Yesterday we introduced you the unique information of the most recent* comics writer on the market, Dangerous Egg, which sees social media star moistcr1tikal, aka penguinz0, aka Charlie White teaming up with merchandising agency Warren James and expertise administration agency Mana Expertise Group. The oldsters behind the brand new firm had been sort sufficient to sit down down for an interview to clarify their plans – which embrace a complete line of comics from standard content material creators, and different media – an animated model of the primary situation has already been made and extra is on the best way.
Name them YouTubers, influencers, content material creators or web personalities – they’re among the most well-known individuals on earth. White, also referred to as penguinz0, began making movies when he was simply 11 years previous. Now 28, he has 11.7 followers on YouTube, the place he delivers deadpan social commentary on a wide range of points. He’s additionally behind a Twitch channel with 4.6 million followers, and the esports workforce Moistesports.
If all of it appears fairly removed from comedian books, properly, content material creators are similar to the remainder of us, and wish to make comedian books. White teamed along with his enterprise accomplice, Matt Phillips to begin making comics – and fortuitously Phillips has a sister named Stephanie who is without doubt one of the hottest comics writers on the market. By these connections, they’ve introduced on Robert Meyers, a comics business veteran, who has additional introduced them to comics creators.
In fact, for those who’ve been studying The Beat for any period of time, making comics is a logistical problem – so the Dangerous Egg people have teamed up with Warren James, an organization that does merchandising for content material creators, to deal with among the logistics.
I believed this was an attention-grabbing have a look at constructing an organization from the bottom up – with assets from outdoors the comics business. So learn on to learn how it name got here collectively, what different plans they’ve and likewise…what the hell is slap preventing?
ComicsBeat: The place did GodSlap come from?
Charlie White: I’ve been large into this little underground sport referred to as slapping, the place these actually big guys simply slap one another. Then I used to be speaking to a good friend who was happening about how he’s not likely a fan of the Star Wars universe anymore. And he wished to work on his personal universe and I mentioned, properly, what if we did one thing in a slapping universe? As a result of I used to be simply so large into this sport after which we simply branched it off into one thing outrageous which birthed GodSlap as we all know it as we speak. I believe it’s been virtually three years now of simply getting every part collectively.
ComicsBeat: Matt, are you able to clarify the place you are available?
Matt Phillips: I’m Charlie’s supervisor/ enterprise accomplice. We simply form of do every part collectively. So as soon as he and Jackson had the thought, we simply form of got here collectively and began engaged on it. And my sister Stephanie [Phillips – Harley Quinn, Batman] writes comics as properly and helped us get our foot within the door in every single place. So it simply form of fell in place.
ComicsBeat: Are you able to simply discuss concerning the relationship with Warren James or the way it suits in with the entire merchandising angle a bit?
Charlie White: So once we [came up with the concept] it actually wasn’t taking a look at it as a bit of merchandise, we actually wished to create a enjoyable and alluring universe. It’s primarily geared in the direction of an older viewers – I’m certain for those who’ve checked out it, it’s fairly violent, and excessive. So the thought actually wasn’t to focus too arduous on, wow, have a look at all of the methods this might generate cash, it was extra, we have now a extremely enjoyable universe with a narrative we’d actually like to inform, and the comedian ebook medium suits tremendous properly, as a result of it’s one everyone knows, it’s one all of us love. It’s only a actually nice [form of] storytelling to get all of this throughout. We simply checked out it as a extremely enjoyable instrument to ship some nice content material.
ComicsBeat: Are you able to inform us extra about how your slapping universe works?
Charlie White: It’s set in a cyberpunk universe the place every part’s somewhat on the reducing fringe of sci fi, a number of wild excessive know-how. And the strongest individuals on the planet are those which are in a position to make use of their palms, and so they use slaps in several methods. A few of them are tremendous power slaps, a few of them can management time by slapping, simply actually goofy, foolish methods of utilizing slapping. Our first main [character] is The Fister. He’s a troublesome man principally, Superman in that world. The strongest are at all times the individuals who slap. We begin within the slums after which it’s all about getting to a degree the place issues actually get loopy and excessive and transcend our beginning space. We be taught rather a lot about how slapping got here to be so prevalent amongst the strongest and issues like that.
ComicsBeat: You began making your movies once you had been 11 years previous. So clearly, doing that was a really pure medium so that you can join with individuals. How have you ever discovered the expertise of engaged on a comic book ebook?
Charlie White: It’s tremendous completely different, however in a extremely enjoyable approach. I’ve at all times been aware of comedian books rising up, after all, however it wasn’t till the explosion of anime and manga, after I actually began to understand the medium much more. I noticed all the chances with it, not simply as a comic book ebook, however making this world that might finally turn into a cartoon. So we have already got an animation, which covers the primary 15 pages, and we have now one other one on the best way. It’s simply been a extremely enjoyable approach of piecing all this stuff collectively from a comic book ebook and branching it off. And it’s tremendous completely different than something I’ve ever completed since a number of what I do has been targeted on gaming associated content material, and this has completely no crossover there in any respect. So it’s been difficult. I’ve been speaking to individuals within the business and studying from them. It’s simply been a extremely nice expertise.
ComicsBeat: What made you assume that manga was so viable as a storytelling media?
Charlie White: Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragonball Z, I grew up with that stuff. Anime and manga are each so attention-grabbing in the best way they’re in a position to get all the data throughout. I simply assume it’s a extremely entertaining medium. However the primary one which I went again to is Berserk, which doesn’t actually have any good anime outdoors the 90s ones. However the manga is totally loopy, one of the beloved of all time. I’m not an enormous reader basically of regular books. However for issues like manga, it truly is simply tremendous entertaining.
