FEEDING GROUND _ Back to the Future

MICHAEL here:

Saturday, November 5th was "Flux Capacitor Day," the unofficial (as of yet) annual holiday celebrating Dr. Emmett Brown's innovation of the device that would make time travel possible. Swifty, Chris, and I did a little time traveling of our own recently at New York Comic Con where we had the great fortune of seeing so many old and new friends from our past who came out to support us, sometimes with artistic creations of their own or grown kids we had not yet met.

With the FEEDING GROUND Hardcover out on stores (and on Amazon) and the holidays fast approaching this seemed like a good time to reflect and do a round-up of key links and recent events from our FEEDING GROUND timeline, in reverse. You can see all FG-related blog posts HERE and we'll be detailing a select group below:

OCTOBER 31, 2011

FEEDING GROUND HALLOWEEN PARTY, SALON HECHO, NYC

In many ways for me, this event, organized by Chris, was the bow on my FEEDING GROUND experience. I had recently moved to Nashville and, even more so than at NYCC, this was a gathering of my closest friends who came to party. I was floored to have the modern Mexi-Polka band Rana Santacruz perform (they also scored the FG Trailer) and it made for the perfect so-long-for-now to the book and city of New York. You can see more photos and videos at our FG Facebook Page HERE.

OCTOBER 30, 2011

HALLOWEEN REVIEWS

"Moody, tactical, arrogant and downright chilling—Sénor Blackwell is perhaps one of the greatest villains in recent comics history." - The Comic Book Snob

From the start, reviews let us know we existed and provided a constructive mirror to let us know how our craft and ideas were received. But, this pair of Halloween reviews (from Comic Book.com and The Comic Book Snob) also included us with distinguished company (SEVERED, THE WALKING DEAD, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT) that suggested that we've earned our space on the shelf alongside them.

OCTOBER 14-16, 2011

NEW YORK COMIC CON 2011

Did a fairly comprehensive Top 11 List of the Con HERE. Major highlights included signing all of the floppy issues of FEEDING GROUND for a fan (above) and participating on Archaia's HOW TO MAKE A GREAT GRAPHIC NOVEL PANEL. All five of my clips are up on my Youtube channel and you can watch the segment about Pitching, below:

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

FEEDING GROUND HARDCOVER FOR SALE ON AMAZON.COM

No fanfare, it was just there one day after over a year of work, and soon so was our first reader review. Even more than a critic's review, this was interpretation of the story that signaled to me that the book was out of my hands and belonged to the world.

Feeding Ground uniquely captures the spirit of "The American Dream". Historically, the crossings to this land have been fraught with both fear and unfairness. The werewolves of Feeding Ground serve as metaphors, and political reminders, of the "unwelcome mat" that has greeted countless groups of immigrants, who sniffed freedom, only to be turned away from our shores. A must read for those who still believe in the Emma Lazarus inscription at the base of Lady Liberty.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

FOREWORD BY LUIS ALBERTO URREA

Luis literally wrote the book on THE DEVIL'S HIGHWAY and his epic non-fiction prose educated us on the desert border; mind, body, and soul. It was an honor that he agreed to write the foreword to our Hardcover and his comments will always be all the affirmation we'll ever need. Be sure to check out both his novels and non-fiction work and you can read the foreword in my original post HERE.

APRIL, 2011

"SOMEBODY NEEDS A HAPPY ENDING"

One person we wanted to give an extra shout out to is our editor Paul Morrissey. On top of the regular proofing and production work of getting the book out the door (along with Archaia house designer Scott Newman) he gave one particular note that changed the trajectory of the final chapter of our book. Basically, a happy ending for at least one of our family members. Even after all of the trials and traps that our family went through, with repercussions resonating across the landscape, Swifty was able a believable note of hope; that our survivors can still step with integrity into an uncertain future.

FEEDING GROUND _ Foreword

One of the great honors in creating FEEDING GROUND has been the reaction we received from author/scholar Luis Alberto Urrea. In "The Devil's Highway: A True Story," Luis literally wrote the book on the too real horrors of the stretch US/Mexico desert that has consumed lives for centuries and continues to serve as a battlefront of modern immigration. He writes non-fiction that reads like epic poetry and presents an even-handed picture of all players in accounts that are harrowing, human, and darkly humorous. The book was a primary source of research in preparing FEEDING GROUND, our myth on the same subject, and it's with pride that we share Luis' Foreword to our Hardcover Collection, below:

FEEDING GROUNDS OF THE ELDER GODS
by Luis Alberto Urrea

As a writer, I am repeatedly confronted with the same question:  What are the most Influential books in your life? I always want to answer:  Armadillo Comix #2 by Jim Franklin.  You see, I came to writing through drawing. As much as my dad hated it, Batman and Hawkman fueled visions that later remained in my prose; unspeakable visions, spoken.  I’d love to see how many of us in the writing trade owe our “cinematic” styles to early comics and graphic novels.

