THE OPENING TEAM: TALKING TO THE FIRST WAVE OF ZUDA CREATORS

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

And so it begins.

Zuda Comics, DC’s new digital imprint officially launched this week with ten webcomic entries by known talents as well as unknowns.

Running down the list again, the finalists include:

Alpha Monkey
Writer/Artist: Bobbie Rubio/Howard M. Shum
Summary: In a misguided attempt to save his son from the destruction of Earth by a comet (which then happens to miss the Earth entirely) a scientist rockets his son into another dimension. The child ends up on a parallel world ruled by Monkeys! Given unique powers by the planet’s bananas, the young boy fights off invading monsters as the planet’s new defender, Alpha Monkey!

This American Strife
Writer/Artist: J. Longo
Summary: A quirky, humorous “Dear Diary” recounting of the artist’s observations on life, This American Strife is a sharp-witted visual stab at editorial blogging.

Battlefield Babysitter
Writer/Artist: Matthew Humphreys
Summary: In a family of superheroes, in a city of superheroes, in a world of superheroes, Katherine Fields is a babysitter. But when a routine night of babysitting turns into a villainous invasion, Katherine finds herself transformed into a super strong heroine. At $8.00 and hour, it’s going to be a long night.

Black Swan
Writer/Artist: Mulele Jarvis
Summary: A young college student, Nina, is embroiled in a 500-year-old vendetta when she encounters a spirit bound to a mystic dagger left on her doorstep. Implicated in murder and on the run from a detective possessed by a rival spirit it’s up to Nina to relive an age-old battle – without dying in the process.

Dead in the Now
Writer/Artist: Corey Lewis
Summary: When Braz – a young, cynical boy – discovers the world’s first authentic zombie he decides to end Earth’s monotonous routine and usher in an age of zombie-infested, chaotic adventure! Gathering supplies and weapons, Braz sets his friends up like modern, urban Lost Boys with himself as their Pan.

The Dead Seas
Writer/Artist: Pop Mhan
Summary: Legions of undead controlled by Necromancer warlords destroy life as we know it, plunging the Earth into a futuristic Dark Age. But it’s adventure and romance on The Dead Seas as a swashbuckling young pirate named Devin teams up with an adventurous crusader name Luna. Armed with the secret of Pandora’s Box, they set out destroy the Necromancers and save the world.

The Enders
Writer/Artist: Tim Smith 3
Summary: Aluna didn’t ask to be given godlike power and she certainly didn’t ask for her parents to be killed in the process – but the enigmatic alien known as The Ender works in mysterious ways. Without time to grieve, Aluna is tasked with using her power to save the Earth from imminent destruction. The only question – how?

High Moon
Writer/Artist: David Gallaher/Steve Ellis
Summary: It’s the fading days of the Old West in the late 1890’s when an enigmatic drifter, Matthew Macgregor, ambles into the dusty town of Blest, Texas. The nights are cold in Texas as Werewolves secretly haunt the town, but Macgregor has a supernatural secret of his own. When the sun sets it’ll be a showdown at High Moon.

Leprenomicon
Writer/Artist: Greg DelCurla/Fernando Ruiz
Summary: In old Ireland, when the banshee sings for you it means that your time on this Earth is coming to an end. But American Michael O’Connor refuses to take this news lying down. With the (forced) help of a kidnapped Leprechaun, he intends to solve the mystery of his own death even if it turns the world of faeries, gods, and plain old normal folk upside down.

Raining Cats and Dogs
Writer/Artist: Sho Murase
Summary: A young, snake-haired gorgon named Mika, winds her way through the contemporary, everyday wonderland of dating, work, after-hours adventures and everything in between alongside her friends Apple (a rokurokubi energy-vampire), Feebe (a bake-neko cat girl) and Akiha (a normal human).

Each one of these Zuda Comics creators are on the same playing field because you, the readers, fans and the net-savvy individuals among us hold the fate of their creations in your hands. Why? Because your vote counts. That’s right! You decide. You choose the favorite among these ten entries.

Who will join the first instant winner Jeremy Love?

The people will speak, the people will vote.

We spoke with (almost all of) the first batch of participants…

Newsarama: Okay, for those of you who’re with us now, let’s start by introducing yourselves to our readers, shall we? Mind getting the ball rolling, Corey?

Corey Lewis: I am Corey “REYYY” Lewis, I am an all-around comics creator. I have written and drawn a couple graphic novels like Sharknife and PENG for Oni Press. Dead in the Now is my sarcastic attempt at eviscerating the bad crap of society, humorously. I hope you kinda like it a lot.

Portland residents may recognize the colored image, it was used for the cover of the weekly newspaper The Mercury a couple moths ago. Awesome.

Pop Mhan: Thai comic book penciler, Pop Mhan. Past work includes Batgirl, Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man, Spyboy, and Firestorm. Currently working on BLANK for TokyoPop.

Mulele Jarvis: New York, San Francisco and Tokyo --- all have served as home to Mulele Jarvis at various lifepoints; and the distinct cultures in each of these cities has contributed to shaping his unique vision. Using elegant layerings of past, present and future, I create a temporal surrealism that gives visual form to the impact of mythos and memory on the urban experience in a multi-cultural world. “It’s all just grist for popular culture,” I say. “There's an obsession with American and Japanese film behind my work, shorn up by a plethora of music, a smattering of comics and truckload of Ramen.”

David Gallaher: I am an award-winning copywriter and author. My comic work include Johnny Dollar, Vampire: The Masquerade, and Moonstone Monsters. By day, I develop print, television, and radio ads for the New York City Police Department, Pfizer, The Save Darfur Coalition, and CitiBank, among others.

