1. What initially drew you to comics?
My older brother was the one that really read comics in the 80’s, and I loved to draw as a kid. Eventually, I made a connection that these comics had cool art, costumes to design, and would be a fun thing for me to try and do. I was attracted to the art for sure in the late 80’s, so Image comics was huge for me. I always thought I’d draw superheroes though I eventually found myself more interested in comic strips and indie comics where I got my foot in the door.
2. Please tell us about your creative process.
My creative process really changes depending on the project I’m doing. Even just a couple of years ago, I was working on a horror web comic and was trying every physical medium I could and having a blast experimenting. I also worked hard on a memoir GN that never got picked up but experimented a lot on that project with paints, neon liquid inks, newspaper and textured paper layering. Lately, though I’ve really gotten into using Procreate and doing art digitally.
In terms of writing, I prefer to be out in the wild at some café with enough space and nice lighting, and I start with broad ideas before continually refining them, from vague ideas to a solid 3 acts, to individual scenes, to dialogue. I read a ton of books on writing circa 2008 when I was working on an Emo Boy screenplay for Vanguard Films and animation while also working on my first young adult novel, Happyface. The ones I come back to most are Story by Robert McKee, The Anatomy Of Story by John Truby and Save The Cat by Blake Snyder. They helped me a lot specifically with structure and continue to do so.
3. What inspires you to create for young adult readers?
I’ve always been drawn to teen stories, I was a massive Dawson’s Creek fan when that aired but also loved 90210 and even some weird stuff when I was a kid like Swan’s Crossing. I think it’s such an interesting age to write for because it’s the span of time where everything is so big and so magical. Things we take for granted as adults are just being experienced for the first time, you have all your firsts, first love, first kiss, first rejection. You’re learning about the world outside of home, hormones are guiding your every poor choice, your whole life is wide open in front of you as you find out exactly who you are which all just great stuff for storytelling and character building.
4. Please tell us more about Emo Boy, Winter Town, and any other work you'd like to share about.
My first published work was Emo Boy for SLG Publishing, though before that I spent a good 5 years or so chasing syndication in the dying comic strip industry. Emo Boy is about a terminally depressed individual who experiences Carrie-like powers that emerge at the worst times when his emotions are high. In the first issue he has first kiss, resulting in the poor girl’s head exploding. In 2008 it was optioned to be a movie with myself writing the screenplay, and director Kyle Newman attached to helm it. There was a terrible stock market crash right around that time and we couldn’t raise the funds to film it, but check out Kyle’s latest movie 1-Up on Amazon prime and see what could have been!
I released 3 illustrated YA novels in the following years. Happyface was my debut, about a nameless/faceless kid who embarks on a happy smiling social experiment while burying trauma. Winter Town was my second novel, about 2 childhood friends careening into very different lifestyles as they see each other for 2 weeks on winter break. And Bright Lights, Dark Nights is about an interracial couple at the center of a police brutality case. After that I’ve attempted a few submissions and webcomics trying to get my feet back into the comics space. I’m currently working on an updated version of Emo Boy on Webtoon that’s just getting started but will ultimately have elements of battle manga as Emo Boy tries his best to write one great song about his heartbreak. Please check it out!
5. Where can we find more information about your work?
You can find me on Twitter at @steveemond, on TikTok at @stephenemond, or head to stephenemond.com although I should really be better about updating it. Importantly, you can read my new Emo Boy material at https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/emo-boy-our-hearts-and-stars/list?title_no=782399
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