Canadian Web Comic Interviews

Kevin Brown Author of "Captain Mike"

I was born in Windsor but later moved to London where I'm still living. I moved here about half way through grade 8. From there I went to highschool and then on to Fanshawe College.

What was the first online comic you ever read?
The first online comic... tough one. Sluggy Freelance I think.

What were your favorite comics growing up?
That's easy - Batman, Spiderman and Superman. In that order.

Tell us how you landed began working on your web comic.
I'd been reading a lot of Keenpot comics and a few keenspace comics. One day in my college tax class we were doing a review for a test. I got bored and sketched a doodle of this frog's face. It had this funny little expression. A little selfsatisfied smile. So I wondered why, and what is this guys name. Then Bam!! Mike his name is Mike, but even better he's Captain Mike. By the end of class I had 3 pages of why and how this frog became a Starship captain.

What other writing or comics have you worked on?
A couple guest strips here or there but not much else.

For readers not familiar with your work, can you tell us something about this web comic?
Well Captain Mike is a daily on-line colour comic strip. Mike is a frog captain who owns and operates a cargo hauler out in space. He and his motly little crew work from job to job rying to get by. The crew consists of a Bunny pilot and his wife a rabbit med tech, two engineers, a security specialist, first officer Riz "Crash" Burne and a "sort of" ex-mad scientists.

Tell us how you acquired your artistic skills.
An art class in highschool. Lots of doodleing. A drawing book here or there. Buit mostly lots of practice. I've been doing this strip for over 3 years now.

What artists have inspired/influenced your artistic and writing styles?
Matt Trepal of http://www.fightcastorevade.net probably by and far the biggest single influence on my drawing style. As for the writting side ... too many to name. I'm a voracious reader. And I'm not above stealing good stuff from anyone.

Where do you get your ideas for story archs or comedic relief in your comic?
Some just flow naturally from the charaters. The Scientist blowing up something/anything/everything is always good. I try to keep the puns to a minimum but well.... But sometimes the joke I start with gets rewritten for the better, sometimes not. Story archs are a little easier than jokes. For a transport crew they always have to go from point A to B that makes it ... easier.

Your thoughts on the online comic community?
Varied and strange. I'm not hugely vocal but many people are.
Frank of http://www.damonk.com is the most vocal and well spoken personality in the community. But for those of us who can make out to the San Diego Comic Con each summer it's a great time to meet face to face some of the community. I've managed twice myself.
At http://captainmike.keenspace.com/KEENCON.html you can see my perspective on what happened for each year.

Being non-american, do you feel somewhat removed from many of the more mainstream web comics?
Not really but the big perception seems to be that most of the artists physical location doesn't matter. Only the location where you're characters are does.

Does anything set you appart, being a Canadian comic artist, from other American web comics?
Being able to go to CONs. The exchange rate comes out in our favour when/if you get paid.

How, if at all, does being 'Canadian' factor into the creative process?
Spelling and holidays (I.e: Thanksgiving).

Have you ever attended any Canadian or American Comic Conventions?
As previously mention the I've gone 2 to the San Diego Comic Con. Had a blast at that HUGE event. Keenspot has had a both there for the last 3 years so most people call it the KEEN CON when they talk about it.

Do you believe that popular cultures preoccupation with the Anime-style of art has diluted the overall quality of web comics, or improved it?
It's just another style really. Sprite comics are the real sink hole of the web comic "industry".

What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites?
How much time do you have? Let's stick with the short answer. I like action sci-fi and some comedy.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you?
A net connection my computer and a leggy blond. What else does a computer geek need?!?
[ed. note: this reply is not reflective of this ezines author]

What books do you read?
Lots of Sci-fi and Fantasy. This another question that has a long answer.

How can somebody contact you?
By e-mail. I've also got a forum that no one's used in over 6 months. And I'm pretty sure there's a phone somewhere around here. The mailman still dilivers too.

http://captainmike.keenspace.com/

That ends the interview, any last words of wisdom?
Never go looking for trouble. It's always more than willing to come and find you.
-Kev

Authors Favorite strips:

"What started it all..."
"A 'Sweeping Storyline' beings"
"Woah! Looks like Furry-toons here!"

