If you missed part 1 you can read it here http://comicbuzz.com/blue-estate-writers-talk-to-comicbuzz-part1
We Continue out chat with Viktor, Kosta and Andrew
CB: At this point do you know when and how the series will end?
VK: Absolutely! Again, we had everything figured out from the very beginning; we are not making up the story as we go. Every little detail matters as it’s going to play a part one way or another somewhere later in the story. Even the Twitter accounts we established for the characters help to make the story richer, as they actually spill some clues about what’s going to happen and give you more insight about who the characters are.
The good news is that if people like the story and our sales keep going up, we have plans for what’s next after issue 12. Not everybody dies by the end – so the fun will continue! And for the characters who don’t make it – there is always “The Prequel”… haha
CB: How much time do you spend working on the story for each issue?
KY: Honestly, Viktor has done a great deal of the artistic work and organizes this great crew. He deals with the whole script and provides art direction, managing the overall quality (maybe not so difficult with such talented artists)! He also designed the website, creating its content (along with Andrew) and he does plenty of the small and boring production tasks, keeping track of issues and looking for further diversification of our beloved story universe.
CB: For two issues in we have a big cast of characters, have we seen all the main players in the story?
VK: Yes. Most of the new characters that appear from now will be 2nd and 3rd tier supporting players who might appear once or twice. And, of course, Buddy and Gus haven’t appeared yet — they have a few small appearances in the story, but contribute to the fun fest in a big way. Buddy and Gus are the guys who give away free swag on the web site, and they’ve been Tweeting up a storm. But don’t worry – there will be some casualties, so the cast will get lighter as we approach the ending of BLUE ESTATE (…season ONE)…
CB: Is Blue Estate the first comic you have worked on?
AO: No, but it’s pretty much the first one that actually made it to stores! I wrote a lot of badly-drawn comics in my notebooks all through grade school, and I eventually had some goofy stuff published in Cracked and Bart Simpson’s Fun Pages in the ‘90s. I also worked on several projects for Scott Mitchell Rosenberg at Platinum Studios during my time in L.A., though none of them ever made it out of the development phase.
CB: I understand that you created sculptures of the all the characters, what was the thinking behind that?
VK: The characters are the heart of the story. They are like real, multi-layered people and their faces stand for who they are. They don’t rely on costumes or logos to stand out, so it’s very important we get their faces right and that we all draw them in our styles in a similar way. I started doing character sheets — but aside from the fact it was going to take me forever to make decent ones for ALL the characters, I was also afraid that we’d end up with characters “drawn by me,” and then every other artist would be overly influenced by my style. I was afraid this might take away from the richness of their individual styles, so the idea of making realistic sculptures came to me. I haven’t really done sculpture before, so this was all very new — but they came out OK and served their purpose. I sometimes will do additional sketches to further explain the logic and proportions of certain characters if I see someone is having difficulty getting a particular face right. I also made 3D models in SketchUp for a few of the important environments where a lot of scenes take place, and we’ve been using those for planning shots — and, most importantly, continuity.
CB: The covers for the series so far have been very unique, when you are creating them what are you aiming for?
VK: They are designed to be striking and hold your attention long enough that you can see the statement, which raises a question in your head so you want to know more. Then there are a few more layers which are meant to tell you enough about the story to hopefully make you turn the pages and start reading. The covers have the simple logic of 3 normal elements that combine to create a surreal statement which is easy to take in but raises more questions. Then there is the logo, which I use to communicate some hidden little hints about the story while presenting the vibe of the book.
The covers are, in a way, an artistic roadmap of the episodes inside — and when you read the whole thing and then look back at the cover, you’ll see it was all right there. The rendering I am using is something I’ve always wanted to do, but never had the time to try out before now. I am really having a ball painting these covers. The most fun part, though, is coming up with all the jokes on the label and around the cover. Usually it’s Andrew and me that make a few rounds of revisions and choose the funniest ones.
CB: How do resolve any differences when writing the story with Viktor?
YK: We had a kind of specialization: he contributed fantastically in story twists, while I was looking for consistency. When differences in our views appeared, we used them as a source of extra fun, building improvised variants around them – just trying to choose what seemed funniest.
CB: Will we see any of the covers made into posters?
VK: Yes! Actually, I am going to make VERY HIGH quality limited edition custom prints on thick etching paper for this year’s San Diego Comic Con. I already printed a dozen for Big Wow Con and sold all of them almost right away. I gotta admit, this is the best these covers can possibly look as I have full control over the colours and quality. The prints were on Canon Museum Etching Paper — 13×19 inches, printed on my Canon Pro 9000 — and they look striking! I’m not sure how many I’ll print, but I’ll make sure to have at least 10 sets of all the covers for collectors. I am up to cover #6, and by SDCC I’ll have at least one more ready.
