Tom Beland Interview

True Story Swear to God

Jermaine Exum: Hi Tom. You’re best known for a very special comic series called True Story Swear to God. I first discovered it because you’re a member of Jinxworld.com, but for those that are not already familiar with it, how did it begin and how did it change?

Tom Beland: It began as a weekly comic strip in my hometown newspaper back in Napa Valley, California. I was a huge fan of Keith Knight’s K Chronicles, when it was appearing in the Pacific Sun Paper. I met Keith at a convention and he encouraged me to do my own autobiographical strip.

Tom Beland

I did a strip about my roommate buying a pet crab and it was a pretty weird, but true story and when my editor asked me “Did this really happen?” I said, “Yeah. True story. Swear to God” and wrote it along the top of the comic. He looked at me and said “that’s a great name for a comic strip” and it just stuck.

So, the strip ran every Sunday and it featured real stories about me and my family. It gained a pretty good audience, but then the paper tried to grab ownership over it so I quit that job and moved to the paper in the next town. They had no problem with me owning it.

This particular paper was a great working experience. It was a tough job, at times, but I really loved the staff. Still do. One day an editor came to me and said that he got a free trip to Disneyworld to cover the Animal Kingdom opening. Free air fare, free accommodations, free everything. I mean everything was comped. All you had to do was write a story on the park.

He couldn’t go, because it was for only one person and he couldn’t get anyone to watch his kid for the weekend. If I wanted to go, the ticket would be mine. So, I grabbed the ticket and flew to Orlando and had a great weekend. On the final night, I was going to take the bus to go see Stevie Wonder perform and there at the bus stop sat Lily.

Lily was there with her radio show from Puerto Rico to cover the same event and we ended up hanging out together all night. We exchanged e-mail and phone numbers and began dating. From that moment on, she appeared in my strip and the focus switched to my long-distance relationship with her. At that point, I noticed I was getting more feedback from readers asking more about her.

Eventually, I moved to Puerto Rico, then changed the format of TSSTG to a comic book format. This allowed me to examine the stories much more freely than the restraints of a comic strip. Although, sometimes I miss the beat of a comic strip.

True Story, Swear To God: Volume 1

JE: How did you know that an autobiographical slice-of-life story was the type of story you wanted to tell? Why not go with fictional characters in a fictional setting?

TB: I did stand-up comedy in San Francisco back in the early 80’s which, I believe, is still the hardest thing I’ve ever tried. I tried to write jokes, but I found that telling stories that were about my life was more natural style for me. I also noticed the audience loved those stories and the more open you get with the audience the more they invest in you.

So, auto-bio stuff I came onto late as a reader. I was strictly a superhero reader… and of that, I was pretty much Marvel all the way. But when I finally started reading auto-bio, it was like BOOM! It as a whole new world exposed to me.

I loved how courageous different creators were in their storytelling. People like Keith and Joe Matt (Peepshow) taught me not to be afraid to get into some embarrassing stuff, or things that don’t paint you in the best light. I mean, take a look at Joe’s work and you’ll see stories that are so personal, you almost cringe inside. It’s a courageous thing to throw that type of stuff about yourself onto the page.

Everything I write, even my Marvel work, has some element of my own life in it. Web of Romance had a ton of Lily and me in it.

I think that when you really open yourself up to the audience, there’s a deeper bond that develops with them. My favorite comedians are the ones that talk about their lives. Patton Oswalt is my current favorite. Brilliant comedian

JE: So how autobiographical is TSSTG? Believe me when I say that I know for a fact that truth is often stranger than any fiction. But I can barely remember what happened to me earlier in same the day, did you keep a journal of day-to-day events to transfer to the comic or are the memories just that vivid?

TB: I sometimes will make notes of what happened if I could really look back at a situation and think it could make a book. But otherwise, I go on my memory. Lily is like a human recorder and helps with the fine details, but as far as how my emotions were at the time…I’m very good at calling up those feelings.

