Please take us through the works, goodies that you showcased at Mumbai Film and Comics
Convention and how much time has it taken to complete each; can we start from the ideation point of view to the execution of Beast Legion?
Beast Legion is a project that I work on purely as a passion. I work on it whenever I get the free time from my Animation job. Sometimes I can get 3 pages done in a day; sometimes it takes me 2 weeks to do one page. I don’t let it really bother me as I always keep a page buffer between the web comic. It is a concept that has matured over the years till I finally decided to get it out into a web comic format. I have most of the characters and stories planned out from start to end with scope of expansion in the middle.
I released Volume 2 of the Beast Legion, which has been Comic con Award Winner for the Best webcomic at the Convention in 2011. The set includes the next 4 chapters of the series (i.e: Leviatha Unleashed, The Beast Unchained, Mistress of the Flames, The Bonds we Share). I also showcased Vol 1 in a very limited quantity on both days which were sold on a first-come-first-serve basis .Also with every Volume purchase, I offered the buyers an exclusive Beast Legion chibi bookmark.
How was Mumbai Film and Comics Convention for you?
Comic Con, in general, has been a great place to connect with fans and friends and get a perfect idea on what they think about the comics and what they’d like to see. Apart from that, it provided a perfect opportunity to connect with new readers as well as people from the various fields of art and animation. However my main aim will always be to encourage people to check out the books and then follow the series as it continues online over at www.thebeastlegion.com. I also showcased a small presentation about the Beast Legion as well as a little talk on promotion of Anime and Manga awareness in India which is another goal I’m striving towards.
I would like to know about your upcoming volumes of Beast Legion and its core idea? Synopsis, Pricing?
Beast Legion is a journey of an exiled Prince Xeus and his quest to reclaim his world from an Evil Tyrant, Dragos and his demonic army by taming and mastering his Beast Form.
In Volume 1, Issue 4, Xeus faced Dragos head on after defeating one of the Shadow Nexus Generals and gets knocked out in a matter of seconds realizing the gap in their respective powers. Volume 2, Issue 5 picks up with Xeus trying to win back his lost confidence by undergoing a serious training and is later introduced to the concept of the Beast Transfer for the first time. Xeus manages to don the armor but the consequences are way too high as you will find out in issue 6. In Issue 7, Xeus embarks on his next quest and meets a very special stranger along the way.
At comic con I sold each Volume for Rs INR 150 instead of INR 200 along with one exclusive chibi bookmark. However, those who purchased Volumes 1 and 2, were offered an exclusive price of INR 250 with 2 bookmarks.
Please share about the Research done
Well, to be honest, I never really did any market research before I started the web comic. I just started it as I wanted to convey my story to the largest possible audience, in the best art style I could manage without considering any geographical barriers. I had faith in it but never expected to get the support and readership from around the world which is a great feeling. My website www.thebeastlegion.com , is still the main source to read the comics and will always be.
Could you tell me about the look and feel given?
Beast Legion has manga-esque feel to it and is in Black and White interior format like most manga. I try to retain my own style, but at the same time, try to make it look more manga-esque. However since it’s a webcomic I decided to leave the reading format left to right, instead of the right to left manga format.
My characters however are in a fantasy setting so I have a lot of freedom playing with their respective attires.
Who is the target audience?
The target audience would be around 13+. The comic has some instances which could be termed PG but those are very critical to the story. However, people beyond the 13+ plus age group will easily be able to follow the series and enjoy it.
Please highlight the challenges
Self publishing is probably the biggest highlight and my greatest challenge. I work on Beast Legion completely solo; right from conceptualization, the art and writing to the marketing and online promotion. There are times when you lose more than you earn but it can quickly change the other way round too. It comes as part and parcel of creating a web comic series.
Being a self published author, most of my promotion depends on the readers who come week after week to read the comic and support it in every way they can, be it voting everyday or simply sharing the latest pages on various social media. That’s why I am very active with both my social media accountswww.facebook.com/thebeastlegion where people can like the page and get all the latest page updates, as well as on www.twitter.com/thebeastlegion.
What’s your favorite aspect from this comic book?
I have had fun creating the whole series. Every character is important to me. I treat them on the same level when I decide to write them down in script.
However, hard choices have to be made on who to highlight in a particular part while leaving the others out. But in the end it’s all fun and those who have read the series so far will already figure that out.
How did you decide on the characters of the new volumes of Beast Legion?
I already have all the main episodes and characters planned out for the entire series and the key episodes in which they appear are already set. In fact, you will see quite a few new faces in the current Volume that make a first time appearance and leave an impact.
How much time has it taken to complete the book?
Each book approximately takes about two to two and half months, depending on my schedule. However, each book contains 40+ pages.
Please share the credit list of the book
I do the entire interior art as well as everything from writing to promotion. However, the print versions have exclusive covers by artists around the world. Each cover is illustrated by a new artist every time which is one of the many reasons these Volumes are a must buy. For Volume 2, the cover artist list includes Mark Henry Bustamante from the Philippines, Hanzo Steinbach from Germany, India’s very own Dann Rei and Raphael Perry from the US for issues 5 to 8 respectively. Each of them has created splendid visuals that add to the collector value of the books.
How have you developed with Beast Legion? Did you ever feel that you are one of the characters of your book?
I treat my characters independently and in fact, at times, I get into their role and think from their perspective rather than the other way round. I feel characters themselves should be a source of inspiration for people to follow or to hate. One of the main principles I follow is ‘’never create a character based on yourself”.
Please share about your upcoming projects
I wish I could reveal that right now, but it’s a long running animated project which you will hear more about in the future; it has nothing to do with Beast Legion though. The web comic will keep on going irrespective.