It began with a doodle. I still keep a photocopy of that original drawing on my wall as reference. It was just a drawing of a big guy with no nose and an underbite holding a baseball bat and beside him was this pissed-off looking penguin. I drew it in the summer of '98 and I still remember working on that sketch as I sat on the sidewalk outside the San Diego Comic Con. I later put it on my website (where it can still be found). I played with ideas for the characters a few times but didn't really get anywhere until an online friend approached me, asking if I wanted to turn them into a webcomic for a new company called 3rd Millenium Comics. In addition to Jack Spade & Tony Two-Fist, this company was producing a few webcomics by comics writer James Hudnall. That went well and I was even getting paid... until they closed up shop. I don't really blame them. They spent a lot of money and the webcomics just weren't being made fast enough. By the time 3MC folded, I had already quit my animation job so I could focus on the webcomic. So my editor/colourist and I decided to produce Jack & Tony ourselves under his own company, The Contemporary Cartoon Militia. We're still looking for other creators who would like to do webcomics with us.

Also upcoming is your story for Scott Morse's anthology: Substance Affect. Not only will you be amongst many other top talent but you'll be a part of Morse's book whom you're a fan of. This must be quite something for you, how did you get involved? Tell us about this story you'll be doing.

I was very happy the day Scott Morse emailed me asking if I wanted to contribute something to Substance Affect. Okay, maybe it was a little closer to "ecstatic" than just "happy". I bought the first incarnation of Substance Affect that he put together in '98 and I thought it was a great little anthology. I'm truly honoured to be in this new version, along with people like Jim Mahfood, Andi Watson, Troy Nixey, Lawrence Marvit and Kelley Seda. It's a shame Scott won't have any of his own stuff in this version but I'm still glad to do anything associated with his new company Crazyfish.

How did I get involved? Well, I first met Scott a few years ago at San Diego. Back then I was just a quiet fan telling him how much I loved his stuff. Since then I've continued to talk to him at comic conventions, through email and on message boards that we both frequent. So he's seen the artwork I have on my website as well as the Jack Spade & Tony Two-Fist webcomic. Apparently he deemed my stuff good enough to offer me a spot in his anthology. The story I did is a little 5-page thing called Buildings, in which I show myself walking around talking about old brick buildings. It's more like a visual poem than a story and is in a considerably more realistic style than I'm used to. It was fun to do and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The first page can be seen at the Crazyfish website.

Any plans to do more stories in that fashion?

Not right away. I would like to do more actual stories before doing something of the "visual narrative" format again. And the stories I want to do first are in a pretty cartoony style. But I do have some ideas for future comic stories that would require a somewhat realistic style of art.

You also ink the HyperJen Online comic, which is all about...?

Jenactive.com is a website dedicated to comics such as Gen13, DV8, Danger Girl, and their own super-powered comic character, HyperJen. I've been friends with the Jenactive.com people for a few years. When they told me they were in need of an inker for their online comic, I decided to help out. The pencils were done by a guy named Vince Chui. The comic was supposed to be a one-time deal but it was so well-received that they've already got a second issue going, this time pencilled and inked by Ed Tadem. I even make a cameo in the second comic - I'm the guy HyperJen is talking to on the computer screen.

How did you get into writing and art? Who are your major influences?

Same old story... I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. I didn't really get into comics until I was thirteen. I started to read Spider-Man but I didn't like having to read all four Spidey titles to know what was going on. Around that time Image started up, which was great for me because I could start reading the titles at issue #1. So I switched over to reading Image comics like Spawn and The Maxx, and stuck with reading superhero comics for quite a few years. I wouldn't say Spawn really influenced me creatively but it did get me reading comics seriously and that led to me wanting to create my own. (Spawn also had an issue guest-starring Cerebus, which got me hooked on reading Cerebus. So I have to thank Todd for that too.)

Over the past few years I've nearly stopped reading superhero comics altogether. I'm not entirely anti-superheroes, but it is a tired genre and there are a lot of excellent comics available in other genres. The "other" genres are also where I find most of my influences - Scott Morse, Paul Pope, Jim Mahfood, Rob Schrab, Andi Watson, Chynna Clugston-Major, Bill Watterson, David Lapham, Jeff Smith, etc. These are the brilliant creators who amaze me and entertain me. However, I've also been influenced by Chris Bachalo, J Scott Campbell and Mike Allred -- all of whom fall into the superhero artist category. But I take my influences from wherever I can find them, whether it be comics, animation, magazines, fashion, high art, commercial art or a well-designed website on the internet. The internet is actually a great place to find all of the above. There are some really slick artists I've found on the net whom I never would have known about otherwise (www.michiko.com, www.celiacalle.com, www.beeba.net and www.robarnow.com are all fine examples).

Favourite characters?
Cerebus, Scud the Disposable Assassin, Vertigo's Death, Ancient Joe, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, HR Watson, LittleGreyMan, etcetera etcetera...

Heroes?
Probably either Hellboy, Ancient Joe or The Maxx.

