Interview W/ Indie Artist Adriel Venegas

MAD: Adriel, thanks for taking some time with us today to discuss your indie comic book entitled, No Need To Kill. First off, could you give us a little bit of information in terms of your background in illustration, and why/how you decided to create your own comic book universe from scratch?

AV: I’m not sure when exactly I started to draw but I can always remember memories of me drawing with my older brother. I never went to art school, or took any art classes until 8th grade I believe. There was a specific moment though that inspired me to want to do art seriously. My Brother one night told me I had to stay up till like 2am to watch this anime with him, right? I’m totally blind to what I’m about to watch for the next few hours then suddenly it’s time. Cowboy Bebop starts playing. This was a religious experience for me truly, I wasn’t aware there was animation like this out there. I was watching sonic x or Pokémon at the time so this blew my little mind away. After that I knew I wanted to draw whatever I saw on that screen that night. So my comic book that I’m creating right now is a culmination of everything that has inspired me through the years since then. Every time I watch something that impacts me it just pushes me to create something just as good.

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MAD: You have a very unique cast of characters (I’m particularly fond of “The Plug”). Where do you draw your inspirations from, and please give us a little insight into the lore of your title?

AV: I wasn’t planning on keeping the title actually, it was a place holder till I thought of something better but that never came around. The title relates more to the protagonist than the rest of the characters. The Plug is honestly just a bunch of personal experiences I’ve had with Plugs. It’s hella on the nose when it comes to my character designs haha! Broke Boy was the one I struggled with a bit, I think it took about 3 years to actually land on the final design I have right now!

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MAD: You recently released Chapter 1 of No Need To Kill on your website. Please tell us a little bit about that process, and when readers might expect Chapter 2? Do you already have the outline for future chapters?

AV: It’s just a two man team at the moment. A close friend of mine created the website by herself while I worked on the comic. Which was a blessing because I have no clue on how to start a website really. I’m currently working on Chapter 2 and it might actually be out by the time this comes out! I have an outline planned out already but it’s just of matter of how the characters get there. I see myself doing this for a fat minute!

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MAD: Who are some of your favorite illustrators and creators?

AV: I grew up wanting to draw like my older brother, his skill always blew me away throughout all these years! But then as an artist you want to develop your own style after some time. I was always such a huge fan of Gorillaz growing up, but it wasn’t until I bought one of Jamie Hewlett’s art books when I completely fell In love with the artwork. Which honestly shaped my style right now, I really loved the absurd characters he would make. But some Honorable mentions are Otomo, creator of , and Takeshi Obata, artist for Death Note!

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MAD: I know this can be a touchy subject in the art community, but what are your personal thoughts on the use of AI to create art, animations, and videos?

AV: I think we shouldn’t rely on it when it comes to creating art. It takes a huge process of being an artist which Is patience, I appreciate my art a lot more because I fully created it. I’d love to type in a couple of sentences and boom a piece pops out but there’s no fun in that. Stop being lazy and keep practicing you’ll become great someday and you’ll appreciate the road even more. I personally don't want to use A.I. because I really enjoy the whole process of creating artwork. I just recommend people not rely on it too often!

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MAD: If there were a few bands that made up the soundtrack behind No Need To Kill, who would some of those bands and musicians be? Do you jam out while creating?

AV: I never not jam out while drawing, but damn that’s pretty damn hard. I think Psychedelic Porn Crumpets would perfectly capture the vibe I’m going for. But for the opening I would love some Paris Texas!

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MAD: If there was one character or team from an established comic book publisher that you could work on, which would you choose?

AV: If there was a possibility of me being able to expand on the Death Note universe or make my own interpretation that would be such an honor. I think it’s such a perfect manga that could’ve gone so many directions. But if I’m choosing one of the guys at dc it would definitely be Blue Beetle!

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MAD: What advice would you give to other illustrators out there, and those trying to break into the comic book business?

AV: To be honest I’m pretty new into this whole comic book thing, so I’m looking for some advice as well, haha! I guess one thing I can say is just make that damn comic book, man. People are craving something new, give them something to look forward to!

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MAD: What are your personal artistic goals, and are there any plans on physical releases in the future?

AV: I just want to get better at drawing in general, I’m happy to say I’m at a point where I’m somewhat happy with my art but I definitely want to improve my skills. My end goal with this project is to eventually turn this into an animated series. Definitely not anytime soon but I’m in it for the ride! I do want to make physical copies at some point, I’ll probably set up a Kickstarter for that later down this year. Other than that I want to keep creating comics till I die honestly, I know I can’t say exactly how I will feel about this in a couple years but a life without drawing doesn’t seem like a very good life to me.

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MAD: Since this is a horror website (Horror to Culture / House of Scream), what are some of your favorite horror films and books?

AV: The Thing by John Carpenter is an honorable mention but I gotta say I really love the 2007 Funny Games. I have a really fond memory watching it with my brother. I actually forgot about this one but Nope was also one that really stuck with me. I don’t want many horror/slasher movies to be honest but these are the ones that stuck with me the most. Nope is truly a masterpiece though thinking more about it, especially on that rewatch. I don’t really read any novels but if you have any recommendations please let me know! Also this isn’t a horror movie but Eddington probably put more fear into me than any other movie, go check it out it’s a 10/10!

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MAD: Adriel, thanks again for taking some time with us! I look forward to future characters and releases! As we finish up today, is there anything you’d like to leave our readers with?

AV: It’s no problem at all, thank you so much for having me I truly appreciate it really! I just want to say thank you to everyone supporting the project it’s been so amazing I can’t believe it!

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Mad Mike Mandrake is the creator of the Horror To Culture website, and host of the Insane Signals podcast and vidcast.