Canadian Web Comic Interviews

Randall McIlwaine Author of "Fortune St."

I was born and raised in Quebec and aside from a two year stint in Alberta have lived in or around the city of Montreal my entire life. I've been happily married for 19 years and have two beautiful daughters. I'm the product of a pretty standard education and have never attended an art school.

What was the first online comic you ever read?
Oddly enough, the first online comic I ever read was one of my own. In 1992 a friend of mine, writer/filmmaker John McFetridge, told me he was working on a screenplay about an alternate press cartoonist who draws a strip featuring a character called Jackson Beaver, and asked me if I would create a series of cartoons that he could use to promote the project. He eventually created a web site at Geocities and posted the cartoons online. At the time I didn't have access to the internet - hell, I didn't even own a computer. John gave me an old 286 computer he had sitting around and I got myself hooked up and immediately went to view my cartoons online.

What were your favorite comics growing up?
"Li'l Abner", "Pogo", "Tumbleweeds", early "B.C.", "Herman", "Doonesbury"... to be honest, I'm not a big fan of the comics page but these strips stand out in my mind. In my teens I discovered Mad and Playboy and the work of Jack Davis, Mort Drucker, Don Martin, Sergio Aragones, Al Jaffee, Basil wolverton, Gahan Wilson, and B. Kliban. I also really like the work of Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton. These guys more than anyone inspired me to draw and made me strive to draw well.

Tell us how you began working on your web comic.
At the time I went online with "Fortune St." the Internet was being viewed as the next big market and a great marketing tool. Sadly, it hasn't lived up to its potential as a market, but it's still a great way for your work to be seen by a large audience.

What other writing or comics have you worked on?
Soon after "Jackson Beaver" went online I hooked up with an online publisher and put out what I believe was the first electronic cartoon book ever produced called "Thermal Condoms and Other 'Toons". It was a resounding flop selling a grand total of six copies in five years - so much for early retirement. I also produced a line of humourous T-shirts for a Quebec company and a series of postcards for a small publisher in Ontario. Mainly I sell cartoons to various publications as a freelance artist.

For readers not familiar with your work, can you tell us something about your comic?
A friend once told me that even when the joke bombed she aways laughed at the drawings, so I guess one way or another you'll find something funny at "Fortune St."

Tell us how you acquired your artistic skills.
I draw constantly, but I'm never 100% happy with the results, so I'm constantly trying to improve on what I do. That's really all there is to it.

What artists have inspired/influenced your artistic and writing styles?
It's pretty much the same guys I listed as my favorites.

Where do you get your ideas for story archs or comedic relief in your comic?
Ideas can come from anywhere. Sometimes a gag will just pop into my head fully formed, other times it's just a thread of an idea that may or may not make a good cartoon. On dry days I'll just spend time drawing different things and hope that something inspires me. My best advice to any budding gag writer is to always have a pen and paper handy because an idea can hit you at anytime, and write down every idea no matter how vague it might seem - gags don't always come fully formed.

Your thoughts on the online comic community?
The online comic community is like everything else on the Internet - you have to wade through a ton of crap to find the good stuff. That said, there are an awful lot of talented people offering up there work online and they're worth searching for. My experience with other online artists has been very positive - for the most part they're a friendly bunch of people. I've made several good online friends over the years. And on a personal note, the Internet is probably the best way for anyone interested in Canadian cartooning to see what's being produced because way too little of it ever makes it into the papers.

Being non-american, do you feel somewhat removed from many of the more mainstream web comics?
You certainly have a disadvantage against syndicated strips when it comes to attracting an audience, but that has more to do with name recognition than being non-American. I don't want to get on a soap box, but the Canadian newspaper industry has no interest in promoting Canadian talent and as a consequence Canadian strips aren't often seen in Canadian papers (unless they're syndicated by a U.S. company). Like it or not, the comics page is still the best way to gain a large audience, and this is a venue closed to most Canadian talent. (Hmmm, come to think of it, I guess it does have to do with being non-American.)

Does anything set you appart, being a Canadian comic artist, from other American web comics?
Aside from the fact that my first online strip featured a beaver I can't think of anything.

