Aside from the costumes and panels, NYC Comic Con introduced me to a lot of cool indie comic companies. This time, I had the pleasure of speaking with Taylor Sterling, a comic illustrator and the owner of Red Arcis Comics. Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Taylor made his way over from the Midwest to the East Coast where he currently resides. Taking some time out of his hectic schedule, I got the chance to dabble in the mind of the artist. Kudos to the entire Red Arcis Team!

1. First off, thanks for participating. I noticed you interned at Marvel Comics for awhile. What was that like?
Interning at Marvel was incredible! It really gave me a solid foundation to build upon and a unique perspective on the comic book industry as well.

2. Part of your company, Red Arcis Entertainment, mission statement is to “create ambitious and inventive tales that shine a light on diverse and underrepresented characters with unique perspectives on the world we live in.” I found that to be interesting. Can you possibly elaborate on what you mean by that?
Absolutely. Growing up most comic characters looked one way…pretty much nothing like me or the kids I grew up with. Fast forward a few years and that issue is still present. So at the inception of this comic company and my vision for OKEMUS I wanted to tell an incredible story about a character that all children and people overall could relate too. My favorite superheroes in film were the Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, and Wesley Snipes types of characters so I definitely infused some of that cool into my characters.

3. How did the idea for the Okemus characters/series come about?
OKEMUS believe it or not is something I had a dream about..wild right! Some dreams you never remember but in this case it was an inspiration to create something.

4. Sometimes, I draw a blank when it comes to ideas. How do you deal with artist block?
Artist Block SUCKS! Unfortunately, we all struggle with it from time to time. Really I think artist block comes from being either overwhelmed or sleep deprived (in my case), but it also happens when you haven’t drawn or created in a while. When you take too many or too long of a break the creative juices begin to stop flowing. I took a one week break after NYCC 2015 and tried to get back to work and couldn’t. Then I had to push through that block just to get back to normal. So I guess the best advice is to stay consistently creating even if you want to take a break. This is a marathon not a sprint 😉

..growing up most comic characters looked one way…pretty much nothing like me or the kids I grew up with..

5. As a comic book fan, I’m sure you have a few favorites. What would be 3 (in your opinion) MUST READS for any new comic book fan?
Oh yeah man!! I got tons of favorites. Hard to name them all, but I’ll a few of my MUST READS:
1) Superman: RED SON (one of the best Supes stories hands down)
2) Batman: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS (we all know this one lol)
3) Swamp Thing: SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING (one of Alan Moores great masterpieces)

BONUS:
Spider-Man: Torment (a masterpiece by the great Todd McFarlane)
Daredevil: THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR (this book heavily inspired the netflix series)

6. With comics reaching the mainstream due to so many successful movies, tv shows, netflix series, etc Are you happy with the current state of the comic book/super hero sub-culture? What do you feel can be improved on if anything?
Yes I am incredibly happy with how successful the genre has become I just wish there were more diverse characters in major roles. But that really starts at having more diverse fans supporting those characters and of course creating their own.

7. I’ve been into Dragon Ball Z for as long as I can remember. I saw the “Light of Hope” live action film on YouTube months back and loved it. I noticed you did the official poster for it. Are you a DBZ fan? And how did that connection between you & their team happen?
Yessss!! DBZ is the greatest. I’ve been a huge anime fan since I was small and OKEMUS itself has some cool DBZ elements to it. Btw, I also did the storyboards for the Light of Hope film. I got linked up with them from my good friend and writer who was working with Robot Underdog at the time.

8. Outside of the art realm, what are 2 other things you truly enjoy doing?
Art is my everything but when I am not creating I’m usually exercises or going out to eat and or watching new and exciting films. I also volunteer for homeless shelters and organizations quite a bit.

9. What’s one random fact about you that most people wouldn’t know? 
I am a first degree Black Belt in karate and I also rap from time to time lmao….CAN I KICK IT?? (YES U CANNNN!!!)

10. Let’s say you could time travel for a sec. If you could talk to the Taylor Sterling of 5 years ago, what advice would you offer him? And what would you like to see of Taylor Sterling in the next 5 years?
Time Travel. Love the concept and that is explored in OKEMUS! Wow I think I would tell myself to stay consistent, stay hungry to get better, believe in thyself, and never give up on your dream no matter the odds!

Any final words?
OKEMUS is having an IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds for a reprint of issue 0 and the next issue. Please check it out here: http://bit.ly/Okemus

You can find Taylor at:

http://www.taylorsterling.com
http://www.redarcisentertainment.com
instagram: @taylorjsterling
twitter: @_TaylorSterling | @redarciscomics