6 Questions With...GEORGE O'CONNOR

Here's George O'Connor, his story is called Mr. Awesome Saves The World...Maybe, with art by S. Griffin.




Tiny Electric:Is this your first published work?

George O'Connor:It's my first published work but it's also coming out at the same time as my first full comic, HEALED.

TE:What's the sentence pitch for your story?

GO:MR. AWESOME SAVES THE WORLD... maybe: A reluctant and disenchanted super hero, Mr. Awesome, is forced to put the tights back on to save his secret love.

TE:Was your story an idea you already had, or did you come up with it in class?

GO:After the first class, I realized all the ideas I brought to the table didn't fit how the class was going to be taught. That night, I literally shot up from a dead sleep at 2am with the Mr. Awesome story formed.

TE:Do you hope to expand it into something longer?

GO:I do. I could see this story being a 3 to 4 book story and a lot of fun to write.

TE:Talk about your artist and the look of your story.

GO:I've known Griffin for years and when I started thinking about writing comics, he was gung-ho to jump on board. He's a great artist to work with because I can explain a scene and he'll find ways to fill it out and add his own slant. He thinks up things that never crossed my mind and that's the kind of collaboration I love.

TE:What comics have you been reading lately?

GO:The Walking Dead, Scalped (I bought the trades and just tore through them), Invincible Iron Man, Secret Six, Chew, Irredeemable, Incorruptible, New Avengers, The Last Days of America Crime, Daredevil, Uncanny X-Men, Invincible



You can check out George's new comic at Homelesscomics.com
and follow him on twitter at HomlessComics or LazyHorde

6 Questions With...DAN RIVERA

Next up is Dan Rivera, his story is called Gabriel's Regret, with art by Antonio Bifulco




Tiny Electric:Is this your first published work?

Dan Rivera:Yes it is. In fact, this is the first story that I have finished since college.

TE:What's the sentence pitch for your story?

DR:In post apocalyptic America, a monk named Gabriel is reminded of the senseless horror of this new age.

TE:Was your story an idea you already had, or did you come up with it in class?

DR:This came to me in class. I originally wanted to do something with an espionage slant, but it didn't work. That is the beauty of the class. Andy is so honest about what works and what doesn't. I've always been fascinated by "post-apocalyptic" fiction because it is driven by a fear that most of us have and we are powerless to fight against.

TE:Do you hope to expand it into something longer?

DR:I was thinking about it, but then I started reading Wasteland by Antony Johnston and Christopher Mitten and it blew me away. They have taken post apocalyptic fiction to another level. I may revisit Gabriel and his world in the future because there are a wealth of stories that can be told, but that will have to wait. I carry a Cirque du Soleil notebook with me everywhere so I can write down an idea the minute it enters my head. There are quite a few notes about Gabriel's future adventures, so who knows...

TE:Talk about your artist and the look of your story.

DR:Antonio Bifulco is an Italian artist that I saw on deviantART. I was drawn by the more kinetic pieces on his page because I needed someone who could handle the action sequence in my script. He did a great job and if I decide to revisit this world, I'd like to use him again. I think in retrospect I should have used more widescreen shots to demonstrate Gabriel's solitude, but we only had 5 pages. Antonio was a pleasure to work with and is a fantastic collaborator. He was also able to turn the pages around in a relatively short amount of time. I have to credit Rob (Panda Dog) Anderson for finding him for me in time to make the deadline for the anthology.

TE:What comics have you been reading lately?

DR:I am a trade paperback guy because of the limited space in my apartment. Aside from the previously mentioned Wasteland, the regular stuff that I read are Scalped, DMZ, The Walking Dead, Captain America, Ignition City and Daredevil. I also just received Incognito by Brubaker & Phillips and The Life and Times of Savior 28 by DeMatteis & Cavallaro. I'm dying to get into those books!




You can check out Dan's work at Emptyholsters or on Twitter.

6 Questions With...JOE SERGI

First up is Joe Sergi, his story is called The Prisoner, with art by Marc Jameson.



