Samurai Artists For Japan

Like the rest of the world, the artists involved in Samurai The Graphic Novel were moved by the events taking place in Japan. As a group we have decided to donate the profits from the sales of Samurai The Graphic Novel until April 3rd to the Red Cross in support of the relief effort in Japan.

Samurai The Graphic Novel draws it's premise and influence from Japanese culture, history and it's people. In their time of need we feel it's the right thing to do to give back to the country and people who have given us so much creatively.

You can order both versions of Samurai The Graphic Novel

Here:
Samurai The Graphic Novel Regular Version

and

Here: Samurai The Graphic Novel Deluxe Version

I will be posting weekly donation amounts. Please be generous and help us make a difference.

Karl
Altstaetter

FREE SKETCHES!!!!

In honor of the launch of Samurai The Graphic Novel I have decided to put on my marketing cap and really go all out with everything I have learned from watching the Home Shopping Network at 3am. I have the Sham Wow to prove it!...but seriously this is a cool offer!

LIMITED TIME OFFER!
For everyone that buys a copy of the book in the next three days
(starting at 11pm tonight 1/24/11)will get a one of kind sketch of the character of their choice drawn by me on their copy of Samurai for FREE!!!

WE PASS THE SAVINGS ON TO YOU!
Ever wanted to own a piece of original art? Now you can for free! STGN is already worth the $10 smacks but with a free sketch it's worth an additional $25! This also applies to the STGN combo pack.

ACT NOW!
Here are links to the Samurai The Graphic Novel buy page. Obviously this is limited so don't get left out!

NOW AVAILABLE IN TWO FUN AND EXCITING VERSIONS! OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY!
Single issue:
http://komickarl.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/samurai-the-graphic-novel

Combo pack:
http://komickarl.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/samurai-comic-print-combo

Samurai Launches at AACC

This past weekend the Samurai crew (Jamie Gambell, Donna Letterese, Dan Smith, Gerimi Burleigh and Karl Altstaetter)  attended the Amazing Arizona Comic Con and debuted Samurai The Graphic Novel for the first time! Fun was had by all and it was great seeing the reaction of the people who checked out the book. The overwhelming positive response focused on the diversity of the art and stories as well as Drew Johnson's amazing cover. Here are a few pics of the team and their set ups. Thanks to everyone who picked up STGN and for all the kind words.

Samurai The Graphic Novel is now in stock and you can get your copy here: Samurai for sale!

Karl Altstaetter
STGN E.I.C

Samurai Spread

Dis be ma bouk!

Fuzzles love art!

Hey Kids! Comics!

SANDWICHHH!!!

Right in da kisser

Jamie Gambell The Human Shuriken

My first impression of Jamie was that he was a quiet guy. Relaxed. Than I started reading his Comics and hearing his ideas. Behind that quiet exterior is a guy with a ton of interesting and crazy concepts ready to burst out into Comic book form. 

 

I was also fortunate to have him ride shotgun on the editing duties for Samurai. Although I've said it many times this project would have never got off the ground without his help and dedication to making it happen. 

 

For those of you chasing your dreams of making Comics, Jamie is a great example of a creator that balances a busy personal life and job with his creative endeavors. Inspirational.

 

You can read the story Jamie and I did in Samurai The Graphic Novel...which you can pre-order here: Samurai Pre-Order

Happy New Year!

Karl

Altstaetter

EIC 

Samurai The Graphic Novel

 

What was your experience like working on Samurai The Graphic Novel. Was it a challenge?

The greatest challenge for me - probably the greatest challenge for most indie creators - was in balancing a very time-consuming day job, a family life, work on this project, my own projects and my own sanity.

I work in television for my day job, and constantly face 12-14 hour working days, with travel thrown in. I have a two year old son, and was trying to finish off one mini-series and start a new series told across three separate books.

Luckily I've never been the biggest sleeper.

In one word what best describes your style?

Dreamy? I tend to think a lot about any story I'm working on, then quickly sketch down some ideas before writing pretty much full scripts. I like to let the artist have their say, so full scripts for me really only include descriptions of actions from players on a page, and dialogue/sfx.

 

How many years have you been creating art?

