Monday, November 30, 2009

Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Josh Howard

Welcome back kiddies! This week human trap caught a Josh Howard. So go on and take a look at what he had to say when I found out he wasn't dead but trapped in the interview chair.

Alright lets start out with a short answer section and get the usual out of the way.

Name:
Joshua Cain Howard

Age:
32

Married/Single/Dating/Other:
Married

Pets:
none

Highest Education Level:
Art Institute of Dallas, but didn't finish

High School Mascot:
Lynx, then a Bulldog

First Job:
It was a summer job driving a tractor. (I grew up in a very small town). Corporately, my first job was selling books at Barnes and Noble

Favorite song to sing:
I don't sing.

Staying with short answers lets talk about what you do:

Comic(s) you created Before 2001:
Created Dead@17, T-Bird and Throttle, and others best forgotten

January 1, 2002 - January 2, 2002:
Created Lost Books of Eve

January 3, 2002 - Today:
Published Dead@17, Lost Books of Eve, and Black Harvest with many more on the way.

Alright all that stuff aside, lets get to the meat of the interview:

What do you do when not making comics?
Read books. Mostly fantasy type stuff, some non-fiction every now and then. I also collect action figures - mainly Masters of the Universe Classics and DC Universe Classics right now.

Favorite place to shop in person and online?
In person: Barnes and Noble.
Online: Amazon.com

Your in a plane flying over the Rockies, when BOOM! Engine blows and your going down. What do you do while your stuck in the mountains for 4 months?
I write. If not on paper, then at least in my head.

When you were 15 what were you for Halloween?
Did not dress up at 15. I think I stopped at 10 or 11 and I was a Ghostbuster.

Favorite comic character when you were 9, 19 and now?
At 9, the only comics I was reading were GI Joe and Transformers, so probably Optimus Prime. At 19, I wasn't really into characters so much as artists.
Now, I don't read that many current comics. I mostly pick up collected editions of older stuff like DC's Showcase Presents and IDW's Dick Tracy books. But from ages 11 - 17 I was all about Batman, and I've really learned to appreciate Superman over the years. So if I had to pick a character, it would be one of them.

If you got off a bus and someone came up to dancing and you got served, what would you do?
First I need to find out what it means to get "served."

Back to comic stuff for now. Knowing that Iceman is the greatest hero of all time, why do you think he is so underused?
I blame Icism.
Alright your making a comic about a team of gerbils who run a science fair every year. Whats the name of the book and sell me on a quick pitch? Go!
Super Gerbil Team Science Fair. It'll be manga.

We all know how good you can work with the pencil but what do you really want to be when you grow up?
A writer.

Where is the real money at in comic creating?
There's money?

When your making comics whats going on around you? Music, what kind? Silence? TV on?
When drawing, mostly talk radio, but sometimes I'll have a DVD on in the background.
When writing, sometimes music, but usually silence.

10 years from now. Where do you see yourself?
Hopefully a bigger fan base and 3 or 4 more comic series under my belt as well as my first novel. A movie based on Dead@17 wouldn't be a bad thing either.

Alright we can finish up with a quick word association game. I will say a word, you give me a quick one sentence response.

Dead @ 17?
Can't believe I'm still working on it 10 years later.

Dr. Acula?
Ed Wood.

Horror Comics?
The only person doing them right is Bryan Baugh.

Pop Tarts?
Frosted Strawberry.

Tom Cruise?
Never liked a movie that starred him.

Veggie Tales?
My son's #1 obsession growing up (just glad it wasn't Sesame Street).

Chevrolet?
Never driven one.

Decapitated Dan?
Nickname or current status?

Josh Howard?
Bleh.

Haha. Thanks so much Josh.

If you want to see what Josh is up to please go to http://joshhoward.typepad.com/

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Gothology Co-Founders

Welcome back kiddies! This time we welcome Jack and Justin, Co-Founders of Gothology, into the dungeon. Sit back and relax as they tell us about the first volume and what more we can expect from them in the future.

Decapitated Dan: Hey Guy
s. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me about Gothology and other projects your working on.

Jack: Thank you for taking time out for us.

Justin: Yeah, we really appreciate it.

DD: First of all lets talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?

Jack: Jack Sullivan, art student, co-founder/editor/contributor for Gothology.

Justin: Justin King, publisher, writer and comic artist. And, I'm also the co-founder/editor/and a contributor for Gothology.

