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Plaid Klaus And Devmalya Pramanik Talk Void Trip, Paradiso, and Image Comics.

Published Tue, 17 Oct 2017 10:00:05 -0500

Plaid Klaus and Devmalya Pramanik are comic book illustrators. Klaus is from New York and Dev is from Bangalore, India. Despite living on different sides of the planet, they both have two things in common: White Noise & Image Comics.

White Noise is a writer studio based in the UK. Klaus has worked previously with one of their writers, Ryan O'Sullivan, on the graphic novel Turncoat back in 2016. They've now partnered up for their next book, Void Trip, due out through Image Comics this November. Similarly, Dev worked with another White Noise writer, Ram V, on the graphic novel Black Mumba back in 2016. And the two of them are now partnered up for their next book, Paradiso, which is also being published through Image Comics, in December of this year.

Their conversation below talks about their new comics, their creative process, their influences, and what it was that drew them to the comics medium.

Dev: When I was reading VOID TRIP, I couldn't help but feel how natural the effects of the hallucinogenics and the trip themselves looked and felt. What was the process of research behind this?

Klaus: Well…to be honest, I used archetypical visuals for the comic itself. The visions you receive in a psychedelic session aren't easy to grab onto and bring back. It would be quite the endeavour to make something relatable to everyone, so I decided to take the path of caricature and have some fun with it being a visual metaphor.

Personally, I would consider myself a part-time psychonaut, however, I feel what you receive in psychedelic spaces is very personal and doesn't translate to others well, especially if they've never been there before. It's like trying to explain a meaningful dream to another person, without the emotional and psychosomatic context the stories just sound disjointed and confusing.

But anyway, tell me about Paradiso, man! It seems to be a fallen societal realm. I found the wardrobe choices interesting, they harkened back to the basic garb of the Middle Ages. What was the stylistic choice behind that? Did you focus more on what that visual meant narratively or were you trying to put yourself in the mind of a city of survivors?

Dev: I focused more on what a city full of survivors would do. It was interesting to me while designing the wardrobe of this world, wondering what a world where clothes are not so easily found would do for clothes. Hence the cobbled together outfits, the patchwork blankets and jackets. In some ways, it is like the middle ages when recourse were not as plentiful as they are now. For me, realism in costumes is something I like, but I like to add subtle elements that tie it into the visual narrative as well.

Klaus: Would you say this visual approach carried over into the storytelling, too? Would you say the majority of your imagery spring from your mind's construction of a scene, or do you prefer to lean heavy on references?

Dev: I like to plan out the scenes the way I want to, with elements I plan in my mind. Construct the scene, adding elements. But when it comes down to the elements themselves, I like to take reference and make the elements more realistic. As an example, there is a scene in the later issues with a few cars around. I took a few references to make sure I got the frames of the cars right. And then proceeded to add elements which made the cars look like they have been in disrepair for years and modified for the purpose of their use. References are more for noting minute details about objects such as car and buildings in the city to make them feel more like they are from a time period close to ours.

Whilst we're chatting visuals I have to say I've always been a fan of a good line weight style. Your lines look really well weighted and your shapes are really well balanced and rendered. Which artists do you draw the most inspiration from? Are there any major influences who shaped you into the artist you are today?

Klaus: Joe Madureira was a huge influence for me as a young teen artist. In general, I was a big fan of the 90s line-heavy styles. After coming across Rembrandt's paintings – being totally in awe of the focus on light and shadow – I began to reign it in and trade some line focus for chiaroscuro techniques. In the end, I've found a balance involving both that works pretty well

It's challenging though, I want to utilize the delicate precision of fine art techniques but I can't let go of my love of cartoon forms and line weights. It's a constant balancing act. That's one of the reasons I labour so much on my thumbnails. Well, that and figuring out the main shapes and beats of a page.

Your pages have such a great balance of shapes, textures and an eye leading layout. Do you plan that a lot before or figure it out on the page?

Dev: I like thumbnailing too, although sometimes I like to start on the 11×17 itself, cause the spontaneity can spawn better composition. Also, I think it's relatable that when artists thumbnail, it's usually always better than what they end up doing on the 11×17 page (at least it happens to me). But usually, I try to make sure each panel leads to the next important segment of the page. That's where all the planning goes into. Setting the stage and planning the movements, as it were.

Speaking of planning movements – what are your future plans with comics? Any forays into writing and drawing a book by yourself in the future? That said, which do you prefer; work for hire or creator-owned content where you have more say and stake in the matter?

