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Friday, September 3, 2010
Chris Arundel's "Western Tales of a Publisher"
EXCLUSIVE 5 Page preview for WToT #2 along with a fascinating interview with Arundel
Chris Arundel Talks with Comic World News (including 5 EXCLUSIVE preview pages from Western Tales of Terror #2) A couple of months ago, Comic World News interviewed Josh Fialkov, Editor in Chief of the hot new horror anthology Western Tales of Terror. With the second issue of the series coming out soon, we thought we’d talk to another member of the Western Tales team, Hoarse and Buggy Productions publisher Chris Arundel. We found out about Chris’s television and film background, a writing project of his own called “Pain,” just what the heck a publisher does anyway, and what Frodo Baggins has in common with the Wiggles. Michael May (MM): Your work experience is in TV and film post-production, right? What made you want to be involved in those industries? Chris Arundel (CA): Yeah, I’ve been working for a television production company for almost 5 years now. As for what made me want to be involved in this wacky business that is the TV/Film industry, it would have to be imagination. The fact that this field is based on creativity and ideas was very attractive to me. It’s very similar to the comic book business in that you get to see inside someone’s head and watch ideas come to life. 
MM: What does someone in post-production do? CA: Pretty much everything after the cameras stop rolling. We, the nameless, faceless, post-production team, are responsible for taking the raw footage and turning it into entertainment gold. Well, sort of. We take the footage and see it through the editing, network approval, revision, more network approval, more revision, final approval, online editing (making it broadcast quality), audio mixing, audio sweetening, video tape dubbing, air master delivery process. Sound confusing? It is. MM: What TV shows have you worked on? CA: My company does lots of specials/series for ABC, NBC, FOX, Disney and Animal Planet. My credit list is far too long to go into. I’m not bragging, it’s just too long and you wouldn’t be interested. MM: Which film projects? CA: The majority of my film experience has been on student films and no-budget shorts. Here again the list would be of no interest because you’ve never heard of any of them. MM: Which do you find more rewarding: TV or Film? CA: Film. I find it more rewarding for a few reasons. The actual filming, first of all, is quite the communal experience. Especially on the no-budget stuff because everyone is there because they want to be, not to collect a paycheck or punch a time clock. Also, helping a director bring his/her vision to life is such a great thrill. Again, it’s ideas coming to life. 
MM: What was your first comics experience? What originally made you a fan? CA: I had a friend in high school who was (and still is) a tremendously talented artist. He aspired to work in the comic book industry and through his passion for comics came mine. It’s funny, but I hear that era when I was into comics (early ‘90s) described as the “Dark Times” of the industry. The big contracts, gimmick covers, over-inflated sales numbers… hell, I just liked the art. It was the artists that made me a fan. They were, and still are, some insanely talented people. I can’t draw for crap, so I admired their skill. MM: You left comics for a while in the '90s. Why is that? CA: Real life set in. Rent. Food. Bills. It came down to a decision between spending whatever insane amount of cash on comics that I was going to spend every week or eating. I chose food. Sue me. MM: What made you come back? CA: Josh Fialkov (the EIC of Hoarse and Buggy Productions). I wouldn’t say that I’m all the way back, but I have my eyes open to the industry again. I have a mortgage, a wife and a daughter, so extra cash is still not plentiful. I’m more of a hand-me-down reader these days. Josh brought me a number of “new” comics (well, new to me) and I was very impressed with how the industry has grown and changed. It’s not all about superheroes anymore… which is fantastic. I was blown away that stories about everyday people with no superpowers are now all over the shelves. Pretty fantastic. MM: Most comics fans who want to get into the business aspire to be writers or illustrators. Why did you choose publishing? CA: I kind of fell into it. I had been helping Josh publish some small scale collections of his Poorly Drawn Animal work and he came to me with the idea for Western Tales. I thought I was a great concept so we ran with it. 
MM: What does publishing Hoarse and Buggy books entail for you? What's your job description? CA: My job description hasn’t been nailed down, so once I have it, you will be the first to know. All kidding aside, my primary function is dealing with the printer, with Diamond and handling the financial aspects of the company. Josh and I do many different things that don’t necessarily fit into one specific classification. He’s the EIC, but he also deals with the printer and Diamond… but I keep him away from the finances. MM: Does your experience in TV and film production help in publishing? CA: Deadlines, responsibility and accountability. If you miss an airdate in the TV business, you don’t get anymore shows… then you lose your job. Similarly, if you miss your delivery date for a comic, you lose confidence from the retailers who took a chance on your book. Once you’ve lost their confidence that a book will be delivered when promised, you’ve lost the battle. The bottom line in whatever business you are in is trust. Once you have their trust, they are willing to take more chances with you. And for every retailer who took a chance with Western Tales, you have my deepest thanks. We won’t let you down. MM: What's the draw for you to Western Horror as a genre? CA: We saw an opening in the market, and really felt like it would be the next big thing. Turns out, we were right. MM: What's the best Western Horror story ever, in any medium? CA: Anything this guy named Josh Fialkov writes. Ever hear of him? He’s the best. MM: Do you have a wish list for future WToT creators? Who's on it? CA: We've been lucky and gotten some of our favorite creators already. And we’re solidly booked up through issue 5 right now. But, dream team wise, I'd love to get Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson to do something for us. 
MM: Tell me about “Pain.” CA: “Pain” is a project that originated back in my early ‘90s comic book days. Lots of factors led to it never getting done, but I’ve come back to it and refuse to let it go this time. It centers around a young man who is hunting down a serial rapist in his crime-infested, big city neighborhood after his neighbor is attacked and murdered. I’ve had some terrific concept work done by a handful of different artists, but I haven’t booked anyone to do the penciling chores as of yet. Funds are tight and pencillers are ‘spensive. MM: What's your Holy Grail in the comics industry? CA: There isn’t a whole lot of money to be made in the indie comic book world, so to become a self-sustaining publisher would have to be it. There are a lot of really talented creators out there with no way to break into the business. So if we can help those guys out, while not losing our shirt, I think we can be happy with that. MM: Are you still involved in TV and Film? If so, what's your Holy Grail there? CA: My day job is in TV, so that would be a yes. My Holy Grail is to not need that day job. MM: What advice do you have for people who might be considering going into publishing, whether starting a whole company or simply publishing their own comics. CA: Do it for the love of it. The cold hard truth is that you aren’t going to be turning a profit for a while. If you don’t love what you are doing or believe in the material, you’ll drive yourself crazy. It’s hard work, but once you get your first book back from the printer, it all seems worth it. MM: You're a family man with a young daughter. Do you find yourself struggling at all with that fact and the fact that you publish some pretty dark stuff? CA: Well, my daughter is only 3, so she hasn’t quite mastered “The Cat in the Hat” yet. Once she’s got that, then maybe we will talk. As far as the “dark stuff” goes, I’m not all that concerned. She loves watching the “Lord of the Rings” (and I’m talking about the Peter Jackson film.) I asked her if it was too scary, and she said “No, daddy. I like Sam and Frodo.” So, I think she already has a liking for a bit ‘o the darker stuff. That and the Wiggles. 
MM: If you could choose any comic book and have it be published by Hoarse and Buggy, which would you choose? Why? CA: Anything this guy named Josh Fialkov writes. Ever hear of him?
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April 22, 2008:
February 4, 2008:
November 20, 2006:
A Comic-Con without the Captain
