Interview with J.M. Brandt and Theo Prasidis

J.M. Brandt and Theo Prasidis are the writing duo behind SWAMP DOGS: HOUSE OF CROWS on Scout Comic's Black Caravan imprint. J.M Brandt  is currently working on several other unannounced projects, but you can read his short story, “The Welcoming Committee” in Vol. 3 of MIDNIGHT MAGAZINE'S anthology MIDNIGHT TALES. Theo Prasidis' new book BLACK MASS RISING is forthcoming from TKO Studios, and readily available from Image Comics is THE DOOMSTER'S MONOLITHIC POCKET ALPHABET.

J.M. Brandt

Theo Prasidis

J.M., Theo, tell us a little bit about how you both got into comics and what about the medium makes them perfect for telling your stories.

Theo: I never was much into comics. I grew up as a movie kid, devouring everything from mindless 1980s Van Damme action flicks, to Akira Kurosawa’s sophisticated epics. I loved cinema as a whole, so I studied to become a filmmaker. Along the way however, I realized that being a filmmaker, and having to deal with so many different people in order to tell a story, takes much more tenacity and resilience than I had. So I quit chasing that, and worked on different things. At some point I started writing a tongue-in-cheek alphabet about doom metal, a genre I was very much involved with because of a music festival I was curating at the time. I wrote it as a joke, really. I brought in Maarten Donders, one of the scene's most prolific illustrators, to do the art, with the ambition of printing a couple of copies and selling them at the festival’s merch booth. One night I got the crazy idea of pitching this to Image Comics, and within twenty minutes Eric Stephenson got back to me, saying they’ll put it out. That was it for me. Everything made sense. With comics I get to tell the exact stories I want to tell, without studio pressure, budget restrictions, or managing a fucking army. They’re the perfect medium for me. They’re downright liberating.

J.M.: I was a child of the 80s, and as such, grew up on cartoons and Toys’R’Us. I really cottoned early to “Superfriends” and was obsessed with the early 80s Marvel and DC action figures. So I guess that’s how I was first exposed. In fact, around the time I was 3 or 4 we would rent old VHS collections of the 1960s Marvel cartoons and I’d watched them so much that we wound up wearing down the tape on a couple. I still have vivid memories of the covers depicting Namor and Thor… to the point I could even tell you what part of the store they were in nearly 40 years later. Flash forward and my house is rather close to a shop called Golden Apple… and they had a bitchin’ mural on the side of the wall that fascinated me. It was Wolverine, unmasked, from the cover of Wolverine #1. I want to say an old iteration of the mural also had Red Sonja on it, but you can’t quote me on that part. As soon as I had money “of my own” as a kid, that was the first shop I wanted to spend it all in. I believe the first comic I bought on my own was a back issue of Moon Knight. I’ve been hooked, more or less, ever since. 

As for what makes them the perfect medium for storytelling? They give you a level of control over the narrative and the visuals of a story that no other medium can. The presentation can be as mundane or as abstract and experimental as you want. You control the pacing at an almost granular level. In a way it takes the best of writing prose and making a movie or TV and distills it to this wonderful sequential package.

Two writers on separate paths and an ocean between you. How did the writing partnership come about, and how did you know Swamp Dogs was the book you wanted to pitch?

Theo: At this point, I feel like I have told the story of how I met J.M. more times than how I met my own wife! But it’s totally worth it, because the whole thing was such a happy coincidence. We were both contributors at Screen Rant, the entertainment website, we were digging each other's articles, and we got talking. Music, movies, TV shows, our tastes were very similar, so we decided to work on something together. The idea was to make our own pop culture website, but then my Image book got announced, and J.M. came to me with a proposal: imagine if you will a Tombs of the Blind Dead comic book, but instead of rural Spain, it takes place in the swampy South, and instead of Templar Knights, you have undead Confederates. To say that I was hooked, would be an understatement.

J.M.: What he said. It’s a pretty interesting meet-cute, though, isn’t it? Swamp Dogs, at least a very distant form of it, was an idea that I’d been unable to shake for nearly a decade when I brought it to Theo to work on it together. I needed a like-minded soul to help me give birth to it. Theo was the man for the job.

A comic set in the south, undead confederates, scantily clad women. I know we only have the first issue out, but has there been any…controversy that either of you have had to address? Anything either of you would like to state for potential readers that might be cautious to pick up a book involving undead confederate soldiers?

