The following is an interview with Bal Rogyrs regarding the upcoming Kickstarter campaign for the comic book, Milling Witless. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Rogyrs about the creative process of bringing the story and characters to life on the page, how readers can support the crowdfunding campaign, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming Kickstarter campaign launch for Milling Witless! For those who may be new to the series, what can you tell us about the genesis behind the project, and how would you describe its overall premise?
Bal Rogyrs: Milling Witless started life as messy sketchbooks, unrestricted by any rules or formal storytelling. I drew for pleasure and the work seemed to create itself. It has since become a full colour, 58‑page book of cartoon mayhem and absurdity, not unlike a collage of vintage panels from a golden era of comics. I enjoyed playing with pictures and words, mixing the sacred and the profane. It is a cut up of puns, nonsense, and thought-provoking statements… whatever spilled out in the moment.
BD: What can you tell us about your creative process in bringing this story and its characters to life on the page?
BR: Over the period of 14 years when I was working on my 360-page, full-colour graphic novel serial, The Cancel Haus, I used to fill pages of my sketchbooks with these little cartoons in the gaps and downtime. The cartoons were literal streams of conscious as I rarely thought about what I was doing. I liked the surprise of seeing what my pencil would conjure up when put to paper… the unexpected was the only thing to expect when I drew in this manner. Later, I gathered the pages together and began colouring them, continuing experimenting with muted palettes, messing about with line work, speech bubbles, and information panels. A stressless mess of expressiveness, if you will.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that Milling Witless’ story may impact readers, and what, if any, conversations do you hope that it might inspire?
BR: Milling Witless doesn’t follow any traditional narrative form; I liken it to a fever dream or taking an existential trip without the drugs. There’s no plot, no beginning and no end. I believe that the job of an artist is to try and inspire another to think for themselves. I hope Milling Witless will spark new ways of thinking for readers, and that they will be challenged to make meaning for themselves in the words and images. I agree with the filmmaker Fellini as in I don’t like the idea of ‘understanding’ a piece of art. Either the art has something to say to you or it hasn’t. If you are moved by it, you don’t need it explained to you. If not, no explanation can make you moved by it. Milling Witless may be somewhat of a spiritual journey for some, at the same time hopefully being mischievous and amusing.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
BR: I created the graphic novel serial called The Cancel Haus, under another pseudonym: Hroge. It has had some great reviews and was called ‘a masterwork in the making’ by Paul Gravett. It is a thriller over fifteen parts, in a completely different visual style to Milling Witless. Both works have areas of crossover however. They are aimed at a mature readership who relish thought-provoking comics that defy the usual comic book structure. They both have darkly humorous elements and experiment with language in a playful and challenging way.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about Milling Witless and your other work?
BR: This is the first volume of a three-book series. I plan to release one new Milling Witless volume a year.
All links to contacts and socials for Milling Witless and The Cancel Haus can be accessed here: https://linktr.ee/strawmanpublishing
The Cancel Haus is available to buy digitally at https://cancelhaus.gumroad.com/.
For physical copies of The Cancel Haus, go to https://thecancelhaus.bigcartel.com/ or drop us an email at cancelhaus (at) protonmail (dot) com to keep up to date with news and new releases.
Milling Witless is launching on Kickstarter.
