You have questions? I might have answers.
On this page I will answer commonly asked questions of Pandora. There are so many! I'm going to weed through my files and try to pick the most relevant ones. Being that Pandora is character-driven, many of them are about the characters in general or specific.
How do you come up with characters?
I begin with an idea for a character to fit a role - ie the angry one. Next I take a sliver or piece of my personality, whether present or past, pleasant or not, and begin building around that. I add traits that I admire, or ones that provide comic gold. I always consider stereotypes and if I should utilize or break them. I do not base characters on people that I know. I tend to create characters in sets, and I consider how they work together.
I put a lot of effort into each character. I have studied several languages and do light research on countries when I consider heritage. Where I am from, it's not unusual for someone to ask "What are you?" - and not offensively. We're proud of where we came from: our heritage. I have come to realize that my environment influences the comic more than I know. My sense of place has shaped theirs.
Finally, I think about their wants and needs and their dreams for the present and future - it all adds to their personality. As I write with them, they spring to life and evolve. Part of the reason for the redesign of the comic to the graphic novel format is that some of the support and occasional characters aren't as fleshed out to the readers as they are to me.
I put a lot of effort into each character. I have studied several languages and do light research on countries when I consider heritage. Where I am from, it's not unusual for someone to ask "What are you?" - and not offensively. We're proud of where we came from: our heritage. I have come to realize that my environment influences the comic more than I know. My sense of place has shaped theirs.
Finally, I think about their wants and needs and their dreams for the present and future - it all adds to their personality. As I write with them, they spring to life and evolve. Part of the reason for the redesign of the comic to the graphic novel format is that some of the support and occasional characters aren't as fleshed out to the readers as they are to me.
If you don't mind, what do these characters share of your personality?
I am surprised this question hasn't been asked of me more since I don't hide the fact that each character DOES share a part of my personality. Here's what they got from me.
Masa: I can be kind of a jackass.
Mandel: I can also be kind of a smartass.
Alice: I have an unexpected mean streak.
Marquis: I function sort of like him: Kind of lost in imagination, but with enough awareness to maneuver around objects and look with it.
Candy: I can be obsessive - you all know what I love! Right now it's Dragon Age and G Dragon's music.
Madison: I enjoy homework. When I had to do homework.
Hiroshi: I can be quiet.
Nia: Um... You got me, actually. I can't think of anything I have in common with Nia.
Masa: I can be kind of a jackass.
Mandel: I can also be kind of a smartass.
Alice: I have an unexpected mean streak.
Marquis: I function sort of like him: Kind of lost in imagination, but with enough awareness to maneuver around objects and look with it.
Candy: I can be obsessive - you all know what I love! Right now it's Dragon Age and G Dragon's music.
Madison: I enjoy homework. When I had to do homework.
Hiroshi: I can be quiet.
Nia: Um... You got me, actually. I can't think of anything I have in common with Nia.
How do you come up with story ideas?
I'm always asking, What if? For instance, I noticed that car washes are usually done with girls in skimpy outfits. Who hasn't noticed this? So then I wondered what if a really geeky club, say, The Paranormal Activities Club, comprised of tattooed, pierced, freaky and geeky characters held a car wash? What would happen? If your'e familiar with the original story, you know what happened. If not, just wait!
Another method: I take a few characters, put them into a place, and they basically write the story. Many of them are so well-developed, the dialogue and actions just flow immediately. "Comic gold" characters need to be present in order for this to happen, or a larger set of characters that have tense or fantastic interaction. These tend to be the more amusing stories. I wasn't able to do this right away, but in time I could.
I also take into consideration what HAS to happen. This is usually the tough stuff: the heavy drama. A lot of thought gets put into events like break-ups, hook-ups, fights, etc. I consider it, keep it in the back of my mind. I once spent a year considering deeply a move I intended to make in Pandora. Once made, I considered deeply for nearly another year to resolve it, not sure if my original intent was what I wanted to continue; I even began having dreams about this particular instance and the characters involved! I knew then I had to resolve it, and soon. I did, and the dreams stopped.
Another method: I take a few characters, put them into a place, and they basically write the story. Many of them are so well-developed, the dialogue and actions just flow immediately. "Comic gold" characters need to be present in order for this to happen, or a larger set of characters that have tense or fantastic interaction. These tend to be the more amusing stories. I wasn't able to do this right away, but in time I could.
