Interviews

Interview with Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca

By LJ Douresseau
March 15, 2004 - 10:54

Wednesday, March 10, 2004 is a day that will live in infamy for many comics fans. That is the day so many of them didn't buy STREET ANGEL #1 by artist Jim Rugg and his writing partner Brian Maruca. Jim will no doubt be a star artist within the next two years, and so many fans will wish they had a coveted copy of the first issue of Street Angel. Luckily Jim and Brian's publisher Slave Labor Graphics or, as they apparently now known, SLG Publishing reprints individual comics magazines.

Street Angel is Jesse Sanchez, an orphan and a street child. She's a "daughter of justice" who fights "evil, nepotism, ninjas, and hunger," according to the creators' description of the character. To me she's like a girl Robin, a street-tough Batgirl, or a spunky Kitty Pryde ready to slide a blade into your butt. If there's a smart editor at DC (and there are some), then Jim and Brian will be writing and drawing BATGIRL or ROBIN by next year.

In the meantime, Mr. Charlie #20 features an interview with Jim. Brian came by for a little while to chat. I hope you enjoy this and then run out and cop that last copy of Street Angel on your store shelf:

Who is Street Angel the character? Who are the rest of the cast that relate to the early issues?

RUGG: Street Angel is a 13-year-old, homeless orphan girl named Jesse Sanchez who defies all the standard comic book superhero conventions; she's malnourished, under-developed, of average intelligence, dirty, smart aleck, and a little naïve. She's a great skateboarder and martial artist living in the world's worst ghetto - Wilkesborough.

Other noteworthy characters are the mayor of Angel City, Mayor Watson, and his snobby daughter Brittany Watson - she's about Street Angel's age. The Bald Eagle is another homeless skateboarder and a friend of Street Angel. He has lost his lower body, his right arm, a few teeth, and his hair, but he remains a fearless skateboarder. In issue one, Dr. Pangea, a brilliant, deadly geologist, threatens to annihilate civilization. Issue 2 features a number of characters - CosMick, an Irish astronaut, Inti, the Incan sun god, Cortez, the Spanish conquistador credited with conquering Montezuma and the Aztec empire. In issue 3, Krigmore debuts. He is a satanic leader that burns down churches in Wilkesborough.

Why a girl character? Why skateboarding? Why ninjas and aliens? How are you putting all that together so that the series will be as fun as it sounds?

RUGG: I had done some sketches of a Street Angel like character. I enjoyed drawing the character and wanted to do a story with her. The skateboarding, ninjas, evil geologist, and nepotism came together around the visuals of the character. Once we decided to cast her as a superhero, a choice we found so outlandish that we couldn't resist, we started to think about what we liked and didn't like in the genre. I'm a little tired of the tough-guy-macho-cowboy shtick and I hate how 99% of the female characters in superhero books are ultra-flexible sex dolls. What will ultimately make this series sink or swim will be whether readers agree with our likes and dislikes when it comes to the superhero genre.

I think the skateboard's a more useful tool/weapon than Captain America's garish, Frisbee/shield.

Would you mind telling us something about your fellow creator Brian Maruca and how you two divvy up the work?

RUGG: Brian used to be a manager at McDonald's where people frequently defecated on the bathrooms walls. I guess that motivated him to return to school and earn that English degree. Brian is a technical writer.

We co-write the book. The specifics of this vary from story to story. Usually we joke around about story ideas until something clicks and we want to further develop it. One of us will transcribe our jokes and ideas into a very rough draft. We pass that rough draft back and forth, adding scenes and dialogue, revising it, etc. Eventually we break the story down into pages and pages into panels. We meet and read through it, flagging anything we're not both happy with. We rework the trouble spots until we're satisfied. Then I draw it.

We've been discussing an issue that we'd create the old Marvel way. We'll discuss the plot, then I'll draw it, then he'll script it.

What's the duration of the book or at least what Slave Labor is willing to commit to for the time being?

