Interview With Disintegration Street Creator Brenden Swan

I.C.U. had the chance to talk with Brenden Swan about his newest project - Disintegration Street - Now funding on IndieGogo

Your new project DisintegrationStreet Vol. 1 is funding on Indiegogo. Can you tell our readers- What is DisintegrationStreet?
   DisintegrationStreet is an isolated town where few come to visit and even fewer ever leave.  Filled with bizarre inhabitants, main character Charlotte finds herself forced to solve the mysteries of this town that doesn't take too kindly to outsiders. The dead coming back to life, children being spirited away, a dead body fused into a wall, a man whose every girlfriend commits suicide, and a cult of male virgins. Charlotte has her work cut out for her, and that's just the first book.                      DisintegrationStreet is also written as one word, like the series Discworld, haha. Just something I always thought gave an impact.

The world of DisintegrationStreet sounds like a crazy place with supernatural elements and more. The main Character is a new resident to the street. What are her first impressions?
   Seeing a child sucked into a sinkhole almost immediately after arriving, Charlotte finds a few new "companions" that want her help in finding out what's going on. Charlotte would rather not, but when it's found out she may be somehow connected, she finds herself forced to help.

​What were some of the inspirations for the story?
   The story of DisintegrationStreet was something I started thinking up over a decade ago. It's inspired by the 1995 David Bowie album, "Outside." Both stories revolving around a mystery involving bizarre characters with a sense of something unsettling and nonsensical. But I stick to just ghosts instead of Bowie's window demons.

​The art style has a clear Manga influence. Can you tell us who some of your influences are?
   Some influences include horror manga artists like Kazuo Umezu and Junji Ito. Shotaro Ishinomori's Legend of Zelda comic is also a work I consider the gold standard in what a color manga can look like.  Another big influence would be video game artist Tetsuhiko Kikuchi, who did many games for Treasure including Gunstar Heroes and Mischief Makers.  He may not be the most skillful artist, but his characters really had personality and unique designs.

The book is 165 pages and it is available in color or black and white. This must be a huge undertaking. What has the creation process been like?
   After last year's black and white, 40 page Strangelove, I wanted to step it up. To make this easier, I tried to slightly change things up in terms of the style.  I experimented with a new method for drawing backgrounds. Trying to match the uneasy vibe of the titular town, no rulers were used in making the backgrounds and they're drawn almost haphazardly. You can see as the comic goes on, perspective lines become more warped as I become more confident in using this style.                Having this focus on learning makes the many hours more engaging.

​You've said that all the color pages are colored traditionally. Can you explain this process for our readers?
    All the pages are first penciled, then inked.  When it comes time to color, my media of choice is using Copic Markers. These are added right on the inked pages.  So the original art pages that are on sale during the campaign look quite nice and colorful indeed.

​You also have your successful previous project, Strangelove: I Want to Be Chrome available as an add on. What should backers know about that project?
   Strangelove is the story about a killer robot programmed to want to fall in love. The only problem, the man she falls in love with already has a girlfriend. The "killer" part doesn't help either.

What do you see as the future for DisintegrationStreet? A Volume 2 perhaps?
​   DisintegrationStreet is planned to be a 3 volume story. These books are being made with the crowdfunding model in mind. As such, while there is an overarching narrative, each volume wraps up its story so you're not hanging on the edge of a cliffhanger for a year.

Back DisintegrationStreet on Indiegogo

Follow Brenden Swan on Twitter: @Brenden_Swan