Interview with...
Ryan Valentine
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Ryan Valentine’s Air Raid Robinson showcases both energetic and stylistic art with an intriguing character inhabiting a dynamic, drama-filled setting. Ryan recently sat down with CBI published John Michael Helmer to discuss his art career and his latest projects…
JMH: Where were you born and raised?
RYAN: I was born and raised in the metro-Boston area of the United States. My hometown is Danvers, Massachusetts. In his fiction, HP Lovecraft rechristened this town as "Arkham". Its haunted insane asylum is derived from an actual locale that is (sadly) now a bunch of condos.
Yes, I lived up the street from an antecedent of the Batman crazy house. I'm sure that steered the course of my life in some way.
JMH: Tell CBI about yourself…
RYAN: I wish I could tell you something sexy like "I'm an astronaut vampire hunter", but I'm afraid my life is a bit more subdued. I'm from a middle-class background. My day job is in interior design. Despite not being vegan, I can make a mean vegan pizza. I once punched out an armed robber while I was working retail.
I'm not stating that last bit as a declaration of virile masculinity. He was very out-of-it; I'm pretty sure a stiff breeze would've had the same effect.
Like most suburban Americans, I feel that I'm a pretty mundane person. Of course, even the life of a mundane person can be quite interesting if one tells their story well. American Splendor is a good example of how a trip to buy bread can be interesting.
JMH: How long have you been drawing comics?
RYAN: I drew my first comic strip in kindergarten. It don't remember the specifics, but I know that the general plot revolved around a pair of dinosaurs and an apple tree. Wackiness ensued.
JMH: How did you break into the industry drawing comic books?
RYAN: Well, that question assumes that I've "broken into the industry" in some capacity. I'm sure that's very debatable on my count.
I've been doing webcomics for about five years or so. They've gotten a niche audience; I'm not pulling in Oatmeal numbers but I have fans invested enough in my work to point out typos or continuity snafus.
I've done a few work-for-hire gigs on kickstarter anthologies. Some of them turned a minor profit and some of them fell apart. It's the nature of the game.
I have a few self-published comics that I sell at local conventions. Profitability is nebulous in this sphere, but I've met some wonderful people and I've had some nice experiences. Doing this also brings more eyeballs to my work and I need as many of those as I can get.
I published my first e-book several months ago. It sold better than I thought it would, so more are on the way. It's only available on amazon for the moment, but I'm currently exploring other formats.
JMH: Do you have any formal art training?
RYAN: I took a few art classes in high school, but I'm largely self-taught.
I am, however, a member of a workshop called The Boston Comics Roundtable. It's a nice cabal featuring a variety of artists of every skill set. Interacting with them has been great for both my technical ability and artistic confidence.
JMH: Who are your artistic influences?
RYAN: The first comic I fell in love with was Calvin & Hobbes, so Bill Watterson is a pretty big influence. The superhero comics of my youth were a pronounced stamp on me as well. I really loved Jim Lee, John Romita Jr., Frank Miller, and Bruce Timm even when I was too young to pay attention to who was drawing the comics I pored over.
My adolescence found me discovering "alternative" artists like Dan Clowes, Evan Dorkin, Jhonen Vasquez, the Zap guys, and the Hernandez siblings. I got a little obsessed with Robert Crumb at this stage. I even drew comics based on drug experiments and masturbation fantasies because that's what Crumb did; it was all very sad.
I also explored the Gold and Silver-Age greats like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Will Eisner, Joe Kubert, Dick Sprang, Alex Toth, Dan DeCarlo, and the like. I remember reading reprints of their stuff alongside modern comics and remarking at how they seemed to accomplish more storytelling with a lesser page count. It really motivated me into directions that I continue to travel in.
I'm also pretty invested in the illustrative techniques pioneered by print-makers like Gustave Dore and pen & ink fellows such as Franklin Booth or Joseph Clement-Coll. Their art is lovely and it's also a direct ancestor to classic comic book men like Al Williamson, Harry Peter, and the underground comix people.
Like most artists, there are scores of people that have left some kind of impact on me. For example, I had Marcel Duchamp in mind while I was working on a background earlier today. I could really go on for volumes here.
JMH: How do you focus when drawing?
RYAN: I don't really struggle with focus; I guess I'm lucky. I draw on my lunch break at my day job. I draw while I'm waiting in the doctor's office. I draw in a box. I draw with a fox. It never feels like a chore.
Naturally, the majority of my drawing time is spent at my drafting table. I usually listen to jazz or classical music while I'm toiling away. It lends a good bit of ambiance.
JMH: What types of technology do you use to draw?
