Is this some kind of webcomic? I don’t read webcomics.
That’s too bad, because I’m working really hard on this one. Yes, funnyanimalbooks.com is the current vehicle for my ongoing webcomic GO YE DOGS! It’s a wandering personal adventure that updates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with occasional extra treats on Sunday.
Are you a furry?
Not really. I’ve always loved animals in literature since I was a sprout watching David Attenborough on the teevee and reading James Herriot and Kenneth Grahame and all sorts. Not to mention the cartoons, oh the cartoons. Animals and monsters make great vessels for metaphor and other charged symbols and are just darned fun to draw. I don’t necessary extend that into a lifestyle choice, myself.
There’s a lot of homo activity going on in the comic. I didn’t sign up for this.
That’s not a question. But yes, a major feature of GO YE DOGS is a queer experience with friendship and romance. I don’t think this needs to be a “gay” comic, but rather a story where people are allowed to be with who they want, when they want without too much fuss about details.
If this subject makes you feel hostile, I’d appreciate it if you (the reader) kept your hostility to yourself. Believe me, I’ve heard it all; thank you.
What materials do you use?
Plain ol’ mechanical pencil to start. I ink using a series of crappy, chewed-on Pentel brush pens which I adore.
Who are you influenced by?
My drawing style is a hopeless mishmash of influences. I eventually decided to let my wrist guide me and settled on what’s most comfortable, quick and fun to draw, which is the very sloppy brush-heavy method. As far as storytelling, I crib shamelessly from The Mourning Star by Kazimir Stzrepek, Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai, Dororo by Osama Tezuka, Jano’s travel sketches, Mushishi by Yuki Urushibara and the Classics Illustrated comics version of Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows by Michel Plessix.
What do the little brackets in the bubbles mean?
There are several languages spoken in the story. The brackets indicate whether a character is speaking common (no brackets), [coyote], <rabbit> or any others. I love how languages of the world work and evolve and for what reasons. I want to accurately depict the experience of trying to communicate in a foreign tongue that one only half-understands.
Are any of the events in the comic true to your own life?
Hell nah.
If you like graphic novels, I highly recommend “The Rabbi’s Cat” by Joann Sfar. He is an excellent storyteller and his stuff is mostly of the ‘wanderer’ genre.
Sfar is one of my favorite cartoonists.
Hey there! Followed you from a banner ad over on FA; just wanted you to know that the advertisement is working and I really loved the design of it. Your comic is really good; I love the feel of it so far. Of course, having a rabbit is one good way to get me hooked I guess.
One question: I haven’t seen any ‘queer’ content in the comic yet, besides three dudes skinny dipping together. Is that something you’ll be diving into a bit deeper later on?
Have patience.