Danetropolis's David Daneman gave the Knave a little insight into his series, and brought a piece of original artwork created exclusively for this interview! Just like the good old days!Knave of Krypton: So a world of only yous... Are you actually this much of a narcissist or do you just not have any friends?
David Daneman: The comics MERE MIRROR is actually a response to the narcissism claim. Besides narcissism, schizophrenia is a common diagnosis drawn from my comics.
I have plenty of friends.
KofK: Kidding aside, though, is it for convenience's sake that you use only yourself as your model, or do you have access to other people as models and this is a stylistic choice. Were you really influenced by that one scene from Being John Malkovich?
DD: First off, I think Kwanza wrote that "Being John Malkovich" thing and as good of a movie that was, I would never have compared my strips to it. My strips are more like Aesop's Fables.
I don't know if its evident after reading just eight of my comics, but those guys in the strips aren't me. Those are the DaneMen and they are like stick figures. They're place holders. When I am thinking up a strip, its always Guy A and Guy B.
And at first (using myself as a model) was out of necessity, I was the only actor I had access to 24 hours a day. Also, I was easy to direct, but as time went on, I think the gimmick began to take on its own meaning. In a nutshell, it symbolizes the fact that at one time or another, we are all David and we are all Goliath.
KofK: You mention actors, and that's interesting that you think of it that way, and that ties into the fact I think people are very interested in your process. Could you walk us through how you create a typical strip? Do you retrace photographs with a wacom or is it a simple photoshop filter? What about the compositing?
DD: Well, the writing is the most creative part of process, but nobody ever asks me about that. They just want to know what I do to make my images.
KofK: Well, you can always imagine somebody writing. Your art is a little harder to picture in its creation.
DD: People do seem to be interested in my process, don't they. When they see them, it elicits different emotions, well just today someone called me "A Two-Bit Tracer", I think this is unfair. I have the utmost respect for beautiful draughtmanship. I love the artwork of Winsor McKay, Moebius and Bill Watterson. But its ART. When the camera was first invented, there was a lot of debate as to whether or not photography was an artform. The debate continues.
I also have some sympathy for people who see my comics in the contest and get mad. I get mad when I find out that a DJ makes the same amount of money as the five guys who cram into a van and lug all that equipment around...oh and then actually PLAY MUSIC. So, yeah, I can relate, but my comics are my comics. Would they be better if they were anthropomorphic critters with giant eyes or underwear perverts hopping from roof to roof....i dunno.
Yes, they start as photographs. No, it isn't a simple Photoshop filter. And yes, I heart my Wacom tablet. The process is pretty much standardized at this point in time, but I'll tell you this much...It takes me at least, 30 minutes per DaneMan, which means in a comic like "Read All Over" where there are 3 DaneMen in 6 panels, it probably took at least 15-20 hours to make.
When it comes to writing, I tend take inspiration from really simple places. "Too Hot" or "Guy has to go to the bathroom" are the sort of premise that I'd make a comic out of.
KofK: Glad we got to peek behind the curtain a little. Now another big feature of your comics is that they're very often wordless. Some of your earlier strips feature dialogue. Why are you moving away from that?
DD: In my opinion, the first good strip I ever wrote was "Thought Crime" and someone I showed it to someone (a comics buff) who pointed out to me that it was silent/wordless. They said "that's really tough to do" and the rest was history...
I make my strips in direct opposition to most of the strips I read. I find them to be far too chatty and having nothing to say. Also, I think my strips will make as much sense in 10 years as the do today.
Another advantage to wordless comics is that they are easily read internationally.
Having no words can be an albatross sometimes, but I reserve the right to use language whenever and however I want. Purple Monkey Dishwasher.
KofK: What do you think your series has that other Zuda series don't? Besides a whole lot of you?
DD: This question is difficult to answer without trashing on other people's strips, but I do think mine is the best gag strip to premiere so far (no offense to Absurdity, American Strife and Thomas). I think my strips have broadened the sensibilities of what Zuda can be and I'm glad that it was picked for that reason. I get the feeling that Zuda advertised a lot in DC comics, but not so much on the websites of well established webcomics. I wrote a post to this effect. Are we bringing webcomics to DC, or are we bringing DC comics to the web?
Oh...and a whole lotta me.
KofK: Why did you submit to Zuda? What do you think Zuda has to offer?
DD: Exposure and the chance to make money from my comics. Are there other reasons?
KofK: Your series is effectively a series of stand-alone, single screen installments. How calculating were you in selecting which strips made up your submission? Were there any strips you shelved since they weren't up to snuff? Were all of these strips created specifically for the Zuda competition?
DD: I wish I'd put more thought into the strips I reformatted into Zuda's bizarre 4:3 page. The reality is, I tend to make 3 panel comics and and that doesn't work so well on Zuda (at least for me). So, I took the strips that were 6+ panels and Zuda-ed them. Which, thankfully, totaled 8.
I thought "Digital Analogy" was golden, but on Zuda, not so much.
KofK: Well thanks for taking the time to do this interview, David. Any closing thoughts?
DD: Zuda is a contest. An American Idol-like contest. Have you ever noticed who wins on American Idol--pretty people who perform a specific kind of music. Johnny Cash wouldn't win and neither would Placido Domingo.
That said, its hard to predict what Zuda will become. It may actually be a brilliant idea.
If not me, I really hope "Untrue Tales" wins. "Supertron" is good, but it was too busy. My eye had no idea where to go.
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