Steve Ellis started in comics in the early nineties drawing projects for large companies that even he doesn't remember. He had wild critical success with his recent comic co-creation The Silencers. Steve does all of the art on High Moon and is experimenting with mixed media/digital approaches to creating.

Matthew Humphreys: Hey Newsarama readers. I never thought I'd have an interview on this site. Probably about 99.999999999% of you have never heard of me. Mostly I'm an internet artist known as AmericanNinjaX. Offline, I'm a designer for a children's website and occasional storyboard artist and independent comic artist.

Jason Longo: After graduating from SCAD, I hopped from Connecticut, Boston, and New York in search of my life. New York has proven the best as I've developed marketing campaigns, illustrated for the Daily Show, and have found several creative outlets for my talent. I also like deep sea creatures and hate up-turned polo collars.

Howard M. Shum: I am co-creator, writer, inker of Alpha Monkey.

After choreographing Britney Spear’s 2007 MTV VMA performance to disastrous results, I decided to enter a field where one could be awful and no one would care. So I went into comics. Zuda quickly recognized such aspirations and gave me a gig.

Bobby Rubio - co-creator
Bobby Rubio was born and raised in San Diego, CA. He has worked as a comic book artist for Dark Horse, Topps and WildStorm. Bobby has also worked in the animation industry as an animator for Disney and storyboard artist/assistant director for Nickelodeon. Currently, Bobby is a story artist at Pixar and also continues to work on his creator-owned comic Alcatraz High. His official website is alcatrazhigh.com

Matteo Scalera - penciler
Matteo Scalera was born on 1982 in Parma, Italy. After studying at the Arts College of Parma, he went to Milan to further his education and studies at the School of Comics. He is currently doing the art for Hyperkinetic, a new comic from Image Comics, and also working with two Italian publishers: Cut-Up and VeneziaComix.

Oscar Celestini – colorist
Oscar was born in Viterbo, Italy in 1984. In 2005, he illustrated eight short stories for the magazine X-Comics published by Coniglio Editore. He has colored many projects including Comme un chien for Edition Casterman France, the cover of Rangaku for Les Humanoides Associes, and Spider-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Next2 for San Paolo Edizioni Italy. He is currently collaborating with Alberto Ponticelli on colors for a new DC Vertigo comic and is the colorist for a new comic coming out soon from Image Comics – Hyperkinetic.

Sho Murase: I am half Korean and half Japanese, my first language is Spanish. I have been working both in Europe and USA, in animation, illustration and comics .

Some publishing credits include:
Artist, Nancy Drew graphic novel series/NBM-Papercutz
Artist, creator Me2/TokyoPop
Artist, creator, Sei Death and Legend/Image Comics
Artist, ImageMakers, the cutting edge of the fashion illustration

Tim Smith 3: I’ve done professional work for numerous high-profile entertainment companies over the years. Some of my more recent professional projects include Spider-Man Unlimited from Marvel Comics, Sonic X from Archie Comics, Grim & Co., an original graphic novel from TokyoPop, and Tales from the Crypt for Papercutz and also Teen Titans Go! for DC Comics. Plus many more. To view more of my work, please visit: www.timsmith3.com

NRAMA: Did you hear about Zuda Comics like everybody else, or were you contacted earlier?

CL: No, I was contacted by Zuda editor Kwanza Johnson before the site was even announced.

PM: Kwanza contacted me many moons ago about pitching some properties to DC for a new, secret online imprint. I think everyone knows the story from there.

MH: Honestly, no. I had no idea what Zuda was at first but Kwanza Johnson approached me and asked if I'd be interested in submitting a proposal. I read over the site to understand how that goes and lo and behold, I got into the contestant round. Yay me.

DG: No. Editor Ninja, Kwanza Johnson jumped from the shadows, stole the pitch from my hands and then disappeared. I had no idea he had used the ill-gotten gains for a webcomic!

JL: You mean everyone’s brother-in-law sent them a link to the 'Escape From the Slush Pile' article?!?! That's really weird...

HMS: No, I was contacted by Kwanza Johnson at DC who is a fan of my comic Gun Fu which is available at amazon.com and cool comic shops.

SM: I heard about Zuda for the first time when Kwanza Johnson approached me at Comic-Con this year and was kind enough to tell me about it.

TS3: I was asked to pitch an idea and with a couple passes I got in.

Steve Ellis: I heard about it through David in June, we'd been talking about High Moon for a while, but the publishing model was all new when I finally found out about it. At San Diego the Zuda party filled us in on new aspects, like the engine and such.

NRAMA: So it is true that you guys were headhunted instead of actually submitting your entries to Zuda Comics?

DG: Yeah, the truth is that Kwanza said "Hey, we're doing this 'thing' – wanna be a part of it?" I said, 'yes.' I wrote up a couple of pitches, High Moon was his favorite, and then he put us to work.

MH: Yes, we were all on Safari when Dave Gallaher lifted his head and shouted that we were surrounded. All of us tried to get away and survive. Rey turned into Sharknife which surprised us all and leapt into action. The rest... well, we mostly just stood there puffing through thick mustaches in heavy British accents that they were hunting our heads.

That aside, yes we were approached regarding Zuda.

JL: I was completely naive to being headhunted. A friend introduced my art to Kwanza over a year ago and since then we've shared mutual friends. At a party he encouraged me to submit for Zuda. I saw it as spreading the word more than a headhunt.

TS3: I submitted a story and it was heavily looked over to see if it would work for Zuda. So yes, I was asked, but it was not a cake walk. Well, not for me anyway.

NRAMA: Pop, Tim, the two of you, together with Ramon Perez and Karl Kerschl, helped created those webcomic pages for the viewer demonstration. What was the whole experience like back in the early days?

