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Comics: Meet the Artist
With Frank Cho
Cartoonist, "Liberty Meadows"
Hosted by Suzanne Tobin
Washington Post Comics Editor
Friday, Jan. 4, 2002; 1 p.m. EST
Welcome to the Washington Post Style section comics discussion, hosted by Comics page editor Suzanne Tobin.
Cartoonist Frank Cho has decided to leave the daily comics pages of newspapers and take his creation, "Liberty Meadows" back to the world of comic books.
Cho was online Friday, Jan. 4 at 1 p.m. EST to discuss "Liberty Meadows," the move to comic book format and the art of cartooning.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Suzanne Tobin:
Happy New Year, comics fans! And welcome to the first edition of "Comics: Meet the Artist" for 2002!!! Today our guest is Frank Cho, creator of "Liberty Meadows." He's recently decided to move "Liberty Meadows" from the daily comics pages back to its roots, in comic book form. Today, he's joining us from his studio in Columbia, Md. What brought to that decision, Frank?
Frank Cho: It's great to be here.
There are four reasons I changed from newspapers to comic books.
The most important one is creative freedom. After five years of constant newspaper censorship and editorial interference, I'd just had enough of it. Comic books will provide me the creative freedom that I want.
Secondly, I just had my first child, Emily, who was born Dec. 24th, and I needed to take some time off to focus on her, especially since I'm not getting any sleep. With her around, there was no way I could keep up with the daily deadlines.
Third, I felt there was no support from newspaper editors. It seemed that many of them are only interested in family comic strips, suitable for children five and under. They've made it clear in the past that they disapprove of Liberty Meadows' humor and content, which is geared to teenagers and grownups.
Fourth, I'm kind of burned out. I've been working and battling censorship for five years straight and I just need to take some time off to recharge my batteries.
Tampa, Fla.:
Do you still have plans to animate your Liberty Meadows characters for television?
Do you feel your creativity has been stymied by editorial decisions alone or constraints you placed upon yourself to create the strip for a public readership?
Thanks for the daily art, best of luck in the future.
Liberty-less in Tampa.
Frank Cho: Yes, I do still have plans to animate the characters for television. There were several offers in the past, but the issue of control was a deal-breaker. So it's fair to say that if the right offer came along, I'd take it. If I thought newspapers were restrictive, television is even more so to a certain degree.
As to your second question, editorial harrassment was a big factor in stifling my creativity and as I got more and more into doing the strip, it really became part of me. It was like watching your child grow, and I was putting alot of pressure on myself to do the best I could. And that tends to burn you out. In the very beginning, I was censoring myself to please my editors, and I felt like a freelance artist following my editors' whims, instead of like the creator of the strip.
Dying here...:
Congratulations on the new birth. Now to the hair pulling.
Will she say yes, will she say no, will Frank get out of there, will Dean hit on the bride's maid? I don't expect answers to those, but when can I expect to find the first edition of the graphic novel version of LM?
Also, now that the strip is over, any word on compiling them into a book?
Frank Cho: To be honest with you, I've been collecting LM in a comic book format for the past three years. We're up to Issue No. 25. In the comic book version, which has been published all along, it's the uncensored, raw version of LM. So all the images and punchlines and content have been changed back to their original form, before the various editors watered it down.
The first year of LM has also been collected into a hardback book form. You can find all of these in your local comic book store, and if you can't find a store, just call 888-COMICBOOK, which is a computerized service that will help you locate the nearest store to your home.
There is a special comic book issue called "Liberty Meadows: The Wedding Album," that's scheduled to come out in mid-January. It's a compilation of the last few weeks leading up to the cliffhanger plus its resolution, which will answer all your earlier questions.
Annandale, Va.:
First of all, I have to admit that Liberty Meadows has been one of my guilty pleasures. I became addicted to the soap opera portions of the strip, but the slap-stick portions never appealed to me. Anyway, I do want to complain about the title. Perhaps instead of the poetic sounding "Liberty Meadows", you should more accurately call it "Dump on Frank." Like many of your readers, especially those of us who have been "Frank," I keep hoping that at least once we'll see this guy finally succeed in love, even if it is only for a brief time. Will he ever do so or will you keep on torturing this poor guy?
Frank Cho: Nah, I wanna keep torturing the poor guy.
LaGrange, Ill.:
Will the comic book storyline become a little more "adult" that the comic page line?
Frank Cho: Ever since I've been collecting it in the comic book format, three years ago, it's always been targeted for an older audience. So you can get all the strips, just the way I originally envisioned them, from the very first strip on.
New York, N.Y.:
Creators Syndicate is noted for allowing artists to better control their strips. I notice that the strips on The Washington Post's Web site (one of the best!) are copyrighted by CS. Will the rights revert to you, similar to what The Washington Post Writers Group did with Berke Breathed's Bloom County? Were there any limitations or constraints with your comicbook while the strip was being published?
Frank Cho: Right now, CS and I have a partnership, and eventually it will revert back to me.
Lorton, Va.:
What emotions were you feeling when you turned in that last cartoon? Releif, sadness, exhaustion, hunger, something else?
