Creator Spotlights

Ben Hatke splits his working hours between painting, illustration and making comics. All the rest of his life is spent having adventures with his growing and boisterous family. Ben lives and works in Northern Virginia, is a regular contributor to the Flight Anthologies and creator of the web and print comic Zita the Spacegirl. He is also the co-founder of Smallpax.com, a small sketchblog for Catholic and Christian artists and illustrators. Two of his greatest creative influences are G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis. His work can be seen at www.househatke.com and www.zitaspacegirl.com

Stephen McCranie: I like your story for Parable Volume 1, entitled “A Stylite Story” because of the strong historical elements. When did you first hear about Simon the Stylite, and what exactly inspired this story?

Ben Hatke: The seed of this story appeared one evening during a group discussion I was having with some friends. The original topic was economics, but we had strayed into other areas—notably spiritual practices. One fellow, an undergraduate, said that he thought the Stylites had achieved the highest form of the monastic life. Looking back, I’m pretty sure he didn’t realize the pun he was making, but to me it was very funny. You know… because they were the “highest” monks. I thought it was funny, anyway.

So I started reading a little more about the Stylites and Simon sort of struck me as this guy who just wanted to be left alone but, like all dynamic people, he found solitude a little difficult to manage. You know, you can’t really decide to live on top of a stone pillar without attracting attention.

S: So, you recently returned from a significant stay in Italy. Can you tell me about what you were doing there and what it was like living there?

B: Well, these days I’m trying to find a way to balance my work interests between comics and illustration on the one hand and painting and sculpture on the other. We stay in Northern Italy periodically to visit family, but it also gives me a great opportunity to study and grow artistically. This has involved a lot of reading, some study at the Charles Cecil atelier in Florence, and just a lot of painting and drawing and hands on learning. We stay in a pretty isolated (but beautiful) little spot in the mountains, but I’ve been lucky to have a lot of very talented artists come and visit—so I’ve had a lot of good people to work with.

This past summer there I worked on a statue, some portraits and several small still life paintings. As for what life was like, generally, I’ll just say that they have better cheese than anywhere else on earth.

S: I think I saw a picture of that statue in your blog, a Madonna made out of plasticine, right? Did that make it through the casting process okay?

B: Ha!  Not yet.  I had a very nice plaster and silicon mold made, but having them cast in metal was a longer process than I had time for, particularly because it involves making and correcting wax copies. So I stopped with the mold and brought it back here to the States. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish the project this year.

S: I’m excited to see pictures of the final product on your blog! Now, I hear you’re working on a graphic novel for First Second.  Can you give us any hints on what the book’s about?

B: Yes!  This is a full length Zita the Spacegirl story. The first of two books actually. A short Zita story appears in Flight Explorer, which came out earlier this year but this new book is a lot more involved and has a bit more action. It will tell how this young girl from earth ended up on her own in the universe.

S: Cool—I read that story in Flight Explorer. Is this your first full length graphic novel?

B: It is.

S: I’m working on my first graphic novel as well, based off of a comic strip that I drew for my school newspaper. And I believe other Parablers like Sarah Mensinga and Jeremy Vanhoozer are working on their firsts as well. What aspects of the process have you found challenging so far?

B: The writing. Good writing is difficult in the best of circumstances, but I think what makes the creation of a really good GN so difficult is that, unlike a prose novel, when you make plot changes, or even small changes to a scene, it often involves redrawing a big pile of thumbnails (or worse, inked pages).  And then your hand starts to ache just thinking about making the change and you might just decide NOT to change it and then, suddenly, you’ve given in to mediocrity.

S: How did you become a Christian?

B: Well, you see I was baptized.

I don’t really have much of a “conversion story” if that’s what you mean. I was born into a Catholic family and ever since reaching the age of reason I’ve been weaving back and forth over the line between sinner and saint. Just like everybody else.

S: Finally, Mike Maihack told me you might have an interesting story that involves a bottle of wine, or something…

B: Early in the year, in April, it had been pouring rain for what seemed like weeks and everyone in the village was depressed. It was really unseasonably rainy to the point that there was a lot of flood coverage on the news. But one day the clouds suddenly lifted and the sun came out. My wife came running into the house saying “Ben, the wine is here! You’ve got to come see this!”

