trunk bubbles

Name: Chris Brunner

Hometown: Jamesville, NY

TrunkSpace: The first issue of your new series, “Loose Ends,” was recently released by Image Comics. Can you tell us how it came to be, and, what readers can expect?
Brunner: Our writer, Jason Latour (“Southern Bastards,” “Spider-Gwen”), describes it as “a coming of age road trip as crime fiction.” I can’t improve on that much, except to maybe add that the road is a dead end. Following a lethal bar brawl, Sonny (a drug mule) and Cheri (the bar waitress) go on the run. They head to Miami, tailed by 2 crooked cops and Sonny’s ex-army pal Reggie in cuffs.

We, Latour along with colorist Rico Renzi and myself drawing, wanted to create a tight modern crime story. We were all “breaking in” to comics, or trying to, when Jason first wrote “Loose Ends” for a screenwriting course. As I read it, I couldn’t help doodle in the margins. Rico took full reign of those and showed us something we all found exciting.

After years of cooking on the back burner, we finally pitched it and 3 of 4 issues were published by 12 Gauge Comics in 2011…under difficult circumstances that slowed production of the 4th issue to a crawl. While I struggled to complete the art along with an M.F.A. program, Jason and Rico’s other projects met with great success. Seriously, “Spider-Gwen” and “Southern Bastards” are ginormous, and deservedly. This opened the door for “Loose Ends” at Image Comics, and now that the final issue is complete, all 4 are being released. Issue No.1 came out Jan 25th, floppy and digital. The cover is probably somewhere on this page.

TrunkSpace: The series is described as a “slow-cooked, Southern crime romance.” How much of the feel and look of the south did you want to incorporate into the overall visual storytelling?
Brunner: Much as possible. It helps in storytelling to engage the reader’s sense memory; and the south is ripe with details that do that. The actual atmosphere is overwhelming- the deep heat and humidity. And it’s a haunted place too.

Additionally, when people refer to the south I think they are referring to a generalized country redneckery, or plantation “aristocracy.” There’s a wider variety of regionally-specific culture though, it’s diverse, it’s just not often represented that way. We wanted to highlight that with Atlanta, Miami, etc. “Loose Ends” is a road story; and excepting the first and last set pieces, every location is a real place.

TrunkSpace: As an artist, how important is it that the world is just as much a character as the characters themselves?
Brunner: When you create the world, you create the context for the character. I’m a “context is eveything”guy. A drawing of Batman comes alive in proportion to how rad you draw Gotham City, and how believably he exists within it. The unfortunate reality is that certain types of stories, like “Loose Ends,” demand (or beg for) so much laborious drawing in order to sell the sizzle. That said, I’ve come to think that there is an interesting angle to everything if you look hard enough, even if it’s a distinct lack of interest (think of Mr. Incredible’s office).

Environment informs us about character, it is revealing of their choices/motives/vices/compulsions/contradictions/origins. With “Loose Ends,” I thought a lot about “Children of Men,” whose true agenda is forwarded primarily with the background imagery (see both Slavoj Zizek and Nerdwriter1 on this). By creating the space for Rico and I to exploit the environment visually, Jason was able to write hyper economical dialogue, he has less to explain with it, it feels more natural, and the story kind of fries in the silences.

TrunkSpace: As part of the creative team of a new series, what are the biggest hurdles you face in promoting the book and making people aware of it?
Brunner: Overall, I think our hurdles are pretty minimal, compared to what most new books face. On the strength of our publisher, and Jason and Rico’s well-earned reputations, I think/hope enough fans/retailers will give the book a chance.

There are two things that give me some cautious optimism about this. One is that we are (trying to) scratch an itch that is under served, meaning that if you like this kind of comic, you are probably pretty hungry for it. A second benefit is that “Southern Bastards,” and it’s success, provides us a handy reference point; “Loose Ends” is a different animal, but if you like Bastards, you’ll like this.

TrunkSpace: The way people read comics has changed quite a bit over the last few years. Binge reading seems almost as popular as binge watching. Does it put stress on a new series like “Loose Ends” knowing that many people may just wait for the collected version, and, how do you bring people on board from the outset?
Brunner: It must, I do not know though. I’m not in possession of enough facts to offer an opinion about the business of it. Our initial run, the first 3 of 4 issues published in 2011, was work by 3 unknowns with an independent publisher, and sales reflected that. They didn’t, I think, reflect anyone waiting on trades.

