“Overwhelming” is probably the most apt adjective to describe the San Diego Comic-Convention. (With “stinky” coming in a close second.) The convention is four-and-a-half day whirlwind of mind-melting pop-culture insanity. So, come prepared to figure out how you’ll juggle your time gawking at Hollywood stars and starlets in Hall H, taking pictures of cos-players, and hunting down con-exclusives.
But! Before you finalize your nerd-schedule for next week, make sure to set some time aside to give some love to the comic book-folk. (It is Comic-Con, after all.) To kick off the big show, your trusty friends at Pop Culture Zoo are pointing you in the right direction of a few snappy comic book folks that you should check out.
What started out as a fun piece for her deviantART page has led Nina Matsumoto on a short-but-already remarkable comics career.
“The Simpsonzu”, featuring a manga-ized version of The Simpsons’ gang, made its rounds around the blogosphere two years ago, giving Springfield’s iconic characters an Eastern makeover.
Matsumoto’s latest accomplishment is nothing to balk at either, as she’s picked up an Eisner nomination for Best Short Story for a story in Bongo Comics’ Treehouse of Horrors # 14. The story, written by Ian Boothby, is a mash-up parody featuring Springfield’s favorite family spliced with the dark premise of Death Note. And it works incredibly well. (Not convinced? Just look at her fellow nominees for the category: Chris Ware, Joe Sacco, Laura Park and Kevin Huizenga.)
Matsumoto, who’s also known under the nom de plume “Space Coyote”, will be making her first appearance at Comic-Con for the Eisner awards Friday night. She’ll also be signing copies of her newest manga creation, Yokaiden. (Don’t have a copy? They’re giving ‘em away for free at her signing! Read on for details.)
First off, congratulations on the Eisner nomination. How did you react to the big news?
I’m not the most emotional person so I kind of went, “well, huhn, that was unexpected.” But I grew more excited about it over a period of time when I thought about what an honor it is to be nominated.
I’m not one to think “winning is everything.” I’m still new to the comics industry and something I worked on has already been nominated for such a huge award? I’m stunned.
It’s been a wild ride since “The Simpsonzu” piece. How did it feel to get all that attention?
It was an overwhelming experience. I’m not used to attention and I shy away from it. I’m glad that sort of fame only lasts for fifteen minutes.
How did the “Murder He Wrote” story come about?
That was done pretty much at the last minute. One of the stories they had planned for the issue didn’t work out for whatever reason and they needed a replacement fast, so the art director (who had just started watching Death Note) suggested to the editor that they do a Death Note parody and get me to do the art. I was kinda busy with Yokaiden 2 when they phoned me up but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do a Simpsons’ Death Note. They got a script written up right away, and because of the tight schedule, I had to mail out the comic pages as I finished them (five at a time) to give the inker enough time to ink.
What was your favorite part about illustrating the story?
Drawing a freakish combination of Krusty the Clown and Ryuk, and drawing Sideshow Bob (my favourite character). I also got to mimic the Death Note style a bit — some panel shots were directly referenced from the manga — and that was fun.
Aside from The Simpson work, you also wrote and drew your own web-comic, and the first volume of your manga “Yokaiden” was released by Del Ray Manga last year. How does it compare, working on characters created entirely by you versus playing in an already established sandbox?
It takes way more time and effort to create your own original characters, plus world, plus story. Working with established characters is much easier for me. But of course, I shouldn’t always take the easy route. Doing something original is always a good challenge and essential to my growth as a creator.
How’s work on volume two of Yokaiden going? Is there any word on a release date?
I finished it in February and it’s coming out November 24th. Or November 11th. I’m not entirely sure. I once saw a release date in October. Seems like it keeps changing.
So, this will be your first trip to the SDCC. What are your plans? Will you be making any booth appearances?
I prefer to go to conventions just to hang out with friends and see the sights, but this time I’ll be doing a signing for thirty minutes at the Random House booth. I’m also going to be attending the Eisner Awards ceremony. Other than that, I’m going to spend my time as a simple con-goer.
Nina Matsumoto will be doing a book signing at the Random House/ Del Rey Manga booth on Saturday from 3-3:30. If you don’t have a copy of Yokaiden, no worries – everyone who shows up gets a free copy!
