John Porcellino makes his own comics.

That might not seem like much but consider this: those DC and Marvel comics that you’ve seen at some point in your life are a lot like a mainstream movie in that a squad of people are assembled to bring it all together – each with their own area of responsibility.  Similar to a Producer, Director, Writers, Actors, etc. that come together to make a film, a single issue of a mainstream comic might have a writer, penciller, inker, letterer, colorist, and an editor.  This is necessary in order to crank out the product on a monthly basis.  Now, consider John Porcellino.  John’s comics are not in color, and don’t come out monthly, but each issue is written, drawn, inked, lettered, and edited all by one person.  Not unlike indie films where one person can handle most aspects of the film’s creation, John is solely responsible for executing his vision issue after issue.  In an age where most of us can barely manage to give anything our sole attention for longer than a few minutes, a man having published 70 issues of his own comic (King-Cat Comics and Stories), alone, is a feat on any level.  But don’t take my word for it, John won an Ignatz award in 2005, and was even the lead interview for an issue of The Comics Journal – arguably the most valuable resource of comic commentary and criticism on the planet.

I first became aware of John Porcellino during the summer of 1995.  While visiting a friend in Colorado we hit a local record shop where I saw my first issue of King-Cat Comics.  Having started drawing my own comics in 4^th grade (Rock Man #1, to be exact), I always had a fascination with self-made comics.  Up to this point my exposure was limited to the Tim Corrigan pantheon of mini-comics, and Jerry Ordway’s “Okay Comics”.  Both of those were fairly straight genre books, which is what sets John’s epic run even more unique.  King-Cat comics primarily document John’s own life, both real and imaginary (Dreams of dating Madonna versus his life as a Mosquito abatement man, for example), as well as illustrated lessons from Zen masters.  A more honest comic you won’t find.

Both John and his artistic style have grown and evolved together over the years.  His style on earlier issues of King-Cat seemed to attack the page with scribbled lines, jagged edges, beer, blood, sweat, and tears.  Over the years, however, John’s style has achieved the perfection of simplicity and essentiality.  Oh, and John is as humble as they come and would likely never cop to having achieved that “perfection”, but that’s his take.  Mine is that he’s accomplished a steady and effective line that most illustrators spend a lifetime trying to achieve.

Ever since that first issue in 1995, I’ve written a few pieces of fan mail to John and he’s always been gracious enough to take the time to respond.  This time John does me the great favor of answering a few questions for Zaptown:

ZT: Apologies for generalizing both your life and your prolific creative output, but one could track the evolution of the King-Cat stories in parallel with your growth as a person. For example, the early days of the book were somewhat “angrier”, rebellious and a bit self-depreciating, the Mosquito Abatement Man period arguably dealt with the transition from teenager to young adult and all of the introspection and disappointment that comes with it, with the third act being your meditations on Zen teachings and meditations on the world around and within you. Now that we’re staring into the abyss of our mid-life, what do you see as the next step in your evolution as a person and how do you see that translating into your comics?

John P: The next or most recent step in my “evolution” might be finally accepting myself, and what I do. I spent decades fighting my impulse towards art…  struggling with it in fundamental ways.  When I turned forty, I thought, “This is it for me.  It’s too late for me to do anything else.  It’s time to accept that and move forward as best I can.”  So that’s what I’ve been trying to do for the last couple years.

ZT: With your work now being translated into at least 6 different languages, how has the international community responded to such personal stories? Do you find a somewhat universal response to your comics?

JP: I have readers all over the world, and one of the biggest thrills I have is connecting with people very far away.  It becomes clear that we all have the same struggles, hopes, and joys.  It’s a human thing.  We’re all connected in this way.  It’s inspiring.

ZT: Early in your life as an artist, the freedom of Punk Rock was a huge influence in establishing the DIY nature of King-Cat. In 2010 which comic book format is “more” punk rock – Paper or digital? Is the personal touch that is so palpable with the mini comic experience lost in the digital format?

JP: Well paper at this point is against the grain, so…  but I understand the appeal of digital.  It’s free (basically), and offers an enormous opportunity for reaching an audience.  I myself prefer paper to digital.  The internet is a great way to find out about what’s going on, and to communicate with people, but ultimately I like holding the thing in my hands.  Of course other people have differing opinions.

ZT: Recognizing the humble roots of King-Cat, how does it feel to be such an influence and inspiration to a younger generation of artists?

JP: Well it’s something I appreciate.  It’s humbling. It makes me want to work harder and do better.