My experience here is limited, and if there is such a thing as a representative consumer, I am not one of them, so it’s hard to grok our potential audiences buying habits.

As far as bringing people on board from the outset, this is not dissimilar with what you are trying to do with a cover or an opening scene: make it impossible for the audience to walk away. If a reader has the book in hand when they are deciding whether to buy it at all, I hope a glance is enough to circumvent that decision – get hooks in and don’t let go.

TrunkSpace: What is the earliest memory you have of applying your passion for art?
Brunner: Drawing was always a thing I did, like a basic body function, on it’s own not something I was applying. There was a portfolio review section in this Marvel promo mag “Marvel Age,” where they were clear about what a standard comic page should be; the tools, page dimensions, the editor you sent it to, etc.; and they were actually hiring people (like Tom Raney) out of this. So I started sending in portfolios to-spec with letters of introduction. That was about 12-years-old.

TrunkSpace: Did you have a mentor or someone specific who inspired you to turn that passion into a career?
Brunner: Yeah, more than there is room to talk about. I was lucky as hell with my art education, and my parents were open-minded, it made all the difference. They signed waivers for me to attend nude figure drawing classes, attend adult cartooning classes, when I was (maybe too) young.

These cartooning classes were taught by a cartoonist named J.P. Crangle. He was like comics incarnate; my memory of him is a cross between Jack Lemmon, Hunter S. Thompson, and Popeye. In J.P.’s class we looked at Wally Wood, “Love + Rockets,” “Crumb,” “Heavy Metal,” undergrounds, pre-codes, and other sick shit. It was (maybe) inappropriate, it permanently warped me and I’m grateful.

He also taught us how to format and print mini-comics with a typing paper template, and I did a Punisher knock-off series and sold them at school. That was such a charge, to finally print a comic, and I kept that up until I went away to art school. J.P. really lit my head on fire.

TrunkSpace: What changes, if any, would you like to see come to the comic industry in the years ahead?
Brunner: There’s a broader range of styles in the mainstream, that’s self-evident, and I think a positive. For a long time Rico and I were regularly getting push-back for using colors like pink, that’s not a concern anymore. It’s a change that I appreciate on a daily basis, that we have that much more latitude. Still, comics could be a much funkier ecosystem, at least on the comic racks, even superheroes are bizarre.

TrunkSpace: Is there a personal mark of achievement for you that you’re hoping to accomplish in your career… something you’ve set your professional sights on… and if so, what is it?
Brunner: The goal would be to draw something that’s like a midnight movie as strong as “Goodfellas.” That movie just kicks your ass so hard, right away, and doesn’t stop, and you can’t stop watching. It’s a perfect little grenade.

TrunkSpace: Again, your latest book is called “Loose Ends.” If the world was ending tomorrow, what loose ends would you hope to tie up before it all goes away?
Brunner: Not so big an “if” there. Today I wondered if it would end before issue 4 of “Loose Ends” could come out. A ridiculous way to personalize the apocalypse, but the universe has that sense of humor. Getting this story all in print finally, it’s the one thing.

TRUNK BUBBLES PROFILE

Name: Dustin Evans

Website: instagram.com/dustinart/

Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma

TrunkSpace: How would you describe your art style?
Evans: My style is very animated, whimsical and over-the-top. I’m not afraid to swing for the fences with exaggeration when the opportunity presents itself. I really like to have fun and amp up facial expressions, movements or moments of action. Even if I’m drawing something that is dark or scary, I still look for those moments to inject some humor and fun. I guess you could say my style is just an extension of my own personality.

TrunkSpace: You’ve got some work coming from the folks behind “Imprinted” where you serve as artist, but on this first release you’ve taken on coloring duties. Stylistically, what was the thought process going into the book? What did you hope to bring to Fernando Peniche’s art to help set the tone for the story?
Evans: I think the key to coloring “Imprinted” was discovered with some back and forth between myself and creator, Jason M. Burns. Fernando draws this beautifully detailed line art that spans not just the regular world in “Imprinted,” but other planes of existence like Purgatory and Hell. The challenge was, how do we set the worlds apart and give them their own personality? The real world is pretty straight forward in terms of color, but when the different spirits or entities present themselves, I went with cold and stark hues of blue along with a wispy trail of energy. I wanted to create a very drastic difference between the realities. When we are transported to Purgatory, I wanted something haunting and spooky, but not cliché. I chose to go with a scarred, red sky that is always cloudy. Even the characters that appear in this realm have a subtle red tint to them. The colors are based on common light source laws, but it’s skewed in a way that makes you feel as if you are somewhere very different. If you look at the line art, you would see what resembles a desert scene. Add in the digital colors and FX, and you’re transported to a truly haunting land.

