What initially drew you to comics?
My Memaw (RIP) bought me a copy of DC Comics Presents #47 (Vol.1, July 1982). He-Man, Superman, and Skeleton on the cover with Castle Greyskull? Dude! From that point forward I’d buy DC Who’s Who issues and random books that I found at the local 7-11 as often as I could. I would give up Slurpees for comics. From there, I eventually discovered Trilogy Comics shop in Virginia Beach and that was my first comics store. Fun fact: I recently visited Virginia Beach with my family and took my whole brood to go meet Gerald and see the store (which is 3x larger than it was when I began shopping there).
What do comics allow you to do creatively?
Anything I want!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Ahem, well, yes. Comics allow me to tell the stories that I love, the kinds of stories that I grew up with (nostalgia) and the kinds of stories I’ve always wanted to read (opportunity). I get to give of myself and share this with others. I can put myself, literally and figuratively, into the books and I can build something new, fresh, different (even when advancing through some pastiche), and fun. My absolute favorite part is working with other creators, building out my universe alongside some of the coolest, smartest, funniest, most creative humans on the planet. I love it.
Please tell us about Spider-Squirrel and any other titles/work you'd like to share about.
Spider-Squirrel is a bit of a personal story, a tiny bit of a love letter to comics from my childhood, a splash of just plain zany fun, and it’s one of those books that I just need to write. As far as log lines go, it’s a buddy-cop superhero action comedy featuring BFFs who are learning to juggle college, dating/romance/love, superheroing, and cosmic disturbances on a grand scale while arguing over pizza toppings.
Spinning directly out of Spider-Squirrel Vol.1 (issues 1-3) is my next release entitled, “Milestone”. This title is being written by Vito Delsante, with the phenomenal linework of Ariel Medel. Rounding out the creative team is inker Jagdish Kumar, and colorists Omi Remalante & Saul Shavanas. Letters by Full Court Press. We are launching this first issue in August on the crowdfunding platform Zoop. You can learn more about Milestone via our pre-launch page here: https://Zoop.gg/c/Milestone
Where can we learn more about your work?
Well, you’re welcome to stalk me on my Kickstarter profile, Twitter, Facebook, or IG. I have a TikTok, but rarely check it cuz I’m old, LOL. The XionStudios.com website is currently under reconstruction but it should launch soon!
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