Morning, all! I've got something really special for you today. This latest Monsterplex interview really dives into what's coming up next in the MP story. I also reveal what I believe are the two most important things for any creator just starting out to keep in mind.
Big thanks to David Harper at Multiversity Comics for this great in-depth discussion!
Here's a teaser:
David Harper: While we've seen plenty of monsters so far, are we continously see new classic movie monsters shuffle in and out of the title (as allowed by copyrights of course)?
Brock Heasley: Heh. Yeah, that's something we have to be careful. We get around it by being real general in our designs. Our Swamp Monster doesn't look anything like the Swamp Thing, for example. And our vampires don't sparkle. You'll see a lot of monsters pop up here and there, some that you'll recognize and some that are entirely new creations of artist David Schlotterback.
Read more here!
More later.
-Brock
Showing posts with label interviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interviews. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
MORNING UPDATE AND THE INTERVIEW THAT NEVER HAPPENED
Morning, all! Sorry for the lack of updates yesterday. I was very much under the weather AND my daughter's IEP was yesterday. (An IEP is an annual meeting that parents with Special Needs children have with the school to assess progress and needs--an emotionally draining and event to say the least.)
As of this writing, MONSTERPLEX stands at 13931 views, 308 favorites and almost 4 1/2 stars. This morning on Twitter and Facebook we're playing a little game where I'm asking everyone to go visit MONSTERPLEX one more time to see how fast we can get those views to rise. 150 in about 3 minutes is what we're looking at right now! Wow! Zuda, you seeing this? You see the support we have here?
There's only two days left. We're 100 favorites and who knows how many votes behind. Can TEAM MONSTERPLEX do it? It's up to you at this point!
Something that I look forward to reading is the monthly round of interviews JK Parkin over at Comic Book Resources does with all of the contestants. Well, for some reason, this month JK appears to have sat out. (I know I haven't been contacted at least.) However, his questions are always standards so...on the suggestion of Zuda Reader mookieblaylock...I figured why not give myself the interview and post it here. Right? Right?
Here we go:
JK: Tell me a little bit about yourself -- where you're from, other comics projects you've worked on if this isn't your first, what you do when you aren't doing comics, etc.
Brock: Born and raised in the Central Valley in California (nowhere near the beach). In addition to MONSTERPLEX, I'm also the creator of both The SuperFogeys (which I write and draw) and SuperFogeys Origins (which I only write and many other artists draw, primarily T.L. Collins). You can find both of those at www.superfogeys.com For my day job I'm a graphic artist/illustrator for a non-profit education company that helps teachers teach math and science better.
JK: Tell me a little bit about your strip and what it's about. What makes it unique when compared to the other strips in this competition?
Brock: MONSTERPLEX could not be any simpler. In a movie theater that doesn't just show you monster movies, but also real monsters, hilarity and complications ensue. MP is about the people and monsters that work there and mysterious corporation that has recently bought out the theater. The thing I hear a lot about MP is that people like that we're using familiar elements (the monsters and monster movie conventions), but in an original way. I don't think anyone has ever quite approached monsters the way we are. Plus, it's just a whole lot of fun. At the end of the day, I just want people to have a good time when they read it.
JK: How are you promoting your strip this month?
Brock: Oh man, how AREN'T we promoting the strip? We're on Twitter and Facebook relentlessly. I'm continually pumping it on my own site. We have an ad campaign making the internet rounds. We've been doing numerous podcast and online print interviews. We also have the MONSTERPLEX production blog (which you're reading right now because JK sat out this month--thanks dude! Saved me from having to do another link!).
JK: What have you learned from participating in Zuda so far and what do you hope to gain from the experience over the long run?
Brock: What have I learned? Campaigning sucks! Seriously, it's hard work. I don't like getting into people's faces, but, with the limited time frame, you kind of have to. I've also learned that there's not better feeling than putting a new comic in front of people that they dig. Been a long time since I created the SuperFogeys, so it was cool to get back to that initial rush. Plus, I've learned that I've got some really great poeple in my life. The support has been amazing.
JK: What do you plan to do with your strip if you don't win? Will you continue with it somewhere else?
Brock: I don't really want to talk about not winning. Right now, I've gotta think positively. We've only got two days to get the vote out and I still think it can turn around for us. Ask me again on February 26th!
More later.
