Interviews and Q&A
Posted June 15th, 2009 by Howard TaylerI’ve been interviewed a few times in recent months and I have failed in my responsibility to you, fair reader. I never linked the interviews for you.
The first interview was back in February. Nathan Gibson interviewed me for his “Do A Barrel-Roll” blogspot site as part of a class project. He gathered a couple dozen questions that he didn’t end up using, but which I answered by way of preparation. I’ll post that Q&A below.
The second interview was for a special-interest periodical called “Mormon Artist.” Allison Aston dealt me some of the usual, “being a webcomic guy” questions, but there were also a few stumpers in there about home, family, and faith. My favorite part of the interview was the photo shoot — those shots in the sidebar are nifty.
And now, the Q&A (most of these came from you readers):
Q: How much of your initial audience, in your estimation, found out about your work during science fiction conventions?
A: As close to none as makes no difference. I didn’t start attending conventions until 2004, and the comic didn’t have much of a convention presence until I really started in earnest in ‘06.
Q: To your knowledge, have any of your fans written fanfics using your characters? If so, how do you feel about that issue?
A: There have been at least two. One was a Buffy TVS crossover, and the other was a Harry/Hermione slashfic. My thoughts? I’m glad to have captured the imaginations of so many creative people.
Q: If you had to compare yourself to another author, who’s work would yours be most reminiscent of?
A: I’d like to be favorably compared to Terry Pratchett. I think we’re both satirists whose characters are far, far more interesting than anything we have to say about society.
Q: What technological advance featured in your comic would you most want to see in real life?
A: Blood-nannies.
Q: What relevance do you believe your comic has to society?
A: Laughter helps. I make people’s lives a little bit better, or lighter anyway. I doubt my social commentary will have any net effect, considering how evenhandedly I pummel things.
Q: Do you feel that webcomics will eventually weaken the traditional comic strip industry? Is that industry feeling the same squeeze as the newpapers that publish them?
A: Eventually? It’s already happening. That industry, especially the editorial cartooning industry, has been hemhorraging for years and is now in convulsions. I could lecture about disruptive innovations and how this all fits patterns we’ve seen for 150 years, but time is short and my fingers are tired.
Q: If you could chose your own topic, what talk would you give at TED.com?
A: I’ve got two. First, “The Free Content Business Model,” and second “The Role of Talent, Hard Work, and Practice in Artistic Excellence.” I’d need to do quite a bit more research, and tighten up both presentations before delivering them, though.
Q: What project(s) do you believe NASA should be focusing on?
A: Lunar industry and Orbital Manufacturing. Oh, and all the infrastructure to support it as actual INDUSTRY… I don’t want a moonbase. I want a moon-nation.
Q: Why do you think that mercenaries are such interesting characters in fantasy and science fiction stories?
A: For the same reason they’re so highly prized here in the real world. They are men and women with experience in multiple theaters of war who, during periods of peace at home, seek out trouble abroad in search of profit.
In short, they go where the action is so you never need to sit around waiting for a story to happen.
Q: Which of your characters has surprised you the most with their evolution development?
A: Elf. Oh, and Kevyn. And Tagon, now that I think about it. Surprise? It’s stopped surprising me now that I know it’s supposed to happen, and I should be planning for it.
Q: Are there any story arcs you would like your readers to take a moral from?
A: In “Emperor Pius Dei” I explored the relationship between good and evil, God and Man, and omnipotence, omniscience, and agency. Not many people noticed, which is probably best. It’s a better story if you just enjoy it.
Q: What does Sandra think of Elf?
A: I’ll have to go ask her. Hang on a sec.
Q: Do you envision a time when Petey will be forced to learn some humility?
A: I’ve already written it.
Q: Do you think you will ever be successful enough to attend comic conventions outside of North America?
A: Absolutely. Starting in 2010, I expect.
Q: What SF author influenced you most?
A: Niven, whose work drew me into this business in the first place, closely followed by Bujold (mercenaries, anyone?), Brin (uplift!) and Banks (snarky A.I.s).
Q: What software do you use to color/edit your strips?
A: Adobe Photoshop CS3.
Q: When can I expect to find your books at my local book/comic store?
A: Perhaps as soon as this fall. We’re negotiating with a couple of independent distributors to get them placed. But if you go to your comic store and ask them to order books from me, I’ll cheerfully send them two of everything at wholesale and eat the shipping myself.
Q: How has the economy affected your business?
A: It has made me nervous, and has broken my heart. I think the economy has been horribly mismanaged, largely because we’ve been TRYING to manage it, and the fault lies in part with the last 20 years of Congress, both sides of the aisle.
I think that the recession has ennobled me a little bit. We’ll never pull out of this with “stimulus” or “bailouts.” We’re going to have to endure a lot of pain and work a darn sight harder than our parents did. Maybe, MAYBE we’ll have to work as hard as our grandparents did. Make no mistake, though, we’re going to have to WORK. If we can’t find somebody to give us jobs (”give” and “jobs” should never be used in the same sentence like that) then we’ll have to go out and MAKE jobs. That’s what made this country great, that’s what built this global economy, and that’s the road out, rubble-strewn and uphill though it may be.
