Hey, readers; Troy here. Last time around, we got some questions about how hard it is for long-running indie books to maintain over the haul. Holly decided to address that, and some of the people that have helped along the way . . .
The reason we’re so consistent is because Jim is crazy-glued to his chair and chained to the drawing table and I have had a Photoshop/Adobe implanted directly into my brain!
Gosh… I guess it’s because Jim is creating ideas all the time- We really don’t take many days off so we hit all our deadlines, so the books are in the stores when we say they will be. I think that makes the store owners happy.
We are so blessed to work with wonderful people at Diamond- at our printer , Quebecor…
And our READERS, who we can stay in contact with through our myspace pages- facebook… and we do a fun Newsletters that I send out bi-weekly unless I’m in deadline or uber sick…
But I think what keeps BroadSword Happy and Healthy is that our Readers really love Jim’s work!
He doesn’t write down to an 8th grade level- he is creating for grown-ups. Jim and myself
grew up smitten with comic books, D&D, sci fi and fantasy! But now we’re adults who have different life experiences and ponderings from when we were in high school. I believe that all the other readers that grew up as well are hunting for something similar.
Jim and I visited the Faerie Con this Autumn- It’s put on by Robert Gould and Brian & Wendy Froud… it was fun and enlightening! We sat in on a workshop run by Robert Gould ( he was the wonderful artist on Moorcock’s Elric books). In his lecture, he spoke about why fantasy and faerie art is very popular, especially with women. Since we have such a great female readership…my ears pricked up!
He said that because Disney created all these fairytale animated movies and merchandise….
little girls have had a diet of Tinkerbell-Snow White and such…and crave that fantasy-
BUT, when they grow up, there’s very little of that flavor in today’s media to satisfy their hunger!
Faeries are sensual -beautiful and sometime a bit edgy!
Me- I thought that was a fascinating observation! So, us grown up little Girls are looking for that fantasy- but with more complicated ingredients and a lovely wine to pair with it!
I believe that people who practice the Craft, Wicca & Pagan theologies also feel that Jim’s work
feeds their hungry imagination. Hopefully my work feeds all readers that need the cute and well dressed
: )
LOL- There’s your long answer to why I think Tarot is on her 9th Birthday! We really love what we do and hope that gets across through all our work.
As to how Tarot is created . .
Jim pencils, inks and creates two covers plus a pencil litho for every issue….
On our anniversary we also do a photo cover- as we did for Tarot #55…so the camera gets whipped out and we do a photo session… After Jim completes a page- I scan and prep …(after Jim erases… I can’t erase…it really hurts after a while : P )
Thank the Comicbook Goddess we do have help with flatting! Stephanie Chan and Randi Lamb have been our flatters…all done through ftp. When we get the flatted pages in- I go to town on the rendering.
After Jim writes his script, it is sent to the only other person involved with the ‘Tarot’ process , Neil Morris! Our Editor and Aroma Witch…he appeared in issue #12…and #33… and you haven’t seen the last of him! Beth Wade has edited my School Bites and most recently did a edit on the New Elite
Hardcover of Tarot Trade vol 1.
Then I do the Production (back pages-layouts) and the lettering…
After all is done- Jim goes over everything …making sure I didn’t leave anything out…or having something tweaked here or there.
Tarot is his baby …so I want to make sure the delivery goes smoothly. I’d say all in all- it’s really an in-house delivery…the less hands the better.
Everyone was a Tarot reader before they worked with us. That’s how we became connected. So there’s a lot of care and pride inside every ounce of work that goes into creating Tarot… I’m getting ferklemped…
And just to make sure all our hard work is on the right track…yes, I do the odd candle ritual.
And I’ll send you off with the new trailer for Tarot #54 . . .
January 21st, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Holly’s and Jim’s hard work can be seen in each and every beautiful issue of Tarot. But they also show the love to the readers if you ever lucky enough to meet them at a comic con. The best to you both in the years to come. And thank you for all that you both do.
January 21st, 2009 at 7:21 pm
One of the reasons that I like Tarot so much, besides the fantasy and faeries(HUGH Tink fan!), is that the people behind BroadSword Comics are great peeps!
Thank you! Jim, Holly and crew!
January 21st, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Holly and Jim are great to their fans! They work so hard to make Tarot perfect. I love that commitment! Other indie comics don’t have that- somehow they always fall behind (they don’t print when they promise, etc.) and soon they are nowhere to be found. I’m always disappointed when one the comics I follow disappears from the shelves. But, Tarot is always there, with better colors, better story lines and wonderful images. Thank you for everything you do! Tarot ROCKS!
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:59 pm
I really respect and enjoy Jim and Holly’s work, especially with Tarot, and so I love reading about how the magick happens. You can see the love and care put into each issue, in all aspects of the book. Thanks for doing another interview!
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Hi Holli
Great Blog. Your work sounds absolutely fantastic! You probably have found yourself another fan in me!!
Marie-Claude
http://www.mcbourque.com
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:12 pm
As stated, I don’t think there are any other artists that are as awesome and accessible to their fans like Jim and Holly. Although they are both super busy putting out their fantastic comic books, they still take the time to connect with their fans, answer their questions, and talk with them at conventions. They appreciate their fans as much as their fans appreciate them and their work. And there is something really special about that. The energy they give out to their readers, as well as their hard work to give fans a great book, definitely benefits them overall. I’m so glad to have found a comic with so many great messages and so many incredible role model characters for women. It’s truly one of a kind and I look forward to many many more future issues! I wish them all the success in the world!
January 24th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Hurray!!!!
aww Thanks everyone!
Please feel free to comment on what you’d like to see in future Blogs here : )
Also here is the url to our Trailer on Myspace for Tarot #54!
Much Love & Magick to everyone!
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=50556084
July 10th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Mad props for all the much deserved awards&acclaim your getting cant wait to see whats in store for tarot next! i do wish you guys would give some of your other cool creations a chance to shine like prehaps a boo cat mini series where shes teamed up with the 3kittens or a skeleton man solo mini thAt would so rock!
April 1st, 2011 at 12:23 pm
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