10 Questions: Rickey Gonzales

This week's contestant is Rickey Gonzales.
Enter and sign in, please.

1) Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Rickey Gonzales I'm an artist and writer who eventually decided to join the two and make comics. I self-publish my stories under the imprint "Pretentious Comics Presents"

2) Tell us about your comics.
At their heart they're about relationships, but the most obvious themes are questioning faith and the state of existence.

3) How long have you been self-publishing?
Just over 5 years.

4) Why did you decide to start self-publishing your comics?
So people could read them.

5) Who are your main artistic influences--both in and out of comics?
Comics wise I'd say Adrian Tomine and Dan Clowes. But movies by indie filmmakers like Todd Solondz & PT Anderson are also an influence for focusing on characters that you don't always see as subjects in mainstream films.

6) What comics do you read?
I'm so broke anymore, the only comics I get to read nowadays are the ones I trade for at shows. I was a big fan of The Sandman series in highschool, and of course the collections of Optic Nerve and Eightball.

7) Do you have anything new for SPACE? Or are you working on anything new?
I'm working on a new book called The Death of Ginger Fierbusch and hope to have it ready for SPACE. It's about a drag queen who is killed in a spree murder and her two best friends after a memorial show discussing her death and the media circus (including protesting Christian groups) that her funeral was made into.

8) What do you like most about SPACE? What keeps you coming back?
I can get there by car! LOL. Seriously, the people there are great, and I love how the focus is on small indie creators. this is my 3rd year at the show, and I'm sure I'll keep coming back as long as Bob keeps hosting it.

9) How would you compare SPACE to other shows you've done?
SPACE is actually the only show I've done. I've been to Wizard World in Chicago as a patron and I would never even bother getting a table there because the focus is so NOT on the indie scene.

10) Which "Gilligan's Island" castaway are you most like?
The rest. You know the first season theme before they could even bother... "The movie star, and the rest... here on Gilligan's Isle."

10 Questions: Michael Neno

This week, the world famous Michael Neno tackles the infamous 10 Questions:

1) Tell us a little about yourself.

Publisher, cartoonist, writer, lover of art, especially the first half of the 20th century. Artists and historians will be trying for centuries to comprehend how work of that time period was created.

2) Tell us about your comics.

I've been publishing mini-comics and doing freelance comic book work for over 25 years, most notably freelancing for Cracked Magazine, Silver Comics, and lettering done for Paul Pope's Horse Press and Dark Horse.
In recent years, I've been concentrating on work taking place in my Signifiers Universe. My Xeric Grant-funded Reactionary Tales #1 takes place in that world, as does my upcoming The Signifiers #1.
I also have two ongoing online comic strips:
Freak Cave: http://www.nenoworld.com/Freak_Cave_Enter.html
and The Mesh: http://www.nenoworld.com/TheMeshEnter.html
The Mesh is a serialized graphic novel which will be published in book form when finished. Sixty panels have been posted so far.

3) How long have you been self-publishing?

Since around 1985. The Moderns #1 and Pictures of Benevolence #1 were the first minis I published.

4) Why did you decide to start self-publishing your comics?

I was inspired by the quality, integrity, and range of subject matter in Rick Brooks' self-published Comics Digest, and the world of publishing I discovered through Tim Corrigan's Small Press Comics Explosion.

5) Who are your main artistic influences--both in and out of comics?

Jack Kirby. Frank Robbins. David Mamet (his plays and his movies). Hitchcock. David Lynch. Henry James. Bix Beiderbecke. Benny Goodman's small group recordings. Music shows conducted by John McGlinn. Edward Hopper. Alex Toth. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Sparks. Stanley Kubrick. The Thrills. The Beatles. Ayn Rand. Madeleine L'Engle. Brian Wilson. Pre-code movies. Preston Sturges. Anything that's unique, beautiful, subtle, complex and true, visionary, transcendent.

6) What comics do you read?