Villains?
Jeff from Scud The Disposable Assassin.

Anthopromorphic cybernetic quadraphonic funkadelic super sensational convenience store pimp?
Brayden the anthopromorphic cybernetic quadraphonic funkadelic super sensational convenience store pimp.

Most influential Author?
Poetry-wise it would have to be Charles Bukowski. Comics-wise there is no single author who showed me the way. But people like David Lapham, Peter Milligan, Grant Morrison, Dave Sim, Jeff Smith, Scott Morse, Andi Watson, Rob Schrab and Kyle Baker have all made me go "wow" and given me the spark that makes me want to write a story as well as they can.

Favourite old school artist? Writer?
I'm just a young whippersnapper who doesn't pay nearly enough attention to history.

Most under appreciated creator currently in the biz?
Hmmm.... I'd normally say Scott Morse or Andi Watson but I think they're starting to get the recognition they deserve. Chynna Clugston-Major (Blue Monday) and Mike Hawthorne (Hysteria) are two creators whom I think will be making big names for themselves in the next couple years.

Worst fanboy experience?
Umm, I was the fanboy so I'd rather not say.

Proudest body of work?
Well, there was that crayon drawing I did of Kermit the Frog when I was three years old.... but I guess my short comic story, Buildings, would rank even higher than that.

Advice to those trying to make it in the Biz today?
Go on the internet and seek out all the knowledge/inspiration you require. Then throw your computer out the window so you can concentrate on actually getting some work done. I'm still working on that second part.

What has been your favourite book to work on?
These standardized questions can be really awkward for new guys like me who don't really have much under their belt yet. I'm gonna have to say Substance Affect, which I'm contributing my Buildings story to.

Favourite character(s), title(s) to hopefully some day work on?
I'd love to do a cartoony Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic. That's one of the few tv shows that interests me and I think it's a shame they keep going for a "realistic" style in the comic. The show itself is written with a cartoony edge to it and I think the comic art should reflect that more. It's not the X-Files, it's Buffy the Vampire Slayer! Think about it: an ex-cheerleader who slays vampires and hangs out with teenage monsters and witches! If only the artwork was as fun as the premise.

Current titles everyone SHOULD be reading?
Well, that's entirely a matter of personal taste, so here's what I'm currently reading or waiting for the next issue of: The Atomics, Stray Bullets, Blue Monday, Soulwind, Powers, Bone, Geisha, Adventures of Barry Ween (okay, the mini-series already wrapped up but it's a damn funny comic and deserves to be in the list), Rare Creature, Kabuki, I Feel Sick, and Sparks. I'm also looking forward to Andi Watson's upcoming mini-series Breakfast After Noon and the Scott Morse/Jim Mahfood collaboration VooDoom. Oh, and if I didn't already have the single issues, I'd buy the Fortune & Glory and Grrl Scouts trade paperbacks.

Upcoming projects?
Good question. I'm currently trying to line some stuff up and I have a few comic proposals that still need some more work before I can shop them around. The second episode of my webcomic Jack Spade & Tony Two-Fist should be online around the beginning of June. After that I may do more episodes or it may go on hiatus for a bit. I'm not sure yet.

What's your dream project? If you could work with any companies, characters, writers, artists, no restrictions, no rules, complete creative freedom, put together whatever creative teams you wanted, and no one would stop you, what would you do?

I'd get Rob Schrab to finally draw the last issue of Scud The Disposable Assassin. With a back-up story illustrated by myself and pin-ups by Chris Bachalo, Jamie Hewlett, Troy Nixey, Mike Mignola, Frank Miller, Bruce Timm, Scott Morse, Andrew Robinson, Eric Canete and Joseph Seung.

Comics journalism, in any form, how important is it?

It's important in the sense that, just like in any industry, it helps people interested in comics know what's going on. Wizard doesn't qualify. Wizard doesn't really inform people of anything and is almost entirely filled with garbage that fuels the "fanboy" stereotype of comic readers. For that reason their magazine should be terminated. I haven't read enough of the other comic-industry magazines and webzines to know how they compare.

So how does a day in the life of 'Steve Rolston' work out?

If I'm lucky, I'll obey my two alarm clocks and get out of bed when I'm supposed to (I'm not always lucky). Then it's a big mish-mash of coffee, internet, drawing, writing and eating until I drag myself to bed at some late hour. This daily recipe will sometimes also include movies, beer, reading comics and walking around downtown. Oh, and candy. Always gotta have candy to munch on.

Most people see the industry as being in a slump right now, any beliefs as to why that is?

Because collectors have stopped collecting? If that's the problem, it's a problem I'm fine with. I would rather lose the collectors and replace them with new readers. How do we reel in new readers? Well, I see people debating this question every day and I wish I knew the answer, but I don't. I'll be sure to let you know if I come across the golden answer.

Comics code, we want to get rid of it, you in?

Nah, I'll just stick to reading all the comics that don't bother getting approved by the Comics Code.

Finish these sentences;
Right now, in the industry we need more...

