We here at Red Stylo Media, have a long list of contributors, artists and writers. Each of these individuals are crazy cool, and although it comes through with their work, sometimes the little details can be missed. So! We’ll be giving you letting you on what makes these fellas’ tick.
Q: What are major influences as a writer/artist?
A: Life, I guess, is the major influence. There’s some annoying itchiness in my soul that makes me want to tell stories, and where that comes from is completely beyond me.
Q: What’s your favorite place to get comics?
A: I’ve been shopping at That’s Entertainment in glamorous Fitchburg, MA for nearly 20 years. It was my first place of employment and is the absolute classic comic shop. It holds a special place in my otherwise cold and bitter heart.
As a kid I was a HUGE consumer of newsstand comics. I really miss seeing those wire racks in grocery stores and gas stations and pharmacies. The great thing about the newsstand point of sale was the randomness of the selection. The newsstand exposed me to tons of titles I wouldn’t have normally read. I think that the emerging digital landscape will help to recapture that “anything goes” feeling comics used to epitomize.
Q: How did you get into comics, and do you have any long term projects?
A: I’ve been writing and doodling comic stories since I was a kid, it’s just this strange thing that has always been present. My Shakespeare Shaken contribution “Mantua County” marks my first published comic piece, and I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out. Working with RJ at Red Stylo was a great crash course in comic publishing and left me anxious to do more.
Following Shakespeare Shaken, I’ve been working on new scripts and series ideas non-stop. I’ve found that going to conventions and networking with up-and-coming artists is hugely inspirational. I spotted a piece of art at a local art festival recently, ran home, and pounded out a 22-page script based on it. That’s what I love about comics, the fusion of art and story and the dynamic ways they interact and drive each other.
Q: Who would be your dream team to work with?
A: There are too many names to list. Overall I’m really excited to work with artists who are hungry to produce. I’d like to work with a variety of artists, because as a reader I enjoy seeing a variety of different art styles.
I do have a couple Claremont-esque epics in mind, so maybe my John Byrne workhorse is out there, sitting behind a table at a local comic con.
Q: Marvel, DC, or Indie?
A: All of the above and then some. I’ve had comic mania since I was four years old, and have devoured anything that even somewhat resembles sequential art whenever it came my way. I’d buy stacks of anything I could find at yard sales, massive core samples that included Joe Kubert war books, ‘70s horror anthologies, Marvel romance books, really daring Comico series, Charlton super-heroes, tattered copies of Heavy Metal, etc. I think for me, I loved the strange telepathic power of comic stories, the weird nether region of storytelling that comics make happen between each panel. I never really cared what company logo was on the cover, and the same holds true today.
Q: If you could have one super power what would it be and why?
A: I’d love the power to generate an income without having to sell 40 hours a week of my life to a grinding day job in order to put a roof over my head. Maybe writing will end up being my super power, who knows.
Thanks to Erik for his time and if you’d like to get in touch with him or view more of his work you can at his website Radvon.com.
-M.E.