How, if at all, does being 'Canadian' factor into the creative process?
Honestly I don't think being Canadian has any effect on my work, other than the spelling of course.

Have you ever attended any Canadian or American Comic Conventions?
Oddly enough, I've been a featured guest at three sci-fi conventions to promote a film I was involved in as an actor, but I've never attended a comic convention.

Do you believe that popular cultures preoccupation with the Anime-style of art has diluted the overall quality of web comics, or improved it? How?
Actually, while I despise the cartoon shows I've always liked the art in the anime-style comic books. If I had a complaint it would be that, to me anyway, the new anime-style art appearing online has a cookie-cutter feel - there is very little variation in the art work from artist to artist. Over time the really good artists will refine their style and develope a more distinct look to their work, so I think it's too early to say if this trend has been good or bad for the online comic, or comics in general.

What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites?
I'm a bit of a movie nut, so the list would be too long to get into. I do have a great fondness for grade z horror and science fiction films. Cartoons: Looney Tunes, of course. South Park cracks me up. SpongeBob Squarepants, Ren & Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, and Futurerama still make me laugh.
When I was a kid I loved Roger Ramjet, The Super Heros, George of the Jungle (which featured Super Chicken and Tom Slick), and, of course, Rocky and Bullwinkle. As for TV shows... 24, Puppets Who Kill, Alias, Farscape, Dead Like Me, Six Feet Under, Angel, Daily Planet, and a variety of others.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you?
I guess we're not including people, right? I could say a pen and paper, but eventually the pen would run out of ink and the paper would get used up, and that would just be depressing. I guess the best thing to be stranded on a desert island with would be a boat, an outboard motor, and plenty of gasoline.

What books do you read?
Anything that's good (how's that for a cop-out?)

How can somebody contact you?
The best way is through the mail link at my web site.

That ends the interview, any last words of wisdom?
Nope.

-Randall McIlwaine
http://www.colba.net/~randymc/

Strips:

"Flirting with Death"
"Mobster Faux Pas"
"The Tv's on the blink"
"Rice Cakes?"
"Heart Checkup"