I went down to the fountain by the road and just about everyone in the village was there (which really isn’t a big crowd).  The yearly shipment of wine had arrived and everyone was filling up these huge casks -buying a year’s worth of table wine all at once.

The wine came on this huge truck, in a big tank, like a milk truck with a hose on the back.  So it was sunny for the first time in days, and people were filling their glasses from the truck hose.  It was great.

S: That sounds so awesome. What a great experience! Okay, now for our last question, have you taught yourself how to breathe fire?

B: …yes?

S: Awesome! And what made you decide to learn how? Was it hard to learn?

B: I’ve gravitated toward circus skills for a long time, actually.  Growing up I did a lot of gymnastics, and in the summers starting when I was about thirteen, I would unicycle everywhere (early on I fell down a lot).

In college I started juggling, and for a while my wife (who does a lot of the same things) and I would put on commedia and juggling shows at festivals. I had always wanted to do fire breathing because it seemed like a natural way to end juggling with torches. In the end I talked with a friend who had been part of a sort of traveling fire show and learned some of the different ways of going about it. I also read a few articles on the internet, then practiced with water.
It’s a fun thing to do when you’ve got a big group of kids around.

S: Did you ever burn yourself breathing fire?

B: Not really. I did singe the end of my hair once, but that was probably just a sign that I needed a haircut.

S: Ha ha, great answers. Thanks so much

B: Thank you. Back to work for me!

Tor Harald Blom lives in a small town called Flekkefjord in Norway. He paints and draws a lot, but focuses his time on creating stories. Tor has worked for theater and media, has a Bachelors in Geography and has created the web comics Monk and A Cup of Tea as well as the Typisk! comics for mobile phones.

Stephen McCranie: Every panel in your story, Illuminated, is literally a painting. What challenges did you face while working on this story for Parable, Volume 1?

Tor Harald Blom: Space, the images vary from 40×40 cm to 90×60 cm. So when you see one of the panels in the story it is a big painting in the real world. And a fun thing also about space is that in the middle of making the story I moved to another place in Norway. The first time I saw it like a story was when I had it photographed and was making the pages. I made it over a period of months to half a year, and half of the images were still unwrapped after I had moved- until it was photographed. Painting over this long period of time and not having the room to have them all displayed at once was a challenge. I had to change the colors on some the paintings to make them look like the same story. If you work in a format where you can see a page at a time you get a more consistent look on every panel. Acrylic paintings live their own life on the canvas, so you need to change certain things to get that same look.

S: How did you find out about the Parable anthology? How did you join?

T: Here in Norway there isn’t a big group of people who are making comics, and they also live far away from each other. And I like the all-ages comics the best, a type of comics genre that not many people in Norway work with. So I turned my eyes out and found internet forums. The first one was for the wonderful comic “Herobear and the Kid” where I found some good friends. From that place I learned about the comic industry in the US and found the Flight forums. And on that one I found my entrance to Parable. At first I thought not to join, but then this story came in my head, and here I am. ^____^ Happy to be part of it!

S: So right now you live in Norway; have you ever lived in America before? Do you have any funny stories about your experience in America?

T: In 1998, the plan was to travel to Hollywood, but I ended up in Ghana at a hospital while the American president (Clinton) at that time was in the same capital (Accara) holding a meeting with the leaders of the country. It is strange how life turns it’s way, I have not been to America yet, but Ghana was great. But one day I hope to travel to the US, see the BIG trees, maybe a comic convention. I can tell that the people who traveled to Hollywood when I ended up in Ghana also made it into the Titanic Oscar party, under the cover of being journalists.

S: And what is life like in Norway? I’ll bet it’s really cold right now.

T: Where I live it is winter without snow (or very little snow) and frost in the daytime. I did see the first flowers come up from the ground in the middle of February. The weather is more like England in my part of the country- rain and wind. Norway is a long thin country, so if you turn the north end of Norway about 180 degrees it will end up in Roma. Because the country is so long we get nearly all kinds of weather, so it is one of the most normal topics people talk about. I don’t think life in Norway is that different from life in northern US or Canada. Norwegians like to go hiking in the mountains and be out in nature, and they have a religious relation to nature. I think that the biggest church in Norway is the forest. It is where Norwegians find that there is peace and balance in life.

