An Interview with Zac Gorman

When I have some free time to aimlessly browse the internet, I always enjoy reading a few web-comics. It was during one of these browses one day that I stumbled across Zac Gorman. Zac brings to life a host of Nintendo characters in his work, but, being a self-confessed Zelda buff since Link's Awakening, it was his Zelda comic strips that resonated with me the most.

I got the opportunity to question Zac on his obsession with Zelda, his comic book experiences, and much more.

Magicalgametime.com

Q. Hello! Could you introduce yourself to my readers?

A: Hi! I'm Zac Gorman, and I make comics at MagicalGameTime.com under the handle idrawnintendo.

Q. You draw a lot of Zelda comic strips. What is it about the Zelda series that appeals to you so much?

A: The thing that really got to me about Zelda, is that at the heart of everything, you have this little kid going up against seemingly insurmountable odds and never giving up. Link's got this unfaltering moral compass, but my goal with doing Zelda comics, is to show some of the immaturity, the fear, all those sorts of emotions that would come with being an actual little kid in his predicament, and then showing how he carries on in despite all that.That's what the Triforce of Courage is all about. It's about facing your fears simply because it's the right thing to do, more than it is about never being afraid in the first place. I always preferred the Zelda games where Link was a bit younger, for that reason.

Q. Is there a particular strip you are most proud of?

A: Not really. It's always interesting to me though, when I'll finish one that I think is my best yet, and then it doesn't get the reaction I was hoping for.

Q. How has the response to your Zelda strips been so far?


A: The response has been awesome! I mean, aside from the sheer number of
Tumblr followers, twitter followers, traffic, etc., it has been really nice to hear from a lot of people, telling me that a comic I did, or a print I did, really resonated with them in a very personal and emotional way. That's the advantage of the subject matter, I guess. These games and the intimate experiences that I had with them, which I try to show in my work, are very similar to the experiences that a lot of other players had.

Q. Have you got any advice for those wishing to create their own gaming comics?

A: Well, I guess that for me, when I'm working, it's always been less about the specific details of a particular universe, and more about the larger themes of that story. So, if I had to offer any advice to somebody who wanted to make comics about games, I suppose that it's that you should probably worry less about what hand Link's sword is in, or what color the beads in Red XIII's hair were, and think more about why you fell in love with these games, what they really mean to you, and what made your experience with them special or meaningful. I think that's the distinction between doing fan art and doing a comic about a particular game. Free yourself up a little and just have fun with it! Make it yours and make it personal.

Q. You've drawn other excellent game art before. Do you plan to create a series of animated comic strips, like your Zelda set, for another gaming series?

A: I've done a few Earthbound comics also, but most of the other ones tend to be one-shots of a particular game. Honestly, there are only a few series that have ever really impacted me in a way that I feel like I'm capable of making comics for them that are more than just your usual joke strip; Legend of Zelda, Earthbound, some of the Final Fantasy series, and some slightly less popular titles like Vandal Hearts and Suikoden also had a pretty big impact on me...but this isn't to say that I don't like other games! I know it sounds like I only play decade-old JRPGs, but that's not true, they just happen to be some of my all-time personal favorites. Right now, I'm mostly just biding my time until Skyrim comes out by playing older games and indie titles.

Q. Are there any games you think my readers should play?

A: The one game that I always have to insist that people play is Mother 3. Also, if I meet somebody who hasn't played Earthbound--play it! My favourite Zelda game is Link to the Past, although obviously it's a tough choice between that one, Ocarina of Time, and Wand of Gamelon for the CD-i. Most people I talk to though have already played all my favorite games. How about Panic! for the Sega CD? I used to love that game when I was a kid and I'm pretty sure that nobody out there played it.

Q. And finally, is there anything new in the pipeline for yourself?

A: I'm working on some new comic projects, but I hate to talk about things before they're done. A lot of hollow talk tends to get thrown around by us cartoonists about the next great graphic novel that we're working on, but until you have something to show for it, it's all just talk. All that I can say for certain is that I plan to continue making comics as long as people keep reading them!

An Interview with Andy Kluthe

I love reading a good comic strip whenever I have a few moments to spare online. I stumbled upon Andy Kluthe's work a short time ago, and loved the gaming related strips in particular.


