Anyone who’s a regular to this corner of the internet, may have already heard of our love for Tinpot Hobo. In the first episode of The Good Comic Books Podcast (which you can find HERE) we spoke about this brilliant sci-fi comic, because it’s really ace. In the same vein as Star Wars and Serenity, an unlikely band of guys get together to fly around an incredibly well realised universe and do some adventuring.
We were lucky enough to get some questions answered by the creator Jack Lawrence, who both writes and draws and colours and all that stuff, and Adam Lawrence (no relation) who uses his 3D modelling skills to design all the starships. It’s really cool stuff, and we advise you to check out the website www.tinpothobo.com because it’s incredibly entertaining in its own right.
Good Comic Books | This is your first creator owned project in 7 years, has it been gestating for all that time?
JACK LAWRENCE | To a certain extent, yes. I wrote the first two issues all that time ago, then my career sort of went crazy and Hobo had to sit and wait for me to find the time to do it. It’s been ever-present in my mind for the last 7 years though. When I decided I was going to the Kapow Comic con, I really wanted something of my own to show, and saw that as the perfect opportunity to finally realise Tinpot Hobo.
GCB | How did the the two of you get together on the project?
JACK | Adam and I went to the same school, then later on worked together for a few years before I broke into the comics industry. I knew early on that I wanted the ships of Hobo to look a certain way, and for there to be continuity from one image to the next. I know where my strengths lie, and it’s certainly not in vehicle design! It was a stumbling block very early on in the process, back in 2004. How do I do an epic sci-fi story that’ll rely heavily on cool-looking starships without making it look like crap? Adam, via the use of digital 3D modelling is great at architecture and product design, so I asked him if there was some way of successfully integrating his designs into a 2D format. After some trial and error, we got there!
GCB | How do you go about creating the Tinpot Hobo Universe, and does the world building happen before or after you’ve written the characters and story? On the website you’ve already started naming planets, outlining star systems, designing alien languages etc.
JACK | It all happens at the same time, really. The initial hook that I wanted to work from was “Cops in Space”. I’m a big soap opera fan, and feel the cliffhanger is the single best dramatic device ever created, so I knew I wanted that kinda feel to it. From there I decided on who the main characters would be, which have remained largely unchanged. The thing is though, once I started creating organisations, factions, locations etc. it just became this ever-expanding thing, with one situation leading on to another or at times leading back to a previous one. As far as the information on the website, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Most of what’s up there relates to what can be found in issue 1. As the story continues, so more bits and pieces will be revealed on the site. It’s very important to me that the Universe be really immersive, with tons of background information that isn’t necessary for the casual reader to know, but is there for those who really want to dig into it. Part of that was the Universal Standard writing system. I always loved that Star Trek and Star Wars had their own written languages (loads of them in the case of Star Trek) and I think it really helps to create a different Universe to the one we know.
GCB | What is the art process for Tinpot Hobo? Is it heavily digital? Do you do the colour, lettering etc all yourself?
JACK | Yeah, I do. Just as with Darkham Vale, it’s my baby and I know how I want it to look. In terms of the process, I pencil and ink it physically (that’ll never change!) then scan it and colour it on Photoshop. Adam sends me the ships as line art so that I can drop those in to the page and colour them along with the rest of it. There is no greater feeling, for me, than when a page is finished from pencils to letters.
GCB | How are the ships created? I heard that’s Adam’s job…
ADAM LAWRENCE | It is indeed Adam’s job, so I thought I would answer this question for you guys. As Jack mentioned earlier, I work in 3D, so for me it was really great to be able to move away from the day job, and create something that I have complete freedom on. 3D just gives you so much scope, that you can view the ship from any angle, so you can get a real understanding of its shape early on in the production process. I start off with a really simple sketch, then just block it out in 3D, as a series of simple geometric shapes. From there I reform the shape adding detail as I go. During the “trial and error” phase early on, it was clear that too much detail wasn’t translating that well to 2D line art, so I soon learned what to put in and what to leave out. From there I send over a series of images of the ship from different angles, to get Jack’s feedback. Then I will make any changes that are needed, although to be honest there haven’t been very many at all so far. The last step is to render them out as line art. For this stage Jack provides a simple sketch of the ship in the position he’s after, which I then use as reference. It’s a great way of working. I now have a massive pile of sketches and doodles that I’m currently working up in 3D for the comic.
GCB | Darrius looks like someone I know, did you base him on a guy called Wes?
JACK | Ha! No, but let’s get Wes into a “Born to Fly” T-Shirt and get him on the website! LOL
GCB | What were the influences for the book? I’d say Star Wars, but I guess it’s the first comparison anyone would make for Sci-fi of this kind, plus I reckon Star Wars influences way over half of everything anyway.
JACK | I think you’re absolutely right. Not only is Star Wars incredibly ingrained in our consciousness, all of its characters and themes are archetypal, so you can’t really get away from it. Add to that the Sci-Fi element and it’s inevitable that some will make that comparison, regardless of how hard you try to steer clear of it as a creator. Actually, the initial inspiration was from being a fan of cop shows like “The Bill” and soap operas. I’m constantly inspired by people I know and places I visit. For example, going to shopping malls really makes me feel like I’m on a Starship, which then gets the creative juices going in that context, and will lead to a story element that maybe I hadn’t thought of before. I wanted to do Sci-Fi because I’d just finished Darkham Vale, and had tons of ideas for stories but felt that the location was too small and limited for those ideas to be realised realistically. So I traded up a small hamlet in the English countryside for the entire galaxy, just to cover my bases!
GCB | How have you found self publishing? Fun?
JACK | Without exaggeration, it’s the single most exciting and rewarding experience of my career so far! Being a freelance artist is wonderful, but at times it can be frustrating and to be honest, boring, if your creative urges are not being 100% fulfilled. Tinpot Hobo is my creative escape; my chance to do whatever I want to, without answering to anyone or waiting on anyone else to get the book out there. Has it made me shedloads of cash? No, of course not! But that was never the point. I always said that if the only people to read it were my family and friends that’d be absolutely fine, because the point is that I created it. Actually, the reception has been, thus far, 100% positive, and I’m selling more copies than I imagined I would at this stage.
GCB | Are you working on any other projects we should know about?
JACK | I’m working on loads of projects, but mainly for toy companies, so I won’t be able to tell anyone, ever! (Another reason for putting my own comic out there!)
GCB | What comics (if any) would you recommend at the moment? Are there any small press gems we should know about?
JACK | I’ve just discovered, through meeting at a convention, Philip Jackson’s “Sequential Art”. It’s a webcomic, but he’s bound a ton of the strips up and sells them from Lulu. Gorgeous art, and a real sense of fun to the whole thing. Plus, Phil’s a lovely guy, which always helps sell something to me!
GCB | When is Tinpot Hobo #2 out?
JACK | I’d love to be specific, but the answer is “as soon as humanly possible!” I’m doing it alongside my regular workload, but it is underway. I’ll be updating through Facebook, DeviantArt and Twitter (although I don’t really get that last one!) I’d love to have it done for July, but it remains to be seen. Rest assured though, I AM committed to it!
Thanks guys! If you want to pick up a copy of Tinpot Hobo yourself, go HERE.