ZT: Now that you’re older (aren’t we all), what motivates or inspires you to create King-Cat comics on a regular basis?

JP: Mostly, it’s that I’ve spent half my life doing this thing.  It’s just my nature now, it’s in my blood.  Also, I’m stubborn.  I like to see things through to their conclusion.  So I want to keep going.

ZT: Over the last 10 years or so, your work appears to be executed so fearlessly. How does one master the art of simplicity and subtlety and resist the urge to cross hatch the shit out of every panel?

JP: I certainly wouldn’t call it “fearless.”  If you only knew!  As far as my style, I’ve just always striven to let the drawings be what they want to be.  Over the years they’ve become more sparse and simplified.  I try not to judge that, but to just go with it wherever it leads me.  On the other hand there are some comics even nowadays where I feel like I need to throw some crosshatching or tones in there, and when that comes up I try to follow that too.

ZT: The endeavor to build a body of work, as well as a career, as a comic book artist is daunting.  When you set out to create King-Cat comics, surely there was no business plan in place or long term goals of graphic novel production, award winning, etc.  What words of wisdom could you pass along to artists and musicians who also seek to produce honest and meaningful work with no guarantee of commercial success?

JP: I always tell people, 1. Do this because you LOVE it.  Because you can’t NOT do it.  You have to have that love and commitment to survive.  2.  Don’t compare yourself to others too much.  That is always a losing game.  Find your own voice and pursue that. And 3. Be patient.

ZT: How is the scene in Colorado these days?  If I remember correctly, you were in CO for a long while before moving back to the Midwest.  Now that you are back in CO, how does the indie scene, both in terms or “art” and music, compare from now to then?

JP: Denver is a funny place.  When I was here in the 90′s there was very little of what you’d call a DIY scene.  There were a few bands and artists with that mentality.  But it was kind of nice too because it was insanely cheap to live here, and the like-minded DIY people stuck together.  Nowadays there’s a thriving indie music scene, but I don’t know too much about it.  There are a bunch of cartoonists too, and things along those lines are getting better and better.  Kilgore Books and Comics opened up a year and a half ago, and they’ve been super supportive of the local comics scene.  But…  I mean, I love Denver, but it’s kind of a cowtown.  Which has its plusses and minuses.  Unfortunately, the powers that be are trying to turn it into a “world class city” and in the process they’re destroying a lot of the things that made it great for artists (i.e. cheap space and a lack of pretension).  Ask me on two different days and you’ll get two different answers.  I love Denver, obviously, but sometimes it drives me nuts.

ZT: Since this is primarily an indie music site, what are your current favorite bands you are listening to?  And, what do you listen to while you work?

JP: Um, I’m pretty out of the loop as far as current music goes.  I listen to mostly older music nowadays.  I used to always listen to music when I was working;  then I stopped listening to music with lyrics–  it screwed me up when I was making comics; finally, I gave up listening to music while working altogether.  My comics are so deeply about rhythm, pacing, the sound of the words, that outside music throws me off.  I usually seek out quiet times to draw.  Even a TV in the other room can mess with me.

ZT: With over 70 issues under your belt, do you think about how much longer you’d like to keep King-Cat running? Are you ever tempted to start something new or does King-Cat satisfy your creative needs?

JP: I plan on going forward with King-Cat till I can’t physically do it anymore.  Which hopefully is a long time from now.  Lately, I have been juggling some ideas for different types of work, that maybe would be published outside the King-Cat format.  But those would be clearly stand-alone little projects to me, King-Cat would remain my focus.  We’ll see.  I have a gag cartoon zine coming up, and a monster comic too.  Those will probably be stand-alone titles.

ZT: I notice that you like to participate in Monster and Alien Invasion type books, so the monster book sounds pretty great!

JP: Regarding the Gag Cartoons: I’m going to be participating in an exhibit of Gag Cartoons in LA in the fall.  One night I stayed up for hours thinking of ideas for it, and I had so many I figured I’d make a zine of them.

JP: Regarding the Monster comics:  Those old pre-superhero Marvel monster comics are my favorite comics of all time.  The new book will just be an homage to them.

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Note – John has since moved to Gainesville, Florida where he’ll be experiencing new adventures to share with us all.  He will also be joining the faculty at The Sequential Artists Workshop: http://www.sequentialartistsworkshop.org

John’s catalog and ridiculously affordable subscriptions to King-Cat comics can be found on his website: http://www.king-cat.net