| Resurrected Man: The Jae Lizhini Interview! |
[Nov. 27th, 2006|07:10 pm] |
I forget the circumstance exactly, but Jae Lizhini popped up at JLU: 2001 one day with a desire to write. And he did! He took Resurrection Man and made him something. His Green Arrow is acclaimed in our community, and the League of Kingdoms Annuals are all his; plot, ideas and flavor. Too, Jae (along w/ Kim J) stepped up and kept JLU running through my dark time a few months back, and for that I am in his/their debt. About time I give something back. Enjoy…
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To start, tell us a bit about yourself; family, job, things like that. Whatever you would like to comfortably share…
Well I was the second of three children, sisters on both sides of me, born in this little town called South Haverford in Wales. I was a military brat so I did a lot traveling, growing up going from school to school, my Dad left early on and my mom had to work a lot so I was essentially raised by my eldest sister. Umm job... I work for Jewelry Television.
What Sites are you currently writing for?
Fan fiction wise, just JLU200l.
What Titles are you working on?
I'm still writing Green Arrow, and trying my best to finish up League of Kingdoms at the moment for JLU2001. I have stuff on the back burner, I want to get to it some point, but it'd be silly mentioning all of those, in case I flake out and what I said is on the web forever to taunt me.
Do you write for any Sites outside of Fanfic, or our group of Fanfic Sites, i.e. other types of Fanfic, Writing Clubs, etc.? Give us some Links...
I've written a few pieces over at the Cornstalker forums…
http://www.cornstalker.com/forums/
I also take part in a writing community, called Handbag Demons.
Would you like to write professionally, or is this just for fun- a hobby or something to help along other aspects of your career. I know you do fantastic Web comics, and want to get into the Film Industry. Tell us how it all ties together.
What a good question Curt, and the short answer is that it’s just a hobby. As in the method in which Fan fiction is written, I don't see myself wanting to peruse writing in that form. That is if I ever do any professional fiction writing, I'd want it to be something I can create from the ground up. I would not want to write for Marvel or DC.
The sure answer about writing in general is a bit of a strange conundrum for me. See I love the idea of disposable media. I like doing web comics, posting fiction on the web, writing songs and putting them on the web as MP3's, and things such as that. It’s brilliant, I can create things I want to create without a worry. Yet one can not help but wonder what it'd be like to get something published? it'd be a bit of an ego boost I think, to create something that people would both market and pay you for. And what can I say.. of all the things I do from playing piano to illustration, the one skill I have the most faith in is my writing ability, and I've thought about doing a novel at some point with an aim of getting published.
Now to tie it all up, I don't know I mean, sure there are elements of writing when you do a comic, and also in the movie making business, but I don't really consider what I do in fan fiction, to really be that helpful in those forms of writing, beyond the obvious, learning of grammar. as writing a comic script, a screenplay, and a serial fiction (fan fiction or otherwise) are different beasts entirely.
How did you get into writing Fanfic? Through comic books, or some other media?
Well I was doing chat Role play pretty hard core in those days, and it got kind of slow so I started doing these really long stories as posts, for characters I played. It was around this time that someone showed me fanfiction.net, and I thought maybe I should be doing that instead of writing these long posts that just get erased when the server reset.
My first attempt at Fan fiction was a Vampire the Masquerade serial, about a Gangrel Private Detective. Also around the same time I did an original team of New Mutants set in the universe portrayed in the TV show Mutant X, called Mutant Zero.
Cool. I’ve played the Masquerade a time or two in my RPG days. I’d like to read that.
How did you find our Fanfic community? What led you here?
Well I actually don't recall how I originally found out about the Sites doing Comic Fan fiction, I know early on in my days at Fanfiction.net I found that MV-2 (?) site, and read through some of it. It was later on as I was looking for more comic fan fiction I stumbled onto the HEROES page. I looked through and read a lot of fiction, some sites like Unstable Molecules really peeked my interest but they were no more, then I stumbled on this little site called JLU2001, and the rest as they say... was history.
We assume that you enjoy the writing and Fanfic, but are there things you would like to see done differently or changed in Fanfic?
I honestly do harbor a love for the community. But there are some things, some of which I've been vocal about in the past that I would like to see changed, or improved upon. There's a lot of potential in the community, yet at the same thing, there's so much weighing it down, both as a stepping stone for writers as well as those who do it for fun. However for sake of space I'm just going to address three concerns of mine.
Firstly, and to me the most important is the way people act and treat others. I quit the HEROES yahoo group because of this, but I still see it all the time on Live Journals and it bothers me. I understand the need to be vocal about things you don't like, I've been an activist most of my natural born life, however pointing fingers and bashing people openly and without concern doesn't help anything. If you don't like someone then don't speak to them, if you don't like how someone does something either talk to them privately and explain your situation, or speak of it without pointing fingers. It’s so very destructive when people openly flame people for their thoughts, opinions, and skills in writing. It doesn't help as we've seen so many times before. I know were not all adults, but we can at least pretend to be when were in an open forum.