PM: Well, when I worked on the viewer demo as a work for hire project, I think I'd already sent in my three proposals for the concepts I wanted to do. I don't remember if it was called Zuda at that point nor do I think that I was told that the pitch would be for a competition type thing. That all came later.

I think for the most part, the beginnings of Zuda was a mystery for me as well. I wasn't too concern about the details since I was mainly interested in doing something where I could pencil, ink, color and write the thing myself and not have to learn or troubleshoot printing concerns and regulations. It just seemed fun!

TS3: It was a lot of fun. I never thought of doing a comic page like that before. So for me it was a challenge. Once I started it, I got use to the format and was excited to do more.

NRAMA: What about you, Tim? Did you know that you were going to be shortlisted back then? Even before it was publicly known as Zuda?

TS3: I just wanted to be a part of web comics in a whole. I did not know what the future would have held for me with Zuda, I just wanted to do my best and hope something cool comes out of it.

NRAMA: What were your initial thoughts on the Zuda Comics model?

CL: I like it. I like the idea of making webcomics backed by a major company. It gives more incentive to me than just making a comic and putting it on my site. All the issues about rights and stuff, I've heard is not dissimilar from other comics contracts, so it's not a big deal to me.

PM: I honestly haven't really given it much thought. I think Zuda will provide young creators with an excellent venue to showcase their work and since it's online, the overhead costs for Zuda won't be unmanageable either.

MJ: It is better to wait and see.

DG: I think Zuda is a great place to pilot new projects and ideas. It is slightly different than the traditional submissions model, which is a nice change of pace. And, the community model is a fantastic way to foster and encourage talent. Really, it's an exciting thing all around.

MH: Initially, I thought it was a little weird. People generally don't do webcomics as an editorial project. So I'm interested to see how that goes. Webcomics are almost fundamentally done out of the freedom web-publishing provides. But then again most webcomics don't reach as wide an audience as Zuda will. So there's something to be said about that.

JL: It has unlimited potential and gives a way for several comic genres to find a home or spotlight through of one of the biggest comic magnates there is. Pretty rad, right?

HMS: I haven’t thought about it much.

SM: Personally I think is a great model, both from as submitter and as a follower. [It’s a] really good opportunity to be able to see work otherwise we would not be able to see, I would like to see more initiatives such as Zuda!

TS3: I love the idea personally. It can really keep you on your creative toes. It's free to the world. Then the people vote on what they like.

SE: I think it's a great way to involve the fans in the projects and reach out beyond the traditional store model of comics.

NRAMA: What got you really interested about Zuda Comics then?

Cl: Working with DC, really. The interest in my story by the editors. My own interest in the story I want to tell. Everything's just enticing.

PM: Well, I have a few properties in my head that if not commanded, I'd never work on. Zuda seemed like a good place to do just that with one of my ideas.

MJ: I make comics.

DG: When I worked at Marvel several years ago, I actually edited and assisted on the webcomics for their website. I'm also an avid reader of webcomics, Girls With Slingshots, In His Likeness, and Perry Bible Fellowship, being just a few of them. So, in a way, this is taken something I enjoy and have experience with and putting it to work towards a cool project.

JL: It's damn hard to find relevant work as a sequential art major. In the past three years since college, Zuda is the best opportunity I've had to share a comic and my art with the public.

MH: Honestly, it goes back to the Editorial portion of it. I have had Battlefield Babysitter kicking around in my head for a few years now. As well as another project I was initially going to submit. But once it dawned on me that this will be a project that will require some voting and community support I went with BFB on the grounds that I can really find out if this is a junk idea or not. [laughs]

SM: Mainly creative freedom, and also the opportunity to work with DC and Kwanza Johnson.

TS3: The web is a fast place. I like the idea that I can be creative and get my ideas out in the world in seconds. That’s another thing that’s great about Zuda. Also the fact that I can be seen by (hopefully) millions of viewers. I just hope they like what they see. Here is some concept art I drew and colored when i submitted to Zuda. It's the two main characters.

Once I got the green light, I asked my friend Wave to help me color the pages. I think they came out awesome! Just you wait and see.

SE: High Moon itself, David brought it to me and I was hooked. I love werewolves, and the old west it's a natural hook for me.

HMS: I was busy working on my new comic Hyperkinetic that is coming out from Image Comics in Spring 2008 with Matteo Scalera doing art and Oscar Celestini coloring and had no interest in Zuda. But that didn’t matter to Kwanza Johnson, for he is an evil man. Some say he may even be the devil incarnate. He kidnapped my dog that Ellen DeGeneres gave me. He said if I wanted to see Fluffy again that I had to create a new comic for Zuda. Kwanza did horrible, vile things to Fluffy such as taking photos of them both wearing matching argyle sweater vests.

I turned to my pal and former MMA champ Bobby Rubio for help. “Forget about Fluffy,” he said. “All the other dogs are going to hear about the sweater incident and he’ll be considered a bitch. Besides, I’m too busy being a big shot up here at Pixar to kill another one of your enemies.”

“Fluffy may never get the chance to experience the wonders and joy of Hyperkinetic if I don’t get him back,” I exclaimed.

“Chill, dude. Remember when we went clubbing with Lindsay and she got got coked out of her skull?”

“You have to be more specific,” I said.

“Dude, the night before she was supposed to start that flick with Hanoi Jane. Lindsay wrote that crazy script Alpha Monkey that we swiped. You should use that,” said Bobby.

So I took Bobby’s advice and pulled my talented team (Matteo and Oscar) from my super cool book Hyperkinetic (coming out next year from Image) and had them work on Alpha Monkey.

That did not satisfy the evilness that is Kwanza Johnson. He now says that if Alpha Monkey doesn’t win the competition, he will give my dog to Michael Vick. I beseech all you readers, please help Fluffy and vote for Alpha Monkey.