Frank Cho: All of the above.
New York, N.Y.:
Congratulations on little Emily! She's so cute! As an expecting father of a little girl myself, I'm wondering what your recommended method of diaper changing is? No, seriously, my question is: What is the best way to secure a subscription to Liberty Meadows for 2002? Can this be done through the Web site?
Thanks, and I can't wait to see what happens in the Wedding Album!
Frank Cho: First things first. When you're changing diapers, and cleaning the baby, just remember to go with the grain.
Secondly, you can get a subscription on the Web at www.libertymeadows.com, and you can choose where you want to start the subscription, Year 1, 2, 3, etc. The Wedding Album is a separate item you can purchase on the Web. There's also order forms in the comic books themselves for the techno-phobic who want to order them through snail mail.
Baltimore, Md.:
Sorry to see that Liberty Meadows is leaving the Post. I love the way you draw Brandy! Can you tell me if you place much stock in life drawing and if it has helped you in your work. Thanks. Good luck in the future with the strip.
Frank Cho: I highly recommend life drawing. Practice drawing what you see. Stay away from modern art and artsy fartsy stuff. I'm self-taught, I went to Prince George's Community College and then transferred to the University of Maryland School of Nursing to get a B.S. in Nursing. I did have a scholarship to go to Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore but turned it down when I visited the campus and wasn't thrilled with their academic focus. So I taught myself how to draw.
As for Brandy, she is based on Lynda Carter of the Wonder Woman TV show, and Bettie Page, a 1950s pinup queen.
Ferrara, Italy:
Hi Frank! Here my question: While I wait for your publication here in Italy, will I find your comics on the Web like I did until Dec. 31 on Creators site?
Actually,
obviously not daily and not in strips, but will I find your comics in a site refreshed frequently enough? (like once a month...)
Excuse my English and thanks for your attention, Dario Capatti.
Frank Cho: I'm not sure what Creators is planning to do with LM on their site.
But on my Web site, www.libertymeadows.com, I'll be archiving the original, uncensored versions from Day One of its creation, when I get the time. I'm going to try to get to it in the next month or so. I haven't decided yet, but trying to put up a month's worth at a time sounds like a good idea.
Alexandria, Va.:
Geeez Frank! I've only recently moved up here and have really gotten into your quirky little strip. Now you go and do a Burke Breathed on me!
I'm so disillusioned!
If this comic is your diary (see Larson letter), one would assume you are Frank. Therefore the other characters are how you view the people around you (I can think of a lot of guys who are like Dean). This brings me to your depiction of women...
They're all Amazonian super-goddess types! Seems just a bit unbalanced -- Amazon Goddess with a (male chauvanist) pig. Then there's the occasional towering superhero type male with the Colgate smile. Please expand on your views of the male/female relationship...
As a big fan of Bloom County (one of your influences) I don't see any "Yaz Pistashio's" -- it just seems weirdly idealized.
Thoughts?
Frank Cho: To answer your question, I really don't know any women. I see all women as beautiful, so that's how I draw them.
Riverdale Park, Md.:
Please, oh please, Frank, just tell me you didn't move to comic-book only format to make more money after hooking all of us helpless comic readers on your insanely catchy soap opera-like plots!
Frank Cho: Believe me, money is not the factor, since I'm losing the whole newspaper income. I'm just doing it to keep myself sane.
Centre of Nowhere:
Dear Mr. Cho,
Thanks for replacing that wide, gaping hole in my heart that was left by "Bloom County" and "Calvin and Hobbes." I am only able to log onto The Post's Web page (I live way too far away for daily delivery), and finding "Liberty Meadows" was pure gold (especially with coffee).
There IS a comic-book place nearby... but how can I convince them to stock your books? I'm dying to find out about Frank and Brandy!
Again, many thanks, from a grateful fan (and congratulations on becoming a Dad!).
Frank Cho: It's very simple, just go up to the manager and ask them to order it for you. Once it comes in, they'll call you and you can go pick it up.
Silver Spring, Md.:
Will Liberty Meadows be featured in your comic
books or will you be creating different characters
and plotlines altogether? I really enjoy the
Liberty Meadows characters and stories and will
be very sorry to see them gone from comic strip
pages.
Frank Cho: The story will continue with the same characters; it will just be published in a comic book format. Each new Liberty Meadows comic book, although it contains reprint material, there's also 25% new material that was never printed in the newspaper format.
Fancy Turtle:
Are you proud of your Terps, even if they faired less than well in the Orange Bowl? Really was a shame to see them lose, especially since I went to an ACC school (one of the ones in N.C.), and was thrilled to see someone other than FSU win the conference.
Fear the turtle, here's to hoping they go 10-1 again next season (hey, what can I say, they have to play my alma mater, so 10-1 is the best tidings I can give).
Frank Cho: Amen.
New Carrollton, Md.:
Hi Frank....
There are local references (Beltsville, Washington Redskins, NASA, etc.) in your strip. Are you a resident or former resident of Maryland? Also, what are the chances that the Liberty Meadows comic strip will return to The Washington Post? Hoping you'll come back. Otherwise thinking of cancelling home delivery of Washington Post.