-Brock
As of this writing, MONSTERPLEX stands at 13931 views, 308 favorites and almost 4 1/2 stars. This morning on Twitter and Facebook we're playing a little game where I'm asking everyone to go visit MONSTERPLEX one more time to see how fast we can get those views to rise. 150 in about 3 minutes is what we're looking at right now! Wow! Zuda, you seeing this? You see the support we have here?
There's only two days left. We're 100 favorites and who knows how many votes behind. Can TEAM MONSTERPLEX do it? It's up to you at this point!
Something that I look forward to reading is the monthly round of interviews JK Parkin over at Comic Book Resources does with all of the contestants. Well, for some reason, this month JK appears to have sat out. (I know I haven't been contacted at least.) However, his questions are always standards so...on the suggestion of Zuda Reader mookieblaylock...I figured why not give myself the interview and post it here. Right? Right?
Here we go:
JK: Tell me a little bit about yourself -- where you're from, other comics projects you've worked on if this isn't your first, what you do when you aren't doing comics, etc.
Brock: Born and raised in the Central Valley in California (nowhere near the beach). In addition to MONSTERPLEX, I'm also the creator of both The SuperFogeys (which I write and draw) and SuperFogeys Origins (which I only write and many other artists draw, primarily T.L. Collins). You can find both of those at www.superfogeys.com For my day job I'm a graphic artist/illustrator for a non-profit education company that helps teachers teach math and science better.
JK: Tell me a little bit about your strip and what it's about. What makes it unique when compared to the other strips in this competition?
Brock: MONSTERPLEX could not be any simpler. In a movie theater that doesn't just show you monster movies, but also real monsters, hilarity and complications ensue. MP is about the people and monsters that work there and mysterious corporation that has recently bought out the theater. The thing I hear a lot about MP is that people like that we're using familiar elements (the monsters and monster movie conventions), but in an original way. I don't think anyone has ever quite approached monsters the way we are. Plus, it's just a whole lot of fun. At the end of the day, I just want people to have a good time when they read it.
JK: How are you promoting your strip this month?
Brock: Oh man, how AREN'T we promoting the strip? We're on Twitter and Facebook relentlessly. I'm continually pumping it on my own site. We have an ad campaign making the internet rounds. We've been doing numerous podcast and online print interviews. We also have the MONSTERPLEX production blog (which you're reading right now because JK sat out this month--thanks dude! Saved me from having to do another link!).
JK: What have you learned from participating in Zuda so far and what do you hope to gain from the experience over the long run?
Brock: What have I learned? Campaigning sucks! Seriously, it's hard work. I don't like getting into people's faces, but, with the limited time frame, you kind of have to. I've also learned that there's not better feeling than putting a new comic in front of people that they dig. Been a long time since I created the SuperFogeys, so it was cool to get back to that initial rush. Plus, I've learned that I've got some really great poeple in my life. The support has been amazing.
JK: What do you plan to do with your strip if you don't win? Will you continue with it somewhere else?
Brock: I don't really want to talk about not winning. Right now, I've gotta think positively. We've only got two days to get the vote out and I still think it can turn around for us. Ask me again on February 26th!
More later.
-Brock
Monday, February 22, 2010
FINAL WEEK! TWO NEW INTERVIEWS!
Morning, all! With the weekend over and the last few days of voting before us, let's check in and see where we're at... 13155 views, 297 favorites and just over 4 stars. This puts us 103 favorites behind the number one ranked comic and just under 100 views. You know what that means?
NOW IS THE TIME!
If you've been waiting to join TEAM MONSTERPLEX or haven't yet done all of the big four--voted, favorited, star rated and commented--then you don't have to wait any longer. It's crunch time! Only 3 days to go!
Please, please, please let everyone know how close we are. I know the gap between us and first place is ever-widening, but it's not so wide that we can't still overcome. It's entirely up to you!
Now, with that out of the way, I've got a couple of great interviews to share with you. First up is MONSTERPLEX artist David Schlotterback's first solo interview over at Rocket Llama! He talks about what it's like to work with me, what his experience with comics has been and what he likes most about drawing Monsterplex. A fun read!
Secondly, be sure and check out my audio podcast interview with Byron Wilkins and Kurt Sasso over at TGT Webcomics. We talked for about an hour and half about both MONSTERPLEX and SUPERFOGEYS. This was one of the best interviews I've done, I think (haven't listened back to it yet).