Posted by B.Scott
Return to The Main Page - Canadian Web Comic Ezine



	Canadian Web Comic Interviews Randall McIlwaine Author of "Fortune St." I was born and raised in Quebec and aside from a two year stint in Alberta have lived in or around the city of Montreal my entire life. I've been happily married for 19 years and have two beautiful daughters. I'm the product of a pretty standard education and have never attended an art school. What was the first online comic you ever read? Oddly enough, the first online comic I ever read was one of my own. In 1992 a friend of mine, writer/filmmaker John McFetridge, told me he was working on a screenplay about an alternate press cartoonist who draws a strip featuring a character called Jackson Beaver, and asked me if I would create a series of cartoons that he could use to promote the project. He eventually created a web site at Geocities and posted the cartoons online. At the time I didn't have access to the internet - hell, I didn't even own a computer. John gave me an old 286 computer he had sitting around and I got myself hooked up and immediately went to view my cartoons online. What were your favorite comics growing up? "Li'l Abner", "Pogo", "Tumbleweeds", early "B.C.", "Herman", "Doonesbury"... to be honest, I'm not a big fan of the comics page but these strips stand out in my mind. In my teens I discovered Mad and Playboy and the work of Jack Davis, Mort Drucker, Don Martin, Sergio Aragones, Al Jaffee, Basil wolverton, Gahan Wilson, and B. Kliban. I also really like the work of Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton. These guys more than anyone inspired me to draw and made me strive to draw well. Tell us how you began working on your web comic. At the time I went online with "Fortune St." the Internet was being viewed as the next big market and a great marketing tool. Sadly, it hasn't lived up to its potential as a market, but it's still a great way for your work to be seen by a large audience. What other writing or comics have you worked on? Soon after "Jackson Beaver" went online I hooked up with an online publisher and put out what I believe was the first electronic cartoon book ever produced called "Thermal Condoms and Other 'Toons". It was a resounding flop selling a grand total of six copies in five years - so much for early retirement. I also produced a line of humourous T-shirts for a Quebec company and a series of postcards for a small publisher in Ontario. Mainly I sell cartoons to various publications as a freelance artist. For readers not familiar with your work, can you tell us something about your comic? A friend once told me that even when the joke bombed she aways laughed at the drawings, so I guess one way or another you'll find something funny at "Fortune St." Tell us how you acquired your artistic skills. I draw constantly, but I'm never 100% happy with the results, so I'm constantly trying to improve on what I do. That's really all there is to it. What artists have inspired/influenced your artistic and writing styles? It's pretty much the same guys I listed as my favorites. Where do you get your ideas for story archs or comedic relief in your comic? Ideas can come from anywhere. Sometimes a gag will just pop into my head fully formed, other times it's just a thread of an idea that may or may not make a good cartoon. On dry days I'll just spend time drawing different things and hope that something inspires me. My best advice to any budding gag writer is to always have a pen and paper handy because an idea can hit you at anytime, and write down every idea no matter how vague it might seem - gags don't always come fully formed. Your thoughts on the online comic community? The online comic community is like everything else on the Internet - you have to wade through a ton of crap to find the good stuff. That said, there are an awful lot of talented people offering up there work online and they're worth searching for. My experience with other online artists has been very positive - for the most part they're a friendly bunch of people. I've made several good online friends over the years. And on a personal note, the Internet is probably the best way for anyone interested in Canadian cartooning to see what's being produced because way too little of it ever makes it into the papers. Being non-american, do you feel somewhat removed from many of the more mainstream web comics? You certainly have a disadvantage against syndicated strips when it comes to attracting an audience, but that has more to do with name recognition than being non-American. I don't want to get on a soap box, but the Canadian newspaper industry has no interest in promoting Canadian talent and as a consequence Canadian strips aren't often seen in Canadian papers (unless they're syndicated by a U.S. company). Like it or not, the comics page is still the best way to gain a large audience, and this is a venue closed to most Canadian talent. (Hmmm, come to think of it, I guess it does have to do with being non-American.) Does anything set you appart, being a Canadian comic artist, from other American web comics? Aside from the fact that my first online strip featured a beaver I can't think of anything. How, if at all, does being 'Canadian' factor into the creative process? Honestly I don't think being Canadian has any effect on my work, other than the spelling of course. Have you ever attended any Canadian or American Comic Conventions? Oddly enough, I've been a featured guest at three sci-fi conventions to promote a film I was involved in as an actor, but I've never attended a comic convention. Do you believe that popular cultures preoccupation with the Anime-style of art has diluted the overall quality of web comics, or improved it? How? Actually, while I despise the cartoon shows I've always liked the art in the anime-style comic books. If I had a complaint it would be that, to me anyway, the new anime-style art appearing online has a cookie-cutter feel - there is very little variation in the art work from artist to artist. Over time the really good artists will refine their style and develope a more distinct look to their work, so I think it's too early to say if this trend has been good or bad for the online comic, or comics in general. What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites? I'm a bit of a movie nut, so the list would be too long to get into. I do have a great fondness for grade z horror and science fiction films. Cartoons: Looney Tunes, of course. South Park cracks me up. SpongeBob Squarepants, Ren & Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, and Futurerama still make me laugh. When I was a kid I loved Roger Ramjet, The Super Heros, George of the Jungle (which featured Super Chicken and Tom Slick), and, of course, Rocky and Bullwinkle. As for TV shows... 24, Puppets Who Kill, Alias, Farscape, Dead Like Me, Six Feet Under, Angel, Daily Planet, and a variety of others. If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you? I guess we're not including people, right? I could say a pen and paper, but eventually the pen would run out of ink and the paper would get used up, and that would just be depressing. I guess the best thing to be stranded on a desert island with would be a boat, an outboard motor, and plenty of gasoline. What books do you read? Anything that's good (how's that for a cop-out?) How can somebody contact you? The best way is through the mail link at my web site. That ends the interview, any last words of wisdom? Nope. -Randall McIlwaine http://www.colba.net/~randymc/ Strips: "Flirting with Death" "Mobster Faux Pas" "The Tv's on the blink" "Rice Cakes?" "Heart Checkup" Posted by B.Scott Return to The Main Page - Canadian Web Comic Ezine