Q: Do you still have time to combine schlock, family and sports ?
A: Sports? What are these sports of which you speak? Next question.
Q: How do you prevent your wrist from getting RSI ?
A: I spread the work out, and I avoid things that hurt. In the grand scheme of things that’s an evolutionarily sound strategy, and one that is not especially ennobling.
June 15th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Howard, a note on that second link where the interviewer asks you about your work in regards to you faith. I grew up in a household where the only things I ever heard about the LDS were negative. I won’t go into some of the descriptors that were used, but I grew up thinking Mormons were simply fanatical, misguided members of a cult. As such, I was fairly shocked when, years ago, I read that the author of my favorite webcomic was, in fact, a Mormon. More than that, it just didn’t seem to fit with what I already knew of you as a person. And the more I found out, the more it took me aback, as it seemed to me that you were a really decent person, a loving father and husband, and devout in your faith.
As you said, “Hey, look, the cartoonist seems like he’s a nice enough guy: upstanding, good family man, hard worker. Oh, and he’s a Mormon. Maybe there’s something to that after all.”. I still don’t know if there’s something to that or not. In fact I’ve spent years working out my own faith. But I can say that your example as a Mormon has led me to question things I might not have questioned, and examined my own faith like I might not have.
I know I’m rambling a bit without coming to a point. So let me just say that if not for you, I would be a less open minded man than I am now.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
i would like to make a comment about the barrel-roll Q&A. i happen to know you got at least one piece of negative feed back when you killed tagon. i gave it to you. aside from tagon, der tris is the only one capable of leading the company, and his capabilities have yet to properly reconnect. you need to ether introduce a new character, ‘fix’ der tris or accept the death of the company and roll over some of the characters with schlock, presumably into a new company if you ever decide to do a proper job of killing tagon.
on this topic though, has any one else noticed that their favorite characters have a tendency to die?
June 15th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Howard— what is the link to the presentation you did about your business model. I think you talk about your boots at the end of it. Its about making grizzly bear soup for a part of it… thanks!
June 15th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Never mind! Its on opensource.tv!
June 15th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
@red: Hmmm. Whatever negative feedback you offered at the time must not have registered. I have no memory of it. It might have gotten lost in the mail or something.
Re: leading the company, one reason the company didn’t completely fall apart under Captain Kevyn Andreyasn was that he brought in General Karl Tagon as an advisor. Kevyn really didn’t have the chops to lead, not at first, but Gen. Tagon did.
June 15th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Q: If you had to compare yourself to another author, who’s work would yours be most reminiscent of?
A: I’d like to be favorably compared to Terry Pratchett.
My then-girlfriend got me reading Pratchett. I think one of the things that let me like it was that Nobby Nobs reminds me of Sergeant Schlock (IMHO, Schlock is who nobs would LIKE to be).
June 15th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
@howard.
i probably couched the first part of my original response positively as i appreciate a story emersive enough kill off characters. and your right, a band like that won’t dissipate immediately, you handled it well enough for your story arc, but if he had stayed dead… i don’t see the toughs sticking together, as they stand of this date. but then it would be interesting to see the schlock verse through a new cast or lens….
more importantly while i wish to be on record that killing tagon was bad and would be truly devastating to the toughs, not paying attention to the negative feedback is generally a good thing. some one will always have a problem with anything you do.
June 16th, 2009 at 12:05 am
@red:
There *is* a universe where Tagon stayed dead. In that universe, the whole galaxy, Petey and all, got swallowed up by a giant singularity. I think it’s pretty reasonable to say that in that universe, the toughs have stuck together, albeit because their constituent atoms have been mashed together into an unobservable pulp along with everything else.
June 16th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Yes…well…in that sense, they also learned to tolerate Xinchub et al in that universe.
In terms of what we got to see, it seems like Tagon’s death pulled them together for a time, but they were definitely starting to fray a bit and only being tasked with saving their galaxy was enough to keep them (and their galaxy) alive.
Tagon’s still got a good thirty years in him as an effective mercenary leader, though he probably has at least started to think about life beyond his next payroll…when he has time.
June 16th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Nice interviews. I liked your response to the loaded question of how your strip helps “build the kingdom.” After all, what the heck kind of a question is that, really? Would she ask that of a banker or a car mechanic? But your answer cuts to the chase: whatever a person does, it’s how they do it that gives other people an idea of who that person is. It’s why atheists like me work so hard to be nice people, too. ;-)
June 16th, 2009 at 9:31 am
@hmoulding:
After all, what the heck kind of a question is that, really?
Well, in the arts the question is not all that loaded, because there is both writerly and readerly meaning to be found in the arts. Messages can be embedded or implied, and will almost always be inferred.
And of course lots and lots and lots of LDS artists do this.
June 16th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
sorry to put in an off-topic comment…
I noticed that you no longer list Dilbert in your favoured comics link list… any particular reason, or just a tidy-up??
June 16th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
@ollie: I don’t recall removing it. It’s possible that in the recent tune-up I accidentally deleted a row. It’s all hand-hacked HTML.