With the release of Xino #1 today from Oni Press, we are delighted to be joined by the artist/writer and creator of Pink Lemonade, Nick Cagnetti.
Hi Nick, It’s so wonderful to have you here.
Thanks for having me!
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Nick, I’ve been making independent comics for 10 years now but I’m best known for my series, Pink Lemonade, which I wrote and illustrated.
Can you tell us about how you became involved with Xino #1?
I had just finished working on Pink Lemonade when I heard this series was being planned out and they wanted me on board for a story. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to write and draw a story but as soon as I heard Chris Condon wanted to work with me on a story I knew that’s what I wanted to do!
How would you describe Xino?
It’s a sci-fi anthology series with lots of independent creators just letting loose and getting to do some crazy short stories. Lots of variety on display, too. Sort of gives you a chance to see a nice selection of who’s out there making things right now in this sphere and maybe introduce you to more creators.
What can you tell us about The Chip?
The Chip is cool because it’s something you can see happening, and it has an intersection with some nerd culture in video games. The main character is a big streamer who gets a chance to experience games in a new way, to say the least. Some of the lines get blurred a bit between what’s real and what’s not and I had a lot of fun with that side, also just getting to populate it with lot’s of gaming memorabilia and inspiration.
How long did it take you to complete The Chip?
It took me about a month from thumbnail sketches to finished colored art! I typically ink and color myself so that’s always a big chunk of it but people have tended to enjoy the results.
What has it been like; working with Christopher Condon, Jim Campbell and Oni Press?
That’s been fun, the script by Chris was really visual and descriptive which made it clear in my head what I needed to do. There were a lot of bits in there where all the components needed to work together tightly to get across some things there, like the ominous montage/conversation at the beginning, and Jim really got that across with the letters, too. I like that Oni is doing books like this where it’s really creator-focused and letting people just make stuff experimenting. To me, that’s what I’d like to see more support for in comics.
Next month, Oni Press are releasing the Pink Lemonade SC; can you tell us about the origins of Pink Lemonade?
Yeah, I’m excited the trade paperback for Pink Lemonade is finally almost out! It’s been a journey with the character going back to 2016 for me, I started with comic strips featuring the character before starting to work on the full issues. Those comic strips you can actually see when you open up the trade, which is a nice way to bookend it sort of. I didn’t have any real writing experience so doing the comic strips really helped me get over my fears and just figure it out as I went along, and I just continued on with the series with a bit more confidence while still learning more and more each step of the way.
How would you describe Pink Lemonade?
For me Pink Lemonade looks at our relationship with the world around us, specifically the entertainment we’re all fans of in our day to day and reflects on if we engage with it all enough on more than just the surface level. Pink Lemonade herself is just filled with so much joy and optimism, she’s fun to write and fun for characters to be around. Her journey is reflective of my own questioning on how to keep the joy through it all and keep moving forward. I wanted to make a book that embodied why I love comics, that was accessible, telling a satisfying and hopefully surprising story that takes you places you weren’t expecting.
What has the feedback been like for Pink Lemonade?
It’s been more encouraging than I ever really anticipated, hearing people say the books got them emotional has been one of the biggest joys from my years putting them together. People love the character and even the side characters and it’s just crazy, because for the most part I’ve just been off in my little corner making these and they’re finally getting out there. I’d like to do some other books first to give myself some variety, but I can easily see myself returning to the character after all that.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
Thanks for talking with me, and thanks everybody for reading indie comics like these!
We would like to say thank you to Nick for chatting with us. We wish him the best of luck with Xino#1 and also for the Pink Lemonade SC release.
