That Lovemanga Interview

Love Manga:You have a new book coming out from publisher Iris Print called Only Words. Give us a quick run down on what we could expect when it is released May 2007.

Tina Anderson: My publisher says, “It’s a dark, sexy story sure to intrigue fans of erotic boy’s love.” [laughs] And that’s what it is, a BL story pure and simple; the historic aspects of Only Words are just setting for a dark sexy story. The protagonist is young seminary student Koby Bruk, who’s secretly aroused by the idea of being ‘forced’ into things he can’t manage; his current situation—the taking of his town by the Germans—and the subsequent loss of control in life, set his dreams and fantasies into gear, and so his sexual emotions kick into overdrive when he encounters the domineering young Nazi, Oskar Keplar. It’s not as deep as some might suspect, after all this is BL; it’s a story about sex, but as many of my fans know, you get plenty of plot before the main course.

LM: A Boys Love title involving a Priest, a junior Nazi officer, and set in Poland during WW2? Cosmetic Clergy seems to be the least of the terms that could potentially be leveled at this. Moving past the superficial level how do you think this book will be received in the US?

TA: I hope it’ll do well, and to be honest I don’t care what the talking-heads who don’t read BL manga have to say about its cover or what they suspect is immoral subject matter. My only concern is how our fans will take to our original material. Many of the fans we have are our ‘circle’ fans and are fans of our ani-paro doujinshi; what they think means a lot to us because they’re the ones who’ve given us the guts to take it to the next level. In terms of new readers, I want Only Words to be judged as a BL title, not some intense piece of literature requiring examination just because it’s set in some serious point in history. [laughs]. It’ll definitely garnish attention because the Priest and the Nazi are two (of many) popular character types in BL, so it won’t shock old-school fen at all, but it may raise the eyebrows of those unfamiliar with the genre other than what they’ve seen licensed.

LM: You don’t care what the ‘talking-heads’ say about it. Is there no room for a middle-ground consensus?

TA: I’d kill for some serious middle-ground consensus, but again, this is BL and the book isn’t so deep that it might inspire serious examination. Only Words doesn’t contain a concentration camp scenario involving a prisoner and a soldier; that particular plot is something I avoid writing entirely because of my own family background. Yet I’ve seen that scenario written before, and written well; again the pros and cons of my story based on the love scenes in the manga. They’re certainly going to raise some eyebrows. But by the ‘talking-heads’ I meant those who simply cannot distinguish between what’s ‘manga for mature readers’ and what’s ‘pornographic manga’. There is a difference; people that don’t bother to see this difference are the ones I could care less about.

LM: What was it about Only Words that made you want to draw this particular title?

Caroline Monaco: Heh, the priest, the Nazi and the time period. I seem to be one of those scary people with a priest fetish…er…at least an anime priest fetish. Also I’ll admit I was hoping the Nazi would be a higher rank, so I’d get to play around with the sharp uniforms and the knee high boots. I’ll still probably get to draw those, but not as much as I’d like [sorry, I just really love those uniforms]. While the setting really isn’t something I’m comfortable with yet[drawing wise], World War II in general I’ve got a lot to draw off of. I grew up listening to radio shows from the 30s-40s, which was also the same timeframe most of the family’s movie selection came from…that may seem a tad weird but because of that background I felt pretty comfy tackling this project.

LM: How have you found drawing Only Words for Iris Print, the revisions, the deadlines?

CM: So far it’s fun, revisions bite though, ’cause everyone’s got a different vision and that really doesn’t make it easy. The only thing that has changed from the other deadlines I’ve had comic wise, is installments of 20 pages each month…in order. I may be a “sequential art” artist…but I don’t draw sequentially, if I have a script I like bouncing around, drawing what I want to first then filling out the rest. Tina likes teasing me whenever it was time to upload a book…the order might go: page 10, 25-30, 15, 18, 33, 5, 12…and so on till all the pages are uploaded.

LM: With Only Words taking up so much of your time have you had any left to devote to other projects?

