Its the dawning of a new Heroic Universe and one Travis Gibb is here at Mind To Mind to tell us all about it!
1. Hello there! And welcome to Mind to Mind here at Comics & Chill! For those who may not be aware of you and what it is you do, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Its Travis!
Hey! I’m Travis Gibb. I’m a comic book writer, publisher, and professional chaos coordinator. I am a 2 time Ringo nominated writer and have works for a ton of indie comics. I am mostly know for my anthology creation with CTHULHU INVADES or Holiday Spirits. However, I’ve created books like Granite State Punk, Coins of Judas, Broke Down, and a bunch of other titles that live somewhere between crime, horror, faith, rebellion, and very flawed people trying to survive bad decisions. I am also the publisher of both ORANGE CONE PRODUCTIONS and SUMMIT COMICS.
2. As a creator of several titles and involvement in Summit, what inspires you when it comes to Comic Creation?
This is all I want to do. This isnt a hobby for me. I want to make it to the BIG 2. I want to create comics and build a fanbase and get readers for the rest of my life. Its all i have ever wanted to do.
3. Speaking of Summit, this is a brand new Super Hero universe you and a number of others have teamed up together to create. But what exactly makes this one different from the hundreds of other SH Universes out there beyond the Big 2/Image universes? And is there worry of Ego getting in the way?
The only real difference its created using a great model. We have kind of an IMAGE/KICKSTARTER hybrid that allows a bunch of creators to take part at various levels. We also do our events as trades to shake things up. As far as EGOs go, we have an entrance and exit strategy to help control that. We want people involved but we got a way to have people exit if they wish to do so. Also, with all my experience with CTHULHU INVADES that means I can help keep it organized.
4. Summit: Pinnacle #1 is essentially an anthology launchpad to get folks introduced to the world of Summit and given its looking to be a success on Kickstarter, when can fans expect to see more?
Ya, its just an ORIGIN one-shot. However, pretty much every month for the rest of the year. We also have one live right now called GRANITE. We are moving fast.
5. What got you deciding to get involved in this new universe?
I never wanted too. I have declined so many but SUPERHEROES make sense. In KICKSTARTER – SUPERHEROES don’t sell well and I wanted to try and fix that. So, we put together a community and got some good press and now we are making waves.
6. As you and the others clearly have quite a bit invested in Summit, can we readers expect to see this universe around for years to come?
Ya, we have 3 events already planned but I know many of the creators want to do several trades. So, I wouldn’t expect us to go anywhere.
7. What for you has been your favorite part of the Summit ‘Verse so far?
My favorite part is JUNA. We created a character that can reset the universe add and destroy parts of it. She is ultra powerful but also is dangerous to be around.
8. In addition to your own titles such as Coins of Judas (which hopefully we see more of soon) and your involvement with Summit, you also have involvement in what’s known as Comic Creator Hangout. What led to that happening?
I am a community man. I want people to grow and be seen. So, I created a place to invite people to join and be part of if it. I do 4 things for the community of comics. 1) I create anthologies to invite people. 2) I have the creator hang out discord for people to chat and hang and learn. 3) I do shows to raise money for comic creators. 4) I do an event called INDIETOBER that has run like 6 years that draws people characters every oct. All of these are ways I give back.
9. Stance on AI in comics and in general?
AI is horrible and shouldn’t be used to create art. If someone can find ways to do small assists like grammely for grammer or like getting lightsources right for creators but the ART AND WRITING should be done by people with souls.
10. When it comes to Print vs. Digital, where do you fall?
PRINT. I sell digital but I want you to own my stuff, not just be a file on a computer.
11. What can you tell us about some of the characters seen in the artwork on the Kickstarter?
Not much because we don’t really want to spoil things. We are semi keeping that underwraps.
12. Given you run both Orange Cone Productions and Summit, is there any difficulty in having a balance between the two?
Lol, time. Just finding the time to do both. At Summit we have a huge team. So I don’t make all the calls but it also helps share the load. We build and grow together.
For Orange Cone, it’s just me and if things get complicated I may need to talk to the wife.
13. For my final question, what advice would you give to those looking to get into Comics Creation?
My best advice for new creators is these two things:
– Find a community. It will help you grow. Doing this alone isn’t a great idea and you won’t grow.
– Don’t put together a project with just your buying habits. You need to learn from others and trends.
Editor’s Note: Huge thanks to Travis for taking part in this interview! Summit: Pinnacle #1 has 14 hours left to go on Kickstarter so if you’ve been sitting on the fence, now’s the time to make that pledge! The Granite Kickstarter also currently has 14 days left to go and every pledge helps C.J. Hudson and as well as Travis and Summit as a whole!
Interview by: Rob Wrecks
