\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

With the launch of Order of the Night Jay (Book One): The Forest Beckons<\/em> graphic novel from Top Shelf Productions, we got a chance to sit down and chat with author and illustrator Jonathan Schnapp.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hi Jonathan, it's a pleasure to have you here with us.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you, the pleasure is mine! <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Would be happy to. I\u2019m an author and illustrator working out of Rochester, NY. I\u2019ve come to the comics world pretty late in life, all things considered. I studied fine art photography before eventually finding day jobs in the optics world, manufacturing, R&D, and such. For some sanity and stress relief, I took up doing acrylic painting. I painted a lot of cartoon animal characters in different silly situations. As my paintings got more complex, I started thinking of them as slices out of longer narratives. It was only a matter of time before I felt one slice wasn\u2019t enough and that these characters needed more. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What can you tell us about the Order of the Night Jay (Book One): The Forest Beckons<\/em> graphic novel?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Order of the Night Jay<\/em> has been such a fun venture and such a good learning experience. In some ways, I tried to do the impossible. I tried to pack in so many things. I wanted a story with mystery and adventure. But also be heartwarming and sensitive. And also be silly and cartoony. There are codes and puzzles, secrets to find, and even a few real survival skills the reader can learn, all wrapped up in a summer camp setting.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Can you tell us about the origins of Order of the Night Jay<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It all started with a painting of a cartoon bear and raccoon, dressed up like scouts, exhausted from hiking up a mountain. I can\u2019t say that was one of my better pieces (Frank\u2019s character design was so terrible!) but I loved the contrast between the two and knew I had to tell their story. <\/span><\/p>\n

Living in upstate New York, I\u2019m lucky to have the Adirondack mountains nearby. It\u2019s one of my favorite places to be. The mountains are beautiful, but also ominous and mysterious. Can we ever actually fully explore a place like that? Or will there always be new dark corners, forgotten secrets, or magical moments?<\/span><\/p>\n

And I was certainly inspired by my own experiences in scouting - camping, earning badges, and causing mischief!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Who are Frank and Ricky?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We meet our two heroes as they are both headed off to camp. They are both Tailfeathers, the starting rank at camp Jay Bird. They\u2019re polar opposites, but they bond over their love of the \u201cgirly comic\u201d Mega Bunny. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ricky, the raccoon, is spunky, energetic, and easily distracted. He follows the beat of his own drum, which leads him to some wild ideas. Frank is a bear - the only \u201clarge\u201d animal at a camp filled with squirrels, hedgehogs, beavers, and other small animals. Because he\u2019s so large, the other scouts are wary of him. Until they meet him! He\u2019s timid and unsure of himself and is scared to do anything but follow the rules. So he gets pushed around instead, especially by the two older scouts who are there to earn their Leadership badge.<\/span><\/p>\n

In terms of the cast of Order of the Night Jay, how did you create them? Did you have the visuals in mind for each character first, or did you know what traits you wanted in each character and then created them visually?<\/span><\/p>\n

Truthfully it was a little bit of both. When I first started sketching the story, I knew Frank\u2019s character needed work. He went through a number of variations - I even had him looking like a teddy bear for a bit before I realized how awkward and weird that was! Edna, the camp counselor, also took a bit of work to get right.<\/span><\/p>\n

One thing that really helped me was drawing up a cast \u201cphoto.\u201d It cemented the design for all the supporting characters and it also seeded their personalities. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How would you describe Order of the Night Jay (Book One): The Forest Beckons<\/em>?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Twin Peaks<\/em> meets Looney Tunes<\/em>? Calvin and Hobbes<\/em> meets Gravity Falls<\/em>? Wallace and Gromit<\/em> meets Sherlock Holmes<\/em>?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When you were writing Order of the Night Jay<\/em>, did you write a full script?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I find writing graphic novel scripts very cumbersome. I\u2019m a very visual thinker and when I just write out words without sketching the scene as well, the results are very different. Certain actions don\u2019t make sense. New gags and silly moments pop out. I did try quite a few methods for laying out the plot structure and writing a script, but it ultimately felt like too much work and not enough fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