I also take into consideration what HAS to happen. This is usually the tough stuff: the heavy drama. A lot of thought gets put into events like break-ups, hook-ups, fights, etc. I consider it, keep it in the back of my mind. I once spent a year considering deeply a move I intended to make in Pandora. Once made, I considered deeply for nearly another year to resolve it, not sure if my original intent was what I wanted to continue; I even began having dreams about this particular instance and the characters involved! I knew then I had to resolve it, and soon. I did, and the dreams stopped.
Which characters do you consider "comic gold?"
Masa can drive a storyline pretty much on his own after volume 1. You might think he's kind of an ass in Volume 1, but I love him. He's an awesome character to write with.
Marion is also brilliant at this. Using both Masa and Marion is usually done to great consequence. You'll see Marion in Volume 2 if you don't know who he is yet.
Kang is pretty good at this, but he's better when used with Masa. Kang shows up in Volume 3.
Characters who like each other and characters who hate each other usually set a story off well - this changes a lot. Characters who start out wary of each other may indeed become good friends (or at least come to tolerate one another) or even begin a romance.
Marion is also brilliant at this. Using both Masa and Marion is usually done to great consequence. You'll see Marion in Volume 2 if you don't know who he is yet.
Kang is pretty good at this, but he's better when used with Masa. Kang shows up in Volume 3.
Characters who like each other and characters who hate each other usually set a story off well - this changes a lot. Characters who start out wary of each other may indeed become good friends (or at least come to tolerate one another) or even begin a romance.
Why are so many of the characters guys?
This is the first comic I've done with so much of the cast being male. In previous comics, I was lucky if I managed to fit in one guy, and it was basically the same dude being recycled over and over from a fantasy story I created when I was 14. His name was Yutaka. Drawing females came much more easily and was more interesting. I have done many stories over the past 15+ years, from short stories inspired by drawings to mini-comic series. Most of them had either genderless creatures (ie demons) or females in great amounts. I realized this and tried to move myself towards drawing more male characters instead of recycling poor ol' Yutaka. In the stories leading up to Pandora, this began to happen. Finally, with Pandora, I found myself working with a mostly male cast. I now find myself in the opposite situation - female characters are more difficult for me to work with.
Why are so many of them gay?
Preference is one of those deep human traits that cannot be defined in black and white. Since I like to work with concepts of image, it came naturally. You probably noticed that I like to tweak the gender boundaries as well. It is in my artist statement that I enjoy making people think about what society has deemed normal and acceptable. This is what I am doing. I want to fight for tolerance and understanding, not just for the LGBT community, but for many misunderstood subcultures.
I wanted to use a diverse cast. However, it couldn't be so ridiculously diverse that it seemed forced or awkward. It's not simply about who is gay and who is not. It's about how they interact despite these differences. I also encourage you to look deeper into characters: Masa doesn't hate Marion because he's gay - he hates him because he finds him annoying. He's not really homophobic.
And I hate to point it out, but Pandora is not about being gay. It's about people. It's about life.
I wanted to use a diverse cast. However, it couldn't be so ridiculously diverse that it seemed forced or awkward. It's not simply about who is gay and who is not. It's about how they interact despite these differences. I also encourage you to look deeper into characters: Masa doesn't hate Marion because he's gay - he hates him because he finds him annoying. He's not really homophobic.
And I hate to point it out, but Pandora is not about being gay. It's about people. It's about life.
But why did you choose to make them gay in the first place?
I can't believe I have to answer this, but my files indicate that this HAS been asked of me.
Here's my answer: Life is diverse. I wanted Pandora to reflect this diversity, but without being ridiculous. I very well couldn't pick 20 extremely different characters. We, as humans, are social creatures and tend to flock together.
Nobody's ever asked me why Kang is in a wheelchair. Nobody ever asked me why Kaiser is deaf. I have been asked why not, for instance, make Marion straight? If it were so easy to make him straight, he would've been. I feel that some people find homosexuality to be abnormal or offensive - just look at the uproar caused when Archie Comics chose to introduce a gay character! (BTW, go Archie comics! I have been reading them forever, and plan to continue.) It's true some people can be offensively gay (offensively straight = homophobic), but I don't like to focus on extremes in Pandora or in any work - I find extremists to be frightening. For the most part, people just want to be left alone; live and let live. It's not like a gay man is trying to tell you that you should also be gay just because he is.
