Broken Frontier

From humble beginnings on the convention circuit last year, independent publishers Orang Utan are continuing their plans for world-domination with a foothold in America and a forthcoming UK tour, where they will be displaying a taste of their new titles as well as some established fan favorites.

2007 was a hectic year for the OC crew. They gained notoriety at the London and Bristol Expos where they whipped up excitement generated mainly by their ambitious debut Eleventh Hour, an anthology of dark and exciting sci-fi and horror tales brought to life by writers and artists from around the world. The book garnered critical acclaim from the indie press and positive comparisons with 2000AD cemented their status as a company to watch out for.

In late January this year, it was announced that they had conquered the Atlantic and joined forces with Trey Wickwire, a union set to produce the eagerly awaited Mamluk, a sci-fi action epic in the tradition of Starship Troopers, produced by a fine team of talented artists such as 10th Muse inker Chad Blakley. The move emphasises their determination to gain exposure in a country that dominates the comic industry and proves that the company are serious about expanding logistically and creatively. 'If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere' is the motto of all comic creators when contemplating the American marketplace and with Trey as a new addition to the company, the boys and girls at Orang Utan are on the first rung of a ladder to mainstream success on the world stage. The company also offers Orang Utan Comics Studio as a service, from which all aspects of professional comic creation and design are available.

Founding members Peter Rogers and Ian Sharman have been busy creating impressive looking titles such as The Intergalactic Adventures of Slam Ridley and Young Gods, as well as releasing a collectors' edition of Eleventh Hour which includes volume 1 and 2, new art and improved lettering; a great package for indie enthusiasts who missed the chance of owning their sell-out book last year. However it isn't all space opera and super-heroes. It was recently announced that we can expect a fresh injection of insane humour from Baby Boomers, a new title described as Calvin and Hobbes meets Spy vs Spy, and set to be ready for the tables in '08.

Confirmed dates this year include the forthcoming Web and Mini Comics Thing and Manchester Collectomania in March, as well as the Bristol Expo in May. So save your pennies because it looks like an exciting year ahead for fans of small press.

Before the convention season kicks-off, Broken Frontier spoke with Ian Sharman to learn the secret of independent success, how the move across the pond has affected the company and what we can expect from Orang Utan in the future.

BROKEN FRONTIER: Did you expect the company to grow so fast?

IAN SHARMAN: No, not at all. The rate at which we've grown has really taken both myself and Peter Rogers (the Co-Founder of Orang Utan Comics) by surprise. When you consider that we only officially launched Orang Utan Comics in May '07, at the Bristol International Comic Expo, the fact that we already have books that have been picked up by larger publishers is astounding. It's almost grown too fast, if that's possible, and we've recently had to take a step back, re-evaluate what it is we're doing, and what our aims are. We are, first and foremost, a studio, seeking to promote the work of our studio members, bring their work to the attention of larger publishers, and also to find homes for our titles with larger publishers. The publishing side is a secondary aspect of Orang Utan Comics, and was never meant to be the main focus - but it's taken off so fast that we began to lose focus on why we established Orang Utan Comics in the first place

BF: Are you surprised at the success of Orang Utan Comics?

IS: Yes and no. Obviously, I'm surprised that things have taken off so fast for us. Comics is a tough industry and there are a lot of people out there clamoring for the attention of a fairly finite number of comics fans. That said though, I've always felt that if you put out quality work, people will recognise that and reward it. Plus, we're experiencing the beginning of a boom in the comics industry in the UK, it's a great time to be making comics here. Of course, this all depends on how you measure success - sure, we've sold a few comics and got some great reviews, but it'll be a while before the huge investment in time, effort and money really starts to pay off for us.

BF: What was it like working with creators from around the world for Eleventh Hour?

IS: Fantastic! One of the great things about Orang Utan Comics is that we've helped to kick start the careers of some artists who might not have got the exposure otherwise. People like Diego Simone and Scott Larson - who are now working on books like Kong: King of Skull Island and Starship Troopers as a direct result of their work on Eleventh Hour. I love that Eleventh Hour is a real melting pot of styles and influences. In the latest issue, the first to be published by AAM/Markosia, who picked up the book after our second issue (Eleventh Hour Vol 1 will be published by AAM/Markosia in June and will be available to pre-order from Diamond in April), you can see a combination of influences from American comics, European comics and Japanese comics (manga). I honestly believe that we're doing something very new with Eleventh Hour and hope that, in the future, it's regarded as being as influential as other antholgy titles like 2000AD and Heavy Metal.

BF: Why did you decide on appointing Trey Wickwire as your American rep?

IS: Why have an American rep? Or why pick Trey? Having an American rep was something we wanted to do from a very early point in our development of Orang Utan Comics. There's no getting away from the fact that the biggest market for comics (outside of Japan) is in the US. If we're going to be successful, then we need to have a presence Stateside. Trey was an obvious choice for us, we got to know him during our time with Visionary Comics Studio. When Trey left VCS and was looking for a new home for Mamluk, he felt that OUC was the obvious choice, and we felt that he was the obvious choice for our American Rep. Trey runs a small convention in his home town in Texas, and has some great connections with retailers in the U.S., so we're hoping that he's going to help us develop a real following in the U.S.A.

BF: Both yourself and Peter have a direct input in the books. Do you think it is important for the owners to be creatively involved with their products?

IS: At this level of publishing I think you have to be - or else things just won't get done. For us it's essential, the whole point of establishing Orang Utan Comics was to get our work out there, to get noticed. The seed that grew into Orang Utan Comics was sown during a talk Geoff Johns gave at the Bristol International Comic Expo in 2006, where he advised new writers that the best way to break into the industry was to publish their own work. That's why we formed OUC, to publish Eleventh Hour and get our work out there. I know that for Pete and myself, our long term aim is to write for Marvel, DC, Image or Dark Horse, and the best way for us to achieve that is to develop our reputations as talented, imaginative and reliable writers. That said, I don't think that Orang Utan Comics would cease to exist if we all got writing jobs with big name publishers - it will always be there as a great platform for promoting our work, and keeping our fans up to date with what we're doing in the industry.

Come back on Thursday for the second part of this interview where Ian talks about breaking into the U.S. market, self-publishing, the convention circuit and Orang Utan's future plans...