I recently had the pleasure of getting to ask comic creator Michael Robertson about the two works of his I’ve read and reviewed, Intention and Monsters. His insights into the world of online self-publishing, through his imprint Off-Kilter Comics, were very valuable. It was great to read his perspective on writing and the comic industry more generally and I look forward to whatever works he will produce next. Until then, here was our conversation!
AP2HYC: What attracted you to writing an anthology book?
Michael Robertson: I love 2000AD and read it weekly, so I’m sure that influenced my choice. Also, I find short stories are good for learning the ropes and working with new artists before I invest in having something longer produced. I plan to do a five-issue miniseries in the future when I find an artist I can both afford and work well with.
AP2HYC: The two genres of story covered in Monsters are very different. Could you explain why you chose to feature two very different settings and styles and in which ways they are connected?
Robertson: The central theme of monsters is in each story. They both show humans coming up against beasts. Although, each story looks at how maybe the humans are the monsters rather than the creatures they’re fighting.
AP2HYC: I was impressed by how concisely you relayed the backstories and settings of each story so it could get right into the action. How do you gauge how much exposition to have your characters say and how much of their personalities and attributes to show during their actions?
Robertson: Thank you. I always find it a hard line to tread. I feel like a short story doesn’t have much room for too much character exploration. I try to show enough to make the character’s motivations clear and to set them up for the change they’ll go through as a consequence of their actions. Other than that, I tend to leave exposition for longer stories. Also, I try to show as much as possible just as a rule. I’m not against caption boxes, but I try to only use them if I absolutely have to.
AP2HYC: Aside from Gods and Monsters, what other anthology themes/genres would you want to tackle?
Robertson: I have another anthology about parenthood. It’s about what a parent will be driven to do because of a love for their child. I didn’t know fear or sacrifice before I became a dad. I’d like to try to capture that in my next anthology.
AP2HYC: Writing any comic is impressive enough, but to fit so much in only five pages is a feat of its own. What was the most challenging part of the page limit constriction on Intention?
Robertson: I think working with limitations can be a great way to force creative solutions. I write novels, which have much more freedom, so I like the challenge of having parameters. 2000AD set 4 page limits on their Future Shocks stories, so I like to try to work within that sometimes. Although, it does leave me feeling like I have to leave too much out. It can be nice to let a story breathe sometimes.
AP2HYC: If you had to turn Intention into a six-page comic, what would you add?
Robertson: I’d maybe give more of the superhero’s back story to set up his distress at not being a hero that day.
AP2HYC: What drew you to tell a superhero story?
Robertson: I like to think about who superheroes are and what motivates them. Like I’d imagine top athletes are, I can imagine certain superheroes would be horrible to spend any time around. I know the deconstruction of superheroes isn’t new, but it’s fun to look at nonetheless. Although, the story is much more about accepting what’s beyond our control. It just happened to take the form of a superhero story.
AP2HYC: For those who are not familiar, could you tell us the story of Off-Kilter Comics, namely how it started, why it started, and what we can look forward to seeing from it?
Robertson: It’s my own publishing imprint. I wanted to have an imprint to publish under and I liked the name. I love slightly off-kilter art. How a slight twist of reality, or an unusual camera angle can be used in storytelling to highlight a feeling, emotion, or intention. In the future, I plan to release a lot more work. I want to build up a catalogue of comics and graphic novels. But that’s a long-term goal.
AP2HYC: What do you like about the world of writing and publishing books and comics?
Robertson: I’ve always loved to write and Amazon has made that a reality for me now. I like how much control I have over my creative destiny. I love how personal prose is and how you can get inside the character’s heads much more than other forms of storytelling. How it utilizes the reader’s imagination to let them take ownership of the story.
I find publishing comics much harder because of the collaborative aspect of it, but it’s exciting to see the work coming back from the artist. I love how I can tell different types of stories with comics. How an image can provide a shock on a page turn that prose rarely manages to do. Or how a landscape can open-up as a double-page spread and take your breath away in an instant.
AP2HYC: What would you change?
Robertson: I think it’s a better time for writing prose now than has ever been before in my lifetime. Amazon has given a platform of paying customers to authors. It’s amazing. It takes a lot of hard work, but I love it and would be writing even if I wasn’t getting paid for it.
As for comics, I’m not sure. I’d love more people to realize just how wonderful comics are. As much as I like superheroes, I feel like they’re so prominent in the western comics industry that sometimes they’re all people see from the outside looking in. I’m not ragging on superheroes. Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force was wonderful. Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four. Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men. Frank Miller’s Batman…
AP2HYC: What has influenced you in the comic industry?
Robertson: Writers mostly. I love art, but I’m more likely to follow a writer than an artist. Alan Moore, Morrison, Remender, Aaron, Wagner, Azzarello, Jodorowsky … I enjoy the European albums too. A lot of the books Cinebook and Humanoids put out are great. Saying that, I do follow artists. I’ll read anything Moebius has done, Ba and Moon, Templesmith, INJ Culbard … I just love reading and collecting comics and will try almost anything.
Again, you’re welcome to enter the world of Off-Kilter Comics, and be on the look out for Michael’s latest comics online! As always, feel free to sound off in the comments or send us your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter!