Alexander Zone

Jason Alexander

by Lauren Vega-Rasner

I met Jason Alexander at Wizard World '99, and was intrigued with his work. He accused me of only paying attention because he was seated next to Jill Thompson at the Sirius Comics table. I’ll admit, his location didn’t hurt, but his comic, Empty Zone, kept my attention.

Sequential Tart: Tell me about yourself... work habits, things people should know... stuff to mail you... bribes, etc.

Jason Alexander: Myself? I’m short and pissy. Work habits– I’ll sleep about 4-5 hours at a time, whenever I get tired, and work as much as I can the rest of the time. There’s really no typical pattern to it. Bribes? Places to stay at conventions for free. Heh.

ST: Did you make a conscious effort to be published through Sirius Comics? Were there other companies you tried to go through?

JA: Actually, yes. There were a couple of companies I looked into and a couple that made offers. It took a bit longer to work things out with Sirius, but they have a really good reputation and I respected their work.

ST: Did you try to self publish before going with Sirius?

JA: I self published an anthology called Section 8 about a year or so after I got out of high school, about 1995. It ran for about two years, bi-monthly. Empty Zone actually made its debut with a couple of short stories in that series. Then, at a show in Atlanta, I met the guys at Sirius, and they took a liking to that particular story.

ST: How long does it take you to do an issue from end to end? Do you do the art or story first? How long does it take you to do a page?

JA: Oi. Longer than I’d like. An issue takes a good 5 weeks, right now, to get finished. But that's coming down from 2 months, so I’m getting there to a monthly schedule. This includes the writing, line-art, zip-a-tone work, and lettering. The biggest problem with the time frame is that it's feasible to do this amount of work, but I’m a picky bitch about detail and sometimes spend longer than I should on some pages. Actually the monthly thing might start getting to me. I have a growing fear of dumbing down the work or becoming mechanical about it. So, after #8 the EZ will be turned into a series of mini-series. 4-5 issues monthly, with a couple of months between stories. I can focus on the work as different pieces and put different and unique personalities to each one. As far as pages go, I’ll pencil 5-6 pages at the beginning of the week and ink them the rest and through the weekend.

ST: When did you decide to become a comic creator? Is art or writing your first love?

JA: There were a few different outlets I originally went through for art. Some of those I thought might become the career of choice. Special effects (painting and sculpting masks and appliances) and movies were my hobby for about 3 years. I loved sculpting, creating, and applying a kind of art that reacted and moved. Then McFarlane's detail and dynamics on Spider-Man started me looking into comic art more seriously. Then I found books like The Crow, and Contract with God, then Sin City. Then I knew comics were it. I was floored. I had no idea you could put those kinds of stories in comics. I originally wanted to be just an artist. But eventually I got up the nerve to start telling stories, the kind I wanted to read, and experimenting with that just made me want to do the full package. Now, with Sirius, that's what I get to do.

ST: Where do you get your story ideas? Is it small things, or do the stories kind of write themselves?

JA: I don't sit down and start writing on EZ in the mindframe of "must be dark and cyberpunk" or "this should be more political" etc. I’ve realized that Corinne has a lot of me in her. The same disappointment with the way the system is, social situations, life in general. Empty Zone is becoming more and more involved in just life in general, just a bit further down the timeline. So, even though I have basic plots that I think will entertain people, the characterizations do seem to write themselves.

Though storylines focusing on the government and political systems in the future are a blast to do, this book is about something much more personal. Though those elements are included, as backdrop for the series, it’s really more about personal struggle. Living through every day. That the world has gone to shit and the system has exploded into this control beast and nothing seems to go right, but you still find the energy, that drive, to get up out of bed every morning and try again. We don't know why, but we just keep fighting. That’s what EZ is about. And the fact that the book is set in the future and things still haven't changed, and we will still have to fight just as hard, makes it just that more, "real." That kind of writes itself.

ST: Is Corinne based on anyone?

JA: The name is from an ex-girlfriend of mine, but that's about it. I wanted to create a strong, independent lead character who is just as complex and fucked up as everyone else and have them show a good amount of intelligence. I’m very proud of what Corinne has evolved into. I don't, though this sounds overused as hell, think there are enough women portrayed in comics on this level. Some companies thrive on the exploitation. I think my portrayal shows something much better than that.

ST: How much influence does William Gibson have on your work? What other authors have influenced your work?

JA: The first mini series, Under Dead Television Skies, showed an obvious obsession with the writing style of William Gibson and the cyberpunk genre in general. I think the hard-edged description and dialogue he gives is brilliant and moody. The first series was kind of a dedication to that and the cyberpunk genre as a whole.

I was really nervous with the first series being my first so I restrained myself quite a bit. Stuck with what had worked in the past. Now, I’m much more comfortable. The writing comes from me, now. Greats like Kerouac, Palahniuk, King, Carroll, and Bach... also comic greats like Will Eisner, O'Barr, Miller, Bendis, and McKean have inspired me to really start doing my own thing. And I'm really happy, so far, with the type of work that's come from that.

ST: What are your artistic influences?

JA: My first big exposure to art was my father introducing me to a lot of work from the Renaissance. I fell in love with Michaelangelo. That went into Mucha and so on. Most of my influences now would be Will Eisner, Bill Seinkeiwicz, McKean, Kent Williams, Leo Manco, Miller, O'Barr, Ego Schiele, Baron Story, Alex Maleev, Manabat, Platt... sometimes these lists become a "credibility meter" to those who read it, so I’m just going to say there are many others, comic artists and other, and leave it at that. The list would go on forever. I think the broader your influences, the more you can put into your work and interpret in to your own style.

ST: Do you listen to music while you work? What do you listen to?

JA: Yes. The music depends on whatever I want to influence the work. Mostly a lot of industrial or techno and a lot of old school punk. Old Bad Religion, Social Distortion, Stray Cats, Big Black, Helmet, and Chemical Bros, NIN, Atari Teenage Riot, etc.

ST: What comics do you currently read?

JA: Pulp Fantastic, Transmetropolitan, Sam and Twitch, Sin City, Deathlok, The Waiting Place, the Kabuki titles, and a lot of mini-series and back stuff. I’ve gotten a lot into the Hellboy books, the Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz Electra and Daredevil stuff, Cages, a lot of old Kent Williams work. I don't collect that many ongoing titles. I spend some time at the new racks, and a lot looking for older shit I missed. I got into comics kinda late, around 17.

ST: What is the best con experience you've had?

JA: I got to Dragon*Con late last year and was hot and pissed and having a bad day. I got to the table, threw my shit down, and an older guy comes up and starts looking through my pages. I’m all angry at the trip there (too long and too hot), but I see that the man flipping through my portfolio is Will Eisner! I was stunned. We talked about characterization and flow and he gave me a compliment on my storytelling! I gave him a one shot of EZ that I dedicated to him and that was that. To meet your idol is sweet. For your idol to walk up to you and start talking about art, my God.

ST: The worst con experience you've had?

JA: I really enjoy most every con. If there are bad events that occur, it's life. But this market is not in the best state. I met Angel Medina once and asked him how his con was going. He said that all cons are great just for the fact that we can still have them and get together. I agree with that.

ST: Whom would you most like to work with that you haven't yet?

JA: Kent Williams, Frank Miller, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dave Mack, Brian Bendis... the list is too long.

ST: Who was the most important teacher you've had in your career as an artist/writer?

JA: My father. You can learn technique in school, but my father taught me how to look at art as an outlet. He helped show me WHY we draw, paint, sculpt, etc. And that’s something not a lot of people get.

ST: How long a day do you work?

JA: Around 10 hours sometimes more. Off and on during the day, then I get hard at it from around 8pm to 6am.

ST: Do you get creative blocks? What do you do to get past them?

JA: Hell yes. Find a friend, and a way out of the studio. Staying in one space and focusing on one thing too long will block anyone. I’ll grab some sketchbook or something and get out of the house for a few hours.

ST: Could you talk a bit about any projects you've got coming up in the near future?

JA: After #8 I’m turning Empty Zone into a series of mini-series. They’re easier to collect and it'll be easier for me to stay on time. And I really, just love doing short stories. In addition to EZ, I’ll be starting soon on the art for a weekly comic strip written by Warren Ellis, in a new online magazine called Reactor. This will start April 3rd. Another thing, I guess, is a side project I’ve been working on since I self published in '95. I’m finishing the scripting for a painted graphic novel called Pulled Under. I’ll be finished with that in about a year.

ST: How do you juggle all the different hats you have to wear? (i.e., writer, artist, inker)

JA: I’m still learning!

ST: How do you market your book?

JA: The book is currently sold through Previews. Back issues can be ordered through them, directly through Sirius, or through my website. The site does a good amount of marketing. There has just been a t-shirt released also. It’s the first piece of merchandising that’s been done for Empty Zone.

ST: What kind of advertising do you tend towards? (i.e. word of mouth, Internet, conventions, Previews)

JA: All of the above. I update the website as much as I can, conventions are great for introducing new people to the book, and I think the best advertising has always been word of mouth. Friends will believe friends a lot faster than they will an ad.

ST: Do you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

JA: No. I’ve been self-taught to this point. This year, though, I plan on going to school to learn more and take what I do know to a higher level. As an artist you never stop learning.

ST: What is one thing you hate about the industry? What would you do to change it?

JA: Oh, Christ. The industry. I love comics as a medium for art and writing. As an industry, I’m not real good with it. I’ve learned there is a lot of schmoozing to get places. I guess that's typical with most creative industries. A "who you know" kind of deal. That’s not shocking, but I’m no good with it (anyone who's seen me at a con will agree to that.) I’m hoping people just get to take notice and like what I do. That sounds cheesy as fuck, but I hate being a businessman.

If I could change anything, it would be for a larger spotlight on the independents. There are so many good titles out there. We’ve established that the ongoing mainstream will sell, so the little guys who really have a lot to offer need more than just 2 pages here and 3 pages there in all the magazines. You see 7 page articles about the new X-Men title plots, and 2 pages trying to wrap up the entire independent market. I guess I’d change that.

ST: What is your medium of choice?

JA: I enjoy sketching most of all– pencils, pens, etc. But mediums just depend on the mood or project. I’m having a great time really getting into painting some of the new covers for EZ and working on that graphic novel. I like experimenting with just about everything to get different effects.

ST: Famous last words, you silly fuck? *grin*

JA: Um, no. But there's a great quote in Sienkiewicz’s sketchbook that I have hanging in my studio, so here:

"I often sketch in pen. It forces me to be exact,
and if I fuck the sketch up, it screams at me.
Not the pen, the sketch. The pen just laughs."

–Bill Sienkiewicz

Jason Alexander's website
Reactor– look for Bad Places
Sirius Comics on the web