Comic book artist's guild

CAG INTERVIEWS JASON DEGROOT: THE MIND BEHIND REPERCUSSION COMICS!

CAG: Jason, to start we would like to welcome you to the CAG community.

CAG: How did Repercussion comics come to be and how did you pick the
name of your company?

JD: Repercussion Comics started out as just an imprint for my own
titles, but As more and more people started joining the Repercussion Comics message
Board, a lot of interest was generated in making Repercussion Comics a
Small press publishing company. After much discussion, we've decided
that at this point none of us have the finances to make Repercussion a
viable publishing entity, so right now Repercussion Comics is being run as a
small press co-op where we help each other promote each others' work, all
using the Repercussion logo. We're hoping that we'll be able to generate
interest in each others' books by using the same logo and promotional
material in all of the books printed under the Repercussion banner.

As far as the name of the imprint, it was a direct result of 9/11.
Everything that's going on in the world today was a direct result of
that day, and initially, the stories I was going to tell through Repercussion
Comics were going to explore issues like the repercussions of not just
violence, but my characters' actions in general. That's still a theme
that runs pretty strong both in my books and the other creators who are
publishing under Repercussion Comics.

CAG: So you all agreed after 9/11 to delve into your comic creations
andmake them become a reality. It seems as though the more that goes on in
the real world the more we (the comic consumer) wish to escape it
somehow and be really involved in comics. Do you think that comic books
are making a come back right now because people need an escape or do
believe it is something else?

JD: Just to clarify, I personally started delving into the
"repercussion" aspect after 9/11, but I can't speak for the other creators if that was
a motivator for them as well. But their work does have that idea behind
them, and they have the same kind of vision for their books, so we all
fit nicely together under the Repercussion imprint. I will say, though,
that I believe 9/11 still shapes us, even if it's subconsciously, so I'm sure
a lot of what we see today has been influenced in some ways by it.

As to your question, I think there are a couple different answers to
that. I think that 9/11 definitely caused a need for escape, which is why we
see so many more sci-fi and fantasy movies doing so well now. On the flip
side,we also see a lot of horror movies, because I think people need a way
to control the fear that they feel in terms of what's going on in the
world. In terms of comic books themselves, I think it's something similar,
though a lot of what I'm seeing is not so much an escape as a reflection on
the real world, for instance the revamping of Captain America and the
controversial issue where he visits Dresden. There's this need to examine
"what it all means". But I think another reason that comics are seeing a
resurgence in interest is because a lot of comic fans are adults now,
and we're making decisions in terms of what to buy, what to watch. If you
go to a toy store, half of the toys are revamps of toys that my generation
grew up with, like the Care Bears and He-Man. We no longer have to
rely on our parents to buy comics, we can spend as much as we want on them :)

CAG: What things have you learned about the industry as they apply to
small press publishers?

JD: The first thing I've learned is that it's constantly learning experience.
I'm constantly learning new things about production, what makes a good
story, etc. But in terms of publishing itself, I'm finding that it's
getting yourself noticed and finding marketing strategies are the keys
to getting your books out there. A lot of the discussions we have both at
Repercussion Comics and the UFO revolves around "Hey, what can we do to
get more of our books out there?” which is one of the main ideas behind
both groups in the first place.

CAG: What marketing strategies would you recommend for the new guy who
has put the work in and has a book that’s ready to be viewed by the
world?

JD: I don't know if I can provide any suggestions that will be
surefire, as I'm still learning myself, but if you're like me and don't have much money,
a fairly inexpensive thing to do is to get a website to keep people
updated. Webads are fairly cheap depending on which site you use. A little more
expensive but very fun is to travel to small press conventions like
SPACE, APE, and STAPLE. One new strategy we've used is to have a free raffle
at each con where we give a bunch of comics away. On the raffle ticket
people can include their email address for updates about our new books, we've
generated a good mailing list with it and it's a fun way to get people to
your table. Joining a small press co-op like the Comic Art Guild or
the UFO is another way, because then you've got a bunch of people promoting
your books. I've recently signed up with Tony Shenton of
Shenton4Sales, who has a client list of a couple hundred comic stores. And of course
there's always Diamond. The important thing is to be creative in
finding ways to get your book out there and don't be afraid to ask other
creators what's worked for them. That's how I've learned pretty much everything
I have in small press.