As huge as the craft has become, comic books retain enough outsider, underground cachet to tackle subjects many of us wouldn’t dare touch -- not in polite company, not at Tea Party rallies.  One shouldn’t approach such vile, filthy subject matter as the worth of a human life, the dignity of a human soul, or the value of, as Bob Dylan once sang, “these children that you spit on.”  I’m talkin’ to you, Mr. Politician.

And, here is a series of books that leaps deep into the brilliant heart of darkness: the damned (in every sense) and glorious border.  The place I write about.  The place where I was born.

Swifty Lang and I share an interest in the exquisite horror and beauty of the wastelands through which the undocumented wanderers must struggle.  It is a formidable region of unforgiving landscape and gods who rule with little mercy.  In my book, THE DEVIL’S HIGHWAY, I stated that we are all aliens in this landscape, what I call “Desolation.”  For fans of the occult, this comes from The Book of Enoch.  Yeah, the lands wherein the fallen Watchers and their earth spawn, The Nephilim, are chained beneath the burning desert mountains.  They wait to return for their revenge.

How stunned and delighted was I when these amazing comics arrived in my mailbox.  As all great graphic novels do, these books create a literary work of searing poetry and awe.  The art allows us to see things we might not be able to—or want to—imagine for ourselves.  That my work has had even a little to do with the genesis of this epic is as cool as it gets.  I laugh out loud in appreciation when I see the smugglers (Coyotes) and The Devil’s Highway itself, the sly gangsters come alive, as if they had jumped out of my book.  But I don’t laugh because it’s funny.  No. I’m whistling past the graveyard, amigos.  This shit’s scary.

What Feeding Ground has envisioned and what Lang, Lapinski and Mangun have captured, is the eldritch nature of this new myth.  The darkness at the heart of the sun-baked killing fields.  There is something…other about it.  There is something from our deep nightmares lurking there.  Yes, there is a relentless toll of suffering and death to go with the realistic adventure and thrills and violent action. That is a given—every border-book ever written deals with it. However, Border Patrol agents know, DEA agents know, the medicine people of those canyons and dunes know that something…other…lurks.

I’m trying to capture this Lovecraftian feeling in my own work.  Yeah, a little pissed that Swifty et al have done it first, and done it so well. This sensation is what the philosophers call “the sublime” in art.  It is beauty, but it is also terror. It’s a higher horror: a sense of the eternal, the dark, the overwhelming.  This epic is so addictive that it will lure you into a deep redrock canyon where the worst dream awaits.  It’s so bad; it’s so pretty.  It’s a festival of wonder that shows you the true awe of awful death.

   
Luis Alberto Urrea
Chicago, 2011

FEEDING GROUND _ Found in Translation-FG Flip Book

CHRIS here:


When we pitched Feeding Ground to Archaia in 2008 at NYCC the first question the CEO & President PJ Bickett had was, “how do you feel about making each of the six issues a flip book, translated into Spanish?”  Right after being asked this question, Micheal Lapinski, who pitched it to PJ, called Swifty Lang and I to share the news that Archaia was interested in publishing our comic and that they wanted to translate it as a flip book (English on one side and Spanish on the other- same story). The uniqueness of the floppy flip book resides in the tactile weight and ease of flipping from cover to cover, and those Spanish speaking readers could read Feeding Ground in their native language. This was both an challenge and an opportunity to capture the nuances of Swifty Lang’s well written English dialogue. Either-way, it would be exciting to see how our story would translate.

The three of us were thrilled by the idea and thought it perfectly mixed with the set of our story on the Arizona/Mexico border.  Mike had one brilliant contingency though, that the flip book be set at the standard $3.95 single issue price point (thought being, no one would pay twice the amount for a floppy, and a new title to-boot). Archaia agreed. Feeding Ground Spanish/English Flip book was going to be an exclusive opportunity and only the single issues would be flip  books (the graphic novel would be stand alone as either English or Spanish books).  

