Samax Amen- So, Tell me about yourself, James. Where are you from originally and how
did you get into drawing comics?
James Stanley- I'm originally from Chesapeake, Maryland but I moved to Upper Marlboro, MD
when I was 3 years old.
How I got into comics? Well, from
what I could remember there was this point in my life where there were things
that I thought were "cool", and then there were just
"things". I grew up on Nintendo and old Shaw Brothers Kung-Fu movies,
80's cartoons. When I wasn't in front of a TV, I read a lot of books and I
remember one day seeing a comic book and being amazed at how "cool"
the pictures were alongside the words. So I forged a friendship with comics,
the same way a crackhead sees his first pipe in an alley. Been hooked ever
since.
Samax Amen- Word. A lotta kids get
hooked on comics at a tender young age, but you actually went to school to add
to your knowledge. How did SCAD's sequential art program affect your
comics? Would you recommend it to other
young artists?
James Stanley- Waking up in the morning, and being around
people where the aura is full of competitive rivalry is really humbling, and
inspiring.
I didn't have too many people who really understood what I was trying to do
as a career where I grew up so I didn't really experience that until I left for
college. My experience at SCAD definitely was a catalyst for the positive
influences on my work, as well as priceless friendships with students and
professors that encouraging the personal sincerity that I aspire to in my
projects. I could almost write a book about the adventures I had there!
*Thinks about the next question*
Concerning college, I think it depends on the person really. The best thing
I can encourage or recommend to anyone is learning--whether its in a class
room, or a desk in your bedroom, or even on your lap with a sketchbook.
This isn't to discredit the education provided at SCAD or any other
institution because SCAD provides a wealth of information and resources to
anyone there...that's what any college really does it provides the resources to
be readily accessible to encourage learning and development. In the end, its
really about what a student does with those resources and the time they have
with them.
You can go to as many schools as you want but, you've got to put in the
work to get anything out of it. To quote LeSean Thomas " ...stay on the
grind, stay in the cage."
College educated or not, you can get where you need to be. Just takes a lot
of work, and then some more work...and then some more.
Samax Amen- Do you feel like your education prepared you for the business of making
comics? Not as a creator, but as a job seeker or self-publisher or whatever?
James Stanley- This is one of things that you really end up
learning from reading between the lines. There's no "business
protocol" course for students to take that really warns them of the things
to watch out for trying to break into comics--the only thing you can really do
is pay attention.
As a fan of comics, animation (at least for me) you get to a point where
you want to know more about companies who put out the things that inspire you.
Pay attention to the hits and misses of those companies and how that applies to
you as someone seeking to set foot in this industry.
Samax Amen- Yeah. I got an art degree, and was accepted
to SCAD for the masters program, but didn't go (maybe I will get my masters at
a later time) because I asked myself did I believe I would be more prepared
after I crossed the stage than I am now to make a full-time career in comics
(either as a for-hire type or a self-publisher or whatever). I still can't
answer that... but this isn't about me...
Let's talk about your upcoming comic Part Time Shuffle. On the site, your "about" section is very tongue in cheek... So what is a brief description of what "Part Time Shuffle" is about?
Let's talk about your upcoming comic Part Time Shuffle. On the site, your "about" section is very tongue in cheek... So what is a brief description of what "Part Time Shuffle" is about?
James Stanley- *Laughs* Yeah I will admit to that! The
"about me" is really about myself and even then I could see someone reading that
and being like " C'mon, son!"
Anyway, Part Time Shuffle is about Meiko Schultz, a 20 something who owns a
hobby shop inherited from her parents. Due to untimely financial woes, she
becomes a part time assassin for the Yakuza.
The story essentially follows Meiko's exploits on her journey to financial freedom, and how she manages to run her hobby shop while killing people for money after work. As her "part time" job begins to take up more time than she expected she becomes absorbed into the life of a yakuza while still holding on to the life she had prior.
Her new job really becomes a large portion of her life which means not just
new experiences but new friends and enemies as well.
PTS has a lot of what I love about anime and comics in general but it also has some things I haven't seen mentioned much in comics, namely in comics done by Americans who are inspired by manga. It's a challenge but definitely something will be great ride in terms of finishing it and also should be a lot of fun for anyone who reads it.
Samax Amen- I felt a strong hip hop vibe when I first read PTS as well. Is that something that you did intentionally? Japanese pop culture seems to be friendly with hip hop... do you deal with that directly or is it kind of a subconscious thing? (Am I onto something or just imagining it? lol)
James Stanley- Well, you’re definitely not imagining that at all! While it was subconscious it wasn’t something that I turned away from while developing the story. It just seemed like a really good fit—it made sense to me to have a character that’s faced with insurmountable obstacles to have an aura of confidence that seems unbeatable, even in the face of things that they may not have complete control over.