I’ll be going back in time for some of my future books. There have been times when I did a book and Lily will remind me of another situation that I may have passed over. Some of the conventions I attended had some very fun moments while I was doing mini-comics.

So, yeah… it’s all autobiographical. I’m horrible at things like math and I’m horrible with names, but I’m very good at recalling things in my life. I remember the weirdest shit, I swear.

True Story, Swear To God: This one goes to 11

JE: TSSTG is a very, very genuine comic and it reads so smoothly. It’s a book that anyone could enjoy especially people not steeped in the mechanics of comic books. Did you have experience putting together a comic book prior to TSSTG or did you learn as you went?

TB: Ummm… well, doing stand-up was great training for me. It taught me how to edit my own work and still have the meat of the topic in there. You learn things like pacing and not to throw something out there that might be too much for someone else.

Education-wise, I barely graduated high school and I took basic art classes. My father taught me everything I know about cartooning. He was in love with the art form.

But I think there’s a lot to say about taking the effort to get there in baby-steps. I didn’t start TSSTG as a comic book. I could never have done that. I started as the comic strip, which allowed me to explore my writing and art style, in a much cheaper format.

I’m always amazed when I hear guys putting out they’re first comic and they haven’t tried the mini-comic format. I mean, wow. A comic book is such an investment. You have to get it printed and you have to work with Previews and you have to get Diamond to ship it for you. And usually they haven’t even planned on the second issue yet. And usually the money is gone when it comes to the second issue.

I’d rather go to a convention with six mini-comics printed than one regular comic from last year. The minis allowed me to tinker with the characters and still get something out there for the readers.

JE: Many genres of comic are active right now such as horror, crime noir, and of course super-hero. But romance comics have not had resurgence in popularity that they once enjoyed. What are your thoughts on that and industry coverage of non-super hero comics?

TB: Well, it’s tough to get readers to try romance comics when Wizard focuses on huge **** and babes they’d love to ****. When it comes to something like Valentine’s Day, I’d think that this book would somehow warrant an interview or feature, but I’m always passed over for “HOTTEST VILLAIN” or “BEST COMIC BABE TO ****-*** TO.” LOL. I mean, c’mon already. We get it. You think hero books have hot babes in them. Okay. But why can’t we have some decent stories featuring auto-bio creators? The romance work is out there… but the comic mags don’t want to explore it. You can’t have a resurgence in something nobody knows is out there.

And you can’t find comic book reviewers anymore… which is sad. There was a time when you could find a dozen websites out there covering many books each week. But now, because of podcasts, no one wants to write anymore. I love the podcast format… but it shouldn’t come at the expense of the written format.

I can’t find more than a handful of sites, at best, who review comics… and if they do, it’s the same superhero book over and over.

Sequential Tart used to be such a great site. But go there now…they focus more on pop culture television shows than comic books and there’s only one or two reviews, all about the same book. I don’t consider that being a comics site.

So, all I can do for a resurgence of any kind is create the product. The product then needs help to be seen or heard about. That’s the step that’s missing.

But we’re all out there. Andi Watson, Craig Thompson, Marjane Satrapi, Sean McKeever (who wrote great romance in Spider Man Loves Mary Jane) and Paige Braddock. Great creators, who put out marvelous work all the time, but we all have to work so bloody hard to get decent press from the comics magazines.

You have to have the press interested in what you’re doing. Otherwise, it’s back to pushing that rock up the hill. Some sites have been awesome to us, but the actual comics publications do little for my genre.

True Story, Swear To God

JE: Who are your art and illustration influences? Your art really captures actual likenesses and then transforms them into expressive caricatures. How about general favorite artists as a comic fan?

TB: My first major influences were those old Hannah Barbara cartoons. Old Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Johnny Quest, Atom Ant, Top Cat and the Flintstones were the cartoons I fell in love with. Many of the expressions I use today are taken from the Flintstones. Lily’s character was influenced hugely from Wilma Flintstone.

Then my dad introduced me to the works of Al Hirschfeld and that stuff just melted the right side of my brain. I devoured his work and really looked how he positioned hands and his line of action. My God… he’s the greatest, in my opinion. It’s pure genius.

Jeff Smith (Bone) is also a huge influence. I think Jeff is a genius with pacing. You read Bone and you feel as though you actually fell into the book. I used a lot of his techniques when I was writing the hurricane storyline back in the first volume. Things like, in one panel, the lightning flashes… and then two panels later you get the “BOOOOOOM” sound effect.

I love Steve Rude’s inking. It’s breathtaking to observe his line work. There are moments, as a comics creator, when you see other people’s work and it just leaves you in awe. I love those moments.

Carla Speed McNeil is another incredible talent. I began using more cross-hatching after seeing her work in Finder. I have one of her pages on my wall and it’s one of my most prized possessions.

Terry Moore influenced me with character design. Look at Strangers in Paradise and you’ll see a variety of body types. Skinny, a few pounds over, fat, old, middle-age and young. That also pulls you in as a reader. Not everyone in the comic should be stepping out of a mens’ magazine.

JE: Can you say when the next trade paperback will release or about where in your life the content of the next issue will be covering?

TB: The next trade is a bit off still. I think after the wedding issue, they’ll collect issues 7-12. That’s a good place to end a trade paperback.

Image is going to be shipping the huge TSSTG Omnibus in February and I’m so looking forward to this. It’s over five hundred pages and it’s going to have every issue of my self-published run. That’s seventeen issues.

You can find the solicit for it in the upcoming Previews for February. They’ll also have the solicit for the engagement issue, which took place during 911. It’s a pretty emotional issue.

True Story, Swear To God: 100 Stories

Bendis Board

JE: You’re a familiar face around Jinxworld.com message board which is a great forum for both fans and creators. Has using that message board had positive results for your career and created greater exposure for TSSTG?

TB: To some extent, definitely. But when you really look at it, not too much. My books aren’t burning up the sales chart, to say the least. I have a pretty small readership at the moment. A very dedicated readership… but it’s not huge. I think my sales are around 1200 or so.

That’s part of the disappointment I feel about the industry. This is a good book… I mean, we’ve received six Eisner awards for this series. For the most part, reviews have been glowing… but it’s either superhero fans not wanting to buy a romance book, or it’s retailers not wanting to give it a try. Either way, it’s a bummer.

Image has been so good to us. Now, when I say they’ve been good… I really, truly mean they’ve been great to us. I’m not making them a shitload of money and I wish I were. I wish I were having Invincible numbers.

And it’s also heartbreaking to get the numbers and some zombie book that’s trying to milk more from the zombie craze is tripling your sales. Really, y’know..? How many ripoff zombie books can people want to support?? I actually put a zombie on the cover of my latest book just to grab some new readers. I’d love to open an envelope and discover five thousand new readers.

Spider-man/Dr. Strange sketch for Jermaine by Tom Beland

But Image hasn’t bitched or moaned at all. I’m so thankful for that. But, in the end, if they lose money on a property, I would assume they’d let go of that property… which they haven’t done in my case. If they did it tomorrow, I’d be just as in love with them as I am now.

But what the board really does for me is give me a sense of community. It really is a fun place to hang out and is really the only board I visit on a regular basis. I love things like Cth’s “WEIRD IMAGES I FOUND ON THE INTERNET (NOT 56K SAFE)” and “BOUGHT/THOUGHT” and all the other fun stuff on there.

They also allow me to pimp my work there and I’m good for an occasional flame argument, which has become less frequent as I get older. I’ve learned to chill-out online.

JE: I greatly treasure the color illustration you did for me last Christmas’ Bendis Board Secret Santa. Do you take art commissions from people?

