An Interview with James Lynch of Hero Universe Comics |

Writer, penciler, editor, letterer and all around “Grand Poobah” of Hero Universe Comics, James Lynch, recently answered several questions that we had concerning Hero Universe Comics and all that it has to offer.

What is your role at Hero Universe Comics?

I like to be referred to as “Grand Poobah,” but for some reason I’m having a hard time convincing anybody to actually call me that.

Since we’re a very small publisher, I do a little of everything. I’m a writer primarily, but I’m also a penciller, editor, letterer, and I do some coloring assists. There’s very little (read: nothing) that happens at Hero Universe without my involvement.

Could you give the ComicNews.Info readers a little background about Hero Universe Comics?

Hero Universe Comics is a small comic publisher operating out of southeastern Wisconsin (mostly in and around Milwaukee). We started publishing in early 2006 with a black and white one-shot called “Bliss: The World’s Greatest Superhero.” Since then, we’ve been slowly expanding our product line, including our newest series Victors, which publishes in full color.

Tell us about some of the comic books that are being marketed by Hero Universe Comics?

First and foremost we have “Bliss: The World’s Greatest Superhero,” the one shot that started it all. This was written and drawn by myself. “Bliss” tells the story of a superhero who can do almost anything because he doesn’t realize that he shouldn’t be able to. There’s an antagonist, obviously, and this antagonist has to try and bring down a guy like Bliss for his plans to work. The way he does it (or tries to) is pretty shocking, as are the lengths Bliss will go to to truly be the hero he’s purported to be. It’s as much a character study as it is a fun superhero book, though I think it works on both levels.

Next, and even more foremost, is “Victors,” our first foray into series publishing and color publishing. This series is written and drawn by me again, with colors by David Foley. Issue 1 features a cover by Greg Horn, which I personally think is one of the best covers of Greg’s career (possibly only second to Emma Frost #5). Victors spins out of the world established in Bliss and brings his former superhero teammates to the forefront. They’re a not-quite-functional legacy team that’s having a hard time living up to the standard of their forbearers, as well as dealing with the fallout from the Bliss one-shot. There’s perhaps a little more action and humor than in “Bliss,” though it’s not quite as philosophical. It does still feature a lot of character development, though since we’re looking at longer arcs (the first arc is six issues, with subsequent arcs planned at being 1-3 issues each), we’re able to develop our characters a little more gradually in this one. We also still examine ideas like what it takes to be a (super)hero, what it means to have that burden and responsibility. It’s not a sequel in the sense that Bliss readers will feel like they’re missing something if they don’t read Victors, or Victors readers will feel in the dark if they haven’t read Bliss. But I’m not not encouraging anyone to pick up both.

Finally, and equally as foremost, is “Saints.” Saints is the first book from Hero Universe not written by myself. Instead we have Reggie Hansome, who’s a heck of a writer, penning this book, while I stick to art chores. I’m trying out a new inks and watercolors art style that I’ve been working on, and I think things are turning out fantastic in that respect (issue one features what may be the greatest looking hand ever drawn for a comic book, and you know how comic artists are always bitching that hands are hard to draw. Just ask Liefeld). As for the story, again, this is a book I’d want to read even if I weren’t involved with it. It takes place a couple hundred years in the future, in a world where religion, culture, art, etc., have all been abolished, and people worship superheroes. Everything’s controlled by one guy, who is worshipped above all, and demands that all other people with super powers (called Saints) come join him at Vatican City and leave the lesser world behind. One young man doesn’t get why things are the way they are, and ends up finding that he has powers. There are obviously a lot of heavy (and touchy) issues involved here. “Saints” comes in smaller, easier-to-digest issues, each running about 15 pages. The series is set to go for 5 issues at this point.

Where can Hero Universe Comics be found?

Right now, our books are available through us directly (www.herouniversecomics.com), or on eBay (just do a search for “hero universe”). Victors and Saints are also available through IndyPlanet (www.indyplanet.com). Again, just do a search for “hero universe.” If you live in southeast Wisconsin, Lost World of Wonders has some of our books, and they can easily get in touch with me if they have someone looking for something of mine they don’t have. Books are also available at any conventions we attend, though due to numerous issues (mostly financial in one way or another) we generally stick to shows in the Midwest.

What future projects does Hero Universe Comics have in the works?

More than I’ll probably ever have the time to do. We currently have three projects on the horizon, aside from finishing up Saints and continuing Victors.

“Borrowed Time” is a book I’ve had in the works for a while now and am just trying to find time to pump out a page or two here and there between my other duties. This is the story of a man who, in the first scene, dies in a car accident. Death (the actual black-robed guy with a scythe) comes to collect him and finds that the guy’s name isn’t on any of his lists. This has never happened before, and technically means that the guy doesn’t have a spot in the afterlife. Until things can be straightened out, the guy is given free run of the entire space-time continuum up to the moment of his own death. It’s a time travel story, but at its heart is really unlike any other time travel story. It’s not really sci-fi per se, but it’s definitely a fun ride. Since I’m not trying to work within the structure of a serious superhero universe, I’m able to have a lot more fun and throw in a lot more obscure references and crappy jokes than I would in Victors. Also, having Death as one of the main characters makes things kind of interesting.