I've always been a sketcher - and I'm one of those kids who used to fold pieces of paper in half an create their own comic books.

Writing, I have some 2000 ad rejection letters from the early nineties, a couple of film scripts earlier this decade.

Omnitarium was my first completed series which saw print, which I started writing in 2009, based on an earlier idea.

What's your biggest influence artistically/story wise?

Pretty much every creator that worked on 2000 ad between 1977-1987. Especially Alan Moore, Pete Milligan and Grant Morrison. 

Moore's Captain Britain and V for Vendetta came at a time in my life when I was very angry at the establishment. My father was in prison, my mother was struggling with two kids and a lousy job, the police in the UK were pig ignorant bullies, and the school I was at was full of racist idiots. It wasn't a good time.

Zenith rewrote super hero story telling for me in a way that no other story had - even more so than Watchmen or Dark Knight.

Milligan is possibly one of the greatest character writers in comics - his Shade series remains one of my all time favourites.

Other comic creators include Giffen and DeMattis', for their Justice League, Sterenko, Sienkiewicz and Paul Grist.

I'm also beginning to "get" Jack Kirby now!

Away from comics, Robert Anton Wilson, John Wyndham and G.K. Chesterton all tell stories with verve and imagination which I wish I could channel for just one sentence.

John Carpenter is also probably my overall hero for story telling - he is a master of misdirection. 

Why do you think the idea and iconography of the Samurai resonate with the imagination? 

The idea of a strong, silent heroic figure. The quest, the mission - it's been with heroes since the start of story telling, and remained in the imagination through out time.

If you were a Samurai what part of Bushido (The Samurai code) best describes you. Pick two: loyalty, honor, obedience, duty, honoring your elders/ancestors, and self-sacrifice.

Loyalty and duty.

The sword was the main weapon of the Samurai. What is your weapon of choice when it comes to art?

My Macbook. That coupled with CS and a simple disposable black pen and scrap paper. The lap-top is the razor sharp blade which finesse the dirty work of the other tools.

When you create an idea what's your first action? Write it out? Do layouts? Character designs?

First things first, a cup of tea and a quiet moment to think about what the idea is. Lots of rumination and meditation, imagining images and directions, character and so forth. Then I will start to do very very rough thumbs for myself, to help feel out the flow, before having a cup of coffee and getting on with the script.

Unless I have something very specific in mind, I let the artist go to town on the idea too. I love comics for the combined creativity - the fact that you are getting two or three unique sides to the same story.

What do you hope readers will get out of  Samurai?

Inspiration.

We live in a great time for collaborative projects. Connectivity and the ability to share ideas is so readily available in a way that I never have experienced before.

Social networking has also taken this to a whole new level - the fact that one can get stuck trying to do something, and near instantly share the problem and find a solution with a like minded creator on the other side of the world is astounding.

I hope other creators feel inspired to try the same. And, you know, buy the book, too!

What are your latest projects or projects you are going to be working on in the future?

Omnitarium image - art by J.C. Grande

I finished Omnitarium's mini-series in September (http://www.omniatrium.net) and it is currently going up on-line, two pages a week. We're about half way through with that.

I'm also planning out a collection of the series, thinking about adding a few things, and perhaps colouring or toning at the very least.

I enjoyed playing around in that universe, and may revisit some of the ideas again in the future.

The big project I'm working on at the moment is called The Hero Code (http://www.herocode.net). I wanted to create a super-hero universe, the chance to have non-linear platform to tell various stories about characters, but at the same time have a clear underlined story about a set of those characters running through it.

It spans various time-frames, and has a "main" book, with various mini-series books branching off from it, offering enclosed tales for people, as well as a traditional on-going book for fans. At the moment I have the series mapped out for 30 issues!

Herocode image - art by Jonathan Rector

Dan Smith helped with character designs for the whole series, and at present I have him working on one of the arcs of the book (working title "Theatre of War") as well as J.C. Grande, the artist I worked with on Omnitarium, and Jonathan Rector. Each artist brings something new and exciting to their story, and I'm really excited about working on it.