Confession time.... At first I didn't plan for any relationships to happen in Pandora, straight or otherwise. But the characters developed their own personalities.
Here's my answer: Life is diverse. I wanted Pandora to reflect this diversity, but without being ridiculous. I very well couldn't pick 20 extremely different characters. We, as humans, are social creatures and tend to flock together.
Nobody's ever asked me why Kang is in a wheelchair. Nobody ever asked me why Kaiser is deaf. I have been asked why not, for instance, make Marion straight? If it were so easy to make him straight, he would've been. I feel that some people find homosexuality to be abnormal or offensive - just look at the uproar caused when Archie Comics chose to introduce a gay character! (BTW, go Archie comics! I have been reading them forever, and plan to continue.) It's true some people can be offensively gay (offensively straight = homophobic), but I don't like to focus on extremes in Pandora or in any work - I find extremists to be frightening. For the most part, people just want to be left alone; live and let live. It's not like a gay man is trying to tell you that you should also be gay just because he is.
Confession time.... At first I didn't plan for any relationships to happen in Pandora, straight or otherwise. But the characters developed their own personalities.
Why do many of the female characters seem to vanish after awhile?
Good question. I wish I had a good answer. Some characters are easier to structure stories around. When characters are introduced in relation to another character they fall into that support-character status. (ie: so-and-so's girlfriend.) When that relationship is terminated, the girl disappears. Now, in the current storyline as opposed to what is up right now on the redone version, there are a few female characters that have stuck with the crew. There's hope, yet!
What kind of research do you do for this comic?
A lot.
I've been doing Pandora! since 2003 and it never occurred to me to write down or keep track of what sort of research I do.
Ongoing research:
I tend to research culture - cultures inside and outside of North America. Obvious things like culture as a whole and subcultures that have nothing to do with heritage or race.
I do this through book research, talking to people of various backgrounds, and from media or film - though I try to not judge too much on film.
I research language. Even to the point of learning the basics. I can read and write Korean, pronounce Finnish and understand very basic conversation (though I can't speak it), and with dictionary help I read and write Japanese. It is my second language. Also, I picked up some Hindi when constantly exposed to it through film. I was taught to read and write Arabic in high school. I've looked at Russian, Gaelic, German, French, etc. Forming the background of a character is important to me, and culture and language can help.
But I research a lot of things from the simple and obvious to the weird.
I have researched how it looks to hold and swing a five foot long battle axe - by finding one. I have researched skateboarding. Forms of dance. Cars. Paranormal detection devices. Sign language. Audio impairments. Wheelchairs. Cell phones. Magic - "real" magic - Pandora! bends reality to an extent, but it is not fantasy. Exorcism. Fighting. Copyright issues - which is actually very handy in reality.
Everyday is an opportunity for observation and research! If you are doing a comic, I suggest you do the same.
I've been doing Pandora! since 2003 and it never occurred to me to write down or keep track of what sort of research I do.
Ongoing research:
I tend to research culture - cultures inside and outside of North America. Obvious things like culture as a whole and subcultures that have nothing to do with heritage or race.
I do this through book research, talking to people of various backgrounds, and from media or film - though I try to not judge too much on film.
I research language. Even to the point of learning the basics. I can read and write Korean, pronounce Finnish and understand very basic conversation (though I can't speak it), and with dictionary help I read and write Japanese. It is my second language. Also, I picked up some Hindi when constantly exposed to it through film. I was taught to read and write Arabic in high school. I've looked at Russian, Gaelic, German, French, etc. Forming the background of a character is important to me, and culture and language can help.
But I research a lot of things from the simple and obvious to the weird.
I have researched how it looks to hold and swing a five foot long battle axe - by finding one. I have researched skateboarding. Forms of dance. Cars. Paranormal detection devices. Sign language. Audio impairments. Wheelchairs. Cell phones. Magic - "real" magic - Pandora! bends reality to an extent, but it is not fantasy. Exorcism. Fighting. Copyright issues - which is actually very handy in reality.
Everyday is an opportunity for observation and research! If you are doing a comic, I suggest you do the same.
Which comic artists have inspired you?