I did, ultimately, write a general outline for the entire story - this was before we decided to make it a small series - but in the process of sketching and doing the layouts the course of the story changed dramatically. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How long did it take for you to complete Night Jay (Book One): The Forest Beckons<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I want to say I started working on the story in late 2019. So about two, two and a half years? I worked a full time job on top of that, so I was quite busy!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How did Top Shelf Productions get involved with Order of the Night Jay<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve really enjoyed working with Top Shelf. Many publishers need you to go through an agent, but Top Shelf is very accessible and you can submit directly through their website. Of course they are still very selective, but it\u2019s refreshing to be able to email Chris (Staros) directly and get a personal response. I\u2019d sent Top Shelf<\/em> a project a few years prior to Night Jay which was rejected, but the feedback I received helped me keep going.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Night Jay (Book One): The Forest Beckons<\/em> is an all-ages story; does the story have elements from your own experiences?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, I never found a cave in the woods with a secret code scratched on the entrance, that\u2019s for sure! But I was very much a \u201cFrank\u201d growing up. I always felt lost and really struggled to feel accepted. It\u2019s taken a long time to allow myself to be more like Ricky - silly and a little impulsive. The tension between the two characters (Ricky wants to explore the cave, Frank wants to avoid getting into trouble) is very much based on my real inner dialogue.<\/span><\/p>\n

And I did spend quite a few years as a kid going camping, tying knots, trying to start campfires (often with very wet firewood). The scout campground we\u2019d go to always felt old and run down, with sections that never seemed to get used anymore, like the pool or the BMX course. It very much had a sense of history, of forgotten secrets. And Boy Scouts have their own \u201csecret society\u201d called the Order of the Arrow that directly inspired the title of the series. We were never great scouts, by the way. Just like in Night Jay<\/em>, we got lost on the compass course, but mostly because we didn\u2019t know what we were doing!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As The Forest Beckons is the first of the Order of the Night Jay<\/em> trilogy, do you have parts two and three plotted out?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

So much has changed with the story since I started. Originally it was only going to be one book, but Chris at Top Shelf smartly suggested we break it up into a series. This really made it so the story could breathe and take its time to have fun. <\/span><\/p>\n

The main narrative for Book 2 is almost completely written out at this point. There\u2019s going to be lots of tweaking here and there, secrets to add, and a puzzle or two. Things tend to change even more when I start on the final art.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not to give too much away, but in the next part, Ricky and Frank get in trouble (yet again!), they meet a stranger who helps them unlock more of the history of the Order, and Jake and Spud stumble on a dark and powerful secret.<\/span><\/p>\n

