It’s been a busy week on my regard, and I feel it is much better to just simply give you the words of those who were gracious enough to chat with me. In this case, Jeremy Satcher has conceptualized a comic book series based around Tuscaloosa called Druid City. I gave him some questions and he gave phenomenal responses. Those responses are here below.
1. I know you worked on films before this comic came about, how were you drawn (bad pun) to the medium of comics as a method of storytelling?
“I’ve always been a visual artist. While my professional work involves 3d modeling, texturing, lighting and shader work, I have always drawn and worked on movies with my friends. I first started drawing comics in elementary school, and kept doing them as a hobby from then on. I decided to get a little more serious about the form and trade of comic creation after graduating from U of A, and purchased the Scott McCloud books (Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics) to learn more about them. After graduating I was working in a restaurant, and had time to work on my own projects, so I decided to start a long term comic.”
I think that comics are useful for storytelling because you don’t have to rely on linear storytelling.In comparison to film, I can break the action line without much fuss and angle shots however I want. There are a few aesthetic mainstays of Druid Comic (constant line breaking, flat angles, fourth wall breaking) that are easier to justify in comics, so I do them.
In addition, Druid City’s art direction allows me try out an angular, low detail and messy style that I would otherwise never do. The first volume is a little messy in terms of illustration with this new style, but the second volume is looking great so far.
2. Tell me about the general concept of Druid City.
To date, there is one volume of Druid City released, and I’m working on the second one right now (9 pages in). The first volume is a 194 page book that features the instigative journalist, Hunter Hasting’s, reluctant return to his hometown after leaving Austin, Texas for unsaid reasons. The first volume (at the very least) introduces the ten characters in the main cast and focuses on Hunter’s investigation into a local assault case that becomes simultaneously darker and more absurd. In addition, the comic is set in Tuscaloosa and features familiar buildings, businesses, locations and people under the guise of punned up pseudonyms. The main plot doesn’t concern Tuscaloosa specifically, but the background events of the comic features an abundance of easter eggs that Tuscaloosa citizens should enjoy.
3. How has leaving town affected how you think about Druid City?
My leaving town was one motivating factor for setting the comic here. It wasn’t my first intention, but I knew that with the sort of jobs I was seeking in video game production and freelance illustration, that I would never be living here again after starting my career. So I created a hobby that both features intimate parts of my home town and requires me to return and take photo references in the future.
4. Do you have any other big projects in the future?
I don’t think I that I’ll be working on any big projects in the future, outside of employment. Druid City already allows me to have have a long term project that I am in full creative control of, and that satisfies me. When it comes to smaller things, at this moment, I am supporting an indie comic anthology known as Seqapunch. They publish comics quarterly that are sent into them and sell your own work and others to con-goers and online purchasers. This is mostly non-profit however, all fund go to printing out the next anthology (seqapunch.com).
I am continuing to do some work with a start-up company in Savannah, which is releasing a series of mini-games connected to a larger hub world based on the works of graphic novelist Dame Darcy. The first mini-game is complete and we are working creating the hub and more. The game is centered on young female audiences.
You can purchase Druid City, Volume 1 on Lulu.com as a hard copy. In addition, eBooks are available for a better price through Lulu, on Amazon for Kindle, Nook and iTunes. You can visit a blogspot page (druidcitycomic.blogspot.com) for news and and follow @DruidCityComic as well.