Below:Karen and an over melodramatic Anna Rubins
A few years ago,at a Bristol Comic Expo,I walked into a side room to find two very Goth-like young ladies selling something titled “Dark”. I may have imagined it but I’m sure a sword was involved! Anyhow,I bought a couple of issues which were later,uh,’borrowed’ [a common problem when sharing comics!].
But apart from seeing a couple back-issues in Area 51 [the Bristol comic shop and not the highly guarded,top secret US military development site in Nevada],I heard no more of Karen or Anna Rubins.Then Bristol’s Queen of Comics,Willie Hewes mentioned a book titled “The Witch” –and one of the artists was Karen Rubins. So,I decided that now was the time to find out what happened with The Dark,more about “The Witch” and other projects.
Terry:Okay,Karen,before we get into the nitty-gritty,what inspired you into becoming a comic book artist –was it a specific comic or something else?
Karen:Well, I always loved comics from a young age. Probably the biggest influence when I was a kid was Elfquest – monumental and epic, with loads of slightly subversive life-lessons, totally original and also extremely pretty! On the other side was Oink, a poo-obsessed, pun-laden kids’ comic. Then for a while, being a comic book artist went out of my head – at school they expected us to have respectable careers – but when I started doing my Art Foundation, I got back into comics through a friend whose brother had vast stashes of Love and Rockets, Stray Bullets, Tank Girl and other mad indie stuff. Then I realised it had always been my secret ambition to be a comic book artist. So, I drew some comics!
Terry: Elf Quest was great and the Pinis deserve much praise! And Love & Rockets –it’s just superb! You graduated from Middlesex University so I’m guessing that this was in something visual? And was there any comic work going on while you were at Uni? Karen:Yes, I did Visual Communication Design (Illustration), and thankfully, the tutors were very receptive towards us making comics, as long as they were done well. I drew Dark 1 as my second year major project and Dark 2 as my third year major project. Dark 1 was printed on my Uni’s litho printer – spoiling us with ultra-nice quality for the first 100 books. There were about three of us in the class (of around 30) who made comics. I also made my rare limited edition Gangster Fairies comic as part of a Uni project, it’s called “The Dust” and was only about 7.5X6 cm, and came with a magnifying glass and glitter. I think there’s only about 10 or 15 copies in existence. I always wanted to do a sequel but haven’t so far… maybe one day.
Terry:I’m going to assume that both you and Anna had a similar interest in comics –or did one of you get into the comic medium first?
Karen:Well, I suppose, technically Anna did, since she’s older, but we did both read the same comics growing up. Literally the same ones! 2000 AD, Xmen, Teen Titans, Oink, Elfquest of course, Asterix and Tintin. I was totally obsessed with Asterix in a way that Anna wasn’t, but we were both huge fans of Elfquest.
Terry:At what point did the two of you decide to work together on a comic and what was the thinking behind Dark?
Karen:Anna wrote a short story that was the basis of DARK, and I suggested to her that it would make a good comic. Then I realised that I had three months to do an Illustration project about whatever I wanted, so Anna wrote a script for DARK 1, we edited it back and forth and came up with thumbnails together. The rest is history. Anna came up with the idea for the premise of DARK while on a journey, watching the sun set through the window and imagining as she passed from day into night that the places she passed might stay in those times. Some of the characters in DARK were based on people Anna knew (not mentioning any names) and it has semi-autobiographical elements. I just drew the pictures, ha ha.
Terry:For those not familiar with the title,and those of us that lost complete track of it [!],can you explain what the Dark was about and how many issues it lasted –I believe it has quite a cult following?
Karen:DARK was a four part series that began in 2001 and ended in 2005. It’s a self-contained story, and each of the issues are also self-contained and can be read separately if you don’t mind being a little confused! (If you like I can send you the issues you missed out on, Terry!) Currently, I’m looking at making it into a graphic novel, with help from Willie, who is going to re-letter it for me.
It’s a surreal road-trip story, based on a premise of times of day being different places. The main characters begin their story in Night, and travel around the “Day” until the conclusion in Sunset. Michael is a student with a nocturnal lifestyle writing an endless thesis who realises that he hasn’t seen the sun in a long time. His friend Helen takes him on a journey in which they meet all kinds of peculiar individuals, and try to discover why Michael is so confused.
There’s no need to lose track of it! I will be keeping everyone posted on www.kazmantra.co.uk and will probably re-launch darkplace.co.uk when the GN comes out. If any of your readers need copies of 3 or 4 they can mail order them from me. £3.00 each plus postage which will be let’s say.. around 50p.
A cult following! That’s great. I always wanted to start a cult… DARK did get a lot of good reviews and a solid fan-base. I hear we inspired some of the young generation who are now professionals, such as John Aggs. X-D He won’t mind me saying that, I’m sure. DARK did get tipped as one of the fifty best comics of the year in Comic International, and we were interviewed in lots of different places while DARK was out.
Terry:I need to ask what materials you work with –pens,inks,brushes and board or computer –or have you used both?