For the first half, I talk about the creation of MONSTERPLEX and break down just why it took two years for it to arrive one your screens. I also drop a lot of hints about future storylines!
After that, we turned out attention to SuperFogeys, talking a lot about the chapter that just wrapped up, Chapter 7, "Visiting Day." It was great talking with Byron and Kurt because you could tell that they are true fans of SF. They had some good questions and some good observations to make and prompted me to share some things about Cami and Swifty that I've never touched on anywhere. We also talked a bit about the Third Man and Kurt offered some theories on what his possible motivation might be. If you're a die hard SF fan, then you don't want to miss this one.
You can listen to all right here!(scroll down to the bottom)
More later.
-Brock
NOW IS THE TIME!
If you've been waiting to join TEAM MONSTERPLEX or haven't yet done all of the big four--voted, favorited, star rated and commented--then you don't have to wait any longer. It's crunch time! Only 3 days to go!
Please, please, please let everyone know how close we are. I know the gap between us and first place is ever-widening, but it's not so wide that we can't still overcome. It's entirely up to you!
Now, with that out of the way, I've got a couple of great interviews to share with you. First up is MONSTERPLEX artist David Schlotterback's first solo interview over at Rocket Llama! He talks about what it's like to work with me, what his experience with comics has been and what he likes most about drawing Monsterplex. A fun read!
Secondly, be sure and check out my audio podcast interview with Byron Wilkins and Kurt Sasso over at TGT Webcomics. We talked for about an hour and half about both MONSTERPLEX and SUPERFOGEYS. This was one of the best interviews I've done, I think (haven't listened back to it yet).
For the first half, I talk about the creation of MONSTERPLEX and break down just why it took two years for it to arrive one your screens. I also drop a lot of hints about future storylines!
After that, we turned out attention to SuperFogeys, talking a lot about the chapter that just wrapped up, Chapter 7, "Visiting Day." It was great talking with Byron and Kurt because you could tell that they are true fans of SF. They had some good questions and some good observations to make and prompted me to share some things about Cami and Swifty that I've never touched on anywhere. We also talked a bit about the Third Man and Kurt offered some theories on what his possible motivation might be. If you're a die hard SF fan, then you don't want to miss this one.
You can listen to all right here!(scroll down to the bottom)
More later.
-Brock
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
THE MONSTERPLEX CREW ON TALL TALE RADIO!
Every once in a while it's my privilege to sit down with the great Tom Racine over at Tall Tale Radio to talk shop. This week's episode of TTR is a very special one as it features not only me, but MONSTERPLEX artists David Schlotterback and Michael DeVito. This is the only interview we're doing as a group and I have to say it's a great listen.
So says Tom:
"It’s time to talk Zuda with Tall Tale Features very own Brock Heasley, he of “The Superfogeys” fame. Brock has written a wicked-cool comic called “Monsterplex,” and he’s got it entered into the monthly contest over on Zuda. Brock did a great interview recently over on the wonderful Comics Coast to Coast site, but this time, he’s brought reinforcements! Joining me are artist Dave Schlotterback and colorist (and Th3rd World mogul) Mike DeVito. We talk about the whole Zuda experience, the background of “Monsterplex,” and how each gentleman fits into the puzzle. We also talk comic book influences, and a discussion about the future of comic books in the upcoming post-iPad world we’re going to find ourselves living in!"
You can listen to whole chat right here!
More later.
-Brock
So says Tom:
"It’s time to talk Zuda with Tall Tale Features very own Brock Heasley, he of “The Superfogeys” fame. Brock has written a wicked-cool comic called “Monsterplex,” and he’s got it entered into the monthly contest over on Zuda. Brock did a great interview recently over on the wonderful Comics Coast to Coast site, but this time, he’s brought reinforcements! Joining me are artist Dave Schlotterback and colorist (and Th3rd World mogul) Mike DeVito. We talk about the whole Zuda experience, the background of “Monsterplex,” and how each gentleman fits into the puzzle. We also talk comic book influences, and a discussion about the future of comic books in the upcoming post-iPad world we’re going to find ourselves living in!"
You can listen to whole chat right here!
More later.
-Brock
Friday, February 12, 2010
INTERVIEW WITH COMICS COAST TO COAST!
