INTERVIEW WITH MYSELF

What was the very first image or idea that sparked this comic?

The self-portrait I drew for the front cover of the book was the very first thing that came to me. Being that the nature of my work has elements of autohagiography in it, I wanted to put myself front and centre – in the eye of the storm. Also, every single thing in the book has elements of me in it, so there is no way to separate that from my image or likeness. I was always aware of the fact that this level of self-indulgence would be a hard sell, but I did it anyway, because I never consider the audience when making new work.

How long did this book live in your head before it made it onto the page?

I'd been meaning to put a book of some sort out for about a decade before I published this one. So I guess you could say it lived in my head for ten years, plus the two it took to actually create the contents. Any writer or artist knows that ideas plague them every waking moment, all it comes down to is the execution of those ideas.

Was there a moment during making it when the story surprised you?

Most certainly. A great deal of the comics within the book left me startled. I questioned many times whether a book like this had a place in the world, or even deserved to exist, due to some of the themes I tackle in it. My use of blackface, for instance, was heavily influenced by the work of Anton Kannemeyer. I wondered whether I could get away with some of the more controversial ideas expressed in the work, and so self-publishing it meant that I could.

Which character was the most fun to draw—and which one fought back?

While I enjoy drawing all of my characters in some special way, my favourite thing to draw is myself. And fight back my character did. I found that he wanted to say the very things I find difficult to articulate in real life. Some of the more politically charged viewpoints scared me a little. I almost didn't know where they were coming from, but then I realised my subconscious has some very strong opinions, and they needed air.

Did your art style change or evolve over the course of the book?

I definitely play around with various styles in the book, but I think my work has a rather cohesive look and feel to it at the same time. I would say that some of the strips were done in a looser style – taken directly from sketchbooks – and others were a lot more controlled and tight. So yes, the art style changes throughout the book. I knew what sequence the work should be in, but the creation of the stories was not linear at all. I jumped around from story to story, and even put some older work in there. Sick Comix Mini Theatre has always been a vehicle for me to experiment with shorter pieces, and mix them all up under one umbrella title.

What themes kept sneaking in, even when you weren't planning them?

Identity politics. The strip entitled 'White Privilege' was a huge driving factor for this as a theme. I wrote from a place of raw emotion, a sense of victimhood, and an “us vs. them” mentality, which is so prevalent in South Africa. I didn't necessarily want to write a book on politics. Even when I was going for zany, off the wall and frivolous, politics seeped in. I think this has a lot to do with how divided the world is right now over domestic and foreign affairs.

How do you balance instinct and planning when building a comic?

I often work in my sketchbook before jumping headlong into script writing. I'll usually take whatever it is I've written and drawn in my sketchbook and rework it, tweaking essential elements till I'm happy with the overall delivery. Comics are definitely an instinctual process for me. I don't really plan my stories when using my sketchbook. I usually just go with what comes, and sort of make it up as I go along. So planning wasn't something I engaged in heavily when working toward the end goal. The only real planning was to decide what sequence the strips should appear in.

What page or panel are you most proud of, and why?

I'm most proud of the back cover. It was based off of a drawing by Goya, but I put my own spin on it. I think the image is arresting, and it looks the most polished out of all my current work. I often look back at my stuff and feel like its awkward and not well executed. But with that back cover, I actually impressed myself quite a bit.

Were there any scenes you loved but ultimately had to cut?

Yes and no. I think ninety-nine percent of my initial ideas for the book made it to print. But there was this one story I wrote a script for – with a very controversial title – and it was about gay rights. I found it to be too preachy and politically correct (aside from the title I won't name). I wanted this book to hit people between the eyes, and make them think. And that strip would've ruined the entirety of what I was trying to do.

How much of you is hiding in this book?

That's the thing about art. We can do and say anything we want within the context of the arts, but we can shift the blame off ourselves and hide behind the idea that “its just art.” I can't say I'm hiding in the book, because I drew myself on the front cover. None of what I did is concealed or not part of me in some way. The entire book is like a personal journal or open letter to the world.

What influences—comics, films, music, life—fed into this project?