Theo: Dealing with the controversy of the subject matter was one of our earliest conversation topics. We’re forward thinking people who are very aware of how hurtful certain themes can be, so we wanted to play this absolutely right. We did our best to portray the Swamp Dogs like the truly remorseless monsters that they are. There’s not an ounce of humanity in them, no inkling of redemption or sympathy. They’re evil to their very core. And in the wake of the Trump administration, and all the horrific things we’ve seen happening in the States over the past few years, they also work as great stand-ins for systemic oppression and violence.

J.M.: I wouldn’t call it controversy, but there have been some concerned voices both on Twitter and in person at conventions. Some have been concerned by our portrayal of queer women. Some have been concerned by our portrayal of race. In every instance, I listened to those concerns and responded as thoughtfully and sincerely as I could. We’re not out to misrepresent any group. Is there overt sexuality coming from the female leads? Absolutely. This is a grindhouse homage. This is a genre book at its core. But our thinking is that it is not innately a denigrating portrayal just because of the sexuality. These women are human beings, and there are complex goings-ons, a REAL romance and REAL emotions, that also get portrayed. And we are always open to listening to thoughts from the communities that we are representing in the book, and working to keep things balanced.

Are you working on other projects together? Any solo works you can talk about yet?

Theo: Well, we have a number of exciting things coming up in the Swamp Dogs universe, so we don’t plan to stop working together anytime soon. I have a new TKO Studios book that’s just been announced, an original Dracula-themed horror/fantasy graphic novel called Black Mass Rising, featuring some striking art by Jodie Muir. And I’m working on an awesome project with animated film director and illustrator Adrian Dexter, who is known for his cover work for the heavy psych/prog band Elder. Can’t say much about this one yet, but it’s one of those projects that keep you up at night. So yeah, I’m pretty psyched!

J.M.: There are proposals in. There are parties interested. But it’s one of those “if I told you I’d have to kill you” type situations. But I am currently writing a twisted short story about a modern day problem and how being alienated from your neighbors can lead to some pretty disturbing circumstances. That’s probably what I’m most excited about finishing next. It’s called, “What Are They Doing Up There?”

These all sound like awesome projects! As you both know by now I’m a bit of a horror hound myself, and while these aren’t all entirely horror projects, what is it about the dark that has you both creating in it?     

Theo: I don’t know, man, I ask myself the same question all the time, haha! And I did try to develop a couple of more children-oriented projects recently, but I can’t seem to be able to wrap my head around them. I keep coming back to horror. I mean yeah, horror stands as a great metaphor for our deep, personal traumas, and our collective existential anxieties, and all that. But there’s more to it. I guess there’s something comforting in horror and fantasy. Like the world makes much more sense if there are monsters in it. I just can’t think of a better place to lose yourself in, than a good horror story.

J.M.: I don’t know exactly what compels me. I mean, The Count was my favorite Sesame Street Muppet (and not because of the math) and my first dream job (and current dream job) was being a Ghostbuster. Some people are just drawn to horror. It takes the right mix of nerves and grit and sense of humor in life, I think. Fiction is powerful because it allows our brains to play in the realms of the unreal and, at the end of the story/movie/game, we are safe and unharmed (except maybe our psyches). So why not really push the limits of the unreal and make it something catastrophic and violent beyond measure?

For Swamp Dogs, you both assembled the creative team. What goes into your thought process for finding the right people to work with? With different projects is it the same process?

Theo: The process is always the same to me: figure out the vibe I want the project to have, and find the team that will absolutely nail it. It doesn't matter where they are from, or how big a name they are, or how many books they have put out. If they’re the right people for the project, they get the job.

J.M.: As a creator and writer, I see the images of what I am making before they’re committed to paper. From there it is surprisingly simple to see whose work (or potential in their work) fits most closely to what I see in my mind’s eye. That’s not to say that it’s a simple process, though. Like with Swamp Dogs, Theo and I went through dozens of artists and letterers before figuring out whose styles would mesh the best with what we wanted to accomplish. We just got insanely lucky that we wound up with our first choices!

I ask everyone I interview…If you could only give one piece of advice, be it for writing or life, what would it be?      

Theo: There are three pieces of advice I usually give that apply both to comics and life. One, take your work seriously. If you won’t do it, no one else will. Two, keep on trying. It’s easy, even tempting, to just quit, but trust me when I say that there are people out there who are going to believe and invest in your vision. You just need to find them. Three, and hear me out on this one: don’t be a dick.

J.M.: If you believe in something and love it… then there are other people out there that will be picking up what you’re putting down. So don’t doubt your vision.