As we eased into the production of our first floppy there were a few issue. For one, between the three of us, none of us spoke fluent Spanish.  Luckily, we found a few translators (translated by Nathalia Murray / Hard Cover being edited by an editor from Mexico) for the 6 issue trade and began a long journey of writing/revising and translating month to month with them.  Second, Diamond at the time was going through major market changes as comic shops across the country were greatly effected by the digital shift brought on by tablets and other incidental printing problems.  And, as we tirelessly worked on our first issue, we watched our published shift interests away from printing single issues to focus on printing only hard cover.  In fact, our property was the final floppy they were to publish. Lastly, to add to the complexity of production, our floppies were being printed in Korea, which at the time stood on the rim of war and had problems with shipping exports on time, making it hard to find our issue in many stores.  Needless to say, we regarded this opportunity as creators on a changing print frontier and cherished the medium we were working in as a once in a life time opportunity.

The first time we held our first issue “One in Ten” in hand in the fall of 2010 at Bergen Street Comics, the first thing we noticed was how heavy it was and others noticed too, like you were getting more than you paid for. The quality of the floppies semi-glossy offset coloring and tones looked outstanding.  We ran out of comics that night at Bergen Street and it introduced us to the scarcity of each issue.  Since, we have had trouble finding a few spare issues to hand to family and friends, which meant collecting each issue, even as creators, reminded us that floppies are a tactile joy, that unlike unlimited digital distribution there are a finite amount of printed floppies. In these fine days of curious curation, cataloguing music and films and comics, somehow that makes the floppy feel special.  After two years and six issues, our Feeding Ground flip book are finished printing (Issue Six is available for a limited time in stores) and we are as proud as we are humbled to find our art and story out there.  Give us a shout, let us know how you found the translation or flip book!
by Chris Mangun

FEEDING GROUND _ Something about the Floppy

SWIFTY here: Issue 6 hits the shelf today and it's certainly bittersweet. This will be the first opportunity I will have to see the issue itself in print.  Walking into stores I've been in countless times and seeing something I helped create on the shelves has been such a joyful experience. While the Hardcover is sure to reach an even wider audience, there has been something amazing about the floppies.

From the onset, and in nearly every review, the bilingual content of the floppy has been the most salient feature of the entire series. Those who have not even read the book know that FEEDING GROUND is "the flipbook". This brilliant publishing decision by Archaia has created an object that is truly memorable.

While I have stated that FEEDING GROUND is something to be read in its Hardcover edition, the floppy itself embodies our learning curve. There are some bits of dialogue that have changed in the Hardcover, panels that have been reworked: we have remastered the story.  But there is something about the imperfections, the mistakes we made along the way that have an earnestness that cannot be reproduced.


When I was a kid collecting baseball cards, it was the error cards that were the most valuable. Former Baltimore Oriole and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken's kid brother, Billy, had a Fleer Card that was rather infamous. He stands with hands clasped, bat handle exposed on which there was written the expletive "Fuck Face". Whether or not this was just a prank by the young second baseman or an honest mistake was certainly something that was hotly contested at the time. The fact that Ripken's questionable demarcation created such a fervor signals not only how long ago this incident occurred, but how far removed we are as  culture from valuing mass produced objects.


What is amazing about comics that is different from all other forms of media right now, is that comics are still collectible. Their digital counterpart transforms something meaningful into something highly disposable. There is still a palpable sense of nostalgia anytime you walk into a comic shop. So if you can, get your hands on Issue 6, the last of the series. We are certainly proud of it. The story is definitely memorable. But the comic itself, the flipbook, is unforgettable.

Aarrooo,

Swifty

CLIFFHANGERS - Floppies vs. The Trade

FG issue 5 is on the stands! We have been hard at work perfecting the Graphic Novel that is slated for release October 2011 at NYCC. One thing that has become clear is that there is a new appreciation for the book now that more of the story is available.

FG is a story to be enjoyed and debated about as a complete series. Though it was released with episodic, cliffhangers in mind, it was conceived of as a complete narrative. One cannot appreciate the nuance or scope of the tale without the ENTIRE story on hand. The question of the narrative value of the floppy vs. the trade is one publishers, artists, and fans have been contemplating for years. Our publisher Archaia has clearly taken a stand as all of their forthcoming titles are stand-alone Trades.

Below are some recent reviews that reflect this observation.