That kind of energy is in hip-hop. When you see people battle each other,
it doesn’t matter where there opponent is from or who they’ve beaten to get
this far. It’s just another opponent and losing isn’t an option. That’s the
kind of fierce individuality that I wanted for my main character. She’s (Meiko)
also a character that ends up working for the yakuza! I think anyone going into
that line of work needs to have some bravado of some sort, even if it’s futile.
You gotta have “balls” to be brave.When thinking about Meiko in terms of personality, I’d often listen to Nujabes to get that “mmph!” feeling of a character that looks at their situation and says “You know what, Fuck that! I won’t let this beat me!” kind of vibe. A basic, yet consistently relentless beat...that makes me think of Meiko a lot. Ken and Alex’s BGM from Street Fighter III: Third Strike always made me think of Meiko’s character.
Japanese hip-hop is actually one of the most commercially viable mainstream music genres in Japan--so much so that even j-pop at times sounds like Japanese hip-hop. It's been around for a long time but it wasn't that most of the world was fairly aware of until recent years. It's very soulful yet energetic when it needs to be. It captures a great time in hip-hop and it also reiterates the adage of music being a universal language. Part Time Shuffle has a strong connection to a lot of things that helped cultivate me into the artist that I am, and hip-hop is definitely one of those things.
Samax Amen- That subtle but obvious hip hop energy (and the anticipation/hope to see more of it) was the thing that excited me about the pages that I saw, but the first thing that turned me on from PTS was the character designs for Aishah.
She's obviously not the star of the book, but I think her character will be
key to the comic's appeal. What can you tell us about Aishah and her role in
PTS?
James Stanley- This comes up a lot actually, so much so that close friends who've seen me working on the series have gravitated to Aishah almost immediately. I think that's awesome--it just wasn't expected. I thought the only person who would like her that much would be me, ha!
In the early development of Part Time Shuffle, I felt that Meiko needed
someone to help her with very new, and foreign beginning in her life--a
character that really could be somewhat of a middleground between her normal
life and the life she begins as a yakuza.
I don't want to give too much away about her since she doesn't show up yet
but the initial concept came into my head as a "what if?"
I was listening to an Al Green song Wish You Were Here With Me
and for some reason--certain aspects to that song made me think about some
of the music in Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub
)...(The entire movie series of Lone
Wolf and Cub is full of really good music actually!) and I thought how it
would've been to have a chambara film made back then with someone like Pam
Grier or Esperanza Spalding as the star of it? A strong, confident, wise, character with an almost
defiant beauty to them that you see in every stride they make.
I was listening to an Al Green song Wish You Were Here With Me
and for some reason--certain aspects to that song made me think about some
of the music in Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub)...(The entire movie series of Lone
Wolf and Cub is full of really good music actually!) and I thought how it
would've been to have a chambara film made back then with someone like Pam
Grier or Esperanza Spalding as the star of it? A strong, confident, wise, character with an almost
defiant beauty to them that you see in every stride they make. 
Aishah to me, is the type of character I've wanted to do for a while
especially in an environment where she stands out alot but not in a negative
way, but a very centered and assured way. She's a character that despite her
past and current life situation she's sure of who she is and moves forward in
life without any real fear crippling her. Yeah, she's usually the tallest
person on the train, she has problems finding clothes that fit her in Japan but
no matter where she goes or what she does--she's confident in who she is in a
way that its very refined and undeniable.
I also wanted a character to show that a woman can not necessarily be
skinny and still be appealing as well.
A lot of people like Aishah already and haven't seen how badass she is yet! That' makes me very happy.
Samax Amen- I would dare to say that a lot of what you
want her character to portray comes across in your design. I would say
"defiant beauty" is a phrase that encapsulates a lot of it. The chick
that's fly without trying. Who has her own style and values. She also looks
tough without looking masculine, which is hard to pull off. She rocks the stone
grill that doesn't give away what she's thinking.
And not everyone can rock that hairdo! lol
But yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing more of her.
So anyways, you were talking about her being a gateway type character that
helps Meiko get acclimated to the life of a professional tough girl. From the
pages I've seen, there is definitely a humorous slant to your work, but it
wasn't clear to me how the violence in the book would be handled.
So how are you planning to handle it when Meiko and friends start getting
into that GANGSTER shit?!? lol
James Stanley- The tone of the book is
comedic but there are some scenes that will violent when necessary. Its not
something I think should be abused--but something that works within the context
of certain aspects of the story. Needless to say, people get it in...
