The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

Last week you may recall we hosted a very interesting ‘conversation’ between three independent British comics creators/publishers, Simon Perrins, Bevis Musson and the Ventedspleen. Pleased as we were with that piece though, it was originally meant to feature four comics creators; due to deadlines and other time constraints we just missed out on including Paul Rainey, creator of There’s No Time Like the Present (which has been gaining plaudits from Comics International, Redeye and Dave Sim) as well as Swill the Alien, Telephone Thing and the autobiographical Book of Lists, which Paul also runs on his site (so you have no excuse not to check it out, its right up there for you and well worth having a look).

Well, with all the praise being heaped upon Paul’s various comics plus the fact we thought No Time Like The Present looks like a series we could really get into we just couldn’t leave things like that. So we talked to Paul and he has done a What The Author Says piece for us, to introduce readers to his comics world, his series and what it is like being an independent, self-published comics writer and artist in the UK today. As a bonus we’re including Paul’s responses to the questions we asked Bevis, Simon and Ventedspleen last week, which compliments his What The Author Says piece, so come with us and enter the comics world of Paul B Rainey:

What happens when you’re told that the world has changed and will never be the same again but you’re life continues exactly as it did before, uneventful and disappointing? How are you supposed to feel? These were amongst the thoughts I had when I started work on There’s No Time Like The Present, the graphic novel that I am currently serialising in nine, maybe ten, perhaps eleven, although it could end up being twelve, parts.

“I’ve always drawn comics. I even had some published during the nineties in the form of six issues of Memory Man and two Love Bombs but it’s only been in recent years that I’ve got into small press publishing in a heavy way. It began with my website. This is where I post panels from my diary strip. Events from my life are recorded, reordered into categories and then assembled into twelve or twenty-four panelled strips. Go and have a look if you want to learn more.

Inspired by the quality of actual-reality small press comics that I had seen, I experimented with publishing a sampler version of Book of Lists two years ago and was pleased to learn how well it seemed to go down. Soon after, I drew a strip called Telephone Thing, a one off small press title that tells the story of a young man who discovers that his girlfriend works on a sex chat line.

What these two comics and Swill the Alien (which came along a little later) taught me was that it’s possible to self publish comics that people want to read and for them to appear as professional as any other comic on the shelves published by those companies we think of as proper publishers. Even if you’re unsure about the content, these comics are nicely produced with lovely covers at the very least.

The advantage of publishing your own work is that the format of the comic can be made to accommodate the work. When I first started There’s No Time Like The Present, I had no real idea as to how I was going to get it out to the big wide world. It wasn’t until I had completed 24 pages that I thought about self-publishing it in a serial format. A twenty eight paged comic with a colour cover serialising a graphic novel may not sound very ground breaking to you, but approaching making comics with the point of view of the content coming before the format is very liberating to me. It also seems to be reflected in the quality of the work that I do if the positive feedback and the good reviews it is getting are anything to go by.

I am very flattered and honoured that Forbidden Planet International have agreed to sell my work via their website. The team here recognise that the most vital comics happening in the UK today are occurring as part of the small press scene. So, why not give a small press title a try? I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed.”

Paul Rainey

These are Paul’s responses to those questions Bevis, Simon and the Ventedspleen discussed a few days ago, but we couldn’t resist adding them in here for you to read – we also highly recommend you go check out Paul’s site and enjoy The Book of List strips:

FPI: Hi, Paul and thank you for taking some time to talk to us about your work, especially since many of you have to fit in your comics work around other jobs. One thing that has really struck me as we’ve been adding on Indy titles to the FPI webstore is the sheer diversity on offer. Perhaps we should start with you telling us a little about who you are and what your current title is about?

Paul: My name is Paul Rainey and I guess I have two projects currently running in tandem. For the last four years, I have been running www.bookoflists.co.uk, which is where I post panels from my diary strip. Events from my live are sorted into categories and then assembled into strips.

Most of my time is spent working on my actual reality comic, There’s No Time Like The Present. Essentially, this is my graphic novel that I am serialising in nine, maybe ten, although it could end up being eleven but could just as easily be twelve parts. So far, five are available. It’s the story about a group of friends who live in a world very much like our own except that it has experienced an undeniable change. Yet, despite this event, the lives of the friends appear to continue exactly as before.

FPI: This is a rather obvious question, but still valid, so I’ll ask it: how did you first get into comics, both as readers and as creators? Any special influences?

Paul: I was a big fan of Planet of the Apes when I was a kid and when I heard that there was a comic of the programme available; well I just had to have it. The publishers, Marvel, have always been pretty good at making their readers feel that they ought to be reading more of their titles. But I didn’t just stop with their comics. Before long I was reading every comic I could get my ink stained hands on. I think I probably started creating comics around then to compensate for when my pocket money had been spent.

