Photo from Elfquest.com

Legendary comic artist Richard Pini takes time from his busy schedule to talk with Sequential Art eLearning student Jeremy Khan about his views on the comic world and his creative process. Pini also offers valuable advise to students wanted to publish their  own comic books and series.

Q: What was your inspiration in coming up with the idea of Elfquest?

A: The inspiration was all – or mostly – Wendy’s. She has been a storyteller and artist all her life, and her tales have usually had to do with characters searching for meaning or safety in a troubled world. Back in 1977, after we had seen the movies “Wizards” and “Star Wars” and realized that science fiction and fantasy were being widely accepted by audiences, she told me she had a new idea, and asked if I would be interested in helping. I jumped at the chance.

Q: How many issues did you sell on a regular basis?

A. When we started, back in 1978, our #1 issue sold 10,000 copies. (This was at a time when other independent comics were selling 500-2000 copies.) By the time we wrapped up our first series (there were several different series over the years) we were selling nearly 100,000 copies per issue.

Q: What ways would you suggest to promote an original self published comic on a shoe string budget?

When we started, it was pretty much word of mouth. There was no internet so there were no web sites for blogs or reviews or anything like Facebook or Myspace. There were a number of printed fanzines, however, and Elfquest got reviewed in those pretty regularly. We didn’t have a lot of money to spend on advertising our own book so we relied on those reviews and word of mouth.

Q: Which do you prefer, black and white or color?

A. The first color version appeared in 1981, only 3 years after Elfquest got started, but that was published by another company. The 10th anniversary editions were published by Warp Graphics, our own company. Each version has its strengths. The black and white shows Wendy’s line-work in wonderful detail. The color version adds the emotional values of different colors.

Q: Did you learn anything while making the series, maybe something that if given the chance would like to do over differently?

A. Perhaps the only thing we might have done differently is that, originally, we took time off between the different Elfquest series that we created and published. This allowed people to forget about the comics and to drift away. I think we might have simply kept going from one series to the next, without the vacation in between.

Q: Do you have any advice for those wanting to break into the comic industry?

A. Very simply, learn all you can from as many people as you can who are in it right now. It’s been a long time since we had to wonder how to “break in” ourselves and so much has changed in the years between.

If your portfolio is strong, there’s no reason not to show it to other companies. There’s also no reason not to get a head start with your own comics by publishing them online (since that costs essentially nothing compared to printing on paper).

There are two main factors in whether or not a new comic gains a following, whether that’s readers or companies interested in taking you on: One, that the work is good. Two, that a lot of people are talking about it. It’s best to get out there with both on your side.

Q: How do you think the views on comics have changed over the years?  Are they taken in a more serious fashion or still treated as kid stuff?

A. A bit of both, I think. Certainly Hollywood has discovered that movies based on comics are good for bringing in audiences. And more people than ever know about comics. But I think that that awareness is still on a superficial level. I don’t think comics in general are well regarded as an art form now, any more than they were 20-30 years ago.

Q:  Where do you see the comic trend going in the next few years?

A.  I think people are aware that there are comics, but I don’t think that more people are actually reading comics. I think the audience for comics is actually shrinking. The manga “boom” peaked and has been falling off for a couple of years now. Sure there will always be a core audience, but I don’t see it growing.

Q: Warp Graphics also came out with Thunder Bunny, after it exchanged hands a few times among other publishers including Archie.  Were you at that point considering becoming an independent distributer?  What was that process like?

A. We were never a distributor, but we did want to be a publisher of independent titles. So for a few years we did have a line of creator-owned titles like Thunderbunny, Myth-Adventures, and so on. It was an interesting experiment and I’m glad we did it, but in the end I discovered that I prefer to stick to our own creation, namely Elfquest.

Q: Does DC comics currently hold the licensing rights to Elfquest?

A. No, they do not have that license any longer. It is currently with Warner Bros. The original deal (actually, both of them) were set up by our agents, and I’m sure there was a lot of talk back and forth that we never personally participated in.

Q: What kind of advice could you give to people with their own original characters, story lines and even might have a self published comic or two, when dealing with big name companies like DC?

A. If you are dealing with a big company, first of all, congratulations. Second, I would say to have someone you trust do your talking for you, like an agent. A big company is not going to try to screw you, but they will try to get the best deal for themselves, just as you want to get the best deal for yourself. A professional who has done this before, is someone you want to have on your side.

Mr. Pini is currently working on an Elfquest logo for a NASA experiment. Visit the web site for Elfquest  for more information on Wendy and Richard Pini as well as their famous comics.