Morning, all! As of now we stand at 8545 views, 209 favorites and just over 4 stars in the stats that we can see (can't see how many votes we're getting)! That's good--really good in fact--but we're still about 40 favorites away from the leader. Can we overtake him? Entirely up to you!
Earlier this week I had the chance to talk with Brian Dunaway over at Comics Coast to Coast about MONSTERPLEX and, more specifically, Zuda and the ins and outs of competition. Want to know how much we'll be paid if we win the contract? Brian and I discuss it at length in the podcast. Brian was great to talk with and a real pro. Thanks, man!
Listen to the interview here!
Special note: sorry about the audio issues on the podcast interview I posted earlier. These things happen sometimes and it's too bad, really, because the guys at Strangers With Comics conducted a great interview. Don't worry about today's interview--shouldn't have any of those issues.
A little later today you can expect a new sketch request to be fulfilled and I'm hoping to also get another Script to Page installment done. We'll see.
More later.
-Brock
Earlier this week I had the chance to talk with Brian Dunaway over at Comics Coast to Coast about MONSTERPLEX and, more specifically, Zuda and the ins and outs of competition. Want to know how much we'll be paid if we win the contract? Brian and I discuss it at length in the podcast. Brian was great to talk with and a real pro. Thanks, man!
Listen to the interview here!
Special note: sorry about the audio issues on the podcast interview I posted earlier. These things happen sometimes and it's too bad, really, because the guys at Strangers With Comics conducted a great interview. Don't worry about today's interview--shouldn't have any of those issues.
A little later today you can expect a new sketch request to be fulfilled and I'm hoping to also get another Script to Page installment done. We'll see.
More later.
-Brock
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
FIRST MONSTERPLEX PODCAST INTERVIEW - WITH STRANGERS WITH COMICS!
This week we've begun phase two of MONSTERPLEX promotion, kicking things off with an interview with the guys over at Strangers With Comics. SWC is a podcast based out of my hometown, Fresno, and this is actually my second interview with these guys, having done one last year for SuperFogeys.
Always a good time talking with Tony, Rob and Gabe. You can listen the entire podcast right here. Skip ahead to the 37-minute mark to hear the interview portion.
More podcast interviews to come! Including one where the entire time will sit down for a group interview!
More later.
-Brock
Always a good time talking with Tony, Rob and Gabe. You can listen the entire podcast right here. Skip ahead to the 37-minute mark to hear the interview portion.
More podcast interviews to come! Including one where the entire time will sit down for a group interview!
More later.
-Brock
Friday, February 5, 2010
1ST REVIEW AND FIRST INTERVIEW!
It's a new day and after the high of coming in first in the initial rankings, we come down a bit today as it looks like we're trailing the second place comic in favorites. We stand at 83 and they have 126.
Favorites are very important as they communicate to Zuda who might come back to keep reading a comic after the competition has concluded. Let's get out there and see if we can't raise that number!
Now then, couple of links this morning. The first review of MONSTERPLEX went up over at Storming the Tower. The author does not pick MONSTERPLEX as her fave of the month, but I actually understand why and don't blame here. Come see what that's all about here.
And, last night, my first MONSTERPLEX-related interview went up over at Rocket Llama. We talked about the genesis of MONSTERPLEX, how the peculiarities of Zuda influenced my writing an I answered the age-old question--who would win in a fight, Buffy or Edward?
You're also gonna wanna stop by the interview to see an exclusive peek at the MONSTERPLEX promo. It's not finished, but I think you'll dig what you see.
Another Evolution installment coming later today!
-Brock
Favorites are very important as they communicate to Zuda who might come back to keep reading a comic after the competition has concluded. Let's get out there and see if we can't raise that number!
Now then, couple of links this morning. The first review of MONSTERPLEX went up over at Storming the Tower. The author does not pick MONSTERPLEX as her fave of the month, but I actually understand why and don't blame here. Come see what that's all about here.
And, last night, my first MONSTERPLEX-related interview went up over at Rocket Llama. We talked about the genesis of MONSTERPLEX, how the peculiarities of Zuda influenced my writing an I answered the age-old question--who would win in a fight, Buffy or Edward?
You're also gonna wanna stop by the interview to see an exclusive peek at the MONSTERPLEX promo. It's not finished, but I think you'll dig what you see.
Another Evolution installment coming later today!
-Brock