[Welcome back, True Loo fans!! This is the conclusion to my interview with the creator of Pitiful Human-Lizard and other Canadian greats!]
Local colour is what this is all about. Raab the Malevolent is an obvious pastiche of a notorious former mayor;
the TerrorNo Grrls are a riff on the Raptors.
The Raptors Dance Pak, specifically.
OH! That I’m not aware of. Are they the cheerleaders or the dancers for the team?
They’re the spirit squad for the Toronto Raptors. I did a lot of research looking at videos of their training and making sure I got their dance moves. It’s funny because I’ll get fans actually noticing every pose is an accurate dance move.
There’s one panel specifically in number four. I don’t know how to describe them. They’re strutting but they’re so confident. They have it. They’re definitely up to snuff.
They got to have a lot of sass in their poses! [laughs]
My take is that they’re obviously aggressive. It reminds me of the roller derby girl culture: you gotta stay on your feet, literally! If you’re not knocking anyone else down, you’re gonna be knocked down! That’s the whole point of that sport. Here is that pose/stance: that’s my favourite one out of the entire fight scene.
I’m very mindful of body language, making sure it’s appropriate for what they’re trying to express in each scene. They’re also the equivalent of soccer hooligans but for basketball 😉 It’s a spin of that and the roller derby girls.
Any cameos of city celebs that I might have missed?
Issue one has Ed Mirvish. Number four has Hayden Christensen.
There’s a story that ties Hugh Barrett with Ed Mirvish.
Yes!! Lizard-Man!
Just to show that Hugh Barrett and his wife Lauren were these Toronto socialites. They knew the who’s-who of Toronto celebrities back in the 70’s.
The entire series is entirely (forked) tongue-in-cheek. Even comedy is tinged with danger and drama.
Grizzly Biker has me intrigued. The strong, silent type is a mystery to me. For my benefit, I’m glad you stated the first appearance of this character [MONSTROSITY vol. 1], which now I have to look for. I did see on www.mycomicshop.com the two volumes. They’re quite hefty! Who else has come from your brilliant mind?
I can’t take all the credit for that. It’s a huge anthology done by thirty other comic creators. J. Bone contributed to both volumes along with Marvin Law. The series was edited by Phil McClorey and Brian Evinou as well as Fearless Fred (he goes by Fred Kennedy). Grizzly Biker came from here. I wanted to create a Toronto character that had a Man-Thing vibe, that tapped into the Marvel horror genre and bring him into my T.O. universe.
Anyone else from your brilliant mind aside from the established characters in PHL?
Not to my knowledge. For the future scripts, there’ll be more character development.
Canadians are an easy-going and humble bunch. No ruffling anyone’s feathers. Yet, you purposely poke fun at our own with Hayden Christensen (that you already mentioned) at the receiving end of harsh criticism. You a huge STAR WARS fan?
I’m one of those rare STAR WARS fans that also enjoys the prequels.
[gasps mockingly]
They’re not as great as the classic trilogy. I like some of the established ideas.
You’re right. There are some good parts. Even if it’s the bomb of bombs, there is something note-worthy.
There are worse movies. Those aren’t them! It’s just that they had very high expectations because the original trilogy was amazing!! They set a very high bar. The Hayden Christensen thing, it was just funny. I hope I didn’t offend him. I’m trying to show an honest portrayal of Torontonians, similar to Portlandia focusing on the citizens of Portland, Oregon.
He’s from Vancouver but I know he settled in Toronto. I noticed Lucas has a TIE Fighter in his apartment.
He’s a STAR WARS fan just like me ;-P Write what you know! [laughs]
At least you were extremely kind to Carly Rae Jepsen 😛
The most famous Canadian of all is…Trick question!!
Featured in my comic? Are we talking about Rob Ford? OH, Captain Canuck!! [I indicated the answer for Jason ;-)]
That’s why I said trick question! The latest mini-comic truly is a non-team-up. Well played! Coincidentally, the icon has had a relaunched book at Chapter House which is where your own Lizard is heading!! I saw the solicitation for number one on http://www.previewsworld.com/Home/1/1/71/920?stockItemID=JUL151193 due in September.
Issue #2 is in this month’s PREVIEWS.
Good for you!! This is a re-print. Will the publisher do the same for the subsequent four?
Chapter House will be reprinting all five for a larger audience since I only made 1,000 copies on my own for each book. We’re trying to expand across North America, the U.K., anywhere that orders comics through Diamond (Comics Distributors, Inc.)
I really hope that this will take off for you. I’m sure that Captain Canuck is out there gaining some much-needed international readers.
