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02-27-2006, 05:29 PM
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FRED GALLAGHER ON THE MEGATOKYO MOVE
 by Benjamin Ong Pang KeanIt was only close to six years ago that Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston started a webcomic called Megatokyo, with Caston writing the scripts and Gallagher supplying the artwork. Megatokyo tells the tale of two wayward Americans, Piro and Largo, who find themselves stranded in Tokyo with no means with which to get home. Piro, an introverted and skittish fan of manga and anime and video game fanatic Largo sit atop one of the largest and most diverse cast of characters on the web or in print. Due to creative differences, Gallagher and Caston split up in May 2002, with Gallagher having full ownership of the property. It is now written and drawn in a manga-influenced style by Gallagher, who pursued the comic as a full-time job after he was laid off from his day job as an architect in October 2002. The first three volumes of Megatokyo were published by Dark Horse, though Studio IronCat had published a compilation of strips at one point. It has since become one of the top Original English Language manga in the United States, and is now available in several languages around the globe. At the just concluded New York City Comic-Con this past weekend, it was announced that Megatokyo will be published by DC/CMX starting with the release of volume 4 of the series in June We caught up with Gallagher to discuss about the deal, his thoughts on digital/web versus print comics and what the future holds for Megatokyo. Newsarama: First of all, congratulations on the move… Fred Gallagher: Thanks. It's exciting stuff, it really is. I've been working on this for a while, so it's nice to finally be able to announce it. NRAMA: How did the deal come about? FG: DC/CMX approached me back in August to see if I might be interested in working with them on any new projects, like Warmth (a project idea that pre-dates Megatokyo that I am keen to get back to working on). While talking with them, I felt there was the potential of a really good working relationship, one that would really support my efforts in the future. I brought up the fact that future volumes of Megatokyo, including volume 4, were available if they were interested (I had been working with Dark Horse on a book by book basis up until now). NRAMA: What went into the decision to bring Megatokyo from Studio IronCat to Dark Horse to DC/CMX? FG: The switch from Studio IronCat to Dark Horse came about because Studio IronCat was not able to meet demand for the book due to difficulties the company was experiencing. Dark Horse has done a wonderful job with the first three volumes of Megatokyo, and they have sold quite well and continue to do so.  When DC/CMX approached me about possibly working with them, I got a strong sense of simpatico between what I wanted to do and where they wanted to go with manga. I felt that DC/CMX had a good understanding of what it takes to create the kind of work I aspire to produce and felt that they would be very supportive of my efforts. This decision had a lot to do with where I'd like to go over the next few years. It was a difficult decision to make because Ii have great respect for both companies, but I feel that working with DC/CMX will be best for my future work. NRAMA: Just how well did the earlier volumes do? FG: Actually, surprisingly well. I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but it has been listed as one of the best selling Original English Language manga titles to date. The nice thing about having a strong web presence is that the title stays very much alive between printings. NRAMA: Right. Megatokyo started as an online comic initiative that you and Rodney Caston started way back in August of 2000, though you have full ownership of the property now. Looking back at the evolution of the characters, as well as the subsequent cult status that Megatokyo has achieved, what are your thoughts on the property now, and its place in the whole industry? FG: Rodney and I split ways in June 2002, around comic 274 (part way through the material of volume 2) though I had been pretty much doing the comic on my own for some time before the official announcement. One of the main reasons I started working on Megatokyo was to get some practice drawing and creating comics. The initial idea was that it would be a gag-a-day four panel comic that would have some story elements as it went along. Over time those story elements became the main focus of the comic and, of all the changes, the one readers appreciate the most. I never specifically set out with the goal to create 'manga', and in many ways I think I have developed my own style that just happens to fit well within the manga genre. I feel like I am still growing as an artist and have much to learn, but I am happy with how Megatokyo has developed. As far as its place in the whole industry, I like to think that over the past six years Megatokyo has helped break down the perceptions that Original English Language manga and web comics are not legitimate or respectable comic formats. The fact that all of this coincided with the growth of the graphic novel segment was really just a wonderful coincidence. When I first started looking for a potential publisher for Megatokyo, even most small publishers were not interested in a property that had both the stigma of being an American manga and a webcomic where the entire content of the book was already available online. Since that time, I've proven that this is not necessarily a bad thing.  