By Frankie Rodriguez
1. Hey Jason. Thanks for the interview. Let's start out with J1 Studios in general. Last year has been a big year for J1, right?
Indeed it has! We started Mayhem Madness, our video game tournament/anime expo. We also had our first anime event-turned-mini convention J1 AN-EX. The Announcement of the Mega Ran comic and other titles happened within 2011.2. So how do you juggle the many hats you have as President of J1 Studios, artist, writer, etc?
NO SLEEP. None at all!My passion for craft/business is so strong that it would destroy the average fanboy/otaku because I want to do everything! Only recently did I realize that I need to NOT do every concept that comes into my head.3. Currently, you can find many of your works up on the J1 Studios website. Particularly Angel Savior, which is nearing it's end. How do you feel about this final battle in Angel Savior?
Well, I wouldn't TECHNICALLY call it the end. With the 3rd issue of Angel Savior, this is my way to take the action a little higher. Higher as in scale of destruction. In issue #1, they fought on a rooftop, in #2 they ended up destroying a few cars, and in issue #3 buildings and streets will suffer!! Mwuhahahaha!4. How do you feel the impact of Angel Savior has been over the course of these #3? How has Jason developed as a character?
To me the responses seem to be 50/50. I know some were really blown away while others weren't, but I wanted people to see the "magic" I hid in the comics. Unfortunately, it's hard to show every single person the trick that really would have the "WOW factor". You see, after you read #2 go back and read #1 again, because I hid stuff in there that will make more sense now! Once you do that, read #3 then go back and read #1 and #2 over and you'll see that there are even more things that I hid in the book that open up the story even more.
5. Shifting gears for a minute, how did you originally start being an artist? And how did J1 Studios begin?
Well, I was an artist from a young age, and I'm talking about making full graphic novels for myself and my friends at 8 years old. Minimum page count was 80. Haha I was crazy! In high school and college, I hung out with a lot of artists and I wanted to have everyone work on various projects under one label, but people didn't like my concept. Years later, I started the idea and the name of J1 Studios with the late Kevin Siter (of Fighter's High fame) and Ben Dudden (of Low Road fame). We planned 3 comics that were all different, being showcased on the site. It wasn' t long until we saw how much work was involved and we couldn't keep the pace (we were trying to update daily). So the group fell apart. I kept the name and created Angel Savior and changed J1 Studios to focus on more than just comics, but entertainment in general.6. What do you find important as an artist that you display when you draw?
Fun. Plain and simple if you are having fun while you draw then for the most part, others will have fun reading it.
7. Who are some of your influences in your art and writing? Any creators you would love to work with?
Masami Obari (Fatal Fury the motion picture), Bruce Timm (Justice League Unlimited) and the production art team behind most Capcom games.8. What were the comics that really brought you into the industry? How do you feel now as a creator compared to a fan?
Spiderman changed my life! That second question is loaded! As a creator and still have the fan in me, but I realize that because I have to focus on my own projects it takes away the time I would be spending on comics that I love and follow.
9. With Angel Savior almost done, any ideas for a release of the final version in print? What projects do you have coming up?
Most definitely! We will have a collection of all three issues of Angel Savior in one book. Then, the new Super Bounty J1 will be a graphic novel series! Oh, I can't forget Mega Ran: Random Lyricism, which will be a hip hop rap battle tournament with the use of various elemental powers! Issue #2 of Lime Rind is still ongoing as well as rumored title "Gunplay Romantica" (Romeo and Juliet Hong Kong action comic). I want to make the change to graphic novels because I feel more people are willing to give the stories a try if they can get a complete story instead of issues. Sorry, I'm babbling.10. Finally, what would you like to say about Angel Savior & J1 Studios in general? What would you tell to any aspiring artist or writer who wants to break into the field of comics?
It's harder than you think! Why do you think I took the indie route? No matter how good you THINK you are there are hundreds of people who ARE better than you. With all that said, it's the person with all the heart and drive who will most likely succeed. You have to be humble and ambitious while at the same time happy to do what you are doing.
THANK YOU JASON. Catch more of Jason's work here at J1Studios.com as well as listen to him on Black Tribbles, every week alongside the other Tribbles on Thursday Nights on G-Town Radio and Podamatic.
