We got in touch with Christian and Sophie to find out more about their recent work. Asked about inspiration to start creating comics focused on sharks and their everyday lives, Talbot shared with us: “It all started with me writing little dialogues between these talking animals on my Facebook page as a way to do sketches. I wanted to show that I could write something like that as well as the stand-up routines I’d generally do. They were quite popular with some of my friends, and they encouraged me to have them done as webcomics. I can’t draw, so I was delighted when I found out that not only could Sophie draw them, but she also was able to add her unique style to the whole thing. They’re funnier because of the way she draws them.”
We were wondering if the artists could tell us more about the challenges they faced while creating and promoting "The Life of Sharks". Sophie Hodge told us: “When it comes to challenges, the biggest one for me is keeping up the momentum by making new content! One of the key things that keeps us going is our partnership - we regularly use each other as a sounding board or critique to help hone ideas. We're often switching between being the shark and the pilot fish - who's the idea hunter and who's the supporter?”
Christian also shared his biggest struggles: “Running the social media accounts can be challenging sometimes. We stand up for what we believe in. We're supporters and allies of what we think is important. We're not afraid to make a statement and if people don't like it, maybe our comic is not for them.”
Next, we wanted to get a glimpse into the artists' creative process while developing new comic ideas. Sophie told us: “Christian writes the dialogue and sets the scene, then I draw the comics. We use all sorts of inspiration - whether that's the news, facts about sharks, or other people. We're often mining human interactions and conversations for scenarios that would be funny if you replaced the humans with sharks. Do sharks have feelings and foibles? Ours definitely do.”
Then Christina Talbot added: “A lot of what I write is inspired by current events, facts I've learned about sharks, or a conversation I've had with someone that day. If I think Sophie will find it funny, I'll send it to her.”
Lastly, we were curious about what Sophie and Christian consider the most rewarding aspects of being a comic artist, and what keeps them motivated to continue creating: “It's definitely rewarding when you can see people engaging with a comic on a personal level, and sending it to their friends going 'look, it's us!'. And it helps if they want to buy something off us because that's the source of income that allows us to go on producing comics! We're good at motivating each other too. Life can get busy, but a friendly nudge can remind us both how much we enjoy making these nonsense comics,” said Hodge.
Then Christian Talbot told us more about his perspective: “For me, the most rewarding part of doing the comics is the collaboration. Of course, I like when other people enjoy the comics but I get the most satisfaction from making Sophie laugh and then seeing what she does with the idea I've given her. The comic she draws is usually 10 times funnier because of the extra details she draws.”