NRAMA: For the uninitiated, could you provide our readers the 411 what's happened thus far?FG: Basically it's a story about two friends, Piro and Largo, an avid anime/manga fan and a hardcore American gamer, who fly to Japan on a whim and can’t afford to buy tickets home. The story has grown over the years and is in many respects a story about the different perceptions people have about the world around them. As a result, we get two drastically different perspectives on Tokyo and the people (and other creatures) they meet. NRAMA: Who are the characters that we should look out for in the fourth volume? FG: Volume 4 contains chapters 5 and 6 of the comic, of which Chapter 6 is some of my best work to date. Megatokyo is a very character driven story and just about every character causes plenty of trouble in these chapters. NRAMA: Without spoiling the fun of it all, what's in store for those who'll be checking out Megatokyo for the first time? Would it serve as a good jumping in point for new readers? FG: Actually, it’s not a bad point to jump in. It was in chapter 5 that I finally started to crystallize the direction I wanted Megatokyo to go, and chapter six really drives things forward. Some of the character development might surprise a few people. Even I felt somewhat daunted by the task of making some things work, but in the end it worked out surprisingly well and readers seemed to be more than happy with the results. NRAMA: What about those who've been following the web comic? What "DVD extras"-type goodies are in store for them? FG: I always try to do something extra for each volume, to add some value to the book for fans who have already read most of the material online. What I'm planning for this volume is to flesh out and complete the "Circuity" short story that originally appeared online at the end of chapter 6. It has a much more serious tone than the extra material I usually do, but I feel strongly about this piece and look forward to fleshing it out and making it a complete whole. There may be some other extras too. I'm still working on it. NRAMA: Speaking of the online comic, where are you heading with the stories that you have planned? FG: Oh, I'm not telling. You'll have to read to find out. It updates 3 times per week, so you don't have to wait long. NRAMA: Fair enough. Moving onto the unlimited and borderless world that is the world wide web, what advice could you give to aspiring and current web comic creators? FG: With the thousands of web comics out there, and new ones hitting the web every day, it can be daunting and frustrating to find an audience. I'm a firm believer in the fact that if you put your best work out there, and if it is the kind of thing people want to read, they will find it. Do not be discouraged if you think no one is visiting your site - building a web comic takes a lot of time and a lot of practice. The one good thing about web comics is that if you stick with it, it will improve over time. Your work will improve with practice and you will be building an archive of comics that people can read when they do discover your work. Don't get discouraged. NRAMA: What are your thoughts on digital comics versus the print version? FG: I think the difference comes down to readability. Digital comics offer a kind of instant connection between the creator and the reader that is not possible with print comics. People can visit the site and not only read the most recent comic, but read our thoughts and comments, see extra material, and connect with other readers through the extensive communities that grow around our forums. Digital comics are very much about an ongoing experience.  Reading a comic online is a vastly different experience from reading it in print. By its very nature, comics distributed over the web are low resolution. Print versions allow readers to experience much higher quality versions. The other thing digital comics will never do is satisfy the desire to have tangible collections. Digital versions are convenient for catching the most recent comic as they are released, but print versions work best for reading the story as a whole. Reading a graphic novel is far more enjoyable than clicking through online archives.NRAMA: Do you think that online comics would eventually replace the hard copies? Or do each of these exist in a symbiotic relationship in that it balances out the economies of scale and it dispels the myth that the comics industry is only exclusive to a select few and the whole process of penetrating into the big league is an almost impossible task to many? FG: No, I don't believe web comics will ever replace print comics. It's a lot like asking "will movies replace books?" The web is just one method of distribution. Web and print are completely different reading experiences. For most web comics the next logical step is to offer print collections. I never really considered doing monthlies because I felt the kind of work I do wouldn't appeal to the comic book market. The web presented an almost ideal way for me to get my work out there - I can reach 200,000 or more people every other day at very reasonable costs via the web, which would be almost impossible for an individual to do in print. With the web, I can reach anyone who is online, not just people who come into comic shops. I feel the industry is becoming less exclusive as a result of the impact of the web. There are talented