The following is an interview with Nate Wunderman regarding his comic book publishing company, Wunderman Comics, and its catalog of releases. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Wunderman about the mission behind Wunderman Comics, its currently available titles, what readers can anticipate from a Wunderman series, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the recent release of the 31st issue of your comic book series, E.I. – Earth Invasion! For those who may be unfamiliar, what can you tell us about its premise, and what inspired the recent change-up with the series?
Nate Wunderman: E.I. – Earth Invasion has just hit the 31-issue milestone. The time had come to do an inevitable in comics – change up the team, including myself (where I handed over the writing duties to Paul Benson). In addition, the opportunity to work with artist Dug Nation presented itself (He had done outstanding work on our limited series, Scoundrel.), and he has been an excellent fit for E.I.– Earth Invasion, particularly with his affinity for rendering the series’ scary aliens.
BD: For our readers who may be unfamiliar with Wunderman Comics, what initiated the publishing company, and what defines a Wunderman Comics title?
NW: My love of comics started at a young age. I immigrated with my parents to Los Angeles from Brussels, Belgium, when I was a kid and was a big fan of comics from both sides of the Atlantic growing up. My faves were Tintin, Batman, Asterix, X-Men, and Lucky Luke, plus many more. When I was a teenager, I discovered Japanese comics (Lone Wolf & Cub, Akira, etc.).
I had always wanted to see comics that combined the best elements of the three major strains – US, Franco-Belgian bande dessinee, and Manga – into a hybrid term: “World Comics.” Each strain has their relative strengths, so why not try to make comics that combine them in a unique manner?
The opportunity to publish my own comics came about when circumstances in my personal and professional life aligned. I took a leap into turning my passion of comics into a business and here we are.
BD: What can you share with us about the creators with whom you have worked and Wunderman’s previous publications?
NW: All of our series in current release, save one (Indestructible Will by Nate Noggle), were created and/or conceived by me. Wunderman Comics has been lucky enough to work some talented artists such as Neal Yamamoto, Giancarlo Caracuzzo, Josephine Roberts, and Dug Nation, just to name a few who have contributed greatly to our output. Writers such as Hannibal Tabu and Paul Benson, too. You can see their bios here.
E.I. – Earth Invasion is my first fully realized comic, and I wanted to create a science fiction comic of epic scope that incorporated significant elements of my college major, Anthropology. It features humans and talking animals versus the mafia from outer space that hails from an advanced civilization consisting of hyper-evolved insects that despise mammals.
Time Corps is the second comics series I created and is a more sophisticated work that touches upon metaphysics in a fairly ecumenical manner in addition to the time travel science fiction adventure stuff. The series focuses upon the crew of Venice Beach sub-station in the early part of this century. There are currently 13 issues available on this ongoing series.
Irrational Numbers is our first limited series. It is 6 issues that combines vampires, advanced mathematics, history, and a love triangle. This is now available on ComiXology Unlimited.
Scoundrel is our second limited run series and is an adaptation of the William Hogarth series of paintings, “A Rake’s Progress.” This 4-issue comic is set in 1980s Los Angeles and explores the good and evil of inheriting a large amount of money. Interestingly, the original Hogarth paintings are considered an 18th Century forerunner of comics as the eight paintings formed a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end following a titular character.
BD: As a writer, editor, and the founder of Wunderman Comics, how do you find that you balance both the business and creative aspects of your work?
NW: Entrepreneurism runs on both sides of my family, and I grew up in Southern California. I was very fortunate to have adults in my life growing up that were supportive and encouraged my incipient artistic endeavors. As an adult, several friends and family members were and are involved in the entertainment industry and learned some entertainment business management skills via osmosis. Of course, I had a decently sized library of comics how-to books. Proactive time management and the right creative time is an absolute necessity, as one can get too enmeshed in either aspect to the detriment of the other.
BD: What do you hope readers will take away from your projects?
NW: A unique comics reading experience they will find enjoyable.
BD: Are there any upcoming projects on which you are currently working that you are able to share with our readers?
NW: In cooperation with Giancarlo Caracuzzo, Wunderman Comics will be releasing his creator-owned mini-series, Boogeyman. Boogeyman will be 5 issues and is about a down-on-his-luck lucha libre wrestler who becomes the reluctant hero of a future dystopian Latin American megalopolis run by a ruthless corporate boss.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about Wunderman Comics?
NW: 2019 is a great year. 13 issues will be released this year bringing the total to 64 comic books published . All our comics are available at ComiXology, DriveThru Comics, Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Kobo, Hoopla, OverDrive, and Nook.
You can keep up with the latest news on our site www.wundermancomics.com or on Twitter and Facebook.
You can get the first issue of Time Corps and Earth Invasion here.
We appreciate all the readers and companies like Fanbase Press for helping to keep this journey going!