NRAMA: For the rest of you, did you already have this particular story in mind all along?

CL: Yes, this is a story I've been developing for a little while now. Zuda seems like the perfect place to give it display.

PM: I actually submitted three pitches in total and The Dead Seas was the one Zuda seemed most interested in.

MJ: Yes.

DG: High Moon is a project I've wanted to do since 2004. Zuda was a great opportunity to tell that story – and Steve's exceptional art really made the project come alive.

JL: I don't have a designed story arc or theme per se. Right now I just want to share a personal comic that others could relate to or find amusing that isn't too prominent on the mainstream circuit.

SM: I had a few stories I was juggling in mind, but I ended up letting other stories go and making Raining Cats and Dogs, a project more about having fun and enjoying working, without constraints. Hopefully also just as fun to read.

TS3: Yes. It was something I was thinking about for sometime now. I wanted that basic, "Girl saves world with superpowers", but I also wanted to make it dark. Give it an edge that I wish I could read in other comics. Something where you see the negative and positive effects of someone with superpowers right away.

NRAMA: David, how did Steve Ellis (The Silencers) come into the creative picture?

DG: Steve and I had met several times before and I was a huge fan of his work both on THE The Silencers and Crimson Dynamo, but his involvement in the project began at the New York Comic Con. We started talking – just casually – and the moment I mentioned 'werewolves' the project really took shape.

NRAMA: What inspired your story?

CL: Other zombie comics and movies. I want to see a story about the undead, where the main characters aren't haplessly flung into the chaos. I want to see a zombie story where the main characters are the ones perpetrating the chaos, a story where the zombie "fans" are in control. I want to see a zombie revolution, step-by-step from the all-knowing mastermind. Plus, the main character is a kid. Indeed, the main characters of my story are villain-like in their motives. Exploring that kind of anti-hero malice in a humorous way is going to be half the appeal of this comic. The other half being rad-ass zombie action.

PM: Hmm, maybe my love for all things zombies... But having visited a few comic book stores for the first time in a few years, I think that there's an awful lot of zombie titles out there. [smiles]

MJ: Music.

DG: For years, I wanted to do an American Civil War piece about werewolves, High Moon is sort of an extension of that thinking, steeped in authentic Texas history and lore. Many of the elements are inspired by real-life happenings in turn-of-the-century Texas. The central theme is about an unchanging man in a changing time.

MH: BFB isn't my first project I thought about doing. That one will probably be some time down the road. BFB is actually just... me. It's my sense of humor, its my tastes in design and storytelling. It's fundamentally a soapbox to say 'Hey this is what I like about animation and comics!' And it really struck me that this follows what most webcomics are about.

JL: Life. By punching me in the balls, patting me on the back, and giving me something to laugh at. Plus my love for bizarre tangents and anthropomorphism.

HMS: I believe it was a combination of Cosmopolitans and cocaine, but you’ll have to ask Lindsay to be sure.

SM: Mythology, Woody Allen's movies and a couple of my friends, ( two of them also helped in the project).

I have always had a good laugh talking with friends, both in good times and bad times, always got the support and help to better understand myself and keep afloat. I was wondering if the sort of conversations we had would translate well in comics.

We all have (or at least everyone I know well) our little "things" we feel it could be better. In Raining Cats and Dogs, those little issues and complexes are more obvious.

TS3: My baby girl! I was thinking how being a dad is awesome, but a lot of work. You can try and make the world safe for your kid, but there's not much that is within your power to guarantee that. Even if you had all the power in the world, if you have no clue how the environment effects the world or how politics effects our lives, you still wouldn't know what to do. It's the idea that anything can go wrong no matter how hard you try to change it. But you keep trying anyway because that's what have to do for love.

So I thought of a story where the main character is racing the clock to save her baby sister from being murdered by finding the one event that can save the world.

SE: Artistically I really immersed myself in really edgy westerns like El Topo, Django and High Plains Drifter... the ones a bit on the edge of sanity. I really like the rough dirty nasty feel of the old west and adding horror to the mix just makes it even more fun.

NRAMA: What do you think is the perfect webcomic model at this point in time?

CL: I've had random online comics, but most of them are basically print-ready versions of comics that just happen to be on the web. True online comics should take advantage of the capabilities of the ever-changing internet. Zuda's format is perfect for this sort of thing, a good comics viewer is essential. I've seen online comics that really push the boundaries of sequential storytelling mixed with the innovations of the net. It's really impressive.

PM: When Kwanza asked me to pitch some ideas for a webcomic, I was actually curious about the format and such since I'd never done one before. I decided I'd try out the webcomic thing with Mourning Dragon before I worked on the Zuda thing just to get a feel at what's involved.

I have no idea what the perfect webcomic model would be at this point. The topography of the interweb changes quickly and usually without notice which makes predicting a perfect model rather hard, I would think. Although, I suppose Zuda's got some of the main points in tow. High visitor traffic, good link exchange programs to help generate more traffic, maybe some advertisement to help generate revenue, financial backing is always a plus, a direct line to development of IP's for other entertainment mediums. In that respect, Zuda's not doing too bad, right?

MJ: The fact that there is no model is perfect. But I'm sure this is temporary.

DG: Right now, I think Zuda is a great model for webcomics. The 4:3 ratio adds this awesome widescreen feeling to all of the projects. It really changes the reading rhythm from the traditional full-page comic model. I've read some great comics on DrunkDuck, for instance, that I love. But, when it comes down to it… you need to have a great webcomic browser, I don't care how good you comic is, if I can't navigate the pages properly, I'm just going to stop reading the strip.

MH: Honestly, I don't think there is a perfect model. Webcomics are designed to be outside the box and really work as something that isn't meant for the mainstream so much as its meant to be a free media that a creator can unbuckle their belt, kick off the shoes and just relax and enjoy making the work.