S: How did you become a Christian?

T: Well, I don’t remember not being a Christian. I grew up in the Christian religion and tradition that is part of what Norway is founded upon. So you can say that I just follow up my traditions and what I know. But then again you can say that every day you wake up you chose to be a Christian. It is an everyday choice (LUKE 10.25-37). I have stayed a Christian because it feels like I am home- something good to hold on to in life.

S: What projects are you working on right now?

T: I am making a 2D animated intro to the pilot episode of a stop-motion children’s TV series. Also working on a Parable 2 story, alongside some children’s book projects and my weekly web comic “A cup of TEA – A diary in memory of the forest“. This year I have also started to build an archive of all that I have made through the years. I made my first comic in 1991 and have never stopped making stories and art. So now I am making one big digital archive. It is like a treasure hunt- looking trough old work, finding ideas long forgotten. I recommended it to everyone who has made stuff over many years. You will be amazed, and have fun. Both in seeing your past ideas, and the progress you have made from the start.

In two weeks, tune in for an interview with Ben Hatke!

Josh Alves is a husband and father, a graphic designer and cartoonist. See more at his site, www.joshalves.com.

Stephen McCranie: Your story for Parable, Volume 1 entitled: Thistles, was done in collaboration with John Gunningham. What was it like working with John, and how did you guys meet up?

Josh Alves: John’s a great guy and just as cool to work with (even though he’s Canadian….. I’m kidding!). We actually met up through my sister. She was familiar with his writing and forwarded me one of his pieces. It was called “Flintlock Mages.” I dug the story a lot, ended up doing a couple sketches of one of the characters, sent it to him and we started talking. I really enjoy his writing and we talked more about “Flintlock” and his plans for it, and it started to develop into something that I thought sounded like it’d make a great comic book series so we started brainstorming and fleshing out ideas. It’s the project we’re working toward’s doing… (I guess that’s the short answer?!?)

S: So did “Flintlock” preceed “Thistles?”

J: Oh yeah. I’m still not completely comfortable/satisfied with my art to do the Flintlock series (now called “Pariah Dispersia”) justice. So rather than jump right into that story we’ve decided to collaborate on little projectsas I become more experienced with sequential storytelling and continue to develop my art.

S: You do a very funny single panel comic called Tastes Like Chicken, which, for any readers out there, I’d definitely recommend. Have you ever thought about syndicating it?

J: Thanks for that. Yes I have! Actually I just sent out a bunch of packets a few weeks ago.

S: That’s great! I sent out a bunch of Mal and Chad’s to a bunch of Syndicates… but there seems to be very little room in the newspaper comics section these days. Only rejection letters so far.

J: Those make great wall paper.

S: What other projects are you working on besides Parable?

J: I’m working on the first full-size Araknid Kid story for Sugary Serials and sketch cards for the Marvel Masterpieces 2 set from Upper Deck…

S: Cool!

S: Wait, aren’t you syndicating Araknid Kid through Zuda comics?

J: Nope, Araknid Kid was a competitor in the December contest over at Zuda. It finished 6th in that month’s competition, which means it won’t be continuing on that site and I get all my rights to the character/story back.

S: Ah, I see.

S: Alright, onto some more serious questions. How did you become a Christian?

J: I was fortunate to be raised in a Christian household. My parents brought us (I’m the oldest of 4 children) up teaching that Christianity was about a relationship with Christ and not about religion.So I guess you could say that I’ve always been a Christian, but it was in my later teen years when I began to really walk my personal faith journey. Really taking what I was taught, questioning it, seeking answers… and finding some of them… and being ok not having them all (yet).

S: My testimony is like that too. Even if you’re raised in a Christian home though, there comes a point when you realize that if the things you believe in are really true, then they’ll stand up to any amount of questioning.

