THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2024! Moving from a career as an economist to one as a comic book writer is certainly an atypical entry point into the industry but’s the one that Peruvian creator Oscar Osorio chose when he decided to pursue his creative passions. Osorio will be making his first appearance at Thought Bubble this year where readers will be able to pick up his own social commentary-infused brand of genre fiction. BF’s Ellie Egleton catches up with Oscar today to chat about that sidestepping career path, socially relevant themes in comics, and unfulfilled dreams…
BROKEN FRONTIER: Oscar, we look forward to welcoming you to Thought Bubble this year! Can you please tell us how you first discovered comics?
OSCAR OSORIO: Thanks so much! I’m super excited to be there. I discovered comics in 2010 when a local newspaper started publishing Marvel and DC Comics from around those years in my home country, Peru. My father got me some issues from the newspaper stands, and it was love at first sight. I was so obsessed that I hijacked next year’s family trip to LA to attend San Diego Comic-Con. My passion for comics has only grown stronger over the years.
BF: Before comics, you were an economist. Was there a specific moment that sparked this change in career? We love to hear about a creator’s journey!
OSORIO: Yes, in parallel to my love for comics, I had an everyday life, and because of societal pressure and the norm, I studied economics and worked for 5 years in auditing and consulting firms. However, there was a point when my comics hobby evolved into something I wanted to do: from reading and enjoying books to making them. After spending years learning about how to write comics, making friends with creators, attending panels at conventions, and even crafting a small comic as a fun exercise, at the end of 2022 I was burned out from my day job and convinced I could make comics a career. So I dove into it.
As for specific moments, I think it was a combination of events, but in the end, I knew this was what I wanted, and I decided to stop postponing it and get into it. I didn’t want to grow old, look back and think: I wish I could have done it. Two years later, it’s going great, and if tragedy occurs I can always return to my other job. The bright side is that the books I’ve created and the connections I’ve made from comics are eternal.
Cover by Vinicius Carreiro and J.Hammond
BF: How does, if at all, your Peruvian background influence your storytelling and the themes you explore in your comics?
OSORIO: I think a creator’s identity is seen in his work, whether they do it on purpose or not. Not two people are alike, no matter if they come from the same place or have the same ethnicity, but differences widen once you start looking into these factors. But it’s not only country of origin or race; it’s also hobbies, age, preferences, and more. This is why I’m all for exploring different backgrounds and creators worldwide. That’s how you learn about other cultures, perspectives, and ideas and how you empathize with people.
Therefore, I don’t directly explore elements of, for example, Andean, Inca, or Peruvian culture, but I’m Latino, so I explore themes essential to us, such as intergenerational trauma, societal norms, migration, and similar. Not to say these themes are Latino only, as I’m also a citizen of the world, so I talk about capitalism, mental health, corporate greed, and more that I’ve seen in my corporate life. So, I don’t consider that my Peruvian background influences my work, but as a Peruvian, my stories do have a mark of someone who comes from this part of the world, my background, and my life experiences.
Art from A Never-Ending Adventure by Vinicius Carreiro
BF: Can you walk us through your creative process when writing a comic?
OSORIO: It varies from project to project, but I usually start with an idea, which becomes an outline, coordinated with the artist/co-creator, and then move forward to scripting based on the artist’s preference. I emphasize the collaborative aspect as it’s very important for me to get a great story.
BF: A Never-Ending Adventure is a one-shot featuring ‘Mark Bear’, a corporate worker turned comic book writer, who needs to think of a winning idea to make a living from his passion. However, he can’t keep his head straight, and his mental health is struggling. This is a significant theme in your story and so can you discuss your approach to portraying mental health in your work and why it is important to you?
OSORIO: A Never-Ending Adventure, my debut work, is a biographical story that portrays a chapter in my life: the moment I started to follow my passion after a rough patch in the corporate world. I discovered that doing so doesn’t heal you immediately. As a comic book writer, I noticed a new set of fears rising: fear of disappointing others and myself and not being enough. Anxiety about making money, insecurities about the future, and whether this decision was correct. My mental health took a toll, but I figured out a way to overcome it. Therefore, I wrote this from personal experience to show an honest view of what a career change entails from the perspective of someone who lived the good and the not-so-good.
BF: You also contributed a story to the anthology Don’t Push the Red Button. This collection of stories explores human nature and the value of life, time, and money. And so, if YOU were faced with a choice, to push a button and amass immense wealth but at the cost of someone’s life, how would YOU decide? (This question comes with a spoiler warning for those who haven’t yet read your contribution to the anthology!)