RUGG: I don't know. A specific number of issues is not specified in the contract. If everything goes well, I'd like to do between 8 and 12 issues. But on a quarterly schedule that's a long time, a lot can happen in 2 or 3 years. I have a number of stories developed with Street Angel that I want to do. I'd like to explore the elements of the superhero comic, including story clichés, character archetypes, and genre conventions. For example, in the first few issues, we wanted to move away from the recent decompressed storytelling trend. In order to figure out how to tell a long story in 24 pages, Brian and I reviewed some old reprinted comics (60s and 70s). We looked at captions and how they could be used to enhance the storytelling. I enjoyed reading these older comics and trying to understand how the cartooning worked in them. I hope people don't expect this series to be the same story each issue with a different, colorful and zany villain. That's not going to happen. I want each issue to surprise the reader. When a new issue comes out, I want the reader to think, "I have no idea what's going to happen in this issue, but I'm sure it's worth 3 bucks."

Would you mind giving a little biographical info about yourself? What other cartooning work have you done?

RUGG: I began drawing when I was little, typical, but I never outgrew it. When I was 12 I started reading comics and knew right away that I wanted to draw them. I decided to study something related to art in college - graphic design. Thought I could draw and make a living doing something I enjoyed. After college, I ran out of excuses for not making comics and self-published a series called Outfitters. It was an autobiographical series about the time I worked for a white water rafting company. I did that series for a couple years. I also did some short stories (True Porn, Typewriter 5, Monster Engine, Rage to Explain, and the upcoming Orchid 2), a 24-hour comic, and some zines. The last couple years, I've bounced around from style to style depending on the nature of the story. Part of the appeal of Street Angel for me, is the opportunity to work in one direction for an extended period of time.

Not having heard of you until you contacted me, I was stunned to see how good a comic artist you are both in terms of drawing, style, and storytelling. Sometimes I get the feeling that I know all the talented guys, but really you shouldn't be unknown. Where did you start as far as learning to draw and how did you get to where you are now - in terms of getting really good?

RUGG: Thanks for the compliment. I have a terrible time evaluating my own work. It's very hard for me to see past the flaws. I've drawn my entire life. As far as comics are concerned, a major break through for me occurred in high school. I went to a small comics show near my house (i.e. the middle of nowhere). The show was mostly dealers selling early Valiant comics for 2000% mark ups. There was a cartoonist there named Ernie Steiner - he lived near the show. We started talking and now that I've done some shows I assume he must have been bored out of his mind because he encouraged me to go home and bring some of my artwork back for a critique. When I returned, he spent hours patiently going through my crummy sketchbooks, page by page. He sent me a sample Batman script and some pre-ruled art board after that. He's a real class act and a very good cartoonist. His advice and encouragement really pointed me in the right direction. After that, I began to focus on sequential art instead of pinups.

Once I started going to shows, especially small press shows, I was exposed to mini-comics. Mini-comics turned out to be the perfect vehicle for me. With small print runs, I could easily manage the overhead, and I was still going to shows and interacting with other cartoonists. The criticism and encouragement I received from that community helped me to refine my craft and to stay motivated. The other great thing about the small press shows was seeing the incredible diversity and versatility that comics had to offer. Part of the reason you haven't heard of me before is because my mini comics aren't that good. I'm just getting started (I hope). My work still has a long way to go. I'm looking forward to showing it off to more people than the mini comics reached (and getting more feedback). Someday, I want to be a good cartoonist, I don't think I'm there yet. But Street Angel marks a progression and Dan Vado (SLG's publisher and a far better judge of this sort of thing than I am) felt it was ready for a wider audience. I think this opportunity will help me to grow and at the same time it will also give comic book readers something they can't find in other books.

Who are your artistic influences inside comics or who in comics and what comics influence you? I think I see some Daniel Clowes, Alex Toth, Jamie Hewlitt, Mike Mignola, and Jack Kirby in the art.

RUGG: There are tons of cartoonists whose work I admire. How much they influence me is hard to say. Clowes, Chester Brown, Mignola, Kirby, Frank Miller have all been influential. But I like so many cartoonists, Crumb, the Hernandez bros., Ted McKeever, [Chris] Ware, [Stephen] Bissette, who should still be doing TYRANT. The fact that his drawing wasn't enough to support that book and make it commercially successful is one of the most disturbing comic events of the 90s. Eddie Campbell, Joe Kubert, Will Eisner, [David] Mazzuchelli, I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of great cartoonists. I'm trying to learn more about Manga and European cartoonists; I'm painfully ignorant about the majority of both of those comic cultures.