CM: Actually…yeah I do. Though lately they haven’t really been anything too finished…and still fan work for the most part. I’ve been reintroducing myself to the Star Trek universe [don’t laugh] and got a little too caught up in the one of the many side stories, Dr. Noonien Soong and his two android “sons”, Data and Lore. It’s a pity all the comic lines basically stopped for Star Trek, ’cause right now I think I’d sell my soul to get to work on even one story. Man, now everyone [knows] just what a geek I really am. Also, sort of related to that little ramble, I’ve been trying to work out an idea I had about a bounty-hunter and an android [nothing like those mention above I swear]…So far no luck though.

LM: Your partnership with Elegant Madness co-conspirator Caroline Monaco seems to be bearing fortuitous fruit. How did it all come about?
TA: I’ve always possessed an unhealthy love for Yasuhiro Nightow’s Trigun and because of my addiction to Young King Ours and ALL its titles, I never really into the ‘yaoi’ fan-scene for Trigun stateside. There were too many Vash and Wolfwood ‘pairing’ fans and I just never saw those two together. I was always a Gung Ho Guns fan, and back in 2003 I came across an artist known as ‘kheelan’, who shared my passion for the GHG. I said, ‘hey, let’s make some otaku work together’, she said ‘sure’. Since then we’ve released eight Nightow-works doujinshi, gained a bunch of Japanese Nightow doujinshika as friends, and were the sponsors of the English Gungrave Anthology. Last year we were fronted some table space at Spring Comiket, where we sold out of our Trigun books and the Gungrave Anthology. We’ve traded books at more than a few Nightow only fanbook events, and we managed to co-secure space at Winter Comiket for our final Gungrave book, a text doujinshi with color illustrations. We’re currently in a state of temporary retirement with fan works.
LM: The first work I ever saw of yours was Futz a Trigun doujinshi. How has your drawing style progressed?

CM: First work as in ever? Well…that would be cool, ’cause then you actually got to see the black & white comic stuff first.

As for drawing…I’m going with I was born with it. Admittly I’m at a higher evolved state now but I don’t remember having to ever teach myself to actually draw. The one thing I think sped this evolution along was I was home schooled from 2nd grade on [home schooled as in my parents were my “teachers” and our home was the “school”]. I had probably too much time on my hands, so all I did was basically draw…I’ve paid for that time in other ways, but art wise I gained more years experience then most of the art teachers I’ve had in college.
LM: Caroline Monaco isn’t the only artist you’ve written for, how do you find collaborating with so many different people?

TA: In terms of collaborating, she is my true ‘partner’. Her art galvanizes the lot of what I’ve written and always will. In that, I mean her style and art is what I see in my mind when I’m creating, it makes no matter if she’s going to draw it or not. As for other works I’ve done, my first few published pieces I’m not particularly happy about, mainly because I didn’t get ‘to collaborate’ in the traditional sense. I wrote, I sold, and the script was assigned, and I was not encouraged to contact the artist and develop a relationship of any sort. Only recently, in terms of short works, have I been able to sit down and really get to know the artist assigned to me and so I’ve a creative confidence in how it’s coming together.
LM: You’re stuck on a Manga deserted island. Being a Manga deserted island it only allows manga, what 4 titles would you pick to keep you going and why?

TA: The Lady Snowblood series. I first ‘picture-read’ the books many years ago, and when I finally got my hands on them in English the story impressed me even more. Yuki reminds me that being a woman is the ultimate camouflage, but it’s not a disguise, nor should it be.
LM: You’re stuck on a Manga deserted island and only have pens and 4 pieces of paper. What 4 characters would you draw and why?

CM: Bet people love this question. Only four…geez…I could get you an eight page comic with that. Well, some where in there I’d draw Niklas Synn. He’s a character of my own creation, insane and quite a spaz. He’s usually the character I draw the most when I’m feeling really down and real lonely, and if I’m on a deserted island that would probably be me everyday [I get real homesick]. Siegried Schtauffen, character from Soul Calibur. This game and character are probably what’s to blame for me getting into the whole anime/manga thing to begin with. He’s always a character I come back to, even when there’s not a new game out. Maybe I just like testing whether or not I still have all his armour memorized…haven’t failed yet. Iori Yagami , another fighting game character, this one from King of Fighters. Iori’s in here because everytime I try to draw I never feel I quite have the feel for him yet…and that’s my cat’s name [though I more often refer to him as “Madness”…which is a Gungrave reference, I’m so sad]. I’d probably try to get my pet in there to. Last one…from Trigun, Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Shame on any one who didn’t guess that. Out of the list he’s probably the easiest one to draw, but that’s what makes him the perfect choice. Easy equals fun, and if I’m on a blinkin’ island I’ll need something fun at least once.

