- Who are you and what are you working on right now? (2 questions in 1, I know!)
My name’s Brad Burdick, and I was born and raised in California, where I still reside. Art has always been a huge part of my life, and back in elementary school was when I first connected with comics. The combination of amazing artwork, stories, and the ability to take you to another place was what really connected with me. Over the years, I’d always doodled and created random little stories. But, it wasn’t until High School when I created my first on-going webcomic called The Fly. I did that for many years, until I got busy with life, jobs and unfortunately lost my creative focus. Recently I finally realized what truly made me happy and got back into what started it all, comics. Which brings me to what I’m working on right now. I recently decided to reboot one of my old webcomics, Billy the Pyro, and turn it into a full blown comic book. I partnered up with Fabian Cobos, who is doing the amazing artwork on it. And after a successful Kickstarter for the first issue, BTP was picked up by Alterna Comics to publish the first story arc of four issues. Which BTP #2 is due out in June.
- What drew you to digital comics?
Digital comics allowed me to fulfil a dream of mine. I’ve always wanted to create a comic book, and I saw that possibility for me through going digital. If the means of all the digital resources weren’t out there, that dream of mine maybe wouldn’t have ever become reality. Especially in this day in age where everything is going digital, it was only a natural fit.
- Webcomics or digital comics?
Both. I think there’s a fine line between them actually. I’ve seen so many webcomics turn into digital and even print comics. I think webcomics are a great stepping stone for creators to get their work out there and help create a fan base.
- What do you think works with digital comics?
First and foremost, digital comics allow especially for independent creators, to be able to be found. The accessibility of digital comics really opened the door not only for creators, but the ability to bring new readers and fans to the industry. Not to mention the convenience of digital as well. I can now be anywhere and have thousands of comics at my fingertips. It’d be hard to bring those thousands of comics with you on a long trip somewhere.
- Can digital comics replace print comics?
No, I don’t think they’ll ever completely replace print. The thing about comics vs other art forms, is that at the core of it, they’ve been distilled as more of a collectable item. So we’re always going to want to have something to feel, and to physically obtain.
- How can print comics work with digital comics?
There are so many great comics out there, and without the accessibility of them being digital, we would never know about them. Also, with digital comics mostly being cheaper than print, It allows you to see if you like a comic before you buy it in print. Personally what I’ve come to do, is normally buy the single issues digitally, then buy the TPB’s in print.
- What don’t you like about digital comics?
Having that tangible object, being able to have that pristine #1 and/ or singed copy of your favourite comic sitting on your shelf. You can’t really hang or sign a tablet. I guess you could, that’d just get pretty expensive.
- What digital comics/webcomics do you read?
Wow, there’s just so many great comics out there now-a-days. But a few I’d have to mention are: D4VE, GoGetters, Knuckleheads, reMIND, Innovation, and anything from CreatureBox.
- Where do you see digital comics going from here?
Just like all the other forms of entertainment, I see it continuing growing and being a prominent roll in the industry. I personally think it’s going to help the industry bring new readers in, and help to continue for creators to get found.
10. Who do you think we should look out for in digital comics?
Once again, there are so many great creators out there. I could list so many people. These guys however, you’re going to have to watch out for: Ryan Ferrier, Fabian Rangel Jr., Shawn Aldridge, Jeremy Holt, and Wes Locher.
