I started Captain Baculum when I was 17-18. At that age you’re a sponge for the things around you. I watched Futurama seasons 1-4 round and round on DVD. I watched BriTaNick and 5SecondFilms and Weebl & Bob on YouTube… But here are the top three things that influenced Captain Baculum.
If you’re interested in the behind the scenes of the project, check out the physical editions which contains extras and authors notes.
1. asdfmovie
One of my earliest collaborations with TomSka was on the first asdfmovie video. I learned from this project that you don’t need super drawing skill to make someone laugh or tell a story… The jokes and ideas and voices were all fun enough to work in spite of the limited style.
Not only that, but a restrictive style can actually make you a better artist. It forces you to think within some guidelines about the best way to show something.
In the years that have passed since asdfmovie 1 millions of fans have enjoyed it around the world and its style has been honed into something sharply recognisable.
2. Eddsworld
Long before I had the pleasure to work as Head of Production on Eddsworld, I was Edd’s friend Bing. I even got to voice a bad guy called Evil Director Man in Spares.
Eddsworld has a deceptively simple style with characters who follow Matt Groening’s rule that a character should be ‘immediately identifiable from their silhouette’. It’s a rule I live by when developing new characters.
In the years I was working on this comic I was lucky enough to be friends with Edd and see his sketch books and his WIPs, and later to be involved very directly in the production of the show. Its influence is felt on every page, or at least the good ones.
3. Star Trek, Sci-fi TV, and movies
I was raised on prime time science fiction like Star Trek, Stargate, The X-Files and even weird little shows nobody cares about like Sliders. I’ve seen it all. And I always loved how genre television like sci-fi can tell small, intimate stories about personal growth using big themes and ideas. Deep Space Nine (my favourite) features some of the best—Jake Sisko figuring out who he wants to be, Dr. Bashir fighting his own anxiety over growing old, and Dax literally speaking to versions of her own psyche to solve mysteries.
As I worked on my first comic book as a teenager I subconsciously drew from the television I loved. Even today when I’m writing new projects I look to Star Trek and shows like it for storytelling tips.
So those are the three top influences for my indie comic Captain Baculum, and undoubtably whatever I do next as well… – C x
