Steven Sykora 4000
Thursday, February 28, 2008, 04:40 AM
<img src="http://www.projectfanboy.com/images/interviews/bobby_nash.jpg" align="left">Writer/artist, Bobby Nash has written several titles for a variety of comic publishers including Avatar Press, Albino Alligator Productions, FYI Comics, and Arcana Studios among others. Now Bobby takes a little time to answer some questions for Project Fanboy.
PF: Bobby thanks for taking the time to fit us in your busy schedule so tell us… how did you get into the comic book industry?
Bobby: Where do I start, Steven? The short answer is dumb luck, I guess.
The longer answer is that I started out doing what many would be writers and/or artists do, I did my own comics. I published a small fanzine called Odyssey Magazine back in the early 90's and worked with some indy publishers on some stuff that only a handful of people probably ever saw. One night, while sitting in front of the computer, I decided to look up every publisher with an email address and email them about pitching my work. I received one reply, and it was a simple "thanks for writing, but we really aren't looking for anyone right now."
About a year later, that same person, Marat Mychaels, emailed back and asked if I would be interested in trying out for a writing position on their flagship title. I of course said I was interested, tried out, and got the job. That was where my scripting gig on Demonslayer at Avatar Press began. And, as luck would have it, that work led to other work, which led to other work, and so on and so on...
PF: As an accomplished writer and artist, what do you consider your best work to be?
<img src="http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/bobbyenash/thumbs/scriptbook1thumb.jpg" align="right">Bobby: That' a tough one. I always think my next project was my best. HA! HA! I was really firing on all cylinders when I wrote the script for Yin Yang. The story just fell into place perfectly. One of my favorite comic scripts is an unproduced mini series starring The Black Terror. I really thought it came together nicely, but the project has fizzled a bit over the years.
PF: Who did you most enjoy working with?
Bobby: I've been lucky enough to work with some very talented artists and editors and there are special favorite moments with each. I will admit that having Al Rio illustrate one of my stories was a bit of a thrill.
PF: Is there anyone who you have yet to work with that you’d like to?
Bobby: Boy, is there. There are the big guns that usually make everyone's list. George Perez, John Byrne, Walt Simonson, Adam Hughes, Mike Mignola, Erik Larsen, Mark Bagley, Bruce Timm, etc, etc... I really enjoy the collaborative process. There is nothing like the feeling of seeing the art from one of my stories for the first time. I like to work with great creative storytellers.
PF: Being that you are seemingly quite versatile, what do you prefer doing; writing novels, your long time comic strip “Life in the faster lane”, or comic book titles?
Bobby: It depends on what day you ask. I enjoy all of them. Sometimes I'm in more of a comic book frame of mind, other times I think prose. Sometimes story ideas come to me that are perfect for comics, but not novels, and vice versa. What usually happens is that when I have a comic book deadline, my mind wants to write novels and when the novels are due, my brain wants to do comics. Go figure.
And all I have to do to get in the Life In The Faster Lane mindset is visit my family. They are absolute inspiration. Since we're discussing Life In The Faster Lane, I have started posting the assorted strips as well as commentary and other odds and ends at www.fasterlane.blogspot.com if anyone is interested in checking them out.
PF: We understand you’re on your third novel, entitled "Earthstrike Agenda". Any ideas when we can expect to see it?
Bobby: No idea. I've gotten a little sidetracked by a few paying gigs the last few months so finishing up the second draft of Earthstrike Agenda and shopping it around has been temporarily put on hold. It is 90% done, however, and I plan to finish it in early 2008 and start shopping it around. There was a publisher interested, but the deal sort of fell apart so now it has no home as yet.
Earthstrike Agenda was actually my first written novel, about a year before Evil Ways, if my memory serves. However, I've learned quite a bit since those days and I had to go back and do some rewriting and reworking. Also, I tend to have two or three novels going at once. In various stages of development are a Lance Star: Sky Ranger novel called Road To War, a thriller called Bloodshot, and Evil Intent, the sequel to Evil Ways.
PF: Fuzzy Bunnies from Hell is about a demon named Ralph who chose to take the form of a bunny? What's this all about?