Andy kindly agreed to an interview to discuss his comic strips, gaming, and more.

"Fan Participation"

Q. Hello! Can you introduce yourself to my readers?

A: Hi, my name is Andy Kluthe.  Some of you may (or may not) know me for making arts and sticking them on the interweb.  I’m run a weekly web comic called Nerd Rage.

Q. You've created a lot of game inspired comics. Do you have a favourite?

A: My comics are like my children. I love them all equally.  Except for the one that’s secretly my favorite.

In all honesty, though, my favourites are the ones that people like the best.  If you’re writing a humor-based comic and no one is laughing, you’re doing something wrong.  I enjoyed drawing Fan Participation, if only because I was so sad to see Legends 3 get canceled.

"Duke Nukem...Forever"

Q. You've done a broad range of comic strips now. How has the response been to them, and is there one that seems to gain a lot more attention than the rest?

The response has been…interesting.  Sometimes I work on one that I think will be really popular and it kinda goes unnoticed.  Then I’ll do one that I don’t think is all that funny and it’ll be a wild success.  I never expected Facebook Creepers to be so popular.  Dr. Rageguy, PhD didn’t get much attention when I first drew it, but recently took off on Reddit.  I think the site hit a record for most visits that day.

But as far as most attention goes, Facebook Creepers was very popular.  The Metroid: Other M comic was very popular.  Uh, both the comics that involve ponies were popular.  Chicks, Chicks Everywhere was popular.  The most recent comic, 25 Candles, brought the website down due to traffic.

"25 Candles"

Q. I'm currently loving the Nerd Rage comic. What inspired you to create this?

To be honest, I didn’t start Nerd Rage with plans of doing it as an ongoing strip.  I was making one-shot strips because I had topics I thought were funny and made for good jokes or commentary.  Anyway, they say to write what you know – these were my interests, so I followed the related news closely.  When I first used the two main characters, I thought I was using them for a one-shot comic.  But then I drew another comic about them.  And another.  The comic sort of took a life of its own…

I was drawing one or more strips a week, so the next logical step was to put a title on it and make it official.

Q. Have you got a favourite game, console or games company that you enjoy basing comic strips on?

Really, whoever is trending makes for the best comic.  I usually try to pick a subject that’s ‘big’ news that week or the week before (not always, but usually).  Fan backlash/support is always a good gauge for what material will be funny.

As for consoles or companies I like, I grew up with Nintendo.  I’ll probably always love their properties, despite some recent missteps. Valve is a great company; they make really great stuff.  And I’ve been impressed with Sony’s offerings, too; they seem to keep getting better.

"E3 2011 In A Nutshell"

Q. Any advice for those wishing to create their own gaming comic strips?

Don’t stop drawing, don’t stop writing.  Those are two skills you need if you’re going to do a comic.  You want to keep these skills polished.

Don’t expect it to be easy, either.  A lot of people underestimate how much time goes into drawing a comic or how hard it can be to keep it consistently funny.

Q. Can you recommend a game for my readers to play?

Anyone that hasn’t played Super Metroid, please do yourself a favor. Go buy a copy at your local used game shop, eBay, flea market, whatever.  If you are one of those poor souls who do not already own a Super Nintendo, go to your local used game shop, eBay, flea market, etc. and buy a SNES, then see step one.  Or buy it on Wii shop, since it’s available for the virtual console.  It’s one of my all-time favourite titles

Modern games:  Team Fortress 2. I’ve owned TF2 since release, but Valve still regularly roles out updates.  My hats off to you, Valve (see what I did there?  Get it?  Hats?).  Anyone who doesn’t have Team Fortress 2 should go buy a Super Nintendo and play Super Metroid—er, I mean get on Steam and play TF2, because it’s now free to play.

My other big time-waster is Minecraft.  Like Notch needs another recommendation, the game has already made him some sort of millionaire, but me and my friends still have fun with Minecraft!  Plus, 1.8 just came out!  You don’t even have an excuse to not be playing Minecraft right now!

"An Uncharted Proposal"

Q. And finally, have you got anything new in the pipeline?

I have a script for another multi-part series of strips, like Chicks, Chicks Everywhere and More Ponies, More Problems.  There’s a trade off, though, since you can’t stop to do a topical strip mid-way through a continuing story.  I hope to do that sometime in the future.