Interview with the Creator of Abandon Your Wings - Novoa

I.C.U. had the chance to talk with Novoa, the creator of the webcomic - Abandon Your Wings - Which is now funding a physical version on IndieGogo

Abandon Your Wings is the comic you are currently crowdfunding. What is Abandon Your Wings about?
   AYW is a story centered around two female adventures, Nephia and Victoria. Victoria is an unusual elf with a high bounty placed on her head. She desires to find a new home to create a peaceful life away from her pursuers. Nephia is a mysterious woman that is magically sprung into Victoria's life one day. She is an experienced fighter but she speaks a completely different language than everyone else. These two protect each other, become like sisters, and help one another find their own homes. It may seem like an innocent standard fantasy story, but just like in real life, everything can change in the blink of an eye. 

There are definite manga influences present in the style of Abandon Your Wings. What were some of the specific influences in your creation of AYW? 
   My art has always been inspired by Daisuke Ishiwatari (Guilty Gear) and Kazuki Takahashi (Yu-Gi-Oh). The worlds they created mixed realism and fantasy perfectly and I will always play and cherish their games. I originally tried to learn from their distinct art styles, but like most artists, I’ve found my own path to my style.
​   In terms of AYW, believe it or not, this story started with me trying to make a parody comic of American horror movies. Of course, I couldn’t use the licensed killers (like Jason and Freddy) so I decided to create my own story with the same elements and I added fantasy to the mix. I looked towards making it serious like Berserk and Goblin Slayer, while keeping the dark comedy present.

Abandon Your Wings is your webcomic that is now being crowdfunded to make a physical version. We've seen several successful comics do this in the past. Why bring it to IndieGogo?
  A lot of artists that I follow have used Indiegogo and each one of them has said great things about the site.  Also with the content in my story being meant for adults, I always have problems with the dreaded “Terms of Service” that most sites have. Indiegogo has a great track record with artists and welcoming their comics on the site. I always planned to have my art eventually become physical, but I personally love the webcomic model and will always have my comic available to read.

One of the nice things about this model is that the comic is already complete. When do you expect to ship the comic?
   I would hope that everything can be sent out to the fans in January, soon after the campaign closes. All I need to do is get all the files together and send everything to the printers. I set the estimate to April just in case a problem ever pops up.

​Can you tell us a bit about your background?
   I’m just an average dude from Baltimore, Maryland. I grew up in the 90's, loving everything pop culture, but was always more drawn to anime and manga. I’ve been drawing all my life, but it was more of a hobby when I was growing up. I went through some dark times, but after overcoming all that, I knew that I wanted to be an artist. I started learning and taking art seriously around 2014 and I’ve been trying to become a full-time artist ever since.

How long have you been creating this story?
   I’ve been working on AYW since 2017. It’s my first time writing and making a comic, so I took my time with it. It was originally meant to be a one-shot and just a few stories, but I just fell in love with it and couldn’t stop. From designing to completion it took about a year to finish Chapter 1. Then with some experience under my belt I was able to finish Chapter 2 in, or around, 3 months. Now I’m here and I’m excited to get Chapter 3 up and running and continue the series.

What do you see as the future for Abandon Your Wings?
   I’m aiming for (at the very least) that 'Chapter 200' mark and make sure my story has a proper conclusion. I’m never gonna give up on AYW. Succeed or fail, I want to finish my character’s story. If other cool opportunities pop up for AYW, then that would be the cherry on top. It might take me awhile to reach those heights, but I couldn’t be happier doing anything else.

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Back Abandon Your Wings on IndieGogo

Follow Novoa on Twitter: @DEVOCHE_