Ten Stupid Questions with Evan Dorkin

1) In which city do you work? NYC.
2) What got you into comics? A good-sized comic collection, many lonely hours spent reading said collection as a kid, a weekend father, a lousy home life, a fear of women, a love of the medium, working in a comic shop and meeting people in the industry, the need for further employment, networking at a 1987 San Diego Con,a somewhat steady drawing hand, a sometimes facile imagination, a supposedly decent sense of humor, a lack of talent for doing anything else, a decent amount of alcohol, a lot of good luck, a smidgen of very, very bad luck, laziness.
3) Where do babies come from? Anyplace but comic shops.
4) Where do you see yourself in five years? Answering similarly moronic interview questions like these. And on the same computer because my career is in the toilet and I can't afford a new one.
5) What do you feel you have yet to do? I'd like to travel to a few places I've never been (Japan, especially), I'd like to complete a longer-form comic of some size, and I'd like to live in a house with no cardboard boxes in it. Most of the other things I'd like to do would break up my marriage and land me in jail so I just shove those little notions into the small, dusty corners of my skull. Or play Grand Theft Auto.
Actually, I've never played GTA. I'm just trying to get "the kids" to like me, yo.
6) Does this make me look fat? You mean the stomach? Fuck, yeah, fatty. You'd better slap a slow-moving vehicle sign on your ass and trundle on home for dinner if you want to make it in time.
7) Which of your projects are you the most proud of? I'd have to say Dork #7 and some of the writing in the Eltingville strips, in regards to my own work. Of my mainstream projects, I'd say World's Funnest, the animal stories I've been doing with Jill Thompson for Dark Horse's horror line, and the animated Supergirl one-shot I wrote with Sarah for DC. I'm not really killer proud of anything I've done, which sounds like self-deprecating bullshit, but you can ask my therapist if I'm kidding.
8) Who are your influences, inside or outside of comics? Comics-wise: Jack Kirby and Stan Lee showed me that anything you can imagine can be put into a comic. Kurtzman and Elder showed me that humor could be used as a weapon. Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez showed me that your own life and interests can be source material for your comics. Those are the main influences I site, there are scores, at least. Outside comics...cripes, practically everything. Either as a positive influence or a negative one, something to strive for, stay the hell away from, or attack. too many creative people, writers, designers, artists, filmmakers, tv shows, comedians, strip artists, bands, shows -- too many friends, experiences, instances. I'm not very good at targeting this sort of thing succinctly, because there's really no one whose work I've sat down and studiously copied for any length of time since I was a kid tracing 60's and 70's Marvel bullpen artists. and while it sounds mushy, my wife is an incredible influence on my work and my life, as a collaborator, an editor, a friend, someone to bounce ideas off of, a source of information and inspiration. I used to always say "alcohol" when asked this question, but I don't drink much these days and the joke got old, anyway.
9) Does this look infected to you? Yeah, but my mother came back from six of those. Don't sweat it, chubbsy.
10) What advice would you give a person trying to break into the industry? First off, don't listen to any crank who tells you any variation of "don't go into comics". Any person who still churns out that cliche is either lazy, unfunny, or a crankpot who isn't happy because he or she hasn't made a lot of money, hasn't got a movie deal or the attention they feel they deserve, or is in a crappy mood for whatever reason. Of course you should try to get into comics, why the hell not? There are plenty of jobs where you might make no money and have no insurance or pension or long-term employment or recognition, so why not at least have fun and do something you want to do rather than something you have to do?
My general, rambling advice would be this (and changes based on whenever I'm asked):
Be smart, be pragmatic and understand that comics is a business as well as an art form and a small part of the entertainment industry. That doesn't mean be money or ego-obsessed. It means watch your back as far as deals and contracts go, and don't quit your day job, unless you work for my cousin. Learn to wear as many hats as possible to expand your arsenal, your ability to work outside of comics and the ability to create comics all by yourself. It's an adult world, full of immature adults, but they often have lawyers and almost everyone I know has been ripped off or mistreated in this business. Tread carefully, read contracts, get outside professional advice if you have to/can, have patience, don't cut your own throat or give anyone a chance to do it for you.
Get the work done. Make comics. Try to get something done every day towards your strip or story or comic, even if it's just ruling lines or erasing or lettering a few panels. Set attainable goals. Inch that bastard forward as best as you can or you'll get depressed as time drags and the work stagnates. I tell you this because I know.
Get the work out there and in front of people by whatever means necessary, mini-comics, the web -- keep it cheap or you'll be working off the debt of a self-published comic along with your tuition loans. Don't rush to get into staples. If you're the genius you hope or think you are, you can always reprint the stuff later, it doesn't disappear). Send the material out to like-minded publishers, and follow their submissions guidelines carefully because THAT'S WHY THEY HAVE THEM. Don't make stupid throat-cutting deals just to get into print. Get honest opinions about your work from people you trust (Not Mom. Mom loves you, hopefully, despite yourself, and she thinks you draw better than Mike Mignola. Mom doesn't know what the fuck she's talking about).
Let your personality flow into your work because that will ultimately separate you from the crowd.
Live cheaply, unless you're a trust fund kid or you're dealing. Or both. Otherwise, buy a lot of ramen. Marry a doctor. Live semi-sanely, watch the hands, don't punch walls or play with broken beer bottles, trust me, you screw up the drawing hand, you will be sorry. Don't drive drunk. I suggest leaving harder drugs alone. If you can't create without stimulation you just might be a no-talent with delusions of grandeur (or just delusions). There aren't too many famous junkie cartoonists, and if you get too skinny your Klingon costume will slip off of you at Dragon Con and all the Stormtroopers will laugh at you.
Have fun. Do the best you can. Hope for the best and expect the least.
Don't ask anyone "How do I get into comics?". Hone that often-asked, much-feared and usually-despised question down to something someone can actually answer. Giving complete advice on breaking into comics can take longer than actually breaking into comics. So ask specific questions, based upon your own needs and experience (or lack thereof) and hope for the best. Keep in mind that you may not receive a reply to this sort of inquiry, or the reply you'd hoped for, some cartoonists don't have the time or inclination to answer these sorts of things, or aren't comfortable giving advice, and you have to respect that. You can look into the matter on your own, too. Search cartooning/art/freelancing/industry websites and newsgroups that discuss the profession of comics, speak to people at conventions, check out industry magazines like Draw, The Comics Journal, Comic Artist, Comic Art, Write Now, etc, for tips and interviews which may shed some light on your situation. If you're too lazy to do the research, you'll probably be too lazy to do the comics.
If you do end up in comics, don't answer stupid interview questions like these, they don't do a damned thing for your career and they'll just slow you down and back up your work schedule and make you feel depressed. I tell you this because I know.
If this helps just one of you out there reading this I would be shocked as shit.
Now go away, you bother me.