Jamie Hewlitt is someone I haven't looked at a great deal. I bought a couple of the Tank Girl trades while I was working on Street Angel 1 and 2 but refused to read them until I finished drawing those issues because I thought it might be something people would accuse me of ripping off. Now that I've read some of them, I feel that Street Angel is different enough to stand on its own. I like what I've seen of Hewlitt's work, though.

MARUCA: I'm kind of boring, I don't really have any comic influences. There's a lot of cartoon/anime stuff that I like, but Jim assures me that these things are apples and oranges. I like Hayao Miyazaki's anime stuff quite a bit; "Futurama" is a huge influence on me.

Is it just me, or is that back cover on the preview copies inspired by J. Scott Campbell? That particular Jesse Sanchez seems like an older more mature version than the one in the comic.

RUGG: The back cover is supposed to be a mock Jim Lee pinup, like a Mad magazine version. A lot of people bring that up. I'm planning to ape different cartoonists for back covers each issue. Issue 2 is supposed to be Dan Clowes. I thought readers would get a kick out of it.

MARUCA: As I understand it, it was supposed to make fun of the way women are drawn in comics…but most people probably won't take it that way. It's like saying "Boobs are wrong! But here, look at some anyway." We were attempting to show the difference between how women are usually portrayed vs. what we've done. People are just going to think boobs, though. Kind of naïve on our part, I guess.

RUGG: Part of the intention was to recontextualize this type of image. It sort of worked. A lot of people have expressed an objection to the image.

Is there anything outside of comics influencing you: books, movies, plays, journalism, fine art, etc.

RUGG: Yes. I enjoy movies and reading (when I find the time). But I'm not as aware of specific influences as I am with comics. Often I'll see something in a movie or read something and think it's interesting. I try to make a note when I come across something that sparks a response or idea, but those notes may not manifest themselves in my work for years. I recently read some of Kobe Abe's stuff and really enjoyed it. At the moment, most of my cartooning is focused on Street Angel. And since Street Angel is mostly about comics, the influence of other media can be difficult to see (even for me). I think Wet, Hot American Summer has a lot in common with Street Angel #1, and Heat Vision and Jack was a major influence.

MARUCA: All kinds of crap, nothing really specific, though. I'm probably more of a typical nerd than Jim, but he's a comic book nerd, so that kind of puts us on even footing. I think Jim's got more things to consider, since I'm not so much on the drawing side of things - he has to consider panel compositions and stuff, as well as story telling; I mostly try to worry about the story telling.

One thing (of many) that impressed me about the comic was that the story and art makes Jesse heroic in spite of her gender or people preconceptions of what a female hero can be. I was able to focus on the drama without thinking about her being a girl. At the same time, her gender isn't hidden. Did you and Brian struggle with notions of how to present her to the reading public in terms of making her more visually appealing to fan boys used to a female characters being mostly a big butt and smile?

RUGG: We started Street Angel as a mini comic with no commercial pressure. Our intention was to create a character that didn't appeal to fan boys - no muscle men or augmented women in body paint, no teenage boy sidekicks in tights (what sort of fantasy inspires that?). We wanted to create something that defied the fan boy norm. I'm very curious to see whether the character will be embraced, hated, or ignored by superhero fans.

As far as gender being a distraction…I'm not sure how to answer that. Street Angel's gender is not a distraction for us. And with that attitude, it shouldn't be one for our readers. When we write her, we tend to focus more on her immaturity and lack of parental guidance than we do on her gender.

I don't know what you can expect from a market ruled by fan boy retailers and consumers who consistently buy Marvel and DC books with which they are unhappy just to be "completists." So even if you and Brian struggle to get noticed, I have to believe that the bigger companies will eventually notice this book's exceptional quality and the fact that what the two of you do in this book makes you a perfect fit to produce comics featuring a number of popular female (and some male) characters.

So would you give up independently producing comics to work more or less as a hired gun or independent contractor servicing trademarks for DC and Marvel, or for one of these little studios cranking out comics based on 1980's toy properties?

RUGG: I'd like a crack at writing Robin. An early review of Street Angel said that if you take away Robin's red chest plate you're not left with a drama, you're left with a comedy. To me, if you slap a red chest plate on him (or anyone else), it's a comedy. I think there's a lot of entertaining stuff you could do with Robin. Although Time Warner might keep that in check, I don't know.

