Broken Frontier

For some time now Jazan Wild has been pretty creative! Writer, musician and all-around creative person he decided to venture into comics and thought up comics (Carnival of Souls, Funhouse of Horrors, Atomic Dreams) that would be a must-read on Halloween. Today BF is talking to both the creator/inventor of Carnival Comics as well as the regular artist Rudy Vasquez about comics and this glorious period of the year, known as Halloween!

BROKEN FRONTIER: Carnival Comics seems to be totally horror-focused. Where do you get the inspiration from and who do you consider influences in art or story?
 
 
JAZAN WILD: Well it's funny, because what is horror? If Walt Disney released Snow White today people would be up in arms over the Witch and the magic spells etc... Just look at J.K. Rowling with the Potter series. Are these stories horror? To me, they are just great stories. I love Stephen King's The Stand and I love Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I don't see the difference. It's all good and evil. Darkness and light. Choose your side. True horror is how we treat one another. Headlines News should be retitled Horror News. I believe in Hope. The world is what you make it and where you choose to focus. My stories show choices.
 
The stuff I write is mainly taken from my life's experiences. Carnival Of Souls is drawn out of my being a child of divorce and having to grow up and face the harshness of the world, "The Hunter" at a young age. Throw in a couple of tigers named Tok and Roar which to me spiritually are "Faith and Hope", and a clown named Jexter, which is really a painted face version of "Karma", and you've got a wild ride into the psyche of my mind.
 
Funhouse Of Horrors is taken from my trips with my grandparents from Virginia to Long Island, NY. The trip itself was magical as a kid. We would always stop off at these fruit stands and get tomatoes and corn. Now cross that with the old abandoned houses that are all over southern Virginia, and you get Funhouse Of Horrors. My mates and I would play army out in the fields and woods where I grew up. There were always these old dwellings that had so much life to them, even though they were falling apart and their windows were long since smashed. Every inch of the house had seen so many days. If the walls could talk. Oh yeah, I also grew up next to an abandoned funeral home. We used to sneak in. It was so creepy. That may have added to the Funhouse story as well. he he.
 
Two other titles that Carnival Comics has done, are Atomic Dreams: The Lost Journal of J. Robert Oppenheimer, about the race to build the atomic bomb. In this story, the Native Americans unleash a buried monster which poisons their minds and souls. The great chief has to bury this evil before it can corrupt man any more. Only to centuries later, discover it has once again roared it's ugly head among men.
 
Dandy is a story Carnival Comics did with mega hit songwriter Andreas Carlsson who just had a number one hit with Katy Perry's, "Waking Up in Vegas." This story is being made into a musical by Carlsson. It tells the story of a young boy named Dandy, who while in an orphanage hears magical notes visit him at night. He follows this melody and finds a magical world filled with wonder and adventure. 

RUDY VASQUEZ: Obviously, my inspiration is in the writing and imagination of Jazan Wild as the creator.  For my part in it, it's a learning curve. I'm inclined to draw in a more fantasy or super hero style, but in order to evoke a sense of horror one needs to build suspense with emotions and use very dramatic lighting. My influences art-wise aren't necessarily other comic book artists with Funhouse, but shows like CW's Supernatural come to mind.

BF: Is there a combining element between Funhouse and Carnival Of Souls? Both have that strange clown happening. Are they the same?
 
JW: Here's a hint. The last issue of Funhouse Of Horrors is titled "The Carnival Of Horrors." While Jexter is as bad ass of a clown as you can get, Scratch is more of a monster / spirit. I don't really say what Scratch is. He could be just as he appears or he could be something more. Why show all your cards?
 
RV: From what I've read in the story, I'd say no, but you never know. What makes these stories intriguing is the broad concepts that are more ethereal and mysterious. It's like looking at the world through the eyes of a child. It's full of wonder and not everything has to be explained, just felt.

 
BF: What do you yourself do with Halloween?
 
JW: I love these three months of the year! Starting with October right through to Christmas! Halloween is magic! I love haunted houses! Sharon, my wife and I really enjoy what Disney does with the Haunted Mansion. They let Jack Skellington and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" gang take it over. Tomorrow we are very fortunate to have been invited to the Burbank Disney Studios for their Halloween Party. So that will be what we are doing this year.
 