Posted by B.Scott
Return to The Main Page - Canadian Web Comic Ezine



	Canadian Web Comic Interviews Kevin Brown Author of "Captain Mike" I was born in Windsor but later moved to London where I'm still living. I moved here about half way through grade 8. From there I went to highschool and then on to Fanshawe College. What was the first online comic you ever read? The first online comic... tough one. Sluggy Freelance I think. What were your favorite comics growing up? That's easy - Batman, Spiderman and Superman. In that order. Tell us how you landed began working on your web comic. I'd been reading a lot of Keenpot comics and a few keenspace comics. One day in my college tax class we were doing a review for a test. I got bored and sketched a doodle of this frog's face. It had this funny little expression. A little selfsatisfied smile. So I wondered why, and what is this guys name. Then Bam!! Mike his name is Mike, but even better he's Captain Mike. By the end of class I had 3 pages of why and how this frog became a Starship captain. What other writing or comics have you worked on? A couple guest strips here or there but not much else. For readers not familiar with your work, can you tell us something about this web comic? Well Captain Mike is a daily on-line colour comic strip. Mike is a frog captain who owns and operates a cargo hauler out in space. He and his motly little crew work from job to job rying to get by. The crew consists of a Bunny pilot and his wife a rabbit med tech, two engineers, a security specialist, first officer Riz "Crash" Burne and a "sort of" ex-mad scientists. Tell us how you acquired your artistic skills. An art class in highschool. Lots of doodleing. A drawing book here or there. Buit mostly lots of practice. I've been doing this strip for over 3 years now. What artists have inspired/influenced your artistic and writing styles? Matt Trepal of http://www.fightcastorevade.net probably by and far the biggest single influence on my drawing style. As for the writting side ... too many to name. I'm a voracious reader. And I'm not above stealing good stuff from anyone. Where do you get your ideas for story archs or comedic relief in your comic? Some just flow naturally from the charaters. The Scientist blowing up something/anything/everything is always good. I try to keep the puns to a minimum but well.... But sometimes the joke I start with gets rewritten for the better, sometimes not. Story archs are a little easier than jokes. For a transport crew they always have to go from point A to B that makes it ... easier. Your thoughts on the online comic community? Varied and strange. I'm not hugely vocal but many people are. Frank of http://www.damonk.com is the most vocal and well spoken personality in the community. But for those of us who can make out to the San Diego Comic Con each summer it's a great time to meet face to face some of the community. I've managed twice myself. At http://captainmike.keenspace.com/KEENCON.html you can see my perspective on what happened for each year. Being non-american, do you feel somewhat removed from many of the more mainstream web comics? Not really but the big perception seems to be that most of the artists physical location doesn't matter. Only the location where you're characters are does. Does anything set you appart, being a Canadian comic artist, from other American web comics? Being able to go to CONs. The exchange rate comes out in our favour when/if you get paid. How, if at all, does being 'Canadian' factor into the creative process? Spelling and holidays (I.e: Thanksgiving). Have you ever attended any Canadian or American Comic Conventions? As previously mention the I've gone 2 to the San Diego Comic Con. Had a blast at that HUGE event. Keenspot has had a both there for the last 3 years so most people call it the KEEN CON when they talk about it. Do you believe that popular cultures preoccupation with the Anime-style of art has diluted the overall quality of web comics, or improved it? It's just another style really. Sprite comics are the real sink hole of the web comic "industry". What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites? How much time do you have? Let's stick with the short answer. I like action sci-fi and some comedy. If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you? A net connection my computer and a leggy blond. What else does a computer geek need?!? [ed. note: this reply is not reflective of this ezines author] What books do you read? Lots of Sci-fi and Fantasy. This another question that has a long answer. How can somebody contact you? By e-mail. I've also got a forum that no one's used in over 6 months. And I'm pretty sure there's a phone somewhere around here. The mailman still dilivers too. http://captainmike.keenspace.com/ That ends the interview, any last words of wisdom? Never go looking for trouble. It's always more than willing to come and find you. -Kev Authors Favorite strips: "What started it all..." "A 'Sweeping Storyline' beings" "Woah! Looks like Furry-toons here!" Posted by B.Scott Return to The Main Page - Canadian Web Comic Ezine