“Bombshell” goes back to our superhero roots. It’s a story about a girl who discovers she has super powers, but has to figure out what to do from there. She wants to do the right thing, but that’s easier said than done. I mean, come on, if you realized one day you had super powers, would you have any idea how to become a superhero? How does one go about finding bad guys to fight, or guarding one’s secret identity in high school (hint: I don’t have an answer for either of those)? What would your parents think? Again, unlike a more serious book like Victors (which still has its share of goofy humor), in “Bombshell” we’re able to look a little more at the absurdity of a painfully average sixteen year old girl trying to turn herself into a superhero. There’s also a few emotional gut punches along the way, because there’s nothing I like better than getting someone laughing and then hitting them with awful tragedy (or, conversely, having people feel all tense and emotional and then making them laugh in the middle of it). “Bombshell” is fully written and ready to go, and we’re currently in the market for an artist. As anyone who’s ever tried to publish an indie comic can tell you, finding an artist with whom you have good creative chemistry (and who’s able to work on the shoestring budget most indie companies can afford) can be a very daunting task.

Last up is a project that we’re doing mostly for shits and giggles. It’s a Christmas anthology called “A Heroic Holiday Christmas Special.” Basically, I’m just getting as many creative people as I know and then some to contribute short Christmas stories. My contribution is called “El Ninja’s Celebrity Christmas Spectacular,” which features a more cartoony character of mine called El Ninja (a Mexican themed ninja) hosting a cheesy old Christmas special, one of those things where random nonsense just seems to happen and the most random of people pop in and say hi. Based solely on this story, I’d say this book really isn’t for kids.

What is the goal of Hero Universe Comics?

The goal we set out with when we first started publishing, which is still our goal today, was to make comics we’d like to read. I consider myself a pretty typical comic fan, so hopefully the types of comics I enjoy reading (and therefore making) will appeal to others as well, maybe some people even whose tastes are not always being served by other available comics. I know there are times when I’m at the comic shop and just find it hard to get excited about a lot of the stuff being offered up by bigger publishers.

What would you like to say to Hero Universe Comics readers?

To the three of you out there, thanks for reading, and keep spreading the word. HU has gotten a good percentage of our business just through word of mouth. Going out to conventions and working the booth and trying to sell yourself is necessary, but it’s so much easier when someone approaches you and says “My buddy says I have to read your books” and hands you some money. We don’t do this for the money, but the money is necessary to keep doing this.

How can someone contact Hero Universe Comics?

We have a website, www.herouniversecomics.com, that has our contact information and a posting board (we love getting feedback and having people come by to shoot the shit with us). I can personally be reached at james@herouniversecomics.com. Also, if you’re on ComicSpace, we’re on there as herouniverse, and I’m on Facebook and DeviantArt (jameslynch.deviantart.com, where you can see some of my non-HU stuff, including my bizarre fascination with Disney Princesses). Be my friend on those. That’s not a request.

What advice would you give someone looking to break into comics?

Well, the first advice I would give is to not ask me for advice. I mean, come on, you can do better than me. Hell, I still work a day job, so clearly I’m not doing everything right.

Beyond that, though, and this is painfully uncommon advice, I’d say the best thing to do is to actually make comics. Crazy, right? But the best way to hone your skills is to actually go through the process. If you’re a writer, you’ll only get better with practice, and it really helps to figure out the structure of script writing. If you’re an artist, there’s no substitute for working on your storytelling abilities than actually telling stories. Comic pros might take a look at your portfolio full of pin-ups, but you’re unlikely to get any work without having some sequentials to show, and having a fully finished product is even better.

One piece of advice I’d like to give to artists specifically is be willing to work for less. Yes, getting paid for your work is great, and being able to make enough off of it to live on is the ultimate goal here, and yes, I know how many hours go into creating each page of art (I’m a penciller/inker/painter myself, remember), but being willing to collaborate with guys who can’t afford to pay a lot can help you really build a body of work that you can show off, and can help lead to future work. There are a lot of talented artists out there and very few indie publishers that can afford $100 a page (that’s the starting rate at Marvel, folks). I vividly recall a conversation I had at the LCS with a fellow artist about my first paying art duties on a book, which paid about $25 a page. Now, this guy’s good, but he said something along the lines of, “$25? That’s it? For how many hours of work?” Yeah, but my $25 a page beats out his $0 a page while he sits at home thinking about how he’s worth way more than $25 a page. And I now have a fair number of books under my belt, whereas he has some really pretty sketchbooks to show off. By the way, I also have really pretty sketchbooks available, reasonably priced at just $5 a piece.

Which I think brings me to my last piece of advice, which I like to call “Shame? What’s that?” You can’t be afraid to go for it, and you can’t ever stop trying to sell yourself. As an indie publisher/artist/whatever, you are the brand. You can’t be afraid of failure, and you can’t be afraid of success. That means that, yeah, 90% of the books/sketchbooks/portfolios that you give out to pros at conventions, however nice the pros are (and most are genuinely nice, they just don’t have the time to pour over everything that aspiring creators shove at them), will likely end up in the trash before they leave the convention center. That can’t stop you from going for it. Because that other 10% of the time, things can happen. Just because David Finch might not look through your stuff doesn’t mean that J. Scott Campbell won’t take the time to give you some pointers (not that I’m speaking from personal experience or anything ).