RYAN: Most of it is "analog", so to speak. My line work is done with various pens. I prefer prismacolor, but I can also work with micron or faber castell. I've seen some brilliant work from people who buy their pens at the grocery store, so I don't think the tool matters as much as its application. I did some of my published material with a simple Bic pen just to see if I could.
I don't do much work in color since it's cheaper and faster to print in black & white. My relatively sparse color output is a mixture of watercolors, markers, and colored pens. The brands run the gamut from Copic to Crayola. I've made tenuous steps with coloring on Illustrator, but I haven't published any of those things yet.
My lettering is handled on Illustrator. One may think that I'd be a decent calligrapher considering how precise my line work can be, but they'd be mistaken. My hand lettering needs a lot of work.
JMH: What was the first comic book you ever read?
RYAN: Like a lot of kids, my first proper comic book was given to me while I was sick in bed. I was recovering from an infected cut at the tender age of six when my unsuspecting father gave me a copy of Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #4.
I don't remember much about that particular comic, but I do recall that the opening scene involved Batman getting attacked by every prominent member of his rogues gallery while a corrupt doctor at Arkham Asylum looked on. Naturally, Bats clobbered them all and saved the Joker for last; I vaguely recollect that he picked up the Scarecrow and used him as a club to wallop the Riddler and Maxie Zeus.
I was also perplexed by Robin's weird new costume in the comic. I didn't know what Nightwing was at the time, but I am (overly) proud of my younger self for recognizing that the mullet guy fighting Mr. Zsasz was Robin-related in some way.
JMH: Do you read any of the new comic books that are being published today? If so, which ones?
RYAN: I'm always reading something. Most of my comics consumption is old stuff or reissued foreign stuff, but I do keep somewhat current.
Like seemingly everyone, I think that Saga, Sex Criminals, Rat Queens, and Lazarus are simply crushing it month after month. I really like Ms. Marvel and I've been keeping up with Ultimate Spider-Man since the Bendis/Bagely days. The Goon and Hellboy have been consistently terrific for ages now and I can't wait for Usagi Yojimbo to come back. I feel that the Hernandez Brothers are national treasures at this point in time.
The last great idea I read in comics form is The Midas Flesh. The last bit of comic art to blow me away was Francesco Francavilla's superb work in Afterlife With Archie.
JMH: Print vs. Digital. Your thoughts…
RYAN: This question makes me think of a Robert Crumb sketch that depicted him printing up his own comics and selling them out of a baby stroller. There's an undeniable romanticism in the starving artist selling hand-stapled comics at a convention, but I've done that and I think it's wise to diversify my selling options.
Comic shops are prominent in my neck of the United States, but they're sparse in many others. I like that anyone with an internet connection can read one of my stories. Some guy in Paraguay has read Air Raid Robertson. I think that's pretty cool; it was pretty impossible in the days of Vaughn Bode.
Print definitely isn't going away anytime soon and that's not a bad thing. I feel that more platforms for creative expression are better than fewer.
I also get the impression that my style is too weird for the mainstream guys and too mainstream for the alternative publishers, so throwing my stuff online may be my only chance of connecting with readers.
JMH: What sources do you use for a cover image?
RYAN: I wish I could be Gil Kane; none of my covers have the dynamics of even his middling work. I could definitely level-up in that department.
The first issue of Air Raid Robertson is an homage to Uncanny X-Men #101; any goodness from that image is reflected off the original illustration by Dave Cockrum. The Moloch & Murphy cover is a basic image of them flying with sentient wind. I liked the cover at first, but now I'd give it a B- at best.
For the most part, I try to avoid pin-ups and simply draw a (hopefully) interesting segment of whatever story is going on inside the comic book. I'm currently working on the cover for Robertson's second issue and I think its beating out the two covers I just mentioned.
JMH: What other mediums or genres have you drawn for?
RYAN: I briefly worked in public access television and, not unlike a lot of people in the same circumstance, tricked myself into thinking that I was Federico Fellini. It didn't matter that I was working on a rock n' roll talk show that (unintentionally) felt like an even cheaper version of Wayne's World; I was a ARTISTE and that program needed me to draw storyboards for it (It didn't).
By the way, I'd like to mention that shooting high school football games and directing music videos for local salsa bands WILL make you into a better comic artist. My stories attained a tighter sense of pace and timing once I acquired some rudimentary knowledge of film production.
I've occasionally done posters for local rock shows or designed a tattoo for someone, but I've mostly focused on drawing comics. None of the other mediums seem to mind this.
JMH: What project are you currently working on at now?
RYAN: I'm presently prepping the second issue of Air Raid Robertson. I have enough material completed for five issues, but Adobe products are not intuitive and editing can be a pain.