Secondly, The lack of options in fan fiction. I mean how many ways can you write spider-man or superman. Don't get me wrong, I understand that most people are Marvel and DC fans, as they are the most popular companies in comics. And there are sites out there that do give us a few options, there's the 2099UGR site, Multiverse, image reborn, and original sites that are ran by people in the community. However the options at least to me seem really limited. Its not so much the fault of people wanting to make the sites, as much as there are problems actually getting people to support the sites. Most fiction writers appear to only want to write spandex, and very popular titles. I'd think that there are people out there that do enjoy other titles, as Darkhorse, Tokyopop, IDW, DDP, and so on seem to be getting pretty good numbers all things considering, and it'd be nice to see more of it. Not just as a writer but also as a reader. I mean does anyone want to read six different universes' adaptation of the X-men every month? I know I don't.
Thirdly, education. As a whole there is a lot of complaining about not enough reviewing and critics. Now this is true, but more so I think that there isn't any open forums for writers to ask questions, get critiques, and learn from people who are good at specific things. I am lucky and have a few very good friends like Steve Crosby and Mike Rasbury who will look at my work and tell me what sucks. This helps a lot. Not everyone can deal with this though. So I wonder if there was some sort of voluntary committee set up where people with the skin to do so could take part in. And sure there will be a few sour apples who think that this kind of committee would stroke their ego. in every other community I'm in those type of people are shunned, until they can grow up. And no, I'm not taking back my first point... you don't have to be mean to these people, just simply let them know if they can't act with tact when people critically review their work, then they are not wanted in the community, and that if they can get past their insecurities they are welcome back.
A good point Jae. Anyone up for this?
What other things do you do in your spare time? Any special hobbies or interests you care to share?
Hi my name is Jae I don't believe we've met [laughter] Just kidding, I actually do a ton of things in my spare time. In music I play guitar, and piano plus I'm classically trained in singing; there's also my mad obsession with my music collection that continues to grow to obscene proportions. As guessed I also enjoy visual arts, though the last couple of years I've stuck mainly to drawing, I also have a love for the finer arts like painting, and sculpting. I've also recently found a returned passion for photography, both modeling and taking photographs myself. We can thank my girlfriend, Carina for that one.
Also I enjoy watching films (been just devouring golden age cinema lately), animation, comics, Clothing, Makeup, Reading, and of course activism.
Is there any certain Title that you would like to write down the line, or any specific Site that you might want to write for?
Of course there's a few. Characters Lobo (which you know about), Hellboy, Morbius, Zombie and I've always wanted to do a Devil May Cry series. Sites, well I'd love to do something for Strange Tales, at some point in the future.
Outside of Fanfic, what are your reading habits? Who’s your favorite author or series, or book?
This past year I've read more books than I have in the last three years, around fifty books or so. My favorite current writer is probably Clive Barker. Older stuff I love Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, William S Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac probably the best, but there are SO many. My favorite book ever is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Favorite series currently the Vampire Hunter D series by Hideyuki Kikuchi.
How about in comics- do you have a favorite Title, author or artist?
Without a doubt its Fables. There are other good stuff going on right now like what’s happening in Daredevil, and Hellblazer. My favorite comic’s writer I'm going to have to go with Ed Brubaker, or Harold Sakuishi. On the artist side of things, old favorites Mike Mignola, Yashiro Nightow and Jae Lee. However I've really been digging Mike Lark, and Leonardo Darco here recently.
What’s your favorite comic book story, or storyline? How about in Fanfic?
Favorite comic book story... I'm going to have to go with Frank Miller's 300 or the march of the Wooden Soldiers story in Fables.
Fan fiction, that’s a tougher question, probably a toss up between Steve Crosby's Joker's bane in Batman @ JLU, and Steve John's Reaper miniseries at Altered Visions.
What’s your favorite movie?
Just one? Oh I don't know. Tron is up there, as is Dark Crystal, and my first real film love Universal's 1933 adaptation of Dracula. And I can't mention movies without mentioning the works of guys like Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, and David Lynch.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I get inspired by a lot of things: friends, an interesting day, random people, strange events, a falling apart building, words whispered to me in a darkened theater, the way things make me feel, the sensations of a touch, a new part of a city, seeing something truly extraordinary for the first time, the way a piece of art touches me. And of course these emotions are usually cross referenced with an idea that really makes me think or excited, sometimes these ideas are found in a book, or a movie, or sometimes just somehow populate naturally. There's a lot of ideas I get, and I have no idea how it got there, I just get this intermingling of pictures, and emotion that just seem to scream out at me from the void that is my brain.
