Drawing Dreams

An Interview with Comic Creator and Children's Author, Ed Stover

Hey Readers!

Meeting creative individuals is one of the greatest perks of being a writer. This week, I am beyond thrilled to share with you my recent interview with writer and artist, Ed Stover.

I first met Ed at a local comic convention where I instantly became a fan of his work. The combination of his love for Universal Monsters and captivating art caught my eye. When I learned he was from the same local area I grew up in, I was hooked.

His current comic, The Harvest, is on its 8th issue. In fact, the first 2 sold out in months of their release! He is also a children’s book writer. His book, Where Will My Imagination Take Me? is a wonderful read for young children, encouraging creativity.

Aside from being an awesome person, Ed tackles his full-time job, comic design, art teaching, and book writing with unwavering discipline and grace. He is also behind the amazing cover art for my novel, All These Threads of Time. I was eager to hear his thoughts on his creative process and how he handles everything. Even this Busy Lady is tired knowing his schedule.

Now, without further ado, let me introduce the fabulous Ed Stover!

 1) How did your upbringing in the “Quiet Corner” of Connecticut influence your passion for comic books? Do you have any specific childhood memories that stand out as pivotal moments in shaping your career?

Growing up in the “Quiet Corner” was just that very quiet. The lack of cable tv and no real technology like there is today forced me to use my imagination a lot more. I didn’t realize at the time that this would benefit me so much and boy did I have an imagination. When I first started reading comics, I loved all the creativity that it had and just immersed myself into the worlds they created. It was an escape from life. I was never a real social person, so these seemed like the perfect fit for me. I loved superheroes, monsters, knights and aliens. I would practice drawing them as well. The art of comics wasn’t really looked at as art in schools so there really was little direction on how to do it, so I tried my best to copy what I saw. I had friends in school who shared the passion, and we would constantly draw comics on white lined paper from our notebooks. It wasn’t until I sent out a letter to the big comic companies asking them all sorts of questions. Only one got back to me and that was Jim Shooter who was Editor and Chief of Marvel Comics at the time. I was blown away by all the information his office supplied and made me want to do comics really bad. It’s that letter that supplied me with the core values I use today.

 2) Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind “The Harvest”? How did your love for sci-fi movies and Universal monsters influence the development of this comic series?

Well, the Universal monsters were some of the only movies I could watch on tv so I will always love the classics. That’s why I decided to keep my books B&W kind of like a homage to those times. Now as I got older films like Alien and Predator came out and it just grabbed my attention and never let go. I wanted to make a series that had creatures that would be like an alien virus that would land on planets and decimate them and then proceed on to other planets. Now I didn’t want the creatures to have an easy go of it so I sent in alien survivors from other planets that would be trying to prevent them from doing what they did to their planets. I also always heard that a lot of the artists at Marvel would do comics based in New York where a bunch had lived and grew up. It’s like drawing what you know that’s why I decided to create a town that resembles the Quiet Corner towns because it’s what I knew and have the creatures arrive there.

 3) What lead you to taking the plunge in turning your dream of creating comics into a reality?

Well, around the time of the pandemic, I had reconnected with a childhood friend Ken Bouthillier. We had lost touch with each other and found each other on Facebook. Well, he had a medical emergency that was not allowing him to work and he had started his own comic series, Zindagi. It was an incredible story, and his art was incredible. I was always a fan of his drawing. One day he asked me if I would like to do a one-page fan art for his upcoming issue. I said sure and quickly drew out a piece that was featured in his book. He then told me I should do my own comic. I was a little hesitant but seeing how rewarding it was to him I decided to give it a go. I finished three pages and sent it to a comic company that he worked with, but they were not interested so Ken decided to publish under his own banner Zindagi Comix. He handled all the lettering and editing a s well a s the printing. The first issue came out and sold out quick followed by the second issue. When it came to the 7th issue Ken had decided to follow a different career path now that he was healthy once again. I now was responsible for it all and decided it would be in my best interest to learn it all. I released a children’s book and trade paperbacks of my first 6 issues and just released a book 2 of Harvest of the Robolords a collaboration with a fellow artist Jim Gullett. I currently have an 8th issue ready for release as well. I now started working conventions and the response as well as making new friends in the comic community has been very rewarding. I’m staying local and putting in my time. It has been one of the most rewarding times in my life.