I'm also putting together a collection of various short stories I've done over the past couple of years. I'm hoping that it'll turn out like a version of Dark Horse Presents or an old EC comic except everything's written and drawn by one guy. I love anthology comics and I've wanted to do a "one-man anthology" for quite a while.
JMH: What future projects do you have in the works?
RYAN: Air Raid Robertson is the thing that I keep coming back to. Erik Larsen said that he'll be happily drawing Savage Dragon up to his death and I wouldn't mind pulling a similar feat with my character.
Of course, I'm very restless when it comes to creativity and I'm usually looking for intriguing new things to try. I'm not sure what I'll do next.
JMH: Do you have any words for aspiring artists?
RYAN: Life likes to get in the way, but keep drawing. Sometimes it feels impossible to find the time to sit down and pick up the pencil, but I feel that's also true with working out, learning a musical instrument, or anything else that requires mental stamina. Talent is nice, but it won't go anywhere without diligence, patience, and self-discipline. Try setting an egg timer and drawing until the alarm goes off; you probably won't feel like working when you begin, but you'll be "in the zone" by the end of your allotted time and you won't want to stop.
Try to learn as many facets of the art as you can. Learn to write, pencil, ink, color, letter, and edit your story. There are tons of aspiring comics writers who will never publish anything because they won't draw. Nobody wants to see your comic drawn more than you, so start drawing it. You'll get better if you keep trying and your story can connect with people even if the art is crude; nobody will accuse Charles Schultz of being Rembrandt, but Peanuts is still the most popular comic done by anyone.
Read things. Comics are great, but we already have too many writers and artists who incestuously regurgitate stuff from other comics. Read novels, short stories, plays, essays, oral histories, journalism, letters, memoirs, poems, and everything else from every era and every corner of the world. Read immortal classics and pulpy trash. Read boilerplate genre pieces and experimental art-house productions. Reading a diverse and expansive body of work will make you a better writer (and, in all likelihood, a more interesting person in general).
I'd also tell you to put your own experiences into your art, but that'll probably happen whether you're conscious of it or not.
JMH: How can fans and publishers get a hold of you?
RYAN: I can be contacted through [email protected]. People are also welcome to like Air Raid Robertson on Facebook.
JMH: Ryan, CBI appreciates your time. All the best.
RYAN: I appreciate you taking the time to interview me. Thanks for allowing me the chance to gab about art and comics on your website.
JMH: Where were you born and raised?
RYAN: I was born and raised in the metro-Boston area of the United States. My hometown is Danvers, Massachusetts. In his fiction, HP Lovecraft rechristened this town as "Arkham". Its haunted insane asylum is derived from an actual locale that is (sadly) now a bunch of condos.
Yes, I lived up the street from an antecedent of the Batman crazy house. I'm sure that steered the course of my life in some way.
JMH: Tell CBI about yourself…
RYAN: I wish I could tell you something sexy like "I'm an astronaut vampire hunter", but I'm afraid my life is a bit more subdued. I'm from a middle-class background. My day job is in interior design. Despite not being vegan, I can make a mean vegan pizza. I once punched out an armed robber while I was working retail.
I'm not stating that last bit as a declaration of virile masculinity. He was very out-of-it; I'm pretty sure a stiff breeze would've had the same effect.
Like most suburban Americans, I feel that I'm a pretty mundane person. Of course, even the life of a mundane person can be quite interesting if one tells their story well. American Splendor is a good example of how a trip to buy bread can be interesting.
JMH: How long have you been drawing comics?
RYAN: I drew my first comic strip in kindergarten. It don't remember the specifics, but I know that the general plot revolved around a pair of dinosaurs and an apple tree. Wackiness ensued.
JMH: How did you break into the industry drawing comic books?
RYAN: Well, that question assumes that I've "broken into the industry" in some capacity. I'm sure that's very debatable on my count.
I've been doing webcomics for about five years or so. They've gotten a niche audience; I'm not pulling in Oatmeal numbers but I have fans invested enough in my work to point out typos or continuity snafus.
I've done a few work-for-hire gigs on kickstarter anthologies. Some of them turned a minor profit and some of them fell apart. It's the nature of the game.
I have a few self-published comics that I sell at local conventions. Profitability is nebulous in this sphere, but I've met some wonderful people and I've had some nice experiences. Doing this also brings more eyeballs to my work and I need as many of those as I can get.
I published my first e-book several months ago. It sold better than I thought it would, so more are on the way. It's only available on amazon for the moment, but I'm currently exploring other formats.
JMH: Do you have any formal art training?
