Lien & 'lein: The Jane Irwin Interview (Conclusion)

By Park Cooper

Introductory commentary is for losers, man. Jane Irwin writes Vogelein. If you need to know more go read the archives.



Jane Irwin: I read a lot of pulp when I was a teen. When I was in 11th and 12th grade I was writing a space opera and I was probably the only one in my class who actually did any calculations on real-life tasking of E=MC2… ie, travel at 90% lightspeed

Me for Silver Bullet Comics: Say... did you try Galaxion? By Tara Tallan?

JI: It was okay. I appreciated where she was coming from, I liked the idea, but for some reason it just didn't grab me. Sad, too -- Tara's said she'll never do another GN. Baby's taken over her life.

SBC: Okay, it had a certain drag when they first got to the planet... but then those butterflies came in and I really wanted to see where she was gonna go with it all.

JI: She's trying to repurpose it as a prose novel.

SBC: Oh yes? Well that way, at least, she could finish it.

JI: Yeah.

SBC: Uh... is it okay to say that? One is, of course, pro-baby and all, but Barbara feels the same way you do about that Galaxion situation, believe me.

JI: Well, it's a toss-up. I'm really really happy that she's become so involved in raising her child -- that's one lucky baby to have such a devoted mama -- but at the same time, it's sad to see a beloved series go on hiatus for the forseeable future. Still -- I think she made the right choice.

JI: I never was a big ST:TNG fan, either, and that's what she was channeling.

SBC: Um... well yes, to a point...

JI: I mean, you know. The away teams on the planet, etc. It was really quite a different book, but that's the association my brain immediately formed.

JI: I was way, way, way more into people like Signy Mallory.

SBC: But it had her total soul in it. I so respected that. It's why I associate Tara with Rachel H. …Uh and yourself, if I may say so…

JI: Thanks... You're right, you could totally see Tara's heart and soul coming through in that book; it was definitely a very personal story to her -- it felt like she knew all the characters quite well. And that's why I don't understand why it never quite clicked for me. Still, it's an admirable story, and I know quite a lot of other people who really like it.

JI: (sings: "Cap-tain Signy Mallory! Has no soul they say/ The captain of the Nor-way, has a heart of frozen clay / And on the decks of the Nor-way/ She throws men's live like diiiiiiice -- Captain Signy Mallory, she's a soul as cold as iiiiiice!

JI: Sorry. I spent way too much time in fandom, for about five years.

SBC: Okay I think I've heard of what you're singing about but I think you lost me a little.

JI: I have both furries and filk in my closet full of skeletons.

SBC: Hm... I don't suppose you read T.Campbell's webcomic FANS? Now at Graphic Smash?

SBC: Oh my, furries.

JI: Nope. I'll check it out.

SBC: Heh Barb knows not of filk but, again, I do.

JI: I've more or less dropped out of SF fandom in favor of comic fandom; I don't have time to do both. But I still like all my SF buddies, and keep in touch with most of them.

SBC: Mm.

JI: I was even Art Guest of Honor at a Michigan SF con once.

SBC: One misses that legendary Nivenesque, Asimov, hard-core early fandom.

SBC: Or does one…

JI: Yeah. I do. A good one, anyway. Bad ones aplenty I don't miss.

SBC: I mean, maybe it's there and I just was never THAT much a part of that world really. Know all about it, but was born a tiny bit late. Or was I…

JI: I tried rereading Joan Vinge's PSION/CATSPAW series about a month ago, and I couldn’t cringe my way through more than about 50 pages.

SBC: Heh yeah.

JI: I like stuff like Lucifer's Hammer still. Knocked the pants off The Postman.

SBC: I read Cherryh's, uh... well Rusalka but that's not what I was going to say... Oh, damn it, I wrote a paper about it, why can't I remember the name of the series I want

JI: Hee

SBC: MUST I go google for clues?

SBC: CYTEEN, by gadfrey!

JI: Ahyeah. That was the sequel to Downbelow Station. Didn't read that one.

SBC: Had to cheat and look online... was it? I never knew that.

JI: At 500+ pages, that there's a book you have to make a commitment to.

SBC: Well maybe I'll go play with Downbelow someday then... but I bet I'll never have the time, yeah.

JI: It's like having a torrid affair. You meet every night for a couple hours for about 2 weeks

SBC: Indeed. And I'm married now.

JI: Okay... it's been about an hour -- got any other incriminating questions you want to ask?

SBC: Rao, it has been, hasn't it.

JI: Rao?