J: It’s true, I guess sometimes growing up in a Christian home could be a crutch because you might tend to rely on the belief of your parents, but eventually there comes a time when you’ll have to answer why you believe what you believe… and saying “because my parents believe it…” isn’t the best answer.

S: Very true. So, I read on you blog that you tried out for Last Comic Standing. Can you tell me what that was like?

J: It was a blast.

S: What was your routine like?

J: I auditioned with friends of mine. Chris Quimby, Hoopachoo (a comedian from New York that I had only met online) and my brother Jake. We set it up like an adventure that we tried to document (some clips remain on YouTube). We froze out in line, I was able to perform in front of the judges (who didn’t RIP me apart. I was expecting them too) Kathleen Madigan (one of the comedians) called me “adorable.” Alonzo and Ant (the other judges) gave great feedback and critique- so overall I was pretty happy with how it went.

My routine, well… it was like one that wasn’t good enough to be shown on the show and wasn’t bad enough to be shown on the show.

S: If you don’t get in, then that’s the best way to go. Thanks for the interview Josh.

In two weeks, tune in for an interview with Tor Harold Blom!

Jeremy Vanhoozer is a freelance illustrator living in Orlando Florida with his wife and three children. He has swept the floors of many studios, including Disney, Big Idea, and Universal. When he isn’t fighting alligators or dodging hurricanes, he likes to sit down and draw stories about crazy characters and wacky robots.

Hey everybody! This is Stephen. I hope you’re all doing fine. This week’s interview was done over IM, and I decided to include a little amusing exchange that took place before the interview started. Enjoy!

Stephen McCranie: Hey Jeremy! Ready?

Jeremy Vanhoozer: Hey! I was just changing a diaper!

S: Ha ha! Sounds like perfect timing.

J: Isn’t that the life of an artist? Creating funny stuff… and changing diapers.

S: Ha ha.

J: I am back in my chair, however.

S: Great. Okay, let me get my questions.

J: Okee dokey. And then you can edit my long winded answers, correct?

S: Right. We’ll edit ‘em down to unreadable sound bite sentences. Ready?

J: ok…. breathe, breathe…. ready!

S: As I recall, your story for Parable: Volume 1, entitled “The Picnic,” was not only one of the longest stories in the anthology, but also done in a very short period of time, because you had to fight against a fast approaching deadline. What was it like trying to beat the deadline?

J: Well, it was pretty crazy. When I was asked to be a part of Parable, I was so excited that I really didn’t stop to think about how fast I would have to work. Once I settled down and actually thought about how much drawing I had to do… it freaked me out a bit. But, when I was able to thumbnail my story out and come up with a page count, things fell into place.

S: And what inspired your story for Parable?

J: Hmmm. I would have to say peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When I was a kid, I never liked sharing my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My mother would tell me to let my sister have a bite, and I would flatly refuse. As I grew up I began to realize how nice it was to share my sandwiches. For my story, I wanted to talk about sharing sandwiches and what it felt like to be a kid with a giant imagination.

S: That’s great! I didn’t realize it until now, but peanut butter and jelly is a motif in that story. So what was it like growing up for you? Specifically, what was the journey from imaginative child to established professional like?

J: I can remember being in kindergarten and drawing tanks and helicopters all over the writing paper. I think it was at that point that I realized there might be something to this art thing. I spent my young years drawing weird monsters, huge trucks, and imaginary lands. In between my artistic endeavors I also opened a salad bar in my bedroom, recorded a weekly radio show on a cassette recorder in my hall closet, and set my parents bed on fire. All events that I look back on and credit with expanding my imagination. After graduating from high school, I was extremely fortunate to get an internship at Disney. That is where my “real” art training took place, and also where I learned how to mix art with business.

S: What a wonderful opportunity that must have been. Though, I hear internships don’t pay very well, but the contacts you made must have been payment enough.
I noticed that you know a lot of people from the Drawergeeks crew. Who do you know and where did you meet these people?

J: Lets see…. Paul Conrad used to be my boss at Big Idea. Bryan Ballinger and I played the ukulele together at Big Idea. Greg Hardin was my replacement when I left Big Idea. I started as Sarah Mensinga’s biggest online fanboy, but am now able to call her a friend. I am looking at the list of Drawergeeks contributors and I know quite a few… it would take me the rest of the night to list their names and social security numbers. Just trust me when I tell you that no friends were obtained illegally .