RYAN: I took a few art classes in high school, but I'm largely self-taught.
I am, however, a member of a workshop called The Boston Comics Roundtable. It's a nice cabal featuring a variety of artists of every skill set. Interacting with them has been great for both my technical ability and artistic confidence.
JMH: Who are your artistic influences?
RYAN: The first comic I fell in love with was Calvin & Hobbes, so Bill Watterson is a pretty big influence. The superhero comics of my youth were a pronounced stamp on me as well. I really loved Jim Lee, John Romita Jr., Frank Miller, and Bruce Timm even when I was too young to pay attention to who was drawing the comics I pored over.
My adolescence found me discovering "alternative" artists like Dan Clowes, Evan Dorkin, Jhonen Vasquez, the Zap guys, and the Hernandez siblings. I got a little obsessed with Robert Crumb at this stage. I even drew comics based on drug experiments and masturbation fantasies because that's what Crumb did; it was all very sad.
I also explored the Gold and Silver-Age greats like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Will Eisner, Joe Kubert, Dick Sprang, Alex Toth, Dan DeCarlo, and the like. I remember reading reprints of their stuff alongside modern comics and remarking at how they seemed to accomplish more storytelling with a lesser page count. It really motivated me into directions that I continue to travel in.
I'm also pretty invested in the illustrative techniques pioneered by print-makers like Gustave Dore and pen & ink fellows such as Franklin Booth or Joseph Clement-Coll. Their art is lovely and it's also a direct ancestor to classic comic book men like Al Williamson, Harry Peter, and the underground comix people.
Like most artists, there are scores of people that have left some kind of impact on me. For example, I had Marcel Duchamp in mind while I was working on a background earlier today. I could really go on for volumes here.
JMH: How do you focus when drawing?
RYAN: I don't really struggle with focus; I guess I'm lucky. I draw on my lunch break at my day job. I draw while I'm waiting in the doctor's office. I draw in a box. I draw with a fox. It never feels like a chore.
Naturally, the majority of my drawing time is spent at my drafting table. I usually listen to jazz or classical music while I'm toiling away. It lends a good bit of ambiance.
JMH: What types of technology do you use to draw?
RYAN: Most of it is "analog", so to speak. My line work is done with various pens. I prefer prismacolor, but I can also work with micron or faber castell. I've seen some brilliant work from people who buy their pens at the grocery store, so I don't think the tool matters as much as its application. I did some of my published material with a simple Bic pen just to see if I could.
I don't do much work in color since it's cheaper and faster to print in black & white. My relatively sparse color output is a mixture of watercolors, markers, and colored pens. The brands run the gamut from Copic to Crayola. I've made tenuous steps with coloring on Illustrator, but I haven't published any of those things yet.
My lettering is handled on Illustrator. One may think that I'd be a decent calligrapher considering how precise my line work can be, but they'd be mistaken. My hand lettering needs a lot of work.
JMH: What was the first comic book you ever read?
RYAN: Like a lot of kids, my first proper comic book was given to me while I was sick in bed. I was recovering from an infected cut at the tender age of six when my unsuspecting father gave me a copy of Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #4.
I don't remember much about that particular comic, but I do recall that the opening scene involved Batman getting attacked by every prominent member of his rogues gallery while a corrupt doctor at Arkham Asylum looked on. Naturally, Bats clobbered them all and saved the Joker for last; I vaguely recollect that he picked up the Scarecrow and used him as a club to wallop the Riddler and Maxie Zeus.
I was also perplexed by Robin's weird new costume in the comic. I didn't know what Nightwing was at the time, but I am (overly) proud of my younger self for recognizing that the mullet guy fighting Mr. Zsasz was Robin-related in some way.
JMH: Do you read any of the new comic books that are being published today? If so, which ones?
RYAN: I'm always reading something. Most of my comics consumption is old stuff or reissued foreign stuff, but I do keep somewhat current.
Like seemingly everyone, I think that Saga, Sex Criminals, Rat Queens, and Lazarus are simply crushing it month after month. I really like Ms. Marvel and I've been keeping up with Ultimate Spider-Man since the Bendis/Bagely days. The Goon and Hellboy have been consistently terrific for ages now and I can't wait for Usagi Yojimbo to come back. I feel that the Hernandez Brothers are national treasures at this point in time.
The last great idea I read in comics form is The Midas Flesh. The last bit of comic art to blow me away was Francesco Francavilla's superb work in Afterlife With Archie.
JMH: Print vs. Digital. Your thoughts…
RYAN: This question makes me think of a Robert Crumb sketch that depicted him printing up his own comics and selling them out of a baby stroller. There's an undeniable romanticism in the starving artist selling hand-stapled comics at a convention, but I've done that and I think it's wise to diversify my selling options.
