Alan Evans and Randy Malave Jr. discovered while high school classmates that they both had a bent toward comics. The pair later connected with Justin Riley, a writer. Now the three run Workshed Studio, www.workshedstudio.com, in Milwaukee. Late this summer, the trio released their four-issue miniseries Sawdust: The Workshed Anthology as a 132-page black-and-white comic book. The stories in the anthology star demons, vampires and super-science gone wrong.

 

Now the trio faces the hard part: They have to promote the book in an industry dominated by Marvel and D.C.

 

Firefox News recently talked to one third of the Workshed Studio leaders – namely, Evans – about the challenges and rewards of creating an independent studio.

 

Firefox News: Can you tell us a little about your studio and the anthology?

Alan Evans: Workshed Studios has been around for seven years. We were all doing separate stories when we first started. That was OK, but about three years ago we started getting material together for an anthology. We eventually had enough for four issues worth. That was great because that allowed us to do a four-issue miniseries. At the very beginning of August of this year, we collected all four issues for Wizard World. We had the best sales we’ve ever done. That made us all very happy. It was a milestone for us.

 

FFN: Speaking of sales, I don’t suppose you ever expect to get rich working in independent comics?

Evans: Comics are maybe the worst business to get into if you are trying to make money. You have a better chance at Amway. But you can at least make some profit, if you can do it smart. Randy and I are both in the graphic arts and printing fields. We have a lot of expertise from our day jobs that we bring to our comics work. Justin has worked at bookstores all his life. He has the inside skinny on what those places are looking for. We’ve found that year after year, we’ve been able to build up a fan base slowly but surely. Our sales have gotten better every year. It’s a war of attrition. You have to keep at it. We don’t think we’ve peaked, either.

 

FFN: As an independent without the backing of a large company, how do you market your book?
Evans: A lot of it is face time.

Social networking cannot be stressed enough. You have to get yourself out there. That works on the Internet, too. You have to get in front of as many message boards as possible, without it coming off as shilling. Sincerity goes a long way. If you can just keep focused and stay ingrained at sites like Digital Webbing, Penciljack, MySpace and Facebook, people will start to recognize your name and notice your work. You have to let people know that you are out there.

 

FFN: Have you ever considered going with one of the bigger, more mainstream comics publishers?
Evans: I think if was more talented as a penciler and Marvel and D.C. were knocking at my door, it’d be hard to say “no.” Since that’s not happening, I’m happy going independently. I have fun and interesting stories to tell. I think our studio is making a worthwhile contribution to the comic and non-comic readers out there.

 

FFN: A lot of creators have broken into the mainstream by first publishing their own stories on their own or through independent studios.

Evans: That is the way to get your stuff noticed in the first place. You can go to Marvel and D.C. and show them a portfolio, but if you have something that’s already been printed, just in comicbook format, that greatly increases your chances of being noticed or picked up by them.

 

FFN: What can you tell us about your newest anthology?
Evans: Our stories are spread out over a couple of genres, but you are not going to get nine stories from nine different genres. We try to ground all our stories in a kind of urban realism. You can almost imagine yourself being in these situations. You can almost imagine yourself knowing some of these people, apart from their fantastic abilities.

 

FFN: Why is the anthology format so appealing to you?
Evans: From a consumer standpoint, you know you are not going to be left hanging as far as storylines go. You don’t have to worry that the company will go under next month and you’ll never get an ending to the story. When you have an anthology, you have a nice, meaty book to sink your teeth into.

 

FFN: Any advice for others hoping to make their mark in independent comics?
Evans: It’s really in your best interest to know what you are getting yourself into. There are so many people who jump into it who don’t realize how much work it is. If they do eventually get their work out there, it’s terribly produced. That just clutters up the market. To make your life easier, know what you are getting into. And if you don’t, know that there are a lot of resources out there to help you find out.