Bobby: I don't know if he really chose that form or if that's just the form he had. Ralph was the original porcelain god, of whom many of us are probably familiar. The beauty of Fuzzy Bunnies From Hell is that it never took itself too seriously. At the time I wrote the story it was rare for me to write comedy outside of the Life In The Faster Lane strips. Allowing that mixture of horror and broad comedy was a breath of fresh air. And the title alone gets people's attention at shows. Jason Powell, the creator of the characters, really nailed the title perfectly. My only regret is that the entire story never saw print. Maybe one day...
PF: Demonslayer is archeologist Jaclyn Haynes, turned Tibetan-monk-trained Demon hunter? Sounds like she needs to meet up with Ralph and duke it out Mike Tyson style. What kind of training did these monks give her?
Bobby: The Demonslayer was trained in the ancient art of demonslaying, a form of martial arts shrouded in mystery for millennia. Demonslayer was a kick ass chick and I really clicked with the character. Plus, this was my first professional ongoing series, not to mention being the first color comic I had been a part of. For a newbie writer, this was a big, big deal. Sometimes I miss writing her adventures.
PF: The Avatar Press title, Threshold is the longest currently-running American anthology comic. Quite an achievement for an Indy title. What was it like working on Threshold?
<img src="http://a53.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/6/m_871e7815299b1b82883ecf5e64ea417c.jpg" align="left">Bobby: Threshold was Demonslayer ratchet up a notch. The six issues of Threshold I was part of (issues 45 - 50) featured a Demonslayer story which I got to plot as well as script. The art by Marat Mychaels and Cory Hamscher was really tight here. Due to the nature of the title, it was a more adult Demonslayer than we did in the regular book. There was some sex and nudity in addition to the violence.
PF: Another Avatar Press title, Jungle Fantasy - labeled as a "Bad Girl comic" by wikipedia, is geared towards a more adult audience. What can you tell us about this title and your involvement in it?
Bobby: Jungle Fantasy #1 marked my first professional prose story in print. As if that weren't exciting enough, I also got to work with Al Rio, who did a phenomenal job on the full-page illustrations. William Christensen, Avatar's publisher, knew of my interest in novel writing and offered me the opportunity to write a short story for issue 1. It was definitely a big morale boost in writing my novel.
PF: Yin Yang from Arcana Studios, tells the tale of a twin brother/sister bounty hunter team who go after mutants with powers that keep them out of reach to normal law enforcement groups. We've managed to track down a trailer for Yin Yang found here:
http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=d41966eb7a9937585db8b&skin_id=0&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url
It looks pretty exciting, do these twins have any super powers to take on their formidable mutant foes, or are they just badass by nature?
Bobby: The answer to both is yes. They do have powers and they are badass. First and foremost is strength and resilience. Their second ability I'll leave a secret for those that read the book. Yin Yang is a flat out balls to the wall super hero yarn. It had been a while since I had told one of those and I really relished the opportunity. There are super heroes galore, battles both epic and personal, ruthless tyrants, a time-bending villainess, bickering baddies, death, destruction, and mayhem. And at the center of it all is a brother and sister just trying to do their job. Our artist, Luis Ruben Rivera Nunez has done some amazing art on this book. The man knows how to make the story flow.
<img src="http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/bobbyenash/Asst%20Novels/dominoladyb.jpg" width="150" height="225" align="right">PF: Any plugs you want to give a shout out for?
Bobby: Domino Lady from Moonstone will be out in May. It is solicited in the January '08 Previews. This will be a fun, fun read and I hope all pulp and comic fans alike will check it out. I feel honored just to share the same book with the writers they've assembled for this. I'm the "Who's he?" of the bunch.
I could go on and on (a long winded writer? What are the odds?).
If you're interested in checking out my work, I can be found at www.myspace.com/bobbynash, www.comicspace.com/bobbynash, and www.bobbynash.com (the last is in dire need of an update at the moment). I'm easily reachable through any of these and I do answer all my mail.
PF: One final question, who is your favorite character ever from any genre?
Bobby: Favorite character? I'd have to say Spider-man. I've loved the character since the cartoon. It was Spider-man that got me into comics so I owe the character a great debt for that. Naturally, I would love to try my hand at writing a Spidey story one day.
