Most Xenith readers have at least a passing familiarity with artist and writer Ken Krekeler through his webcomic My Nemesis. My Nemesis has been on hiatus for more than a year, however, and during that time Mr. Krekeler has been working a massive undertaking–the creation of a graphic novel called The Colodin Project tentatively scheduled to be published later this summer.

In this interview, Ken talks with us about the creative evolution of The Colodin Project, writing and his artistic inspirations.

Cover art for Volume I of The Colodin Project
The Colodin Project has existed in some form or another since you were a teenager. You’ve referred to it as your “magnum opus” in the past. Talk a little about its background and evolution. What was the original spark that seeded this idea in your mind and how has it changed over the years? I am especially interested on how this latest incarnation came to be. After ten years, what finally brought you to the point where the story just began to flow?

I’ve been into comics and sci-fi stuff since I was a kid. There was no single origin point for The Colodin Project; the story and characters evolved over time as I got older. But the first time I started writing notes for the plot was on a cruise ship. I was fourteen, stuck alone in my cabin for some reason, watching terrible movies on television, when I suddenly decided I was tired of following other people’s stories, and that I would invent my own. So I drew some designs, some of which made it, some that did not; and that was how it began.

The story has never “flowed.” It has undergone too many overhauls to recount. But there is a difference between a single story, with a beginning, middle and end… and an epic, which is made up of smaller, shorter stories. Over time, I’d gone over the plot, breaking it down, breaking it down, until I felt like things were right. Until the events made sense, the characters made sense, their choices made sense. But even after I’d gotten to that point, even after I liked what I had, it still felt contrived somehow. So I got the idea to create an objective character, a kind of third party, which evolved into Steven Richards, private investigator.

You are that rare breed of comic creator that is both writer and artist. Do you consider yourself more a writer or an artist or some indivisible fusion of the two? How does one skill set influence the other?

I consider myself a hybrid of the two, although it’s less common to be recognized for my writing, so I tend to value that side a little more. With comics, almost everybody sees the art first. Because if it LOOKS professional, it probably is. You flip through the pages, you skim, and if it seems up to par, you’ll give the first few lines a once-over to make sure there aren’t any typos. And then you buy it. Maybe.

But the writing always comes first. There’s a script. There are revisions. There’s editing. There’s logistical thinking. It’s only after I’m happy with a script that I move onto the thumbnail stage.

I try not to let my art be determined by my writing. That is to say, if I have an idea for a script in which a giant fish monster with robot legs attacks a fairy princess in an underwater battle, I won’t worry about how difficult that battle will be to illustrate. If the story works, then I move on to the next phase, crossing any future bridges when I come to them.

Let’s talk about your artistic process. You use photographs of live models and locations as the basis for your characters and scenery. How is this advantageous to your work and what happens next? You take it to Illustrator? Paint it in Photoshop?

I use Photoshop. Models are a vital part of my process now. With live models, I don’t have to worry about consistency, proportion, or extreme angles; all the information is already there. In addition, my photo shoots are usually pretty fun to do. My models are all friends and family, and working together on a project like this is very enlightening to the relationship.

Speaking of the artistic side of Colodin, your visual style is very cinematic. What media–movies, comic books, whatever–have particularly influenced that style and why? Returning to your writerly side, what authors, if any, have influenced your narrative style?
Sample page from Volume I
I think of comics as a written form of film. I choose my shots the same way a director would choose his angles with a camera. This isn’t as common as you might think. Many artists, especially up-and-comers, try and add as much drama to every panel as possible. You’ll have a scene where two people are drinking a cup of coffee, chatting about the weather, and you’ll have these extreme bird’s eye view of a character, or they’ll be popping out of the panels. This doesn’t make sense to me. It comes off corny and over-the-top. Save dramatic shots for dramatic scenes; use simple shots for simple ones.

Alan Moore is a big influence. If you look at his work (From Hell, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), you’ll notice his illustrators keep the panel layouts static, the shots straight-on, like storyboards rather than comic books. For dialogue, I draw a lot from Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, Powers), who uses very realistic characters saying very realistic things. They don’t react with blatant exposition; they react the way a person would.

You began releasing The Colodin Project as 21(?) individual issues, but now you are, instead, releasing the first five chapters as a trade paperback. Why the change?

Single issues of independent books like mine are on their way out. Graphic novels are on the rise. You see, pretty much all comic books are distributed through Diamond Distribution. Everything from Superman to Johnny the Homicidal Maniac is listed in a catalog called Diamond Previews. If you don’t meet their minimum order requirements, you get cut from the catalog, and that’s it for your book.

Comic book readers know this. Even if they like your first couple of issues, even if it’s the greatest thing they’ve ever read, they’re well aware it’s very likely they’ll never get to read the end of your story. So now, with the decline of the economy, with the slow death of print coming to an end, it’s easier for people to get on board with completed stories like Watchmen. Even the big time guys, Marvel and DC, have begun periodically taking each story arc from their mainstream books and re-publishing them as graphic novels. And sales on the novels are good.

Learn more and read The Colodin Project‘s entire first volume for free at its website.