LM: To me it often seems like you always have another story on the go somewhere. How does your creative process work?

TA: When I begin a new project I always do a complete walkthrough in my Guns, Guys, and Yaoi blog at gynocrat.blogdrive.com, in terms of that process it’s normally the same for every story—I never start a new script until the old one is complete. I formulate a basic story, and then develop my characters. Once my characters are complete I flesh out a proper outline of a story with a start, middle, and a finish. After that, I use the outline to write dialogue for my scenes, and complete every scene from page one to final. With dialogue in place I pencil out page thumbs [artist direction sketches] of each page to show layout, placement of characters, etc. Once that’s complete I format my script for submission, embed the sketches into a word file, and then put it away. Once I’m happy with it, it gets submitted, and while it’s out being reviewed for possible sale, I begin the course all over again with a new story. The whole method takes about a month for something short [a 40 page story] or three months for a graphic novel length work [about 150 pages]. It takes time, and you have to really think your story though as you flesh it out and finally format it. Writing manga is more intensive because like it or not, you get no contract until your script is approved. As a writer with or without an artist in place, your work must be your best in order to make the sale. I learned from my friends in Japan, a comic’s writer is judged by how many titles he/she has in production or on shelves at any given time so as a writer I’m in a constant state of creating. Artists [mangaka] have the luxury of moving on to lighter fare like illustrating novels or doing cover work, but in manga writers-only will die in the water if they stop producing works for consideration; if you’re a writer and all you have in you is just one book, then stay away from manga publishers. Delve into traditional comics, publish there, and score yourself a career writing for a lucrative series or an established franchise.
LM: How does your creative process work, are you involved in all aspects from penciling to toning?

CM: I am involved as long as there’s people on the page, as soon as I run out of people I start getting lazy. Seems to be a pretty familiar cry of comic/manga artists, backgrounds suck. As far as the physical part goes though, I’m stuck doing everything. Not wealthy enough to hire someone to take on parts of it, nor confident enough in letting someone else take over part of the process…expect maybe toning, that I wouldn’t mind surrending.

LM: Time to pimp yourself. You have written many doujinshi works over the years, you’ve delved in to slashable stuff and your Trigun works are most sort after, so where should us uninitiated start to get the full Tina Anderson experience?

TA: The Tina Anderson experience? Come over here and sit on my lap Dave. [laughs].
Just joking! My best is coming. Right now I’m working with two different publishers who’ve given me reasonable creative freedom in terms of subject matter and expressing myself. At the moment, each of the editors I’ve been assigned have employed an ‘editorial fence’ around me, as opposed to an ‘editorial leash’ which makes all the difference in the world when it comes to my muse, and my ego. If an editor yanks my chain just to remind me that I’m collared, they won’t get my best. They’ll get just what I’m contracted to do, no more-no less. Yaoicon 2006 in October is where you can see the pure unadulterated Tina Anderson, the stuff I’m known for which is the guns and the guys, but I also have a nice romantic side I’ve tapped into for Iris and their debut anthology; I hope fans of my more dangerous stuff like it. On that note, I’m very excited for Global-BL overall because I feel 2007 is going to be its breakout year, and this winters Yaoicon offers just a sample of what’s to come.

LM: There are the doujinshi’s, there is the Only Words project. Just what works should we be looking at to get the true Caroline Monaco experience?

CM: With the artists I like, the part that really engages me is how they’ve grown. So I guess the true “Caroline Monaco experience” would be to start at the beginning. And unless I get very famous and everything I’ve ever done gets published in some artbook [which would start around the beginning of middle school…Oh you lucky people]. So until then and if you don’t mind explicit “boys’ love”, the place to start would be the first Trigun Doujinshi, “Empire of Dirt”. I know Tina’s not as proud of that now…and style wise for me it’s starting to look a bit old, though that’s what makes it best starting point. I have quite a few artist friends that would never want anyone looking at their old work…even if it was from a year ago. For me though…I believe this “experience” is where I started and where I am…and if you want to get real crazy about it, where I might go in a few years time. Little bits of the way I draw changes at least every month, so while I may draw a character one way the beginning of the week, by the end I’ve somehow subconsciously altered them [you can still tell it’s them]. I’ve only been able to catch it though looking through the final product after it’s all done.