SM: There seems to be a lot of webcomics out there, some really good, I personally really liked the webcomic from the Metal Gear Solid game, adapted from Ashley Wood's comic.

TS3: I think that it has to be something that can be experienced in a very, very, very short time. You click a link and instantly get your fill in seconds.

I think webcomics should be an entertaining quick fix. But have an impact that can last along time.

NRAMA: How successful is it to reach out to your fans and new readers via blogs, livejournals, websites, deviantArt, etc?

CL: I've always had a presence on the net, even before I had printed books available. I think it's important, but it's getting so huge these days (with youtube, flickr and all sorts of other media outlets) that it's hard to keep up with it all. I think it's time to get back to building one's own personal website, as a supplemental art-form.

MJ: This is my first webcomic.

DG: As a creator, I think it is really important to foster a sense of community among your fans. Steve and I have a High Moon production blog ( http://high-moon.blogspot.com/ ) that will launch the day our project goes live – and readers will get to see just a glimpse of all the research and thought we put into this project.

JL: I think it's pretty important for me to reach out to new readers with my website and blog. Particularly with a competition that can sway drastically in favor of those with a prominent web presence.

SM: I have a blog, a site and a MySpace, and so far seems like MySpace seems to work really well. [It] is easy to maintain, and a lot of people has really easy access.

TS3: I hope to make that a major part of my world. The net is all about reaching out in seconds. We all have something to say or show. It would be good to communicate and learn more about yourself and others.

NRAMA: Pop and Sho, the both of you had created your very own global (or OEL) manga with TokyoPop. And Rey, from your own works such as Sharknife, PENG, etc, your style is clearly influenced and inspired by manga as well. How different is your work on The Dead Seas, Raining Cats and Dogs, and Dead in the Now?

CL: I mainly draw long-form comics. Zuda is obviously more episodic in that it's one page a week. It's a lot more condensed storytelling. Although I have experience with that exact format doing work on Udon's Street Fighter and Darkstalkers comics. It also differs from most [of] my other prior work, being a color series. I've mostly worked in black & white before this.

PM: Not sure how different it is. I'll let the readers make the distinction for me. [smiles]

SM: ME2, [which] is a much darker serious story [whereas] Raining Cats And Dogs is trying to have a little more sarcasm and humor in the story.

Making eight web panels is very different from creating over 160 pages under a tight deadline, this obviously influences the work as well.

Stylistically has similarities but they're also very different. Both have manga influences, and I am also trying to keep the graphic-ness in both, but Raining Cats And Dogs is fully rendered and in color.

TS3: I have a book in the works with Tokyopop. It's great to be more on the creative side, and working with companies that want to support that.

NRAMA: What do you think of your chances at this point in time?

CL: I think if readers pause to contemplate [on] the potential of my concept, they'd easily discover the big appeal of this new twist on the zombie genre. It's a reverse zombie story, told from the perspective of the people causing it. I always try to bring the most insane story devices to further enhance my concepts, too, so it promises to be something truly unique. It accelerates pretty quickly from normal-style horror story, to zombie hyper-fantasy reality. I'm proud of the pages I've produced this far, so I feel my chances are good.

PM: I didn't even know that this was for a contest until right before I worked on the art for it. [laughs] How oblivious am I? Anyways, I am just happy to have finally done some work on Dead Seas.

There are some big names on here and art I've seen and been blown away by. Huge fan of Sho's, Matthew's and Steve Ellis' artwork. It's not looking good for Dead Seas… [winks]

MJ: I don't know. I am happy to be in competition.

DG: Wow. Um, this is a hard question to answer. I think we are up against some incredibly talented people – with some rather unique concepts all under one roof. I'd like to think that our chances are pretty good, but at the same time, I'm really excited to see what everyone else is bringing to the table.

MH: Between the 9 other contestants and the instant winner... I think I'm humbly at the bottom of the ladder in ability and product. Truth be told, I just hope a few people read BFB and laugh a few times and give a couple of 'oooohs' and 'aaaahs and 'Mommy why does that bird have cleavage?". If I get that, I've done my job. I do hope I get to do my job for the rest of a year's contract. But I'm not counting those chickens yet since the other contestants in this are an amazing set of creators.

JL: There can be only one. Knowing this and being listed as an 'unknown' and having forums and fans drawing attention to existing talent… I obviously feel pretty antsy about the popular vote. Hopefully people will want to see comics that don't closely reflect the mainstream and will want to support an indie-style comic without tits, muscle, or the supernatural. Obviously, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit daunted, but right now I've got a golden ticket; despite the odds, I'm not gonna stop thinking about how great it'd be to draw and share my comic through Zuda.

HMS: I predict a landslide victory unless people hate dogs.

SM: [laughs] I 'd love to say great, but after seeing a bit of the other talents work, and how good everyone is, I have to say it's going to be tough.

TS3: [laughs] I have no clue. I have done all I can, now it's up to the people. The line up of other stories is awesome. It feels great just being here. I and my colorist, Wave, have done all we can.

SE: It's weird I haven't seen everything obviously, but I get the feeling we look different from everything else out there... it'll be interesting to see what people think.

NRAMA: Do you have ideas to bring this property alive beyond webcomics? Or are you taking it one day at a time, and leave it to the hands of the voters?

CL: It's up to the voters for now. I may have plans for the series down the line... but nothing I want to dwell on quite yet.

PM: I pride myself on always going with the flow! Other people say that I'm a push over...

MJ: No. And no.

DG: I'd love some High Moon action figures, actually. Outside of that, I certainly think this is a viable intellectual property. Steve and I certainly have a lot of material to draw on – and quite a few stories to tell with these characters. The prologue on the Zuda site is really just the tip of the iceberg. I have three years worth of story notes on this project.