 

I'm also working on an 8 page story entitled Samurai Billy, with the wonderfully talented Andrew Ross MacLean - it's great fun, a high energy mash up, distilling the Japanese take on fifties pop-culture, throwing in mod-ninjas and samurai rock a billies for good measure.

Samurai's Billy, Benny and Bobby - art by Andrew Ross MacLean

Along with this I have a few other ideas ticking over, a couple of possible collaborations with some other fellow Samurai creators... we shall see. 2011 looks to be a busy year!

Spread the Word. Win Cool Stuff!

I'm feeling that holiday cheer so it's time to give some gifts away.

There will be two prizes.

The first prize is your very own copy of Samurai The Graphic Novel! Signed by me and delivered to your crib by the U.S. Postal Service!

The Second prize will be a piece of original art from the book!. You can get your hands on this original art. Which I think would look smashing, framed in your living room (Red moon not included in original art version)
>>>>>
All you have to do is mention Samurai The Graphic Novel and link to our site. http://komickarl.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/samurai-the-graphic-novel

...somewhere on the internet. It could be on DA, Facebook, Twitter, your blog or dare I say it Myspace. Just show us a link to it in the comments section of this Blog and you are entered. I will be choosing the winners at random on New Years Eve. What a way to welcome in the new year with free stuff!!!

Good luck and Happy Holidays!!!

Karl

Karl Altstaetter Slices and Dices Samurai

It's been my pleasure to work on Samurai The Graphic Novel with so many talented artists. This project has been a labor of love and it shows in the final product. Here is a short interview on the creative side of my experience of working on STGN.
You can pre-order Samurai The Graphic Novel here: Samurai Pre-Order


Karl Altstaetter
EIC
Samurai The Graphic Novel

In two sentences what is your STGN about?
SAVED is about a ninja who's village is destroyed by a Samurai clan. He spends his life looking for revenge only to find a dark secret that will test his belief in his very existence.

Where did your STGN story come from? What were your trying to achieve with the art?
SAVED was a story I had written a couple of years ago. Originally it was going to be part of a Graphic Novel that was going to combine some of my short stories I've written and drawn. It was going to include Postal: A Homicidal Love Story, Survival Instinct as well as the story GO 2 HELL. I like telling short stories because you have to get down to business quickly and be efficient with your storytelling. That keeps the energy going and I find that keeps me motivated creatively. As an aside I went pretty far with an idea called Samurai Billy. A Rockabilly Samurai story that never fully formed. Samurai Billy will be making a comeback in STGN Book 2 with Jamie Gambell taking over the idea and writing it.

What was your experience like working on Samurai The Graphic Novel. Was it a challenge?
STGN was interesting for me because I was editing the book. I had to jump start the idea and keep it moving as well as set up the structure for it to work. Although I've self published many of my own Comics it's totally different working with other artists with differing levels of experience with publishing. In the end it was great seeing all this diverse work coming in and all in one place in print. I think the biggest challenge is getting other artists to believe in and join your vision. In the end we have created a really unique and diverse comic experience which in today's Comic Book market is saying a lot. The great part is that book 2 and 3 are going to be even better quality. I also have to mention Jamie Gambell for his work on helping with the logistics of the book. He really came through on the project. Also Gerimi Burleigh lent his considerable talent to the graphic design of the book. Without those two helping on the editorial side it would have been an almost impossible task. From the Hyperwerks side my business partner Jamie Douraghy helped fund the book and has shown a great deal of faith in the project from the very beginning. Also Rex Mong for helping coordinate the printing in China. Rex's eye for detail and follow through has made the printing process a breeze.

What was your process for creating your story for STGN? Describe it step by step.
I had written some notes on SAVED and from those notes I made a loose treatment. I started doing layouts based on the treatment and revised those over a few months based on new ideas that were coming to me as I worked on other projects. I invited Jamie Gambell into the creative process and we had a discussion about the story and then I started the pencils and inks. I started coloring the story and eventually I turned the coloring over to one of my frequent collaborators the artist EVE. He jumped in and took the colors to whole other level and made the story really shine and have a distinct look. Jamie and I started the scripting process and I lettered the book.

In one word what best describes your style?
Evolving

How many years have you been creating art?
I've been creating art since I was a kid but professionally for almost 20 years.