LM: How do you see the global Boys’ Love scene here in the west compared to that of Japan?
CM: This is more of a Tina question. I really don’t pay much attention to scenes. I just pick up what I’m interested in and leave the analyzing and debating to other people.

LM: How do you see the global Boys’ Love scene here in the west compared to that of Japan?

TA: The shame is that many fans aren’t aware of a ‘Global-BL’ scene in the West because BL licensors have ignored domestic talent, which I think is a crime. As groups like Umbrella Studios, the crew at Sakuranbo, and creators like PL Nunn and Juxtapose Fantasy were beginning to garnish attention, publisher interests all shifted solely to licensed fare from Japan, and so naturally it seemed that Yaoicon shifted its focus to accommodate licensed fare as well.

The biggest difference I see between Japan and the West in terms of the BL scene is the fans, and that’s down to the art and story styles of Global-BL creators. Much of Global-BL features characters that self-identify as gay in plot structure—that, combined with most western comikers art styles [healthier, Western looking men over the impossibly beautiful Japanese standard] have massive appeal to gay male fans. While I don’t mind gay male fans of BL coming out and saying they like it, I tend to wince when some of them get ticked off that women are embracing or creating so industriously, something they perceive is all about them. I think this happens in the Western scene because Global-BL creators don’t stick to the traditional story elements that Japanese BL creator’s employed in the past, and the art reflects a more realistic aspect of what western women find sexy. Established Western fen are diverse and have varied concepts about what’s sexy and what isn’t, so while the pure Japanese style may appeal to some, it repulses many others. Another thing to note is, that even in the west, just like in Japan, there is a distinct difference between Gay comics (manga) and Global-BL. One would never suggest the popular works of Patrick Fillion’s Class Comics is BL; its beautiful, unadulterated gay smut NOT intended for women. That’s how gay comics have endured; they’ve stayed true to their market by not compromising their subject matter based on who might be reading it and how much they’re willing to spend on it. I think Global BL will see success if creators and publishers remain true to their intended audience, women.
LM: Do you feel then that publishers like BeBeautiful, Blu Manga and DramaQueen have put back the rise of Global BL’s in the west by just concentrating on licensed yaoi?

TA: I think what each of those companies has accomplished for BL fans in the west is stupendous. They’ve brought over varying degrees of BL and delivered it to wanton fans. What I didn’t like, and what disappointed me was, when I approached some of these companies in terms of domestic talent I got this vibe that, if it wasn’t from Japan it wasn’t marketable, ergo it didn’t exist. Only Drama Queen was ever interested in domestic BL in terms of talking to fans and inquiring about local creators. Yet my anger faded when faced with evidence that there wasn’t enough ‘marketable’ talent in the west, and this was a bitter pill to swallow.

Then something happened. The blinders worn by these publishers in regard to ‘domestic’ creators had a weird effect on the scene. It made the best of us bold, and quite motivated in terms of producing ourselves and harvesting a fan base. I’ve personally seen where this ambition has manifested itself with at least four creators, one of whom is now working pro in gay comics. Being edged out a bit in the con circuit and on the web, by licensors, gave us all a bit of a kick in terms of, hey—you don’t want my work, fine, I’ll make it for people who do. Yet I’m still wary of some licensors; Rachel over at DMP stated on the forum some time ago that they ‘were open to submissions’ from domestic talent, but ‘weren’t looking for anything at this time.’ 0_o. My thoughts were, put up or shut up. Only one licensor has stepped up to the plate, and I’m sure when they’re successful, all the others will follow…

LM: How do you as a writer feel you can improve the reputation of Boys’ Love?

