IndyFest Magazine #96: Indyfest Magazine, #96

By Ian Shires

The 96 issue of IndyFest Magazine! is here.
This Summer of 2016 issue is one you need to read. Inside you will find in-depth interviews with:

Max West
Mana Born
Kyrun Silva
Michael Saad
David Nicoll

Also included in this issue:

Eitorial by Ian Shires
A Written View by Douglas Owen
Melting Away the Shame by Trisha Sugarek
Honing Your Craft by Nanci M. Pattenden
Hall of Fame update by Ian Shires

Sneek Peek:

Keeper of the Gates
The Few and Cursed

Published by Ian Shires, Dimestore Productions 

Managing Editor Ellen Fleisher
Circulation Coordinator Douglas Owen
Cover Max West and additional cover by Chris Caravalho

IndyFest Magazine spotlights the creative efforts of artists taking control of their work. Each month you will find interviews, how toos and great advice from talented artists. Not stopping there, the magazine interviews the most amazing people and uncovers what it takes to be on the cutting edge of Self-Publishing.

All this - and it is FREE

Don't forget to tell your friends!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dimestore Productions
• Release date: Aug 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536567076

Book preview

Small Press, Big World: A New Look at Max West and Sunnyville Stories

By Ellen Fleischer

When last we spoke with Max West, creator of Sunnyville Stories, it was almost two years ago and we hadn’t yet changed our name from Self Publisher! to Indyfest. This month, Max joins us once more to talk about what’s been going on with Sunnyville in the interim, how he’s gotten there, and where he’s going next. (To those of our readers who’d like to check out the earlier article, you can find it in Self Publisher! #74, available for free download at http://mag.indyfestusa.com/read/#74.)

IM: What sparked your interest in comics?

MW: Exposure at a young age. I grew up in New York City and my family regularly got the local newspapers (the New York Post and the New York Daily News). The first thing I turned to? The comics section. I would read Peanuts, as well as Garfield and the Family Circus. Later on, I would read collections of these comics collected in paperbacks at my local library.

IM: How have you developed your craft over the years?

My education was piecemeal. I’d been drawing on an on-and-off basis for years, but it wasn’t until 2002 that I drew on a regular basis. While I did do a lot of practice and self-study, I went to night classes at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. There I learned life drawing, perspective, and painting, but most importantly, the nuts and bolts of comics, from names like Tom Hart, Matt Madden, and Tom Motley. Other than that, I just rely on plenty of practice and heading to life drawing sessions.

IM: Who would you consider to be your major influences and inspirations?

MW: One would be the German Expressionist painter Paul Klee. He’s my favorite painter and I love his use of color with line. But more than that, he really aimed to capture the world the way he saw it, rather than how people told him to see it. I draw what I see and I depict the world as I see it. I’ve had problems recently with detractors telling me to draw realistically. If you want to capture reality, then take a photo!

Another influence has been Charles Schulz. The artwork of Peanuts has always been a contrast to realism or the drawing of Walt Kelly and Bill Watterson. I use simple artwork, which also earns me criticism. I’ve been called lazy or just plain stupid for not drawing realistically or photo-realistically, but I don’t think drawing in that way would help me. My simple drawing, like that of Schulz, allows readers to project their own interpretations into the lines. Ultimately, the people who enjoy my work are the ones who put much in there to begin with. The complex writing I use too—like Schulz again—helps.

IM: It’s been almost two years since the last time we’ve talked (back in SP! 74). What’s been going on in the interim?

MW: The third volume of Sunnyville Stories has been released and I feel Sunnyville is starting to grow the beard. My drawing and layouts got much better, plus I have an established universe and continuity to work with. We’re starting to see Rusty think about his future; he reveals that he wants to be an animator, which leads him into conflict with his mom. I’ve also been dropping hints that Samantha has feelings for Rusty, but he’s not aware of that. There’s been more awareness of Sunnyville, too; I’ve gotten many good reviews, gotten more fan mail, and even made my local newspaper in Fargo, North Dakota! Working to promote Sunnyville is a challenge too. I have to rely on word-of-mouth and social media, but I still continue using direct mail to reach potential vendors and libraries with big budgets. As for other ideas, one I’ve been developing is Ingmar the Wanderer, a blind weapon-master wielding a sword cane. This character does co-exist with the Sunnyville universe and may do