S: Ha ha! You know, I wasn’t really aware of how integral networking is to success in the comics industry until I went to Comic-Con and met you and Sarah and a bunch of other Parablers. But making friends who are also in the business is a wonderful experience. I can’t wait to go back to Comic-Con this year.

J: Networking is key.

S: I try to make my last question a silly one… Is there something unique or interesting about yourself that I can pry into?

J: Hmmmm… Let me think… I can’t think of anything really outstanding….. my first job was selling balloons at the Magic Kingdom. I survived a tornado. My parents raised goats when I was little, so I had to milk them. Not too much.

S: Did you have to wear any funny suits for the balloon job?

J: Only the best. I had two outfits…. For the Magic Kingdom I wore a stylish candy striped shirt, white knickers, tall white socks, an odd hat, and a smile. When I worked at the Disney-MGM Studios I wore an awesome surf print shirt, suspenders, delicious brown polyester pants, and really bad shoes. The beauty of it was, I would get such a bad sunburn… but not in the areas where the suspenders were. It was the greatest partial tan ever.

S: Ha ha, awesome.

S: Well, that about wraps it up I think.

J: Have a great night!

S: You too.

In two weeks, tune in for an interview with Josh Alves!

After a brief hiatus, we are getting back to our bi-weekly Spotlight interviews with the creators that make up Parable Book 1, coming out this November from Viper Comics. This week, Parable contributor Stephen McCranie spotlights writer Caleb Monroe.

Caleb Monroe was left at the circus at a young age by gypsies. After he nearly died in a terrible aerial accident, the Alligator Man managed to cobble him together again using insect DNA and spare roller coaster parts. Then, when he was 11, he bought his first comic book and also sold his first short story, ensuring that he would spend his life fighting crime as a writer rather than just another insectile cyborg acrobat.

Stephen McCranie: The story you wrote for Parable Volume 1, entitled “Uncommon,” is a simple story about a balloon shop. I think the message of the story is very pertinent though, especially to the average person. Was there any experience that inspired this story?

Caleb Monroe: The entire comic is based on a true story. Something that happened to a good friend of mine named Weyman. It was the first idea I had when I started talking to Mike about Parable. Just a quiet slice-of-life piece. Mike put me in touch with Caroline Parkinson, and her art turned out to be perfect for it, really catching those everyday details and heightening the emotional impact of the moment with their presence.

S: Your Leap Year project is very exciting. How is your goal of becoming a full-time writer going?

C: It’s barreling along. I wish I had more to report, but things are at a quiet stage right now where there’s not too much ready to talk about. I’m working on some creator-owned projects right now, all with some fantastic artists or co-writers; will have work in a number of anthologies later this year and just recently had my first opportunity to pitch a book to one of the Big Two.

S: Everyone wants to become a writer, but becoming a writer for comics is something different entirely. It seems to me that most of your writing projects are collaborations with other cartoonists. What draws you to the comics industry?

C: Hmmm. Well, I both sold my first writing (a poem and short story to my local newspaper) and bought my first comic (Spectacular Spider-Man #16) in the same year when I was 11, so I guess it was just a matter of time. My mom was also finishing up her first book around that time, so I had someone in the house to learn from.

I’m a very visual person, which is one of the reasons I love comics and film so much. About the time I started seriously trying to write comics I also left college and worked on various film sets for about three years in just about every position you could imagine. At first I was thrilled to just be part of it all, but as the years progressed I came to the realization that ultimately I was unhappy without a say in the story. Plus, I was working in so many varied capacities. When I moved to LA I stopped working on set (which is kinda backwards, I know), because I decided I wanted to be great at one thing instead of good at a bunch of things, and that one thing I’ve always wanted to be great at is writing.