CAG: Any advice or tips to those looking to get their projects off the
ground?

JD: Do it yourself and there's no time like the present. I was
initially going the submissions package route and hoping to be picked up by a
publisher, which I may still do down the road, but if you really want to see your
comic book printed and on a shelf, does it yourself. It can be a little
frustrating at times, but holding that finished product in your hands
and knowing there's others out there enjoying your work makes it all worth
it.

And pay your talent. When I started out, it was "we'll split the
profits when we hit it big." Well, chances are you're not going to hit it big
and won't clear a profit for quite some time, so make sure your
artists/letters/writers are getting some compensation up front, even if
it's not much, for all their hard work.

CAG: A much-heated argument! Artists wish to get paid writers/creators
Can’t pay until you hit the big time? So your philosophy is something
is better than nothing. Do you work on individual contracts or do you do
work for hire?

JD: I TELL everybody to use individual contracts, but I've not done it
as of yet myself. I've just been very lucky that all the artists I work with
are very reliable and willing to work for a small amount of money. That is
going to be any creator's biggest hurdle, finding a reliable artist or
writer. Small press is littered with flaky artists and writers, no
matter how much money you offer them, so if you find someone with talent and a
good work ethic, hold onto them, they are more precious than gold.

CAG: Did you take any workshops or courses to get you started on
writing? Comics?

JD: I took several writing classes in college, including a class on
producing your own comic book, but the interest has always been there, I've been
writing since I could learn to write. Most of the knowledge I've
gleaned about what makes a good comic or story has come from reading tons of
comic books, tons of novels, watching movies upon movies, and reading good
books on writing like Stephen King's "On Writing" and Syd Field's
"Screenplay."

CAG: You currently have five titles under the Repercussion flag one of
which is your book “KREETOR”. What can you tell us about each book?

JD: Kreetor is my baby. I had the idea since I was ten and it's turned
into my personal epic. The shortest way to describe it would be to call it
"Animal Farm" and "Planet of the Apes" meets "Conan the Barbarian." It's set
on the planet Kreetor where animal-men and -women live in countries based
on their species, and it explores their politics, how they get along,
their relationships with one another. Lots of war, and it's a pretty violent
tale at times, but in this one I really explore the implications of war
and politics on a global scale. One of the things that Dann, the penciler,
hates on this series is that I'll kill off a character halfway through
the story that he really liked, but I think it gives the story more of a
sense of immediacy and urgency.

Kwiddex Protocol, is, to be honest, me wanting to write "Marvels" and
"Astro City." It's set in a city call Satellite Falls where all these
super-powered beings have started showing up after a 15-year absence,
including a vigilante called the White Rose who was supposed to have
been killed on live television. He seeks out the man who shot him because
he's trying to discover what the Kwiddex Protocol is, and he knows it's not
good. The story revolves around all these different super-beings and
each issue reveals a little bit more about what's going on in regards to the
Kwiddex Protocol. My favorite aspect to the book, though, is that we
have a back-up story every issue focused on one of the "normal" citizens of
Satellite Falls and how the violence or actions of the main characters
directly affected them. Craig Wolden is doing the artwork on this
series, and he's doing amazing work, especially on the back-up stories, he
really captures the emotions of the characters.

RIP is a sci-fi cop story set on Armstrong City (named after Neil
Armstrong), a colonized planet far from earth. Rena Rippen is a
detective there solving crimes in the bad part of the city, but an assassin is
starting to bump off high-profile political figures and she has to team
up with a new partner from Earth to track the killer down. Nick Carcieri
is the creator on this one, and he's taken the buddy cop premise to a new
level. The characters and city itself have all been really well-realized
and the artwork from Randy Kintz gives it a very cinematic feel. Like
the other stories, this one not only shows the violence of the world, but
also the effects of that violence.