Well, like I've always said, Bitterkomix has been the most influential work to me. I'm not really into film, so there's nothing there. But my life experiences certainly make it into the book in a big way when I'm transcribing the mental illness I live with from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition). I created a whole strip out of that, and it is based off a tumultuous time I went through. As far as music goes, I used to listen to music when I worked, but these days I do so in silence. I absolutely love Hip Hop, but not so much the new stuff. There are some elements of rap culture that I intentionally depicted in the book.

How do you know when a comic is finished rather than just abandoned?

I scrap very few comics. Anything that was abandoned was too weak to include, and therefore it doesn't really exist to me. I had a page count in mind – one hundred pages – and I knew I was done once I'd created each and every page to get there. A comic is finished when it tells me it's finished. I'm very anal about double page spreads, and don't like odd numbers. So most of the shorter pieces are done in even sequences. I feel if you break things up too much, some readers get confused and taken out of the story. So that's why I'm so particular about that stuff.

What was the hardest part of bringing this book into the world?

The marketing. Everything from the writing, drawing and printing was a breeze. But selling the work? That's a whole other ball of wax. It doesn't help that there's barely any comic book industry in South Africa either. Nor does it help that I'm making challenging work, and nobody has seen as much as a preview of the contents. But I'm weird about that. I personally like to buy a comic and not know what I'm getting inside it, as a reader. So I don't feel like putting out sections for free are going to sell the work. Additionally, since all the stories fit together in such a specific way, revealing some of them and not others just does the work a disservice. But I digress, sales are a bitch.

Did making this comic change how you think about your work going forward?

Yes. I think I got a lot of the politically charged stuff out of my system. There's just so much going on as far as current affairs are concerned. I wanted to give a voice to how I was feeling about all of it inside. And I'm no protestor. I protest with my pen, alone, in a room with a piece of paper. I think I'm going to lean back into humour as the driving force for my work in future projects, because that is a challenge I enjoy. That's not to say any of my work is going to be politically correct – it never will be – but I think I can touch on some other things now that I've got the political stuff out of my system.

What do you hope readers feel when they close the last page?

This is funny to me because in a sense I want to offend and challenge the reader. To evoke some sort of emotion in them. Some will agree, and others might destroy the book altogether. I know this work is capable of causing protests if it gets into the right (or wrong) hands. There is some powerful imagery between its covers. Some would say I've gone too far, and part of me is scared of the blow back. But its out there now, and its up to the audience to decide.

How does this book differ from your previous work?

I don't think I was as well versed in politics in my earlier work. I think this book is a little bit of a detour from some of the subject matter I covered before. Of course, there are people who are going to draw all kinds of conclusions about me after picking up this book, but I feel like I needed to take things to the next level. I would say I was a little more open minded in my youth, and years of solitude and mental illness have changed that. I was way more willing to suffer fools and had a sense of naïveté about me back then, kind of blissfully ignorant, thinking everything was going to be okay. Everything is not okay. The world has gone mad. And I finally feel sane.

What advice would you give to cartoonists working on their first book right now?

Draw exactly what you want, how you want, when you want. Don't let anybody discourage you from creating work. Make work that interests you, most of all. The process of writing and drawing a comic book can be arduous at times, but if you've gotten this far, you're doing it for a very specific reason. Because you love it. That's a good enough reason as any to make comics. 

If this comic were adapted into another medium, what would you want it to become?

I wouldn't want my comic fucked with in any way. That's why I made it a book, and self-published it. I don't want to turn it into a TV show or have anyone else's input affect the end product. I am heavily opposed to people making spin-offs and using comics as the base idea. Its a comic book for a reason. Why can't people accept that?

What's one thing readers might miss on a first read—but shouldn’t?

The nuance. If you give the work a cursory glance, you'll come away with all kinds of preconceived notions about what it looks like is going on. But if you spend time with the work, engage it and give it some thought you may identify with parts of it. You may be shocked at some of the things you read and be completely turned off. Alternatively, if you have a sense of humour and enjoy a level of irreverence for sacred cows, you may love it. But keep in mind its an intellectual pursuit. They're not just a compilation of pejorative pieces.

Now that it's out in the world, what's calling to you creatively next?

Another book is in the works. I'm producing it at a snails pace, so it'll probably be a while before you see anything new from me. But I'm always drawing and coming up with new ideas that are comics based. I'm collaborating on a comic book with Warren Raysdorf. Half of the contents will be by me, and the other half will be by him. Perhaps with a few select guest artists. Free Beer is back!