DD: How did you find yourself getting into making comics?

Jack: Comics are the best way for one person to tell a complete story. You're really only limited by your own abilities with comics, which is nice because I'm a bit of a control freak. I wanted to be a director for the longest time, but I got a taste of that and hated the bullshit and drama of dealing with actors and crew. Scheduling and teaching and all that. You can choose to work with others in comics, but at the end of the day you have the capacity to tell a complete visual story that purely reflects your ideas, and that's unique.

Justin: I have been drawing comics since I was around 6 or 7. I don't really remember the reason I started drawing them, but they were incredibly stupid and usually starred my cats. I got my first taste of producing comics in high school, when my friend Doug Harvey and I made a series about our lives in school and the main character was our friend Padro - who was literally like a giant 5 year old. It was a huge hit and somehow got circulated all over the school to the point where people I didn't know would come up to me and tell me they were fans. That was really what sparked my interest in comics and publishing.

DD: So what can you tell me about Gothology?

Jack: Gothology is a comic anthology series we started to help promote artists/writers we felt weren't being given the opportunities for exposure they needed, and we wanted to make five million dollars.

Justin: It is a series of comic anthologies. The Eternal Sad, which is the first volume, is already out, and the second volume, Misery Loves Company, is currently in production, and should be out in January of 2010 if everything goes well.


DD: What's it all about?

Jack: Gothology is, shockingly enough, themed around Gothic subculture, which translates to basically everything and anything dark. I'm not a goth and never have been, though some people might disagree with me on that. Which is sort of what makes it interesting. Goth is a lot like punk but more subtle. You're not if you say you are, and nobody knows what it actually means. Everybody calls everybody posers but they won't call themselves goths outright. It's interesting. Goth is a huge subculture, there's those Siouxsie and Cure fans with bigass hair, metal fans with too much makeup, teen witches, masquerade vampires, horror movie addicts, deathrockers, gravers, mansonites, mallgoths, corp goths, steam punks, etc. etc. Basically if you wear more black than colour and like dark shit, someone somewhere thinks you're a goth, and someone else thinks you're a poser. It's hysterical. The books are a little tongue in cheek from our end, but we do run a lot of great dramatic/serious material as well. Diff'rent Strokes.

Justin: What Jack said. It sort of jumps all over the place in terms of styles and content, and it has something for everyone. We were very afraid all the artists would either take it way too seriously, or just the opposite where it turned into one giant Goth burn-fest. Luckily it has a very nice mix of both, and they all fit together surprisingly well. In The Eternal Sad, for instance, you can find comics about a crow's unrequited love, a blind and deaf pair of conjoined twins, a haunted doll, a group of cats that are too goth to sit out in the sun, a girl trying to resurrect her beloved cat, and all sorts of other ones - 25 more to be exact. So, as you can see,there is plenty of variety.


DD: Where did this idea of putting this together come from?

Jack: Myself and Justin had wanted to start publishing comics for awhile, and one night we were talking and conversation turned to goths we knew in high school. I didn't really know anyone that called themselves goths, but a bunch of them totally were. Totally were. The same really went for both of us, as we kept talking we put it together with our want to publish an anthology, and Gothology was the result. Honestly it started as a joke, but it's way funnier now that we've actually done it.

Justin: Yeah, we both wanted to publish comics. I had actually been trying to put together a publishing company for a little while beforehand, and I found out that a lot of other companies got their start by publishing anthologies. I loved the idea of getting up and coming artists the exposure they deserved, but at the same time thought it would be way to difficult to put one together. Eventually, I sucked it up, and decided the good would out weigh any difficulty, and started putting together a food themed anthology. A while after that, Jack and I came up with the idea for a Goth themed anthology from what was just a random conversation about the goths that were to the recent revival. We both thought this would be a brilliant time to release a Gothic themed anthology, and it took over as the anthology DAPshow Press would release. Luckily, none of the artists really got past concepting stages, and gladly switched to the new project.


DD: What are you hoping readers can take away from this collection?

Jack: We want readers to be entertained and to find new artists and comics. There's a ton of comic artists out there and a ton of comic fans and everyone has an audience that'll get them and an artist they'll enjoy. I think the anthology properly represents the gothic subculture with great accuracy, it's hugely varied in theme and content, and I guarantee everyone and anyone can find something they'll enjoy somewhere in it. It might be a little bit much, but I'd also like for people to gain a sort of appreciation for a much maligned subculture. The majority of the contributors aren't goths themselves, but they'd all been influenced in some way by some facet of what falls under the umbrella.

