Three years ago when I attended San Diego Comic Con International,
I was attracted to a booth in the small press area. The booth had a
T-shirt with proclaimed quite loudly "Comic Book Geek and Proud of It".
The booth belonged Rich Koslowski, and at his booth he had his comic
"How to Pick Up Girls If You're a Comic Book Geek". It was an
absolutely delightful comic and I came back the next day and bought
the next issue of the 3 Geeks, along with copies of "How to Pick Up Girls..."
for all my friends. Currently Rich's comic book has added backup features,
like Gary Sassaman's Innocent Bystander and has changed the name to Geeksville.
Geeksville has been picked up by Image so you should be able to easily
check it out, or if your interested you can go to the Geeksville website
.
Sidra:
When did you first become interested in comicbooks?
Rich:
Actually I was about five-years-old and I spotted a Marvel Comics Super Stars Giant
Size number one with The Hulk and The Thing in a boxing ring and it just sang out
to me. I bought it on the shelf and the same day I bought it and discovered the
magic of comicbooks I lost it at the dentist office because I was all novacained
up and on nitrous oxide. So, I discovered it and lost it on the same day, but
that was when I got hooked on comics.
Sidra:
Did your mom ever you'd grow up to create comicbooks?
Rich:
Yeah, they knew it from the start. I used to always draw Spiderman and the Hulk,
copy the pictures, and trace them, like everyone starts off. They encouraged it.
They always bought me art supplies for my birthday and Christmas. They always
knew all along.
Sidra:
I hear you started off in animation. What type of animation did you start off in?
Rich:
It was a small company called Animagination in Rosine, Wisconsin and we did a lot
of TV commercials, thirty second TV spots and promotional videos. That evolved
into Saturday morning cartoons for Saban, DIC, Novana and some of the bigger
companies. For the Saturday morning cartoons we did the storyboards, primarily,
and character designs.
Sidra:
What made you switch from animation to comics?
Rich:
Well, I always wanted to do comics, but actually the animation got me my break in
comics. Because we were working on Sonic the Hedgehog for DIC and the people at DIC
liked the way we drew the character; so, they contacted Archie and said that they
wanted Arman Winnie and me to do the comicbook. So, I got in the backdoor, a way that
you would never to get into it, but I'm happy it worked out that way, that was six
years ago.
Sidra:
So, who inspired you to create comicbooks, anyone in particular?
Rich:
Who inspired me? Well, I was inspired by Neil Adams. I remember discovering him
as a kid and his artwork was so unlike anyone else's at the time, that it just blew
me away. Now, I can't draw like Neil Adams. Obviously, I draw more cartoony, but
I always loved Cracked and Mad Magazine, also. I like drawing cartoony, and that
just seems to be what I'm better at. But a lot of people inspired me.
Sidra:
Where did you get your idea for The 3 Geeks?
Rich:
I used to work at a comicbooks store in Milwaukee, and the storeowner and I would
always chat. I would say that there should be a comicbook about comicbook collectors;
it just seems to make so much sense, and then he said there should be a guidebook
for comicbook geeks on how to get a date. The light in my head went off and I was
instantly enthralled by the idea. That's how I came up with the idea for the first
book "How To Pick Up Girls, If You're a Comicbook Geek", and from there the rest is
history, so to speak. The success from the first book was so good that I went on
with the series The 3 Geeks which evolved into Geeksville. I released "How to Pick
up Girls..." in March of 1997.
Sidra:
I picked it up that year at the San Diego Comic Con. Have you ever been a member
of a comicbook club, because you capture them so well in your comic?
Rich:
I've never been a member of a comicbook club. Other than the fact that when I go
on new comics day, there's always the same guys there, and we always have the same
conversations about what's good and what's bad. It's not a recognized, formal club.
You see the same guys every week and you talk about the same things every week; so
kind of in a loosely organized way, I guess, I am.
Sidra:
What is the most difficult part of creating Geeksville?
Rich:
The creative end is easy for me. It's just the time. Like most people when your
own created, self-published comicbook, it's the time, having to fit it in, and
working late nights. I have a full time job with Archie and that takes up a lot
of my time, but the creative end, I love. When I actually have the time and sit
down and get drawing, the time flies and I enjoy it so much. It's just actually
having the time to do it and finding that time.
Sidra:
What work do you do for Archie?
Rich:
Ninety-five percent of the work I do for Archie is inking. I've inked Sonic the
Hedgehog, that's where I started, Veronica and Jughead. Right now I'm working on,
primarily Jughead and Archie Weird Mystery, which is one of their new titles.