 

Theo:

https://www.theoprasidis.com

https://www.facebook.com/theo.prasidis/

https://twitter.com/TheoPrasidis

https://www.instagram.com/theoprasidis/

J.M. Brandt:

https://twitter.com/MRJMBrandt

https://Instagram.com/j.m.brandt

https://facebook.com/MrJMBrandt

GIG-A-TRON!

So you got your first gig--congrats! It probably feels a little surreal. You've loved comics your whole life and fought tooth and nail for this moment and you made it happen. You got your first page rate, and damn is it low, but that's okay cause you're in the biz, kid! Enjoy the moment, and if you're talented, pleasant, organized, and a little bit lucky you'll have many more moments like it.

Okay, you've lettered your first comic and are now getting acquainted with the editorial and proofreading process. Hopefully since this is your first gig they aren't re-writing the entire book on you, but it happens (and don't worry, we'll eventually talk about that BS here). You manage to fix all the mistakes, and yep, there are bound to be some. And yes, even you will have made mistakes on your first book. That's okay, I still make mistakes, too. Just try to improve every time. There's a thin line between mistakes and messiness and your editor will let you know if it's the latter. Anyway, so you've delivered your final files and the job is done. The payment is on the way. Now what?

Now, you should be leveraging this gig into as many gigs as you want to take on. Start with your editor or publisher you just delivered your first work to. If they're happy with your work and you in general they will use you again. The thing about comics is that they always need to be lettered! But Steve, how?! Well, just ask. Ask your editor if they have additional work you can take on. If not, do they know of any other editors in need of lettering? No? Don't fret, don't be annoying about it, and as soon as you can show the world your first book. Post it to your socials, share it with your friends. Talk about your positive experience with the work and how much you'd like to do it again. Tell people you're looking for work. Reach out to other creatives, other letterers and ask if they know someone looking for lettering (or whatever it is you do). Leverage this work in all the ways you can, while being sincere, non-spammy, pleasant, and professional. 

And that really should be enough to turn one gig into another. Rinse and repeat.

WHAT ARE YOU WORTH?!

First off, this is not some self-help mumbo jumbo about self-esteem, but self-esteem and how you value your self and your time absolutely affects your overall worth. Now, for the sake of this piece I'll be focusing on determining if a page rate can work for you and if it doesn't what--if anything--you can do about it.

So, despite your parents protests, you've decided you want to letter comics. Let's assume you have a solid foundation on how to actually do this and you've proven to yourself you can do it well. You've put your work out there, submitted samples, and hey! someone has just offered you your first gig. Congrats! 

The client has neglected to tell you what your page rate is, and being the smart individual you are, you ask them, "what's the rate on this?" They reply, and it's 10 dollars a page. It's probably not the answer you were hoping to get, and you respond asking if it's possible to get more. Turns out to be no. This is your first gig after all, and it's with a smaller--but reputable--publisher. Now you have to ask yourself if you're worth that? Are you worth more? Chances are you're worth more, but you decide you love comics. The project is a good fit for you, and you're just excited to get your first professional credit in a comic book. It really is a great feeling. Enjoy it, be proud of it.

You now have a baseline page rate. 10 bucks a page. There's probably 22 pages in the book. If you're decent at math that's 220 dollars. Factor in 30% for the tax man and you're going to take home 154 dollars to letter that book. If a client offers you less than 10 a page, walk away. Seriously. In my opinion this is the bare minimum page rate even a beginner letterer should take. 

Now the gut-check begins. Can YOU realistically make that page rate work for YOUR life. You seriously need to take a look at your ability and speed. At this rate, speed will be your best asset. Not only to get more work, but to make the most efficient use of your time and page rate. If you can develop a workflow that moves you speedily through pages, while delivering GOOD work this will develop your overall ability as a letterer but earn you the ability to get more work and command a better page rate. Why? Because you're worth it, and you've proved to your client your worth it. Now, it may take you some time but if your persistent and consistent it will happen. (You have to ask of course.)

Let's say you're able to letter 4 pages per hour. Instead of looking at it as a page rate, you could change the way you look at the project to an hourly wage. Now, you're making 40 dollars/hour (don't forget the tax man!) that's not bad. Also keep in mind time beyond the initial page. Keep track of how much time you spend on communication with your client, on corrections, proofreading, re-writing, file delivery and then factor that into the rate. Is it still worth your time? How can you make it so that it is? I have no easy answer there, that's really up to you. But if you really want to be a letter, speed is the name of the game. Speed kills.