Karen:I’ve done a lot of experimenting with materials. Tsuchigumo was drawn entirely in pencils on cartridge paper, for example. Mainly I use pen and ink, and draw the traditional way, on paper or board. I do use computers to tidy things up, letter, and add tones and spot blacks, but I don’t like drawing on the computer, I like the visceral feel of paper. It seems more “real”. My favourite item for drawing is a 0.5 mechanical pencil with a blue lead. I use brush pens, Rotring art pens, fineliners and all sorts for line work.
Terry: Ah,a good old fashioned art girl! I’d say to any artist NEVER draw using a computer. Lettering,yes. Drawing –NO!
Your artwork in The Witch shows that you have improved and developed since those first issues of Dark I saw. Do you do a lot of sketching –are there stacks of sketch books in a room somewhere with yet to be seen masterpieces?
Karen:Oh my god, yes to the sketchbooks, no to the masterpieces. I have tons and tons of sketchbooks and I’ve kept them all, despite the obvious fire hazard. I do a lot of drawing, and I also try to make sure I draw from life a lot. It’s the only way to really learn how to draw, and the best way to practice. In the sketchbooks you’re more likely to see random fan-art from anime series and pictures of role-playing game characters than masterpieces I assure you. X-D
Terry: “Draw from life” –exactly! I told the police that was what I was doing outside the girls school during volley ball practice but…oh.
I know you have been working on other projects such as Ghost Light,written by Andy Smith –I believe a runner-up in a Manga competition? What can you tell us about that?
Karen:Tales by Ghost Light. Yes, we came joint seventh, and the exhibition of the ten winners and runners up is currently on at the Japanese Embassy in London until 3rd April. It’s open to the public and free, so come along and support manga and international relations!
TbGH is a cute, funny, horror story about Japanese monsters telling stories of their greatest hauntings. It marks a turn away from screentones and spot greys which were starting to annoy me with their slightly mass-produced look, and back to good old cross-hatching with a pen. Andy has never written a comic before, so he’s pretty chuffed that we came in the top 10. He and I both like our Japanese mythology and history.
It’s published in ITCH’s “Leek and Sushi’s Manga Show” along with lots of other entries from the Manga Jiman competition. It’s a wicked book, I recommend your readers to buy it.
Terry:Obviously,I’ve missed a lot because your Spiders ‘n’ Samurai strip was published in The Mammoth Book Of New Manga 2 [2007] –how come I’ve never seen these books?! Anyhow,what was this story about and,obviously,being in The Mammoth Book it’s given you a wider readership?
Karen:Ah yes! Tsuchigumo is a story about Spiders ‘n’ Samurai, and also about love, dreams and duty. The story is based somewhat on a Japanese legend, and involves a samurai who seeks to save his master from a demon spider that has poisoned him. The story came partly from a dream I had, and involves sword fighting and hallucinations. There are slight shounen-ai (boy love) overtones to it. Hopefully it’s given me a wider readership! It means I can now claim to be a professional comics artist. In the comics world at large, things have moved on a lot from the time of DARK, and one of those big changes is in manga. In the past, I used to bill my work as “manga-influenced”, nowadays you can get away with saying that you’re a manga artist, if you like. The cross-over territory between comics and manga is starting to be explored a bit more now, and so yes, I think the readership for all comics is expanding, not just mine.
Terry:And what are you currently working on?
Karen:Ah… currently I’m working on a project with Dan Hartwell and Anna too, which has been in the works for quite a while, but will definitely be finished this year. It’s a story about a shaman living in a city and her ability to interract with and influence people via their animal spirits. You could probably describe it as a supernatural action comedy. It’s called Urban Beasts, and we’ve been touting it about for ages. We’re likely to release it in two parts with part 1 being on sale at Bristol Expo this year. I also have ideas for stories I would like to do in the future, there are a couple of writers who I might get around to working with, and there will be a sequel to Shinagami – which was one of the other stories in the Witch.
Terry:And anything planned with Anna?
Karen:Urban Beasts! And the DARK GN. Anna is working on a prose novel. Watch this space.
Terry: Oookay. Bit intense there. Feeling like a raging novelist are you?! Advice:write but ignore the seven bottles of vodka!
How would you like to see your artistic career developing in future and will there be more work for ITCH?
Karen:In the immediate future it should be developing quite a bit. From July to December I’m going to be at the V&A museum as their Comics Illustration Artist in Residence. It’s insanely exciting, and I’m really hoping this will help me mature into the beautiful butterfly of a professional comic book artist!
Itch are going to be publishing the DARK graphic novel, and most definitely some other stuff. Watch this space.
Terry:Hopefully,I’ll catch up with you at a future Comic Expo but here’s looking forwardto certainly seeing more of your work
Karen:I hope so too! Thank you.
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[...] I’m a bit late catching up to this, but Comic Bits posted an interview with Karen Rubins, famous for Dark, Best New Manga, Leek and Sushi and of course her prestigious position at the [...]