All my art is digital, so in a way this is as close to an original it as it can get. I might print some less expensive posters for the non-collectors who just want to have these images bigger, but I’ll have to evaluate the cost and demand. There is more cool BLUE ESTATE swag I’ll bring with me, so stay tuned. I’ll start posting on the web site soon!
CB: As a medium what would you say are the strengths of the comics medium?
AO: Comics combine the intimacy of books with the visual energy of movies, so I’ve always been a fan. Plus, they’re a great DIY medium, which allows for a lot of creative diversity in the voices and storytelling you find. You don’t need a multi-million dollar budget to have amazing characters, action, locations and special effects!
CB: What is the experience like working with Viktor, Kosta, Toby, Nathan and Robert?
AO: As I said earlier, working with Viktor and Kosta has been one of the most enjoyable creative experiences of my career, and I hope to continue working with them in the future. I don’t work directly with the other artists – I pretty much just sit back and look forward to seeing what they and Viktor come up with for each issue – but I enjoyed hanging out with Robert and Toby at Wonder Con (where I also got a chance to check out Toby’s supercool book, Rodd Racer, which I highly recommend)!
CB: I know we are only two issues but have you had much feedback from the readers?
VK: Yes we have, and it’s all fantastic. People who write us can’t wait to get the next issue. It was so cool this last weekend as quite a few people stopped by my table to tell me how much they enjoyed the book and that they are absolutely hooked and can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next. When I offer to give spoilers, the usual reaction is, “Please, NO, I want to read the book!” And that’s a great sign. Some people have their favourite characters already and Cherry Popz quickly became one of them. Due to popular demand, we’ll be plugging Cherry into a few more scenes in upcoming issues where she fits perfectly to make the story richer and more fun. Andrew is already re-writing those parts of the script.
So – Dear Audience – we are listening!
We also heard complaints that it’s hard for someone new to the series to jump right in, because they may not understand what’s going on if they haven’t read the previous issues. And so that’s how the page “Previously On BLUE ESTATE” was born. From now on, every episode will start with a page that tells you all the info you need to know in order to understand who’s who and what’s what in the issue. (And you can see an example of what the page looks like for episode 3 on the web site.) In a sense, we are treating the issues like episodes of a TV show, and the “Previously On” page will help old readers to remember what happened before while easing new readers smoothly into the story. (But, of course, nothing beats reading the previous books!)
CB: What have you enjoyed most about working on Blue Estate?
YK: The fine mix of violence, humour, surprises and characters – all in a funny alloy of relations and events.
CB: What can readers expect from issue 3?
VK: We are turning the heat up, revealing new sides of our main characters and their relationships. And we continue stirring the plot, showing you the ingredients are even more complex than you thought. I really enjoy some of the dialogue in this episode!
CB: What issue are you working on now?
AO: I’ve just finished tweaking the text of issue #3 with Viktor and we’re looking ahead to issue #4, but the basic script for the 12-issue series was pretty much locked before production on the first issue began.
CB: So far what has been your favourite scene in the series?
VK: We are only 2 episodes out (and I am not going to spoil #3 for the audience), so… that would probably be the scene with Cherry, Tony and Billy I got to draw. In episode 3, I love every scene :)
The first book introduced the cast. The second continued with the back-stories and got the ball rolling for the main story. From episode 3 on – the real fun begins. It’s one favourite scene after another, really! However, my very most favourite scenes of all will be in episode 10…so stay tuned!
CB: Are you working on any other comic projects?
YK: Season 2 of BLUE EESTATE. The metamorphosis of the storyline in different genres is also one of our goals.
CB: What other projects are you working on?
AO: I’m currently the head writer for one of Viktor’s other projects, a MMO game called Vie (VieTheGame.com), which is heading towards open beta this summer. I’m also a regular movie columnist for Nerve.com and I’ve been working forever on couple of novels and an independent film called The Meat City Beatniks.
CB: Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
VK: Thanks for being fans and please continue supporting the comic book industry! And spread the love for BLUE ESTATE :) More love, less fear!
AO: Thanks for supporting comics in general, and stay tuned for ever-increasing madness in Blue Estate (and at our website, BlueEstateComic.com)!
YK: Sorry that you have to wait a month until the next issue comes out!
Check out the Reviews of the first four issues below
http://comicbuzz.com/review-blue-estate-1
http://comicbuzz.com/review-blue-estate-2
http://comicbuzz.com/review-blue-estate-3
http://comicbuzz.com/review-blue-estate-4
We want thank Viktor, Kosta and Andrew
