We got in touch with Jack to ask him some questions about his comic series. Firstly, we wanted to know what particular themes or topics the artist finds most compelling to explore in his work. We learned that: “I had a very repressed upbringing, so most of my comics have to do with sexual/abnormal/neurotypical taboos, kind of as a way to self therapize and explore. Otherwise, there’s no real particular issues I deal with in my art. I kinda just make comics about whatever I want. Like one time I made a comic about beans 'cause I thought it was funny, and I hate beans. I’ll admit though, I like to explore dark humor more than the traditional stuff. It’s healing to laugh at the dark twisted things no one else does.”
We were also wondering how Russell comes up with ideas for his comic strips. The cartoonist said: “Honestly? They just come randomly. I’ll watch a show/movie, read a book, etc. yada yada; and any little thing can start a snowball in my mind that turns into a funny (hopefully) idea. The last idea I had came to me when I was watching a Thomas The Tank Engine children’s movie, to be honest.”
Asked about the evolution of his art style and factors influencing potential changes, Jack explained: “Well, as you know, I haven’t posted much art for a while, but the new stuff I haven’t shared has major influences. During my hiatus, I’ve decided focus on finding a style I like. To list a few inspirations: Andrew MacLean, Gorillaz (they’re the reason I love to draw big ears lol), Marie Enger (she designed one of my tattoos), Samurai Jack, and Warwick Johnson Cadwell.”
Lastly, we wanted to find out what Russell considers the most rewarding as a comic artist. The creator of the ‘Not Quite Right' series shared with us: “Two things: the audience and the feeling of completeness. Having people genuinely like my art and connect with it and share it makes me feel whole. I once matched with a woman on Bumble, and she told me she had seen one of my comics on Tumblr: a platform I don’t even use. Art is a big part of my life. If I’m not drawing, I’m dead.”