TB: Yes, I do. It depends on how much work I have going on, but I do the best I can with commissions. They can be hard to do, it seems as though as soon as I get orders, there’s comic book work flooding in. Especially now. (http://www.tombeland.com/sketch.asp)

Marvel

JE: You wrote a Spider-man issue for the Marvel Valentine’s Day event, I Heart Marvel and that we sold practically twice as many of as any other installment in the series. How did that project come to pass and how did you feel about working with one of the premiere romances in comics?

TB: I believe Tom Breevort was in charge of me getting that title. Aubrey Sitterson was my editor for that issue and he was awesome to work with. They let me tell the story I wanted to tell.

They had the I Heart Marvel event already planned and asked if I was willing to be a part of it. LOL... all you really have to say is “it’s Spider-Man” and I’m on board. All they told me was that it was to be a romance story featuring Peter and Mary Jane. Something that focused on how they felt about each other.

Originally, the opening scene featured the Rhino, but then Aubrey mentioned to me that he was in a bunch of books that month and suggested I changed the character. I had no idea who to pick as replacement, so Aubrey suggested Mandrill… who became a perfect fit in that scene.

There was also a scene that was cut where, when Peter is watching MJ hanging out with Cap, Luke and Tony and tells how amazing it is how she’s so relaxed in a room filled with living legends. That he still finds it hard to be himself around those guys and here MJ can laugh and even teach Steve some pointers on basketball.

The next scene is where she glances back to Peter and she goes into why he’s so incredible.

I’ve always loved the spotlight. My favorite times growing up where dressing up in something that showed myself off and doing something that brought me applause. I loved the attention and I still do in a way.

But then I met him.

Here’s a guy who does the most amazing things and he wears a mask to hide his identity. He’s brought down crime lords, he’s taken on aliens from other worlds, he even has that famous cartoon song everyone knows by heart.

And yet nobody knows it’s Peter Parker behind the mask. It was something that was so far beyond my understanding or comprehension. And yet, it’s endeared me to him so deeply. He’s shown me that I don’t need that spotlight all the time.

And he created web-shooters when he was in high school. How cool is that?

It was a very cool scene, because you got to see how this hot girl, who every guy wants to get, can be in love with a nerd like Peter. We tried everything to keep this scene in, but eventually, we were a page long and that had to go. It was a great scene, though.

My only regret with the book is that they never implemented Mary Jane’s web-shooter bracelets into the regular books. I heard from a lot of people in conventions who love that story and wondered why she never used them in the regular series. But that’s the only negative thing about writing one-shots. You never know what’s going to actually be used by other writers.

I Heart Marvel: Web of Romance by Tom Beland

JE: I definitely got positive feedback from customers on MJ’s webshooters. Have you pitched any other stories set in Spider-man’s corner of the Marvel Universe?

TB: Pitching ideas can be tough, too, when you don’t know what’s being planned by the regular writers. You can have a great idea and have it torpedoed by another project.

I pitched a Spider-Man special series that focused on the relationship of Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy. It was going to examine the history of their friendship, from college to the day she died.

Gwen is the perfect woman, who has a loving father and a great boyfriend. MJ is the daughter of an abusive alcoholic and her boyfriend is the son of that nutcase Norman Osborne. There’s a lot of envy on the part of MJ towards Gwen, which results in MJ trying to be the ultimate party girl.

Things come to a head when Gwen keeps blaming Spider-Man for her father’s death and MJ knows Spider-Man is Peter Parker. She’s kept this secret forever and, when Harry Osborne gets hooked on drugs, MJ goes to Gwen’s apartment to figure out what she should do.

Gwen turns the topic back to Spider-Man and MJ begins to flip-out, telling Gwen that she has no proof Spider-Man planned on killing her father. They get into a heated exchange and when Gwen yells “HOW DO YOU KNOW HE’S NOT RESPONSIBLE?” MJ screams “BECAUSE PETER LOVED YOUR FATHER!”