FPI: I get a stronger impression of more personal tastes here than I sometimes do with more mainstream work from larger publishers. Since one of the great rules of creativity is ‘write what you know’ that isn’t a bad thing itself, but do you ever worry about striking a balance between telling a tale or creating a character you want and making sure that it will still appeal to other readers?

Paul: I don’t think about readers when I am writing and drawing the strip. I’m only interested in making the best comic that I can. The reader enters the equation when it comes to making the comic available to them. For example, I try to make it as professional a looking package as possible. I want people to feel that they’re getting value for money.

FPI: I know you have to fit in your comics work around other jobs. Is the comics work more of a hobby that you like to share with others or is the dream to actually work full time in comics?

Paul: Working enables me to make the comics that I want to. Obviously, it would be great to earn a living from making the comics that I do but my objective, as I say, is to make an excellent There’s No Time Like The Present.

FPI: Naturally you want to reach as wide an audience as you can for your work, but do you also see your own comics as a possible investment, like a portfolio of your work which you can use when seeking work from other, more established publishers?

Paul: Because I have a day job and ideas that come faster to me than I am able to draw them, I consider the comics I do as objects in their own right. I guess they could be an investment, but I’m not overly relying on them. Especially when I could be spending that time drawing even more comics.

FPI: Self-publishing is obviously a very difficult path to tread, although it can work for some – for example Gary Spencer Millidge has written, drawn and published Strangehaven and now has it being translated into several other languages. Would you prefer to stick to publishing your own work, trading the problems that brings against the total creative freedom it allows? Or would you be prepared to take your work through an established name publisher? Or even to leave aside your own work (if temporarily) to write or draw for an established series?

Paul: Self publishing has its rewards but I would much rather somebody better equipped (i.e., anybody) published it for me. I would probably enjoy having a go at writing an established character. Recently, I’ve been thinking I would like to have a go at Namor, The Sub-Mariner. There’s something about a guy strutting around in only a pair of fish-skin underpants while demanding everyone’s respect that fascinates me.

FPI: One thing all independent artists find, from movies and animation to books and comics, is that it seems very difficult to try and get help to support your work. Have any of you had any luck trying to get grants from arts councils or arts bursaries? Do you think it would help new talent get established if the bodies who administer grants for artists, such as the Arts Council, offered support (financial and advice/contacts)? Do you think the comics industry itself should have more visible programmes for nurturing fresh talent?

Paul: When I did Memory Man and Love Bomb (comics I made during the late nineties) I got grants from the local Arts Association. I haven’t thought about approaching them since, as the comics I do now are less of a financial strain on me. I find it hard to imagine the comic industry ever supporting genuine new talent programmes at a time when some publishers can get creators working for them for free.

FPI: How has new technology affected the way you create your work and the way you disseminate it? Do you use software to help in creating the art or stick with more traditional methods? Have you found the web allows you to offer your work to more people than you could previously?

Paul: Technology is great! I use it to colour my work and to tidy up my black and white art. I assemble entire pages from separate pieces of drawn art using it sometimes. I use technology to get www.bookoflists.co.uk out there. I can even sell my paper-based comics using technology. Three cheers for modern technology!

FPI: Other than actual sales, how do you use your website (and I was generally impressed by most of the sites I’ve been looking at) to promote your work and to entice readers? Is it generally easier to sell online than in bricks and mortar stores?

Paul: I think of www.bookoflists.co.uk as a comic in its own right (Have to agree there, I love it! – Joe). This is why there are lots of strips on there and it’s updated at least twice a week. (Previously, when I had more time, it was every day). I do sell copies of There’s No Time Like The Present and other comics by me through there. I guess these sales often occur because readers have enjoyed the stuff that they’ve seen on the site.

FPI: Other than having enough free time to work on your titles, what do you see as the main barriers to new, self-published creators? And do you have any good tips or advice for others?

Paul: The main barriers are not enough money and not nearly enough adoration. Personally, I’ve always believed that the audience exists for the majority of self-published comics available; there’s just a big, uncharted wasteland between them and us. (Is that a barrier?)

FPI: What comics are you currently reading and do you pick up the work of other British Indy creators as part of your regular comics reading?

Paul: Buddha by Osamu Tezuka, Daredevil, All Star Superman, Stray Bullets, West by Andrew Cheverton and Tim Keable, The Barnstables by Will Dawbarn. Lots of other stuff too.

FPI: Finally, what’s coming up next from you?

Paul: I’m still updating www.bookoflists.co.uk and I’m working like a nut job on There’s No Time Like The Present part 6 (which we look forward to – Joe).

FPI: thank you very much for joining us.

Paul: Thank you for having me.