The Colony was created by Marc Haines, he did the artwork, and I helped
him co-write it. It's a three-issue series revolving around Jason Thorne,
an assassin who works for the US government. He's given one last
assignment, pose as an envoy to witness a coronation in the Adirondack Mountains of
the new regent for The Colony and kill the new regent. The Colony is made
up of pretty much everything you've ever been afraid of, vampires,
zombies, werewolves, etc. You name it, they live there. But after he arrives,
he discovers his assignment is not as clear-cut as he'd been told, and the
line between good and evil gets pretty blurry. This one's got a lot of
twists and turns in the plot, Marc even kept me guessing for some of
it.

Bronx Angel is written and created by Dan Head, and I think it best
typifies the kinds of stories we're trying to tell through Repercussion
Comics. It's the story of a soldier who's just returned from Operation
Iraqi Freedom and is now back home in the Bronx where he has to deal
with his past life as a gang member. He knew what he was supposed to do
while he was in Iraq, knew the rules, but now he's adrift and trying to get
his life back together. It's just a great story, and it's obviously very
relevant in terms of the effects that the war in Iraq has on our
returning soldiers.

We're also working on a story called "Elemental" that's set five years
before the Kwiddex Protocol starts where one of the minor characters, a
detective on the police force, is trying to capture a super-powered
serial killer. I think it's actually some of the strongest writing I've done
thus far, I'm really looking forward to seeing what people think of it.

CAG: Where do you see Repercussion in the next five years?

JD: I honestly don't know. It was initially just supposed to be for my
own projects, so it's taken off in ways I'd never dreamed. I think a
couple of things may happen. We might continue to expand as a small press co-op
and see more and more recognition of the Repercussion Comics brand. Or we
might start seeing enough success that we can actually become an
independent publisher in our own right, which would be excellent. Of
course, there's always the chance that we go the way of so many other
small press groups and just slowly dissolve, but I honestly don't see that
happening because the core group is made up of creators who don't just
talk a good game but actually get the work done and get the books out, which
can be a rare thing in small press.

CAG: You are a member of UFO (United Fanzine Organization). What can
you tell us about UFO?

JD: The UFO is a small press co-op that's been around in one form or
another since the '60's. Basically, we all publish our own books, we have to
have the UFO logo somewhere in our book and a checklist of the other
members' books. We vote on each others' books if they're satisfactory or not,
and we publish a newsletter that comes out every other month that talks
about small press issues, reviews of members' books, previews of our upcoming
projects. So you can see that Repercussion Comics lifted some of the
promotional ideas from the UFO.

What I love about the UFO, well, there's a few things. The members are all
really talented, so you're in excellent company. Also, it's not just a
mutual admiration society. If another member doesn't like your book,
they'll vote against it and tell you why. One of the hardest things in
small press is to get good, critical feedback, and you're guaranteed an
honest response to your work. It's not necessarily that it's exclusive,
but there is a sense that you can't just publish anything and get
accepted into the group. There's some standards, so if you're a member, it's
not just because you applied but because your work was strong enough to be
accepted. And also, the members are just awesome. I had a chance to
meet most of them in Columbus at the SPACE con recently and unbelievably
nice guys. What's exciting is that the new chairman is really pushing to
get our names and the name of the UFO out there more this year, and I'm
really looking forward to seeing where this year takes us, because we do have
a lot of talent on the roster, definitely professional quality books, and
itlooks me look pretty good being in their company :)

CAG: Jason, Thank you for you time and we look forward to seeing more
great things from Repercussion Comics!

For more information about Repercussion , visit their Web site -
http://www.repercussioncomics.com

—Interview by Keith Murphey