For the first time since she was a kid, she’s told someone Peter’s secret. They just stand there and when Gwen refuses to believe it, MJ reminds her that whenever she was in danger, Spider-Man always showed up. That Peter was always missing and all those Bugle photos he’s been able to get. They really get into it and MJ storms out of the apartment.

As she heads for the subway, you can see the Green Goblin’s glider flying towards Gwen’s apartment. Then, as she calms down a bit and goes over what MJ told her, she puts everything together and the moment she realizes the truth, she’s looking in a mirror and in the reflection is the Goblin flying towards her window.

The series ends at the cemetery, where MJ is placing some flowers at Gwen’s tombstone. She’s been telling this story to Peter and breaks down, feeling that she let Gwen down… and Peter too.

The story got shot down. One More Day was already in the works. That was the only time I ever said “****” when a pitch was turned down. I was bumming for a long time there.

Dragonman by Tom Beland

JE: Wow, that would have been a great story! That kind of story would really hit the spot for a lot of Spider-man fans who maybe feel a little displaced these days. It adds new depth to a doomed character without being too intrusive into the continuity. Which other Marvel characters have sentimental value for you?

TB: Nightcrawler is a character I’ve always been fascinated with. I loved that period when he was dating Amanda Sefton… because I think Nightcrawler is a very romantic character. Hell, Lily saw him in the movie and instantly loved him. When they made him a priest, I thought that was a horrible move. He lost all that charm they built up on during the Claremont/Byrne run. I’d love to take him back to that style.

I also wanted to use Dragon Man somehow, LOL. I’m a huge Dragon Man fan, so it was such a blast to write a scene for him. I have one of those pages in my office. He was in the first Fantastic Four book I ever read, FF #134, “A Dragon Stalks the Skies.” Coolest character design in comics, in my opinion. Just goofy enough to be fun and just menacing enough to be a good adversary. He’s got lots of potential to work with.

JE: What other pitches have you sent up the line?

I also pitched a series about Boris, the servant of Dr. Doom. It’s a comedic piece that makes Doom look like a bit of a spoiled idiot. It takes the major Dr. Doom storylines and shows how Boris is the guy who has to get everything in order.

Boris is like the prep cook who gets everything in order for the famous chef to stroll in and go “LAH-DEE-DAHHH… LOOK HOW AWESOME I AM!!” Boris gets everything done and Doom comes off as a genius to the world.

Take the first appearance, for example. In the pitch, Doom calls Boris on the intercom and screams “BORIS!! DOOM HAS A PLAN TO DESTROY THE FANTASTIC FOUR. COME TO DOOM’S OFFICE… NOW!!”

Boris rolls his eyes whenever Doom speaks in third-person and knowing he has to stand there and listen to Doom’s new plan. “DOOM WILL KIDNAP THE BAXTER BUILDING WITH DOOM’S HELICOPTER!!” As Boris stands there in disbelief, Doom commands him to “MAKE IT SO.”

So Boris has to figure out how his master is going to lift a sixty story building with a helicopter.

Every time Doom comes up with a new scheme, Boris has to figure out the details. It still makes me laugh. He even has to figure out the details of the “Terror in a Tiny Town” story John Byrne wrote. I would love to do this series. Really.

They passed on this…but, as God as my witness, this story will be see the light of day.

Fantastic Four: Isla de la Muerta! by Tom Beland

JE: That’s the kind of pitch that can only come from someone who loves comic books. Boris totally has a story that needs to be told and I think this is it. Speaking of the Fantastic Four though, its time for us to talk about the Beland pitch that not only got through, but is going to be in stores towards the end of December: Fantastic Four: Isla de la Muerta! This is a special one shot issue that throws the spotlight on Ben Grimm’s special vacation spot in Puerto Rico. What should be a quiet getaway ends up as a battle against legendary creatures that will require help from the rest of his FF family! How did this project come together?

TB: Steve Wacker, over at Marvel, sent me an email about a possible FF gig one day and the sound of my jaw dropping to the floor must've set off a tsunami somewhere. I mean, it's been cool enough writing some Spidey stuff, but I never thought I'd get a shot on the FF.