Justin: I want readers to finish the book and think it was a good comic anthology. A lot of anthologies have a bad rap for having shitty comics and being poorly put together, and we knew this, so we put forth a lot of efforts to make it great, to get great artists, and we also tried to do some original things with how it was read. Hopefully readers enjoy it as much as we do, and there are comics in it that they want to come back to and read again.


DD: Can you talk a bit about your experience putting this collection together?

Jack: Putting this together was way fun. Basically we just got to have fun and traipse around as this sort of anonymous super goth. With all the descriptions and invitations we were writing I'd kind of mastered the art of gothspeak. Sorrowful litanies issued from the depths of a sympathetic twilight's womb blah blah blah. It's not as easy as it looks, but for a while I had a problem not doing it.

Justin: It's a lot of work, but that makes it a lot more fun at the end. It is a bit weird, while putting this together, I started thinking and feeling more and more like a goth.

DD: How did you go about finding all of these creative teams?

Jack: Astral projection. We abandoned our corporeal forms and sent whispers into the ether, knowing they'd reach the ears of the deserving. AKA we used the internet. We set up a metric ton of accounts on as many social sites as we could find. The biggest boon was DeviantArt which got us the majority of our contributors through stupid creepy comments, mostly posting things like "We see you know the darker side of the unending sorrow of life, join us in our misery." More often than not we just told people "You should be in me." under the book's account, which worked well. Our advice: If you want people to take interest in your projects, make vague sexual passes at them, while posing as an inanimate object. But honestly, we sort of set up a persona for the book and tried to suck people in with that. The way we presented ourselves really helped us I think.

Justin: We also sent out emails and messages asking artists to join in. Those were generally presented normally, so that the artists didn't think we were insane and would take the invites seriously. Although, a few still didn't get it and thought we were accusing them of being Goths and would get all butt hurt at that thought. Which in reality, probably DOES mean they are Goths.

DD: Can we expect more collections from you in the future?

Jack: We have two more volumes of Gothology in the works that we hope to have out by 2010, and are planning a series of themed spin-offs, starting with Night of the Living Gothology, which will be a zombie themed book. Big things on the horizon for sure.

Justin: In addition to the Gothology series, DAPshow Press has some other books coming out next year, including The Gonk, by Sarah Fowlie, which is about zombies. Also, I am planning on turning my original Gothology comic, Hardcore Fetish Boys, into a web comic to be published on DAPshow which will hopefully be published alongside some other web comics.


DD: What comics are you currently reading?

Jack: A lot of Zuda stuff, Zuda's really cool free comics. At the moment I'm reading through Azure and Supertron, and am way into I Rule The Night and stoked for RockStar. A bunch of Japanese horror comics as well, Franken Fran has been my big obsession for a while now. Way cool medical horror comedy drama.

Justin: Mostly indie comics. I've pretty much given up on the big boys, although DC has done a great thing with Zuda. I have also been a huge fan of Crayon Shinchan for a while, and like to read through volumes of that during my free time.


DD: So in summary give me a quick recap on Gothology and why fans should give it a try.

Jack: Gothology is as rad as it is sad, it's got a variety of up and coming comic talent, there's something for everyone, and we haven't made five million dollars yet.

Justin: If you like to laugh, if you like to think... if you like action, if you like drama... if you like to sit in a dark corner while listening to depressing music - Gothology has something for you.

DD: Thanks so much guys. I hope people can jump on board and check out this project. I know I was really impressed by it and can't wait to see what else you can put together.

Jack: Thanks for the support, Dan. Don't forget, fangs out.

Justin: I am glad you liked it. Thanks.

If you would like to buy Gothology: The Eternal Sad or read more on what the book is all about please go to http://books.dapshow.com/gothology/

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Tim Seeley

Welcome back kiddies! This past week I went human hunting and caught me a Tim Seeley. So I put him in a box and carried it down into the dungeon. So go on and take a look at what he had to say when I found out he wasn't dead and he woke up to find himself trapped in the interview chair.

Alright lets start out with a short answer section and get the usual out of the way.

Name:
Tim Seeley

Age:
32
Married/Single/Dating/Other:
I just got married!

