Username: fugli
Comic: View of Venus
Age: Old as crap!
In what part of the world do you live: Nor Cal
Are you single/boyfriend/girlfriend/married: Married
Day job: Commercial art
Tell us what View of Venus is about.
Well, it's a story as old as time itself. A Pretty woman gets fed up working small jobs in a small town and decides to set up web cams all around her house and live 24/7 (actually, she takes Sundays off) under the leering eyes of well-off, older executive types who paid to watch her prance about in risqu�© situations. Shenanigans ensue! Basically, if you wanted to boil it down, it's a story about selling sex without the sex. O.k., I'm confused now- and I do the damn comic!
Where did you pick up your sense of design? Are you a professional artist, or have any previous comic or art experience?
I am a professional commercial artist, but I have no comic art experience. Maybe that explains why some viewers comment on the style as being "Different" or "Unusual" or "Crappy" or "Stink Poop On A Stinky Stick". I actually pick up (i.e.: rip-off!) a lot of ideas from other comics on the site. There is a plethora of great styles of art and writing on Drunk Duck and it is a great place for inspiration (i.e.: ripping-off!).
Who or what are your artistic and comic-making influences?
I like the classics. I love Will Eisner. Sure it's old as hell, but the layout and storytelling are still incredible.
You manage to bring a lot of things together in your comic - each page is a tight little well-polished package. How much of your comic in general have you planned out?
After I upload the art to the site I look it over and say "Man, this page is an almost unintelligible mess!" But thank you for thinking differently. I plan out on the fly. I have no pre-written script, but have a rough outline of the plot and I try to keep it moving. It's kind of like working without a net. Or working with a real crappy net, with big holes in it. What was the question again? Something about nets? I also try to give each page a beginning/middle/end with a punch-line or emotional cap at the end. If the page is really failing I put the "f" word in. And sex.
How do you go about making a page, and how long does it take?
It takes about 4 to 6 hours a page. It starts with a quick sketch that I scan in and then use as a templet in Illustrator (Adobe CS). I've used Illustrator for going on 20 years so I am comfortable working in it. I then totally disregard the sketch and say "This sucks! What was I thinking!" and do something different. Because I've wasted all that time on the useless sketch (stupid sketch!) I take heads, bodies and other items from past episodes and cobble them hap-hazardly into a new comic page. By this time I'm so drunk the room is slowly spinning and I pass out. Four hours later, I awake in a puddle of my own filth and the art is done. I have a trained monkey who works for Doritos and lite beer doing all the writing. Did I mention the stupid sketch?
Do you have any favorite comics or webcomics?
On DD I love a lot of various comics for various reasons. I don't dare mention them all in fear of leaving one out. From time to time I check in with a pithy little strip call "View of Venus" just to see if the guy has added a page that shows some boobies. Usually I am quite disappointed.
What's most fun about webcomics?
I think it's the fact that anyone can get involved and participate and let their voice be heard. O.K., that's not "fun" I guess, but it is cool. Also, the feedback you get. It really helps. That's not really "fun" either, is it? Frankly, I'm finding there is nothing fun about webcomics.
What's most fun about your comic in particular? Besides the boobs that is.
Actually, I think my boob count is not that high. There are a lot of comics on DD that have higher boob quantity and boob quality. View of Venus actually has a boob-basticness rating of only 2.3 and a nipplistic level in the low 30's. Not to mention it's unimpressive, lowly .05 areola to tingling sensation in midsection ratio. Those numbers just don't lie.
What's most challenging?
Getting it done at all! I work a 50 + hour work. You throw in family commitments and sleep and there is not a lot of time left. Sometimes I wish I was unemployed and single. I would actually have time and energy to think the story through, draw ideas out, do backgrounds and add more characters. All the stuff I think Venus lacks now. Yes, just me and a laptop living large in a cardboard box alongside the rescue mission downtown would be heaven!
Do you feel there are any particular challenges or stigma to doing a comic that has sexuality as one of its major draws?
I think if was just "Here everybody-look boobies!" I would have a problem with the sexuality myself, but I think there is also a good story in View of Venus. Sex is great, but… What was the question again?
Actually, I think the stigma of sexual content has diminished greatly in the hyper-sexual world we live in today. From the dawn of time until about ten years ago a person had to make an effort to get sexually charged content. You had to go to movie theaters and bookstores in the bad part of town, wander the magazine racks in the back of your grimier liquor stores, and creep into seedy strip joints hoping that a member of your church would not happen to be driving by ("Hi Pastor Bob. Just parking here because the Library parking lot was full. See you at the potluck!" ) . Now, you have make an effort to avoid sexual material. Turn on the computer and it jumps out into your lap. I think that tweaks the stigma.
