well-received by the artists I shared the work with.
SP!: WERE YOU ABLE TO GET ANY OTHER CREATORS TO GIVE YOU
FEEDBACK?
on Faith Fallon as often as I can, between a full-time job as a graphic
artist/multimedia designer, and I have a wonderful wife and three
kids, ages 6, 4, and 1. When I was a kid, I always assumed comic artists
made a lot of money and lived a glamorous life. It was nice to hear
that other guys my age, younger, or older have a day job, a mortgage, kids, family issues that require money, and live in the real world.
Steven: Charles D. Chenet, George O’Connor, and Simon Fraser
were all very helpful in their feedback. George was critical, but in
a good way, as was Simon. I took their advice to heart and I think SP!: ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING ANYTHING THAT HELPS KEEP
the book will be sooooooooo much better than it would’ve been. YOUR LEVEL OF INSPIRATION UP?
Some of my old schoolmates like Rick Arthur and Jack Pollack also
provided encouragement and advice. There are many artists on Steven: I’m not really reading much in the comic book world right
Facebook that offer kudos and critiques. Artists will offer advice if
you ask, just don’t be a pest about it and don’t bitch if they tell you
the work needs work.
SP!: SINCE WE ARE ON THE TOPIC OF CONVENTIONS, ARE THERE
ANY INTERESTING STORIES YOU CAN SHARE?
Steven: Here’s one for you. While I was at NYCC 2012, I decided to
show Faith Fallon to a famous cartoonist I met when I was a
19-year-old kid during the summer of 1983. I showed him my
portfolio from my first year at Kubert’s back then. It didn’t go
well. He told me my work really sucked. I still hear him telling
me how I couldn’t draw to save my life and he didn’t think I
ever would learn how to because it was unfathomable to him
how a person could start drawing in the third grade, spend
a year at Kubert’s, and still produce the garbage I produced.
So there I was, 30 years later, and I asked Mr. Famous to
take a look. Obviously, he didn’t recognize me and I played
it cool. He rolled his eyes, because I’m sure he gets sick of
people asking for his critique. I told him I would appreciate it and it was OK to tell me I sucked, because I wasn’t
looking to break into Marvel or DC and I already had a nice
career as a graphic artist. All I wanted was the opinion of an
artistic peer. I think the peer thing startled him. He looked
through the pages and stopped cold and then I saw a smile.
He loved it. I knew he wasn’t bullshitting me. He liked the
indy vibe to it and said he had never seen anything like it.
I think it’s best to leave him nameless for now, but I have to
thank him for being so honest back in ‘83. While I didn’t graduate with a professional cartoonist portfolio, I was more honest
with my own work during my second and third year at Kubert’s.
I left a Kubert’s a less-sucky artist because of him and worked
a lot harder at it than I might have otherwise.
SP!: HAVE YOU FOUND ANY THINGS YOU SHARE IN COMMON
WITH OTHER INDEPENDENT ARTISTS YOU’VE MET?
now. I have a few books by Dean Haspiel, whom I met through Arlen
Schumer. I’m trying to not look at too many graphic novels. I generally don’t buy comics by the single issue. I usually wait for the trade
paperback to come out, but lately, I spend virtually no time reading
comics. Real life gets in the way.
SP!: ONE OF THE MAXIMS OF THE COMIC CREATING PROCESS IS
“KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE”. WHO WOULD YOU SAY THE PRIMARY
Steven: Hell, yes! Independent artists can relate to how hard it is to AUDIENCE FOR FAITH IS?
find a work/life balance and produce a graphic novel at the same
time without some huge corporate citizen backing it. It’s refreshing Steven: My primary audience is anyone 18 and over that apprecito see other artists deal with the same things I go through. I work ates a well-crafted story. Fans of original content on Cable or HBO,
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