Location:

Farel Dalrymple - Pop Gun War/Meathaus

Farel Dalrymple is the author and artist of the Pop Gun War series, one issue of which has been published to date, thanks to the use of a grant. Farel is also involved with a New York-based anthology called Meathaus - who are about to publish their fifth collection - a series which Farel contributes to as well as being the editor of. We spoke to Farel about both Pop Gun War and Meathaus - the second issue of Pop Gun War has just been completed and Farel has been kind enough to provide us with three pages as preview of this work.

Re:mote Induction : To start us off could you give us an idea of what Pop Gun War is about?

Farel: This is always the most difficult question for me. I guess Pop Gun War is about childhood, self-discovery, oppression, guilt, dreams, loneliness, whatever. It is more about a feeling you, the reader, get from the story rather than a typical narrative. If you wanted to get literal it is about an inner city boy, Sinclair, who discovers a pair of discarded angel wings. With these wings Sinclair flies around the city and gets into adventures.

Re:mote Induction : How is this expressed in the first part of the story?

Farel: The first issue climaxes with Sinclair realizing that his new found wings give him the ability to fly. From there he has a couple of interactions with a few of the strange people that inhabit the city.

Re:mote Induction : Can you tell us something about the key characters in the story?

Farel: There is: Sinclair, who I already told you about; Addison, a homeless man who finds a sort of redemption; Emily, Sinclair's rock star sister; the rich kid, an invisible supernatural something tormenting Addison; Rachel, a guardian angel type figure, and Roger, the being who fell from the sky on the first page. I introduce a couple more regular characters in the second issue.

Re:mote Induction : Is the series set at a finite number of parts or do you plan to develop it as long as you have ideas for it?

Farel: I plan on doing at least 5 issues then collect them into a trade paperback. I may still use the characters in something else later. I will have to see how I feel when I am done with the 5 issues.

Re:mote Induction : The first issue was published with the aid of a grant - can you tell us more about the grant and how you came to win it?

Farel: go to:
www.xericfoundation.com
it is a foundation for small publishers set up by Peter Laird( Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Basically, I just applied for it, sent copies of my artwork and prayed I would get it. There are a bunch of submission guidelines all laid out on the foundations website. Here is more info:
XERIC FOUNDATION
PMB 214
351 Pleasant Street
Northampton, Massachusetts 01060

E-Mail address: xericgrant@aol.com
Phone: 413/ 585-0671

Re:mote Induction : How big a print run were you able to do with this first issue and have you had any kind of feedback as to how well it has sold?

Farel: I initially printed 2000 copies. I was very surprised and delighted when I sold over 2200 copies through previews, the diamond distribution catalog. I did a reprint of another 2000 copies. I must have sold a few hundred more through alternate distributors and conventions. Not a lot by the big publishers standards but above and beyond my expectations for my little indie book.

Re:mote Induction : You are currently working through the second issue of Pop Gun War - when do you expect to have it finished and will it appear through the same publisher?

Farel: It is pretty much finished now. I just need some cash to print the thing. Pop Gun War #2 will be a Meathaus Press book, our own little publishing empire. I actually approached a few publishers with Pop Gun War but so far no takers. Though a few of the publishers I talked to have been very encouraging.

Re:mote Induction : Along with Pop Gun War you edit and contribute the anthology Meathaus which I believe is on to its fourth issue - what ideas lie behind this anthology and can you give a brief history of its formation?

Farel: One of the contributors, Chris McDonnell, and I were working for this now defunct animation company and were talking about doing stuff that utilized all of our friends resources and talents. Basically I knew all these really talented guys who were all doing other things, animation, illustration, some comics. Some of them had never even done comics before. Being my friends I knew most of these artists had similar tastes. At first I thought it would be fun just to throw together a 24 page anthology to feature all these guys. It has since turned into something bigger than my original intentions, grown into something that takes up way too much of my time. Issues 3 and 4 were both 48 pages. The 5th issue should be finished in about 6 weeks. It is going to be our biggest and best issue yet. Hopefully each issue will be better then the last.

Re:mote Induction : There are a number of other creators working on Meathaus - can you tell us something about each of the key contributors?

Farel: Wow, there were 15 contributors in issue 4 and a few others from previous issues. There will also be a couple of new folks in issue 5.
I will try to list all the contributors in issues 1 through 4
-Chris McDonnell -animation student at school of visual arts. He is currently working on an amazing animated short film. Check out his website
www.tourdeforcekiosk.com
-Stephen Gilpin -one of the few non-New York contributors. Everyone in Meathaus talks about what an amazing cartoonist/illustrator this guy is. Most of us knew him from our time at s.v.a. He has enough material to do his own book. We are just looking for a means to fund it.
-Jay Sacher -the most literary one of us. One of the few guys I approached who didn't go to school with me.
-Tomer Hanuka -illustrator/cartoonist. His illustrations have appeared in the New Yorker and Rolling Stone. Tomer was responsible for the design on issues 3 and 4. He received a gold medal from the society of illustrators for his cover of issue three as well as a silver medal for his own comic book Bipolar. www.thanuka.com
-Diane Barcelowski - fine art graduate from s.v.a.
-Serge Marcos -dj, designer, illustrator and fellow production dog
-Theo Edmands - one of the first friends I made in New York and an exceptional cartoonist. I keep pressuring this guy to put his own book together.
-James Jean -another award winning illustrator/boy genius. He is in his senior year at s.v.a.
-Stephen Halker - otherwise known as stardog. A senior at s.v.a. His was a very impressive first foray into cartooning.
-Zac Baldus - another amazing illustrator. His stuff has appeared in Time magazine, Penthouse, and the Wall Street Journal
-Earl Holloway - this fantastic illustrator has done stuff for the New York Times book review, espn, and Discover magazine. Check out his website, www.snazypants.com
-Dan Zalkus - guerilla artist/ illustration graduate from s.v.a.
-Esao Andrews- you have to check out this guys website
www.esao.net
Esao's main thing is painting but seems to be good at everything else. One of the most prolific artists I know. -Mu Dafaka (Mu Wen Pan) -artist/actor/cowboy/ senior illustration major at s.v.a.
the three new guys in issue four are
-Rich Muccullah -artist/carpenter. He designed a cool display for our convention appearances
-Joe Simko -another graduate from the s.v.a.
-Brandon Graham -the most real cartoonist I have met.