Pets:
Two cats! Lucy and Zoey. I would have named them Fuckhorse and Ms. PurrPurrpants, but my wife named 'em.
Highest Education Level:
I have a BFA in Illustration from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. La Dee Da!
High School Mascot: A pine tree. Lame.

First Job:
Burger King whopper maker.

Favorite place to get a bite to eat:
Not Burger King. Any Thai or Sushi place will do fine by me.

Staying with short answers lets talk about what you do:
Comic(s) you created Before 1999:
Nothing you'll ever hear about again.

January 1, 2000 - January 2, 2003:
Lovebunny and Mr. Hell, Kore, and G.I.Joe!

January 3, 2003 - Today:
Hack/Slash, Forgoten Realms, Halloween, Exiles and Wildcats.

Alright all that stuff aside lets get to the meat of the interview:

What do you do when not making comics?
Bike, eat, make custom action figures, watch lots of movies and read the occasional book.

Favorite place to shop in person and online?
Quake Toys in Chicago...they have everything an 80s toy nerd could want. Online, I like Amazon, I s'pose.

Your in a through the desert, when BOOM! Engine blows and your stranded. What do you do while your stuck in the desert for 4 days?
Masturbate to conserve water. Err...wait.

When you were 15 what were you for Halloween?
I believe that was the year I was too old to trick or treat but too young to be cool again by dressing up. So, my guess is I went as a lonely board kid from Wisconsin.

Favorite comic character when you were 10, 20 and 30?
10: Spider-Man
20: Cyberfrog
30: Animal-Man


If you got served, what would you do?
Lay down and die from the shame.

Back to comic stuff for now. Knowing that Iceman is the greatest hero of all time, why do you think he is so underused?
Because he just ain't the same with Spidey, Firestar and Ms. Lion.

Alright your making a comic about a team of chickens who run are trying to bring down a large corporation. Whats the name of the book and sell me on a quick pitch? Go!
It's called "LIVE FREE AND DYE EGGS" and we find the team of chickens, each with her own military special must overcome their dark, mysterious pasts to take down the sinister Dr. Paas, a rabbit bent on turning the chicken's children into tasty, colorful Easter morning treats.

We all know how good you can write and draw but what do you really want to be when you grow up?
A lesbian.

Where is the real money at in comic creating?
Being Todd McFarlane.

When your making comics whats going on around you? Music, what kind? Silence? TV on?
I listen to a lot of indy music off the internet. WOXY mostly.

10 years from now. Where do you see yourself?
On a couch. Still watching episodes of 80s He-Man cartoons and realizing how sad it is for a 42 year old man to be watching them.

What do you know about the process of making Dill Pickles?
I'm from Wisconsin, man. We pickled fucking beets and rutabagas . Dill cukes are pedestrian!

Alright we can finish up with a quick word association game. I will say a word, you give me a quick one sentence response.

Hack/Slash?
Stress. Must finish script before honeymoon,

Snake Eyes?
Dude, how do you make Snake Eyes suck? I dunno..but the movie did it.
Horror Comics?
Ahh..a welcome respite from men in tights.

Jack the Ripper?
Now there's a guy who could have really benefitted from watching The View.

Christina Applegate?
When I was like 11 or 12 I cut out a picture of her from the National Enquirer and hung it on my bulletin board. She had torn pants and an eagee.

Sea Lions?
When I was in San Francisco on vacation, a bunch had taken over a pier. They smell horrible. But they're fun to watch.

Smurfs?
When I was in San Francisco on vacation, a bunch had taken over a pier. They smell horrible. But they're fun to watch.

Decapitated Dan?
All I know is he posts on boards as puyabusto or something. I think that word is Spanish for "eating so many chimichangas that your spleen prolapses."

Tim Seeley?
That dude drinks way too many Iced Soy Chai Lattes to be male.

Thanks so much Tim.

To learn more about Tim and to see what he is up to please check out http://www.timseeley.com/

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Ken Haeser

Alright kiddies it’s time to bring another Ghoulish Guests into the Dark Dungeon. I have lured Ken Haeser, Co-Creator of The Living Corpse, into the depths to pick his brain about TV, music and New York Pimps from the 80’s.

Alright lets start out with a short answer section and get the usual out of the way.

Name: Ken Haeser

Age: 34

Married/Single/Dating/Other: Married

Pets: Does a kid count as a pet?

Highest Education Level: Graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic art aka comic book college.