Comic shops are prominent in my neck of the United States, but they're sparse in many others. I like that anyone with an internet connection can read one of my stories. Some guy in Paraguay has read Air Raid Robertson. I think that's pretty cool; it was pretty impossible in the days of Vaughn Bode.
Print definitely isn't going away anytime soon and that's not a bad thing. I feel that more platforms for creative expression are better than fewer.
I also get the impression that my style is too weird for the mainstream guys and too mainstream for the alternative publishers, so throwing my stuff online may be my only chance of connecting with readers.
JMH: What sources do you use for a cover image?
RYAN: I wish I could be Gil Kane; none of my covers have the dynamics of even his middling work. I could definitely level-up in that department.
The first issue of Air Raid Robertson is an homage to Uncanny X-Men #101; any goodness from that image is reflected off the original illustration by Dave Cockrum. The Moloch & Murphy cover is a basic image of them flying with sentient wind. I liked the cover at first, but now I'd give it a B- at best.
For the most part, I try to avoid pin-ups and simply draw a (hopefully) interesting segment of whatever story is going on inside the comic book. I'm currently working on the cover for Robertson's second issue and I think its beating out the two covers I just mentioned.
JMH: What other mediums or genres have you drawn for?
RYAN: I briefly worked in public access television and, not unlike a lot of people in the same circumstance, tricked myself into thinking that I was Federico Fellini. It didn't matter that I was working on a rock n' roll talk show that (unintentionally) felt like an even cheaper version of Wayne's World; I was a ARTISTE and that program needed me to draw storyboards for it (It didn't).
By the way, I'd like to mention that shooting high school football games and directing music videos for local salsa bands WILL make you into a better comic artist. My stories attained a tighter sense of pace and timing once I acquired some rudimentary knowledge of film production.
I've occasionally done posters for local rock shows or designed a tattoo for someone, but I've mostly focused on drawing comics. None of the other mediums seem to mind this.
JMH: What project are you currently working on at now?
RYAN: I'm presently prepping the second issue of Air Raid Robertson. I have enough material completed for five issues, but Adobe products are not intuitive and editing can be a pain.
I'm also putting together a collection of various short stories I've done over the past couple of years. I'm hoping that it'll turn out like a version of Dark Horse Presents or an old EC comic except everything's written and drawn by one guy. I love anthology comics and I've wanted to do a "one-man anthology" for quite a while.
JMH: What future projects do you have in the works?
RYAN: Air Raid Robertson is the thing that I keep coming back to. Erik Larsen said that he'll be happily drawing Savage Dragon up to his death and I wouldn't mind pulling a similar feat with my character.
Of course, I'm very restless when it comes to creativity and I'm usually looking for intriguing new things to try. I'm not sure what I'll do next.
JMH: Do you have any words for aspiring artists?
RYAN: Life likes to get in the way, but keep drawing. Sometimes it feels impossible to find the time to sit down and pick up the pencil, but I feel that's also true with working out, learning a musical instrument, or anything else that requires mental stamina. Talent is nice, but it won't go anywhere without diligence, patience, and self-discipline. Try setting an egg timer and drawing until the alarm goes off; you probably won't feel like working when you begin, but you'll be "in the zone" by the end of your allotted time and you won't want to stop.
Try to learn as many facets of the art as you can. Learn to write, pencil, ink, color, letter, and edit your story. There are tons of aspiring comics writers who will never publish anything because they won't draw. Nobody wants to see your comic drawn more than you, so start drawing it. You'll get better if you keep trying and your story can connect with people even if the art is crude; nobody will accuse Charles Schultz of being Rembrandt, but Peanuts is still the most popular comic done by anyone.
Read things. Comics are great, but we already have too many writers and artists who incestuously regurgitate stuff from other comics. Read novels, short stories, plays, essays, oral histories, journalism, letters, memoirs, poems, and everything else from every era and every corner of the world. Read immortal classics and pulpy trash. Read boilerplate genre pieces and experimental art-house productions. Reading a diverse and expansive body of work will make you a better writer (and, in all likelihood, a more interesting person in general).
I'd also tell you to put your own experiences into your art, but that'll probably happen whether you're conscious of it or not.
JMH: How can fans and publishers get a hold of you?
RYAN: I can be contacted through [email protected]. People are also welcome to like Air Raid Robertson on Facebook.
JMH: Ryan, CBI appreciates your time. All the best.
RYAN: I appreciate you taking the time to interview me. Thanks for allowing me the chance to gab about art and comics on your website.
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