We contacted Sven Skupien to get more personal insights about his series. Since illustrating historical and mythical figures requires a blend of research and creativity, we asked the artist to tell us more about the process of character development. Skupien told us: “It’s true that I do a lot of research for specific jokes. I also read a lot in general, watch a lot of documentaries and have stacks of books about pirates, Vikings and mythology. When I write a strip that references a character’s real-life past, I try to be as true to documented history as possible. That has to be balanced with the world I’ve put my cast into, which is present-day Midwestern United States. So artistic interpretation comes into play with the characters being out of place and out of time. It also comes from their personalities. No one knows if Edward Teach would be impatient and resistant to change. No one knows if Joan of Arc would love cats and refuse to eat meat. No one knows if Bigfoot would be a well-dressed and well-spoken person who loves to cook. So, I’ve given all of these characters personalities that my fans can identify with.”
The comic strip by Sven consciously avoids guns, swords, and politics, focusing instead on characters interacting harmoniously. We wanted to know what inspired the artist to cultivate this lighthearted and conflict-free environment. We found out that: “I avoid those things because in my view, my audience should feel happy after reading a comic strip. People love history, mythology and folklore, and those things all have a violent side. I don’t need to embrace that to make people laugh. I don’t need to use a gun to put Edward Teach in an awkward situation.”
“Occasionally, I will reference the past use of a cutlass when writing about something like fighting a sea monster. I have also used a cannon aimed at a model ship and in baseball batting practice. So, I will acknowledge Edward actually being a pirate, but I won’t represent any weaponry used against a living person, and I see politics as fitting into this same ideology. Recently, I actually updated the very first Doomed strip prior to my book publication because I thought it might be interpreted as Edward breaking that standard.”
Next, we were curious how Skupien consistently infuses comedic elements into his strip, and what he believes contributes to a truly memorable and funny comic. The illustrator told us: “Writing funny strips with the same oddball characters consistently is really dependent upon how relatable your characters and situations are to the audience. Personalities have to feel real, even though the characters aren’t really normal people. I doubt many readers know a zealot warrior who wears armor every day, but everybody knows someone who won’t stop trying to get you to eat your vegetables.”
Lastly, we wanted to know what aspirations or new directions the artist envisions for his comic in the future. Sven shared with us: “My goal has always been to get my strip widely distributed. I want to reach a bigger audience and would love to get this strip syndicated. As for new directions for the strip, I just let that come to me. I don’t think too far ahead, because these characters are real people in my mind. They don’t know what’s coming and neither do I. I do at least always have a short list of ideas for jokes. They usually turn into something completely different when I start drawing in my sketch pad.”