Klaus: If I were to summarize my current status as a creator with a Tarot reading it would be the seven of cups crossed by the three of wands. There are a lot of options right now and I'm starting into the world to artistically plan my next move. I'm slowly working away on a personal project that will be my breakout as a writer/artist, but it's not anything I'm rushing into. Definitely, keep an eye out for Ryan O'Sullivan/Plaid Klaus projects in the future.

Honestly? The comics industry is such a strange one. There have been poles showing over 50% of comic artists earn below the poverty line with their actual work. With such a time consuming medium and being up against such great odds, I always wanna ask other artists: What led you to wanna work in comics, and do you think you'll wanna stick with the medium long term?

Dev: Well comics has always been about passion for me. When I was in college for engineering, I realised that if I ever did anything other than comics, I would not be happy doing it. So, my goal was to do comics and do it well enough to be able to support myself. I didn't know about the statistics you mentioned here, but I like to believe that if I keep at it, I'll be able to produce good work as well as support myself adequately.

I always find it interesting when I hear how someone discovered their passion for something, seeing as I see a lot of people around me who do things out of necessity rather than passion. When'd you realise that you wanted to do comics in a major way? As in, dedicate time and effort into it in a more profound proportion than you do in others?

Klaus: Drawing has been with me since my hand met crayon at age 2. Comics burrowed into my neural pathways deeply at the age of 5-13 (the classic Marvel/DC stuff). I fell out of it for a while, convinced it wasn't a potential career path. I took several stepping stones from graphic design, video game modelling, concept art and illustration until I reclaimed my desire for the medium.

I've always loved the art of comic books, but as you get older, the stories of adolescence don't appeal the same way. In my twenties, I discovered avant-garde comics, lots of small press passion comics, and began to get the bug again. Ultimately, it's the art form that brought me back. Solid beautiful storytelling from creative artists are what keep me coming back every time.

Dev: Exactly! Comic books is a profession I feel is mostly undertaken by people who love the medium, unlike a lot of other fields. That said, do you feel the adage "choose a job you love, and you won't have to work a day in your life" holds true? Do you feel it is the same being in the profession as it is looking in from outside?

Klaus: So, I think most comic creators make comics because they can't NOT make comics. I haven't done the math, but the odds of making a living wage making comics aren't good. It's a very low paying industry for a majority of the creators, many even have side paying gigs to cover the bills.

From the outside fan perspective, people see that you have a book on the shelf and imagine it's a dream-like career. While it is an honor to be a part of the industry, I guarantee you those creators on the shelf went through hell just to get in, stay employed and are hoping to finally catch lightening in a bottle. There are many unsung heroes that live paycheck to paycheck in comics, and you would be amazed to realize how hard their job is (the hours alone in a room just you and the art board). Just look at King Kirby and his struggle in life.

Is it a big goal of yours to work on characters out of the Marvel/DC Universe, or would you rather continue indie books (removing any variables concerning pay and viewership)?

Dev: While it would be really enjoyable to work on a Marvel or DC book, seeing as most of my favourite characters I grew up with belong to them, I want to keep making independent books as well. They give you the freedom to tell the stories you love and the stories you have to tell.

That freedom of expression must be something you're enjoying in working on Void Trip. Do you plan on expanding it into more bizarre areas in the future? Ever since college, I have been into weird psychedelic imagery in comics akin to Grant Morrison, Dave McKean, Sam Kieth to name a few. This comic is like a dream come true for me. Can we expect fullfull-onzy mind shattering trips in there as the comic progresses?

Klaus: The psychedelics in Void Trip are mostly a cartoon-like metaphor for childlike escapism. I try to play with the visuals to keep them entertaining. The majority of the books narrative is grounded in reality, the psychedelic aspects are sprinkled in to shift the mode and progress their trip across the Universe. That being said, I want there to be some kind of mind-expanding aspect burrowed inside all the work I produce.

Those with eyes, let them see.

Last question, if you could work on any book, what's the world you would want to sink your teeth into? Is there a genre you're in love with? Is there some grand story you wanna tell the world?

Dev: I love horror and science fiction. Horror has been a lifelong love for me. I think I Would love to handle a horror property or tell some of my own stories. My science fiction hankering is currently being satisfied by Paradiso and hopefully for a long time to come. But I have a story of my own that I've been working on for a while. I'll keep developing it and eventually start working on it in the fa

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