Too many to list here. Any comics written by Geoff Johns, Joe Casey, Ed Brubaker, Brian Michael Bendis. The late Steve Gerber. Anything by Tom Scioli, Frank Espinoza, Chris Ware, Darwyn Cooke, Kim Deitch, Peter Bagge, Seth, Jerry Smith, Don Rosa. As far as old comics go, Kirby, Kirby, Kirby, Frank Robbins, Caniff, Archie comics by Samm Schwartz, Herge, Ditko, Mort Meskin, romance comics, Joe Maneely, Charles Biro, Baby Huey, Sad Sack, Peanuts, Carl Barks, Floyd Gottfredson, Little Lulu, C.C. Beck, Severin, you name it.

7) Do you have anything new for SPACE? Or are you working on anything new?
I'm working every spare moment to get The Signifiers #1 published by SPACE. Barring that, I do have a new line of Signifiers coffee mugs and buttons for sale, and will have new Mesh and Freak Cave coffee mugs as well. I'm also hoping to have copies of Silver Comics #8 on hand; I wrote and drew the cover and lead story.

8) What do you like most about SPACE? What keeps you coming back?

The cameraderie, networking, trading stories, info and books with other self-publishers. I always wish there were more customers, but Bob and Co. do a great job getting the word out about the show, and those who do come to the show are enthusiastic about purchasing unique work.

9) How would you compare SPACE to other shows you've done?

The breadth and caliber of the talent showcased at SPACE is giving other similar cons who feature talent a run for their money.

10) Which "Gilligan's Island" castaway are you most like?
Thurston Howell III, down on his luck.

10 Questions: David Branstetter

Let's let David introduce himself before we get to the "interview":

Hi I'm David and I make comics. My comic books are enjoyable to read an are often thought provoking. Most follow the character "Straw Man". It's about a superhero with no super powers. He does superheroish things even though he has no real abilities.

I wish I had this awesome comic bio that details my emergence to super stardom. So until that time comes you'll have to put up with this.
I've got a website too but it's like half-way done so don't be disappointed if it doesn't meet your expectations.
There. Happy?

Obviously, I was not happy, and sent David the dreaded 10 questions. Here's how he responded:

1) Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is David Branstetter. I'm about 6 foot tall. Sometimes I have a beard, sometimes I don't (It gets itchy). I live in Evansville Indiana but I'm originally from Lawton Oklahoma. I was born on June 4th 1980 and my brother was born two years to the day after that. For years I assumed that all brothers shared birthdays. I've got a BFA in Graphic Design and I'm married to my beautiful wife, Larissa.

2) Tell us about your comics.
As a kid I made up a bunch of characters that were two ideas removed from actual comic book characters, all getting their powers from basically the same source. I told myself If I ever wanted to draw a comic book I needed to create a character that was completely original. I heard the term "Straw Man" from my logic class and thought it would be funny to combine three definitions of the term together to represent one idea. It occurred to me that their weren't any superheros who had very little training, no superpowers, or a horrible physique. So I decided that "Straw Man" would use my worst characteristics and amplify them. I used to wear a coat well into April during the year. When I was a kid I used to draw circles for hands -- thus the mittens he wears. The scarf is an homage to Dr. Who (something I never really watched but was aware of us a youngster.) I put all this together to form one quirky and neurotic character. I had a friend who used to
claim that he had superpowers and was constantly testing them. Straw Man believes he has powers -- it's just that they aren't cooperating with him now. Truth is I was stalling till I figured out his real powers... and boy are they cool.

3) How long have you been self-publishing?
Straw Man has been my obsession for five years.

4) Why did you decide to start self-publishing your comics?

I knew that was what I was going to do from a very early age. I'd seen my heroes form Image Comics and I thought that anyone could that with enough talent and intensity. I didn't take it seriously until I viewed some pages of "Sky Ape" in a gallery. I said to myself "I really need to do this." Since I've been drawing Straw Man my desire to work on the "Big Two's" characters has diminished. I like the idea of self-publishing because YOU can control the outcome of YOUR future -- not some corporation.

