Knave of Krypton: Sam, your series is almost the text book definition of a talking head strip. Will future strips break some of the conventions set by this first outing? Will every screen be three panels? Will we ever see action, movement?
Sam Little: Well, the next strip I have lined up involves a couple of guys with Uzis getting in the soup with some cops. It's even got a car chase. Although I quite like the three panel talking head format as a story-telling device, if every episode were like that it'd get real old, real fast. More fun to mix things up.
KofK: Well that's good to hear. I certainly didn't mean to imply that the visuals are lacking. Care to tell us about how your process, how you get this distinct look?
SL: Once I get a script nailed down I do really simple thumbnails of the action and the character expression I'm looking for. Then I take a bunch of photo ref since I like to go into a lot of detail and complex facial expressions. I'm sort of playing with the readers perceptions of "how true is this story, how real are these characters?", and using this type of super-realistic line drawing helps to further blur that line.
Anyway, I pencil each panel individually usually about three times the size it'll appear on the actual "page". Sometimes I'll pencil a full background by itself and drop it in behind the separately drawn figures (like in this case). Then I scan the pencils and digitally ink each panel by tweaking the levels in Photoshop and tightening things up with a drawing tablet. Finally, I put the whole thing together in InDesign.
KofK: Is Gabe based on any real entity?
SL: Gabe is a far worse and much better version of various incarnations of myself.
KofK: So the series is autobiographical?
SL: It's 100 percent autobiographical except for the fact that I'm making it all up. Let's just say, a comic book about my life would be dreadfully boring, but a comic about Gabe's life has the potential to be anything but. The series is called "Untrue Tales" for a reason.
KofK: What about the girl you interview in the first thing? Is she based on some one you know?
SL: I did used to know a girl like that. More I ain't saying.
KofK: Why did you choose this sequence as the first installment of your series? What makes this a good introduction?
SL: It fit nicely into 8 screens? Seriously though, I think this story is a pretty good showcase for my developing skills as a writer and artist. Plus, I did want to tell a story that could stand as a complete and satisfying experience for the reader even if the comic doesn't end up winning.
Also, I figured having a pretty lady talk about boobies wouldn't exactly hurt me with the voting public.
KofK: Will other entities in the series pop up more than once or is Gabe going to be the only real through line, the only recurring character?
SL: There will be several major reoccurring characters whose stories will intersect with Gabe's and occasionally branch off onto their own paths. We'll also see subtle subplots carrying through several stories. This is a really, really big puzzle and the pieces are going to slowly come together to eventually form a complete picture of a life. The process I have in mind is a long one though, which is why I feel it's important to tell this story in segments that can be enjoyed as complete in themselves.
KofK: Well thanks for stopping by and taking the time to talk with us. Anything else you'd like to say?
SL: Just that I'm incredibly excited and honored to be part of a contest featuring such a talented group of people. This is pretty much the first comic stuff I've done that's seen the light of day and I'm really thankful for the opportunity to show it to a wider audience than I'd ever imagined would see the darn thing.
And big thanks to you guys for taking the time to do these interviews and Knave of Krypton strips and stuff. It's a lot of fun and adds a cool extra level to the Zuda carnival.
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