1) In what year did you start?
I’ve been writing for long as I can remember. I used to get in trouble for making my own little comics in grade school. I was never an amazing artist, so I started focusing on writing… which I also got in trouble for doing when I should have been doing schoolwork. I started publishing comics around 2011 with some friends. We had no idea what we were doing, but it was a great learning experience and eye opening first step on my journey.
2) How many titles do you publish?
As it stands, we’ve got three titles on deck. Sissonne and Barbarian Queen Karybdis are our flagship books with Tales from the Odditorium being more of a webcomic at the moment. Odditorium was an expansion of an anthology horror novel I wrote a while back. It gets added to sporadically, but has taken a bit of a back seat to the other two titles.
I make no bones about being “just some guy who loves comics making comics.” Budgeting usually affords a book or two a year, so I’ve got to be very selective. I have a special place in my heart for all the titles, both announced and unannounced. I’d love the opportunity to be able to release more titles more frequently for sure.
3) Which is your flagship title?
Sissonne and Barbarian Queen Karybdis are really the top two. Sissonne will always be special to me, but I’m also really enjoying the collaboration of working on BQK with Shiro Gauthier.
If I had to pick one for the forefront, it’s BQK. There’s just so much to like about that book and it’s a pretty easy sell. It does what it says on the tin. You know what you’re in for just from the cover and I love that.
4) How large is your team?
It varies. If you had asked me a year or two ago, I’d tell you it was myself and a cycling team of incredible freelancers, but it’s hard for me to say. I’m flying solo now when Shiro has been such a driving force for Barbarian Queen Karybdis and just keeping the gears turning in general when I’m plum out of steam. They are definitely as much a permanent member of Benalee Books as I am.
5) What’s your company philosophy and/or what sets your company apart from other comic book companies?
We have a very grass roots indie vibe and I don’t ever want to lose that. The company name comes from a nickname my dad has around our town and even the image I use as our logo is a physical representation my crafty wife made for me based on a design I came up with.
I could be making “Big Two” money and I’d still be trying my best to keep our books cheap and our stories fun and accessible. I’d probably still be handing out free books to everyone from the pizza place to the gas station. I’m pretty bad about that. At the end of the day, I just want to tell stories and have folks read them.
6) How did the move to more digital media affect your company?
On the funding and promotional front, I think it really helped. It’s a lot easier and cheaper to send or sell a PDF than to print and mail a floppy. I do love the tactile feel of a hard copy, but I think digital media is something we are going to have to just embrace as part of the equation.
For more on Benalee Books, please visit: https://linktr.ee/ravenwritindesk
