Canadian Web Comic Interviews

Kathleen Jacques Author of "Intershadows" and "Coolville"

I'm currently finishing my final year of undergrad university in Edmonton. I'm majoring in Art History, and I did my first year in studio visual arts. I travel up north to see my family whenever I can (mom, dad, my fantastic brother Matthew, and calico cat - all very supportive, with the possible exception of the cat).

Likewise, whenever I get the chance, I travel to the US of A to be with my extremely talented boyfriend Justin, creator of the wonderful comic Killroy and Tina.

What was the first online comic you ever read?
The first that I remember really getting into was Dave Kelly's "Living in Greytown" in early 2000. I'm not sure what the first online comic I actually laid eyes on was - after the initial discovery that comics existed online, I know I found several which I gave only brief glances.

What were your favorite comics growing up?
I'm just going to list some syndicated comics, because that was basically what I was exposed to. So...Calvin and Hobbes and Bloom County. Pretty much the standard demigods for a lot of people around my age who grew up loving comics.
I'll also mention The Far Side, For Better or For Worse, and Doonesbury.

Tell us how you landed began working on your web comic.
I'd actually been drawing what was to become my comic for several years prior to going online, for the amusement of myself and my best friend. I had vague notions of someday putting it online, without the slightest idea of how to go about that. What inspired me to do it, I think, was discovering that comics did exist in great numbers online - and not just any comics, not newspaper style comics, but alternative comics that I felt at the time were really trying to do something exciting.
Probably the biggest factor that got me started was free automated hosting from Keenspace. I started in February 2001. I've since moved to my own independent site, but Keen was a great place to start.

What other writing or comics have you worked on?
I did a comic called Coolville for two and a half years.
My current comic, Intershadows, is largely a bigger, better sequel to that.

For readers not familiar with your work, can you tell us something about this web comic?
Intershadows is the story of a varied group of young people, and the title refers to how their lives overlap. It's essentially a drama with comedic elements (I once heard the bastard word "tragi-dramedy" coined to describe it) and it's actually quite dark. The comic switches between fantasy and reality, real and surreal fairly often. It updates in full pages, Monday and Friday.

Tell us how you acquired your artistic skills.
I've been drawing ever since I can remember. I did take one year of my degree in visual arts, and I think I picked up some good fundamentals in those studio classes. Other than that, it's just practice, practice, practice. And I try to make it a point to switch things around and try out new styles.

What artists have inspired/influenced your artistic and writing styles?
Hmm, that's a tough one. Honestly, I'm always a little ashamed when this comes up - because unlike a lot of toonists, I don't have a ready list of direct comic influences. I've been inspired by an unholy mishmash of different things.

Where do you get your ideas for story archs or comedic relief in your comic?
Anywhere and everywhere - I just try to keep my eyes and ears open. Some ideas have been fermenting in my little brain for years, while others are just spur of the moment.

Your thoughts on the online comic community?
I think it's got incredible potential. There have been some great initiatives in the past year or so, such as Comixpedia. And it's been in the community that I've met some fantastic people.
But then, on the other hand, webcomics seem to have even more than their fair share of the old "90% of everything is crap" rule, and that's really reflected in certain parts of the community. There's the good and the bad in everything.

Being non-american, do you feel somewhat removed from many of the more mainstream web comics?
Never. I've never thought of America as the center of webcomicdom. Actually, the sheer number of webcartoonists from Canada is surprising - I remember my site being on more than one lengthy listing of Canadian webcomics. As far as English-language comics are concerned, I think there's a good amount coming from Britain, too.
There may be a mainstream in webcomics, but I don't see it as based geographically.

How, if at all, does being 'Canadian' factor into the creative process? Well, at the most basic level, I'm lucky to have been born here, in a country where I'm free to be as creative as I please. I'm sure my style of humor and storytelling have been shaped by my background, and that background is Canada. Still, although I know it's there, I couldn't pinpoint what the "Canadian" influences are in my work.

Have you ever attended any Canadian or American Comic Conventions?
No, never. Someday.

Do you believe that popular cultures preoccupation with the Anime-style of art has diluted the overall quality of web comics, or improved it?
Well, that depends. Any style starts to look tired when the same conventions are copied ad nauseum by armies of imitators. And there is a lot of subperb amateur manga online. But the best stuff within the anime/manga framework is insanely visually creative.

What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites?
My favorite movie is Amelie. I rarely watch TV, but I'm a huge geek for Futurama and classic Simpsons.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you?
A ton of blank paper. And writing implements. I'm set. And...third thing...uh...guitar.

What books do you read?
Not nearly enough. Let's see...the last thing I read was probably the graphic novel "Blankets" by Craig Thompson, and it absolutely blew me away.

How can somebody contact you?
Through my email address on my site - I'm friendly, I promise.
http://www.intershadows.com

That ends the interview, any last words of wisdom?
If any of us in this webcomic game had any wisdom, would we be doing this in the first place?