TrunkSpace: For those who don’t know the process, can you walk us through what it’s like to receive an inked comic page and how you personally put colors to it?
Evans: When I receive an inked page the first thing I do is open the page in Photoshop to clean up the line art, darken the line work and separate the line art from the background. This means that I now have one layer of line art and I can create layers below and above the line art. Just try and envision an animation cell with multiple layers of paint being applied above and below the artwork to create a finished look. After the line art is separated, I use a program called Clip Studio to add flat colors to the line art. The flat colors are place holders and may not reflect the finished color, but they give you a starting point. I like to keep flats separated so that one character will have a layer for eye color, one layer for hair color, one layer for clothing, etc. Once all the flat colors are in place, I go back in Photoshop and begin the shading process. This is where the magic really happens. It depends on if I’m coloring a night time, day time or other worldly scene as to what colors I use, but I use the same essential method. I use the lasso tool to individually select areas of the characters or backgrounds, then using the “multiply gradient” setting, I drag the gradient across the color to make the area darker. I may make one or two more selections repeating the darkening effect. This is where drawing knowledge helps make a great colorist. You have to know anatomy to know where light will hit raised surfaces. Once I have all my dark colors laid in, I go back with a brighter color, usually a light orange, and using the same lasso tool and “color dodge gradient” option, I begin dragging the gradient in places to add light. Once I’m happy with this result, I go back with an environment color and add some small gradients. If it’s night time, I’ll use a deep blue or purple to add some reflective lighting and tone to the character. Once the characters are all colored, I go in to the background and begin using the same steps I described earlier. The only difference is that I like to inject texture into the environment. Buildings, roads, trees, grass… all of these things need some texture. I will either create my own brush or a pre-made brush to lay in texture to the environment. Restraint is key here. You want some texture, but you don’t want to go crazy and make it too busy-looking. For the final touches, I will go back and do any special FX or lighting on top of the line art. For “Imprinted” I create a layer above the ghosts and manually use an airbrush and smudge tool to give them a ghostly presence. Finally, I save the file out and upload it for the letterer to put their finishing touches on the page.

TrunkSpace: What was the most difficult aspect of coloring “Imprinted” issue 1? Was there a particular scene or character that was tough to crack?
Evans: Definitely! The carnival scene in issue 1 was super tough and very time consuming. Fernando drew this beautiful scene that blew my mind. It’s a carnival scene at night. You see all the crowds of people, the games, the toys, the rides and the crème de la crème, the full size Ferris wheel complete with blinky lights, passengers and moving parts. At first, when you get a page like this, you just sit there in awe for a few moments…then it’s time to get to work! You just have to start. You can’t over think it at first. Once I start laying in the flat colors, my brain starts problem solving the most efficient way to color the page and separate the areas to draw the reader’s focus. The payoff for working on a scene like this is seeing the finished page. You know that when readers see this page, their jaw is going to drop, and they are going to look harder at this page than they did at a “Where’s Waldo” book when they were a kid.

TrunkSpace: You’ve worked on a number of big brand titles and recognizable brands over the years. How do those experiences differ from something like “Imprinted” where the world is being created as opposed to already existing in some capacity?
Evans: Yes, I’ve been very fortunate to work on some big properties like “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Sesame Street,” “Kung Fu Panda,” and many others. The challenge for working on licensed properties is that they already have a massive bible of how they want things to look. You might color Grover blue, but it might not be the shade of blue that is needed to be used in accordance to the character bible. At first this is very daunting, but there is nothing like getting to work on a licensed book. If I could go back and tell my 6-year-old self that I would be working on a “Sesame Street” comic when I got older, I would have lost my mind…and probably not have believed my future self. (Laughter) The exciting thing about working on fresh properties like “Imprinted” is that you have a chance to put your stamp of creativity on this book. Maybe 20 years from now some other young-blooded artist will be trying to get the right shade of red hair to match the “Imprinted” character bible.

