Round 5: SympleSymon interviews Ludeshka of Missing Days of February!

Posted at 3:03AM, Mar. 7, 2009

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This interview is of Ludeshka, whose comic is Missing Days of February!

(interview conducted by SympleSymon!)

1) Well, for those of us who aren't of the telepathic disposition, or have yet had the pleasure of getting to know you, maybe you could start this interview by telling all the nice people a little about yourself…?

My name is Ludmila. I live in Argentina . I like reading and playing videogames. I get nervous if I’m asked to write about myself.

2) Hahah, then already my task is complete! Regardless, we must proceed! So… One of the things I quickly noticed about you comic, 'Missing Days of Feburary' was it's decisively artistic and dark style. I won't lie if I didn't at least once think "If Tim Burton was on the Duck, THIS is the kinda thing he'd produce!" How did you come about your style? Did you have to work at it, to get the right feel for your story, or does it come naturally?

Tim Burton? Sure, he’s an influence. I mean, I've seen all his movies and stuff. Batman Returns is one of my favorite movies ever (yes, I said BATMAN RETURNS, and I will stick by my choice!!! :D )

Burton writes a lot about isolation, and people who never seem to find their rightful place.

The worlds he writes about are scary, but not in a "The monster! It's going to eat me! EEK!" way. Scary like the hearts of people can be scary. You might die in a Burton movie, but death is definitely not the worst fate you can encounter.

I’m not saying I’m that good of a writer/artist, but yes, you can say there’s a bit of that in MDoF

3) As things start out, it's easy to think that the story seems incredibly random, and has no set beginning - in fact, your first page (not including the brow-bending foreword) starts things off with a sinister old lady wanting a doctor to transfer her dead niece's face onto her's! (Very macabre…but more on that later). Can you say a bit about the story to put the more ramdon browser's mind at ease, to let them know that your story IS worth sticking around for?

It’s a story about three kids who were friends, and then grew up to find they were friends no longer. That, and the end of the world.

MDoF is told in an anachronistic fashion because I’m interested in the relationship between yesterdays and todays. How yesterday affects today. How today colors your perception of yesterday. What kind of tomorrows you can expect.

It’s all about memories, hopes, and loss.

I suppose it’s quite an introspective story, even if there are lots of duels with magic, and the world is ending, and there are secondhand gods all over the place.

4) I’ll pretend I know what ‘introspective’ means and just nod my head wisely… Also, on the same note of the sudden, out-of-the-blue beginning, is…well, the subject of beginnings! How did you come to decide that you wanted to start your tale where you did - what swayed you to kick things off with that particular chilling scene?

Of the four main characters, I knew I wanted to start with Waleran because Nemo and Livia seem quite happy with their lives, and people might think MDoF is a happy fantasy story. (psst! It isn’t!)

So we start with Waleran, the one who was the most idealistic as a kid. The first thing I wanted you to know was that Waleran, the good guy, “the hero of the story” has a job that to him is totally a “bad guy” job.

The curtain rises upon an altruistic guy reduced to a villainous job. How? Why? That’s what I want the readers to ask!

5) To be honest I was more like “o___O Whaaaa?” but at least you got a response outta me!

Some of your pages deviate from the standard, strictly comic-page layout, with some gutter-space utilised for almost novel-like, poetic lines. Did such lines come to you in a flash? Or was it a case of more, deliberate, careful thinking? If so, how do you go about thinking-up such nuggets of wisdom?

Nuggets of wisdom? Perhaps you should seek medical assistance. (Perhaps I should, but that's neither here nor there - on with your answer! - Dave)

The narrator is a totally bitter person who wants to die. You are not supposed to agree. XD

I don’t do a lot of deliberate, careful thinking for MDoF.

I have the general outline for the plot, like, the things that have to happen, but every page is written on the spot. I just kind of sit down and type. :D

6) Naturally, there's one question that is just burning to be asked when you find yourself interviewing someone on a dark, eerie, macabre story of theirs. And that is… are you really that twisted and sinister in real life? Would small children avoid you in the street? Or are you a nice person, really, and you just get yourself into an interesting mindset when you sit down to write your story?

MDoF is like a fantasy version of all the things I’m afraid of in the real life. Exaggerated and super dramatized for effect, of course, but still, based on real fears.

Dementia runs in my family. I’ve seen the minds of my relatives deteriorate with old age. The process is fast and relentless. And all I’m saying is that I hope to die in a car crash.

And roaches! Countless spray cans of insecticide, yet they always come back to my kitchen. Why won’t they leave? Why won’t they die? :D (Because they are invincible, and stubborn, and secretly run the world from an infested drawer in the Oval Office! – Dave)

MDoF was born in a very dark time, and remains my darkest story. But I’m otherwise used to write comedy, fantasy, and comedic fantasy. :D

I guess what I’m trying to say is "I’m a nice person! Really!"

7) Aren’t we all…? I know I’m not, so I guess that was rhetorical…

Easy question this time: Save for the odd pin-up, or otherwise special page, you choose to draw in black, white and shades of gray which suit the comic tremendously. But what made you opt for the old B+W method over the growing trend of full-colour comics?