High School Mascot: Some furry douchbag I believe.

First Job: Stock boy at a liquor store. I miss free booze...

Favorite thing to eat at the movies: The hearts of those that can't shut the fuck up for 2 hours.

Staying with short answers lets talk about what you do:

Comic(s) you created Before 1995:
Super Dude, Electro (not the Spidey villain, mine was an energy based hero), and about a thousand others created before high school.

From 1995 - September 12, 2009:
The Jersey Devil, The Eyes of Asia and a bunch of other little stuff here and there.

Sept. 13 - The end of time:
The Living Corpse, Spider-man and Batman

Alright all that stuff aside lets get to the meat of the interview:

What do you do when not making comics?
There is something other than making comics? I guess eat and sleep.

Favorite TV Shows past and present?
The Simpsons, Family Guy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, Quantum Leap, Looney Tunes, Tales from the Crypt, Justice League, This Old House, To Catch a Predator, How it's Made, Clash of the Gods, He-Man, Forensic Files, CSI (you never know when that info will come in handy!), Mythbusters, Star Trek, The Muppet show and Baywatch Nights.

Stranded on a desert island you get one comic to read for 5 years what is it (trades are allowed)?
I know most people would say Watchmen but that is what I would want to bring. I've read it like 20 times since I was in high school and still find new things in it every time I read it.

When you were 10 what were you for Halloween?
I believe I was the Hulk.

Favorite Music when you were 6, 16 and 26?
Cartoon theme songs, Guns and Roses and White Zombie

Back to comic stuff for now. Knowing that Iceman is the greatest hero of all time, why do you think he is so underused?
It might be because of the unresolved tension between Iceman and Maverick that he uses to cover up his overly blatant gay undertones. He can never get the spotlight that he deserves and be the greatest jet pilot as long as he’s… what? Oh, you mean the X-men guy. Sorry. Um… cause he can’t fly a jetplane?

If you were to make a comic about the life of a Pimp circa 1980 New York times Square, what would his name be and sell me on a quick pitch? Go!
It would be the story of Trick Magnet with the Pimp Hand of Iron. Watch out ho’s, he’s mean and fly and it’s hard to turn tricks when your missing most of yo teeth!

We all know you kick ass drawing monsters? But was it your first choice comic wise? In other words as a kid did you draw something, hate it, put red all over it and realize that Zombies were the way to go?
Not really. I always wanted to do a zombie comic because I love them but to me every zombie comic has been a rip off of the Romero zombie movies. It wasn’t until I started hanging out with Buz and our love of zombies and horror in general made us think hard about doing something different with zombies. We came up with the Living Corpse and the rest as they say is history!

Where is the real money at in comic creating?
That’s a damn good question. Let me know when you find out!

When your making comics whats going on around you? Music, what kind? Silence? TV on?
I listen to music when I’m writing and it all depends on what I’m writing too. Action scenes I gotta listen to something loud and angry and with character driven moments I stick on some classical music--- Beethoven, Bachs--- stuff like that. While I’m drawing I have the tv on but usually with stuff on that I don’t need to look up too often--- the History channel, director commentaries on a DVD—stuff like that.

10 years from now. Where do you see me at in my career of a headless journalist?
I think you’ve got a great future! As long as you don’t loose your head! Ha!!! I’ll be here all week.

10 years from now. Where do you see yourself?
Still doing comics but fatter and balder.

Alright we can finish up with a quick word association game. I will say a word, you give me a quick one sentence response.

Zombies?
George Romero

Living Corpse? Obsession.

Horror Comics? My favorite kind of comics--- if done well.

Taco Bell? Heaven.
Dead Alive? Not enough gore.

Marvel Comics? Gimme a job!
Swinger Parties? Is that an invite?
Decapitated Dan? Makes me think too much while interviewing…

Awesome! Thanks for stopping by Ken.

If you want to know more about Ken and what he does head on over to http://www.corpsecomic.com/

Thursday, November 5, 2009

2 New Reviews Posted

I just posted reviews for 2 Trades! Wulf and Batsy Vol. 1 and 2012: Final Prayer. Check em out!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Rob Oder

Welcome back kiddies! This time we welcome monster enthusiast Rob Oder in the dungeon. Rob is a Deaditor-in-Cheif for Chris Wisnia’s latest, 96-page graphic novel, Doris Danger Giant Monster Adventures! from SLG Publishing. So sit there and pretend to enjoy it, as he tells us all about his work and much more.