PF:Thanks again for taking the time to speak with us Bobby, we look forward to seeing more of your great work!
Bobby: My pleasure. This was fun.
PF: Bobby thanks for taking the time to fit us in your busy schedule so tell us… how did you get into the comic book industry?
Bobby: Where do I start, Steven? The short answer is dumb luck, I guess.
The longer answer is that I started out doing what many would be writers and/or artists do, I did my own comics. I published a small fanzine called Odyssey Magazine back in the early 90's and worked with some indy publishers on some stuff that only a handful of people probably ever saw. One night, while sitting in front of the computer, I decided to look up every publisher with an email address and email them about pitching my work. I received one reply, and it was a simple "thanks for writing, but we really aren't looking for anyone right now."
About a year later, that same person, Marat Mychaels, emailed back and asked if I would be interested in trying out for a writing position on their flagship title. I of course said I was interested, tried out, and got the job. That was where my scripting gig on Demonslayer at Avatar Press began. And, as luck would have it, that work led to other work, which led to other work, and so on and so on...
PF: As an accomplished writer and artist, what do you consider your best work to be?
<img src="http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/bobbyenash/thumbs/scriptbook1thumb.jpg" align="right">Bobby: That' a tough one. I always think my next project was my best. HA! HA! I was really firing on all cylinders when I wrote the script for Yin Yang. The story just fell into place perfectly. One of my favorite comic scripts is an unproduced mini series starring The Black Terror. I really thought it came together nicely, but the project has fizzled a bit over the years.
PF: Who did you most enjoy working with?
Bobby: I've been lucky enough to work with some very talented artists and editors and there are special favorite moments with each. I will admit that having Al Rio illustrate one of my stories was a bit of a thrill.
PF: Is there anyone who you have yet to work with that you’d like to?
Bobby: Boy, is there. There are the big guns that usually make everyone's list. George Perez, John Byrne, Walt Simonson, Adam Hughes, Mike Mignola, Erik Larsen, Mark Bagley, Bruce Timm, etc, etc... I really enjoy the collaborative process. There is nothing like the feeling of seeing the art from one of my stories for the first time. I like to work with great creative storytellers.
PF: Being that you are seemingly quite versatile, what do you prefer doing; writing novels, your long time comic strip “Life in the faster lane”, or comic book titles?
Bobby: It depends on what day you ask. I enjoy all of them. Sometimes I'm in more of a comic book frame of mind, other times I think prose. Sometimes story ideas come to me that are perfect for comics, but not novels, and vice versa. What usually happens is that when I have a comic book deadline, my mind wants to write novels and when the novels are due, my brain wants to do comics. Go figure.
And all I have to do to get in the Life In The Faster Lane mindset is visit my family. They are absolute inspiration. Since we're discussing Life In The Faster Lane, I have started posting the assorted strips as well as commentary and other odds and ends at www.fasterlane.blogspot.com if anyone is interested in checking them out.
PF: We understand you’re on your third novel, entitled "Earthstrike Agenda". Any ideas when we can expect to see it?
Bobby: No idea. I've gotten a little sidetracked by a few paying gigs the last few months so finishing up the second draft of Earthstrike Agenda and shopping it around has been temporarily put on hold. It is 90% done, however, and I plan to finish it in early 2008 and start shopping it around. There was a publisher interested, but the deal sort of fell apart so now it has no home as yet.
Earthstrike Agenda was actually my first written novel, about a year before Evil Ways, if my memory serves. However, I've learned quite a bit since those days and I had to go back and do some rewriting and reworking. Also, I tend to have two or three novels going at once. In various stages of development are a Lance Star: Sky Ranger novel called Road To War, a thriller called Bloodshot, and Evil Intent, the sequel to Evil Ways.
PF: Fuzzy Bunnies from Hell is about a demon named Ralph who chose to take the form of a bunny? What's this all about?
