineteen!

Clio Chiang's "The Bowl" is the story of a bowl and how it came to be an artifact in a museum. It conveys the richness of an artifact's history that most would know nothing about from just a description. Clio blew us all away when we saw this story. The artwork and depth of the narrative are both astounding.

Jen Wang's "Paper and String" is a story about two girls who reunite after High School and reminisce on their days there. Jen used origami, newspaper and other media to put together a story unlike anything I've ever seen. It's hard for me to describe it. You'll just have to see this one.

Dylan Meconis and Bill Mudron contributed a story about a pilot's coming to terms with her fear of flying. A beautifully told narrative from two of webcomics' best talents.

Erika Moen has a very heartfelt, very honest comic about a person questioning her faith. Hope Larson assisted with the colors. Both artists do some wonderful, subtle work, and here, they both did a fantastic job. Erika also has a one-page comic near the end of the book that provides a very nice endnote.

Phil Craven has two stories that are both standouts. The first, "Tug McTaggart, Circus Detective" is the story of Tug's first mystery. A prized circus snake is missing and he sets out to get to the bottom of it. The style is reminiscent of some of the best silver age comics, but made new through Phil's hand. Phil's other comic is about a penguin who dreams of flying, and finds a way to get his wish. They're both incredible comics, with style and heart to spare.

Joel Carroll delivered a very cool short story ("Wing") about a pilot's race to save a butterfly on an alien planet. The artwork is solid, stunning, and the story is beautiful.

Neil Babra's "Taj Mahal" is the story of a young Indian American visiting the country of his origin, only to find that he is more American than he thought. An amazing story from one of the rising stars of alternative comics.

Kean Soo's entry, "Migrations", is the tale of two lonely souls in the city. A comic that is mostly about quiet moments between people, Kean did a great job of conveying that feeling of despair with a tinge of hope.

Catia Chien's story, "Tumbleweed", about a girl who takes a bike ride through the city and beyond, is one of the most visually stunning pieces in the book. So many moments in this story really make you feel like you're experiencing a moment, whether it's the rush of cool water or wind blowing across your face and pushing the rustling leaves. Cat also has a one page comic entitled "Fall", which is just as poignant and beautiful.

My friends Khang Le and Chris Appelhans stepped up to the plate to deliver two of the most affecting stories in the book. Khang's story, "Outside My Window", of a robot doing what he can to attain the love of a young girl not only contains a stunning narrative, but it also features some amazing artwork. And I must have read Chris's story at least twenty times. The silent story of a couple piloting an airship out of a war-torn city as seen from the eyes of their young child has stuck with me for a long time now.

Flight Volume One, priced at $19.95 from Image Comics, is scheduled to hit stores on July 28.

[Patrick_Wedge]

This looked like a great product when I saw it in the latest Previews so I pre-ordered it. Thought it was a great concept to combine all the talent and after seeing some of the contributors, I was blown away.

I don't know Chris Appelhans, but that work looked awesome.

Patrick

[Cartoon Jay]

I've been following this on various artist's websites (Derek Kirk Kim, Jake Parker, Bengal, and Kazu's) and it just looks fantastic. I may buy 2.

[Egg]

The book looks incredible and, having corresponded with Kazu a handful of times, I can say he is a nice, nice, nice individual. I hope Flight does well!

Egg
www.KamenComic.com

[FIG]

Congratulations are out to Kazu, I wish him the best of luck with this book and Daisy Kutter even though I'm sure he won't need the luck with his excellent characters. I'll be picking this up.

[dcdomain]

This definitely looks like one of the more innovative books being released in a while. Looking forward to it =T.

[Johnny Bacardi]

I've been following Vera Brosgol & Jen Wang for a couple of years now, despite the restraining order.

Just kidding.

What I mean to say is that I've been following their work for a couple of years now, and it never fails to blow me away, along with that of fellow Pants Pressers Bill Mudron, Clio Chiang and Dylan Merconis. If this brings them huge huge attention and eventual large scale success, then wherever I go I can say "See? See? What did I tell you?!"

Plus I can entertain obscenely large monetary offers for my commissioned Brosgol drawing, and laughingly turn down all bidders.

Can't wait.

[Jeff Hoffman]

I never buy graphic novels or trades, but I'll be getting this. It sounds fantastic.

[beta-ray]

This looks very promising! I wasn't that interested on the initial blush in Previews, but I am rethinking it. Always loved the idea of flight...

If things work out right, Disney will be releasing Porco Roso this year as well, so it may be great timing... Makes me want to dig up my Macross Plus DVDs and think about getting "Last Exile..."

[Nerby727]

Looks interesting . . .definitely be picking this up

[jessiegarza]

I'm looking forward to the project...lots of talent...

jessie

[GODDARD]

anyone lucky enough to post on the Bendis board has been seeing this project build from the beginning

[Earth-2 Mike]

I heard about this through Kazu Kibuishi's forums (which I found after finding his Copper webcomic). I was planning to pick it up anyway, but since Image is publishing it, it'll make it easier to get a copy.

[onetimeasianlov]

sounds potentially cool, the only thing that sucks is that it WON'T be coming out in standard comic book format.