It’s about time we see Canadian super-hero comics done right by Canadian talent, published in Canada!! Rarely does that happen.
Exactly! Word to your mother!! [laughs] You have to put Cap and Liz together! No more teasing!!
That’s the eventual plan. Keep an eye out. Look at both titles (CAPTAIN CANUCK, PITIFUL HUMAN-LIZARD) as the Marvel cinematic universe. You lay the groundwork, invest on the characters alone. It’ll be amazing once you see them team-up.
Agreed! The same applies in real life. I have my existence, you have yours. One day we meet and connect. Eventually, the two worlds cross and intertwine for the better!!
I’ll just say this: we’ve had some talks about the future of our two titles. There are big things coming.
I really look forward to that. Loo Harvest Group, will that cease to exist or continue to be incorporated? Is that company specifically you alone?
Yes. I’m the sole proprietor of it. Even though I’ve joined Chapter House, I’ll still be publishing the mini-comics under that banner. If ever there’s a Captain Canuck crossover, I’ll go through Fadi (Hakim, publisher) or Kalman (Andrasofszky, current writer) from CH for approval. To ensure that it’s kosher 😉
I understand. Just like DC has the Vertigo imprint, Marvel has Icon, Image has Top Cow, etc.
I remember you as Madrox, the Multiple Man (again, you mentioned this already) from Toronto X-Men but you corrected me as the group being X-Men of Toronto. I vividly recall seeing you at Gotham’s old location on FCBD 2013.
No, it was not there. You saw the other members.
You’re right. Maybe it was FANeXpo.
Maybe. We’re a big enough group that moves around.
Now I got it!! Burlington Toy show. March 2013.
I was there!
I took pics of you. I have to find them. [sheepish grin] Really cool concept. You still cosplay as him or you have no more time for that?
Not as much time as I’d like but them’s the breaks! I love making comics more than cosplaying.
How long did that stint last?
I was an active member of X-Men of Toronto for a year and a half.
I didn’t realize your editor Allison is also part of the group. Sometimes my memory is really spotty. She told me who she played but now I can’t recall.
She was Scarlet Witch. You probably didn’t recognize her because she had a wig.
Cool!! I’ll have to look back at those photos. [chuckles] I already mentioned your other work which is MONSTROSITY vol. 1 and 2 but you also did the Canadianized version of The Real American Hero. Go, Joe! or is that Go, Snow?! LOL
Yeah…Go Joe, eh? Or Yeah Joe, eh? [laughs]
Social media is the new oxygen. It’s neat to see that PHL has his own Facebook page. Loo Harvest has its own site although it looks like it hasn’t been updated in a while. As a real-life person, you have FB and Twitter. Anything else? Instagram? Tumblr?
I have Instagram @rebel_loo. That’s where you’ll find a lot of my preliminary sketches to show my fans that there are things coming down the pipe. You can be updated through there as well as FB. I try to update that almost every day.
It’s hard! I have a real job too. There are commitments to that, to our own lives, to our health, our friends, our family. Lucas has only been doing his super-hero schtick for a week and a half? How long have you been at your career?
Lucas has been the Human Lizard for longer than that!! It’s only that timespan regarding his regenerative powers. Before that, he was a struggling super-hero without them. He would always come to work bandaged up.
How much downtime do you have? Do you ever turn off? You keep creating?
Right now it’s summertime. I told myself to take a break and enjoy the summer. Before that, it was a year and a half of no breaks. Working 9-to-5 at the library, coming home, make dinner, right after that straight to the comics for five to seven hours. There were nights I’d be up til 2 a.m. and then get up early the next day.
You answered this for me too. I always ask this question flat out: what is your “real job”?
I work in the library, in Children’s Service. I do story programs, do a lot of outreach at public schools, promote literacy.
You have an actually affinity for the regenerative reptile and/or any other of God’s little creatures? I will boldly say that Spidey is your number-one hero (like mine) since almost all his enemies are animal-named or based. As Barb emphatically pointed out, she didn’t want an animal motif for her costume nor as a moniker.
Whenever I pitch my comic to new fans, PHL is more pathetic than Peter Parker, less amazing than Spider-Man. That makes him very down-to-earth and relatable.
Jason, you are a young up-and-comer who is reaping the rewards of countless hours of hard work and sacrifice. Heartiest congratulations!! You deserve to rise to prominence. I’m glad to have made your acquaintance and truly look forward to more fantabulous adventures 😀
I’ll keep them coming! [laughs]
This second part, along with the first, are brought to you by Mississauga’s best comic shop!! You’ll find all issues of PITIFUL HUMAN-LIZARD here!!
