We sat down and had a conversation with Chubb of Proper Comics to find out his thoughts on indie comics and the UK industry.
1) Tell us a little about yourself. Who are you and what do you do in the world of
comics?
My name is Karl, but I make comics under the name of Chubb. I was a fat
awkward ginger-haired child and this was the least offensive thing I was called
growing up (btw the kid who got the most joy out of taunting me is now quite
overweight himself and cleans cess pits for a living. Balance has been restored to
the universe.)
I’ve been published before but now write and draw and publish my own comics
my damn self and have never been happier.
2) Â How did you get into comics creation?
Lack of proper adult supervision.
3) What is the hardest part about making comics right now?
It’s never been easier to make and self-publish your own comics. You just need time
and a modicum of talent. That said, with the barriers broken down and everyone
making comics, it is hard to stand out from the crowd.
4) What makes indie comics so important to the survival of the comic industry?
What is indie? If indie is anything outside the Big Two then I only read ‘indie comics’
these days. If it weren’t for them I simply wouldn’t be intersted in comics at all.
People need to disabuse themselves of the notion that the Big Two are the comic
book industry.
5) The end goal for most comics people used to be to get to the mainstream, the
big two. We’ve seen some creators have major success in the indies, do you
think the end goal for creators has changed?
People used to make indie comics in the hope of open day working for the Big Two
on one of their known IPs. Some still do. Good on them, but I don’t see the point
since they’d just jobbers with no stake in the IP. It’s like donating your blood to a
vampire. If you have agood idea, don’t sign your rights away, keep it for yourself and
seek your fortune in self-publishing.
6) If you had give one piece of advice to new creators, what would that be?
Learn every aspect of making comics yourself. Being part of a comic project is like
being in a band. The mroe people, the greater the potential for getting side tracked,
personalities clashing, people flaking out and unprofessionalism. Be self-relaint. You
don’t need to adopt the conveyor-belt system of having separate writers, pencillers,
inkers, letterers etc because you probably aren’t trying to produce a comic on a
monthly schedule. You DO need an editor, but other than that you should write and
draw your own books.
7) How have comic cons and comic stores changed since you started in the
industry? Do you feel that going to cons is still worth it?
I don’t do cons because they aren’t really about comics anymore. You’d be better off
selling anime girlfriend pillows than comics at these places. There are still comic-
focussed conventions but I haven’t been to those. Quite frankly, I don’t see the
point. There’s nothing I can do at a con that I can’t do online.
8) Â How would you say the UK indie comic scene compares to the US scene?
If you removed US comics and Manga there would hardly be a scene in the UK. We
have 2000AD, the Megazine, Commando, the output of some tiny indie companies
and of course the comics for prepubescent kids. Apart from that there’s sweet fuck
all happening here.
9) Are there any challenges that new creators might face now that you didn’t
encounter yourself when you started?
No.
10)Â Â How easy is it to get press coverage of comic book projects now? Has it gotten
better or worse to do?
It’s never been easy. It’s hard but not impossible if you have a quality project that
can’t be ignored. Strive for excellence.
11) Where can people find you if they want to support you?
We run an eBay store at: https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/lutoslava where we sell comics,
prints, T shirts, patches etc. To stay up to date with projects please check out the
blog at https://maryboys.blogspot.com