-Kathleen Jacques

Authors Favorite strips:

"Like Shadows"
"Heinous Crimes"
"The what now?"
Posted by B.Scott
Return to The Main Page - Canadian Web Comic Ezine



	Canadian Web Comic Interviews Kathleen Jacques Author of "Intershadows" and "Coolville" I'm currently finishing my final year of undergrad university in Edmonton. I'm majoring in Art History, and I did my first year in studio visual arts. I travel up north to see my family whenever I can (mom, dad, my fantastic brother Matthew, and calico cat - all very supportive, with the possible exception of the cat). Likewise, whenever I get the chance, I travel to the US of A to be with my extremely talented boyfriend Justin, creator of the wonderful comic Killroy and Tina. What was the first online comic you ever read? The first that I remember really getting into was Dave Kelly's "Living in Greytown" in early 2000. I'm not sure what the first online comic I actually laid eyes on was - after the initial discovery that comics existed online, I know I found several which I gave only brief glances. What were your favorite comics growing up? I'm just going to list some syndicated comics, because that was basically what I was exposed to. So...Calvin and Hobbes and Bloom County. Pretty much the standard demigods for a lot of people around my age who grew up loving comics. I'll also mention The Far Side, For Better or For Worse, and Doonesbury. Tell us how you landed began working on your web comic. I'd actually been drawing what was to become my comic for several years prior to going online, for the amusement of myself and my best friend. I had vague notions of someday putting it online, without the slightest idea of how to go about that. What inspired me to do it, I think, was discovering that comics did exist in great numbers online - and not just any comics, not newspaper style comics, but alternative comics that I felt at the time were really trying to do something exciting. Probably the biggest factor that got me started was free automated hosting from Keenspace. I started in February 2001. I've since moved to my own independent site, but Keen was a great place to start. What other writing or comics have you worked on? I did a comic called Coolville for two and a half years. My current comic, Intershadows, is largely a bigger, better sequel to that. For readers not familiar with your work, can you tell us something about this web comic? Intershadows is the story of a varied group of young people, and the title refers to how their lives overlap. It's essentially a drama with comedic elements (I once heard the bastard word "tragi-dramedy" coined to describe it) and it's actually quite dark. The comic switches between fantasy and reality, real and surreal fairly often. It updates in full pages, Monday and Friday. Tell us how you acquired your artistic skills. I've been drawing ever since I can remember. I did take one year of my degree in visual arts, and I think I picked up some good fundamentals in those studio classes. Other than that, it's just practice, practice, practice. And I try to make it a point to switch things around and try out new styles. What artists have inspired/influenced your artistic and writing styles? Hmm, that's a tough one. Honestly, I'm always a little ashamed when this comes up - because unlike a lot of toonists, I don't have a ready list of direct comic influences. I've been inspired by an unholy mishmash of different things. Where do you get your ideas for story archs or comedic relief in your comic? Anywhere and everywhere - I just try to keep my eyes and ears open. Some ideas have been fermenting in my little brain for years, while others are just spur of the moment. Your thoughts on the online comic community? I think it's got incredible potential. There have been some great initiatives in the past year or so, such as Comixpedia. And it's been in the community that I've met some fantastic people. But then, on the other hand, webcomics seem to have even more than their fair share of the old "90% of everything is crap" rule, and that's really reflected in certain parts of the community. There's the good and the bad in everything. Being non-american, do you feel somewhat removed from many of the more mainstream web comics? Never. I've never thought of America as the center of webcomicdom. Actually, the sheer number of webcartoonists from Canada is surprising - I remember my site being on more than one lengthy listing of Canadian webcomics. As far as English-language comics are concerned, I think there's a good amount coming from Britain, too. There may be a mainstream in webcomics, but I don't see it as based geographically. How, if at all, does being 'Canadian' factor into the creative process? Well, at the most basic level, I'm lucky to have been born here, in a country where I'm free to be as creative as I please. I'm sure my style of humor and storytelling have been shaped by my background, and that background is Canada. Still, although I know it's there, I couldn't pinpoint what the "Canadian" influences are in my work. Have you ever attended any Canadian or American Comic Conventions? No, never. Someday. Do you believe that popular cultures preoccupation with the Anime-style of art has diluted the overall quality of web comics, or improved it? Well, that depends. Any style starts to look tired when the same conventions are copied ad nauseum by armies of imitators. And there is a lot of subperb amateur manga online. But the best stuff within the anime/manga framework is insanely visually creative. What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites? My favorite movie is Amelie. I rarely watch TV, but I'm a huge geek for Futurama and classic Simpsons. If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you? A ton of blank paper. And writing implements. I'm set. And...third thing...uh...guitar. What books do you read? Not nearly enough. Let's see...the last thing I read was probably the graphic novel "Blankets" by Craig Thompson, and it absolutely blew me away. How can somebody contact you? Through my email address on my site - I'm friendly, I promise. http://www.intershadows.com That ends the interview, any last words of wisdom? If any of us in this webcomic game had any wisdom, would we be doing this in the first place? -Kathleen Jacques Authors Favorite strips: "Like Shadows" "Heinous Crimes" "The what now?" Posted by B.Scott Return to The Main Page - Canadian Web Comic Ezine