people out there creating online works that people want to read. The web is a great way to showcase your talents because you can put your work out there and prove that it is something people want. Successful web properties have the beginnings of a fan base and an existing archive of work that only needs the help of a good publisher to reach the next level. Through my experience with Megatokyo, I've discovered that people want the immediacy of the web versions, but also the readability, portability and collectible nature of print versions. I feel that in the future there will be many strong properties that found their start on the web. NRAMA: Most, if not all manga have a beginning, a middle and an end. Heck, even Sandman, Preacher, 100 Bullets, Lucifer, etc had/have definite closing chapters. How long do you plan on doing Megatokyo? Do you already have an ending in mind when you first started doing the web comic strips? How much has it changed over the years? FG: Considering Megatokyo started out as a 4 panel, gag-a-day comic, things have changed quite a bit since I first started. I know where it’s going, but the path to get there is one that may have some surprises along the way, even for me. There are parts of the story where events are going as planned, but other parts have changed significantly because of character development. Since Megatokyo is a character driven story, I'm not averse to altering the ending if character development requires it. Readers aren't the only ones discovering what these characters are thinking as the story progresses.  Megatokyo has an ending, it just may take a while to get there. It will be a number of years before I complete the story.NRAMA: Megatokyo has been translated into German and Polish and there've been fan translations as well. Does your CMX deal offer the opportunity to release Megatokyo in countries that do not use English as the first language? FG: Definitely, and in fact making Megatokyo available in other languages is something that is important to me. There are also French and Italian version in the works. Just like American fans, international readers want published versions of Megatokyo in their native languages. There are many dedicated fan translation projects out there and I fully support their efforts. As stated, Megatokyo Volume 4 will be published by DC/CMX in June. In the meantime, do check out the official website at www.megatokyo.com for the free webcomics. The contents are generally updated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. |
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02-27-2006, 06:00 PM
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Burning bridges at every turn! Woo!
But where to go after CMX? |
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02-27-2006, 06:05 PM
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02-27-2006, 06:10 PM
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You call that burning bridges ? |
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02-27-2006, 06:26 PM
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Huh? I.C. Entertainment (that's what Studio Iron Cat was calling itself at those times) was going under/out of business when Gallagher pulled it away from them. So he's only leaving Dark Horse so far in favor of another publisher (who might have a better stand in the book markets). That said "Megatokyo" is a brilliant comic and I urge everybody to check it out. And I hope that it will stay available worldwide through Diamond and not be limited to a US only distribution like all the other CMX stuff. I also hope that "Warmth" will someday come put. The chapter released in "AmeriManga" was quite good, too. |
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02-28-2006, 03:56 AM
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Yet another publisher? Hmm...
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02-28-2006, 10:07 AM
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#7 |
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I dig Magatokyo, no matter where it is pubbed. Fred had no long term deal in place with DH, so why bash the guy for moving the title?
Good luck, Fred. |
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02-28-2006, 06:12 PM
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#8 | |
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A few more facts about translations
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To mention a few facts that are missing: Translated print versions have been published in german and italian so far, and i heard that there's a polish version as well. The "fan translation" projects are mainly hosted on the megatokyo international site at www.megatokyo.de, and the languages available there are (in no particular order) :
Right now, we're tentatively working on getting someone to do japanese, and there might be a hebraeic version as well. Oh, if you are about to ask, Yes, Fred DOES know of all of these, and it's our strict policy that an aspiring translator has to get Fred's OK for a translation before we accept that language on our server. On further notice, there will be a megatokyo booth at the hanami convention in ludwigshafen in april, and of course at the connichi in kassel in september as well, both booths run by parts of the german translation team. bye, [L] ps. there's a megatokyo channel on euirc as well, join #mtgerman to distract the german team from translating  |
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