Welcome to “Noteworthy”. I’m Will Scott and it’s my job to highlight projects, publications, and artists that, we at Sequential Highway believe, due to the quality of their work or the creative message they’re sending, warrant more attention from the comic book market. This installment: Eddie Pittman
Eddie Pittman is a wonderful cartoonist and a consummate pro. At a time when people are demanding more all-ages material, Eddie has been quietly producing his fantastic web comic Red’s Planet for years. Readers and retailers: spread the word. Get in touch with Eddie and give him the support he needs to see Red’s Planet in print and on sale in comic books stores everywhere.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Will Scott: Please introduce yourself to our readers. What is your profession? What inspired you to enter the world comics and animation? Was there a moment in your childhood that moved you to take this path?
Eddie Pittman: My name is Eddie Pittman and I’m the creator of the online graphic novel, Red’s Planet. I’ve been a professional cartoonist for over 20 years, with most of that time spent working in the animation industry. I’ve been lucky enough to have worked on everything from planetarium shows to video games and feature films, and I’m currently working as a storyboard artist and writer on Disney’s Phineas and Ferb.
I don’t know if there’s one moment in my childhood that stands out where I thought, “I’m going to be a cartoonist.” Drawing is just something I’ve always done. I do, however, have the first drawing I ever did from around the age of 2. So, maybe that’s ground zero.
WS: Did you train specifically for a career in animation or did you come to it from another direction?
EP: A little bit of both, actually. I had wanted to be in animation since high school, but missed my chance to go to CalArts — the only school that had a degree in character-based animation at the time — when financial aid didn’t work out. I had given up hope until I moved to Orlando, Florida, to work as a caricature artist at Universal Studios. One of the artists I worked with told me the Florida studio was ramping up on Mulan, and they had an open portfolio submission once a year for a limited number of spots in the Disney training program. Long story short, after a few tries, I found myself working on my first feature film.
WS: Please tell our readers what Red’s Planet is about.
EP: Red’s Planet is the story of Red, a 10-year-old Earth girl who is mistakenly kidnapped by a UFO and marooned on a distant planet, where she finds herself in a contest of wills with a group of alien castaways. It has drama, action, humor and fun characters. I like to think of it as an animated film in comic form.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
WS: When did the first strip appear online and how frequently do you release new installments?
EP: Red’s Planet premiered the summer of 2009 with a preview of chapter four. The official storyline launched in January 2010. I post a new page every Monday with the occasional hiatus—like for the birth of my youngest daughter and for a recent cross-country move to Los Angeles. Despite the breaks in the storytelling, I’ve posted over 100 pages since the launch.
WS: The strip has become quite popular. Did it take you a long time to develop an audience for Red’s Planet?
EP: An audience takes time to develop, but the number of Red’s Planet reader has continued to grow steadily. I’ve had a couple of spikes in readership — like when the strip won best webcomic in the 2010 Webcomic List Awards, and again with a great review on the website i09. And the vast majority of the visitors continue to return. I couldn’t have asked for better fans; they’ve been a very supportive and committed audience.
WS: How do you approach your work? Do you use a Cintiq or is everything done by hand? How long does it take you to complete a page of Red’s Planet from start to finish?
EP: I work digitally now on a Mac Mini and a Cintiq 21 UX, but my process tends to be the same as when I worked traditionally.
I start off with rough thumbnails and pencils in Sketchbook Pro, then lettering and balloons in Adobe Illustrator. I ink everything in Manga Studio and color and composite in Photoshop. From thumbnail to finished color, it can take anywhere from 10 to 12 hours to complete a page. It might seem like a long time, but I’m constantly tweaking and even rewriting up until I post the page.
WS: Red’s Planet was a polished, professional piece of work from page one. And the years you have spent in animation are evident in all aspects of your execution. So why not jump right into print publishing? What is the appeal of online serialization?
EP: Thank you! I think the reason I didn’t jump right in with print was that I wasn’t convinced I had something people would want to read. Plus, from everything I had heard about traditional publishing, if you are an unknown, like me, the publishers want to see a finished book before they will make a commitment. Publishing on the web does two things: it builds a committed audience and, maybe more importantly for me, it keeps me on task by making me accountable to that audience.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
WS; What comic strip and comic book artists have inspired you?
EP: They are truly too numerous to list, but the biggest influences in my life have been Walt Kelly and his wonderful comic, Pogo, and Seagar’s Popeye. But I continue to be influenced by everything I come across. Over the past few years, I’ve discovered the amazing work of European cartoonists, both current and classic works, and I’m greatly inspired by newer artists and their creations, like Travis Hanson’s Bean, Jason Brubaker’s ReMind and Mike Maihack’s Cleopatra in Spaaaace!.
Film has also been a big influence in my storytelling, especially the classic Walt Disney animated features, the films of Pixar, and the early work of Steven Spielberg.
WS: What animators have inspired you? Do you have a favourite from the Fleischer Brothers productions of Betty Boop, Popeye or Superman?
EP: As I said before, classic Disney is still a favorite; Milt Kahl’s animation always inspires and humbles me. I love the classic Warner Brothers cartoons, especially the Chuck Jones/Michael Maltese shorts. The Fleisher Popeyes are some of my all-time favorites.
WS: Lastly, what kind of experience does Red’s Planet currently offer the reader that is specific to its being offered online? Is there, or do you envision, a print edition of Red’s Planet?
EP: I don’t know if there is an experience that Red’s Planet offers that is specific to being online. What I do offer are strong characters in a compelling story, which I think is the best thing any artist or writer could give to their readers. Anything more is just bells and whistles.
And, yes, there will be a print edition of Red’s Planet; that’s been the goal all along. I’m still trying to decide whether it will be with a traditional publisher or if I will self-publish with the help of Kickstarter. Either way, it’s a decision I will be making very soon, so stay tuned to the site for any breaking news.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.