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Thursday, June 23, 2005
Royden Lepp: Shepherding Comics
By Rik
Offenberger
Royden Lepp is a recognized name in the world of video
games. Now he is making the cross over to comic books.
He took some time to tell us about his new project,
David: The Shepherd's Song.
Rik Offenberger: You attended the Vancouver Film
School how did that prepare you for a career in comics?
Royden Lepp: The education I got at VFS was
priceless. They taught me how to succeed as a
professional artist, not as a starving artist. Besides
that, I think it’s little known how broad the medium of
animation covers topics in the world of art. Animation
fails without strong understanding of color design,
composition, line quality, rhythm, timing, physics etc.
And so you’re left with an education in art, not just
moving graphics.
Offenberger: Your film the Suit was nominated at
the Brandon Film Festival, how did you get nominated?
Lepp: I’d like to say that it took a lot of hard
work and dedication, but it didn’t. It’s one of the
perks of VFS; they do all film festival submissions for
you. It took a lot of work to complete the film, but I
didn’t find out about any festival screenings or
nominations until after the fact.
Funny thing though, I was born in Brandon. So maybe that
helped.
Offenberger: You have extensive work in the video
gaming industry, why move to comics?
Lepp: Comics… (so far)…do not support a family
very well, at least not in Seattle. The video game
business is a fun industry to work in, and it has bigger
revenue than Hollywood right now. It’s a great career,
pretty good stability etc. But my real passion is for
drawing. Children’s books, comic books, anything that
will involve putting lead to paper.
Offenberger: Why a religious comic for your first
comic?
Lepp: I didn’t really plan it. I was taking a
break from some children’s book submissions when the
story just started coming out in panels. It’s a story
I’ve loved since I first heard it. It is one of the many
‘gladiator’, or ‘braveheart’ stories of the Bible. A
friend of mine connected me with Mike Miller and Brett
Burner at Alias Enterprises who were looking for
something to hit the Christian market with. I think
David caught their eye because of its appeal
to that market.
Offenberger: I assume you are religious?
Lepp: I hate the term ‘religion’. But as far as
definitions go, I suppose it’s correct. The truth is
that I believe that the Bible isn’t made up. And when
you read stories like David with that in mind, it
changes the way you live life. I really don’t want to
come across as Christian, looking to bridge into
‘mainstream’ comics with Sunday school stories that will
make you want to be a more moral person. That’s not the
message of David, and contrary to what you hear in some
churches, that’s not the message of the Bible either.
Offenberger: How did you decide on the story of
David: The Shepherd's Song?
Lepp: I read a book by a guy named Charles
Swindol called ‘David’. It was a character study
on how the events of his life affected his faith and
shaped his impact on the nation of Israel. I highly
recommend that book. I was also hugely inspired by Kazu
Kibuishi’s book, Daisy Kutter.
Offenberger: Have you been a fan of religious
comics?
Lepp: I haven’t read much but I’ve never seen
anything I would buy. I’ve never been a fan of religious
entertainment period. Its focus has always been
something other than honoring God with quality art and
story telling. It’s true that the main goal is to arrive
at the gospel but unfortunately I rarely see it done
with skill and talent. That sounds prideful but I don’t
know how else to put it. With books like ArmourQuest
and HeroBear and the Kid, It looks like that’s
changing. I hope I can help it change.
Offenberger: How have you changed the story to
adapt it for comics?
Lepp: I’ve tried to expand on what’s implied or
suggested in the Bible. For example, in 2nd Samuel,
David responds to King Saul’s fear of David’s
confrontation with Goliath by stating how he’s killed a
lion in the past, “I seized it by its hair, struck it
and killed it.” Well that doesn’t leave me much to work
with. I young boy can’t punch the lights out of
full-grown lion. He must have used a club or a stone.
That’s where I need to expand, so it becomes a story
worth reading, not just imagining. It needs to have a
level of believability so it seems less like a mythical
Sunday school story.
Offenberger: What are the advantages to telling
the story in a visual medium?
Lepp: Telling stories with pictures. I really
think it’s the most affective way of communicating
ideas. When you have a discussion with someone in
person, 90% of what’s being communicated is through body
language. It’s almost totally visual. It’s what makes
movies so popular. And really, that’s all that comics
are; they’re storyboards. Every good director does
storyboards before filming. The challenge to artists is
this; at a glance of David standing on a hill, do I have
enough of a grasp on anatomy and culture to use the
human body as a tool to tell the reader what David is
thinking through posture and expression without writing
it in a bubble. What’s written in the word bubbles
should finish the statement of the scene. Not start it.
Offenberger: I assume that you plan a TPB to
collect the story after the mini- series?
Lepp: I hope so.
Offenberger: With David: The Shepherd's Song
do you see this as a perennial comic, where it is sold
to generations of religious comic fans?
Lepp: Wow. That’d be great. However comics, like
everything people create, need to evolve. It’s wonderful
when something becomes timeless, but I’m not sure
that’ll be the case with David. I think the story
of David is timeless, but the way I’m telling it may
need to be revisited.
Offenberger: News of you comic has been included
with the Christian Comic book movement. The Associated
Press has mentioned you comic, and the story was even on
CBS News.com. What’s it like to get that kind of
coverage on your first comic?
Lepp: It’s a little crazy. I hope it helps
attract ‘non-religious’ attention to the book. But any
attention is welcomed.
Offenberger: Has all this coverage resulted in
increased orders for the comic?
Lepp: We’re on the cusp of finding that out. I
don’t think I’ll really be able to gauge David’s success
until issues come out and are reviewed by the public and
by critics.
Offenberger: After David: The Shepherd's Song,
do you have any more Bible inspired comics?
Lepp: The story of David’s life is very detailed,
and it’s the only one I’m working on. I think I could
write a very long series about it. So I might do that.
The story of Samson’s life is another one that comes to
mind. It’s a lot less ‘all ages’. It would be more
mature and harder to sell. But I’d love to do that one
some day.
Offenberger: Do you have any interest in do
mainstream comics?
Lepp: Of course! I hope that David is
considered ‘mainstream’ in some regard. It’s not being
targeted to anyone in particular yet. But as far as
non-religious titles go, I’d love to draw anything that
inspires me or would cause others to be inspired. There
are a lot of good stories yet to tell in the comic
medium.
Offenberger: What should our reader know about
David: The Shepherd's Song?
Lepp: They should know that it’s different. If
you haven’t picked up a comic in a while, pick up this
one. I really think I succeeded in reaching outside the
box of modern comic books to tell a story that’s worth
telling. I know that’s pretty bold thing to say but I
think it’s true. Check it out. And when you do, tell me
what you thought of it. I’ve got thick skin, I can take
it.
royden.lepp@gmail.com |
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Rik Offenberger has spent the last several years running
the Super Hero News service. In his free time he interviews
comic book creators. He has been published both online and
in print. His work has appeared in The Comics Buyers Guide,
Comic Retailer, Borderline Magazine, and
SilverBulletComicBooks.com. He maintains his own websites at
SuperHeroNews and
MightyCrusaders.Net. |
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