Whew! I hope I didn't forget anyone

Re:mote Induction : Are there any particular themes that inspire or intrigue you? (With this I am particularly thinking of the image of the angel in Pop Gun War)

Farel: I am a big fan of redemption. It might be my religious upbringing. I don't know. I'm not really a religious person anymore but I think those ideas stay with you. I like doing stories about childhood and the injustice you feel when you are small. My first comic, Smith's Adventures In The Supermundane was all about that. I also enjoy things with a dreamlike quality to them. I am a big fan of David Lynch and movies like the Holy Mountain and Orson Welles version of The Trial.

Re:mote Induction : Do you have other works that you are hoping to bring to fruition in the near future?

Enlarge

Enlarge

Enlarge

Farel: I was planning on creating a children's book. My original goal was to do a big graphic novel once I finished the five issues of Pop Gun War. Now I am thinking of doing a hybrid of the two. A full color children's book/graphic novel. I will probably have to take a break from Meathaus in order to get this underway.

Re:mote Induction : How do you see comics as a medium for artistic/narrative expression?

Farel: I love it for that. I wouldn't be doing all this work if I didn't. Comics have the potential to combine the best of both worlds. Literature and art. Though it doesn't always live up to the best of either one of those. Well most of the time it doesn't. Not that I am comparing comics with Moby Dick or a Klimt painting. I think comics are their own animal. It is a really cool thing when someone knows how to tell a story well with words and pictures.

Re:mote Induction : With that what benefits do you feel you have by being the artist as well as writer of your own works?

Farel: It is really hard for me to draw other peoples stories. Whenever I do it always feels like work. When I write my own stuff I don't even think about the time I spend drawing comics. I am just happy to be making something. Writing my own stuff is the only way I can draw what I really want to draw. In a weird way it makes me feel like I am more intelligent than I really am.

Re:mote Induction : How does the role of creator compare to that of editor when it comes to something like Meathaus?

Farel: I think I am a lot more critical of my own work, the Pop Gun War stuff specifically, than I am of the stuff in Meathaus. Some of the contributors have said that I need to be a more harsh art director. I don't want to stifle anyone's creativity or offend anyone but I definitely want the book to look as good as can be. I love getting everyone together to work on the book. It is a great way for me to stay in touch with all these friends that I might not see otherwise. Working on Pop Gun War is a much more lonely enterprise. That is the only draw back to being a creator. The editor task has a lot of drawbacks for me. I spend way too much time and money putting Meathaus together. Pop Gun War is a lot more satisfying creatively than Meathaus. The cool thing about Meathaus is that it is such a good venue for all these artists I know. I am really proud of a lot of the work in Meathaus. Proud that I know these guys and that I had a hand in other people seeing their work.

Re:mote Induction : Is there anything in particular you have learned in the process of producing the material you have had published to date that has changed the way that you are working now?

Farel: I have learned so much I can't list it all. Mostly I think that I have learned a lot about design. I am more aware of it now than I used to be. All the production work has certainly improved my knowledge of photoshop and quark. I am a lot more knowledgeable about distribution and the comic market place. John Green and Dave Roman at Cryptic Press helped me out a lot with all that stuff. Brett Warnock and Chris Staros at Top Shelf gave me a lot of good advice too.

Re:mote Induction : Who are the people in the comics field that have been key to making you want to become involved in the field yourself?

Farel: my brother in law, Stephen Gilpin was a big inspiration. A couple of other mh artists were inspiring too, Tomer Hanuka and Theo Edmands. James Jean and Esao Andrews haven't really done much comics but they have definitely made an impact on me artistically. I owe something to all the folks at Marvel Comics for entertaining me when I was a child. Without those books I probably wouldn't be making comics today. A couple of s.v.a. teachers were instrumental in my comic endeavours, Walt Simonson and Keith Mayerson. The Cryptic Press guy helped me a lot. A few big inspirations for me are: David Mazzuchelli, Sergio Toppi, Dave McKean, and Nicholas de Crecy. There are many more. Too many to list.

Re:mote Induction : There are new creators in this field all the time - which new creators or less well known creators do you think people should watch out for? People whose work you rate highly?

Farel: There is this guy in Minneapolis named Vincent Stall. His mini comics are the best comics I have read in the past few years. You can contact him at
vincent stall
circulation dept.
89 south 10th st. suite no. 315
minneapolis, minnesota 55403
usa
I think Tomer's book Bipolar was incredible. I can't wait for his next book. this guy is one of my favorites.

Re:mote Induction : Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions and we wish you the best of luck with your future work - do you have any final comments you would like to end on?

Farel: I would like to thank you for the interview and the interest in my work. It is still a surprise and great pleasure to hear that people are actually reading and enjoying my comic book. I appreciate your magazine and what you are doing to promote the comic book industry. Also tell everyone to check out our website
www.meathaus.com
it needs to be updated but I think it looks great.

NTVWR: PTR
April 2001

More Information

www.meathaus.com

meathaus site where farel's work can be ordered from.

Pop Gun War 1

re:mote review of the first issue of this series.