Andi Watson very kindly agreed to be interviewed by e-mail. This is for my research in to gender issues for an upcoming essay and also for my final dissertation.
You can check out Andi's work on his site (which includes a blog): http://www.andiwatson.biz/
And he also has a Flickr account where you can see his latest work:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andiwatson/
Who do you think (or do you know) your main audience is?
I can't definitely say because I don't know but I have the impression
that they're either hardcore male comic fans who appreciate the medium
and are willing to try new work for it's own sake or the
girlfriends/wives/partners of male fans. I get quite a few "my partner
is mad on comics and he buys me yours which are the only comics I read"
comments. I feel frustrated that my work doesn't reach the audience I
feel would appreciate it most.
Having said that a graphic novel I've written was market tested and did
well with the test group of teenage girls so maybe there's some truth
to it.
Would you like to appeal to a different audience (your answer doesn't need to be confined to the comics market)?
I'd certainly like to reach teenage girl readers, twentysomethings who
enjoy "chick lit" and then thirty something female readers who have a
family and certainly don't have time to visit a comic shop often, if
ever. I think my work could appeal to all those groups but it's
currently trapped in the comic shop ghetto.
Why do you think your work is seen as appealing to female readers?
I don't know so I'll fall back on broad generalizations: it relies
mostly on dialogue and relationships, affairs of the heart,
recognizable situations and feelings. The small and specific areas of
life and the domestic. These are the things that interest and inspire
me and they seem to coincide with the interests of some female readers.
Is it a concious decision on your part, to write for this market?
No, it's just the way I'm wired, what interests me. I'm a character
over plot person, relationships personal and professional over
widescreen violence. If I was to consciously market my work I'd try and
appeal to the male readers who make up the majority of comic readers. I
just don't have any interest in writing fight comics for the rest of my
life.
How do you balance your illustration work, writing work and comic art work?
Generalizing wildly I see illustration as something closer to painting
in that it's there to express an idea through a single image while
comics is related to novels and movies in that it expresses ideas over
a period of time through multiple images. For me comics is about drama
whereas illustration is about distilling an idea into a single image or
over a limited number of images.
Where do you see your work heading in the future?
Do you see yourself moving in to any other media?
I'd like to write prose and screenplays. I'm getting more interested in
words along with my abiding interest in dialogue.
How important is reader feedback/audience response to your work?
It's nice to know the work has found an (albeit small) audience, made
an impression on readers but it's never a motivating factor in starting
a project. There are months and months spent in the studio working on a
book in isolation so it has to be fascinating for me in order for me to
dedicate 12 months of my life to it. Basically I have to do it because
it's interesting to me not because I think people will immediately
write fan mail. Which they don't. My readers aren't of the rabid fan
variety.
Do you often attend conventions? (Why/why not?)
I did before my daughter was born but not so much now I'm home with
her. It used to be fun for me and I used to think it was vital to meet
editors and whatnot, to schmooze a bit. It's still important to let the
"industry" know you're alive and available for paying gigs but I
wouldn't go to cons if there wasn't a professional reason to attend or
to hang out with friends. I'm not the sort who loves digging in back
issue bins or buying Iron Man toys. I don't attend so much now because
it's difficult to leave the family behind for extended periods and it's
expensive without any sign of a return on the investment in time and
money.
Give me a second hand book shop though and I'm happy as Larry for a
couple of hours.
How much control do you like to have over the presentation and marketing of your work?
It's important I design my covers because I enjoy it, I get to flex my
design muscles a bit, but also because I want them to stand out on the
shelves and so I control the "look" of the book. Marketing is mostly in
my own hands but I've generally found it has no impact in the Direct
Market. Also I'm a retiring person by nature, I'm the world's worst
self publicist.
Do you allow other disiplines/media to influence your comic work?(how?)
I'm influenced and inspired by novels, movies, art history, and the
world around me. Comics aren't an inspiration, they're my medium for
the stories I want to tell.