I can't rightly say, as I've been doing comics since I could draw. At first it was probably everything I was watching on TV, seeing in newspapers, and in the comics I was reading (Pep and so forth). Sometimes I did comics to help me overcome fears or solve problems - the first actual comic strip I can remember doing is one that was meant to help me overcome my fear of the flu shot.
Later I began to be more conscious of the art styles I liked (ie Archie Artists like Dan DeCarlo, Stan Goldberg, Harry Lucey, and Bob Montana). I grew up reading Archie Comics. I still like them and still read them. I don't think they influence Pandora! One thing that did rub off on me is the ability to work with a gigantic cast. I grew up being familiar with the various residents of Riverdale, so it must've seemed natural to keep adding more characters to my own Pandora! world.
When I was around 13 I began to get into Japanese comics, and a few years later, Korean comics. I still think my drawing has a very strong blend of retro Americana mixed with some Japanese-comic-inspired artwork, and story-telling tendencies that blend American, Japanese, and Korean.
I think the first artist whose style I admired was Ray Omishi's in Sorcerer Hunters. This is probably not the thing a 13 year old should read. But that's beyond the point.
Soon enough I got into Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2; I still think of Rumiko Takahashi when I contemplate drawing action poses. All of her characters always looked completely balanced and natural, even when doing abnormal or unrealistic activities. They just had that sense of being, that weight. I continue to find this impressive and I love her stark inking and crazy stories - I love to read her work for the artwork and the humor. Her series have a tendency to have dozens of characters, and since I read her work in my preteen years (and even now), I think it was just one more comic input that was telling me that it's OK to have twenty some-odd characters, and it was what I was used to.
(I didn't realize it until later, when my then-editor told me he had trouble remembering some of the character's names ... I try very hard to make the characters distinctive with more effort now.)
Yuu Watase. I love her for her stories and bizarre characters. I read and reread Fushigi Yuugi and to this day laugh out loud at some of the things Miaka gets herself into. I've been reading some of her other work, too, and she has become one of those artists who I trust and would buy any story sight-unseen by her. She is able to do that fine balance of comedy and drama, something I struggle to do.
Ai Yazawa by reading Paradise Kiss and recently fell in love with Nana. Paradise Kiss inspires me for fashion more than it does artwork. Her style is unique and very, well, stylized. I don't draw in this way. But her fantastically attired characters attract me, and I have a tendency to pay more attention than what is necessary to clothing. She also deals with dispensing stereotypes and has strong, or at least honest, female characters.
Of course ... Tomoko Hayakawa. The Wallflower. I love her crazy characters and her open, warm personality. I say that only because she peppers her comics with notes and huge bonus sections at the end to thank her fans and everyone who has helped her. She has inspired me to be more personal with my comic. She writes what she loves, and I do that as well. I think it's excellent advice for anyone.
Lee Young You. Kill Me, Kiss Me. Zany characters, drama and comedy, and a nice balance between realistic expressions and stylistic usage in terms of art. She also seems to rotate between main character groups, though I haven't read the entire series.... I don't generally read comics that have juvenile delinquents in them, but these guys are a lot more complex than you'd initially imagine. I think that deep character creation (as a note, some of the side characters are truly bizarre), and a balance of comedy and drama is what attracts me the most.
Last but not least, I am a big fan of Miwa Ueda. I love Peach Girl. Ueda's style has this fantastic balance of solidity and realism. I feel her characters look real - the proportions, and the way they seem to actually be in their surroundings. It's like you can sense gravity in their world - their actions look natural, not unlike Takahashi's, but with a somewhat more realistic character style. I am only familiar with one of her series, and though I would site Peach Girl as one of my all-time favorites, it's actually quite heavy on the drama, which isn't something I do well. What inspires me is the realness of her characters, in personality and art style.
The thing about some of these comic authors is that they explored issues and characters that are out of the ordinary and I found that attractive. I wanted Pandora! to be entertaining, but I wanted it to say something, too.
Later I began to be more conscious of the art styles I liked (ie Archie Artists like Dan DeCarlo, Stan Goldberg, Harry Lucey, and Bob Montana). I grew up reading Archie Comics. I still like them and still read them. I don't think they influence Pandora! One thing that did rub off on me is the ability to work with a gigantic cast. I grew up being familiar with the various residents of Riverdale, so it must've seemed natural to keep adding more characters to my own Pandora! world.
