7 Advocating Reason for Enrique: SpyOrama :: A Throw BacK Thread

Name:

Enrique Morales

Creative Position:

Writer, Creator of PhenomenalX Comics

Contact Info:

Like @ https://www.facebook.com/PhenomenalSpecterX/

FAVORITE COMIC BOOK:

Growing up:

I didn’t read comics growing up, mostly read Sci Fi and fantasy from HG Wells and Jules Verne

and now:

Invincible by Robert Kirkman and Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis

The 1 Superpower you want:

Something logical like fast healing, though flight would be my second choice

Location:

Bay Area

Website(s):

https://www.patreon.com/Xuniverse

Your Credits:

Living With Robots, The Phenomenal Specter X, Tamara Amazon Warrior, Damon Demon, Batkid tribute comic, Weird Stuff,

Indie Advocates: Enrique, tell us about yourself. What kind of literature were you exposed to while growing up and more importantly, were there any comics that inspired you?

Enrique: I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I’ve been writing comics for about 15 years, since my college years. I did my own comic strip with my best friend, Sterling Gee. We both like a lot of the same things and thought the idea of making a comic strip would be fun. Living With Robots is a social satire of humans and robots living together as people are depended on technology. I have a large variety of influences from different writers. George Orwell, Frank Kafka works inspired me to write. I also enjoy reading HP Lovecraft, Stephen King, Alvin Schwartz and Fredric Brown, a lesser known sci fi writer. I also admire Rod Serling and his show The Twilight Zone and Matt Groening and his shows The Simpson’s and Futurama. I was a drama major, so Tennessee Williams, Euripides, Shakespeare, Alfred Jarry were just some that inspired me to want to be a playwright, and I wrote a few plays. When i didn’t succeed in that, comics were sort of a fallback. I didn’t start reading comics until my adult age. Robert Kirkman’s Invincible and Brian Michael Bendis’s Ultimate Spider-Man made me want to create my own superhero, The Phenomenal Specter X. I fell into DC, Marvel, Image Dark Horse among others. After I had seen The Avengers in the theaters, I had set out to create my own superhero shared universe, the XUniverse. Tamara Amazon Warrior and Damon Demon were other characters I created and want to develop them further.

Indie Advocates: Going by your Patreon page, we see that you have worked with various artists and it’s quite an impressive portfolio. How do you choose your artist? Is it a difficult process?

Enrique: I started my patreon back in 2015. It was the only way I felt I could start doing the comics that I wanted. There was just so much Sterling could do since he wasn’t always willing to do every idea I wanted due to his own personal interests and his own commitments. Facebook allowed me to network with artists on groups designed for comic writers and artists to collaborate. It’s difficult for me, given budget reasons. My goals haven’t been met on patreon so I pay mostly out of my own pocket, as many starving artists. Between working my day job, I have to pay bills, and other necessities so there’s hardly enough to always pay artists. I always explain that beforehand and not every artist is interested, since they are in a similar boat. Though the artists that do respond are interested in my ideas and understand my circumstances. I look for style. I check out their outline portfolio. I always imagine the comic in my head, and pending on the artist’s portfolio, does the artist’s style match what I envision? I also judge by commitment, are they able to meet deadlines? The ones that do I tend to develop a healthier relationship and want to work again. Also communication; do they respond quickly and maintain frequent updates if things come up? When I get multiple artists responding for the same job, I tend to pick up each of these traits when selecting the right artist. It’s like auditioning for an acting role. I also ask Sterling for his advice, when looking over their samples, since his artist’s perspective determines why I like someone’s work more than the other. It’s a process I take seriously since I want to promote them as being the best for the project at hand.

Indie Advocates: Tell us more about Weird Stuff.

Enrique: Weird Stuff was something I came up after the group Sterling was apart of BAAU—Bay Area Artist Unite—wasn’t going to self publish their annual book, BAAU DOWN an anthology collecting works made by some of their members who submitted content. My work has been published in their book for the past few years, thanks in part of Sterling being a member and allowed me to work with other members with ideas he was unavailable to draw. Mostly they were comic strips from Living With Robots published, that Sterling drew exclusively but also original comics. They mostly involved aliens, and werewolves. I had ideas for future stories, but when the book wasn’t going to be publish this year, I decided to make my own anthology. I grew up a fan of Twilight Zone, Simpson’s Treehouse of Horrors and discovered the joys of EC comics and the works of Fredric Brown. I feel this is a chance to work with many artists on content that’s way different to what I’ve previously done. I had a ton of backlog ideas I’ve been wanting to do and this is the chance to do them. Also given today’s social, political climate, I feel like discussing certain issues that I wasn’t able to using Living With Robots in the tone that I want. Twilight Zone was a great show, imagine if Rod Serling were alive today; social media, lgbt rights, the trump administration and other modern topics would be interesting for him to tackle. I want to try and carry on his spirit using Sci Fi, horror and fantasy discussing some issues, while also just tell Weird, funny stories and work with amazing artists.