Steve wanted something that focused on the family aspect of the FF. More than any other team in comics, the FF are the biggest example of family. And when they're split up, you can't wait until they're back together. My strength is geared towards relationships, so this was right up my alley.

I thought of a couple of ideas here and there, but this nutty, crazy Puerto Rico story kept calling to me. When I pitched it, I swore they were going to give it the boot. I mean, I think it's great that Marvel went with it. There are lots of Puerto Ricans in the U.S. and I really feel that Latino characters are a very untapped source in comics. And kudos to them for printing the Spanish edition.

JE: Yes, Spanish edition comics are a pretty rare these days. I know that sometimes teachers come to me looking for comics in Spanish to help kids with their reading so Acme’ll definitely carry both versions. You’re teamed up with artist Juan Doe on this issue who X-men fans may remember as the cover artist of the X-men: The 198 mini series. I’ve seen some of the preview art that is floating around the internet and it looks great. Actually, it looks beautiful.

TB: And yes, I think the artwork really brings the beauty of the island to the forefront in this comic. Juan... he just nailed everything. Can't say enough about this guy's work. And this was Juan's first sequential art in a comic. What the Hell? It's not fair.

JE: Favorite scene in Isla de la Muerta?

TB: I really loved the scene with Ben and Susan in this book. It's always been a great friendship, but there's a scene where you really understand why Sue adores Ben so much. And writing the Ben/Johnny banter was great fun too.

Oh, and my signature kitchen item makes an appearance too!

Mr. Beland

JE: Ok, that about wraps it up, Tom. Any general advice for aspiring comic creators who want to reach for that Marvel brass ring? Any words of wisdom for someone who has a story, perhaps a true-to-life story, inside them that they would love to turn into something concrete?

TB: Learn to hear the words “can’t use it.” Learn that it’s not because they hate you, or that they’re laughing at you. Learn that sometimes, it’s just not something they can use.

Learn to trust your instincts as a writer, but also learn to be flexible with the editors. I’ve never had a bad experience with an editor. I’ve been able to say I disagreed on things here and there, but I’ve also been able to stand back and really take in what they suggest and be willing to go with it.

Also, just because the hero guys aren’t buying your work doesn’t mean that you can’t be writing your own book. Hey, the reason I’m writing anything for Marvel is because I’ve written seventeen issues of TSSTG and proved I can write couples. Start working on some mini-comics.

As for auto-bio work… I’d suggest anyone to go into a good comics shop and pick up some books and study the genre. I also think that cartoonists doing auto-bio think that everything has to be over-the-top when they’re drawing the story. Expressions are over-exaggerated and many of the characters are screaming their punch lines and, in the end, it kills the joke more than it helps it. I did the same thing when I started out, but now I use much more subtle expressions in my work.

Study how your favorite creators use timing. Sometimes, a line is much funnier if it’s said casually, under their breath. I really use the eyes when I’m working a comedic scene.

I also love the tiny moments of a scene. If Lily and her sister are out having a meal, I’ll look into what they’re eating…what are they drinking. If Lily’s having a mallorca, I love to show the guy banging the powder sugar container in the background. The little details add immensely to the story.

I also love pacing. Some people like to go “set-up, punch-line, BOOM.” There’s no break in the sequence. What I love to do is “set-up… beat… reaction.” It’s a different delivery, but I prefer to show my characters actually taking in what the other person has just said before they react. It makes the characters more real in a way.

Also, I recommend that they write to their favorite characters for advice. I think for writers, it’s not easy to say “hey can you look at my script?” because we’re very busy and often don’t have the time to read them. But if there’s a specific problem you’re having with your writing, I think it’s cool to seek advice on the problem.

And pick up books and magazines that feature writers you enjoy. I love mags like Write Now where I can see the actual process in action. Same with the Comics Journal who also print books like The Writers, which is a collection of interviews with many comic writers. Great book.