Blayne Belter – Space-5.com webcomic – interview

Space-5.com is a new webcomic by Blayne Belter and Nick Devos. This is a quick chat with Blayne.

 

Shawn Williams: Space-5.com is a new webcomic you are collaborating with Nick DeVos, tell us what it is about?
Blayne Belter: It’s an all ages comic (fun for kids and adults alike) about space travel and being lost. Our adventurers are trying to find their way back home to earth.

SW: What made you want to create webcomics?
BB: I’ve always wanted to create a story start to finish. Learning a bit about creating websites made me want to make something more custom that stood out a bit from the webcomic crowd. Also, it is free to publish and delivering content is pressure free!

SW: Why an all ages space theme?
BB: So much story telling freedom because so much is unknown. Always loved Star Wars and Marvel comics as kids. So we hope other kids can’t get enough of it like we couldn’t. You can hit on the science fiction aspect without being science specific.

SW: I have been told Blayne Belter knows funny, should we expect humor in Super-5?
BB: No you shouldn’t. This is a straight forward story, featuring boredom as the main theme.

SW: I understand on this webcomic you’ve done extensive character studies, do you want to tell us about your process?
BB: We started with the names. All of our characters are named after historic scientists and inventors. From there we gave them archetypal traits and they have been falling into place with ease as we have been creating dialogue and story.

SW: As well as a talented illustrator/comics creator you are a professional graphic designer? How do those skills translate to creating art into comic book formats?

BB: All of it. I would say this project is 50/40/10. 50% story creation and weaving it from episodical, while keeping an over arching bigger story from start to end. 40% design (web site design and user experience forethought consumed my life for over a year). I design the episodes/comics more than I illustrate them. I could do them by hand, but the need to crank content helped me decide to design a method for being able to do original art as well as make things quicker (day job takes 1st place). Designing and sequential art (comics) are so similar. Most of the time it is about delivering a message as simple as possible allowing images to say the words you don’t write. You start from the top left and end at the bottom right of your page. I will, and have, been placing a lot of power on color to set tone, placement and mood. Aside from design this is so much more personal to me. I like advertising design, but story telling is what I love. I think the only difference is where you hang your heart. 10% educational/message delivery. Our main audience is children so we want to deliver positive messages. As more chapters/ episodes/comics are produced our themes will come out more. They aren’t pound you over the head themes, but it is all about doing the right thing and understanding differences in the end. Coming together to accomplish big things. Good stuff!

SW: Do you consider yourself an artist that writes, or a writer that draws?
BB: Wow. I have friends that can draw the pants off me (literally, they would make it look hilarious). I think it is more fair just to call me a story teller.

SW: What direction do you see the sequential art medium moving in?
BB: I think print and web are doing great. I think the original story telling is getting bigger and bigger. The big guys like Marvel and DC and their off shoots will always be fine, but the promotion Image has done to new content and some of the excellent web comics out there have played a huge role in getting other people involved. There really is something out there for anyone and everyone!

SW: What are you reading these days?
BB: Walking Dead… always. Thanks Dave at Powers Comics for starting me on it 10 years ago. I just started rereading Bone by Jeff Smith, because I love it and I have the whole Scholastic collection in color. Before that I reread Barry Ween by Judd Winnick. The last stash I bought was Afterlife with Archie (pretty good so far) and finished up my run with Batman and the great Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. Saga is always a favorite too. OK. I have too many.

SW: And last but not least, when have you laughed the hardest?
BB: When a junior high school friend of mine lit a fart at my family cottage.

SW: Thanks Blayne

BB: Ya Betcha, Bro