INTERVIEW: Crafting Corduroy High
Interview Conducted by Jonathan Ellis

Welcome to Corduroy High, a downtown high school filled with often conniving and always fashionable teenagers and home to sex, hijinx, sexy hijinx and the angst and drama that can only come with being young and rebellious. Now meet its creator, Tyrone McCarthy of Kilrush, a Toronto based illustrator whom we recently spoke with following the launch of issue 4 of Corduroy High.

First let's start with a little about Tyrone "McDaddy" McCarthy. You're an Ontario College of Art & Design grad currently burning up the pages with illustration work. For all the upcoming artists, as an illustrator is it necessary to hunt down work or is it more about being available when approached?

Personally I think it's both. If you're gonna be an illustrator you have to be aggressive, you have to 'hunt down' work because work isn't going to hunt you down. Once you've established that you're a great artist, it's good but the only way to get noticed is by pushing your art and getting it out there. Always have something promotional on you, like a business card or a portfolio, you never know who you'll run into. As for being available, I'll take on whatever is handed to me as long as the rights and fees are ok. I'll make time for it. You never know when a dry period is going to come along.

How do you kick off an illustration career, is it difficult to get that first piece published somewhere or was this a case where Art School actually served to get you 'out there'?

Yeah it is really tough. Art school really didn't do anything to help me get work; I had to do all that myself. School pushed me in the right direction and built my portfolio but it's pretty much up to the individual to take that next step. Although I managed to get quite a few clients on my own, having a representative has also helped get my work out there.

You've got a very particular style; does that put you into a specific niche in terms of clientele?

Yeah kinda. With my style, clients tend to like the fun-feel of it. It lends itself well to textbooks and projects where the client is trying to reach a younger "cooler" audience. To stay clear from being backed into a niche sometimes I'll tone down my style a bit, which I don't mind. I have my trusty comic book to allow me my artistic freedom.

How do you find the Toronto art community supports someone like yourself?

Since I went to OCAD, I was exposed to and hung out with talented artists ranging from fine art to film to illustration. Many of the artists that I encountered at school are now active in the Toronto art community. They support me as much as I support them, it's a good relationship.

Corduroy High, your self-published comic series just saw its fourth issue released just recently though you've remained a self-publisher in just that sense. Appearing at conventions and even selling out of the first issue but not yet stepping into the forum of distribution. Is that something the future may hold or is it really a matter of having enough time to commit to the series regularly?

It's something I've been thinking about for a while now. Don't get me wrong it's something I will eventually do but in the meantime I have fun distributing the comic book myself, it's very rewarding to meet my audience personally. I'm going to do my best to get the comic out on a regular independent comic book schedule now that I'm starting to build a solid fan base. One of the great things about Corduroy High is each comic is filled with self-contained stories so you can pick up one issue and enjoy it.

How do you describe the series to new readers?

Corduroy High is a series of self-contained, wacky short stories about a group of teenagers who go to a downtown school of the same name. It's basically what Archie comic should've been: SEX, DRUGS & AFTER SCHOOL HIJINX.

Let's talk about the artistic influences here. CORDUROY HIGH reminds me of shows like Aeon Flux and Batman Beyond but with a modern urban flair set against the moodiness and architecture representative of MTV's Downtown. In fact, I'm not the first to make the MTV's Downtown connection am I?

No you're not the first to make that connection. To tell you the truth first time I heard about MTV's Downtown was when I was in OCAD (at this time I was doing short stories of Corduroy High) and people were telling me that this show was hacking my style. I checked it out and I was impressed with it. I try to stay clear from watching it since it is so similar. I don't want to be over influenced. I'm a fan of Aeon Flux but I had no intentions of mimicking its style but I can understand how people can see the similarities through my slim, elongated figures and Plum's hair. I would say my major influences would be Peter Bagge (Hate!), David Lapham (Stray Bullets), Terry Moore (Stranger in Paradise), Steve Dillon (Preacher), Archie comics and good 'Teen-Flicks'.

Was the idea of Corduroy High as its own animated series brought up?

Yeah it has. It's something I might consider. I personally think I need more issues of Corduroy High before I start thinking about an animated series. However, if I did animate it at the moment, I think it would work well as short spots between shows.

Also related as an 'adult' Archie, the story is really a sexually charged high school drama mixing together freaks and the 'cool' crowd but it takes place in a world that looks very much like a lucid dream. What inspired the series and their environment?

The environment kinda took form through my illustration work. Since my figures were all elongated and stretched, I wanted them to fit in a world that matched them. Plus I really have fun drawing the backgrounds.

The characters themselves are refreshing aspects of teenage life in a very cocksure and don't give a shit way. Thrills and apathy disguised behind ego, desire, styling threads and fellatio lips. Introduce us to some of the main players new readers can look forward to when picking up this series.

Okay I will give a brief description of each character, starting with the 'cool' crowd:

Pasa - the new girl at school, very naïve
Mocha - the snob, converted from the freaks to the 'cool' crowd
Shepard - Mr. Popular, everybody knows him
Plum - the super bitch, nobody wants to get in her way
Trieu - the mack, he has a way with the ladies
Mino - the chronic pothead
Serif - the wannabe mack with a secret lifestyle

And the Freaks (the 'Uncool' crowd):

Pieces - the bitter lesbian
Kiya - the tree-hugging vegetarian
Henna - the slut

One thing I have to focus on are the Women and how they have very self-destructive and outwardly disparaging attitudes, even amongst friends. It's really an interesting look at how some teenagers will treat one another in devious ways, sometimes just for the sake of being downright mean. I'm hoping these aren't based on anyone close to you?

I think that girls have a much tougher time making it through high school. If guys have issues with each other they'll just fight it out and get it over with. Girls will pick away at each other mentally, sometimes physically and socially until their opponent is destroyed and ostracized. I think growing up closely with an older sister also helped me gain perspective on the female characters.

The characters are not really based on anyone. Maybe some elements from people I've encountered in my life but they are totally fictional. Some people say it's my many multiple personalities put into different characters, it's possible.

I mentioned that issue 4 was just released and its release was actually part of a party with some friends. How do these release parties help you in terms of getting the word out and introducing the book to new people?

Having a joint launch party with other comic book artists is great. All their fans and my fans get exposed to some of the freshest comic book talent in Toronto. We help each other out, making the comic book community in Toronto stronger. It's also a good excuse to party.

Do you have an idea as to how long CH will continue or is this a series where plans are constantly changing?

A little bit of both. I will end the series when it feels right to end it. When you're dealing with a large cast of characters, you want each character to have their own chance in the spotlight. Then you start noticing how each character interacts with another character and the stories start to get more in depth. It's an ongoing struggle. I've written the scripts for at least nine issues so far.

Your primary resource for getting the book out, aside from local retailers is your appearances at conventions where you've really learned to be an approachable person. How do you feel about attending as an exhibitor at conventions and what have you got planned with the upcoming con season?

I really look forward to the comic conventions, they are so much fun. I like buying indy comics and meeting their creators, I'm a fan at heart. I frequently leave my partner-in-crime Alana Machnicki at the booth while I go scout out the latest books. I find that you have to be approachable at cons since most attendees are in a zombie like trance of visual overload. You have to grab their attention just to snap them out of it. Sitting at the table drawing and looking bored just doesn't cut it.

For the upcoming cons, I'm planning on having more merchandise like stickers & posters and of course I'll be promoting Corduroy High #4. I'll be heading out to Wizard World Philly & Chicago this year.

For more on Tyrone and Corduroy High be sure to visit Corduroy High.com.

 

Jonathan Ellis is Co-Editor in Chief of PopImage


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