This interview is of Evil_Hare, whose comic is: Jake the Evil Hare!
(interview conducted by Chernobog!)


1. Name and rank, soldier!
Sam Medina's the name.. as for rank, I'd have to say Generalissimo!


2. So, tell us about the person behind the webcomic. Who is Evil_Hare? (Things you like, hobbies, aspirations, beliefs, etc)
I've always been an artist, so I've been drawing and painting most of my life. I'm also a former U.S. Marine, I've worked in the Financial Industry, and I'm an ordained minister.


3. How do you think Herriman and Eisner have influenced your current work?
I learned a lot about the use of black and white, as well as about storytelling from The Spirit, as well as from Eisner's book Comics and Sequential Art. His saying that “style is a result of our failure to achieve perfection” has helped me to find ways to use my limitations as an artist to my advantage while still trying to improve. Herriman's Krazy Kat made me re-think how comic stories could be told. For example, in his desert scenes I think just about every plant or cactus is in a pot, which is very silly, but their placement in the scenes makes you not mind. And let's face it. a mouse throwing a brick at a cat never gets old.


4. What webcomics do you enjoy reading?
I can't say I ever became an avid webcomic reader, but I did enjoy the first few years of Carson Fire's Elf Life, some of it made me laugh so hard my stomach hurt. These days I have been reading Harkovast, Mary Sue Academy, and Bacon Strips, which is downright hilarious.

5. This is your chance: tell us why someone should read Jake the Evil Hare.
I think it's a great all-around story for comic readers, and as it progresses, I think we'll see that it will evolve into a multi-genre work. It's got super heroes, super villains, daring swordfights (maybe), magic, sic if elements, as well as true love and high adventure. It's good entertainment, but it will also get you thinking as the story progresses.
It's a comic in which the characters are basically driving the story, so there will be a great deal of interesting twists, turns, and savage beatings.


6. Regarding your webcomic, what sort of update schedule do you keep?
Usually updates are on Wednesdays or Thursday's but it really depends on how productive I've been. I'm hoping to get it down to 2 days a week.


7. What can we expect from you and/or your webcomic in the future?
I'm hoping we can all expect the art to improve, and we can definitely expect to see Jake get himself in a lot of trouble before Week One is over. I'm also hoping to give it somemore depth beyond being a gag book, with some serious themes considered within the story. After that, I'm undecided between another Jake novel or to move on to some fantasy work I'd love to do.

8. Is your use of black and white a conscious choice of style?
Yes! When I was a kid, I didn't think much of black-and-white, but then I encountered Will Eisner's A Contract With God and the wheels started turning. By the time I had discovered jeff Smith's Bone series, I was sold on black-and-white.


9. I like the parody with Bulk Brogan. Can we expect other parodies and acts of randomness like that?
Oh, yes. There's quite a few more characters to be introduced along those lines. In fact, by the next update we'll get to meet Jake's most hateful enemy, a walking pun in and of himself.


10. So, why is Jake so angry all the time?
Well, Jake's got a good heart, but as it is, he's kind of ornery by nature. Throw in being blamed for dozens of felonies he didn't commit, being banned from the superheo community, and his seemingly infinite ability to attract people who can't let him be, Jake's always got somebody pushing his buttons. He's also probably pretty frustrated with not knowing anything of his past beyond the last few weeks and what he's been told by Nadine.

I guess you could say Jake is a guy who genuinely wants to do the right thing, but has serious anger issues that tend to get in the way of his quest for justice. Then there's the fact that just about everyone thinks he's evil..

I'd like to say more, but it'd be a total spoiler.

11. Tell us about the cartoon contest that began this webcomic's origin.
Well, back in 1994 I was at UCLA for the summer, and I had found a flyer for a cartoon film festival… so I was very tempted to enter, but I kept coming up with ideas that SUCKED!
Eventually I came up with the idea of an evil jackrabbit, and after numerous tries, came up with the name Jake the Evil Hare. By the time I had what i thought was a pretty good concept, I had missed the deadline :D

12. What are your thoughts on the current webcomic scene these days? What would you prefer to see more of?
Well, the scene is pretty much dominated by traditional or semi-traditional studios, as well as by commercially-motivated entities which seem to squelch artistic development by some of the rigidity in the way their hosting services are run. DD is pretty good in that regard, they're out to make some money, but don't turn you into just a cookie cutter place-holder for ad spam. I'd really like to see more community among the creators, especially when it comes to marketing and distribution, because until we're all really united, comics as a whole will still be controlled by the Big Three. I'd also like to see some more quality black and white work.

Hooray! A mention of Harkovast! Always a good thing!

I'd be more involved with the community, but I need to focus on my daily comic, and I prefer to have it that way instead of 3 times a week. That would be normal, and boring.

Great interview answered by a fine artist!
Oh, and thanks for the mention :D

Yeah, your comic makes me laugh hard. You rock!

I was trying to think of something clever to say, but then I forgot.