Where did the idea for View of Venus come from?
Well, I did a single page, page one, as a little joke about the internet and voyeur-webcam stuff. It was just for fun. I filed it away into the vast void that is my computer and forgot about it. A year later when I found Drunk Duck I was so excited about the site and the communal vibe that I just had to throw some work up. I put up a title page and page one and then thought "Now what?" I've been trying to keep up with Venus ever since.
I love how Venus has her head screwed on tight, she knows exactly what she wants out of life and she's carefully mapped out a path showing just how to get there. Is there any real life basis for this clever lady? Are any of the characters based on particular people? (This one's from Ozoneocean)
I come from a family with real strong, together women at the core. I think Venus is a reflection of that. Penny, too. Venus' character will really take off when we start seeing that her head is not quite as screwed on as we, and she, thinks.
As far as the the reality basis of the cast, I'd love to be able to say right here "Yep, they are all real. Just the names have been changed." Unfortunately, I can't. They have components of people I know and have known, but none have been directly culled from my life. But, come on- Everybody knows a Howie. If not, you are a Howie.
Any on-camera things Venus has tried that tanked?
Don't know. I'll ask her.
I really like Venus's eyebrows.
I do too!
Ozoneocean in particular would like to whether Venus's Betty Page look is deliberate, and if so can he look forward to any cheeky bondage scenes?
The Betty Page thing was totally by accident. Always loved bangs though. I don't know if V is going to be into doing anything too bondage-y. I think her schtick is more " Oh, I'm living my day-to-day life and just happen to be incredibly sexy." Bondage might be too much of a stretch. But who knows! Things could get out of control!
Did you do any research on the workings of voyeur-webcam sites in order to get that authentic feel of the setting? It all seems quite convincing and very believable -ie, the way her site's run, how many hits certain activities get, how much money they make etc. Or is it all just speculation and wishful thinking? ;) (OO again)
It's all speculation. Or am I in front of a webcam right now turning on old men? *dramatic music*
Doing a tease comic like View of Venus must be pretty challenging in that one of the things you do is grab reader interest with the promise of a lot more titillation than you'll ever show. How do you manage to keep up the tease, and do you ever just feel like showing it all? (OO)
When I first started the comic I thought I would do a lot more partial/full nudity and some implied sex acts. I was planning on the series to be a light-hearted, titillating, bawdy romp. But as the characters began developing the story changed into more of how these characters relate to each other. It's less sexy, but more compelling I think. Of course, if I sense boredom from the readers I'll just start showing nipples. Howie's nipples. The guys gotta pushing 260 lbs. I bet he's got a hot set of man-boobs.
Is it wrong that I like Penny much more than Venus?
It's kinda the Gilligan's Island question: Ginger or Mary Ann? I was always a Mary Ann man myself. That said, Penny is sexier than Venus. I find overtly sexual people to be cartoonish and kind of uninteresting and one dimensional, whether in comic form or real life.
Your comic isn't just about sexy stuff, one of the things I like a lot is how real and unforced your characters seem - their different levels of confidence, the relationships they have with one another, etc. What do you think makes a good character?
I think you give each character a certain point of view and voice. Then you put them in situations that challenge their point of view. And if that fails you just put a buxom female character in a hanky-size halter top and a thong and away you go.
So will we see Penny in front of the camera again?
Oh, yes. If Venus has her way.
Regarding Penny, will there be an unrequited love in a kind of parallel tease situation to Venus's not-quite nudity, or will Penny eventually get her bread buttered? -feel free not to answer that one! (OO again)
I think everybody will get their bread buttered, but the question will be "whole wheat or rye?". Also, no one will be allowed to leave or be seated in the theater during the intense "Nooks and Crannies" scene.
Are the guys going to get bigger roles in the comic?
Yes.
Which character is your favorite? (I know, it isn't fair to make you pick one…)
That's a hard one. I think it's that darling, precocious, 10 year old kid we are inevitably going to add to the cast when the comic starts to tank in the middle of the second season. His catch phrase will be "That's One Craaaaazzzy Pickle, Bitches!"
Do you have any goals for yourself when it comes to your comic?
I would like to give View of Venus a nice tidy ending. I think it could work as a long running series, but I would get sick of it. I would start just phoning it in, doing updates whenever. Wait! I'm doing that now! NNNNOOOOOoooo!!!!!!!!!
Pure imagination here, what kind of merchandise would you like to do for View of Venus? Or maybe, what kind of merchandise would Venus like to do for her site?
I think Mayonnaise.
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