Here is an excellent, very thoughtful review courtesy of the Comic Pull Box. They called FG, "A brilliant thinker worth reading all at once!"

http://bit.ly/hH14Zw

The bible of horror magazines, Fangoria, had a lot of love for FEEDING GROUND. Check out Jorge Solis' review:

http://bit.ly/ktRCLC

Despite weighing in on some of the controversy depicting Michael Lapinski's bold reimagining of the werewolf (we couldn't be prouder of Mike's work), Geeks of Doom gave FEEDING GROUND an excellent write-up:

  

http://bit.ly/nam8Fn

Consider the floppies a hot collectible because of the bi-lingual flipbook, and the pin-ups that you can't find in any other edition.  Issues 5&6 will be at SDCC (along with the entire FG Team), so make sure to swing by the Archaia booth and snag your copy!!

Aarrooo!!

- Swifty

FEEDING GROUND: Press and Process

MICHAEL here:


I'm in the thick of finishing art on the sixth and final issue of FEEDING GROUND.  Haven't had time for a long process post in a while so I thought I would share links to some in-depth interviews.


After an extremely well-considered review of the first four issues by the guys at The Pullbox, they had us on for a Q&A that breaks down some of the inspiration of the book as well as the steps of our production chain.


Likewise, Chris and I had a fun conversation with horror comic maven Decapitated Dan about FG and horror books in general.  One question we addressed: why do our werewolves kinda look like baboons?  I guess I'm hearing second-hand that some readers weren't so hot on the design.  What about you?


Lastly, we were chosen as the "Sunday Pick" by Kate over at Functional Nerds.


Cool, cool.

MICHAEL HERE: Swifty, Chris, and I had ourselves a table at our first Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival in NYC this past weekend.  It was a spacious and good-spirited event but I didn't have much of a chance to walk around to see what other creators were bringing to the table.  Really cool though to introduce new readers to FEEDING GROUND and to hear back from fans who have been reading along.  Below are a few other personal highlights from the weekend:


THE GATHERING

I had contributed art for a 2-page story in the premiere issue of this GrayHaven Comics anthology and Swifty and I are going to have another one in their upcoming Issue #4.  So, it was a sweet surprise to have been situated as neighbors right next to their table.  Led by Andrew Goletz, the anthology started as a forum for pairing first-time artists and writers from the Jinxworld message boards.  Wrapped with covers and art direction by the talented Aaron Bir, the collection is a fresh voice of dedication and enthusiasm. Writer Doug Hahner was also on hand. He wrote one of my favorite stories in Issue 1 and a nicer guy you never did meet.


THE INK PANTHERS SHOW

I devour podcasts as I work and this is the only one that disrupts my inking with laughter.  Ostensibly a comic podcast, the real attraction for me is the banter between friends Mike Dawson and Alex Robinson.  I was a cartoonist in college along with Mike and his professional work is one of the factors that encouraged me to get back into comics.  They've had me on the show in the past and this weekend I got to sub in for a stricken panelist at a live recording of the show at MoCCA, sharing convention stories with cartoonists Daniel Spottswood and John Kerschbaum and regaling the audience with my tale of destroying Capt. Lou Albano's car.  Also check out Mike's Pro T.I.P.S for more in-depth discussions with creators about the work and glamour of being a cartoonist.


MORE MoCCA BITS


-  I didn't get to see much, but the book LIAR'S KISS by Top Shelf was one attractive number that I planned on picking up.  Others agreed and it was sold out before I could grab it.

- I did get to buy GB Tran's VIETNAMERICA an incredible tome of personal journalism executed in a visual language that feels like memory to me.  Bonus - it came with the special convention cover that is a folded copy of a poster design for the book.

- I met one of my comic icons, Bill Sienkiewicz, and didn't embarrass myself all that much. I first discovered his work as a child with the “Badlands” issue of the "Demon Bear" run of THE NEW MUTANTS sandwiched between two other books in a supermarket 3-pack. It was a disturbing, challenging, find that not only opened my eyes to comics as art but the power of art in general. It continues to affect me and my work to this day. Check out this article on CBR to see images of the run and give yourself an idea on what sort of influence he had on the industry at a particular point in time.

- Swifty and I had dinner with our Editor-in-Chief at Archaia, Stephen Christy.  I am proud to be a part of a company that publishes important, attractive, work that is evolving our concept of what a comic book and comic book company can be in 2011.  Their recent Wonder Con announcements have me stoked as a comic fan, none more so than the care and vision that Stephen is putting into the graphic novel adaptation of Jim Henson's unpublished screenplay A TALE OF SAND.  Stephen is a guy who gets it, delivering quality packaging and promotion always in service of Story.