MH: I'd really like to see it as an animated film one day. But not as a CGI thing or live action motion capture work. I'd love for it to have a Glen Keane sensation done by some of the quality French animators I've seen around. The French animators have this... flavor to all that they do that just makes anything spring off the page and most of the time it's traditional animation which is what blows my mind.

JL: Without a doubt, I would love to have a home for This American Strife. Still, I'm taking it one day at a time and hoping there are enough people out there who like my comic enough to vote for more. That's the best I can really hope for… that and a hover-bike, no student loans, and to storyboard for Pixar.

HMS: After we claim victory and Fluffy is safe, Bobby, Matteo, Oscar and I plan on exploiting the Alpha Monkey property to levels previously unseen by other big sell outs. We want to get so much money so that we can have huge money bins to swim in like Uncle Scrooge.

SM: With Raining Cats And Dogs, I want to take it one day at a time. We'll see where it goes. Not having expectations sometimes brings happy surprises.

TS3: I would love to do more with it. I mean, come on... who would not want to see their works animated, or on the big screen. Or even on the racks in comic stores.

NRAMA: Do you wish to expand on your story should you not make it to the next round? In other words, what is your contingency plan? Will you be going the webcomic route? Self publish?

CL: My other print comics obligations would probably stifle my chances to do an online comic by myself right now, but I never give up on my ideas.

PM: I could see myself continuing on with Dead Seas on my website. It'll go right next to Mourning Dragon, that other webcomic I never work on and people never read.

MJ: Yes.

DG: Well, I'd certainly like the opportunity to tell a complete story with these characters. As far as options outside of Zuda, let's cross that bridge if we come to it.

MH: Most definitely. This comic initially wasn't going to be on the web. Then it was. Then it wasn't and now it is. Once this is done, if I'm not contracted, I have plans to keep posting it for free for anyone who likes it in my deviantART gallery

JL: I'm always going to be creating comics & illustrations. They're my diaries and memoirs instead of a written journal. I plan to post this style of comics on my website and also through blogging ( www.jlongoart.wordpress.com ), which is fitting given the context of This American Strife.

HMS: We hope Alpha Monkey becomes a big-budget feature film.

SM: If it does not go to the next round, Raining Cats And Dogs will probably go in to the all-female comic book anthology book I am planning for next year, for which I have already spoken with a few extremely talented international artists. Japanese artists such as Yoko Tanji and Wakako Takayama will take part.

TS3: That I am not sure of. I have thought this story out to its end. And I would love for the masses to see what happens. A webcomic is great to get it out fast and seen by more people. But a book feels forever... I guess whatever comes first.

NRAMA: All right then. Besides Zuda Comics, what other projects have you got in the pipeline?

CL: Working on the sequel to my first graphic novel, Sharknife, called Sharknife 2: Double Z for Oni Press.

Later in 2008, my first full-color miniseries called PINAPL for Image Comics. Some other side projects... Plenty of comics vivacity.

PM: [Volume 2 of] Blank… Dang it! It'll be finished even if it kills Ben Ong Pang Kean! KHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MJ: My current project name is Black Swan. Other than this I have many others in the pipeline.

DG: I've got a mainstream superhero project that is in development, but I really can't say anything else about it right now because my editors carry guns. I'm not kidding.

MH: I have a couple backup stories at Image Comics that I will probably see on the shelves sometime next year. But then there's always my day job which is at a children's website doing design work.

JL: Just my normal on-going attempts to hack through the Bristol board jungle and find creative outlets in the field of illustrating, storyboarding, and complaining.

HMS: I have this amazing comic that some may have heard of called Hyperkinetic that is coming out in spring 2008 from Image Comics. It's a science-fiction action comedy about four female bounty hunters. They are after an elusive bounty that they need to capture otherwise their spaceship will get repossessed. They end up crashing on an alien planet where they find they have bigger things to worry about such as giant killer robots and crazy aliens. Art is by Matteo Scalera, colors by Oscar Celestini, and written by me. Bobby Rubio and Lindsay Lohan had nothing to do with it.

SM: I do freelance work in animation, as well as illustration for fashion mags. I am also going to keep working [on] the Nancy Drew graphic novel series for Papercutz (we're working on Book 13 now) and the new illustration books series Uberbabe coming out early next year.

TS3: I am working on my own story with TokyoPop right now as well as some other freelance work.

SE: I still have some Silencers stories I would like to get off the ground. Time is my demon. I also have about a half dozen ideas for other things as well… sometimes it hurts my head.

NRAMA: Wrapping things up, how do you feel about being the guys who set the standards for the rest to follow?

CL: It's cool. It's kind of exciting, but also kind of barbaric. I feel like a comics gladiator. I just hope the work I produced doesn't get wasted.

PM: We're all in trouble, then… [smiles]

DG: I suppose I should feel nervous, but actually, it feels kind of cool to be a part of doing something new and innovative. If Zuda inspires more creators to bring their "A" game, is that really such a bad thing?

MH: I think it's a Bell Curve by including me in there as the low end guy. I think I'm the Token Amateur of the bunch. [laughs]

JL: Damn flattering. It also establishes that there are no set genres or set searches for this project/competition. It's open to all, and all should feel empowered to submit.

HMS: It’s like starting out with Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, and Peyton Manning. In the future nerds everywhere will reminisce about how great the initial Zuda comics were and how much they suck in their present day.

SM: Very honored indeed.

TS3: There is no standard. Comics changes all the time. So I would think everything we do now, the next contestants should do something new and creative.

NRAMA: Do you have any words of wisdom for future Zuda Comics participants?

