Mike Bocianowski is one of the many creators I had a chance to meet for the first time at this year’s Heroes Con. Bocianowski is the creator of the humor comic, Chuck the Ugly American. Starting this November, Bocianowski will be embarking on a new all ages comic Yets! (which Bocianowski describes at his site as “an epic tale about a Guinea Pig and Chihuahua who go on a search for Wild Dragons!”) to be published by Airwave Comics. Bocianowski was kind enough to talk about his past and upcoming work with SBC.
Tim O’Shea: For the uninitiated, please give us the details behind Chuck the Ugly American? How did you first develop the concept?
Mike Bocianowski: Well, Chuck was based on a friend's Uncle Chuck who (God rest his soul) was a paranoid schizophrenic.
This guy used to stand in the middle of his yard wearing nothing but green-striped boxer shorts, staring at the neighborhood. When the neighbor’s kids' ball would bounce into the yard chuck would star screaming to his wife Betty, "AAHHH Betty!, These dam kids are tryin' to kill me! Tell them to keep outta' the yard! I hate those kids..!"
...and Chuck would just continue ranting. I think everybody has had a neighbor something like that.
So my buddy and I created a cartoon character about him in high school, this was in 1980. Chuck became like the "Kilroy was here" character, and his face was put everywhere (including judge's gavels and a nuclear warhead...).
I saw the acceptance Chuck got, and I couldn't forget it.
That's why I started the books and developed the "Chuck-Mythos"
TO: I'm curious, do you ever get any feedback from folks in Europe or elsewhere outside the United States regarding Chuck?
MB: Not much, though I'd like to take Chuck to European Conventions, when I get the money together. There are some foreign readers I've met at San Diego and Detroit. They really like it.
TO: Is Chuck a uniquely American work, or does it appeal to international readership as well?
MB: It's International. My concept of the "Ugly American" centers around the human shallowness, the ability to just look at the surface of something, and never look beneath that surface to reality. Just looking at Chuck , most people say, "Ewww!" but if you read the story there is something more, something better, something nicer to this story.
It's like digging for buried treasure. Everybody likes to find hidden treasures!
TO: Does the work of Matt Groening influence you, or do your influences stem from elsewhere?
MB: I love everything Matt does, I can't say he really "influences" me. I will say we think in parallel paths, I remember watching the first seasons of The Simpsons and then looking at my story notes and seeing the same plot for Chuck. If anything, Matt has pushed Chuck in a better, totally different direction.
I'm influenced by family, friends and life around me. Artistically, I'm influenced by Winsor McKay, Walt Kelly, WB and Disney animators, story-wise I like Jim Henson and Douglas Adams.
TO: How do you strike a balance between comedy and political commentary without going too far in either direction?
MB: Well, I have no prejudice when it comes to comedy, so the concept of politics is funny. It's like if politics is this entity that says "Hey, let me talk you into my way of seeing things! No, I don't think you can just listen to me, I must talk you into it!" If we were all truthful and respected each other, politics would be obsolete.
TO: With the groundswell of patriotism in the United States that developed due to events in 2001 and going forward, how does something like that impact a book called "ugly American" (if at all)?
MB: Well, I made it impact Chuck's story in Book 2. But the audience’s response to Chuck has, if anything, increased! Chuck is the no-nonsense hero. Chuck has that honest, "let's get things done" attitude.
I think that's what the audience identifies with.
TO: What is the greatest challenge and/or greatest benefit to self-publishing?
MB: The greatest challenge is overcoming the discouraging attitudes from mainstream art, like that since I am not DC/Marvel/Image artist then I am not a professional. The greatest benefit is from the smiles of the audience/readers, always.
TO: As both a writer and artist, do you feel your strong suit lies in one more than the other, or do you consider yourself a storyteller, not really regarding the writing or artistic aspects as necessarily separate entities?
MB: I'm a storyteller. I like developing worlds and characters and just letting them run wild. It's kind of like starting a garden or a fish tank! That's what this medium is all about. I approached it from an animation standpoint, where a good cartoon (disregarding abstract films for the moment) has a good story and strong characters, and if it works out then you really can't tell the difference between the two.
The same is true with sequential art...a good story, well told.
TO: What's on the horizon for Chuck in 2003 and beyond?
MB: Chuck is going on hiatus for a bit. He needs a break after his last adventure. I'll bring him back, sooner if people write in and demand it. In the meantime maybe I'll do some more animation with Chuck.....
TO: What can you tell me about your new project, Yets!?
MB: Well, Yets! are a group of fantastic, magical characters who have no name....as of Yet. They live on the opposite side of the Omniverse, in a world centering on a giant, floating Oak tree with an atmosphere rich in oxygen/nitrogen/magic.
The first three books will be put out bi-monthly by Airwave Comics starting in November and the story will be about a Guinea Pig (Sir Perry), and a Chihuahua (Spec) who go looking for Wild Dragons!
I guess you can think of it as "What if Walt Kelly had done Lord of the Rings?"
Here's a picture (in the black and white illustration above) of the three main characters (L-R) Sir Perry, a Yet, and Spec.