MOCCA NOMADS

We set up our FG shop at MOCCA this last weekend.  It was fun and went well and the instant comic community who came out to shop was encouraging.  Id say the tops were those few times I really got to talk to people looking for a new book to appreciate. And they walked away with our comic.  It's amazing to see people's eyes light up when they hear the unique selling point of our book and you know they are interested, love it, or perhaps just aren't interested, which is fine... there's something for everyone out there.  Many of the long chats I had were with creators working on their own comic looking for advice to get a publisher to look at their work or looking for a chance to share.  And between those chats was us, waiting, talking amongst ourselves about life, doing some simple selling, getting the comic idea from our minds - out there into the tangible world. 

Sunday morning, I remember seeing a guy walking up the Armory's stairs with boxes strapped to his side, fumbling posters and coffee to set up just before the gates opened and hundreds of people began walking through to shop.  And, it made me appreciate the physical challenge we "mom and pop" creators face at these conventions... "the set up"... waking early in the morning, lugging books and t-shirts and all the other merch, carrying it all miles from here to there, to set up shop shoulder to shoulder among PVC pipe make shift poster holders, hundreds of tables, cluttered ideas and styles. And it all reminded me of those nomadic merchants in 1500's who traveled to distant Asian lands, only to return to Europe to set up a makeshift weekend shop in a crazed dark market.  I'm sure even back then they had mornings like I had on Sunday.  Moments, in mid yawn, waiting for strangers to arrive en-mass... either to buy or rummage through the things we had brought to them from another world. 

By Chris Mangun

2010 _ Blacklight Bites

MICHAEL here:

I posted a deeper (longer) reflection on the year on my art blog Paws as Hands but I wanted to add a few quick hits here for some standout Blacklight moments:

- Seeing our first collaboration, Chris' short FROZEN DARK, published and collected as part of the DON'T LOOK! Anthology. Editor Rick Ritter is a co-worker who was one of those guys who initially poked me to start doing comics again. The final product is a quality, diverse collection that includes a number of other friends, old and new. Plus, I thought that Chris came up with a great title in DON'T LOOK! and Dave Palumbo wrapped it all in one striking cover. Looking forward to more from the LAST MINUTE COMICS crew.



- Traveling to San Diego with Swift for the Convention. From the moment we landed it was an adventure. The streets were thick with fans and our local driver/ friend/ escort yelled at them all the way. From Backstreet Boy bracelets to Wolf Costumes to Gorging on Tapas to Our Chat with Steve Lieber to He-Man Dioramas to Our First Signing and Panel to the After Party with Archaia peeps it was an unforgettable whirlwind not even two days full.


- That a random Facebook post about my cat reconnected me with Nathalia Ruiz Murray, who now could not be a more perfect fit as translator on FEEDING GROUND. She's taken on the role of a diligent writer and linguist who brings so much to the book and ensures more than some rote dictionary translation.


- Being a regular listener of the INK PANTHERS Podcast and then being invited on as a guest. Ostensibly a comic podcast, it's hardly ever about comics and it's more about the banter of the hosts. The funniest thing I listen to every week.


- Our most recent meeting at my home to discuss the beats for FEEDING GROUND #5. It not always easy to collaborate with friends but we've worked hard to be respectful of each other's working style and schedule and tastes. With this meeting I think we hit a groove that was apparent, asking the right questions and field testing solutions to make sure they held water. A perfect end to the teamwork of this year and standard to continue in 2011.

The Art of the Small --- Looking Back on 2010

By Chris Mangun

I work in Pharma Advertising... the fine print industry. One day, one of our best art directors Huy Hygen (who’s name is pronounced We Win and most enjoyable to say)… anyways, we got into a conversation about fonts and how hard it is to choose the right font to go with the right art. Whether recognized or not, Helvetica feels different from Eurostyle, some might say, more minimal or genteel than the latter. Out of the conversation came the notion that, “People spend more time per capita focused on words than images since they must read letters.” Typography opened my eyes to how every shaped letter is its own piece of art and that someone spent years working on this alphabet, maybe a whole 2 weeks on the letter G! Golly-gosh, someone even made a movie about it “Helvetica”… a splendid documentary on fonts if you’re interested.

I mention all this because a lot of my work on Feeding Ground is lettering each issue. Every month, my eye goes to the screen for hours, tweaking little letters, judging font size, considering spacing, etc. In those hours of work, I sometimes would stop and ask myself, how important is lettering? Do people really care if we use CC Gibbons or Spooky Art over Times Roman? And the answer was always the same, yes. When it comes to comics, choosing the right font is cornerstone to setting the right tone or feeling of a visual story.