5) Who are your main artistic influences--both in and out of comics?
When I was doing research for Straw Man I wanted to see what other artists did that was in black and white. The only thing I had was a single issue from Cerebus of "Mothers & Daughters" by Dave Sim. I became obsessed with his work and have adopted many of his credos as my own.
I'm also a huge Erik Larsen fan. The way that guy can pull a rug out from underneath a story is amazing. Erik is both consistent and a hard worker with a genuine love for comics that pours onto the page.
From a personal stand point I really admire Harvey Pekar for his tenacity. He stuck to what he believed in and gave it his all, all while dealing with personal issues and a career that went nowhere.
As far as music goes I love the Smashing Pumpkins, The Beatles, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, Beck, Wilco and the Shins.
Filmmakers are Wes Anderson and Micheal Gondry. Nobody makes movies like these guys.
I'd also like to list my dad. He started a business from nothing when I was 11 and now lives very comfortably.

6) What comics do you read?
Savage Dragon, Goon, Madman, Cerebus, RASL/Bone, independent stuff --
I liked "Blankets" and "Paul Moves Out" a lot.

7) Do you have anything new for SPACE? Or are you working on anything new?
Straw Man 7 & 8 should arrive in time for Space this year. I'm doing a number of smaller projects as well. Allen Freeman's Slambang # 4 features 5 pages of true life stories. I've also got a new 24 hour comic to debut called "The Winter of '89".

8) What do you like most about SPACE? What keeps you coming back?
I'd have to say all the creative buzz. The people are great-- the customers and the creators. It's about the size I can handle too!

9) How would you compare SPACE to other shows you've done?
It's definitely the best but that's kinda of a biased view. I've only been to two!

10) Which "Gilligan's Island" castaway are you most like?
Gilligan. Just when I think I'm doing something right I screw it up. Straw Man's moto is "Sometimes Life Just Sucks" and I think that just about sums it up.

10 Questions: Larned Justin

When I first met Larned Justin at SPACE a few years ago, my first thought was that based on the way he drew himself in his comics I thought he'd be taller. Seriously, though, he's a great guy and does some great and very funny comics. I highly recommend that you stop by his table when you're at SPACE next month.
Here's how he answered my ten silly questions:

1) Tell us a little about yourself.
Nothing special just an old guy who likes to draw small press comics.

2) Tell us about your comics.
Lately I have been on a kick to simplify my comics, get them back to the roots of small press.

3) How long have you been self-publishing?
over ten years

4) Why did you decide to start self-publishing your comics?
I found out through fact Sheet 5 that people all over the world where doing it

5) Who are your main artistic influences--both in and out of comics?
In comics would be all of the original Mad Magazine cartoonists.
Re fine art, it would be the Impressionists.

6) What comics do you read?
Actually only small press comics,

7) Do you have anything new for SPACE? Or are you working on anything new?
Yes, issue one of "Homemade Komix"

8) What do you like most about SPACE? What keeps you coming back?
The people

9) How would you compare SPACE to other shows you've done?
I like SPACE the best

10) Which "Gilligan's Island" castaway are you most like?
The sand on the beach, because I am older than dirt.

Time To Get Serious

So, it appears people are actually reading this blog. Scroll down the page a bit and you'll see that Cosmo's Corner has two "followers". I guess that means I'd better at least attempt to write something worth reading.
Well, I've been promising to get info on some of this year's exhibitors at the big show, and I'm finally about to get around to that. In addition to the bios they themselves provided, I've sent out a list of questions to several exhibitors that I hope provide a little more insight into who they are and what they do. The questions I posed to these serious artists are:

1) Tell us a little about yourself.
2) Tell us about your comics.
3) How long have you been self-publishing?
4) Why did you decide to start self-publishing your comics?
5) Who are your main artistic influences--both in and out of comics?
6) What comics do you read?
7) Do you have anything new for SPACE? Or are you working on anything new?
8) What do you like most about SPACE? What keeps you coming back?
9) How would you compare SPACE to other shows you've done?
10) Which "Gilligan's Island" castaway are you most like?

I sent out the e-mails this morning and a few responses are starting to come back. I'll start posting them tomorrow. Just to tease you--Larned Justin's answer to question ten is very funny.