And of course there will be more \u201cMeet the Tailfeathers\u201d chapter breaks, activities, and sneaky educational moments.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(If you\u2019re (at)bashing your head over this piggy penned message, the key can be found in Order of the Night Jay: The Forest Beckons!<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A big thank you to Jonathan for chatting with us; we wish him the best of luck with Order of the Night Jay (Book One): The Forest Beckons<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>","post_title":"ComicBuzz Chats With Jonathan Schnapp","post_excerpt":"Order of the Night Jay (Book One): The Forest Beckons","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"comicbuzz-chats-with-jonathan-schnapp","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-10-06 19:57:37","post_modified_gmt":"2022-10-06 18:57:37","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=208233","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":208172,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2022-09-07 14:56:55","post_date_gmt":"2022-09-07 13:56:55","post_content":"With the launch of her debut graphic novel, Unretouchable<\/em> out on September 113th via<\/span> Graphic Universe, we got a chance to sit down and chat with writer, artist and creator Sofia Szamosi.<\/span>\n\nHi Sofia, it's so wonderful to have you here with us.<\/span><\/strong>\n\nHi! Thanks for having me!<\/span>\n\nCould you please tell us a bit about yourself?<\/span><\/strong>\n\nI am an artist, originally from New York City, who makes graphic novels, artists\u2019 books and zines, among other things! I am also a mom to a wonderful, not remotely \u201cterrible\u201d 2-year-old.<\/span>\n\nCan you tell us about the origins of Unretouchable<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong>\n\nUnretouchable<\/em> started out as a zine I made in 2016, after doing an internship with a \u201cdigital imaging specialist,\u201d aka the person who handles the tech on photoshoots and does photo retouching. The internship opened my eyes to a whole new world behind the scenes of image creation and manipulation, and led me to do a lot of soul searching about the power these images can have. I shared my zine, which was basically an illustrated personal essay, with my agent, Jennnifer Weltz of JVNLA in NYC, and she saw the seeds of a graphic novel in its pages.<\/span>\n\nThe Unretouchable<\/em> graphic novel is black and white; when did you make that decision?<\/span><\/strong>\n\nUnretouchable<\/em> has been black and white since its conception. The original zine that inspired the book was black and white; in fact some of those early images that inspired the character of Olive and the style of the artwork ended up making their way into the final book. I\u2019ve loved drawing in black and white since childhood, so it felt natural to work in that style.<\/span>\n\nWhat can you tell us about Olive?<\/span><\/strong>\n\nOlive is a recent high-school graduate from New York City who dreams of being an artist like her grandpa \u2014 and of finally meeting her online boyfriend IRL. It\u2019s the summer before her first semester of art school, and she feels full of questions about her path\u2026 How do people even make a living in the arts? Should she get a \u201creal job\u201d? What does real connection really look like? Her mom sets her up with a summer internship with a photo retoucher, and though at first she\u2019s equal parts fascinated and horrified, it leads her to become increasingly alienated by social media and the digital world around her and to ask more and more pressing questions about the power of images, what role media should have in her life, and what her role in that media should be.<\/span>\n\nHow long have you been working on Unretouchable<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong>\n\nSince 2016. While I truly love the graphic novel format, it is definitely not a quick process! The total time I spent working on the manuscript and creating the artwork was around two years.<\/span>\n\n\n\nHow would you describe Unretouchable<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong>\n\nUnretouchable<\/em> is a coming-of-age story about growing up in a world where authentic experience feels harder and harder to come by, and we are marketed to more than ever on our phones and social media. Olive is grappling with how these forces shape her own perception of herself and her body, and the larger question of how these forces, distortions and pressures damage different people in society differently. Unretouchable<\/em> is a story about what it means to become an alert, conscious consumer and creator of images, and it\u2019s ultimately a tribute to self-acceptance.<\/span>\n\nWhen it came to writing Unretouchable<\/em>, did you write a full script?<\/span><\/strong>\n\nAfter writing the original zine (which was an illustrated personal essay), I then had the task of fictionalizing my story. Despite the similar internship experience, Olive really is her own bird \u2013 it took time to find her on the page. The first step was creating an outline, then I wrote a full script. Next I mapped out each page, figuring out which lines of the script would go on each page. Then I sketched the artwork, sometimes adjusting or changing the script if needed.<\/span>\n\nHow important is word of mouth for any indie project?<\/span><\/strong>\n\nThis is my first book, so I guess I am about to find out! I think it would be super important!<\/span>\n\nWhat part of the creative process did you enjoy more, the writing or the art?<\/span><\/strong>\n\nMost definitely the art! I love telling stories with images and words together. For me, the words really come alive when I am drawing them, and oftentimes I will revise or find the words as I am drawing. The script serves as a framework, but the real story comes out when I am drawing.<\/span>\n\nHas creating Unretouchable<\/em> been a challenge?<\/span><\/strong>\n\nYes, but it has definitely been a labor of love! For a good portion of the creation of this book I was either pregnant or holding a newborn, which was definitely challenging at times, but also really fueled my fire.<\/span>\n\nHow did Graphic Universe get involved with Unretouchable<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong>\n\nAfter my agent urged me to turn my zine into a treatment for a graphic novel, she shopped it around to publishers and Graphic Universe came on board. My editor, Greg Hunter, and everyone at Graphic Universe \/ Lerner has been such a pleasure to work with, and really helped me craft Unretouchable<\/em> into what it is today.<\/span>\n\nAny message for the ComicBuzz readers?<\/span><\/strong>\n\nTHANK YOU so much for reading and checking out Unretouchable!<\/em> I am so excited to hear what you all think of it! :) Stay tuned for news about my second graphic novel, which I am very excited about and hard at work on as we speak.<\/span>\n\nCheck me out here:<\/span>\n\nwww.sofiaszamosi.net<\/a>\n\nIG: @sofiaszamosi<\/span>\n\nTwitter: @sofia_szamosi<\/span>\n\nA big thank you to Sofia for chatting with us; we wish her the best of luck with her new graphic novel, Unretouchable<\/em>.<\/span>","post_title":"ComicBuzz Chats With Sofia Szamosi","post_excerpt":"Unretouchable","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"comicbuzz-chats-with-sofia-szamosi","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-10-06 12:38:33","post_modified_gmt":"2022-10-06 11:38:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=208172","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":207878,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2022-06-27 14:00:21","post_date_gmt":"2022-06-27 13:00:21","post_content":"