What are your writing habits? Do you write every day, many hours, once a week, or what?
I try to write a few times a week, but lately my “sittings” have been quite scattered, I really write when I can and feel comfortable doing so.
Do you have a Blog or LJ? Any other Internet activity you would like to share? Again, give us Links...
My Live journal is under the name Phactorri. My webcomic is at
http://www.decypher.comicgen.com
Do you like to listen to music as you write? If so, what and which, or some other background noise, like the television or DVD’s? Or maybe you prefer silence when writing? Who's your favorite band/artist?
I can't write with music, it’s impossible. If music is on, I'm concentrating on the music, more than I am the writing. Sometimes the TV will be on but it'll be something random that I have just forgotten about.
Favorite Band/artist... Well I'll do another short list, Wolfsheim is an amazing German Synthpop band who I've been desperately in love with for a number of years. Giuseppe Verdi was an amazing composer and I'll always have a soft spot for him especially the Opera Rigoletto. Hot Water Music, has this corrupted beauty which I've never been able to fully comprehend. Sarah Brightman gives me weak knees. Marc Almond (of the Soft Cell Fame) also makes me want to love everything. Social Distortion somehow put music to my youth. And I can't really leave out Funker Vogt, one of the greatest EBM acts in the history of Mankind.
What book are you reading now?
The Crisis of Desire by Robin Hardy (with David Groff).
What’s your favorite reading genre?
I don't have one. I tend to move around the spectrum. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of biographies, and 19th century Literature, however.
How long have you been writing stories- Fanfic or otherwise?
I’ve been writing since I was allowed to do so, which was when I was seven years old or so. Fan fiction, three years now I think.
Any upcoming events in your life you’d like to share: births, marriage, graduating college, etc.?
Let’s see, me and my girlfriend's anniversary is coming up New Years Eve, I have two friends expecting sometime in January. And November 25th is the birthday of one of my dearest friends.
Happy birthday to them. Sorry this got posted after.
Where about do you live? Be as specific as you like or as vague: town, state, time zone, continent, etc.
Currently I'm living in Knoxville, Tennessee in the United States.
Any dream assignments in Fanfic that you would love to tackle like a massive crossover or reinventing a character?
I suppose there's always a little of that somewhere deep in one’s mind. As mentioned earlier I'd love to do a Devil May Cry series. In comic Fan fiction, there's a few characters that I have an inkling to tackle, but the pull has never really amounted to the time I don't have. I would love to work on an updated version of Adam Strange. There's the pull to bring Timothy Hunter into adulthood, as well as the revamping of Bushido from Teen Titans into a more Vertigo like realm.
As to massive crossovers I don't really think in those terms. My mind is usually set telling stories about fractured people, and when there's a ton of characters it makes it hard to really fully identity with the individuals. When I wrote the arc in the Titans, the one thing that really bothered me was the fact I didn't really get enough character development going, especially for the “Atom's Teen Titan's” group, many of which who died. More often than not the things that drive me in stories are the characters. And if there are too many characters than either people get overwhelmed by each character, or the characters get lost in the plot. I know my limitations, and I don't want to write Fan Fiction's Grapes of Wrath.
What’s your favorite Title to read currently in Fanfic?
As mentioned earlier I haven't been getting out to read things as I should, but from those few titles I do read, I'm really enjoying Bertham Gibbs' JSA at JLU2001, Your Fantastic Four at Omega, Mike Rasbury's Dr Strange at Strange Tales, as well as the old favorite Steve Crosby's Batman at JLU.
Give us a closing. Now's the time to hype and shout out to all your peeps. Pimp yourself...
Making me get in before the buzzer. Okay lets see. First off I'd like to thank you for everything Curt. If it wasn't for you, I don't think I'd still be doing this Fan fiction thing, along with all the great people at JLU2001 who really make everything fun. Chris Munn and Mike Rasbury as well deserve a round of applause, I really find them second to none in keeping me in some what of a Fan Fiction circle when I really seclude myself from the community like I have the last little bit.
I want to thank all the people who read my stories, the buzz I tend to get with Green Arrow, from people have always been a heavy drive for me to continue doing it. And it does mean a lot even if I don't always show it, every time people mention it being great, or when I see people replicating the styles I use in writing. It’s amazing to me the way people respond to my writing, I can't believe it sometimes.
Also I want to mention how great it is that Bowie Sessions is out there doing Fan Fiction, now. He's a friend of mine from ages ago when I first started doing a lot of the intraweb stuff, and seeing him out there amongst the pastime is quite nice.
And in closing thanks for asking me to do this interview Curt. It was a bit of a shock actually, being how I do one ongoing series at the moment. And to those reading this, thank you for lending us some of your time.
Not a shock at all, Jae. You’ve been more instrumental than you realize I think, in the Fanfic Community. Thanks for participating, and everything else!
Curt |
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