What's your biggest influence artistically/story wise?
I have so many influences artistically that it's hard to pinpoint just one. Story wise Satoshi Kon and his style of storytelling has had a big influence on me. His death was a great loss to the creative community. 

Why do you think the idea and iconography of the Samurai resonate with the imagination?
On a visual level the Samurai has a silhouette that is so recognizable that it stirs preconceived idea in our minds. The Samurai as a visual icon transcends cultures like the Cowboy or the Super Hero. The Samurai imagery is so ingrained into our popular culture that it's easy to project yourself onto that iconography and that is a huge trigger for the imagination.

If you were a Samurai what part of Bushido (The Samurai code) best describes you. Pick two: loyalty, honor, obedience, duty, honoring your elders/ancestors, and self-sacrifice.
I would have to say loyalty. I think maybe I'm loyal to a fault.

The sword was the main weapon of the Samurai. What is your weapon of choice when it comes to art?My weapon of choice is the Micron Pen. I burn through these fantastic little pens like crazy.


What do you hope readers will get out of your story in Samurai?
I hope the emotion resonates with the readers. That's my hope with all my stories but SAVED in particular needs that audience emotional participation to work.


What are your latest projects or projects you are going to be working on in the future?My latest project is called Me2 which I am collaborating with MTV and their new site MTV Geek this coming year. You can read about it here. Me2 Interview on MTV

I'm also developing a new toy/TV show with a major toy company. I can't talk about that in detail but more news on that soon.  

I'll be finishing up my mini series Emerald City Blues which is my take on the world of The Wizard of Oz. Issue #3 is almost done. You can read more about it here: ECB Book 01

I also recently finished book four of Rostam Tales of the Shahnameh. It's a Comic Book re-imagining of the classic poems and stories of the Persian poet Ferdowsi. It's been an amazing project to work on and one I'm very proud of. It reaches out to readers that don't normally read Comic Books and introduces people who don't know about this aspect of Persian culture a unique and entertaining introduction to it. You can find more about it here: Rostam Tales of the Shahnameh site

Samurai On MTV Geek

Check out my interview on MTV Geek. I talk about my new project Me2 and Samurai The Graphic Novel.

MTV interview


You can pre-order Samurai The Graphic Novel here: Pre-Order Samurai

Wayne Young Delivers "The Message"

I had the good fortune of meeting Wayne at Wonder Con in San Fransisco a few years back. I was impressed by his high contrast artwork and his style of storytelling.

Wayne's artwork transcends the "Comic Book" style by creating a world with his art.  Filled with deep blacks and stunning layouts you are pulled into the imagination of it's creator. You will also notice the expressions on the characters which I believe is a direct product of Wayne's acting background.

Sit back and enjoy this behind the scenes Q&A with a true master artist on the rise.

You can read Wayne's entire story in Samurai The Graphic Novel. Samurai #1 Pre-Order

Karl Altstaetter
EIC
Samurai The Graphic Novel

In two sentences what is your STGN about?

My story is inspired by a passage from the Hagakure (The Book of the Samurai) which states: Being a good retainer is nothing other than being a supporter of one's lord, entrusting matters of good and evil to him, and renouncing self interest. In other words, in my segment, the Samurai delivers a message but there is no indication as to whether he is doing the will of a good man or an evil man.

What was your experience like working on Samurai The Graphic Novel. Was it a challenge? 

I'm my own greatest critic, so trying to please myself is always a challenge. Samurai The Graphic novel will represent my first published work in comics, so I'm really exited about it. It's been an incredibly educational experience to see how it all comes together.

What was your process for creating your story for STGN? Describe it step by step.

I always start with character. Then, I try to imagine interesting scenarios to place those characters in.

In one word what best describes your style?

Noir?

What's your biggest influence artistically/story wise?

Artistically, probably Leonardo da Vinci. Story wise, I'd have to say Kurosawa. I'm a big fan and advocate of truthful, patient storytelling.

Why do you think the idea and iconography of the Samurai resonate with the imagination? 

Visually, obviously the Samurai are super-cool! But on a deeper lever, I think the concept of utter discipline and dedication is something that everyone can aspire to regardless of what we pursue. It's the same reason Bruce Lee is still so popular decades after his passing. It's the pursuit of perfection, even if it can never truly be attained.