Frank Cho: Yes, I grew up in Beltsville, Md. And have lived in Maryland all my life. Like the old saying goes, "Write what you know." Liberty Meadows will continue as a comic book format, but I am toying with the idea of returning to newspaper syndication in about 10 years, because I have a couple of ideas for a brand new strip. I'm hoping that in 10 years time, the restrictive nature of the newspapers would have lifted.
New York, N.Y.:
How do you feel about the comics replacing your strip in The Post? Which strips do you think should be replaced? Why?
Frank Cho: I haven't been able to read the paper since my daughter was born, so I really don't know.
New York, N.Y.:
During the run of your comic strip, Brandy's bustline has slowly grown. Can we expect further development, and on a related note, who will edit your comic book and what sort of limits have you placed on your new-found creative freedom?
Frank Cho: I'm actually self-publishing through Insight Studios Group, so I have no editors. The only editor I have is my wife, who corrects my spelling and grammar. My sense of humor has always been PG-13, and LM has always been rated PG, and in extreme cases, PG-13. As for limits, it's not really in me to do something X-rated, unless the money is right. (Wink!)
Herndon, Va.:
Did you have any problems getting out of your contract with Creator's? I thought most contracts start at seven years nowadays.
Frank Cho: It was tough, the contract I signed was longer than usual, I just had a bad lawyer. But I got a really good lawyer to get out of it. It's water under the bridge. What's done is done.
New York, N.Y.:
What inspired you to create a comic strip?
Frank Cho: I've always been a comic book fan. I was never a newspaper comic strip fan growing up, because I thought modern newspaper strips were boring and poorly drawn. So I've always loved comic books instead. After reading comic books, reading newspaper comics was like driving a sports car, then switching over to a tricycle. The reason I went into newspaper comics was because of three people, Berke Breathed of "Bloom County," Bill Watterson of "Calvin and Hobbes" and Gary Larson of "The Far Side." They broke down the wall for me, showing me that newspaper strips could be fun and exciting. And, unfortunately, they've all since retired.
Gender Confused:
My wife dislikes your strip (he's a male chauvinist pig!) I love it!!! Do you know if you have a mostly male audience?
Frank Cho: LM is geared to male readers, like myself, but I was very surprised by the number of female readers who've written fan letters and posted messages on my message board (http://www.comicscommunity.com/boards/insight).
Baltimore, Md.:
If the comic book store in my neighborhood is staffed by refugees from the Android Dungeon Comic Book Store on "The Simpsons" and the staff is clueless, can you tell us who to tell them to go to for the book -- any particular distributor?
Frank Cho: It's self-published through Insight Studios Group, 7844 St.
Thomas Dr., Baltimore, Md 21236.
Charlottesville, Va.:
Isn't it kind of low to end your newspaper run without completing the current story line?
Frank Cho: Most people so far have disagreed.
Wiredog:
Hi,
More a comment than question. Did you know that libertymeadows.com is filtered by Websense (the internet monitoring software my company uses) as "Tasteless?" How crass!
Frank Cho: Damn, the secret is out!
Redford, Mich.:
Frank, You have the best new idea for a comic strip in the last 20 years. I do miss it every day. I have followed it every day. My question is: Do you have any new ideas for another comic strip? Or are you going to add any new characters to Liberty Meadows? Get rid of Roger
Good Luck
Frank Cho: There will be a couple new characters added to the LM roster. Roger is up in the air. I still have some stories with him involved, but I'll take your comment into consideration.
Alexandria, Va.:
Hi Frank,
What books, if any, do you recommend on learning how to draw?
Frank Cho: Let me just go over to my bookshelf. "Figure Drawing" by Andrew Loomis, "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way," by Stan Lee and John Buscema and there's a whole bunch of golden age illustrator books by N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, John Singer Sargent and Norman Rockwell.
Austin, Tex.:
For a dedicated reader, I find your comics very teasing -- the art work is always superb. Brandy on the staircase when you were trying out your new pens is my favorite], the storyline shifts in quality and every now and then you bring these stupid art lesson ones, like drawing Manga anime style. I have read enough of these How-To comic books to get the joke -- they always skim on the hard parts -- but I got it the first time too.] This seems less of a problem in day to day newspaper comics -- most of the other artists don't have consistent good jokes either. How do you think your shift back to comic books will change this aspect of your style?
Frank Cho: It's not going to change my style. I'm still going to draw in a newspaper format. The only change will be the Sunday strip format. It will be a full page Sunday format, like Golden Age Prince Valiant, instead of the narrower 1/5th size I've been doing in modern newspapers.
Suzanne Tobin:
Well, the hour is up and I'm so sorry we didn't get to all your questions! You just overwhelmed us! If you want to, you can post a message to Frank at http://www.comicscommunity.com/board/insight/ for him to reply. He visits the message board almost every day, so your question will be answered. If you want to e-mail me, I'm at tobins@washpost.com
Frank Cho: Thank you all for sticking around to listen to me ramble. You guys have excellent questions, and hopefully we can do this another time. Meanwhile, Emily is crying, so the boss is calling, I gotta go.
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