The following is an interview with Cristian Aluas regarding his comic book series, Big Boss Comic. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Aluas about the inspiration behind the comic book series, his creative process in maintaining a daily comic book strip, what he hopes that readers will take away from the stories, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the release of your comic book series, Big Boss Comic! For those who may be unfamiliar, how would you describe the series’ premise, and what inspired you to tell this story?
Cristian Aluas: Thank you! Big Boss Comic is volume 2 of Big Boss: Gun For Hire. It continues with the lone-wolf assassin that is being hunted by his past, taking on another very dangerous contract. I wanted to write and draw the story fully this time around, and I had some characters in my mind that I want to explore on paper. What came of it is a very action-packed, thriller, sci-fi love story. It’s a bit for everybody!
BD: What can you share with us about your creative process for this collected daily comic, and what have been some of your creative influences?
CA: It’s been a wild ride! Creating the comic on a daily basis for over 13 months was an amazing challenge. I explain most of it in the introduction to the graphic novel, but what I can add here is that due to the quick turnaround on panels, I ended up redrawing several panels and taking out a couple. I drew new ones and rewrote some of the text in the (post-Instagram) printed and digital version. Creative influences, there were two: Will Eisner and Joe Kubert. They write and draw everything themselves and often in black and white and sometimes on a tight schedule. I think the way they drew comics was the purest form. They were my inspiration.
BD: What do you hope that readers will take away from your work?
CA: I just hope that readers enjoy it for what it is. A fun, little story. And a social media format experiment. Also, a high-caliber independent comic. A one-man operation at its truest.
BD: If given the opportunity to expand your series into other entertainment mediums, in what format do you hope to see it adapted?
CA: Film. Part of the reason I was drawing the comic was to keep the character alive while I was writing a feature-length screenplay. I produced a short, live-action film in 2016. Now, I want to make a feature. The feature doesn’t have the sci-fi element to it which makes it more of an action-thriller. I think everybody will be pleasantly surprised.
BD: Are there any upcoming projects on which you are currently working that you would like to share with our readers?
CA: I’m working on a new series called Camouflage. It’s about an ECO Warrior named Camo that fights timber and oil corporations, while trying to save a Spirit Bear from getting killed in the great Canadian North. It’s written and created by Doug Stevenson, and it has great mainstream production values, unlike my very independent Big Boss Comic.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Big Boss Comic?
CA: Follow updates @bigbosscomic on Instagram and through my website, www.CSA1.ca.