SBC: Superman reference... just trying to be as geeky as possible… I was going to ask about what you're doing now... the book...

JI: Hee. I never read very much DC.

SBC: What do you do about advertising? How are you managing? Which you can interpret as whatever sort of question you like

JI: I was a Marvel Zombie for about 3 years, and then straight into indies and never looked back.

JI: Adverts have largely been word of mouth.

SBC: Wow, you don't strike me much as the Marvel type... unless you mean you read all silver and bronze age stuff...

JI: I give out a TON of free single issues -- at this point they're not selling any more, and they're just taking up space in my house, and I've already paid for them, and fliers would cost more money.

JI: (No , I was a total X-Men and Spider-Man freak when I was in highschool in the late 80's.)

JI: (Total. Freak.)

SBC: REALLY, you too huh.

SBC: That s**t's what got me through summer algebra.

JI: (And then I read Watchmen. And then Maus.)

JI: Ha!

SBC: "X-Men don't kill, Rache."

JI: Got me through a messy divorce.

SBC: "Come ride the Wildways, Douglock!"

JI: My parents', I mean.

SBC: Ah.

JI: Selfriend Jane says...

SBC: WAAHHH!

JI: Hee

JI: Ize heep big g33k

SBC: Oh god you're as good as I am, easy.

SBC: "Go easy on 'Mara, Chief. That witch ruined her life."

JI: Snerk. Heh. So anyway. I give out between 50 and 200 free single issues per show I do, and put a little flier in each one telling how to order the TPB. I hope some of them work.

SBC: Yeah me too. Any bites? Vogelein the Hollywood musical in the works yet?

JI: I also give out about 250 stickers per show, with the website on. Usually I get about a half-dozen to a dozen people come back before the end of the show to buy it b/c they read the issue. That's a pretty good average. At SPX the ratio was about 3 free issues to each purchase.

SBC: I've been address-dropping your site into my column for a while now... every cutesy way I can think of to do so

SBC: Mm.

JI: Yay! You rock.

SBC: I suppose you're going to Mid-Ohio while I'm stuck here in Damnation Alley.

JI: Another program I just did was I got on GNLIB-L -- a email list for Librarians who are interested in Graphic Novels, and I offered one free Vogelein GN to any librarian who emailed me.

SBC: (Oh lookit me with my Zelazny self)

SBC: And did they?

JI: I got about 15 requests in an hour.

SBC: Good.

JI: And I had to pull the plug on it before I completely ran out of stock.

SBC: I bet one was from my acquaintance from Shaker Heights, OH.

SBC: Heh.

JI: Name?

SBC: Forget.

JI: Sent one to Cuyahoga -- A Mark Pawuk?

JI: As for MOC -- I won't be there. I'm all showed out this year.

SBC: But he's mostly responsible for seeding the Cleveland area Library system with the best graphic novels.

SBC: Yeah maybe.

JI: Paul [Sizer]'s going though, so you can hassle him extra good for me.

JI: Steve Raiteri, maybe?

SBC: The first one, Pawuk, sounded closer.

SBC: Actually we're going to the new Wiz-Texas.

JI: Yeah. Much closer. I think next year I'm only going to do APE, SPX and the two Motor Cities.

SBC: Which I hope you aren't someone who feels that it's disrespectful to Mid-O but come on, it's where we're going to be anyway...

JI: I'm even debating not doing the fall Motor City… Tsst. MOC was a bust for me last year. I don't care. The only reason it was good was that I got to hang with Layla all weekend, and finally get Paul [Sizer]'s phone number. ;)

SBC: Hey it's better than it used to be, though, in the new digs.

JI: Oh, and I got to talk to Jeff Smith, too, which was a heap big hoot.

SBC: But if it's done nothing for you lately, then I concur, heck with the whole state. :)

JI: Okay, again with the advertising -- I don't do a lot of banner ads because I'm still pretty broke. I post a LOT to message boards and try to get in good with as many librarians as possible -- I did about 20-25 library appearances last year.

SBC: Yeah. So... when will we get a new book, Janer?

JI: I also try to take very good care of retailers that wholeheartedly support my book.

SBC: Yeah

SBC: Perhaps you've heard of a Mr. Jeremy of Dallas, TX?

JI: Isotope, Comic Relief, Laughing Ogre, Green Brain, Bookery Fantasy, Future Pastimes.

JI: Oh, and some dude named Titan or something.

SBC: Yes, Jeremy, master of Titan. He's often extremely encouraging to enterprising individuals such as yourself.

