Canadian Web Comic Interviews

Blayne Scott Author of "Waxtadpoles Anonymous"

I was born in Peterborough, Ontario but raised primarily in Midland. I come from a wonderful family of six, including myself. I'm 19 and currently a first year student at Trent University in Peterborough. I hope to become a High school teacher once everythings said and done.

What was the first online comic you ever read?
I'm a relative late comer to reading online comics. My introduction began in the year 2000 with two mainstream gaming comics, Player vs. Player Online by Kurtz, followed by Penny-arcade.

What were your favorite comics growing up?
Garfield was a favorite, until I learned how to read. My grandmother, during her years as a school secretary always had a ready supply of Calvin and Hobbes which I quickly adopted as a personal favorite.

Tell us how you began working on your web comic.
My web comic Waxtadpoles Anonymous began really from a volatile combination of spare time and experimentation with Adobe graphic products.

What other writing or comics have you worked on?
Nothing else comic related, but I'm an active participant in the sleepy Marathon game community. I run an science fiction story archive there.

For readers not familiar with your work, can you tell us something about your comic?
A reader of Waxtadpoles Anonymous aptly described it as a journal-comic. Much of my comics setups emerged from every day situations. It has a speckeling of gaming-references, so it's primary appeal is to the average person literate in Videogames or pop culture.

What artists have inspired/influenced your artistic and writing styles?
Ian McConville of Machall and Gabe of Penny-Arcade fame continue to be major influences on how I draw and do colouring.
Their methods of background colouring and particularly Ian's method of cel-shading really rubbed off on me.

Where do you get your ideas for story archs or comedic relief in your comic?
Primarily, ideas for my comics arrive in my head at the magic hour of 2:00am out of nowhere. Usually they're developed in stages - usually requiring I crawl out of bed to write them down, lest I forget them in the morning.

Your thoughts on the online comic community?
The online comic community exists in my view as a collective of geeks, both talented and not, producing comic material for their respective audiences. Unlike much of the music community, those few talented web comic authors who achieve success are rarely denounced as 'sellouts'. This I think is reflective of the good spirited nature of web comicdom. Of course, there are always sites run by hypocritical, cliquey, angst riddled teens - but you have to take the good with the bad.

Being non-American, do you feel somewhat removed from many of the more mainstream web comics?
I feel removed from web comic dom in general - not because of my nationality - but due to the fact I have large gaps of time between the comics I post. The first update I've done in five months just went up yesterday.
On the internet, I believe regional boundaries are irrelevant. Only the amount of humor, mixed with visually appealing art gain fans, and access to 'mainstream' venues of web comicdom.

Does anything set you apart, being a Canadian comic artist, from other American web comics?
Being Canadian, the odd mention of a Canadian location like Toronto crops up - but doesn't pick the reader up and beat them over the head.
National differences I believe are less important than cultural ones. Due to the pervasive nature of the American media in Canada, I prefer to think of cultural boundaries in terms of large geographic locations. A North American comic, (other than minuscule subtilties) is easier to contrast to a comic from the U.K or Japan because there are quantifiable differences in style and approach of their author.

Have you ever attended any Canadian or American Comic Conventions?
I've attended two Canadian Comic/Science Fiction/Anime Conventions in Toronto. SFX 2001 and SFX 2002, in both instances involved me wandering about, getting to know more about independent artists and buying merchandise. During the second convention, I dressed as I draw myself in Waxtadpole Anonymous - which isn't too far from reality. I've been described as a walking cartoon character, so why not live up to 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 seems to be an unwritten rule of angsty teenagers that they have to be able to draw anime-like characters. Real anime or Manga, drawn with style by talented artists is visually stunning.
That being said, it's my belief that this preoccupation with the manga style has lead to a remarkable sameness among many amateur web comic artists. Even I can admit that my own artistic style is influenced by the narrow profile, dash-slant nose design of 'Anime', but I strive not to be derivative, but find my own unique and appealing style.

What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites?
Since getting a DVD player, I've absolutely fallen for the Smallville Superman-as-a-teenager series. Anthony Michael-Hall in the television series "The Dead Zone", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", it's offshoot "Angel" and shows like "The Family Guy", "Futurama", "Six Feet Under, and "Farscape" are all favorites.
Stock favorites like the Lord of the Rings and Matrix Trilogies, Aliens, Predator and Terminator films hold a special place in my heart. As a kid, I was impressed that in Terminator 2:Judgment Day, the world ended August 29th - my birthday.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you?
A way back machine to prevent ever ending up on an island. Or maybe Jesus. With his Jetpack and my know-how, we could fly to safety.

What books do you read?
Whatever my English lit course forces me to. Truthfully, I like Emily Dickenson's poetry - not because of the bees, but because they're so haunting and interesting.
Most of what I read is online. A favorite site of mine is Matt's x-entertainment.com. He creates hilarious reviews of old 80 and early 90's toys and items of nostalgia.

How can somebody contact you?
My shiny bungie.org email address:
ernie@bungie.org

That ends the interview, any last words of wisdom?
I'm still holding out hope that one day when I least expect it, the Kool-Aid man will leap though my wall shouting something about being "bigger than Jesus". - But until then, keep reading comics. It'll pay of someday when you least expect it.

-Blayne Scott
http://waxtadpole.keenspace.com

Authors Favorite strips:

"Tetris and I: Together at last"
"A Lesson in Frustration"
"Only slower, and not as deadly"
"Breaking books at the KUNG-FU level!"