4.) What inspired you to transition from creating comic books to also writing and illustrating children’s books? How do you adapt your artistic style for different audiences?

Well, I have a lot of nieces and nephews and they vary in age range. I would watch them when they were young, play with toys just using their imagination. It is something that the introduction of certain technologies almost robs children of their ability to imagine for themselves. When I was younger my imagination meant everything to me, and I used it every day. I started thinking what they are imagining when they are playing. Now my Harvest comic is a horror-based story and I always felt I was leaving children out so I came up with an idea about a story that I could write for younger children. I started drawing simple characters and would make them more cartoon shaped with very little detail compared to my other work. I then decided to make it like a journey throughout a day that would take them on a journey of what they were doing in real life to what they were imagining they were doing, and I would tie it all together with poetic verses using some larger words so they would learn more about their meanings. The end result was “Where will my imagination take me today?” I believe it’s important to fuel children’s imaginations at a young age and that will help with their inventiveness later in life.

 5. Can you walk us through your creative process when developing a new comic or children’s book? How do you come up with ideas, and what are the key steps from concept to completion.

To start off I would definitely consider myself an overthinker.

I’m constantly throwing ideas around in my head and usually it’s from my experiences in life. Most of them get trashed but when I like something I will grab a piece of any old paper and start jotting down notes on the plot, characters, high points in the story, the look of it, scenery etc. when I get home, I will flesh it out more, so I know where it’s going. I will then do rough drawings and stick figures, so my story unfolds in my mind and on the paper. Now Ido this basically backwards from what every professional does because they usually do the script first, but I find myself constantly changing panels and words so Ido it a page at a time. I’ll roughly draw and write up the panels as I work on them. I don’t recommend it this way you will drive your editor nuts. Since I am doing every part of the book myself now, I only drive myself nuts, which is okay. Once I’m happy with the layouts I go into final drawing and lettering. I try to be a little lenient with myself because if I strive for perfection, I would get nothing done and would have given up a long time ago. Mistakes will happen but I learn from them and try not to repeat them. When I am done and satisfied, I submit for printing.

 6.) Tell us more about the program you run to help kids design their own comic books. What motivated you to start this program and what do you hope the children gain from it?

The whole idea behind it was created by Amanda Lincoln who works for Thompson Recreation. She asked if I would like to teach one class at summer camp. I accepted and it was fun but difficult. The amount of kids made it hard to help out each student. When it was done, she asked me if I would be willing to teach an after-school class. I was very interested because when I was young, I really didn’t have any direction on how to make my own comics. I thought this would be great to share my knowledge with aspiring artists at a young age. We decided to keep the class small with 11 kids. We would teach basics and the tools used in the making of a comic book. Halfway through the 12-week class I felt it would be a good idea to print their comics in one big issue. What I hoped is that the children would get a sense of satisfaction and joy from putting in the hard work and have something to show for it like Ido when I finish and print my book. It was a battle to accomplish it not only for them but for me but that’s why we did a 12-week class so that I could learn what worked and what didn’t. This way I would be able to streamline the process and make it a 6-week course instead. I feel the first class was a success and look forward to the next one.

7) What has been the most rewarding part of seeing kids create their own comic books through your program? Are there any standout stories or projects from the kids that particularly impressed or inspired you?

I think the most rewarding parts of the program is when the kids have finished their comics, and they are so excited to share it with their parents on the last class. Then to be able to hold their comics in their hands and to see the expression on their face is priceless. I also get a kick how they will tell me how they already have their story planned for the next class. As far as standout stories every kid had really creative ideas and characters that I enjoyed them all a few were definitely more advanced in the way they drew but they all did an awesome job. I look forward to continuing the classes.

 8.) As someone who works on comic books, children’s books, runs a program for kids and works full time, how do you manage to balance these various projects? Do you find that one type of work influences or informs the other?

Let me start by saying it’s not easy. I spend so much time on these projects I feel swamped at times. My full-time job is demanding, and it will always come first as it pays the bills. I used to start multiple projects at the same time and would get behind on all of them so I decided I would work one to completion and do rough layouts of the others and once one was done, I would pick up another and finish it. When I have classes I set a goal to be done the project I’m working on before the classes start. I am also mobile so I do everything in digital that way when I’m on break at work, going to the laundromat and working conventions I can work on my projects during this downtime. I force myself to make sure I have a good balance of time off as well. I’m usually excited to work on my projects so I find it easy to make time for it. I will admit that it cuts a lot into my sleep at times but it’s worth it. I will also admit to not having children myself or a house that needs upkeep gives me a lot more time as well. Anyone who wants to attempt this will need to set aside time specifically for it. If it’s not every day, then every other day and it can be for as however long you want it to be.

