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FLIGHT: Kazu & Jake Introduction
So for those still without the first volume how did the whole Flight book come together? Kazu: It started at APE in 2003, when Catia Chien convinced me to go and show my stuff at a small table with her and her friends. I went reluctantly, and I was overwhelmed by both the community and the response to my work. I didn't have much besides prints of my online comics to sell there, so we had it in mind to return the next year with a book to sell. We started gathering friends to collaborate on it, brought them together on our online forums to critique and encourage each other, and by the next year we had this crazy book. Erik Larsen saw it at APE, said he wanted to publish it on the spot, and here we are now with Volume Two, which is absolutely AMAZING. FLIGHT VOLUME TWO is quite simply the best comic book I have ever seen. The amount of contributors you have definitely assures future volumes so how did you decide on having the second volume at a page count of 304 pages? Kazu: Hehehe. The funny thing is that this volume will likely reach just over 400 pages. That page count of 304 was actually a shot in the dark. I expected to have less than that at this point, but most everyone ended up delivering on the deadline, and they're amped to get working on their next story!!!
Kazu: Nope. I know you pretty much let the contributors create to their hearts content but were there any restrictions put in place, to keep it suitable for an all ages audience for instance? Kazu: Hmm, we've had some lengthy discussions about this (in fact, they still continue). While I did not place any restrictions, there have been instances where I had to propose adjustments to make it more suitable for a more PG-13 audience. As time goes on, the need for restrictions will grow, but as we're still in the project's early stages, we're still trying to figure out where the line needs to be drawn. I actually enjoy seeing this part of the process, and it looks like we'll be coming to a consensus about the appropriateness of content real soon. With so many people showing interest in getting into Flight now have you felt it necessary to set up any sort of screening process or had to tell someone they weren’t ready? Kazu: Since I decided Flight would be invite-only, I have stopped answering most requests to be on the book. Many of us spend enough time rooting around on the web, through bookstores, etc. to find the best artists. It's likely that if they do some work somewhere we know about it, and then I consider asking them to be on the project. The problem right now is that we almost have too many! My job grows more difficult as an editor as more people join the project, so I have become very selective. And yes, I have had to turn many people down. I even had to turn down stories by people who were invited to contribute.
Kazu: In 2002. I think I actually started on my birthday that year, in April. For those unfamiliar, tell us about your book Daisy Kutter. Kazu: It's my first graphic novel. Daisy is also one of my favourite characters to write. She has so many problems, it's great! Putting together Daisy Kutter - The Last Train has been a tremendous learning experience for me, and I'm very happy with the way it all turned out. I still can't believe I finished a graphic novel! Anyway, I hope everyone out there picks it up. It is by far the most fun and entertaining thing I've ever produced, and I put a lot of heart in that one... Your contribution to Flight is large enough to warrant a one shot comic, but do you think stories like these can work outside an anthology? That perhaps some are better suited for a collected book? Kazu: I think that these stories were made to be in this book, so it's difficult to determine how they would do on their own. Many of the artists are playing off each other, finding inspiration in each other's work, so it's difficult to separate that from the final product. I can't imagine my story for this book being in any other aside from a collected volume of my short stories done over the years. I even scrapped my original story idea to go with this one, just to suit the book, as soon as I saw it was going in a certain direction.
Kazu: Not really. I'm most excited about watching the creators already on the project as they grow up and become better storytellers. Of course, it's always nice when some of your heroes (like Jeff Smith!) become a part of it. I mean, man, I'd love to see a Bill Watterson comic, or a Hayao Miyazaki story, somewhere in here, but for now that's just crazy talk. Hehe. I better stop thinking about that stuff and get back to work... For more Kazu visit Boltcity.com
Now Jake, I look at your stuff and wonder why you don’t have your own series with Image or Dark Horse yet, but then, you’ve got a sweet job. Is producing your own comics something you’re leaning towards or is it just short stories for now? Jake: It's mostly short stories for now. I have several ideas that would make for a good series or graphic novel, it's just a matter of timing. I really enjoy my day job and well, it pays the bills too, so I'm just taking things as they come. Flight has been a dream come true because I can have my cake and eat it too. I can't commit to anything too pressing because my work can have an unexpected schedule at times. But with Flight I can do a short story on my own schedule and hopefully get some more awareness out there for my work.
Jake: We've tossed things around from time to time. The studio has some big properties that they're investing time and money into right now so they're mostly focused on those. But they like to keep their finger on the pulse of what's out there and what ideas the employees might have. For those interested, what do your duties as art director at ReelFX Creative Studios entail? Jake: An art director at Reel FX is responsible for the look of the project. In the past two years I've been here I've worked on commercials, animated shorts, straight to video, television and features. Doing everything from storyboards, conceptualizing, animatics, and some rough editing. Because it's a smaller company everyone wears a lot more hats. The plus is that you get to have a bigger part in decision-making and the creative process. Lately, I've sort of found a niche as a story guy, which has been a lot of fun, coming up with ideas and storyboarding them. It's been very rewarding. Is there anything you're particularly proud of from your work in film and television you'd like our readers to seek out? Jake: Most of the work I'm proud of is under wraps right now and hasn't been released. The stuff that's out there is a lot of commercials, but nothing that anybody would want to "seek out." I suppose if you're really curious, go rent "Spy Troops" and watch the fight sequences between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. I directed all of those. And on the "Mr. Mom" music video by Lonestar I designed the characters and boarded it out.
Jake: I call it an art digest because it's more than just a bunch of sketches. It's a collection of art that runs the gamut from finished work to initial concepts and sketches. It opens with a 10 page comic story about Lucy Nova, a space explorer with a penchant for adventure that often gets her in trouble. The idea is to publish a new volume each year at San Diego. It's a lot of fun to work on and I think that those who bought it enjoyed it a lot as well. Those interested can order it on my site. For More On Jake visit Agent44.net Introduction
 Jonathan Ellis is Co-Editor in Chief of PopImage  PopImage Forum - Discuss this message at the PopImage forum. E-Mail Us - Send us an e-mail commenting on this article. Flight Comics.com Industrial Archive - Read past Industrial articles |