Alright lets start out with a short answer section and get the usual out of the way.

Name:
Robert Geisel Oder! Some of my friends call me “Bobby”! I prefer to be called “Rob”!

Age:

Well, I’ve had a few bibliographies written about me now, so depending on which one you read, I’m 36, 44, or 52!

Married/Single/Dating/Other:
No, yes, yes, and yes! Single, dating, and other, but no longer married (again!)

Pets:
I love animals! All my pets are named after personal friends of mine! Shoo-shoo, Gweeda, “Legs” McPersky, Jim Perv the Dog, Sweetie and Zitti the Borembauck Twins, “Mackin’ Tom”, Dertwah the Great, and Dirty Roy!

Highest Education Level:
High School Diploma, voted most annoying, AND most likely to get on people’s nerves!

High School Mascot:
The Crude Bay Fish!

First Job:
I began working for Tabloia Weekly Magazine at age 7! I was a shoe scraper! Back then, in those printing press rooms, it got really hot, and with all that intense physical labor, heavy lifting, shoveling coal into the furnace, you never knew what would wind up on the bottoms of those grimy, sweaty workmen’s shoes! Weird, thick green viscous slob! Inches of dried cement! Dead rat entrails! Squish squish squish! And in three years, I’d worked my way up to editor-in-Chief!

Favorite dance craze:
Have you heard of the Chicken Thrust?

Staying with short answers, let’s talk about what you do:

Comic(s) you created Before March 24, 1999:
I never created a thing! I was a journalist for a few years, and I asked the hard questions! But I got tired of getting beat up!

Luckily, that opened up doors, and got me an opportunity to edit Tabloia Weekly Magazine, a position I’ve staunchly clung to for forty-six years! Sometimes with force! I turned the magazine around in the late 1960’s, and now they’ve had tons of unbelievable features!

The Manchester Bludgeonings, Ned Norlin: Rest-stop Bathroom Killer, Professor Pardi’s Sex Science Facts, Throat Cleaver of Clarke County 1952, Dr. Cleanie Santini: Sultan of Sanitation, Shocking True Stories of the Bible … the list of unbelievable award-winning, non-fictive articles and exposees goes on and on!

March 25, 1999 - October 4, 2006:
The Lump, Dr. DeBunko: Debunker of the Supernatural, Dick Hammer: Conservative Republican Private Investigator… and Doris Danger, which is a realistic, somber, moving, and somewhat masterful Giant Monster extravaganza! The brand new Doris Danger book collects almost all her previous work to date! I wrote the introduction, the “history of Doris Danger in comics” piece, and of course I compile the letters pages!

October 5, 2006 - End of days:
Well of course, there’s a lot in the works! After Doris’s book release in November, there’s the Spider Twins Companion (an intelligent, comprehensive, and academic encyclopedia of masked vigilantes), the Real-life Adventures of the Spider Twins (our licensed look at the Jill Twins’ masked and controversial “crime” spree), Dick Hammer’s Dailies, Brush With Anger, starring Agent Anger, and Shocking True Stories of the Bible! Then there’s Bride of the Lump, The Lump Meets Frankenstein (the scientist, not the monster), The Lump Goes to Istanbul … The possibilities are endless!

Alright, all that stuff aside, let’s get to the meat of the interview:

What do you do when not making comics?
I like to attend rallies! Although I’ve slowed down, because I like to ask protesters the tough questions! And I got tired of getting beat up!

You get one band to listen to for one full week, who is it?
That’s easy! Professor Panky’s 9-Piece Kazoo All-Stars! They’re fantastic! I go on streaks where I’ll listen to just them for over a year!

You’re on a cruise when the boat crashes and you have to spend the next month drifting alone at sea, what do you do to pass the time?
I HAVE been on a cruise when the boat crashes! And I DID HAVE to spend THREE WEEKS drifting at sea, so I can answer with exactly what I would do! I’ve also crashed a helicopter, been attacked by a shark, and parachuted and the chute didn’t open!

But it’s all too upsetting to me! I’d rather we change the subject!

When you were 7 and 14 what were you for Halloween?
At age seven I was Dr. Caligari! At age 14 I reprised my role as Dr. Caligari! It was a big hit! The costume fit tighter for the reprise!

Favorite comic character when you were 8 and 16?
I can’t stand comics! I never read them!

