Geek Syndicate Issue 5

Geek Syndicate INTERVIEW Comic Writer, Paul Allor tor Andy Schmidt. Everyone in the class had to write a fivepage comic story; Andy’s philosophy is that if you can write a complete and compelling story in five pages, you can also do it in 22. After the cl ass I started writing more and more five-pagers, to sharpen my skills, and Clockwork sprung from that. GS: Pretend we’ve never heard of Orc Girl. What’s your elevator pitch? PA: It’s probably not what you’re expecting, based on the name. It’s a fantasy, but it’s also a coming-of-age story, about the way our priorities shift as we transition into adulthood. It’s a tragedy, it’s a romance, it’s an adventure story, it’s a fantasy. It’s a cool little story, and I’m very proud of it. Plus the artwork, by Thomas Boatwright, is just absolutely gorgeous. Oh, here’s my floor. Nice talking to you, Miss Kubelik. GS: Where did the idea for Orc Girl come from? PA: Man, this is an idea that’s been kicking around in my head for a while. I kind of had a general idea of what I wanted to do… there was this Orc Girl, and there was a river. And I had this image of her… hmm, how do I say this for people who haven’t read the issue? I had this image of her doing something to something at the river, that she does near the end of this issue. But I didn’t know why. So I just let it sort of knock around in my mind for a long, long time, slowly developing into the story it eventually became. And because I’d spent so much time mulling it over, the scripting phase was incredibly easy. Ha! No, I kid. It was as torturous as always. GS: What has been the best part about working outside the Big 2 and other large comic companies? PA: I’ve never worked for the Big Two, so I can’t really compare. But on my self-published work, I do enjoy the level of control I have over the design, lettering, packaging and presentation. I’m only limited by, uh… my very limited skills. And money. GS: What’s been the worst part? PA: See above re: money. This may just be a filthy rumor, but I’ve heard that working for the Big Two pays slightly better than self-publishing a book and selling it to a few hundred people. I may be wrong. I will say, the idea of having the change to craft awesome stories about iconic characters in a shared universe is very appealing. It’s not the only thing I want to do in my writing life, but it’s definitely something I’d like to have as part of my career. Image © Paul Allor, 2012 Comic writer Paul Allor has written the Fugitoid micro series for IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic line, Clockwork and Orc Girl (reviewed this issue). Geek Syndicate caught up with the writer to chat about being an independent comic writer. GS: Tell us a little about yourself, if you would. PA: Sure. My name is Paul Allor, and I’m a comic-book writer based out of beautiful Kokomo, Indiana. I’ve been reading comics for about five years now, and writing them for a few years less than that. I’ve really fallen in love with the medium, and it’s been a lot of fun. GS: Most of your stuff that I’ve read prior to Orc Girl has been the five-page short comics in Clockwork. What made you pick that length to write with? PA: It mainly sprung from a writing class I took through Comics Experience, taught by former Marvel and IDW edi- 40

Geek Syndicate Issue 5 | Page 40