Normally, I read a comic's archives and write a review. Sometimes, I have contact with the artist because they contacted me asking me to review their comic. Sometimes, I contact the artist to ask permission to use a picture in the review or to get a logo from them. Usually, I don't get an opportunity to have a conversation or get questions answered.This time Arne and Eric -- the two creators of Union of Heroes -- contacted me and asked if I would review their photocomic. They told me a little about the comic and I asked them some questions and Arne answered them in an email. So, instead of just reviewing the comic, I'm posting this "interview" first.Here's an "interview" I conducted via email with Arne.Where are you from?We are two guys from Germany.
What makes Union of Heroes different?We create the Union of Heroes – an online published professionally made photocomic about superheroes – with real actors and not action figures (which makes us quite unique – apart from the point that there are nearly no other non-parody superhero-comics from Germany at all.)
Since the comic uses actors and photos, what made you guys decide to do a webcomic?I am a big comicfan and I read comics since I was born (with a really big collection of superheroes, mangas, european stuff, graphic novels and how-to-literature (like Scott McCloud, Will Eisner, etc.).
The problem is that I allways wanted to do a comic, but I can draw only in a funny style – which does not fit to the stories I want to tell. The idea of doing a photocomic arouse to me, when I was self-employed as a graphic-designer and our photographer Jens Sundheim asked me, if we could acquire customers together.
There was this giant flash hitting me. And I was thinking: "Hey! Why not do a photocomic? Financed by productplacement? About superheroes from Germany (because there are any of them which are not-parody and I wanted to change that for quite a long time).
I know - it is insane, and I do not know anybody who has ever tried this kind of thing (and method of financing for an onlinecomic before. But why not give it a try? I want to tell interesting stories. With real actors. And I want to make a living out of it. And I can only do so by giving this thing a try!
I convinced Jens to be our partner on this project and a little bit later Eric - whom I know since grammar school - joined me. The two of us had worked in an advertising agency together before. And now we made ourself self-employed with this idea...
We convinced a bank to give us a little credit. And now the only two things we need are readers, who like the stories we want to tell – and clients who want to appear somewhere in the stories.
Problem is, that the clients are interested – but only want to support us, when the number of readers is high enough. And when nobody knows you ... You have a little problem there.
Apart from this - it is the project of my dreams! It is such a wonderful thing, when you have these characters in your head, draw a little skribble - and then the photographer and the actors bring them to life - far better than I could have ever drawn them!
Where do the stories take place?The stories are based in the german Ruhr Area - where we come from. The first stories takes place in Dortmund (where I live) and in Bochum. But later we want to visit other cities as well (the Union of Heroes has many members...)
Arne, thanks for the interview. To my readers, take the time to check out this new an innovated comic. I know I've seen photocomics (Tux and Bunny comes to mind), but not one with actual actors. And, watch for my review.
Happy Reading!
Labels: online comics, photocomic, Union of Heroes, webcomics