Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
We wanted to show love to some of our fellow artists with a highlight segment here on our blog!
The US might be wrong about a lot of things, but they were right about the aliens! *gasp*
Imagine being forced to fight in a tournament run by aliens in order survive! I thought Shrek had it bad but Eli Santos might have it worse. Titan King is our mega-monster series full of action-packed scenes, man vs alien, fight to the death, you get what I’m saying. Think Ben 10 but way cooler!
We were able to catch the creator for an interview to give us all the dets about his series. Hold on to your seats!
Saturday AM: Hey Tony! Thank you for sitting down with us today! Can you reintroduce yourself so people can get a bigger picture of who you are?
Tony D: Thanks for having me Alexis. As you’ve read my name is Tony Dawkins, I’m a manga author and artist based in Chicago and the creator of Titan king published inside of Saturday-Am. I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember and I’m living the dream being able to bring stories to life.
Saturday AM: What made you decide to create Titan King? How long has this story been in development? When did you feel it was ready enough to start publishing?
TD: Titan King was a bit of a passion project. I’ve always been a fan of dragon ball, and yugioh and just love the shonen asthetic as a whole. It just seemed right to bring it all together after a few years of development. It’s changed a lot since its conception but it evolved into this monster mash tournament. Honestly though I think I was a bit too big for my britches when was published because looking back there are certainly things I would change.
Saturday AM: How many volumes do you plan to have of Titan King? Is the story already completed?
TD: Titan King will end its main story in volume 4. I have all the notes and summaries just need to iron out the script. Of course writing the ending I’ve thought of even crazier places to take the story past its conclusion but we’ll see what the future holds.
Saturday AM: I feel like a few of your inspirations are Ben 10 or Pokemon am I wrong? What are some of your inspirations and how do you take from them and make them your own?
TD: Haha those for sure among many other things like dragon ball, marvel, and Digimon. I feel blessed to have grown up with a childhood with many colors and cultural influences that had me exposed to a lot of entertainment. I think the key thing I remember when I am inspired is to replicate the feeling those things gave me rather than the piece or idea itself.
Saturday AM: Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! What is the comic book industry like in your home town? Is it developing or nonexistent?
TD: I guess it depends on who you ask. My family is from Jamaica and Honduras and we’ve never been big convention people. If you ask any convention goer in Chicago, it feels like there’s always something going down in the city. The comic scene isn’t crazy but it’s alive and kicking. I however don’t frequent these events often so I’m usually finding out about them last minute lol.
Saturday AM:When crafting stories for Titan King do you weave your own culture or experiences into your story arcs and characters? Whats the hardest thing about being a writer and artist?
TD: I do actually which makes the job a lot easier. Ive lived in Honduras and went back for summers for a few years. It’s nice to be able to speak of a place most people have never been but you know it so clearly. However it makes it hard because you want to do your experience and the people you’re representing justice while trying to sell. Not to mention being an artist and wanting to make the coolest and most crazy art people can enjoy. It’s a balancing act that I haven’t mastered but I’m working to improve every day.
Saturday AM: How do you build your characters? Whats the most difficult thing when creating a villian?
TD: The first part for building a character is their purpose. Depending on the role they have their design and motivations will change. Thats probably why villains are so cool lol they make the story what it is and they’re always designed to look so cool. That’s probably the hardest part about making a villain, is how to make sure they don’t outshine the protagonist.
Saturday AM: Whats a piece of advice you can give to your supporters who want to follow in your footsteps?
TD: Soulja boy of all people had a quote I found so profound. It won’t matter if it took you 5 months or 5 years. You won’t care about how long it takes, you’ll just be glad you did it. Never give up on your dreams and never give up on yourself. Keep pushing to get 1% better every day and eventually, you’ll look back and see how far you’ve come.
Make sure to check out TITAN KING VOLUMES 1 – 2 AVAILABLE NOW VOLUME 3 COMING SOON!