ComicsBeat: Berserk is unbelievable. I imply, the extent of element in there and the world constructing. And also you’re completely proper, it’s simply that type of storytelling simply actually connects with readers. So inform me about Dangerous Egg basically? Are you beginning a comic book ebook universe?
Matt Phillips: Simply to put the inspiration of the timeline, three years in the past, we form of simply had been, hey, this is able to be enjoyable. And we labored on it and a couple of 12 months and a half in, launched a prologue and it was tremendous properly obtained. However we had a extremely shaky launch. Principally, we had points with provide chain, transport, every part. We simply did all of it ourselves, for essentially the most half with an area print store. We had already completed merch by Warren James with Charlie for some time, so went to them and simply requested if they might assist us out on transport, customer support, all of that. And so they did. They got here in and it was a cheerful marriage. We figured it made sense to create the publishing firm, which is when Steph launched us to Robert and we obtained very fortunate there. However I’ll let Charlie contact on future tasks and the place we see it going.
Charlie White: GodSlap is form of the flagship for us proper now, clearly, however I’ve additionally been engaged on one other one which is totally completely different in each approach, referred to as Plague Seeker. That’ll be most likely prepared by summer season. 2023. So these will certainly be by Dangerous Egg. And we’re additionally speaking to a few different creators who’ve had curiosity within the comedian house for some time. We’re getting them arrange with groups by us to publish by Dangerous Egg for his or her comics that they’ve wished to make for a very long time now, so it’s not simply going to be my tasks. It simply so occurs that these have already been cooking for some time.
ComicsBeat: Are your different creators additionally within the influencer/content material creator house?
Charlie White: Yep, they’re all YouTubers, in addition to streamers in the intervening time, and so they all have large followings and a number of tales they’d like to inform. Not all of them are straight associated to their content material. However a few of them are. One content material creator already has his YouTube universe setup and desires to form of flip that right into a full comedian collection, which simply makes a number of sense. We are able to present the instruments to make that extra seamless and simple and actually get all of it buttoned up.
Matt Phillips: Additionally, Charlie and I began a administration group [Mana Talent Group], which is who we met Warren James by, the place we work with 300 creators. The entire plan is to create extra tales, as Charlie mentioned, and it doesn’t must be them within the universe.
ComicsBeat: So Warren James is admittedly form of the technical achievement finish of this, kind of?
Matt Phillips: I might say on paper, that’s precisely it. And so they they’ve put a full workforce round it the identical approach we have now a workforce below Warren James for Charlie for his merchandise, we’ve obtained a workforce by them on this that form of helped run level on every part.
Robert Meyers: It’s actually attention-grabbing, as a result of we have now a lot in-built from the Warren James aspect with achievement and customer support and that form of factor. After which we’ve obtained so many connections within the printer house by Matt and Charlie so it’s an excellent Venn Diagram of actually enjoyable, actually good, artistic individuals. However the aim is that as we convey in additional creators, I’ll be partnering them with comedian creators and serving to convey their concepts into making comics, and hopefully have a number of enjoyable.
ComicsBeat: I do know the influencer/streaming universe is large. Are you able to give me any thought of the scale of this?
Matt Phillips: I believe throughout the prologue and situation one proper now we’ve bought over 50,000 copies. Then, on high of that, we’re including some precise merchandise round it. We haven’t completed that but. We’ve simply completed books and posters thus far. And there will likely be some enjoyable objects, outdoors of simply shirts, however we’ll have shirts and hats and hopefully collectible figurines round it quickly.
Robert Meyers: Yeah. I believe outdoors of GodSlap and Dangerous Egg merch, Charlie’s merch performs extremely properly with Warren James. And the product is so top quality that it’s very nice.
ComicsBeat: I’m certain many Beat readers are curious concerning the lifetime of a “content material creator.” Charlie, what’s your day like? I imply, do you’ve a extremely regimented schedule of once you stream and so forth? How do you steadiness your time?
Charlie White: I undoubtedly don’t have a regimented schedule, that’s for certain. The whole lot I do actually is simply within the second stuff, what’s enjoyable. So, I’ll stream it, typically 7pm, typically 1am. It’s simply actually , no matter is gratifying. So content material smart, I’d learn one thing that’s very foolish and goofy and wish to make a video on it instantly. Or perhaps I’ll see one thing that’s attention-grabbing. And I’ll analysis it for a day after which make one thing on it the following day. So it’s simply at all times far and wide. Nevertheless it’s at all times no matter I’m having fun with essentially the most on the time. The one factor that’s ever actually regimented is the larger tasks. With issues like Dangerous Egg we attempt to put aside time to do some writing periods and get issues collectively. Or once we do music movies or one thing, planning out what that shoot seems like. However on a everyday foundation, I stand up someday between 10 and midday, most likely make one thing on some foolish stuff happening on the planet, then work out, stream round 9, perhaps that’d be a median day.
ComicsBeat: So to wrap this up, with GodSlap, situation 1 has been out and situation 2 is coming in a number of weeks? And there are extra titles to be introduced subsequent 12 months.
Charlie White: Subject 2’s contents is full, it’s getting printed. We’re making a much bigger push now that we’ve obtained every part rather more so as. Subject #1 been out for about 5 months, I believe. So it’s already been a little bit of time in between to essentially work every part out, get every part nice and ensure #2 is a extremely arduous to heavy hitter. And we even have one other animation paired with it. I additionally commissioned a track from one in all my favourite bands to advertise sooner or later, simply because I believed that’d be a enjoyable factor to do. So we have now a number of stuff surrounding situation #2 in addition to #3 for subsequent 12 months.
Dangerous Egg comics can be found on-line.
*I’m certain a comics firm simply launched yesterday however you get my level.