Bobby: I don't know if he really chose that form or if that's just the form he had. Ralph was the original porcelain god, of whom many of us are probably familiar. The beauty of Fuzzy Bunnies From Hell is that it never took itself too seriously. At the time I wrote the story it was rare for me to write comedy outside of the Life In The Faster Lane strips. Allowing that mixture of horror and broad comedy was a breath of fresh air. And the title alone gets people's attention at shows. Jason Powell, the creator of the characters, really nailed the title perfectly. My only regret is that the entire story never saw print. Maybe one day...
PF: Demonslayer is archeologist Jaclyn Haynes, turned Tibetan-monk-trained Demon hunter? Sounds like she needs to meet up with Ralph and duke it out Mike Tyson style. What kind of training did these monks give her?
Bobby: The Demonslayer was trained in the ancient art of demonslaying, a form of martial arts shrouded in mystery for millennia. Demonslayer was a kick ass chick and I really clicked with the character. Plus, this was my first professional ongoing series, not to mention being the first color comic I had been a part of. For a newbie writer, this was a big, big deal. Sometimes I miss writing her adventures.
PF: The Avatar Press title, Threshold is the longest currently-running American anthology comic. Quite an achievement for an Indy title. What was it like working on Threshold?
<img src="http://a53.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/6/m_871e7815299b1b82883ecf5e64ea417c.jpg" align="left">Bobby: Threshold was Demonslayer ratchet up a notch. The six issues of Threshold I was part of (issues 45 - 50) featured a Demonslayer story which I got to plot as well as script. The art by Marat Mychaels and Cory Hamscher was really tight here. Due to the nature of the title, it was a more adult Demonslayer than we did in the regular book. There was some sex and nudity in addition to the violence.
PF: Another Avatar Press title, Jungle Fantasy - labeled as a "Bad Girl comic" by wikipedia, is geared towards a more adult audience. What can you tell us about this title and your involvement in it?
Bobby: Jungle Fantasy #1 marked my first professional prose story in print. As if that weren't exciting enough, I also got to work with Al Rio, who did a phenomenal job on the full-page illustrations. William Christensen, Avatar's publisher, knew of my interest in novel writing and offered me the opportunity to write a short story for issue 1. It was definitely a big morale boost in writing my novel.
PF: Yin Yang from Arcana Studios, tells the tale of a twin brother/sister bounty hunter team who go after mutants with powers that keep them out of reach to normal law enforcement groups. We've managed to track down a trailer for Yin Yang found here:
http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=d41966eb7a9937585db8b&skin_id=0&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url
It looks pretty exciting, do these twins have any super powers to take on their formidable mutant foes, or are they just badass by nature?
Bobby: The answer to both is yes. They do have powers and they are badass. First and foremost is strength and resilience. Their second ability I'll leave a secret for those that read the book. Yin Yang is a flat out balls to the wall super hero yarn. It had been a while since I had told one of those and I really relished the opportunity. There are super heroes galore, battles both epic and personal, ruthless tyrants, a time-bending villainess, bickering baddies, death, destruction, and mayhem. And at the center of it all is a brother and sister just trying to do their job. Our artist, Luis Ruben Rivera Nunez has done some amazing art on this book. The man knows how to make the story flow.
<img src="http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/bobbyenash/Asst%20Novels/dominoladyb.jpg" width="150" height="225" align="right">PF: Any plugs you want to give a shout out for?
Bobby: Domino Lady from Moonstone will be out in May. It is solicited in the January '08 Previews. This will be a fun, fun read and I hope all pulp and comic fans alike will check it out. I feel honored just to share the same book with the writers they've assembled for this. I'm the "Who's he?" of the bunch.
I could go on and on (a long winded writer? What are the odds?).
If you're interested in checking out my work, I can be found at www.myspace.com/bobbynash, www.comicspace.com/bobbynash, and www.bobbynash.com (the last is in dire need of an update at the moment). I'm easily reachable through any of these and I do answer all my mail.
PF: One final question, who is your favorite character ever from any genre?
Bobby: Favorite character? I'd have to say Spider-man. I've loved the character since the cartoon. It was Spider-man that got me into comics so I owe the character a great debt for that. Naturally, I would love to try my hand at writing a Spidey story one day.
PF:Thanks again for taking the time to speak with us Bobby, we look forward to seeing more of your great work!
Bobby: My pleasure. This was fun.