Samax Amen- Awesome.
So what's your plans for the book format-wise? Are you intending to
print it, or roll it out as a regular webcomic first?
James Stanley- I'd love to do as full distribution in print but we live in the 2000's so
print is more of something that is an afterthought or specifically for con
appearances for now. I like digital comics but there's something about the feel
of books in your hand that I don't want to ever completely die. I love having
tangible print.
Samax Amen- Yeah, there's definitely
more options than there used to be!
Looks like you are spread out at several places on the web. What's the BEST
place to check for PTS. As far as the web is concerned, how often should we
expect updates?
James Stanley- I see official print is something that may happen later on, its definitely
something I'd love to have after the series is complete.
The best place to check for the comic in terms of an official digital run
is my website, http://www.parttimeshuffle.com/
I've contemplated posting pages other places but in terms of actual updates
they will definitely go
there. I post art related things for the series on my tumblr, DA, etc so if you
want to see sketches or any sort of in progress work--those sites are good for
that!
Samax Amen- "When the series is complete"...
so you have the whole series planned out? About how long should we expect it to
be?
James Stanley- Hmm...well right now its looking to be around 5 volumes or so. I think in
terms of takebon manga publications so while its "only" 5 volumes or
so it'll be packed with plenty of pages. As I say this the thought of those
deadlines scare me but at the same time this is definitely a labor of love. I
look forward to the craziness of getting it all out. I guess that's part of
being an artist though. You know when people say, " Oh, he's an artist
type!" I think that's just a polite way of calling us crazy. I guess it
fits though.
Samax Amen- Five volumes is pretty good!
LOL!
It's sad that Tokyopop isn't publishing American comics anymore... They
strike me as a perfect publisher for you. Which publishers out there would you
be most interested in picking up PTS?
James Stanley Honestly, I think any publisher
that's willing to distribute and promote what I'm doing I'd be happy to work
for. That's not to say I wouldn't promote my own comic in my own way but its a
comforting to actually FEEL support from an investor with what you're working
on. It builds the confidence that you already have as an artist/creator with your
own projects.
I don't want to close anyone off here! hahaha I like what Oni and Image are
doing right now though! That isn't to discourage any other company that might
find my work interesting!
Samax Amen Just one more question:
What's up with your nickname
[Beefy Kunoichi]?
James Stanley Well, I should've known that was coming! I guess its a pretty weird name
when you look at initially. This might sound weird but its a combination of 2
things that I like or things I find interesting. As a kid, I watched a lot of
ninja movies since at the time they were booming quite a bit in America, and in
some cases the star was a female character. Kunoichi is a japanese slang term
for a female ninja, or female practitioner of ninjustu. Whether or not the main
was a male or female didn't really determine whether not the film was good to
me but I did have a fondness to women in movies that happened to be ninjas
(laughs).
I also like beef a lot! I like cooking it in as many ways as possible and I
probably consume too much of it. While in college a good friend of mine was a
culinary enthusiast with the same passion for beef that I had so that only made
things worse or better depending on how you look at it!
I got a lot more adept with cooking during and after college, and my
specialty dishes revolve around beef or some sort. My favorite Cuban dish is
Ropa Vieja so...yeah I definitely love beef. I just kinda jammed both words
together and it sounded randomly cool to me, so I went with it.
Samax Amen- Yeah, it sounds awesome! Hopefully there's lots of cooking in the comic.
Cooking/eating and smoking are great ways to ground characters. No pun intended
(ground... beef... ugh)
I guess I have one more question.
What can fans expect from you? is there going to be a regular production
schedule of pages on the website? What other kinds of regular updates can they
expect? We want it all, and we want it frequently! lol
James Stanley- Well, I'm in the process of planning an actual launch of the comic sometime
toward the end of this year with its debut online. Ideally I want to upload
with a new chapter each time I do update the site but the content may vary in
terms of quantity with each upload. If there's a need to push anything back
I'll definitely keep readers up to date on DA and my facebook page regarding
the series. There's other content planned that I don't want to reveal right now
but once its set in motion I think fans will be pleased! My Facebook page will
show wips as well as my DA so definitely look out for that.
Samax Amen- Okay, that sounds great, thanks for taking
the time, and being patient and cooperative with the interview, James.
James Stanley- no problem at all, glad for the opportunity!
Samax Amen- No problem! Someday when I'm a "real" publisher, I'll definitely
give you a spot!
Click here to to like Part Time Shuffle on the Facebook. Expect a full color webcomic launch coming in 2013!
holla!Click here to to like Part Time Shuffle on the Facebook. Expect a full color webcomic launch coming in 2013!
-samax.
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