TA: …stiffer penalties for parole violators Dave…oh and World Peace. [laughs], Seriously? I think Global-BL is suffering from a bad rep at the moment because it’s been marketed to ‘fans of Japanese yaoi’ and that’s just not what it is. Sure, many creators of Global-BL are fans Japanese BL and because of that, we’ve all been heavily influenced by it, but our work shouldn’t be marketed as ‘American yaoi’. One of the things I found incredibly cool about the upcoming anthology I’m in called Rush is what I perceived an unambiguous attempt by Drama Queen to consider ‘fans of global-BL’. I feel it’s a bold move and have come to think Rush as Global-BL’s very own Be-Boy Luv [laughs]. DQ delivers quality titles to Japanese BL fans with their licenses; that being said, I’m elated to see they’ve seized the opportunity to deliver to fans of ‘Global-BL’ an eclectic mix of unique global creators, some with their own modest followings in the western fandom. It’s the same notion I fell in love with from Iris Print; Iris wants only to promote creators of English-language boy’s love, not only by bringing great comics and fiction to fans, but also to raise awareness of the domestic genre, even among those who may not be fans of it. Hey Dave, see this halo on my head, all this pandering for my pubs is going to earn me some serious relaxation time.

As a writer changing the scene in terms of content, I think if I aspire to do my best with every project I create, I can’t go wrong; naked smut sells, but smut dressed in substance changes the world.

LM: You have solicited works to many different publishers throughout your career. Who would you most like to create a piece of work for?

TA: The inaccessible prize…yes, it’s Dark Horse. I will ride the Dark Horse one day. It’s not a threat, it’s a promise.

LM: Trawling through your deviantART page, you have great taste in music. What was the last album you picked up and was it any good?

CM: First time I heard that…uh, last album…SoundGarden: Down on the Upside. I was really hoping they’d keep the same blend of styles they had in the first one I got [SuperUnknown], but it was nothing but the soft, slow, depressing stuff. Not one I’d recommend.

LM: You have Only Words out next year, there is a super secret project to be announced soon, and just what else can we expect from you in the future?

TA: I can’t tell you, its sooper-sekrit ninja stuff. [laughs] In terms of BL, at Yaoicon I’ll have a one-shot published in the Iris Print debut anthology, a story called ‘In Motion’, which takes place in 1971 and it’s about a night shared in a snow-bound motel room between a hippie and a young Vietnam vet. I’ve a series running in Radio Comix Dangerous anthology called ‘Lost Angles’ [not a typo], about a demon that traps a lesser angel on earth in order to draw out and exact revenge on more powerful angel. I think Yaoi Press is still selling Yaoi Hentai volume 1, which features ‘King’s Masterpiece’, a story about an art student who decides he’s had enough of his uptight art instructor. I’ve a series starting with Dramaqueen called ‘Roulette’ which also debuts at Yaoicon as part of their new anthology Rush, that’s about a mob accountant and the hit man who drives him crazy. In terms of Gay comics and doujinshi, Class Comics has our Diplomatic Immunity, which features gay-comic icons Camilicat and Lanor; and of course there’s the doujinshi ‘FUTZ’ which features the characters of Yasuhiro’s Nightow’s Trigun, set in a speakeasy-1930’s style of the planet Gunsmoke, and that is available with vendors like Ultimate Anime, or by mailorder only.

LM: Boys’ Love drawing definitely seems to be your forte at the moment. Have you ever branched out into other areas or maybe in the future?

CM: Well, actually, Boys’ Love was something I got into…four years ago, I think, anyway…even though it is the first genre I’ve worked in that’s actually been published, I don’t known if I’d call it my forte. Sci-Fi/action stories are where I feel the most comfortable. Or fantasy, fantasy works…as long as it’s got armour and really big swords.
It’s funny, the people I’ve known since middle school [or my room-mate and friends at college] are shocked this is the genre I’m working in…most seem good with it, though one likes to remind me about the space stories I’d draw, xerox, and pass out. So yeah I have and will branch out, hopefully I’ll get picked up by some big company and start working on books my family can finally show off. *laughs*

LM: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

CM: Man, what I really want is for Dark Horse to suddenly email Tina and say that they changed their minds, and they’d like to sign us up the complete “Deadlock”…though I probably really want this because for once the characters are mine. I guess until then, finish “Only Words”, see what Tina’s next brainstorm is and just take it from there.