JI: Yeah. And mah homies Curtis and Steve keepin' it real at Vault, and the whole gang down at Underworld, both in Ann Arbor.

JI: Jeremy got an autographed copy hot off the press, some 3 months before they came out through Diamond.

SBC: Not like I'm on a first name basis with him but so many people call him that...

JI: Heh. Well --- any other questions?

SBC: I've heard good things about Laughing Ogre in the past...

JI: I assume Barb's still reading over your shoulder -- Hello Barb, and thanks again for the very kind shoutout in your last interview.

SBC: When will your readers get a new book?

SBC: "No problem" says the loa.

JI: Wish I had a solid answer for that.

SBC: I know, but inquiring minds wish to know.

JI: I am working on three separate scripts right now; I want to get them all written first.

SBC: Well then let me just say thank you for not doing the many wrong things.

JI: Because stuff that happens in the second relates to the fourth, etc etc

JI: Ha! Thanks.

SBC: Like the Pinocchio thing. Thank you for not doing that at the end.

JI: So the best answer that I can give is that I hope to start painting the next book before winter is out.

JI: Eh? You mean… "I'm a REAL FAIRY NOW!"

JI: ‘scuse me... **BAAARRRRF**

JI: *ptui*

JI: Okay, I'm all better now.

SBC: Exactly. Thank you for setting the main story in the modern world and not making all this in some fantasy other dimension named, I dunno, Excrucia or anything.

JI: HAHAHAH

SBC: You rock, as Tart Izzy might say.

JI: Well, I really really like De Lint's stuff. I don't always agree with how he ends his books, but I do genuinely like the "Just enough fantasy in my reality" style he's got. And I really owe him a lot for my style; Gaiman, too. I just hope they're cool with it as homage and not cribbing. ;)

SBC: Eh, to Columbus with 'em if they can't appreciate genius. And the same with anyone else who hasn't done anything for you lately.

JI: And let me take a second to say thanks right back for all the awesome PR you two have done. Most of the indie-press reporters have been extremely kind to me, you two especially so.

SBC: So you read the column then-- oh you mean my famous WIFE! Right!

JI: I had a really nice email the other day from Mark Oakley (Thieves and Kings) who really kickstarted V by putting her in the back of one of his comics. And he commented on my "rise to fame" and how quickly I've gotten into the indie consciousness.

JI: I really owe the lion's share of that to folks like you guys, who are out there beating the drum for small press. Thank you.

SBC: Whatever happened to Thieves and Kings? Does that still go on?

JI: Oh, yeah. He just put out a new ish about 3 weeks ago. He moved to Nova Scotia from Toronto, so there was a lapse while he got settled.

SBC: I miss Replacement God. Ah, well, more lives to the mighty Moore.

JI: God, so do I. I found RG about 6 months ago and immediately fell in love.

SBC: Beatnik Hipster Visigoths!

JI: RG: Vol2 Ish5 is a stunning, stunning piece of work.

SBC: Uh... is that the 100 pager??? Or is that something else…

JI: "And I can talk to animals. They don't usually have a lot to say."

JI: "You cool?"

JI: "I'm cool."

JI: "Cool."

JI: *slap*

SBC: I know, here I am putting down fantasy lands but Replacement God rocked.

JI: I'm not putting down any fantasy lands. T&K still rocks my world! And Vess. I want to just curl up under Vess' drafting table like a cat. And hopefully catch some of his table scraps.

JI: Well, it's quarter of ten, so I'd best head back to my script -- especially if you want to see new Vogelein sooner than later. Dratted day job!

JI: I hope you got enough for your interview tonight.

SBC: Hell I'll most likely have to split it up into at least 2 parts… which means less columning for me yay!

SBC: Right, you go girl.

JI: w00t!

SBC: That is, please go and do that, girl... I know that you aren't Trina's Go Girl.

SBC: Mokay

JI: And I will try to get the GSG pinup done before the new year.

SBC: Okay. Cool.

JI: Check this one I did for Guy Davis: http://www.vogelein.com/images/Nevermen.jpg

SBC: Can I show this to people?

JI: Haha, sure.





Jane Irwin's Vogelien:
http://www.vogelein.com/vogelein/voghome.html
http://www.vogelein.com/fierystudios/fierystudios.shtml

Barbara Lien-Cooper's GUN STREET GIRL:
http://www.graphicsmash.com/series.php?name=gsg&view=current
http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/bakersdozen/back20031126.shtml






















Your New Mantra: PROTAGONISTS, NOT HEROES