If you were a Samurai what part of Bushido (The Samurai code) best describes you. Pick two: loyalty, honor, obedience, duty, honoring your elders/ancestors, and self-sacrifice.

Honestly, if you asked everyone who knows me, I don't think a single person would list obedience as a characteristic I possess. For that reason, I don't think I would make a good Samurai (or soldier for that matter!) However, boxing and martial arts have played almost as big a role in my life as my art so I'm no stranger to honor and self-sacrifice. But I guess I'd make a better Ronin than Samurai!

The sword was the main weapon of the Samurai. What is your weapon of choice when it comes to art?

My Mont Blanc Classique Black .05 pencil; it was a gift from my mom.

When you create an idea what's your first action? Write it out? Do layouts? Character designs?

Character designs. Everything starts with character for me.

What do you hope readers will get out of your story in Samurai?

Entertainment!

What are your latest projects or projects you are going to be working on in the future?

I'm currently in the process of creating a three-issue limited series. The tentative title right now is "Children of the Fall," but that may change. I'm finishing up issue #2 right now and the main character in my Samurai segment actually plays the role of the primary antagonist in this story. 

Sneak Peek at Samurai #2

Here is a behind the scenes look at some artwork from Issue#2 of Samurai The Graphic Novel.

Artwork created by Michael O'Hare.

You can pre-order issue one of Samurai The Graphic Novel here: Samurai #1 Pre-Order

Landish Battles the Samurai!

I met Landish two years ago at the Long Beach Comic Con. I was imediately taken by his original style and unique approach to art. His style lands somewhere between, graphitti, manga and Loony Tunes but yet he has a voice that can only be described as "pure Landish." Landish was kind enough to answer our questions and give us some insight into how he created his story for Samurai The Graphic Novel.

You can pre-order Samurai here: Samurai Pre-Order

Karl Altstaetter
EIC
Samurai The Graphic Novel

1.  In two sentences what is your STGN about?

It’s about love and hate. Well, almost all my drawings are about love and hate. Microbes War it’s a story about samurai who fights with someone who usual people can’t see, also he doing it so good so no one can’t see a real fight. That’s why it calls Microbes War. But something went wrong and all world collapsed in front of Samurai and fight turns in a war.

2.  Where did your STGN story come from? What were your trying to achieve with the art?

It’s story about my own life. It’s very hard to be an artist, so hard to be a true warrior. Nevermind how much pressure falling on you from our world you gotta go forward. Microbes War full of jokes and cartoon violence, so probably people will not take it too seriously.

But that’s the point: I telling go forward positive, stay positive and keep smile.   

3. What was your process for creating your story for STGN. Describe it step by step.

Well, first I got an idea. It was coming after I watched Afro Samurai. I really like animation street style in this movie. Also soundtrack was badass. But I needed a villians. That was hard. I didn’t want him to fight against people, I wanted something new. Something that will look like real people. Not vampires, not demons, not zombies, something that still wasn’t. New creatures that accidently appeared because of human mistakes. Radiation, smoke, too much cars on streets, junkfood. Like this appeared Microbes. Original microbe is a very small thing that you can’t see by eye and for sure you can’t kill it. And what is more dangerous when it lots of them it makes it even harder to destroy them. So this was perfect for villians. People, that looks like people, but they are not really people. Hhhhh=)

But what makes them villians? That was easy. I made them drink adrenaline from other people. Without adrenaline human can’t live.

Then I made script. I create biography of Samurai, he was one of the greatest samurai who was working on “Organisation” - corporation fights against microbes. There are small “ Organization” firms in all over the world. My story happens in Japan. He takes special pills that help him to recognize microbes among people and make no harm to normal humans. Also he got transvestite friend Chiba who driving a taxi cab from place to place. Microbes often appear in night-clubs areas, cause there are too much music, drugs, sex and of course adrenaline. Samurai (Joe) became a DJ.

Then I pencilled all pages and after that I colored them in Photoshop. Printed and here you go. Microbes War V.1 from Darktoons comics from Landish founder, writer, penciller, colorist, publisher, producer ha-ha-ha-ha =))))

This is Israel. Wanna live? Work hard.