TrunkSpace: What piece of work are you the most proud of as you look back on your career?
Evans: Whew! That is a tough one to pick! I have to say penciling “Pirates of the Caribbean” for Disney Adventures. The reason I am most proud of this is not because of what I drew of even that it was “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Ever since I was a kid, I had a dream of working for Disney as an animator. I grew up on the classic Disney animated films, and it helped create my interest in art. Unfortunately, the older I got, the more traditional animators were not needed anymore at Disney. I still wanted to work for Disney in some capacity, though. Getting to draw “Pirates of the Caribbean” fulfilled my childhood dream. It taught me that dreams really can come true, it just may not be exactly how you dreamed it up to start.

TrunkSpace: You have been designing the weekly posters for the Musical Mondaze feature. Each one is so different and yet so in tune with the style of music being featured that particular week.
What has that process been like, particularly from a creative standpoint where it seems like you’re able to play in so many different sandboxes?
Evans: Working on the posters for Musical Mondaze has been pure joy. It’s like getting to eat ice cream every day for breakfast! The process is really just art inspiring art. The good folks at TrunkSpace send me the artist to be featured along with some examples of their music, websites, social media, etc…and I just sit back and drink it all in. After researching and listening to as much music as possible, I simply create based on my inspiration from the bands. Sometimes the inspiration will come from the look and style of the artist. Other times it will come from the vibe and sound I get from the artist. Stylistically, I am using all different styles and techniques. I attribute this to trying to survive as a freelance artist for over 10 years. Having hundreds of different clients with different demands has made me very versatile. It’s something that I really enjoy, and it keeps the artwork very fresh and exciting.

TrunkSpace: What else can fans of your work look forward to in 2017?
Evans: In 2017 fans can expect to be very entertained! I have several comics in the works with Plymouth Rock Creative. I am coloring the “Imprinted” series, of course, but I also have several other titles in the works and on the way this year! I’m not just coloring this year, though. I have done some very cutting edge illustration work for a comic book that I don’t think has been done in comics ever before. It’s truly groundbreaking stuff. I also have a creator owned property in the works called, “Death Bugs” that I’m writing, drawing and coloring. Imagine if Robert Rodriguez, Eli Roth and Quentin Tarantino all got together to make a comic book… well, that’s the best way I can describe “Death Bugs.” It has elements of horror, comedy and some real life experiences that will make your jaw drop. The first issue is complete and the second issue in the works already.

Trunk Bubbles Profile

Name: Fernando Peniche

Website: fpeniche.deviantart.com

Hometown:  Merida, Yucatan, Mexico

TrunkSpace: You’re serving as artist on the first TrunkSpace exclusive comic book, “Imprinted.” Can you tell us what you wanted to bring to the series stylistically?
Peniche: Well, I wanted something a little realistic and detailed, leaving space for the colorist to do his magic as well. I have managed different styles in the past, from super heroic to the very grim with a lot of blacks to the more cartoonish.

TrunkSpace: Your art style seems to be a bit of an artistic chameleon. Is it important for you to be the kind of artist who can adapt to a project as opposed to the project adapting to you?
Peniche: I think a little of both is important. I love to work with different styles based on the kind of comic I’m doing. I always like to adapt and try new things with styles, mixing something new with my own. I like putting detail into the backgrounds and the playing with the cyber stuff as well.

TrunkSpace: “Imprinted” involves the supernatural, and by the looks of it, some pretty interesting-looking characters. Do stories in a heightened sense of reality make working on a book more interesting for you?
Peniche: Yes, always! I like to draw real stuff and environments, but at the same time, adding in some of those elements makes books more interesting to work on.

TrunkSpace: Who is your favorite character to draw in “Imprinted” and why?
Peniche: I really like to draw the character Montray. He has a style that is always inexpressive. He is confused with the human things, which makes him really enjoyable to draw. I love when he appears in the scripts.

TrunkSpace: You’ve worked on some classic comic book characters in your career, including “The Phantom” and “Joe Palooka.” Is it more exciting working on an established brand or on a new title that nobody has ever seen before?
Peniche: It’s great to work with established characters, especially those that I admire. When you have liberty with them as well, that’s fun to play with. That said though, I also love to work with new characters and create new universes where I can let my imagination run free.

TrunkSpace: You previously did some work on the DreamWorks Animation “Megamind” comic book. Again, the style is very different than that of Imprinted. Is there a style of art you prefer working in?
Peniche: My favorite style to work with is kind of a mix between the cartoon look and the more realistic style. I can play a little with the proportions and the expressions of the characters, but at the same time, can keep it looking realistic… like Joe Mad, but less exaggerated.