OSORIO: Not only did I contribute a story, but I curated the whole anthology, from the idea, passing through the campaign, and shipping the printed books. Therefore, my entire goal with the project, and many of my other books, is for the audience to think about important stuff we don’t think about enough, in my opinion. Is it okay that you are just a number to a company in the modern corporate world? Is being a billionaire ethical? How do people who work every day just to survive get a quality of life? And are we okay living in a world like this? It’s about discussing human life, the role of money, and how time influences everything.
As an economist, my answer is “it depends.” There are many factors: the amount, who dies, and where I am in life (am I happy or sad? Do I need the money?). So there’s no right or wrong answer. It’s a matter of analyzing a situation and deciding what you believe is the best choice—something we should do for many aspects of our lives.
Cover by Francesca Fantini
BF: Don’t Push the Red Button involves over 30 creators. What were your personal highlights in working with such a diverse group of talent and what was the collaborative process like?
OSORIO: This project will always have a special place in my heart as I got to work with many people I admire. This was only my second project, so I hadn’t proven myself yet. Therefore, seeing the community give me their blessing, seeing established creators trust me to bring their stories to life, and seeing the campaign backers put their faith in me was amazing and showed me what the comics community can accomplish for one another.
For the collaborative process, I worked as an editor with every team and oversaw the creation of their stories, making suggestions when I saw fit and making sure we met the deadlines. It was wild to work with people from whom I learned so much and actually had an opinion on what they would do.
Art by Francesca Fantini
BF: The anthology’s premise raises challenging ethical questions. How do you think these dilemmas resonate with readers today? And in what other ways can readers connect with your work?
OSORIO: The best way to tell stories is to work on what makes you most passionate. As you’ve seen in my life, I’ve followed “the rules,” and when I made the career change, I started questioning society and why things work the way they do. With that, I’m sharing stories I would have loved to read when younger so I could’ve figured out stuff faster. And I’ve seen, as my books get out there, many readers become interested in what I’m saying because they agree or know someone is going through a similar situation. As long as you tell honest, human stories from passion, readers will want to read them because they can see the person telling them and see someone doing it out of love and good faith.
BF: You have two more books launching at Thought Bubble. Can you give us a sneak peek into what readers can expect?
OSORIO: Of course! Tales from the New World is a collection of three sci-fi “a bit too close to reality” stories written by me. The art is by David Stoll, Bianca Yamakoshi, and Mike Morrocco. The book has covers by Dennis Menheere and Lane Lloyd and letters by Leo McGovern. I’m super excited for people to dive into these stories.
My other launch, which I haven’t spoken much about, is Face Their Fears #1, a YA Horror Action book set in a universe where a corporation has discovered a way to travel to the Emotional Realm and eliminate people’s fears. As this service is costly, the ultra-rich are the only ones who can afford it and use it to better their lives. In opposition, the squads who do the dangerous jobs are composed of teenagers in need of money who don’t know what they are getting into. Art by David Escobar, Colors by Maria Campano, and Letters by Leo McGovern. This is my first “first issue,” and I’m eager to see readers dive into this world we have created.
As you can see, both of these books follow themes I love to discuss, mixing fun elements with thought-provoking dilemmas.
Cover by Dennis Menheere
BF: Your future in comics is looking bright! What do you hope to achieve next in the industry? And what advice would you give to aspiring comic book writers or artists?
OSORIO: My next goal is to get published in the United States. This has been a dream since the start of my journey since it will help cement my presence in the industry and impulse me into bigger things. As I want to turn this into a career, I’m looking for sustainable ways of doing it forever, so I work with that goal in mind. I’m aware that I need to be in the US industry to make it big in comics (in fact, this is what my current project, Let Us In, is about; you can check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/devinarscottcomics/let-us-in-an-anthology-by-non-us-creators) so that’s what I want to do.
For advice, three things: write what you would like to find on the shelves, always be the most exciting creator to yourself, and comics is a marathon, not a sprint.
BF: Finally, where can we find you at this year’s Thought Bubble and what do you look forward to the most at the festival?
OSORIO: I’m at Travelling Man Hall B4a. This is my first time at Thought Bubble and my second international convention with a table, so I’m excited to meet passionate people who love comics, whether readers, peers, or whoever. Attending comic book conventions as a creator and sharing my stories is a dream come true.
Interview by Ellie Egleton
Visit Oscar Osorio’s site and online store here.
Oscar Osorio will be at Table B4a in the Travelling Man Hall at Thought Bubble.
Thought Bubble 2024 runs from November 11th-17th with the convention weekend taking place on the 16th-17th. More details on the Thought Bubble site here.
Read all our Thought Bubble 2024 coverage so far in one place here.
Art by Rocío Arreola Mendoza
