As always, given the chance Bored Panda reached out to the artist behind the series to find out a little bit more!
When asked about incorporating horror themes into his comics, Jared shared his excitement, saying, "I love Horror with a twist. Especially horror comics that lean more into the wholesome side, which seems contradictory but works quite well. Mike Mignola is perhaps my biggest influence when it comes to drawing horror-themed comics. His stories are heavy, dark, and gruesome but he always manages to sneak in some funny or wholesome moment into his stories to lighten the mood every once in a while. I haven't drawn many horror-themed comics, but I totally plan on following a similar structure to Mike!"
On the subject of social media trends, the artist admitted to Bored Panda, "I always struggle to follow social media trends. Anytime I try to follow the trend and create things that people want, I tend to burn myself out more. I've done plenty of experimenting. Now I think I'm at a point where I'm comfortable with my style and know what I like to draw. I'd much rather focus on what I want to create and put into the world. While I enjoy seeing my work brighten other people's day, it's important that I also do what I love rather than what other people expect me to do. Perhaps this is a little selfish, but it's kept me motivated all these years."
Discussing the impact of his group chat with other comic creators, Jared said to us, "Being associated with a group of fellow comic artists has been my #1 source of motivation. I send them unfinished comics and they help me polish them in ways that I would otherwise miss. They've also stressed the importance of drawing comics that YOU want to see out in the world and focusing less on drawing things to please folks on social media. I've seen many members of this group chat get burnt out chasing trends and sometimes they quit altogether. The ones who draw for the fun of it are the ones who never get burnt out and continue to grow their following, even if it might be slower than other influencers."
Looking ahead, Jared is excited about his future projects. "I would love to publish children's stories. My wife and I recently had a daughter together and reading her stories has inspired me to start crafting stories of my own. Books that can be read to children of all ages. Stories that are easy to follow, yet help a child develop their imagination. Parenting has taken up most of my free time, but I've got a few ideas brewing that I'm hoping to publish later this year! I also have a comic in the works with a long-time collaborator that we are hoping to print later this year, so be on the lookout for that!"