This year, I learned why balloons have their own “Live” or “safety” area, which is the distance I want to keep the text from edge of the balloon. Being without special effects of TV or sound, I learn that changing a word’s color or outlining it to stretch it, or making it into sound effects can change the way someone feels or even hears a word. The biggest challenge I had in lettering, what made me really focus in on this little art, was working with accents on the translated flip-side of our issues. Español has accents over certain letters, reverse punctuation, and for whatever reason well styled comic fonts are lacking these accents. This means, I had to place individual “tildes” over dozens of ñ’s and accents over many other letters.

Lettering really is the art of the small… that background craft of creating finely fixed symbols, tiny canvases of meaning, well placed amongst bigger meaning. The best at this craft, allow readers to feel something without having to knowingly feel it.

What I know about lettering comics I learned through “DC Comics Guide to Coloring and Lettering” and a lot working with Michael Lapinski who has built up a great awareness to the art of the small and coached me when I needed it. This year, like lettering, had so many small moments. Many were spent working on this fine comic, which taught me about collaboration with friends and looking closely at how beautifully complicated pockets of time can be summed up in a few well designed words.

Reflections on 2010

Swifty here-

Learned so much this past year, and wanted to take a moment to reflect on what this year has taught me. 2010 has been an absolute blur, so I felt a stream of consciousness-style response is most applicable.

Listen to your artist when something isn't working, you really share the same end goals. Read the reviews, sometimes they sting, but this can be the most objective feedback you get. Be true your intentions. You are doing this because you have something to say. Try to tackle something current, but make sure it's personal.

Remember how fortunate you are to be a part of the comics community. I have met many in the industry whose talent is matched by their generosity and intelligence. Read widely, beyond comics. How else is your work not going to be solely referential.

Try to engage the people who are supporting your work as opposed to waiting for an introduction. Ultimately the work should connect you with like-minded people. Talk to people who do not read comics. I've gotten some of my best ideas that way. Be willing to fail, it's the only way you have a chance at success. Remember to love doing the work, at the end of the day, it is the only thing in your control.

THANKFUL

FEEDING GROUND #1 has been shipping across the country these last few weeks and it has finally landed on our home coast. In honor of the book's release and tomorrow's holiday, here is our THANK YOU page text as it appeared in the back of the issue. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.

It might not be customary to include "thank yous" in the
first issue of a comic but this was a labor of love almost
two years in the making. It would not have happened if
not for the people below and we'd like to express our
gratitude.

As a group, we benefited greatly from the insight and
experience of Thomas Peyton, the counsel of Suzana
Carlos, and the encouragement and camaraderie of artist
Juan Doe. Great thanks to everyone at Archaia not only
for taking a chance on us, but also offering advice and
support that recognized what we were doing and then
made it stronger.

SWIFTY LANG would like to thank the following people:
I would like to thank my parents, my brother David and
sister Samantha for believing in me. I would like to thank
my Uncle Neal for giving me the GI Joes that kept my
imagination rollin’. I’d like to thank my cousins B.B. and
M.B. for proving that writing can be more than a hobby. I
would like to thank all of my friends in Hollywood, Florida,
NYC, LA and world-wide. I’d like to dedicate this to my girl
Spooky, for listening without judgment, reading every
draft, and putting up with a grown man arguing about
werewolves when he barely had a job.

MICHAEL LAPINSKI would like to thank the following
people: Cartoonists Rick Ritter, Mike Dawson, GB Tran and
the guys of MAMMAL, their art and dedication convinced
me to get back into making comics. Paul Zdanowicz,
horror guru and Lapinski-booster with a keen critical eye.
Klaus Janson, whose professional instruction came just at
the right time to bring structure and rules to what I had
been discovering on the page. Brian Michael Bendis for
providing the Jinxworld message board and its posters for
keeping me company in the solitude of my man cave. To
my parents and family, whose generous affection has
always allowed me to thrive. And, to Lindsay, thanks for
adding sweetness to my life and for riding this wolf with
me to Bayonne and beyond.

CHRISTOPHER MANGUN would like to thank the following
people: His father Rick, who taught him craftsmanship. His
mother Kathie, who taught him how to work with people.
His sister Jenny, who open his eyes to ideas and music at
the right time. His brother Rob, the best entertainer he
knows. His Uncle Tim, for evoking storytelling as an
important part of him. And most of all, his best friend Mel,
who believed in him through unbelievable weekends and
continues to do so with kind support. Also, Pale Ale beer...
Yes, he know that's not a person, but it is a friendly spirit
that sometimes helps grease the pleasant grind of
so-called-life-events.