4. In one word what best describes your style?

KA-BOOM!!!

5.  How many years have you been creating art?

Wow. Since I was child. In 7 years I already knew that I will be comic artist. Between ages 12-17 ages I stoped and then get back. Well, I hope since that I will never stop creating art.

6.  What's your biggest influence artistically/story wise?

Mr. Skottie Young! The greatest!

Also Humberto Ramos, Francisco Herrera, Tara McPherson, Kukula, Greg Titus.

But Skottie have some kind of magic. He lives in his characters. Acting, feelings, designs of his character is something like theatre. By the way, because of his art I get back to comics. Well, thanks Skottie, hope some day I’ll see you.

Almost forgot. Music-music-music my big influence too.

7.  If you were a Samurai what part of Bushido (The Samurai code) best describes you. Pick two: loyalty, honor, obedience, duty, honoring your elders/ancestors, and self-sacrifice.

Honor. For sure it will be honor.

Self-sacrifice. Look at me, I am an ART SLAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =)))))))

8.  The sword was the main weapon of the Samurai. What is your weapon of choice when it comes to art?

Pencils. With them I can work everywhere I want. No needs in electricity. Just me, pencils and papers.

9.   When you create an idea what's your first action? Write it out? Do layouts? Character designs?

Probably write it out. I see things all the time, but I have to sit and concetrate on something one to make it into art after. So I just writing some ideas here and there and then I mix ‘em up in one piece.

10.  What do you hope readers will get out of your story in Samurai?

Action in life. Start doing things!

11.  What are your latest projects or projects you are going to be working on in the future?

I will finish Microbes War series and then will start another comic. Also I working right now with one guy from USA on his project “Magic Panty 2” (1 I draw a while ago). It’s very fun and cool project and I have a lot of freedom to my creativity there. And I keep making all kind of comissions in Israel, USA, Russia, India. So I always open for work. I not hard person, you can tell me all about your crazy ideas and I will try to draw them. Feel free to connect with me!

Have a nice day, my Tiny Cannibals!

Mike O'Hare Samurai Sneak peek

Michael O'Hare is known for his work on various toy lines and Comic work for both Marvel and DC as well as his creator owned title Flack Riot.

Mike is lending his considerable talent to Book 2 of Samurai The Graphic Novel. Here is a behind the scenes sneak peek at one his pages.  For more fantastic artwork from Michael O'Hare you can find him on Deviant Art: DA Page



You can pre-order Book 1 of Samurai The Graphic Novel here: Samurai Pre-Order

Ten Questions With Jesse Toves

Hi! Fellow Samurai,

Another installment of Ten Questions (sorta). This time we talk to master Animator and Visual Effects Artist Jesse Toves. Jesse brings a unique process to creating his comics. They are created entirely digital.  Armed with his computer and his talent Jesse has created a futuristic epic for Samurai The Graphic Novel. 

You can pre-order Samurai The Graphic Novel here: Samurai Pre-Order

Karl Altstaetter

EIC 

Samurai The Graphic Novel

In two sentences what is your STGN about?

Encoding Bushido is a story about jealousy. It’s Cain and Able with robots.

Where did your STGN story come from? What were your trying to achieve with the art?

My story came from having a pretty specific objective - to expand my graphic storytelling vocabulary. The initial objectives for the group were simple enough - it was to “up” our game, to take our approaches to the medium and challenge them a little bit. For myself, that actually meant doing something with far more action, more technical involvement, and basically more density. So I am answering the question a little bit backward here, the initial pitch had only the working title of the Bushido Code, and I knew it would be science fiction. Even though like most comics artists I started my comics experience with the superhero genre, it’s never been my wish to do personal work in that genre. My initial pitch was huge - something other members told me would be more fitting a long form project and not an anthology like the one we were putting together. But I was already very attached to the world that was starting to emerge, and was asked if I could pare down the pitch which then worked out very well. But I remember the day at work when I found a few spare minutes to come up with the basic gist of the story - and I think some of the guys at work were discussing Pinocchio and the various modern attempts at bringing that story to life. Steven Spielberg’s “A.I.” was his Pinocchio told in a very science fiction setting and there is a scene in that film which is basically the inspiration for Encoding Bushido. In this scene, an artificially intelligent creation becomes jealous of it’s “sibling” - becomes enraged, and destroys what is actually just a copy of itself. Encoding Bushido asks a similar question, that if beings constructed become artificially intelligent enough to become jealous of one another, what will the dynamics in their relationship be like?