When I was around 13 I began to get into Japanese comics, and a few years later, Korean comics. I still think my drawing has a very strong blend of retro Americana mixed with some Japanese-comic-inspired artwork, and story-telling tendencies that blend American, Japanese, and Korean.
I think the first artist whose style I admired was Ray Omishi's in Sorcerer Hunters. This is probably not the thing a 13 year old should read. But that's beyond the point.
Soon enough I got into Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2; I still think of Rumiko Takahashi when I contemplate drawing action poses. All of her characters always looked completely balanced and natural, even when doing abnormal or unrealistic activities. They just had that sense of being, that weight. I continue to find this impressive and I love her stark inking and crazy stories - I love to read her work for the artwork and the humor. Her series have a tendency to have dozens of characters, and since I read her work in my preteen years (and even now), I think it was just one more comic input that was telling me that it's OK to have twenty some-odd characters, and it was what I was used to.
(I didn't realize it until later, when my then-editor told me he had trouble remembering some of the character's names ... I try very hard to make the characters distinctive with more effort now.)
Yuu Watase. I love her for her stories and bizarre characters. I read and reread Fushigi Yuugi and to this day laugh out loud at some of the things Miaka gets herself into. I've been reading some of her other work, too, and she has become one of those artists who I trust and would buy any story sight-unseen by her. She is able to do that fine balance of comedy and drama, something I struggle to do.
Ai Yazawa by reading Paradise Kiss and recently fell in love with Nana. Paradise Kiss inspires me for fashion more than it does artwork. Her style is unique and very, well, stylized. I don't draw in this way. But her fantastically attired characters attract me, and I have a tendency to pay more attention than what is necessary to clothing. She also deals with dispensing stereotypes and has strong, or at least honest, female characters.
Of course ... Tomoko Hayakawa. The Wallflower. I love her crazy characters and her open, warm personality. I say that only because she peppers her comics with notes and huge bonus sections at the end to thank her fans and everyone who has helped her. She has inspired me to be more personal with my comic. She writes what she loves, and I do that as well. I think it's excellent advice for anyone.
Lee Young You. Kill Me, Kiss Me. Zany characters, drama and comedy, and a nice balance between realistic expressions and stylistic usage in terms of art. She also seems to rotate between main character groups, though I haven't read the entire series.... I don't generally read comics that have juvenile delinquents in them, but these guys are a lot more complex than you'd initially imagine. I think that deep character creation (as a note, some of the side characters are truly bizarre), and a balance of comedy and drama is what attracts me the most.
Last but not least, I am a big fan of Miwa Ueda. I love Peach Girl. Ueda's style has this fantastic balance of solidity and realism. I feel her characters look real - the proportions, and the way they seem to actually be in their surroundings. It's like you can sense gravity in their world - their actions look natural, not unlike Takahashi's, but with a somewhat more realistic character style. I am only familiar with one of her series, and though I would site Peach Girl as one of my all-time favorites, it's actually quite heavy on the drama, which isn't something I do well. What inspires me is the realness of her characters, in personality and art style.
The thing about some of these comic authors is that they explored issues and characters that are out of the ordinary and I found that attractive. I wanted Pandora! to be entertaining, but I wanted it to say something, too.
I've been reading your comic for awhile. Do the characters ever age?
In the original - yes. Very slowly. I think this will also happen in the redone version to give relationships weight; some of the characters have been together for years (in the original webcomic version). Some have been going through school. And so on.
What keeps you going? (Drawing Pandora?)
I got a question similar to this when I was doing a lecture/ guest-speaking deal and I think it's a fantastic one. This is what keeps me going:
Knowing that someone's reading Pandora. Knowing that this comic, these characters, have fans is what keeps me drawing. That their stories are enjoyed.
Also, knowing that I might be making some small difference. Whether it's making your day brighter or changing someone's perception on a certain sort of person, I feel rewarded.
It makes me want to keep drawing.
Knowing that someone's reading Pandora. Knowing that this comic, these characters, have fans is what keeps me drawing. That their stories are enjoyed.
Also, knowing that I might be making some small difference. Whether it's making your day brighter or changing someone's perception on a certain sort of person, I feel rewarded.
It makes me want to keep drawing.