But you’re editor for a comics magazine.
Yeah, it doesn’t make it easy!

King Kong vs. Godzilla fight to the death, who do you root for?
American or Japanese version? Because they have different endings, you know! I root for those Asian woman who are painted brown to look like African Savages! I root for the movie to be over, so we can watch something else!


Evil Dead 2 vs. Dead Alive?
Oh, yeah, Dead or Alive, they were a fantastic band! (humming) “I want surprises”!

Back to comic stuff for now. Knowing that Iceman is the greatest hero of all time, why do you think he is so underused?
What? Knowing that eye smannis …? What? What’s a “sman”? Some kind of women’s make-up? I told you I don’t follow comics! Can’t stand the sight of ‘em! They’re trash! And your sentence didn’t even make any grammatical sense! I don’t understand what you’re trying to ask!


Alright. You’re making a comic about a seahorse who is training to be in the Kentucky Derby. What’s the name of the book and sell me on a quick pitch? Go!
Did I tell you that Tabloia Weekly Magazine is actually COVERING a story this month about a seahorse who IS training to be in the Kentucky Derby? It’s called, Eat My Donkey, Butterface!

We all know how good you are at editing a long-running tabloid non-fiction periodical, but what did you want to be while you were growing up?
A Prima ballerina absoluta! I was classically trained! My parents had me enrolled in Crude Bay’s most expensive, strict, prestigious, disciplined ballerina academy!

It broke their hearts when they learned I’d gotten the job scraping shoes at the paper!

Sometimes late at night I’ll put on the demi-pointe shoes, or tutu, and reminisce about what could have been…!

Where is the real money in comic creating?
Well, our non-fictional True Stories of the Bible always sold well!

When you’re editing comics, what’s going on around you? Music, what kind? Silence? TV on?
In the Tabloia offices, there’s always a lot of shouting! Like people sounding like they could break into a brutal fight at any moment! That kind of shouting!


10 years from now. Where do you see yourself?
Well, Tabloia doesn’t offer a pension, so I see myself dirt-caked and homeless in a gutter, foully cursing at passersby and laughing at crude jokes no one else hears, lying under a ratty blanket with Shoo-shoo, Gweeda, “Legs” McPersky, Jim Perv the Dog, Sweetie and Zitti the Borembauck Twins, “Mackin’ Tom”, Dertwah the Great, and Dirty Roy!

Alright we can finish up with a quick word association game. I will say a word, you give me a quick one sentence response.

Doris Danger?
Gorgeous!

Molten Lava?
Hot stuff!

Horror Comics?
I can’t stand comics!

Pot Stickers?
Is that some kind of drug kids are using these days?

Killer Tomatoes?
Oh, like if they’re really good tomatoes!

Thundercats?
Uh…Lightning Dogs?

Richard Nixon?
Sometimes Dick Hammer, our staff “Conservative Republican Private Investigator,” reminds me of Nixon! Maybe a cross between Nixon and Superman!

Stretch Armstrong?
What??! There you go again – I have to keep telling our staff writers this too: In English, the subject should be PRECEDED by the adjective! And FOLLOWED by the verb! And if your subject is singular, you can’t use a PLURAL verb! And a definite article wouldn’t hurt either! But even correcting all that horrendous grammar, I STILL don’t see your point!

Decapitated Dan?
Is that a new kind of coffee? Like cuppa capitated Joe, or decapitated Joe if you want to get to sleep and don’t want to be all jumpy?


Chris Wisnia?
Hack! But he tries real hard, and he’s means well!

Thanks for taking the time to share with us Rob.
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Rob Oder has been Editor-in-Chief of Tabloia Weekly Magazine since 1961, and edits Chris Wisnia’s latest, 96-page graphic novel, Doris Danger Giant Monster Adventures! from SLG Publishing, which will be hit stores in November 2009. Doris Danger Giant Monster Adventures! is a Jack Kirby-style giant monster comic featuring inks by Dick Ayers (making it an authentic rip-off of the Kirby-style giant monster genre), and giant monster pin-ups by Mike Allred, Mike Mignola, Los Bros Hernandez, Bill Sienkiewicz, Arthur Adams, Gene Colan, John Severin, Russ Heath, and others!

In addition, Rob is actually a fictitious person. Please go to http://www.tabloia.com to learn more about Doris Danger or you can go to the
SLG page