Sidra:
Is it a challenge at times to balance the stereotypes of comicbook fans, while
keeping the characters believable?
Rich:
I just write the way that I look at how fans are. A lot of it is autobiographical
and a lot of it does revolve around situations that I've been involved in, and of
course I exaggerate it, but what I really try to do is keep it somewhat believable,
yet exaggerated, but not offensive. I always say that I don't make fun of comicbook
collectors, I have fun with comicbook collectors, because I am a comicbook geek too.
Why would I rip myself to shreds? There is no call for it. I just think comicbook
collectors are a unique, intelligent, very open-minded group of guys and girls and
very diverse and eclectic bunch and I have a lot of fun with them.
Sidra:
Is there any character you relate to more than others in Geeksville?
Rich:
It's probably a surprising answer but most people think that I 'm probably the most
like Keith which probably I am; he's kinda the main character, but I relate with Jim
the most. He's the guy that's into the violent comics and I'm not into the violent
comics, but I really have fun writing his dialogue and his attitude. He doesn't say
a lot, but I love his attitude, and I guess maybe because he reminds me of my older
brother. He's kind of loosely based on my older brother. So, I guess, I can relate
to him the most.
Sidra:
If you could work with anyone in the comicbook industry, just theoretically, who would
it be and why?
Rich:
If I could work with anyone in the comicbook industry... Oh, that's a good one. Of
course there's so many legends, like I said earlier Neil Adams. I'm a big fan of
Mike Mignola. Bruce Kim, I'd love to work with him, because he's just a phenomenal
artist and draws in that animated style. The list could go on and on and hopefully it's
starting to get to the point where people are starting to recognize me at the shows
a little here and there; guys like Mark Waid, who is a fan of the book, and I've
parodied him in the book. So, I'd fall ass over backwards, if I were get an
opportunity to work with some of these guys, and I'd love it. Scott Shaw is going
to be contributing something in the future. We talked earlier today, and I'm doing
a story with Tony Isabella. I've always been a fan of Tony Isabella. He's going to
be contributing a story for our next issue, which I'll be illustrating. It's starting
to happen little bit by little bit, and hopefully, I'm only thirty-two right now, in
the next ten years, fifteen years I'll be working some of these other guys.
Sidra:
Why did the book change from 3 Geeks to Geeksville?
Rich:
The change was I felt that our sales on 3 Geeks was plateauing and I wanted to shake
it up. I was getting to the point where I was a little nervous and frustrated. I
was getting great reviews and my numbers were good for small press, but they weren't
great. A friend of mine, Gary Sassaman, did his book, Innocent Bystander. We were
fans of either other books, and we proposed doing a one shot, like a flipbook. The
more I thought about it, he's really good at the computer stuff, which I'm not. The
letters page and the cover assembly, I can't do any of that. He's very good it. I
said," You know what Gary, what would you think about being a permanent contributor
and doing a backup feature? I'll make the book bigger." You know his sales were
also plateauing on his book. We both had very devoted fans. Our cult...group of
fans is very devoted, but we weren't getting new readership. So, we thought. I'll
grab your readers. You'll grab my readers. The book will grow and we'll have more
word of mouth and it worked out. We got some good buzz, some good press coverage
when we merged and it worked. His fans stayed on. My fans stayed on, and they
both seemed to like each other's stuff. The sales went up and then Image noticed us
and last year at the con we signed on with them. Since then the sales have doubled
on top of that. So, it's starting to work.
Sidra:
What are your future plans for Geeksville and the for other stuff in the comicbook industry?
Rich:
Geeksville, I originally started it with "How To Pick Up Girls...", the three issues
story arc of them going to the con, and I thought I don't know how many more ideas
I'm gonna have for these guys. You now they're just comicbook collectors, maybe I'll
get two or three more issues. It's funny because now I've got at least twelve issues
or more in mind and in store already, and I don't see myself running out of ideas
anytime in the near future. So, the comicbook will go on as long as the sales keep
where they are or continue to get better, which they appear to be doing. In addition
to that I have been trying to develop the 3 Geeks property into an animated series or
a series of shorts, and I have some interest from some people out there. Other than
that I have other ideas. Some are serious. Some are other dark comedies, and I have a
bit of a resume, so to speak. At this show in particular, I intend to go to some of
the other larger companies and approach them about doing projects with them also. But
as long as people want to read the 3 Geeks, I'll keep doing them.
Sidra:
Well, thank you very much, and good luck. I hope things work out well.