Finally thanks to YOU, the reader, for giving this a shot and
holding this in your hands. CHEERS!

KING CON _ The Blacklight Table

We're going to be at King Con comic convention in Park Slope, Brooklyn this weekend and you should too!

Our very own Blacklight Comics table will feature periodicals FEEDING GROUND and horror anthology DON'T LOOK! (we did the short FROZEN DARK) as well as the snazzy buttons (made by The Angry Robot and featuring Cover and Interior Art) and T-Shirts (printed by Fast Custom Shirts and based on the cover to Issue 3) you see below.



And... Pulparindo!


This Pop Tart of a Con poster is by talented cartoonist and friend, GB Tran.

Revision...Taming the Beast

Swifty here-

The act of collaborative writing seems potentially disastrous. How is a unified character psychology established? How does one decide upon motivation, action, a characters voice etc. The process is wrought with frustration.

One of the things we have done is establish "kill cards" and "save cards" in which we are each allowed through democracy to kill those bits of story that are simply not reading well. If the writer is responsible for killing their darlings, we have set-up a firing squad. Ultimately, as a writer, it is important to always remember that your team has the collective goal of telling the best story possible, and not trying to tell their story.




With comics being a visual medium, pace is king, and conveying the most efficient flow of visual information is ultimately the most effective way of telling a story. Personally speaking, because this is my first go at creating a comic, my first draft of issue 1 was so packed with narrative information, the story ultimately was plotted over three issues. The revision was necessary, and allowed the story to breathe in a way that created a far more compelling narrative. The rewriting process for issue 1 took a year. Issue 4 has been written in under a month. Our work flow is improving.

One of the steps that allowed for this new efficiency has been employing the Marvel Method. Michael, Chris, and I will sit down together and beat out the plot points. From there, Michael will establish how much real estate panel wise I have to establish the emotional moments of the scene and convey the most information possible in the fewest words. I have a tendency to pack my panels and that doesn't always hit the mark. Comics has forced me to really layer my work and infuse each word with meaning so that it's echoes are felt throughout the entire series. It is a process more similar to constructing a poem than to telling a story. There is little room for digression.

After the draft is complete, it's time to bring in the firing squad, the only exception being, I know exactly where the bullet is coming from.

FEEDING GROUND _ Press and Reviews

This post will be treated as a catch-all for links to online interviews, criticism, and feedback regarding our first comic mini-series FEEDING GROUND. Click on the hotlinks for the full text and please feel free to let us know of any we've missed.
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AIN'T IT COOL NEWS - By Ambush Bug
July 2011

One of our favorite critics, and a storyteller in his own right (check out his totally unique Vampire series Nanny & Hank), Ambush Bug sat down with us during SDCC back in 2010. Publishing his interview one year later has offered us a great perspective on how far the project has come.

INTERVIEW - (excerpt) - "...an original and extremely well crafted take on werewolves and the Mexican border."
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GEEKS OF DOOM - By The Insomniac
April 2011

The Insomniac had a chance to sit down with the first four issues of the book and offered this thoughtful review.

REVIEW - (excerpt) - "Feeding Ground is a top rate comic and unique idea."

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FANGORIA - By Jorge Sollis

April 2011

Fangoria is considered by many to be the bible of horror news and reviews. They've been doing it for over thirty years. We were deeply honored to receive this excellent review.

REVIEW - (excerpt) - "Readers will no doubt be discussing their opinion on the topics lurking within the pages. Comic book fans are given a chance to think and be entertained at the same time." 

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THE PULLBOX - By Eric @The Pullbox.com
March 2011


After a conversation with Chris Mangun at C2E2, Eric penned this excellent review of FEEDING GROUND.


REVIEW- (excerpt) - "...the emotion and characters are so solid and genuine that they should not be overlooked when reading the entire tale.  Even in light of the conflict in-between border patrols and out of control lycanthropes."

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MTV GEEK - By Charles Webb

January 2011

Swifty had a chance to chat about FEEDING GROUND with then newly-launched MTV Geek. With a veritable roster of comic powerhouses, it was an honor to be included at the party, even briefly. Below is an excerpt of the interview.

INTERVIEW - (excerpt)- "...The idea of transformation, the most integral part of the monster, struck me as something not only corollary but, integral to the crosser’s journey of seeking out a new life... How does one survive and what is their reason to continue?

