Kasaix: Hello Doujin Army! We’re here with another fascinating interview with an incredibly talented artist. This time, it’s DankoDeadZone. I’ve been following him for quite some time, and with a new comic series in the works, I felt it was the right time to reach out for an interview. DankoDeadZone’s style is more animated than others, and it’s really good.
But I digress. Thanks for taking the time to hang out DankoDeadZone. How’s it going?
DankoDeadZone: Hey Kasaix! And hello to everyone! Thank you for this opportunity and I’m doing pretty decently thanks!
Kasaix: Nice. Let's start at the top then, how did you first get into art?
DankoDeadZone: Welp, sources say that i got my parents called by my teachers frequently because of how much i doodled in class during classes in elementary school. I never really stopped since then. Mostly self taught but i did finally get into a drawing/comic book course after finishing high school. I actually dropped from University to take that course but i absolutely do not regret doing that.
Kasaix: That's awesome. You doodled your way here, and I admire that. Your passion for art shows in your work.
What are your favorite characters and themes to draw?
DankoDeadZone: I generally tend to have a thing for monster girls and i get teased a lot for my obvious preference for Spider girls or spider themed girls, to the point where my new comic is all about that specifically so i don't think i can escape from it at this point ahah.
Kasaix: Hey, there's nothing wrong with monster girls, and your spider girls are great, definitely on the level of Rachnera Arachnera. That mix of scary and sexy.
Speaking of new comic, were you talking about Lady of the Night?
DankoDeadZone: Yep, absolutely. With that said tho' only the first issue (or issue 0 as i call it) is all focused on Mari, my spider Nun. I'm planning to have her as the "host" of the series after that, kinda like what Vampirella was at the very beginning. But she will come back in a big way later.
Kasaix: Nice, I've been enjoying that one so far. You're also working on Public Jinxhibition, right? Are you juggling two comics at once, or are you working on one at a time?
DankoDeadZone: Ahah actually i've been juggling 4 comics at once for a while! Lady of the Night and Public Jinxhibition are my main monthly projects but I recently worked for Slipshine on a project that will be released this October and an original comic that should be released soon. Can't say much about the Slipshine one but the other has lots of monster sex in it, keeping the theme i'm going for strong.
Kasaix: Jeez! Four at once?! That can't be easy. How do you do it? Like, what's the process in all that?
DankoDeadZone: Honestly, lots of planning and scheduling. I tend to be really hard on myself about the quality of my work but i also value a lot how fast i can deliver on a project so i try to have the highest amount of quality while also being able to be on time. With that said since this issue of Lady of the Night is almost done i hope to focus only on Public Jinxhibition for a while before starting the next issue. Too many projects at once can get really overwhelming.
Kasaix: I imagine so. That sounds maddening. Do you work better under pressure and prefer it that way, or were these projects dropped on you all at once?
DankoDeadZone: Oh no, under pressure is the worst. That's why i value scheduling a lot: i'd rather keep a nice pace with my work. I did have to juggle a lot of projects in the last few months but being able to effectively work on all of them is what saved me. I started all of them at different times and things just kept developing from there, i just had to deal with it and make a game plan.
Kasaix: So your current game plan is to finish up the current issue of Lady of the Night before focusing on Public Jinxhibition? Do you have a release schedule that people can look forward to?
DankoDeadZone: I actually hope to have a full public release for Lady of the Night Issue 0 in time for Halloween. After that i'll focus mostly on Public Jinxhibition for a bit, i already have 2 issues of that planned and i'm basically halfway done with the first one. Not sure when that will be finished but it's one page every month.
Kasaix: I'll be looking forward to that. Public Jinxhibition is definitely appealing. It hits all the right notes.
Moving on from that, what do you feel is your best picture or comic yet, and why?
DankoDeadZone: Aah that's kind of a hard question for me since i'm very hard on myself about what i produce. With that said, on the top of my head i think one of my favorite pics i did recently is one involving Rosa from PKMN, really like how her expression came out. Same for a recent Marnie pic for similar reasons. As for comics, honestly i feel like LOTN is the one since i'm free to stretch my legs with some subtle body horror here and there.
Kasaix: Nice choices. I'll just take that 'stretch my legs' part as not a pun on spider legs.
How do you first tackle a project, and how long does a project typically take to finish?
DankoDeadZone: Ahr ahr, well there's nothing really glamorous about the method: start with an idea, brainstorm it with someone you trust that is also decently critical and then start planning from there. The best way to do projects is to start when you have a decent amount of planning ready: a lot of people get stuck planning stuff and never actually start producing which is something i was also a victim of in the past. As for how long it takes me to finish it, unfortunately i schedule projects to be worked on at the same time as other stuff (like monthly commissions and other patreon related content), so the amount of time that takes me to finish a project varies. I started LOTN Issue 0 during March of 2018 but i would have probably been able to finish it in 3 months if i worked on it exclusively.
Kasaix: Jeez, you have this down to a science. Again, I'm impressed.
What sort of setup do you use for your projects? A special tablet, pen, etc?
DankoDeadZone: Again, nothing amazing! Just a Wacom Intuos Comic. I don't feel like my art is good enough to require fancy equipment so i'm fine with just a regular tablet.
Kasaix: Your art is great man, don't think otherwise. 1,400 fans on HF alone would agree.
Where do you get your inspiration for all your projects from?
DankoDeadZone: I follow a lot of great artists, their work tends to inspire me a lot. And i'm really grateful to be friends with some of them too since they're a huge help on projects sometimes.
Kasaix: Besides current comics, do you have a project you really want to work on in the future?
DankoDeadZone: Well, i've been thinking about doing a short pkmn comic eventually, probably something involving Gardevoirs in some way but it's way too early for me to actually talk about it. I also wouldn't mind working as an artist on a videogame but that'd clash with my current schedule and don’t i know anyone who's working on projects like that unfortunately.
Kasaix: That'd be amazing! I know a couple of artists who worked on VNs, and it looked great.
Let’s wrap it up here for now. Do you have any final words to all your fans?
DankoDeadZone: If i could personally high five each one of you i would. You guys are the reason why i can do what i love and i will never stop being thankful for that. Thanks again to everyone and especially thanks to you for this occasion!
Kasaix: It has been my pleasure. Keep being awesome.
DankoDeadZone: thanks man! And seriously thanks again for the chance! It's been amazing.
I’d like to take this chance to give another huge thanks to DankoDeadZone for taking the time to hang out. If you’d like to follow DankoDeadZone and see his work, and you should, please check out the sites below:
https://www.patreon.com/dankodeadzone
https://twitter.com/DankoDeadZone
https://dankodeadzone.newgrounds.com/
http://www.hentai-foundry.com/user/DankoDeadZone/profile
https://www.facebook.com/dankodeadzone/
