Kayode Onimole and the cast of Crasher
Kayode Onimole is the writer and artist of the webcomic Crasher.
He also freelances for Pandora and Euphorya comics. I first found out about Crasher on facebook and was fascinated by the comic itself and the fact that he was able to put out so many strips at what seems to be a regular schedule for the length of time he has been doing it.
1. First things first, could you introduce yourself, your company and what you do? Are you a writer, artist or both?
I’m Kayode Richard Onimole, and I’m a comic artist and writer both free lance (Pandora and Euphorya) and for myself at crashercomics.com
2. How long have you been in the biz?
Well, I’ve been drawing comics since I found out pencils where not meant to be eaten. As per the business of comics( actually getting an income from comics) I started drawing professionally in 2002 with a few cartoon strips in calabash magazine. It was also the year I created Ale(the word means night in Yoruba), the story of a monster hunter who is slowly becoming that which he defends the world from. It was picked up by Pandora comics…as to when it’s coming out? Soon.
3. What inspired you to get into comics?
That’s a tough question to answer. I can’t think of one single thing that I can say “this is what inspired me to get into comics”. I could say Christopher Reeves playing a convincing Superman. I could say because they are a means to escape the hardships of reality. I could say they were a lot easier to pick up and read when compared to other forms of literature…hey man, they’ve got pictures!
4. Could you talk a bit about your main title? If you have others, just mention their names.
It’s called crasher. I named it after a term we used back when I was still in university, to describe someone who waits till the last moment to get the job started. Or simply to crash or to sleep. It’s the story of this student of architecture who has his priorities twisted, and his friends and their adventures and misadventures on and off campus.
It was a cartoon strip I drew for the notice board in school. I tried to get it into newspapers but met several road blocks the first break I got was through Switched on Naija a magazine targeted primarily at young adults. It has now evolved into a webcomic.
5. I think most of us in Nigeria grew up with superhero comics from the US, 2000AD from the UK and some European comics such as Tintin and Asterix & Obelix. Which of these types of comics would you say influenced you the most as a creator?
I got a lot of influence from Spiderman and Superman comics, as a kid I didn’t like batman. I also read Asterix and Tintin which were cool. Bill Watterson and Charles Shultz of the Calvin and Hobbes and Peanut fame are also somewhere in the mix.
6. Did you read comic books from elsewhere? If so, could you mention some of their titles?
I read a few Nigerian comics. Believe it or not there was a time that Captain Africa(now Kaptain Afrika)was a comic book and not just a cartoon strip, I still have one of the comics from the early nineties (I think). I applaud Andy Awkman(hope I spelt that right) for keeping it alive this long.
7. When do you think the Nigerian comic book industry will experience a boom (if at all)?
I’ve met a bunch of Nigerian comic creators and they all are very enthusiastic about comics. And with the current success of movies based on comic books (even though they are foreign) I think Nigerians are starting to look at comics as not just for kids. I can’t say exactly when the boom is coming, but the fuse has been lit.
8. With the closure of Nu Metro, and bookstores around the country struggling to make their profits, do you believe that there is still enough of a reading culture to sustain this nascent industry?
There are a lot of things struggling for attention and time, people would have dedicated to books. The most some kids read these days are subtitles in anime cartoons. The reading culture is there but it’s is struggling.
9. Are you privately funded or working with a loan/grant?
I’m currently sponsoring myself with money generated from other business ventures. It’s not as expensive as it might seem to run a webcomic. Most of the money is used in promoting it or saved towards a future hardcover compilation.
10. What challenges have you faced being a comic book creator in Nigeria?
Most people have the misconception that comic books are for kids so it’s hard to get them to read or advertise in them.
11. In my experience, there seems to be a serious lack of trained talent from which to draw from in order to make comic books. Do you find that this is the case and if so what do you think could be done to change it?
True, some of us in the business don’t have any formal education (i.e. a certificate or diploma in comic creation). I for instance have two degrees from architecture (not fine art which is a more relatable field), but that’s not to say we don’t have an education. It’s just not formal. There are a number of schools out there which have started courses in sequential art and cartooning in Nigeria. I know there’s a course in fine art department at O.A.U Ile Ife and I think Yaba tech fit it into their fine art departments’ curriculum.
12. In the interests of academic research we ask you to make a choice right here: DC or Marvel?
Now that’s an even tougher question to answer. Why do you torture me so? In the issue of Marvel vs. DC, I am Switzerland…I pick no side.
13. Which comic industry model do you think we could benefit the most from by emulating? The American, British, European or Japanese models? All of these have different approaches to work, team sizes, roles and even the modes and frequency of distribution. Do you think one model has all the answers we need with some tweaking or should we pick from all of them and make a new hybrid? Or maybe even ignore them altogether?
Wow! And I thought the previous question was tough. I not too familiar with any of these models. But right now what we really need is consistency. A comic that promises it would come out monthly(like the American DC), weekly (like both the Japanese and some British comics) should come out weekly. I’m not sure we can maintain that kind of regularity at this time, so I feel we should have stories with a central theme that is unending within stories that end with each issue or at most four issues. This can be released four times a year…and I base the above statement on no research whatsoever.
14. What do you feel Nigeria could bring to the table of the international comic book scene?
Our culture from our perspective. I’ve actually seen a foreign comic book that had Sango in it!
15. Do you think there will be a market for Nigerian comic books overseas?
Yes if we bring new consistent ideas to the table.
16. What Nigerian comic book has sparked your imagination and/or competitive spirit?
Dark Edge…it’s now in colour! Yay!
17. In closing, could you leave a message for those reading this?
Yes…um..eh…um…eh..well…eh…um…buy and read Nigerian comics or if you are a cheapskate, read mine for free at www.crashercomics.com
Thank you for your time.
You are welcome
.