This interview is of Gohlico, whose comics are Slimies, The Fifty-Peso Ninja, and a few more!!
(interview conducted by mizukane!)
1) Your profile is very enigmatic. Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?
If I have to reveal more about myself, I'd have to kill you.
… JUST KIDDING!
My name is Lico Reloj but you can call me Gohlico. I live in Manila, Philippines. I'm a freelance cartoonist, professional weirdo and lovable eccentric. I'm very passionate about comics. I'm 29 years-old.
2) When you aren’t writing comics, how do you spend your time?
I have many hobbies but aside from drawing and writing comics, I read comics, cook, meditate and play the harmonica in my spare time.
3) Which are your favourite comics, on Drunk Duck and in general?
I have many favorites but my all-time top 5 are Kung Fu Komix, Powerjeff, Lancaster, Pewfell and Hiro.
4) What do you look for in a webcomic?
Art is good. Art is great. However in comics, the story (plus story-telling) is the life force of comics. Another factor to consider is the entertainment. Any comic for me is good if it entertains me well.
5) What made you decide to write webcomics?
I've always been a fan of comics since I was in highschool. I got a cartooning book by Jack Hamm and started doodling. Along came Dragonball Z and I started incorporating manga influences. Several years later when I first saw webcomics, I thought it'd be a great idea to show the world my works.
6) Where did the idea for fifty-peso ninja come from?
Back when I was selling my mini-comic anthology "Lico Unleashed" in a local convention in the Philippines, I did some unique eye-catching marketing. I put a shirt over my head and had a sign that said something like "Buy Lico Unleashed and get a free ninja for only 50 pesos!". The gag character sort of became a hit with my friends and some con visitors. I became known as the Fifty-Peso Ninja. After some encouragement, I finally made a comic about the FPN. I unveiled some photocopied copies of Act 1 on my birthday.
7) Is the character based on anyone?
The Fifty-Peso Ninja is based on me.
8) What do you use to create your artwork?
- 0.7 mechanical pencil
- .3 and .5 black ink tech pens
- black markers
- Photoshop (of course)
- India ink (sometimes)
- Chinese brush (sometimes)
9) Fifty-Peso Ninja parodies a lot of popular culture. Could you tell us what your main influences were?
- martial arts movies (Especially Bruce Lee movies, wuxia movies, Seven Samurai and Zatoichi)
- anime and manga (especially Rurouni Kenshin)
- superhero comics and movies
- action movies
- Monty Python
- Stephen Chow movies (especially Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle)
10) Do you make the story as you go, or do you have a grand master plan?
Both. Although I make the story as I go, I already have a rough idea of what will happen. Heck, I already have ideas for future story arcs.
11) For a comedy, it has a surprising amount of violence and drama. Why is this?
I want The Fifty-Peso Ninja to be more than just a comedy. I added some issues based on reality. The Fifty-Peso Ninja became somewhat my own Green Arrow, a funny and somewhat mercenary Green Arrow. Despite his low-cost mercenary ways, he really does care about the common people. I was also inspired by the unusual combination of action, comedy and drama in the series Rurouni Kenshin (aka Samurai X) and the movie Kung Fu Hustle.
12) What do you think sets Fifty-Peso Ninja apart from other webcomics?
The Fifty-Peso Ninja is one huge martial arts comic cliché twisted and made into something strange yet entertaining. It’s a very odd cocktail of action, comedy and drama yet you’d still enjoy it. It’s like French fries dipped in vanilla ice cream. It’s a weird combination and yet it’s very palatable.
13) What was the inspiration for Slimies?
Slimies started as a “parody†of furry fandom. It’s also a new genre I created to counter the often popular furries. Instead of anthropomorphic furry and cute animals, you get anthropomorphic slimy and grotesque creatures. Its tagline is “Where Furry ends, Slimy begins!†The comic “Slimies†is somewhat a “propaganda comic†to spread the “gospel†of slimy fandom. Heck I even have a slime-sona named Gohulhu, a parody of HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu. Also, I’ve always wanted to make a fanservice comic like Love Hina so I added a human girl as a protagonist who always goes through some freak wardrobe malfunction accident in every episode. There’s something suggestive about a cute girl accompanied by slimy and often tentacled beings.
14) You have four comics on Drunk Duck now. Do you ever find them too much to handle?
I’m more focused on The Fifty-Peso Ninja and Slimies. Lord of Fnords is just a collection of short and unfinished comics while The Licoverse is a collection of short superhero comics set in FPN’s universe. I have no problem with making a page per day for TFPN and Slimies.
15) What would be your advice to other webcomic artists?
There’s this thing I call the Pokemon Theory. Just keep on drawing and your art will eventually evolve. If you’re passionate about comics, always keep that passion burning! It’s the best fuel a cartoonist can have! Don’t stop believin’! Hold on to that feelin’! Streetlight peo-p-le!!!
16) Can you tell us something nobody knows about your comics?
I’ll give you a few hints for the future of The Fifty-Peso Ninja: sidekick, blacksmith, Japan and archvillain. For Slimies, expect more hot girls and otherworldly stuff.
17) Which is better? Pizza or pasta?
Pizza because I love making it especially from scratch.
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