Nerdcenaries: Hello Beau Quijano, how is it going?
Beau Quijano: It’s going fine. Like this right?
Nerdcenaries: This works
Beau Quijano: Great
Nerdcenaries: So you’ve been posting comics on Tumblr for a while. Can you go over some of the comics you’ve done and what they’re about?
Beau Quijano: Uh, so makeoutpoint currently has a Luke Cage 2 pger I did for a Marvel Exhibition here in 2011, an unreleased manga project I took to SDCC with a group [and is the last time I do spec work LOL], the first chapter of my romcom spy-fi BS comic called The Lovers, and some fanart/etc for current/upcoming projects.
Nerdcenaries: The Lovers is your current thing or I guess, most recent is the right term. What was the inspiration for it?
Beau Quijano: Lupin III. Romcoms. Every feeling I’ve ever had towards escapism. I’ve always felt the need to tell stories, and this is the one that’s on the tip of my tongue at all times.
Nerdcenaries: What do you plan to do with it in the future? Are you going to try and pitch it somewhere, keep on doing minis or?
Beau Quijano: So I printed, like, 50 copies. 50 copies. I pitched it around SDCC to uhhh Image, Archaia, Oni Press, and Top Shelf. But before I took the next step, I just decided I wanted everyone to be able to read the entire ting for free. As of right now, I’m not getting back on The Lovers horse until after Oct [when I’m done with this new manga thing]. But I have a concrete plan for 3 more issues of this first volume, “Gold is for Bandits, Hearts are for Thieves.” After I’m done with the first volume, I’ll get to work on the second, and probably begin repitching the first.
As any other hack or hasbeen or hustler in this industry, there is a longform plan etc etc and I will, whether it’s published professionally or self-published, get them all out over the course of this mortal coil’s lifetime.
Nerdcenaries: Very nice!
Beau Quijano: Disclaimer: I’m from SoCal, so there may be frequent almost-unironic use of the word ‘like’ as a conjunction.
Nerdcenaries: Haha. Have you considered trying to make a more digital formatted comic like what Thrillbent and MonkeyBrain do?
Beau Quijano: Yes and no. I’ll explain: I’m doing this format changing thing with The Lovers, so no one volume looks like it should exist in the same set. So the second volume is landscape formatted, like a post card. Similar to the old Zuda format. But my intention wasn’t to make it a webcomic, I just wanted a really long book. But when I upload it online, it’ll flow better, and people won’t hate me because I’m a moron.
Nerdcenaries: Interesting.
Beau Quijano: There’s also this Lovers farther down the line where I want to work with a musician friend of mine named Jinxhand to make a literal graphic album. I have not thought about Thrillbent, but Monkey Brain yes. Yes, in that The Lovers wouldn’t work in there because they have Bandette.
Nerdcenaries: Because both are about thieves?
Beau Quijano: Yes. And my first issue takes place in Paris. SOOOO ORIGINAL ME. The tone is different, like Bandette is for kids, but mine is obv for adults.They are both lighthearted and drawn with brushes though. Maybe I’m not so good at this and should explain what The Lovers is about?
Nerdcenaries: That’d probably work
Beau Quijano: The Lovers’ elevator pitch: the two best thieves in the world are dating and they’re getting married. Their wedding is a heist. That’s the logline for volume 1 anyways.
Nerdcenaries: Clear enough. So will this be more about the adventures than the relationship?
Beau Quijano: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. No? It’s about their relationship almost entirely, but because it’s an escapist overload book in an escapist medium, this all happens on their genre-deconstruction adventures, and there are some visual metaphors for their lovelife, relationship issues that come into play. To me, it’d be boring to write a comic entirely about marriage and love realistically, so I want to do it on the go. But so often writers/artists try to do that to visually punch up a tale, but fail miserably. I try to have a reason to do a crazy set piece or I’ll just scrap it entirely. Sooo, spoilers here, they go to this vineyard that’s built like a maze, and there are booby traps placed about. But they’re also playing a game of hide-n-seek. The reason being, they’re finding each other etc etc.
Nerdcenaries: So part of it sounds like a bit of a post-modernist take on Mister Miracle?
Beau Quijano: Just that half of the issue, yes. Best Kirby imo is Mister Miracle. The other half of the issue is an engagement party where Xander meets Fox’s parents, who are the James Bond and Modesty Blaise of this world, and DON’T know that our eponymous Lovers are thieves. Also, drinking.
Nerdcenaries: Family drinking!
Beau Quijano: Shots all around. To the face. But yeah, I like my set pieces to mean something larger and be fun without purpose. I mean, I like my set pieces to mean something larger INSTEAD OF being fun without purpose. Sorry.
Nerdcenaries: No problem. You also mentioned you like doing fanart. What sort of things are you into these days?
Beau Quijano: Luke, you know me. You and I are internet friends. I am a man who, without question, loves his anime and comics and films. So like almost everyone else, I’m obsessed with Breaking Bad. I’m also keeping current with a fun little anime called Danganronpa. I also read unhealthy amounts of manga on to go. Recently really into rereading Scott Pilgrim, Dr Slump, really early Dragonball, and Rin [Harold Sakuishi]. But that’s all prep for my newest manga project, Jump.
Nerdcenaries: What is Jump about?
Beau Quijano: It’s for this Shonen Jump manga competition going on. I thought I’d enter because I have a lot to say about manga. Basically: this inventor girl comes from a family of inventors where their mantra has always been, “invent something that will change the world.” But, rather than live up to her parents’ expectations and with disdain for the place she grew up, she invents a machine that can create a pocket world from anything tossed in: games, comics/manga, films, music, etc. But when she unveils her machine, and makes her big angsty teenage goodbye, the machine explodes, and changes the world. Whole towns changing in tone/shape/weather, etc. Her parents? Ecstatic. Her? The antithesis to ecstatic. That’s it. It’s a comedy, I swear.
Nerdcenaries: It sounds interesting
Beau Quijano: It might be. Hahahaha.
Nerdcenaries: Haha. So it goes.
Beau Quijano: I dunno, I hope it’s acceptable. Compared to all the other contest entrants who are doing demons vs angels battle manga or school life stuff.I just really like Dr Slump and Doraemon, so this happened.
Nerdcenaries: Nice. And it is definitely important to care about what you make instead of trying to do what is popular. Thanks for taking the time out to do the interview Beau, anything you want to plug before you go?
Beau Quijano: Sure why not. I post comics/fanart to Makeoutpoint.tumblr.com. I tweet about being a male feminist really late PST @romcomyourmom. I talk about comics and movies on Lovebetweenbullets.wordpress.com. I’m also really obsessed with this podcast called Radio Hope and The Reader.
Nerdcenaries: Who is your favorite character in that podcast?
Beau Quijano: Better question: who’s my least favorite character? Dr. Park…is a DICK.
Nerdcenaries: But he’s actually a really good guy. He’s just reasonably upset and crazed from a lack of normal human interaction like most people.
Beau Quijano: Still a dick. He’s got that whole Meg Griffin thing going for him. That whole ‘just because the main character I relate to hates him, well, then so do I’ thing.