What was your experience like working on Samurai The Graphic Novel. Was it a challenge?

The greatest challenge of working on this project has been that I had already been working on the most challenging and rewarding OTHER project I have ever undertaken in my entire animation career. My work as an animator and visual effects artist during the same time represented as much of a game changer for my career as an animator as Encoding Bushido represents as an aspiring comic book artist. So the challenge of working - at various times - 10-12 hours a day, seven days a week on a television series AND working on self publishing my other books AND working on Encoding Bushido represented the complete use of EVERY WAKING HOUR of my life for most of 2010.

What was your process for creating your story for STGN? Describe it step by step.

If I had to describe my process I would have to say it was organic. I have become a big fan of the “mind-mapping” techniques of engineers and designers and have even used various computer programs to do so - but Encoding Bushido began entirely as a mind map asking the essential questions about what it means to be a samurai. From the mind mapping I could collate my ideas, write a pitch, the pitch became a plot, the plot became a rough script, that rough script was enough to generate thumbnails, then I refined the script a little according to some ideas I had doing the thumbnails, I made rough pages from the thumbnails and more refinements to the script. Now I know to some people this is going to sound very backward, but I did not make a final design for anything before finishing the script. I literally thumbnailed everything without the benefit of final concept art - the style I was going to use, virtually nothing I did was look development until into the rough page stage. I did this for various reasons which are mostly related to the fact that until I knew what the characters were really going to be and be able to do as informed in the script I didn’t want to lock into anything visually. In other words, if it was expedient for the story in some way I would alter the design or approach to something. It has always been my job in visual effects to follow the demands of the project and not force my own creative agenda onto something and I wanted to treat this project the same way. Say for instance I designed something like a rocket launcher into the character before I started writing the story. If nothing in the story called for its use I would feel like I wasted my time. So by the time I was ready to do the final layouts I had a solid idea of what the characters would be doing, what they looked like, etc. Sounds kind of backwards but it was important to me to force myself to think more like a writer for this project.

In one word what best describes your style?

“Loose?” I don’t really know - I can tell you that the style for my other project is definitely “Noir” but Encoding Bushido represents a significant departure from that for me. As a matter of fact, most elements about any new project I work on will likely be rendered completely different form one another. Any story I want to tell will find its “look” or style. Runs very counter to the typical nature of comic book artists but I don’t want to get stuck in a look forever. I can’t remember who said this but it’s one of my favorite sayings - “everything in the world ultimately harmonizes with its ideal shape” and I like to think the same applies to art. Ultimately everything artistic finds its ideal form, style, or shape.

How many years have you been creating art?

This is a trick question - I would have to find in my life something I would consider art and then determine whether or not I had done that enough times to represent a decent enough amount of time to … just kidding. Professionally I have been creating art for maybe twenty-two years.

What's your biggest influence artistically/story wise?

I don’t think I can name any one person - maybe it comes out in my work, maybe it doesn’t. There are people I definitely include as artistic influences because I see the media effects they have had and have to name them - Frank Miller, Frank Lloyd Wright, Edward Van Halen, David Lean, Bill Sienkiewics, and J. R.R. Tolkein.

Why do you think the idea and iconography of the Samurai resonate with the imagination?

One of the first ideas I had about the entire project is that we truly are “standing in the shadow” of something much larger than any of us. We are literally standing in the shadow of the concept of the samurai - they were once very common and now we generally experience their message and likenesses in popular culture and media and not necessarily in our daily lives. But like all good ideas, the people who followed these beliefs left such an indelible impact on the world that we are likely to never forget that contribution. I think plenty of people would argue that we are generally experiencing a more abstract and filtered view of what it was to be a samurai but we are at the mercy of our distance from the real thing.