A TALE OF TWO WAR BOTS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

From the mind that brought you \u2018Resident Alien\u2019<\/strong> <\/span><\/em><\/p>\nMILWAUKIE, Ore., (June 27, 2022)\u2014<\/strong> Dark Horse Books and Steve Parkhouse (Resident Alien<\/em>, Milkman Murders<\/em>) are proud to present War Birds<\/strong><\/em>. Steve Parkhouse along with writer Geoffrey D. Wessel (Keeper<\/em>, Takedown<\/em>) join together to bring this thrilling tale of friendship and survival!<\/span>\n\nTwo renegade AI minds want to simply make conversation\u2014not war! When a bipedal, independent robot soldier makes a unique connection with an injured, flying drone, they flee the warzone they\u2019re in to seek lives of their own. Their military builders want to destroy them, though, while a sympathetic pair of humans tries what they can to free the errant \u2019bots from military service!<\/span>\n\n<\/a> War Birds <\/em><\/strong>trade paperback will be in comic shops March 8th, 2023 and bookstores March 21st, 2023. It is available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your local comic shop and bookstore for $19.99.<\/span>\n\nPraise for Resident Alien<\/span><\/strong>\n\n\u201cResident Alien #1 is a refreshingly original take on the classic whodunit murder mystery formula, and feels a bit like a fun mash-up between Diagnosis Murder and the X-Files\u201d \u2013 Newsarama<\/em><\/span>\n\n\u201cSteve Parkhouse keeps the visuals of this book easy on the eyes and perfectly represents the quaint town lifestyle.\u201d \u2013 Comicosity<\/em><\/span>\n\n\u201cThe concept has me riveted, the art has me in awe. Resident Alien continues to be promising and I am eagerly awaiting the next issue.\u201d \u2013 Comics Bulletin<\/em><\/span>\n\nAbout Dark Horse Comics <\/span><\/strong>\n\nFounded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics is an excellent example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and transform a company with humble beginnings into an industry giant. Over the years, Dark Horse has published the work of creative legends such as Yoshitaka Amano, Margaret Atwood, Paul Chadwick, Geof Darrow, Will Eisner, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons, Faith Erin Hicks, Kazuo Koike, Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, Mike Mignola, Frank Miller, Moebius, Chuck Palahniuk, Wendy Pini, Richard Pini, and Gerard Way. In addition, Dark Horse has a long tradition of establishing exciting new creative talent throughout all of its divisions. The company has also set the industry standard for quality licensed comics, graphic novels, collectibles, and art books, including Stranger Things, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Dragon Age, James Cameron\u2019s Avatar, Game of Thrones, Mass Effect, StarCraft, The Witcher, and Halo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is one of the world\u2019s leading entertainment publishers.<\/span>","post_title":"Dark Horse Announces War Birds","post_excerpt":"Two renegade AI minds","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"dark-horse-announces-war-birds","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-10-07 17:01:03","post_modified_gmt":"2022-10-07 16:01:03","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=207878","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":207848,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2022-06-13 14:17:09","post_date_gmt":"2022-06-13 13:17:09","post_content":"

In early 2018, cartoonist Sofia Warren was not paying attention to New York state politics. But that summer, her Brooklyn neighborhood began buzzing about Julia Salazar, a 27-year-old democratic socialist running for State Senate whose grassroots campaign was inspiring an army of volunteers. When they beat the odds and won, Warren found herself wondering what would happen next. How does it work when an outsider who runs on revolutionary change has to actually do the job? So she decided to find out<\/span><\/p>\n

Radical: My Year with a Socialist Senator<\/em> is a remarkable graphic memoir of Warren\u2019s experience embedded with Julia Salazar and her staff during their first year in office. From candid conversations and eyewitness experiences, Warren builds a gripping and intimate portrait of a scrappy team of community organizers battling entrenched power structures, particularly to advance Julia\u2019s marquee issue: housing rights.<\/span><\/p>\n

At every key point during the year \u2014 setting up an office, navigating insider politics, public pushback, testy staff meetings, emotional speeches, protest marches, setbacks, and victories \u2014 Warren is up close and personal with Julia and her team, observing, questioning, and drawing, as they try to translate their ideals into concrete legislation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Along the way, Warren works toward answers to deeper questions: what makes a good leader? What does it mean to be a part of a community? Can democracy work? How can everyday people make change happen?<\/span><\/p>\n

All these themes are explored \u2014 with nuance, compassion, and humor \u2014 in Sofia Warren's remarkable debut.<\/span><\/p>\n

-- a 328-page, softcover graphic novel with 3\" French flaps (6.4\" x 9\")<\/span><\/p>\n

[gallery ids=\"207849,207850,207851,207852,207853,207854\"]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Radical: My Year with a Socialist Senator<\/em> hits shelves everywhere books are sold on June 14th!<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"Radical: My Year with a Socialist Senator Preview","post_excerpt":"Graphic memoir","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"radical-my-year-with-a-socialist-senator-preview","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-10-07 20:34:35","post_modified_gmt":"2022-10-07 19:34:35","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=207848","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":21},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_22"};