I wish I could work on comics full-time and make enough money to support myself. Right now, that might mean doing work-for-hire for a big company. I have no experience with that, so I can't say how I'd feel about it until it happened. I would consider doing work-for-hire, but it's not my goal. My goal is to make comics full-time. My weekdays begin at 5:30 in the morning. I wake up, draw for an hour, shower, go to work for 9 hours, come home, draw for 3 hours, see my wife for an hour or two and go to bed. I can't maintain that schedule indefinitely.

I don't think I'll ever give up doing my own comics - at least not completely. But I can imagine myself doing work-for-hire under certain circumstances. I think there are benefits for a creator to do that - a decent paycheck, a way to raise one's profile. I also think it'd be quite a learning experience to work with a good editor.

MARUCA: I'm not so sure my services would be in that much of a demand. I'd definitely whore myself out if the opportunity presented itself.

Do you like comics storytelling enough to stick with it for the long haul? To put up with a market (Direct Market, at least) that is hostile to new material or even to small companies?

RUGG: Yes, although my output may fluctuate. Street Angel has filled up almost all of my free time lately. Before that, I produced mini-comics at a more leisurely pace and contributed to anthologies when I could. I don't think I can just stop making comics; it would leave a hole in my life. I've been reading them, studying them, trying to make them for so long. Sometimes I feel trapped in a way. It would take me years of intensive study and practice to understand something the way I do with comics. In order to give them up, I'd suddenly have nothing in my life that I feel knowledgeable about. I love the language of comics. I doubt that I'll ever grow bored of that. There are so many elements that make up a good comic, I don't imagine getting to a point where comics won't be an exciting and worthwhile challenge. I find that what interests me most in comics changes every so often. Sometimes I'll be very interested in lettering or inking or some other technical aspect, then I'll suddenly be interested in backgrounds and establishing shots and some storytelling thing.

As far as comic shops being a hostile market, I don't think that will ever drive me completely away from comics. Most of my experience has been producing mini-comics. I never made any money from them, but I still enjoyed the process. There's a great community of cartoonists, and that isn't going to disappear. Trading comics with peers, talking about comics, figuring out solutions to storytelling problems, finding new and interesting minis…these are all gratifying parts of comics for me. With the internet and small press shows, it's possible to connect with readers without relying on the direct market system. I would love to sell big numbers of comics, but if that never happens, I still think I'll make comics of some sort.

Do you plan on making any social observations through Jesse. The preview reveals some subtle satirical observations, so I wonder if the two of you will have anything to say about city governments and law enforcement and poverty?

RUGG: I don't plan on saying anything profound or politically overt. It's difficult to do that without being didactic. Whatever social observations we make, they will be incidental to the setting, the characters, and/or the story.

Before we go, would either you or Brian like to give a shout out or just say something in general?

RUGG: Street Angel is a very early effort on our part, and any feedback readers have about the book will be greatly appreciated. We still have a lot to learn and we want this book to improve. So don't hesitate to email us and tell us what works and what doesn't. Other than that, thanks to everyone who supports the book. I plan to attend SPACE, SPX, Mocca, and the Pittsburgh Comicon (Brian will be at Pittsburgh also), if you're at one of these shows, stop by for a sketch or just to let us know how we're doing so far. To keep up to date on all things Street Angel, visit Slavelabor.com or awefulbooks.com.

THANKS, JIM AND BRIAN. Yes, you should all visit www.awefulbooks.com for more information on Street Angel, including eight pages of preview art from the first issue and links to other interviews Jim and Brian have given. I also highly recommend that you visit his publisher, SLG Publishing's, website www.slavorlabor.com for more info on Street Angel and as well as information on the many fine books SLG publishes. That includes Evan Dorkin's DORK, ACTION GIRL COMICS, LITTLE GLOOMY, and Jim Starlin's DREADSTAR, and SLG has a webstore from which you can purchase comics, books, and assorted licensed items.

And if you are a comics creator or publisher and you want to send me material for review consideration or you just want to talk about your book in a Charlie column, punch the click-able name link to send me an email. Holla!

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12