Time.

Colored sequentials take up a lot of time and effort I could spend drawing new sequentials. I prefer to update frequently and get the story moving.

8) Dimentica - whatever it is - sounds truly terrifying. And fear of the unknown can be sometimes greater than the fear of the known thing itself. So…relieve our fear, please? Just what IS Dimentica?

But I want you to be afraid! (Uhm – “Aiiieee!”…? – Dave)

Dimentica is an epidemic that things and people alike might catch.

First you lose meaning, then existence. In the end, even the memory of your existence is gone.

So the characters don’t really know what to make of it.

One character eventually starts a religion based around it. Another might or might not be a figment of Dimentica who was granted sentience.

Dimentica is… there.

9) Another simple one this time - Names! Where did the names for your main cast come from and, if at all possible, how many characters are drawn from people you know in real life?

None of the characters has a real life counterpart, thank God. Except the rotting queens in the basement. I’ve based them on my grand-aunts. But don’t tell them I’ve said that.

I borrowed “Nemo” from Windsor McCay, “Livia” from Roman history and “Amalthea” from astronomy (she’s one of Jupiter’s moons). “Waleran” is one of the antagonists in a novel called “Pillars of the Earth”. “Bradbury” was my favorite writer when I was a child.

“Nemo” might be a little cliché, but I still like the implications of him having a name that means “Nobody” and a connection to the world of dreams.

I’m so used to their names that I was rather shocked when a friend of mine said they were complicated! XD

10) Okay…. so maybe not so simple after all.

Anyways, if 'MDOF' was made into a movie, and you had complete and utter control over it, what would the end result me? Live action, CGI or another medium? Also, who would star in it?

*___* I like this question. I like it a lot. I will do my best not to make a too lengthy answer for it.

If I’m given complete and utter control, then it’s not a movie. It’s a miniseries.

You see, a one hour version of MDoF has only two ways to go: the absolutely depressing, or the absolutely rewritten. I wouldn’t want either.

Four chapters, one hour each. Everybody would get a bit of backstory, and the fourth chapter would wrap up a bittersweet (but sincere) ending. I would be pleased.

It has to be traditional 2D animation. Animation allows me to use my favorite actors even if they’re too old for the roles! (I can’t possibly live without Edward Norton)

The main cast would be played by John Malkovich, Edward Norton, Allison Mack, and Karen O from the YeahYeahYeahs. (She has a very expressive voice, but when she screeches, I just want to strangle her. And that’s why she gets to voice Livia)

I’m talking way too much. I told you I loved this question. I’ll just shut up now.

11) *Zzzzz* *snort* Huh, wha, who? Peanut butter on the couch again……? Only kiddin’ – great answer, seriously. Everyone loves that question.

Well, without spoiling anything, is there anything you can tell us about the future of the comic? Any tantalizing teasers…?

The Future? SURE! I'll tell you everything!

The Future is THE big, big, big city!

No matter what you might have heard, the future is NOT a huge slave driven refuge built upon the lies of their leaders! The Future is peaceful! The future is bright!

The Future is always under construction! ™

Oh, you meant what will happen in the following chapters?

Well, the focus will shift from Waleran to Livia, which means that the mood of the story will be quite different for a while. And we’ll see how the main characters became friends.

12) Finally, not so much a question as one last chance to plug, plug, plug away! Tell us anything you haven't covered already to bring new readers into your fold…lay the bait for your deliciously dark trap.

Posted at 6:03AM, Mar. 7, 2009

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Haha! What a great interview!

Was I not supposed to laugh? Sorry, I've had a delightful dose of macabre over coffee. :) Simple Symon is right! When I looked at Ludeshka's work, I was suddenly struck by "Wow! This looks like something Tim Burton would do!"
The dialogue is dark but witty as well. I immediately stumbled over what would become my favorite line: "Sorry, but my tea is bitter enough without dipping YOU in."

I know there are a lot of you DD readers out there that will really dig this series! Go check it out!

Posted at 7:03PM, Mar. 8, 2009

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Starting with Waleran was a really good decision - that's what interested me most in reading. The jumping through time works really well for showing his character development, even though it purposely makes the narrative rough to follow. The little explanatory, spoiler-y hints make this a really useful interview to read. XD


MDoF is still short enough to catch up on easily! So this is a good time for new readers to start in on it, cough cough…

Posted at 3:03PM, Mar. 10, 2009

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I'm glad SympleSymon managed to make you smile XD
The truth is I wrote and rewrote the answers to his questions way more times than any page of MDOF and they came out LOOOONG AND MOROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE :D

So any amount of funny is his doing alone. :D

Ochitsukanai, House of Muses, thank you so much for your encouragement! :D

Posted at 6:03PM, Mar. 10, 2009

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This is the first time I'm commenting on one of these things..so I hope I don't screw it up. D:

Anyway, this interview was great. I love all of your answers Ludeshka. ^.^ They have made me even more excited about the story of MDoF! And we have roaches in our kitchen too, and they always scare the daylights out of me when I see them. D: But you're doing a wonderful job so keep at it!! :D