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



	Canadian Web Comic Interviews Blayne Scott Author of "Waxtadpoles Anonymous" I was born in Peterborough, Ontario but raised primarily in Midland. I come from a wonderful family of six, including myself. I'm 19 and currently a first year student at Trent University in Peterborough. I hope to become a High school teacher once everythings said and done. What was the first online comic you ever read? I'm a relative late comer to reading online comics. My introduction began in the year 2000 with two mainstream gaming comics, Player vs. Player Online by Kurtz, followed by Penny-arcade. What were your favorite comics growing up? Garfield was a favorite, until I learned how to read. My grandmother, during her years as a school secretary always had a ready supply of Calvin and Hobbes which I quickly adopted as a personal favorite. Tell us how you began working on your web comic. My web comic Waxtadpoles Anonymous began really from a volatile combination of spare time and experimentation with Adobe graphic products. What other writing or comics have you worked on? Nothing else comic related, but I'm an active participant in the sleepy Marathon game community. I run an science fiction story archive there. For readers not familiar with your work, can you tell us something about your comic? A reader of Waxtadpoles Anonymous aptly described it as a journal-comic. Much of my comics setups emerged from every day situations. It has a speckeling of gaming-references, so it's primary appeal is to the average person literate in Videogames or pop culture. What artists have inspired/influenced your artistic and writing styles? Ian McConville of Machall and Gabe of Penny-Arcade fame continue to be major influences on how I draw and do colouring. Their methods of background colouring and particularly Ian's method of cel-shading really rubbed off on me. Where do you get your ideas for story archs or comedic relief in your comic? Primarily, ideas for my comics arrive in my head at the magic hour of 2:00am out of nowhere. Usually they're developed in stages - usually requiring I crawl out of bed to write them down, lest I forget them in the morning. Your thoughts on the online comic community? The online comic community exists in my view as a collective of geeks, both talented and not, producing comic material for their respective audiences. Unlike much of the music community, those few talented web comic authors who achieve success are rarely denounced as 'sellouts'. This I think is reflective of the good spirited nature of web comicdom. Of course, there are always sites run by hypocritical, cliquey, angst riddled teens - but you have to take the good with the bad. Being non-American, do you feel somewhat removed from many of the more mainstream web comics? I feel removed from web comic dom in general - not because of my nationality - but due to the fact I have large gaps of time between the comics I post. The first update I've done in five months just went up yesterday. On the internet, I believe regional boundaries are irrelevant. Only the amount of humor, mixed with visually appealing art gain fans, and access to 'mainstream' venues of web comicdom. Does anything set you apart, being a Canadian comic artist, from other American web comics? Being Canadian, the odd mention of a Canadian location like Toronto crops up - but doesn't pick the reader up and beat them over the head. National differences I believe are less important than cultural ones. Due to the pervasive nature of the American media in Canada, I prefer to think of cultural boundaries in terms of large geographic locations. A North American comic, (other than minuscule subtilties) is easier to contrast to a comic from the U.K or Japan because there are quantifiable differences in style and approach of their author. Have you ever attended any Canadian or American Comic Conventions? I've attended two Canadian Comic/Science Fiction/Anime Conventions in Toronto. SFX 2001 and SFX 2002, in both instances involved me wandering about, getting to know more about independent artists and buying merchandise. During the second convention, I dressed as I draw myself in Waxtadpole Anonymous - which isn't too far from reality. I've been described as a walking cartoon character, so why not live up to 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 seems to be an unwritten rule of angsty teenagers that they have to be able to draw anime-like characters. Real anime or Manga, drawn with style by talented artists is visually stunning. That being said, it's my belief that this preoccupation with the manga style has lead to a remarkable sameness among many amateur web comic artists. Even I can admit that my own artistic style is influenced by the narrow profile, dash-slant nose design of 'Anime', but I strive not to be derivative, but find my own unique and appealing style. What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites? Since getting a DVD player, I've absolutely fallen for the Smallville Superman-as-a-teenager series. Anthony Michael-Hall in the television series "The Dead Zone", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", it's offshoot "Angel" and shows like "The Family Guy", "Futurama", "Six Feet Under, and "Farscape" are all favorites. Stock favorites like the Lord of the Rings and Matrix Trilogies, Aliens, Predator and Terminator films hold a special place in my heart. As a kid, I was impressed that in Terminator 2:Judgment Day, the world ended August 29th - my birthday. If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you? A way back machine to prevent ever ending up on an island. Or maybe Jesus. With his Jetpack and my know-how, we could fly to safety. What books do you read? Whatever my English lit course forces me to. Truthfully, I like Emily Dickenson's poetry - not because of the bees, but because they're so haunting and interesting. Most of what I read is online. A favorite site of mine is Matt's x-entertainment.com. He creates hilarious reviews of old 80 and early 90's toys and items of nostalgia. How can somebody contact you? My shiny bungie.org email address: ernie@bungie.org That ends the interview, any last words of wisdom? I'm still holding out hope that one day when I least expect it, the Kool-Aid man will leap though my wall shouting something about being "bigger than Jesus". - But until then, keep reading comics. It'll pay of someday when you least expect it. -Blayne Scott http://waxtadpole.keenspace.com Authors Favorite strips: "Tetris and I: Together at last" "A Lesson in Frustration" "Only slower, and not as deadly" "Breaking books at the KUNG-FU level!" Posted by B.Scott Return to The Main Page - Canadian Web Comic Ezine