CL: I think future participants situations will be a different from mine... I'd give the same advice I give all creators... Just rock out, with your tonsils out.

PM: Draw, draw, write, write! You never know where your talents will take you and Zuda's not a bad place to start!

DG: Don't taunt Kwanza. He is a ninja. He will make you suffer.

MH: Participate if you want to enjoy yourself. Stressing yourself out over 'Winning' just stifles the creative process.

JL: Work hard and stay in school.

HMS: Beware of Kwanza Johnson.

SM: Do what you enjoy doing because you enjoy doing it, if you keep at it, and are persistent, eventually it will lead you to where you want it to.

At press time, High Moon is the favorite, with Battlefield Babysitter and Alpha Monkey with the most views.

Related stories:
PERAZZA ON THE LAUNCH OF ZUDACOMICS.COM

JEREMY LOVE'S BAYOU NAMED AS ZUDA'S FIRST "INSTANT WINNER"

FIRST TEN ZUDA CONTESTANTS NAMED

ZUDACOMICS POSTS CONTRACTS - SUBMISSIONS ARE A GO

COMIC, WEBCOMIC PROS RESPOND TO ZUDA

TALKING ZUDA WITH PAUL LEVITZ

DC ANOUNCES ZUDACOMICS.COM

[Korvac]

Looks like a good variety! I hope this venture is successful for DC.

[MyKids'Dad]

I have some pretty well-developed story ideas and need artists.

Let's make some comics and get on Zuda!

Reply here and we will get started!

[Grievous]

DC are evolving.

I still prefer paper comics.

[DaVeO]

I'd like to wish all participants good luck. I'm looking forward to reading these.

[Rich L]

I've been pleasantly surprised by the standard of all of these.

High Moon for the win, of course!

[AbacusComics]

Ya know, at the very LEAST with all this attention Newsarama is giving Zuda, all the print comics folks are finally paying attention to web comics.

It's such a huge and growing market, vs. print comics which are a small and shrinking market. You'd think the biggest comic site on the internet would pay them more attention. I could rattle off half a dozen web comics that have more regular monthly readers than the best selling print comics in the USA.

Yet they get zero play on 'rama.

Unless I've missed the attenion they're getting...

[johnchrist]

Woot!
GO Corey Lewis!!

[gwangung]

Originally Posted by AbacusComics

Ya know, at the very LEAST with all this attention Newsarama is giving Zuda, all the print comics folks are finally paying attention to web comics.

It's such a huge and growing market, vs. print comics which are a small and shrinking market. You'd think the biggest comic site on the internet would pay them more attention. I could rattle off half a dozen web comics that have more regular monthly readers than the best selling print comics in the USA.

Yet they get zero play on 'rama.

Unless I've missed the attenion they're getting...

Word!

(Or is it QFT these days?)

[Julius Brown]

I liked this overall but really would have preferred separate articles and interviews with each creative team. I've really enjoyed High Moon and Lepronomicon and been very disappointed with American Strife and Alpha Monkey.

[ascloseasme]

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but this reeks of "doomed for failure."

It's like journalists turning to blogs and pod/webcasts. Sure they are great (on some level) and they attract certain demographics, but television and radio broadcast still take the cake -- drawing the largest amounts of money, advertising, and audiences. Likewise, newsppaers are "dying," but not only are they still the most widely accepted source of credible news, but the efforts made in print journalism to "save the paper" could potentially revolutionize the quality of print news/entertainment -- especially as the number of people with career interest in the field grows.

Remember the dot-com bust? You have to wonder why people aren't understanding that these new toys come along and look great, but aren't going to save the business if they don't compliment something fundamental to it. Tangibility isn't something you can just whisk away when it comes to comics, which have been built up as an art form partially based on their "hands-on" nature.

[AbacusComics]

Originally Posted by ascloseasme

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but this reeks of "doomed for failure."
etc.

I seriously doubt that. You make a good point about print journalism, it's moving to the internet faster than you can say 'NYTimes'. More and more people are getting their 'credible' news from the internet these days. The new media is making magazine and newspaper subscriptions plummet.

Like I said in the other post, web comics are a huge and growing audience. Do an Alexa.com search on any of the popular web comics, and you'll see they all have something in common: GROWTH of readership. And I don't think I have to tell anyone who's read ICV2's top 300 list for the last few years what direction the print comics medium is going. At least in the direct market.

DC can stick a wet finger in the air and see which way the wind is blowing. I think it's wise for them to make this venture into the future of comics.

How they can turn that into decent monetization we'll have to wait and see. I know the big players in web comics can do pretty well with banner ads, so they will likely go that route.

[mikey_danger]

I love that there really is variety with all these stories. It helps to keep web comics from being pigeon holed to a specific genre. I definitely cant' wait to see everything brought to the table by these creators.

Oh, and Matt Humphreys for the win!

[alschroeder]

I'm with the earlier poster. I'm pleasantly surprised at the quality of what was submitted---and hey, it's not an either/or. People can do webcomics on their own as well. (I certainly do, having done a superheroine webcomic for five years now.) But I like the interface and I like the ones they picked, this go-round. Good stuff.--Al

[ShinAkuma666]

I like what I have seen so far, Dead Seas by Pop Mhan is my favorite, I like the concept and design of it, could see something like that being published later on by Tokyopop.

More Blank soon please ! It was the most fun I read along with Adam Warren this year !

[Illustr8r]

Oh, joy. More white kids drawing like Asians. (In most cases.)

Soon, Zuda will be a dim -- and expensive for DC -- memory, buried alongside "Icon" and "Minx" comics. Dibs on the shovel.

[Shadowcards]

I really liked the viewer setup. Fullscreen looks pretty good. I can picture reading my comics on something like that The quality was pretty good.