Indie Advocates: Given the current scenario in America, how apt do you think your story Make America ‘Great’ is? Does it touch any current topic?

Enrique: Make America ‘Great’ was inspired by a few things. One it pays tribute to the segment TIME OUT from Twilight Zone the Movie from 1983, which featured the late Vic Morrow. I pay tribute to him in the comic with a few Easter eggs. I knew writing this story that despite being its own thing, some readers would point out how similar it is to that segment. Rather than have it be a rip off, I rather pay homage and work in the film’s 35th anniversary, as the restaurant within the story is celebrating its 35th anniversary with Easter eggs to the Twilight Zone. I was also inspired to write this story due to my disgust in the many viral videos of people going off on racist rants very much like Vic Morrow’s character from Time Out. While Vic’s character ranted on Jewish Americans, African Americans, and Vietnamese Americans, I felt for Make America ‘Great’ to be its own story, three new groups needed to be presented. In the story my racist, John Stevens— named after both directors/producers John Landis and Steven Spielberg—rants about three news groups. I had to watch a few in viral videos of real life racist rants just to get the feel of the character. You’ll have to read the comic to learn which groups I have featured and if you are familiar with the segment Time Out you know what perhaps awaits for John Stevens. I hope that this makes people what to go back and watch Twilight Zone the series and even look up the film, despite the tragedy that happened, to which I’ll pay tribute to Morrow and those lost in that tragedy as well as one other person when this comic is completed and debuts in October 2018 as the final story for my four comic anthology.

Indie Advocates: Looking at your body of work, it would be interesting to see your works in print. Do you plan to switch to the print medium sometime?

Enrique: Sure, I’d love to have my work in print. The problem is I don’t have the budget. My works were previously published in books thanks to BAAU, though they originally handled the printing themselves. I have enough Living With Robots content for a book, or a few books, but if people want to see those published, please pledge to my patreon. I hope to produce enough WEIRD STUFF content to make a book but again if I get the budget from patreon I’ll be able to have all my content produce on printed paper eventually.

Indie Advocates: Do you have any favorite artists that you’ve worked with or wish to work within the future?

Enrique: Favorite artist? That is a tough one, I love all the work that’s been done from the many artists I’ve worked with. My best friend Sterling is fun to hang out with and shares my brand of humor when doing Living With Robots. Rahil is great and his kid friendly Horror style fits perfectly with the type of stories I write for him. Tahanie is amazing with what she’s doing with Tamara and many others I’ve worked with are too many to name. Charles Butler is an artist I worked with on a charity comic that was made for Mile Scott aka Batkid. I have an idea for a future Weird Stuff story that I feel his art style fits perfect with. You can see the Batkid comics he drew on my patreon tagged WEIRD STUFF.

Indie Advocates: What kind of stories do you wish to tell in the future? Any unexplored genres that you’d like to try your hand in the future?

Enrique: I’ve been brainstorming on a lot of new ideas. I’ve been reading old EC comics, short stories. I have ideas to parody some, plus many original story ideas of my own. I’ve texted ideas with Sterling who I share my ideas and he’s enjoyed a lot of what I have planned. He’s given me some suggestions. I want to bring up current issues in my stories as well and just tell Weird, scary and often funny stories. I do want to do stories involving aliens, monsters and other creatures that aren’t in the following stories coming up. There are so many places and strange worlds I want to visit using this series and hopefully with support, I can guide you and everyone there. I’m thinking about producing one Weird Stuff a month or every other month, starting in 2019 with October being special featuring multiple stories annually, that is if I can gain more patrons. If this October gains me more of an audience I hope that means I get more supporters and I can produce more stories and even develop more complex endeavors like my XUniverse as well as have this works printed in the future. It’s a dream, but like I say on my patreon…KEEP BELIEVING.

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