9.) What advice would you give to young or aspiring comic book creators and authors who might be struggling to bring their own ideas to life?

The first thing I would say is read. Pick out what you like and take influence from people that have been working in the field. Ask them questions and listen to what they tell you. Keep practicing. For an artist start with the basics learn basic shapes like circles, cubes, triangles etc. Learn anatomy and how muscle structure works. Draw what’s around you like furniture, rooms, buildings, nature and so forth. You will also need to learn shadowing the perspectives and color values. Start off with a small script and layout the pages then flesh them in. Don’t do more than you can handle. Watch movies so you can get a feel of angles of scenes and how a story flows and unfolds. When making characters ask yourself what they can do, what do they look like, what’s their history and what are their character traits. Make the characters relatable to readers so that they become engaged in the character. Give your story a beginning and an end so that way you know how much you need to accomplish telling the story. There are loads of tutorials on the internet and in books. Research the story so that you know what you’re writing about, and make sure it follows the era or civilization that it’s about.

I think my biggest advice to anyone going into this field is if you’re looking to get rich and famous it most likely won’t happen so do it because you enjoy it and expect nothing other than the reward of the accomplishment. Constantly learn and improve. Don’t worry about the mistakes you make just learn from them.

10.) What future projects or goals do you in mind for your work with comic books, children’s books or your program with kids? How do you see your career and impact evolving over the next few years?

I’ve just released the second book of the Harvest of the Robolords which is the crossover with fellow artist Jim Gullett. I have the 8th issue of the Harvest ready for printing. I started a new horror comic entitled Village of Blood and have the design for a new children’s book. I will be doing a one-day summer camp class and I’m scheduled to do a fall and spring class The Comic Book Club for Thompson Rec.

When it comes to my seeing where my career will take me, I never look that far forward I’m just enjoying the time doing what I have been doing as well as sharing that with people at conventions I work at. I hope the kids will keep using their imagination and creativity into their future. In the end I just hope people enjoyed what I have put out there.

If you are interested in learning more about Ed, follow his Facebook Page here or find him on Amazon! You can also check out his recent LIVE interview at WINY here!

Ed Stover Bio

Coming from a small, secluded town in Connecticut named Brooklyn. I always enjoyed reading and collecting comics with the dream of creating my own comic. Drawing comics was never looked at as a legitimate art form to my teachers in school, so I was never driven to continue with it. Inspired by artists like Kirby, Byrne, Perez, Sinnott, Ditko and the Buscema brothers, I would attempt to draw my own comic book, but life and work would always end up putting that plan on the back burner. It wasn’t until an old friend of mine, Ken Bouthillier, had a life-changing health emergency that the idea of doing my own comic book would resurface. After doing a fan art for his incredible Zindagi series, he convinced me I should do my own comic. I wanted to do a series that involved some of my favorite subjects, like horror, science fiction, and superheroes. Starting with a basic idea and story that would kind of give homage to the old horror movies and comics I laid out the start of the Harvest. I looked to it to be an 8 page comic but when I put out the story I found myself pushing it to 12 pages. The first attempt I started was drawn and then inked using Copic markers. Never a fan of my own artwork I decided to scan the pages into Photoshop and ink with that which punched it up a lot in my eyes. With some help and drive given to me by Ken as well as the pandemic I was able to knuckle down and finalize my first issue. The Harvest starts off with a traditional horror/science fiction story outline but will slowly peel away to something more out of this world. Should be an interesting ride.

At the present time, the Harvest is on its 8th issue and the first 2 sold out in months of their release. A crossover with a fellow artist added 2 more books to the collection. I then released my first children’s book «Where Will My Imagination Take Me» and a trade paperback collection of my first 6 issues of the Harvest and book 1 of the Harvest of the Robolords on Amazon. Currently, I am teaching classes through Thompson Rec to middle schoolers on how to make their own comic books. As well as helping others in their dreams of being published.

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*all photos used with permission from Ed Stover.