Also I must watch "It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" every year. It reminds me of yesteryear. The music of Vince Guaraldi is perfect and timeless. The colors of the backgrounds dance with the notes. So melancholy; it's a ticket to another time.
 
RV: Lol-Well, this year, Tara (my girlfriend) and I are attending a wedding that's Halloween themed. So, it's full of costumes and romance, though I'm sure the dancing will have to see us all jammin' to "Thriller" at some point.

BF: What are your fondest Halloween-memories?
 
JW: Early Years:
 
Dressing up as Kiss. Remember those plastic outfits from the dollar store? Pretty fun. The mask made my face sweat. Also, I remember hearing all the footsteps coming up our old wooden stairs and our doorbell ringing a million times. My house was a hit! It was great! One of those ringing the door was my future wife. No joke. Sharon and her family stopped by. She was a teenager and I was younger. I have always had a thing for the older chicks;)

Recent Years:

Markosia Enterprises released Carnival of Souls in 2005 and I had a book signing and CD launch at Golden Apple on Melrose Ave for that Halloween. Then just last year, Carnival Comics released Funhouse Of Horrors Issue One in October. Carnival partnered with Golden Apple and Spooky House (an LA Based chain of 5 haunted houses) to give out hundreds of Funhouse issues and posters at all five locations for the entire Halloween season. That was topped off with two signings at both Golden Apple locations. This was so special because now we had our own company and had survived and thrived! It's tough to make it in the entertainment industry. But I believe!
 
RV: Definitely winning contests being dressed as Teen Wolf in elementary school. I wasn't quite a teen, but my mother made a very detailed elaborate costume. I'm a big Werewolf fan, but if someone writes a story with fur that glitters in the moonlight I might pass.

BF: What are your next plans with Carnival? And I mean both digitally as well as in print.
 
JW: I take the pieces that come to me and arrange them. So let's see what comes my way. We are represented by Scott Agostoni at William Morris Endeavor Agency, and he is setting up meetings with some pretty cool film companies. So that will be a part of it, I'm sure. Nokia has shown quite an interest in us as a company. So again, we are talking about a lot of things. I have a lot of offers and options right now. But I have learned that what means the most to me is an inner peace. I don't just want to do stuff, so that I can say I did it. I want things to have an impact in a positive way. So yes, more comic apps because it has brought freedom to creators and artists. We have now reached 179 countries and counting with our stories. That's more than any other comic company! I'm looking to impact the music world the same way. Just wait and see!
 
As far as the printed word. We will have all our titles collected into graphic novels and released through book stores soon enough. All the readers and fan base we are building on the phones and web are only going to help our sales when we do this. But for now, everything is headed towards ebooks and apps and we are leading the way, along with other great companies like Robot Comics and Comixology. Carnival Comics is in the Halloween issue of Entertainment Weekly, and for what? Our digital comic. We are making an impact and I love it!
 
RV: Well, in the direction we're headed it looks like all that's digital will see print in some form as well, but I'm officially the main artist on both Jazan Wild's Funhouse of Horrors, and I'm taking over Carnival of Souls after issue 3.  I'm enjoying drawing those characters immensely.
 
BF: Where can we digitally follow you?

JW: Check your phone!! he he. We are on iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Nokia. Two titles "It's Murphy's Law" and "Atomic Dreams: The Lost Journal Of J. Robert Oppenheimer" can only be seen on Nokia and currently take over Nokia Daily Apps as well!!!
 
Other than that:
http://www.jazanwild.com
http://www.carnivalcomics.com
http://www.facebook.com/jazanwild
http://www.myspace.com/jazanwild
 
RV: Well, not to be obvious but on the apps for starters. The Funhouse book is on NOKIA smart phones or on: http://www.myebook.com/carnivalcomics/  but for general purposes my deviant art site is: http://rudyvasquez.deviantart.com/ or search me on facebook.  :)

Broken Frontier wishes Carnival Comics' creators and fans a glorious Halloween!!