Victoria and her father. Image copyright Manny Trembley.
Kickstarter is known for its ability to fund independent and creative people by allowing strangers to donate money and receive incentives in return. Almost everyone has either donated or thought about donating to a Kickstarter, right?
One such Kickstarter caught my attention: a graphic novel depicting the life of a young human girl living in a world full of monsters. These aren’t any old type of monster, either: the father is Frankenstein’s Monster and the mother is his Bride. The little girl’s name is Victoria, named after her grandfather of sorts, Victor Frankenstein. I was captured with the premise and the first few moments of the video.
I spoke with Manny Trembley, the mind behind the monsters, about VICTORIA JR, his process, and his future projects.
Ashley Darling: Tell me about yourself. Education, experience in the art world, etc.
Manny Trembley: I’m that kid that knew I wanted to be a cartoonist at a very young age. I’m pretty sure I was in 3rd grade when I knew I wanted to be in the funny papers. Peanuts was my favorite and then Calvin and Hobbes came out a few years later and of course I was enamored with that strip (probably the biggest cartoon influence for me).
I was fortunate to have a long string of teachers that saw I loved to draw and they encouraged it culminating with my high school art teacher, Dan Cragg. He was SO supportive that he created classes for me after I gobbled up every available art class by the end of my sophomore year. I loved comics and animation and eventually went to school for 3D animation.
Possible cover for VICTORIA JR. Image copyright Manny Trembley
After that I worked on kids show development, commercials and concept art for video games. In 2008 I (and my co-creator Eric A. Anderson) were nominated for 2 Eisner Awards for out webcomic called PX! About a little girl and her cybernetic panda. We published a few books together through Image comics and then in 2012 I set out to self-publish my own books through Kickstarter starting with Martin Monsterman.
AD: What were your artistic influences starting out?
MT: I was a comic strip fan first. Far Side, Peanuts, Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes. Comic books didn’t enter in to the equation until I was 15 and I saw an Uncanny X-men book drawn by Jim Lee. That blew my mind.
AD: What are those influences now?
MT: I think my art has swung from comic strip (as a young kid) to comic book (teenage years until about 10 years ago) and now back to comic strips. Calvin and Hobbes has been such a part of my life that to say Watterson’s work has influenced me is an understatement. Also though, animation and fillm heavily influence who I am now. Miyazaki, Disney films, Pixar, etc. Whether I’m conscious of it or not I know my work is influenced by TONS of stuff around. Also, my wife and boys heavily influence me too.
AD: What brought you to VICTORIA JR? What about a little girl in a world full of monsters appealed to you?
MT: This book started last October with Inktober, a month long fun event started by Jake Parker. The goal was to ink something every day. So I set out to ink a comic page every day before work. Those were the first pages of Victoria Jr. In January I got the itch to organize a fundraiser where I create a book and use that book to raise funds for an organization called Sally’s House, a safe place for kids removed from their homes. Victoria is adopted and that seemed to fit really well with what I wanted to build my story around, adoption and a loving home. I like monsters and I LOVE Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It felt right to tell short stories in this world where she doesn’t fit in but that doesn’t bother her because she’s secure in who she is. She’s a confident, bold, adventurous little girl.
A scene from one of the short stories. Image copyright Manny Trembley.
AD: Why graphic novels instead of paintings, traditional comics, (i.e., numbered issues), sketches, etc.?
MT: The graphic novel is my favorite way to tell stories. I look at it like a film in a book. That doesn’t mean what I make directly translates to film but it is how I view it. I’d never done a collection of short stories before so this is a first for me. When I decided that the best intro to Victoria was through vignettes of her in day-to-day life, it clicked for me. And it also gave me the chance to use different art styles for the book. I hope to incorporate sketches, painting, and more in to this volume and the future volumes I will be doing.
AD: What other projects have you done? Can you give us a brief glimpse of them?
MT: As previously mentioned I co-created a book called PX! Book one- a girl and her panda and PX! Book 2- In the service of the queen. As well we made a comic series at Image called Sam Noir- Samurai Detective. All of those are no longer in print. In 2012 I started self publishing my own books starting with Hoss and Feffer (my first indie funded book), then Martin Monsterman, RGB (a wordless story about life, loss and love), Under Where? – just made you say underwear and now Victoria Jr.
Most of those are for sale on my store. http://www.fishtankbooks.com
AD: What other projects do you have in mind for the future?
Victoria and her brother encounter all sorts of monsters. Image copyright Manny Trembley.
MT: A lot. My hope is that Victoria Jr. becomes an annual book and fundraiser. So, Victoria Jr. Volume 2 for next year. I also want to do Victoria Jr. Presents books. Victoria’s retelling of Frankenstein or Dracula or the wolfman, etc. I am also 50 pages in to my first comic strip called Good Knight Dragon that I post once a week. http://goodknightdragon.
On top of those I have 2-3 other books ready to work on. The bummer is that I have a day job. Or at least that’s a bummer because it relegates my books to being worked on during the early morning, lunch breaks and after the boys are in bed. But who knows, someday I might have more time to draw.
AD: I see that you’ve tried Kickstarter before for projects. Why did you choose to use it again?
MT: I think Kickstarter (crowdfunding) is one of the best things to happen to self-publishing. I know some people get down on crowdfunding because of the huge companies and celebrities getting in on it. But what I choose to see is a tool that allows me to interact directly with my fans and hopeful fans in a way I could not do 8 years ago. It also allows me to publish books that normal publishers have deemed not marketable. I love the interaction and the feedback from people and in this current age of book making, being approachable and responsive is a fun part of the creator-fan relationship. It’s not a burden to me. It’s a joy.
A possible short story in the collection. Image copyright Manny Trembley.
AD: Have you attended any conventions as an artist? Any plans to in the future? If yes, attach a schedule so fans will know where and when to find you!
MT: I have been to a few in the pacific-northwest like ECCC, RCCC, Stumptown and PAC-CON. I find my work doesn’t fit super well within most comic shows. That’s cool with me. But my favorite is Lilac City Comic Con. It was previously the Spokane Comic Con. This year is the 9th year and I’ve tabled at it every year since it started. It’s my home and it’s the type of show I love. http://lilaccitycomicon.webs.
Make sure you check out VICTORIA JR and contribute today. There are only three more days to fund his novel (and you won’t want to miss the stretch goal incentives!).
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