QUICK QUESTIONS WITH G A McKnight

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT IS YOUR CONNECTION TO COMICS?
I am G A McKnight, aspiring writer and illustrator at the amatuer level. Co-founder of Don’t Panic! Comics with Debbie McCormack, available at The Black Market, currently trying to blag our way to being published by pushpin zines on the internets and had some work featured on talesofthe.com
WHAT COMIC ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
Don’t Panic! Comics Anthology #3, currently delayed due to current personal drama, and developing ideas for an Andy Luke project which may or may not be top sekrit.
WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF MAKING COMICS?
The end result, frankly.
WHAT’S THE WORST PART OF MAKING COMICS?
The process. I’m very much result orientated, the process is just something I have to get through.
HOW DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER COMICS?
I think it was a stack of old british boys comics annuals, the victor, hotspur, etc that my parents had for us. If not that it was the beano or Asterix, which remains a personal favourite.
WHO IS THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR WORK?
At the minute, probably Jamie Smart and Evan Dorkin. I loves my Milk and Cheese.
WHAT TOOLS OF THE TRADE DO YOU USE?
Mehcanical pencil with HB leads and Staedler pigment liners. Got myself a brush pen, it’s tasty but gonna take some practise.
WHAT IS THE SINGLE WORK OF WHICH YOU ARE MOST PROUD?
Don’t Panic! Comics Anthology #1, purely for the achievement it represented on a personal level. Actually doing something, it’s not like me.
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED?
That there’s no substitute for learning how to do the work than by just doing it.
WHAT IS THE WORST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
Well, none really. Yet.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT IRISH COMIC SCENE?
Insufficient data.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN IN COMICS IN GENERAL IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
I’d really, really like to see me get paid for doing comics.
WHAT WAS THE LAST COMIC THAT MADE AN IMPACT ON YOU?
In a big way, probably Cerebus. It’s an amazing thing to look at, just try and filter out the Crazy Old Mr Sim stuff.
FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO
START MAKING THEIR OWN COMICS? (And don’t say DON’T 🙂 )
Speak to as many experienced people as you can and steal as much of the contents of their brains as you can stuff down your jumper.
ANY FINAL THOUGHTS?
Jean-Claude Van Damme has not aged well.
G A McKnight is a man so desperate to avoid dealing with customers that he’s decided that comics are a good idea. He may not have thought the matter through entirely. talesofthe.com.