Since starting Therefore I Geek, we’ve had the good fortune to be able to share quality independant projects that are in need of a little crowdfunding. Recently we had the oppurtunity to discuss one such project, The Man With Ten Thousand Eyes, with its creator Joe Badon. Make sure to head on over and support Joe and his project.
Therefore I Geek: Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself to get started?
Joe Badon: My name is Joe Badon. I’m 38 years old. I live in Slidell, Louisiana (where I was born and raised). It’s just outside of New Orleans.
I’ve been a freelance illustrator since 2008. I have a wife and two teenager girls (and a dog).
TIG: How did you get into comics?
JB: I started reading comics at a pretty young age. My dad had Zapp Comix and underground hippie comics and my older brother had Marvel and DC Comics. I always leaned toward the weirder stuff.
TIG: What comics do you enjoy reading?
JB: I enjoy pillaging the bargain bins and finding the weird stuff and old stuff. Some of my favorite comics have been Maus, Omega: The Unknown reboot, Ferro City, Trencher, Ralph Snart.
TIG: Tell us about your comic Kickstarter.
JB: It’s a 32 page Surrealist, Horror, Sci Fi one-shot comic book entitled THE MAN WITH TEN THOUSAND EYES.
The story is about a man named Wendell. He leads an extremely mundane life: single, office job, lives by himself, etc…
One day, Wendell wakes up with a third eye smack in the middle of his forehead. This third eye gives him psychic abilities, including insight into people’s lives and the future. Wendell, at first, feels like a hero that is able to help people but then quickly spirals downward as more eyes begin to grow all over his body and he starts losing control of his new-found abilities.
TIG: That’s a pretty unique story, where did you come up with the inspiration for the book?
JB: My oldest daughter came up to me with an eyeball that she made on the back of her hand (she does special effects make-up). I looked at that and thought, “That’s a great story idea!” And from there, the comic was born.
I also looked to lots of movies for inspiration and influence for the book–movies like Eraserhead, Naked Lunch, 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Dark Backward.
TIG: What is it like for you to do a “one man show,” being both the artist and writer?
JB: It’s great! I’m my own boss! There’s nobody looking over my shoulder, worrying that they might lose money off of it because it might not be palatable enough for all audiences.
TIG: Do you prefer one of those roles over the other?
JB: I definitely prefer art over writing. When I pick up a comic book, I totally look at the art first. If I’m not into the art then I’m most likely not going to read it. Comics are definitely a visual medium.
TIG: Who would you say are your influences, both for art and writing?
JB: For art, I’m totally looking at guys like Paul Pope, Scottie Young, Scott Morse, Sam Hiti, Marc Hansen, Mike Allred. Also, I look at a lot of 60’s mod cartoon art and abstract art. For writing, it’s mainly from reading comics – Art Spiegelman, Keith Giffen, Marc Hansen, etc…
TIG: Why choose the Kickstarter route?
JB: Kickstarter allows creators to hit a very big audience without having to solicit a hundred publishers who may or may not even look at your submission. The downside is that you do end up having to be the all-in-one marketer, publisher, distributor, and creator, BUT I still find it less of a headache and more rewarding than the traditional routes.
TIG: What do you hope to accomplish with your campaign?
JB: I will be able to have a decent print run of the book and, if the Kickstarter is successful, it will afford me the time to complete the book.
TIG: How is the campaign going?
JB: It’s going very well! At the time of me writing this, we have 15 days left and only have $911 to go in order to hit our $3,000 goal!
TIG: You’ve said in the campaign video that this is a one shot comic, do you have any plans to do more with this character?
JB: No, this is a one and done story. I feel like comic creators shy away from one-shots because they are not as lucrative as on-going stories BUT I feel that we as creators need to stop looking at the old way of doing things (ie: super hero soap operas that last for eternity). There are plenty of best selling movies, books and children’s books that will never have sequels or additions.
TIG: Do you have other stories that you’re looking to tell in the future?
JB: Absolutely. I have tons of ideas and I want to grow as a creator by continuing to tell new stories and not rehashing old ones.
Therefore I Geek 