...rich patrons willing to pay creators to do their own thing. Okay, that's not what the industry needs, that's what I need. What the industry needs is more famous people reading comics. I wanna see Madonna walking down the red carpet at the Grammies with a comic book in her hand. The average person won't listen to the rantings of a comic geek but they will listen to an international icon.

and less...

...spandex superheroes. Sure, we can keep some. But right now the superhero genre has too big a slice of the pie.

You've just been given a chance to rework the industry, starting with the major publishers and distribution companies, what do you do, what DO you do?

Develop an ulcer, most likely. Hmmm.... I would probably shift a lot of focus towards the graphic novel format. I think that's the key to making the public accept comics as a legitimate form of literature. Currently most comics are tediously ongoing stories presented 24 pages at a time, often changing creative teams every few issues. I don't think this is a healthy evolution. It would be a financially difficult task, but I think it would benefit the medium as an artform and literary work to make comics as non-serialized 100+ page graphic novels - stories with a beginning and an end. Something that bookstores and libraries would be comfortable having on their shelves.

Now, that's to help comics' acceptance as a form of literature. Another course of action would be to focus on making comics accepted as a popular form of entertainment. I'm less certain about how to do that. I think it would have to involve a lot of tie-ins with other media such as television, video games, movies and the internet - the forms of entertainment which people are currently choosing instead of comics. It would also require a wider variety of genres and a wider distribution. Comics would have to be available at music stores, book stores, coffee shops, arcades, festivals, everywhere. Comics have to be made accessible. Can it be done? I sure hope so. How exactly do we do it? I'm not sure.

Now one of my interview games;
Of choice: What is your drink of choice?
Jones cream soda. or black coffee. or Pepsi. or kool-aid.

Restaurant of choice?
Falafel King or Falafel House (different locations, same owners). They make really good shawarmas.

Movies?
True Romance. Reservoir Dogs. The Crow. Cats Don't Dance. The Matrix. Fight Club. Killing Zoe.

Books?
The Venetian's Wife by Nick Bantock. The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories by Tim Burton. Batman: Animated by Paul Dini & Chip Kidd. Shampoo Planet, Microserfs and Girlfriend In A Coma by Douglas Coupland.

Music?
I've bought like 5 CDs in the past four years so my collection isn't really up to date. As a result, I listen to the radio a fair bit -- mostly "mainstream alternative rock" stations. I'm not as picky about music as some people. I enjoy a lot of different stuff, including but not limited to alternative, techno, modern rock, classic rock, rapcore, lounge, classical, swing, whatever. The one thing I can't really get into is country music.

Artists?
I don't check out non-comic art nearly as much as I should. One person I've recently become interested in is industrial designer Karim Rashid. He has a minimalistic style that I'm quite fond of. "Sensual minimalism" is what he calls it. He's designed everything from furniture to mouse pads, handbags to manhole covers, perfume bottles to trash cans, clothing to mailboxes. Now he's even being commissioned to do the architectural design of a couple prestigious stores; Armani Exchange is one of them, I believe.

Past time?
Spending many many hours on the internet. I also enjoy walking around downtown and watching people.

Etc?
Fire escapes. I like fire escapes.

Before we go, tell us something no one else knows. Something you've never told anyone...

I only have six pieces of cherry liquorice left. Make that five, I just got hungry....

And now...
Plug time! This is where you plug as many things as you want, comics, websites, movies, old 8 tracks, condos in Florida which you usually sell to old people with very few years left in their lives, gigs, novels, anything old, new, current and upcoming, life size paper mache statues of Godzilla, Mothra, and Chewbaaca, RealAudio recordings of you repetitively 'saying' Godzilla, Mothra, and Chewbaaca, just because there's fun to say, where to buy your books, scripts, your collection of homemade women's summer fashion wears, and whatever else. Anything that could somehow lead to you getting...Money. Yes money, not admiration, not respect, not lots of chicks, but money. Yes, money is fun, and then you can BUY, admiration, respect and lots of chicks.

Be very patient, exercise your long-term memory, and when September finally rolls around, go buy the amazing Substance Affect anthology from Crazyfish/MJ-12, which features my 5-page Buildings story. In the meantime you can go over to CartoonMilitia.com and view my snazzy flash webcomic, Jack Spade & Tony Two-Fist. The second episode will be going online sometime in June. And if you want to see a whole bunch of my drawings, you can go to my personal website. The site also has some of my poetry, for those of you who are willing to read stuff that doesn't have pictures. What would make the experience even better would be if you were listening to O'Phil's Drunken Penguin CD which you can order at MP3.com. The cover is illustrated by yours truly and features my own characters Jack Spade & Tony Two-Fist. If you want even more punk music, you can go visit Springman Records, whom I've also done cover art for. I think that's pretty much it for the pluggin'. Any future plugging can be found on my website.

PopImage would like to thank Steve for participating in this interview and would like to remind you to check out his website, the upcoming Substance Affect anthology as well as the Jack Spade & Tony Two-Fist webcomic. Jon Ellis is Interviews Editor at PopImage.

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