Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Feb 6, 2015 9:43:39 GMT -6
Jeffrey Lee Puckett surveys the Louisville, Kentucky, comics scene, with interviews with creators and a local retailer.
www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/2015/02/04/louisville-comic-books/22527059/
Louisville has long been known for its independent music scene, but another community has been slowly building its own niche: comics creators.
Independent comics artists and writers are turning out a wide variety of print and digital comics, ranging from Japanese manga to horror to superheroes. Some projects are traditional stories — classic sequential art narratives — while others, such as Doodle or Die, look to encourage local artists via an Instagram doodle challenge.
Yoko Molotov does a little of everything, and then some. She's a one-woman army of creativity, with a number of popular manga books and strips, a video show called "Puppet Orgy Party" and at least three bands.
Molotov, 31, is working on a fine arts degree in her spare time and finds Louisville's scene both welcoming and inspiring. For her, the correlations between indie comics and indie rock are clear: It's all fueled by a do-it-yourself ethic.
"I slip in and out of different things because really they're all related," she said. "Being in a band is not that much different from being a comics artist. Being a comics artist is not that much different from being a filmmaker."
Louisville's comics scene began to surge around five years ago, said Robert Schneiders, a manager at The Great Escape. In 2009, the Louisville Cartoonist Society was formed and it began releasing anthologies of stories written and drawn by members in 2010. Steven Bowman's popular "Astounding Tales Comics" was also launched in 2010 and continues to be a strong seller locally.
"I think the independent comics scene in Louisville is definitely growing," said Bowman, 40, of Jeffersonville. "Social media and the ease of digital printing makes it much easier to get your work out there and be seen, so more people are excited about getting their stories out there. I hesitate to call it healthy, but that's only because I see so much more potential for what we could be doing here."
Making indie comics is easier than selling them. It can be tough to get noticed when the shelves are flooded with books from major publishers such as Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse. Many creators travel to comics conventions or the annual Small Press Expo to generate sales.
"It's a hard sell for someone who comes in here for a Spider-Man book to get them to pick up an indie comic," said Evan Pack, co-owner of The Destination, a comics and comics culture shop in Louisville.
Molotov prefers being an independent creator, but many still strive to work for one of the majors.
"I enjoy the freedom of being an indie publisher, but ultimately my goal and desire is to have as many people as possible read my stories and see my art," said Bowman. "If I found a comfortable situation with a publisher that would allow me to maintain my creative direction while branching out to a larger audience, I would definitely take that opportunity."
Highview's Jay Leisten has done it from both sides. Leisten started in high school printing mini-comics at Kinko's and now makes a good living as an inker for Marvel Comics, working on flagship books such as "Uncanny X-Men," "Captain America," "The Incredible Hulk" and "Uncanny Inhumans."
It was a grind making his own books, he said, but it paid off. It was also fun, as when he and fellow creators Bowman and Bruce Thomas would have drink-and-draw nights, still a tradition of the Louisville Cartoonist Society.
"There have been a lot of good artists here, and there continue to be a lot of good artists," said Leisten, 39. "The overall group here is very good, and they're very helpful in terms of educating each other. Given the size of Louisville, it's a good scene."
Jeffrey Lee Puckett can be reached at (502) 582-4160, jpuckett@courier-journal.com and on Twitter, @jleepuckett.
www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/2015/02/04/louisville-comic-books/22527059/
Louisville has long been known for its independent music scene, but another community has been slowly building its own niche: comics creators.
Independent comics artists and writers are turning out a wide variety of print and digital comics, ranging from Japanese manga to horror to superheroes. Some projects are traditional stories — classic sequential art narratives — while others, such as Doodle or Die, look to encourage local artists via an Instagram doodle challenge.
Yoko Molotov does a little of everything, and then some. She's a one-woman army of creativity, with a number of popular manga books and strips, a video show called "Puppet Orgy Party" and at least three bands.
Molotov, 31, is working on a fine arts degree in her spare time and finds Louisville's scene both welcoming and inspiring. For her, the correlations between indie comics and indie rock are clear: It's all fueled by a do-it-yourself ethic.
"I slip in and out of different things because really they're all related," she said. "Being in a band is not that much different from being a comics artist. Being a comics artist is not that much different from being a filmmaker."
Louisville's comics scene began to surge around five years ago, said Robert Schneiders, a manager at The Great Escape. In 2009, the Louisville Cartoonist Society was formed and it began releasing anthologies of stories written and drawn by members in 2010. Steven Bowman's popular "Astounding Tales Comics" was also launched in 2010 and continues to be a strong seller locally.
"I think the independent comics scene in Louisville is definitely growing," said Bowman, 40, of Jeffersonville. "Social media and the ease of digital printing makes it much easier to get your work out there and be seen, so more people are excited about getting their stories out there. I hesitate to call it healthy, but that's only because I see so much more potential for what we could be doing here."
Making indie comics is easier than selling them. It can be tough to get noticed when the shelves are flooded with books from major publishers such as Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse. Many creators travel to comics conventions or the annual Small Press Expo to generate sales.
"It's a hard sell for someone who comes in here for a Spider-Man book to get them to pick up an indie comic," said Evan Pack, co-owner of The Destination, a comics and comics culture shop in Louisville.
Molotov prefers being an independent creator, but many still strive to work for one of the majors.
"I enjoy the freedom of being an indie publisher, but ultimately my goal and desire is to have as many people as possible read my stories and see my art," said Bowman. "If I found a comfortable situation with a publisher that would allow me to maintain my creative direction while branching out to a larger audience, I would definitely take that opportunity."
Highview's Jay Leisten has done it from both sides. Leisten started in high school printing mini-comics at Kinko's and now makes a good living as an inker for Marvel Comics, working on flagship books such as "Uncanny X-Men," "Captain America," "The Incredible Hulk" and "Uncanny Inhumans."
It was a grind making his own books, he said, but it paid off. It was also fun, as when he and fellow creators Bowman and Bruce Thomas would have drink-and-draw nights, still a tradition of the Louisville Cartoonist Society.
"There have been a lot of good artists here, and there continue to be a lot of good artists," said Leisten, 39. "The overall group here is very good, and they're very helpful in terms of educating each other. Given the size of Louisville, it's a good scene."
Jeffrey Lee Puckett can be reached at (502) 582-4160, jpuckett@courier-journal.com and on Twitter, @jleepuckett.