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RENDERWRX PRODUCTIONS - "COVERLESS" Reviews December, 2010

REVIEW - (excerpt) - "Quality book, I give it 5 stars across the board and am eagerly awaiting future issues. Thanks Archaia for turning out great book after great book."
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THE OUTHOUSE - "Fourthman Reviews" by Lee Newman
November, 2010

REVIEW - (excerpt) - "It's a blessing that Archaia and other companies are out there exploring the boundaries of the medium – just like the indie films and book publishers do for the more mainstream media outlets."
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COMIC RELATED - "Why I Love Comics" by Eric Ratcliffe October, 2010


Eric has written some of my favorite reviews of some of my favorite comics (Hawkeye & Mockingbird, Sweets) and now he puts words to FEEDING GROUND #1. I especially appreciate how he related to our presentation of family in the book.


REVIEW - (excerpt) - "My verdict is that if you enjoy books that explore the human condition as well as add plenty of mystery and a little bit of suspense/action I really think you'll enjoy this. I can happily say I have no idea where they are taking this but I sure as hell am in for the ride! "


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AIN'T IT COOL NEWS
October, 2010


The premiere website for fan culture gave an amazing post-NY Comic Con review of Issue 1, calling the book "one of the cooler books of the con" and "unique in almost every way." REVIEW - (excerpt) - "Take my word for it, seek out FEEDING GROUND. It works as a political commentary ripped from the headlines as well as a nail biting horror/thriller. Highly recommended."


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WHERE MONSTERS DWELL - Episode 121
October, 2010


All three of us were featured guests on this weekly pop culture radio show. Great banter and a casual conversation with the guys about NY Comic Con and our pop culture influences.


LISTEN HERE:
http://wheremonstersblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/episode-121-with-creators-of-feeding.html

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THE NEW YORK TIMES
October, 2010



This little local rag did a feature on "comic-related gems" in NYC and included Bergen Street Comics in Park Slope Brooklyn and a pic of our FEEDING GROUND launch at the shop. The store is the closest thing we have to a Comics' Salon frequented by professionals and an educated and enthusiastic readership. And, it's a great-looking space to boot.


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WEREWOLF NEWS
September, 2010
Andrew at Werewolf News is someone who is about as informed and passionate about all things werewolf as you can get. He was cool to feature us on his site both in an introductory post and probing Q&A that delved into the nature of the contemporary werewolf myth we are in the process of revealing.
INTRO - (excerpt) - "The Wrong Night in Texas told its werewolves-in-the-desert story with manic energy, but every panel of Feeding Ground is a slow burn. The heat, desperation and simmering violence of the Busqueda family’s world is evident in every stroke of Lapinski’s artwork and word of Lang’s writing."


Q&A - (excerpt) - "While our comic acknowledges a rich back-story of the historic collision of pre-Columbian and European myths present in this region our comic is set firmly in the present. It deals more with modern themes such as Capitalism, which has created new circumstances for both the rich and the poor and thus requires new acts of rebellion, new kinds of myths."


Also great feedback from a reader who commented "Consider me sold, guys. Even more than concept or artwork, seeing the amount of thought you’ve put into your work has got me eager to read." ------------------------------------------------------


THE INK PANTHERS SHOW - Episode #53 August, 2010
Already a fan of the podcast (a "fanther") Michael has the chance to guest star with cartoonists/ hosts Mike Dawson and Alex Robinson and chat about veganism, San Diego Comic Con, and the origins of Swifty Lang.


LISTEN HERE:
http://www.mikedawsoncomics.com/the-ink-panthers-show-53-featuring-mike-lapinski/

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THE COMIC BOX
July, 2010
Our first bit of coverage came in the form of an interview and early review from The Comic Box, William Kulesa's weekly comic feature in The Jersey Journal and on NJ.com. Michael had the chance to shout out a number of influences and supportive folk and the review let us know that the material was on the right track in terms of the particular type of horror we were gunning for.


Interview with Michael - (excerpt) - "Any work of horror needs to have a central anxiety. In this case it’s the inability to provide for your family. Regardless of your feelings about the politics of the region, the central truth is rooted in people on both sides of the border merely trying to get by despite all of the forces conspiring against them."
Review - (excerpt) - "True horror is far greater than the fear of a monster or even something so simple as death. It is this encompassing of innumerable meanings of horror that "Feeding Ground" does so well, even in the first issue."