Posted in: Comic Show, Comics | Tagged: artist alley, Comics, lbcc, Long Beach Comic & Horror Con

Reed Gunther At Long Beach Comic Con

Published Sat, 10 Nov 2012 17:00:56 -0600

Chris Waterman writes for Bleeding Cool;

I had the opportunity this last weekend to walk the Long Beach Comic & Horror Con. The past 3 years I have attended as a budding young (well old) artist and enjoyed my time in the Artist Alley. From the veteran creators of the comic industry to the new faces looking to tell their own stories, there is an overall drive of creativity, energy and passion for the comic medium. The diversity of styles, content, ages and viewpoints just show how much people love comics. I took this time walking the isle of the Artist Alley to interview a wide range of creators, all of whom are very driven, thoughtful and extremely passionate.

How long have you been drawing/ creating comics?

All my life really, but 6 years professionally. I originally wanted to be an animator but that changed once I started drawing comics. Comics are much more efficient way to tell stories.

What is your motivation to draw comics?

I love to tell stories. Drawing comics is the best way I can do that. Plus, comics are relatively easy/cheap to produce when compared to TV series or feature films. There are no limits to what you can do with comics.

3 years ago you and your brother (Shane) were self-publishing your own comic books, you have since then been picked up by Image comics. How did this happen?

My brother and I worked on a very custom submission packet. It was a western-themed wooden box filled with our comics and other pitch materials. We made a few and one of them, we sent to Eric Stephenson at Image Comics. Image was our top choice of publishers but we didn't think that they would respond to us. Luckily, Eric liked Reed Gunther and contacted us about being published by Image soon after he received our submission. It took about a year to get everything worked out and to touch up and color the book (which was in black and white originally) but before we knew it, Reed Gunther #1 was on comic stands around the country.

What has changed since signing with Image?

With Image there is a much bigger reach and distribution with the series, which brings in a larger audience to the book. That's been the biggest change. We've also added a colorist to our team, which has been a huge help. It's just too time consuming for me to draw and color. Also, because of Reed Gunther's success, Shane and I have been asked to work on other comics, which has been a lot of fun.

What is next for you and your brother?

We have just finished a Simpsons Tree House of Horror story as well as a back-up story for Adventure Time. We have plans to produce more Reed Gunther comics in the future but for now we're working on a new and exciting project that we hope to be able to talk about soon.

For all things Reed Gunther, check out www.reedgunther.com

Chris Waterman lives in Southern California. He is a life long comicbook fan and artist. You can check out some of his work at: http://radixrising.deviantart.com/

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