Tiny Electric: Is this your first published work?

Joe Sergi:This is not my first published work. I have published several short stories and articles in the science fiction and fantasy genres, including in the Trail of Indiscretion Magazine (Issue 6/Death Imitates Art), Comics Now! Magazine (Issue 3/Man and Superman), Metahuman Press (Psi-Kotic, appearing monthly), 23 House Publishing/Atriad Press (Nights of Blood II/Give Until It Kills (2009)), A Thousand Faces (The Issue #10/The Return of Power Boy, (Forthcoming Dec. 2009)), Whortleberry Press (Christmas in Space Anthology/The Gift of the Karisma (Nov. 2009)) and the Guild Publications (Worlds Beyond/It All Started with a Mouse) (Forthcoming 2010)). My first novel, Sky Girl and the Superheroic Legacy was released in March, 2010. In addition, I have also published comic stories, including The Red Line (in U is For United), Economy of Scale and The Phantom Rickshaw (in From Here to There from Resolution Comics), The Body and Through the Eyes of a Child (in CGS Anthology 3), A Penny for Her Thoughts (Rendrwrx Productions (forthcoming 2010)), Cinderfella, The Impossible Dream, and The Adventures with the Prince of Humbug (in the online and print versions of Iconic 2 Guild Works Publications forthcoming 2010), and Carnies (A three issue limited series from Resolution Comics (Forthcoming 2011)). I was selected as a semi-finalist in the Who Wants to Create a Superheroine contest sponsored by the Shadowline Imprint of Image Comics. I have also worked as an editor on The International and Comparative Law Journal, Tax Information Update, World's Beyond, Iconic 2, and CGS: The End.

TE:What's the sentence pitch for your story?

JS:Justin Tishun, an agoraphobic, weighs the alternatives and must decide whether to leave his sound-proof, airtight, temperature-controlled brownstone after he believes the outside world has been destroyed in a terrorist attack.

TE:Was your story an idea you already had, or did you come up with it in class?

JS:I didn't know we needed to come up with an idea for class. Strange at it may seem, my original idea was to have Justin try to ask a girl out on a date. But, when as I waited for Andy to call on me, the idea for Prisoner began to develop.

TE:Do you hope to expand it into something longer?

JS:I am toying with the idea of a conceptual sequel. To bring a dangerous outsider (and love interest) in for Justin. To help her, he must leave his apartment and overcome his fears. I am in the advanced writing class, but I'm going to go with something else as my project for that.

TE:Talk about your artist and the look of your story.

JS:I had previously worked with Marc Jameson on a horror story, I immediately knew his dark style would perfectly suit the tone and creakiness that permeates The Prisoner, which clearly is not a puppy dog and rainbow tale. We are currently working on a pitch package for Madame Magnificent (my Who Wants to Create a Superheroine submission). His website is http://autoganzfeld.blogspot.com/

TE:What comics have you been reading lately?

JS:I read pretty much everything and, much to my wife's dismay, spend a large chunk of disposable income on comics each month. I have really been enjoying Blackest Night and Siege from DC and Marvel. Robert Kirkman's Invincible is one of the best books out there. I also read a lot of small press independent comics since making friends with folks in the industry. For example, the guys at PKD Media are putting out some high quality stuff. I also like Digital Webbing's Fist of Justice and Resolution Comics' Layfield Incident (which was drawn by Marc). The same is true with webcomics (which in my mind are reminiscent of the San Francisco underground Comics movement) and I've been reading Girls with Slingshots, Mumblepuss, Oceanverse, and far too many others to name.



You can check out Joe's work at joesergi.net and skygirlnovel.com

Coming Soon...

Alright, enough about me. There's a bunch of stories inside Tales From The Comic Experience, time to put some focus on the other creators working on this book.

Stay tuned for the first edition of 6 Questions With... coming soon.

Anthology Now Available Online

Tales From The Comic Experience is now available at Indy Planet for $8!

Check it out HERE.

Anthology Cover? No...I Don't Think I'll Be Able To Show You That..

Lied.