[MattBrady]

Originally Posted by Illustr8r

Oh, joy. More white kids drawing like Asians. (In most cases.)

For those of us who don't share your insight, can you run down the list of who's white, and who's drawing like Asians...oh, and what's wrong with that?

thanks!

MattB

[Mek]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

For those of us who don't share your insight, can you run down the list of who's white, and who's drawing like Asians...oh, and what's wrong with that?

thanks!

MattB

I think his comment was more or less aimed at the whole 'cheap manga knock-offs' that seem to permeate most webcomics these days like the bubonic plague. In certain circles of the internet, we call them 'weeaboos'. (Which... most of them are)

I'll admit, I'm sick to death of manga, but I'd have to say a majority of these entries DON'T fall into the 'manga knock-off' category.

[phylemon]

I hate to be negative, but I was really quite dissappointed with the quality of all of the titles except Battlefield Babysitter. I thought that I would have a difficult time casting my vote, but it was really a no-brainer for me. I was really hoping that with DC behind this project we might get many candidates who are up to professional standards, but in my opinion this wasn't the case. My vote is that there are better choices next month.

[Hobowatcher]

Originally Posted by mikey_danger

I love that there really is variety with all these stories. It helps to keep web comics from being pigeon holed to a specific genre. I definitely cant' wait to see everything brought to the table by these creators.

Oh, and Matt Humphreys for the win!

Was there ever a fear that webcomics would be pigeonholed into a specific genre?
Are people really that ignorant?
Are there really so few people unaware of webcomics? So few that read webcomics
Do people really think that Zuda is the lone savior of a medium that was growing and thriving long before its arrival?

I don't mean to sound like an ass, but jeezus, the comments I've been reading makes DC and Zuda the shining beacon of hope for finally legitimizing webcomics.

I'm glad that DC is paying for new and different work and essentially giving it out for free, but they are not the innovative godsend so many seem to view them to be.

And I'd like to ask the question too, why hasn't Newsarama covered many webcomics? Journalista, The Pulse, and Comics Reporter do so freely. Is this site really that PR driven?

Also, will be another independent creator interview like that one a few months ago who did that comic with they pig and alligator?

[Cray_ws]

Originally Posted by ascloseasme

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but this reeks of "doomed for failure."

So what's the harm of failing to attract new readers? Would you rather DC avoid the internet? In that case, there'd be no DC community messageboard, no free previews, and most importantly no new talent at DC.

It had to happen sooner or later that DC would get into webcomics once they established their identity on the web. You can bet Marvel, DarkHorse, and Image will do the same, its only a question of when.

[ascloseasme]

Originally Posted by Cray_ws

So what's the harm of failing to attract new readers? Would you rather DC avoid the internet? In that case, there'd be no DC community messageboard, no free previews, and most importantly no new talent at DC.

It had to happen sooner or later that DC would get into webcomics once they established their identity on the web. You can bet Marvel, DarkHorse, and Image will do the same, its only a question of when.

I didn't say I had a problem with them finding new readers. I said I don't think webcomics are going to be the savior of the comic industry. If it "recruits" people to hard copy comics, great, but the attitude that's out there is that this is going to eventually replace comics as we know them. That just doesn't make any sense given how the aesthetics and "experience" of reading hard-copy comics is ultimately what defines the "art form" and draws people in.

It's not like MP3s, which are still the same product, or even just a different presentation of the same info (like print news). It's a radical shift and I'm sure DC is being smart about this investment, but I also think there is a trend where companies don't take into consideration the internet is relatively young and they overestimate the kind of appeal it can have. It's wonderful, I'm not saying anything contrary. And clearly, comics aren't going to disappear tomorrow, but I just think the companies should be wary of investing a ton of talent and money into it when so many people do go to comics for the tangible experience and there are so many examples where similar new media forms (or even just comic lines) have failed.

[Benjamin Ong]

Originally Posted by AbacusComics

Ya know, at the very LEAST with all this attention Newsarama is giving Zuda, all the print comics folks are finally paying attention to web comics.

It's such a huge and growing market, vs. print comics which are a small and shrinking market. You'd think the biggest comic site on the internet would pay them more attention. I could rattle off half a dozen web comics that have more regular monthly readers than the best selling print comics in the USA.

Yet they get zero play on 'rama.

Unless I've missed the attenion they're getting...

Originally Posted by Hobowatcher

And I'd like to ask the question too, why hasn't Newsarama covered many webcomics? Is this site really that PR driven?

Um, guys, do a search on this site and you'll find these:
DWIGHT MacPHERSON ON THE SURREAL ADVENTURES OF EDGAR ALLAN POO

TALKING GIRLS WITH SLINGSHOTS' SUCCESS WITH DANIELLE CORSETTO

SOMETHING FISHY IN THIS TOWN: KEVIN COLDEN ON FISHTOWN

JOE INFURNARI ON THE PROCESS

3-2-1 LAUNCH: FREE WEBCOMICS AT CHEMISTRY SET COMICS

Act-i-vate Activates - Group Cartoons For All

KEAN SOO TALKS JELLABY

SIMON FRASER: MOVING TO THE WEB

DEAN HASPIEL ON FEAR, MY DEAR

ARON COLEITE ON HEROES WEBISODES

PAUL BENJAMIN GETS HIS SCI FU ON

TALKING CHUGWORTH ACADEMY WITH DAVE CHEUNG

CHRIS ARRANT ON ONE WAY TICKET

CRYSTAL YATES ON EARTHSONG

FROM WEB TO PRINT: SARAH ELLERTON ON INVERLOCH

I could go on and on but I need my webcomic fix now...

[JLAJRC]

Just give HMS a humor title now. Or a light-hearted adventure book like Shadowpact (I'd love to see him tackle Detective Chimp.) His answers were funny.