If you were a Samurai what part of Bushido (The Samurai code) best describes you. Pick two: loyalty, honor, obedience, duty, honoring your elders/ancestors, and self-sacrifice.

Uggh. I think this is likely a better question for someone else to answer about me personally because while I appreciate the ideals behind this system of honor it truly doesn’t have any meaning under the generally soft and “milktoast” level of society we encounter today - this isn’t feudal Japan after all and the consequences of our actions aren’t as serious as they were when people ACTUALLY carried samurai swords around and cut your head off for being insolent. Also, culturally speaking, Japanese people consider different things to be dishonorable especially in the time of the Samurai. I come from Guam and that is very near Saipan - it’s an island whereupon the Japanese occupants fearing for their honor and lives from the invading US soldiers flung themselves from cliffs with their children in their arms. I think to anyone in the United States seeing that actual footage - some of the surviving color footage is shocking even today - would say that taking your children to their deaths is dishonorable but the cultural view of the act at the time was that it was traditional and even acceptable. Sorry that’s a long non-answer - someone, upon experiencing me at my best (or worst) is more qualified to answer that.

The sword was the main weapon of the Samurai. What is your weapon of choice when it comes to art?

My opinion. I personally think anything you hold in your hand will ultimately be irrelevant if you don’t have a point of view about it. If I had to say something solid, and choose an actual art supply or product I would say a mechanical pencil - for it’s precision in both writing and drawing, I have used one of these more than most tools for their efficiency, portability, re-usability, ubiquity, and balance. They are never perfect, but it’s the habit of companies that make them to slightly re-design them every year to stay relevant that I think is funny and little bit of a fetish.

When you create an idea what's your first action? Write it out? Do layouts? Character designs?

I obsess. Literally - I obsess about something until it feels real and then I create something. Most of the time I am already in process on something which is just labor intensive and already well formulated creatively so it becomes a matter of using the skills or tools I have to make it solid. But the first thing is always obsession.

What do you hope readers will get out of your story in Samurai?

This is a long story and it all begins with a dream I had. I think everyone at one point in their lives has had to deal with the sting of jealousy in some way. The dream in question went something like this - I was alone and fighting two giant snakes, I managed to fight both of them to a draw, holding each one of them under one of my fists. I woke up that morning and felt awful, the anxiety of a situation like that was palpable and I happened to find a book on the medieval interpretation of dreams. Under the category of snakes, one of the most common interpretations of the appearance of a snake in dreams was jealousy. At the time I had been working at a company where I felt I was not getting the same credit for my work as other employees, and it was my opinion at the time that the attention on these other people was largely undeserved. If there is anything I would like a reader to take away, it’s that jealousy is poisonous - whether or not they are able to deal with it, move past it and learn from it is really a matter of whether or not you are even capable of detecting and recognizing it.

What are your latest projects or projects you are going to be working on in the future?

I want to finish a short film idea I had worked on for many years before realizing like a lot of independent filmmakers that I would need more money, technical know-how and time before I could make it a reality - it’s a western and will likely take several years to finish.

Currently though, I am working on finishing a series of comics called “Trouble, Guts & Noir” that began as entries in the annual 24 Hour Comics Challenge. The first two issues are available online on my website at:

http://www.jesse-toves.com/Marketing/The_Comics_Store.html

I hope to have the last issue finished in January, 2011. This definitely falls into the category of “love” project - noir is not at all popular form and - if I dare say it - it’s one of those aging hipster kinds of genres. But I love it just the same - the world might be black and white but some of the people are as colorful and unpredictable as any in history and I can’t quite let go of the genre yet.

I also update my blog regarding Encoding Bushido on a regular basis here:

http://encodingbushido.blogspot.com/

I talk about a lot of stuff that is and isn’t related to the book itself but all of it falls into the soup that contributes to the overall experience of making the book. For instance, I blogged about the software I use in the course of making the book but I also talked about the overall atmosphere of the industry that the story will be released into - it’s a more complete look at the world I create in than you may find in some blogs - who wants or cares what someone had for breakfast that morning if the blog is supposed to be about a title or new book, right? But I think everything tends to contribute to the book in some way or another and is worth writing about there.