For comics, there was a time even further back when I was an equally strong student at both writing and art. But again, I wanted to truly excel at the one, so I left the other behind. Now it would be worse that starting over because my visual sense has grown so much more sophisticated but my artistic muscles are so atrophied. Plus, I just love the process of collaboration. And I think there’s a spiritual element to that process. Scripture talks often of people from different walks of life learning to operate in unity. That’s the model for the church. Plus, as believers since Pentecost, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The exact same Spirit that collaborated with somewhere around forty human co-authors to write the bible. That same Spirit wants to participate in all that I do, which means if I invite him into my writing process I have the opportunity to co-write with the greatest Author of all time. But this happens on a spiritual level and can sometimes be hard to grasp in practical terms. Which is where working with human collaborators comes in: to constantly better learn the art and skill of collaboration on a practical level in order to be able to apply those lessons on a higher level.

S: And what is your diagnosis of the Christian comics industry in particular? What do you think Christian writers and artists are lacking?

C: I think there are several fallacies in such a consideration. First, in comics there’s no such thing as a Christian industry. Which I actually think is fantastic. There are Christians making comics, and some of them are even making faith-based comics, but there’s not really a separate industry, like there is in music. I think we should fight to keep it that way. Christianity is not meant to be a ghettoized sub-culture set apart from “real” culture. There is a dialogue taking place out there in the arts. Art is a medium where people discuss and grapple with the things that are most important in life. And we should be contributing to that discussion. Out there in the dangerous “real” world, rather than swapping tales back and forth within the imagined safety of a Christian sub-culture. Every comic I’ve ever written, even my Parable work, is intended for a secular audience.

As for what aspiring Christian writers or artists may be lacking, it’s the same things any aspiring writers or artists are lacking: the skills, experience and the specialized knowledge of the medium that it takes to make excellent comics. We should constantly be honing our skills and adding to our storytelling toolbox if we want to make it in this industry, and our beliefs have very little to do with that. It’s a reality regardless of faith.

S: On your blog, you mentioned the Daniel diet, a diet derived from what the prophet Daniel ate while under the instruction of the Babylonians. Can you tell me more about this?

C: I can. The Weyman I mentioned in my first answer and his family have a ministry called Healing Waters, which is currently based in Denmark, but for which they travel all over the world. Last fall they invited those of us who support them to join them in a 40-day fast to pray for the salvation of loved ones. The type of fast we chose for those 40 days would be between us and God. As I prayed and considered my options I felt called to a Daniel fast, which is sort of an extreme form of veganism. I was very reluctant at first, because frankly I love meat, but through a small series of events I knew this is what I was being asked to choose, so I chose it.

After a brief adjustment period, I discovered an amazing side effect of the fast, which was a huge surge in both my creativity and my follow-through on it. In fact, it was ten days in that I began my Leap Year project. When I went back to my regular diet after the 40 days, there was a noticeable increase in mental cloudiness. Or at least it seemed cloudy after the boost my writing had seen during the fast. Then, starting the first of this year, my wife wanted to do the same fast for a number of reasons and I joined her for support. Again, there was a noticeable boon to my creative work. About halfway though this second fast I discovered a verse I had somehow missed before in all the times I’ve read the book of Daniel:

“the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.” Daniel 1:16-17 (emphasis mine)

This chapter in Daniel is actually the only place in all of the bible that the term “literature” appears. I’ve come to realize that my mind is probably my greatest asset as a writer and that what I put into my body has a direct effect on it. So I’m doing further research and making some permanent diet changes to reflect this new priority.

Also, as someone living in LA and trying to break into the film industry as well as comics, I identify a lot with Daniel. The book of Daniel takes place when he was a captive in Babylon. The same Babylon that held the Hanging Gardens, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was not just literature, but the literature of the Babylonians that he was learning. Babylon is an identity that LA and Hollywood have always sort of embraced. In fact, the design of the Hollywood and Highland complex that houses the Kodak Theater (home of the Oscars every year) is based on the set design of the city of Babylon from DW Griffith’s early 20s epic film Intolerance.

Daniel lived in Babylon and learned the literature of the Babylonians. Which I think brings me back to my earlier point about Christians in the industry: the industry already exists, we need to learn to excel within it, not set ourselves apart. Simply put, let’s make quality comics.

In two weeks, tune in for an interview with Jeremy Vanhoozer!