TrunkSpace: What’s your dream project?
Peniche: I don’t know yet. I think my dream projects are those where I can draw and color the entire book because I always envision how the final art will look. Those kind of projects are really hard to do though because of scheduling. It would take double the time to finish a book. I also enjoy comics with fantasy, science fiction, and cyberpunk elements. If they have all of them, even better! (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: When working, do you have music spinning in the background, and if so, who’s been spinning lately?
Peniche: I think I get trapped in the rock of the 80’s and 90s… AC/DC, Metallica, Bon Jovi, and others. They make me work faster.

TrunkSpace: What else can fans of your work look forward to in 2017?
Peniche: We have many other stories that we’ll be releasing through TrunkSpace, many with different themes and styles that everyone can enjoy. People can track my work and fan art on my Instagram and at Facebook. And there’s always my old but still great DeviantArt account where I have tons of work that people can check out.

TRUNK BUBBLES PROFILE

Name: Joe Eisma

Website: http://www.patreon.com/supajoe

Hometown: Waco, Texas

TrunkSpace: How would you describe your art style?
Eisma: Animation and anime influenced, by way of X-men comics from the 80s and 90s.

TrunkSpace: How has that style changed over the course of your career?
Eisma: It’s definitely gotten more exaggerated. I used to push for more realism, but I’m having more fun these days stretching reality, style-wise. I think that helps really sell emotion and storytelling on the page.

TrunkSpace: How has technology influenced your style?
Eisma: It’s been huge. I worked in games for ten years, and I still use the tools and skills from that industry. I do a lot of my work on a Wacom tablet, and it’s allowed me to really refine a clean line style.

TrunkSpace: For years people have been predicting the death of publishing, and particularly, classic comic books as we all grew up on. Sales and interest in comic properties in other forms of media suggest otherwise. What are your thoughts on the longevity of the industry having been working in it for a number of years now?
Eisma: It definitely surprises me how comics just won’t die-like Michael Myers or Jason Vorhees! You can’t count comics out. Like any field, it has its ups and downs, but comics have really weathered some serious storms over the years. I think it all goes back to storytelling. There’s so much you can do in comics that you can’t do in other mediums, and I think that’s what brings people back, time after time.

TrunkSpace: You started out working with independent publishers and have since worked with some of the biggest publishers in the business. Where would you like to see your career take you next?
Eisma: I’m having a blast working on characters that I read in my youth. In the last year, I got to draw the Flash and characters from Valiant, so my inner child has been geeking out ever since. Valiant is such a big comic now and there are plans to push the universe stories onto movies, TV, and video games ever since Dan Mintz purchased Valiant, so I’m honored to have drawn for them! I’d love to do more-“Teen Titans” at DC is a bucket list property for me, as are the “X-men” over at Marvel.

TrunkSpace: Your hit Image series “Morning Glories” is currently on hiatus. Will fans of the series get to return to Morning Glory Academy in the near future?
Eisma: I hope so! Currently, Nick and I are both pretty busy elsewhere, but we haven’t forgotten the “Morning Glories” fans who are near and dear to our hearts. At this moment, our plans are to relaunch this summer with “Morning Glories: Summer Vacation #1.” This will be in effect, the start of our third ‘season’ of the story. We’re only about halfway through the overall narrative, so there’s much more for fans to check out.

TrunkSpace: You’re currently working on “Archie.” What’s it like moving from something you helped bring into this world like with “Morning Glories,” to a project like “Archie,” which has been around for nearly 80 years? Is it intimidating?
Eisma: When I first got the offer for Archie, the pitch was it’s Veronica at a private boarding school. I was a little afraid of being typecast! But, I got more about the story from Mark Waid, who is one of my all time favorite writers, and I was hooked. It was kind of intimidating to work on such a legendary property. It was the only comic series my sister would read when I was growing up, so I’d read the odd digest here and there. I didn’t want to tarnish the legacy, as it were. I’ve wrapped up my run, and I think overall I didn’t mess things up! It’s a wonderful franchise and I can’t wait to do more in that universe.

TrunkSpace: The new Archie-inspired television series “Riverdale” is set to debut on The CW later this week. Not a bad time to be involved with the Archie brand!
Eisma: True! I know the first time I saw the trailer, I was really floored-it was not at all what I was expecting. However, you can tell the core of each character is there, and I think they’ve got something really special in store.

TrunkSpace: What else can fans of your work look forward to in 2017?
Eisma: I’m drawing some issues of “Faith” from Valiant Comics at the moment, which is a lot of fun. Other than that, expect more Archie-related stuff from me, as well as the return of “Morning Glories!”