The following is an interview with writer Arthur N. Ebuen and artist Dave Law regarding their recent return to Kickstarter for the collected ©alifornia, Inc. trade paperback through Studio 12-7. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Ebuen and Law about what readers will have in store with the collected edition of the series, the incredible backer rewards available to supporters of the campaign, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of the collected ©alifornia, Inc. trade paperback through Studio 12-7! As you prepare for the collection, what will new and returning readers have in store with the release?
Arthur N. Ebuen: We have a 132-page trade here; it’s a hefty one. The story itself is 96 pages, but we wanted to share more behind-the-scenes thinking from character bios, to early sketches, and some design breakdowns for some seemingly smaller symbols that may have been overlooked. I’ll let Dave talk more about the early character sketches.
Dave Law: We’re including some extra content, like my character study images, where you can see how we boiled down the look and vibe of the cast. I actually spent a lot of time trying to get everyone looking just right before we started, so it’s cool to get those images out for people to see. There’s also talk about a tier where you can get a random run of the variant cover books at a steep discount. Some amazing artists contributed to those covers and surprises are the spice of life!
BD: In looking back at the development of the series, what can you tell us about your shared creative process that truly made this series unique to your respective bodies of work?
AE: This was a whole new experience for me. This is my first comic series; I’ve written for screen and for other forms of advertising, but this was new. Dave and I really found our trust and collaboration in full swing by issue #3, so seeing it fully formed after finishing it all in the fourth issue was special. Looking back at those early notes and thoughts before making the book, I felt like I wanted to share those with our audience. As for my body of work, this is another form of storytelling I’m glad to explore and am going to dedicate more of my time to. Enjoyed my time in animation, advertising, and even corporate videos but this, this is our story to tell. This means a lot and I’m thankful for the audience we’ve earned. They’re asking for more! Not more of what I do for others’ stories; this is something special in my creative career. I’m thankful for it all.
DL: Art wrote a story that’s pretty different from the comics I’d worked on previously. The Space Odditorium, Wolf Punks, and Dungeon Crawler Carl all have very big, loud, explosive scenes and characters. ©alifornia, Inc. is a much more subtle, slow-burn kinda book. Readers are rewarded by riding the build of the book and experiencing how the story comes together in the end. I focused a lot on facial expressions and body language, communication cues that are always important in comics but even more so in this book. It also takes place in the not-so-distant future, so I had to put on my futurist hat and try and envision what things will look like in something like ten to twenty years. Things will be different, but not that different.
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 ©alifornia, Inc.’s story has connected with and impacted readers, especially in light of the incredible critical and fan response to the series?
AE: I wrote this back in 2017; we got the first issue out in 2023, and times have changed a lot since. Pitching the idea early on versus now has changed, too. The response was more novelty and a chuckle in the beginning, now it’s met with more of a sigh and an eyebrow raise. I do like that the story connects with native Californians but also, those from out of state can see my cynicism in corporations. To be honest, walking into 2025, I wasn’t sure if the series would do as well as the years before, but I feel like it’s doing better. I’m not sure how to take that just yet.
BD: In light of the crowdfunding campaign, are there any particular backer rewards that you would like to highlight for our readers?
AE: Over the years, we’ve heard folks asking for the collected edition. Well, that’s here. But the next question we get is, “Can I get this at a comic shop?” Comic shops are extremely important to comic readers, and we want to give them a deal beneficial to both sides. We’re offering a steep discount to shops: three copies for about the price of one. They get a great price and we broaden our audience. I’ve made the mistake in the earlier single issues with offering double-digit copies. Shops don’t need that many on their shelves, especially an indie book. Here’s a shop-friendly tier and I’ll sign them, too!
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
AE: I’ll let Dave take this one. It’s under Studio 12-7, but…I’ll have him take the stage.
DL: Oh, man, so much cool stuff is in the works! First up is Systemic, an anthology. Art and I are working on a spinoff of ©alifornia, Inc. to contribute to it, digging into a part of the story we sort of glossed over. We’ll release a chapter at a time in each issue of Systemic. Tons of great creators are taking part, it’s the bomb-diggity of anthologies.
Concurrently, I’m also working with Justin Giampaoli on a new book being produced by Studio 12-7 called Westside. It’s a dark mystery about a part of California few know about. Like ©alifornia, Inc., the story rests heavily on the characters’ interactions, and again I’m able to really focus on my acting and really try to create some moving scenes. We’re about 20 pages in and I can’t wait to start showing it.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about the ©alifornia, Inc. campaign and your other work?
AE: If you liked Showtime’s Homeland and HBO’s Succession, this story is somewhere in the middle, tactical missions for honor of the homeland with boardroom backstabbing. Like our state of California, it’s seriously unserious.
DL: Definitely check out the Kickstarter, Art’s put in tons of great material and descriptions to get an idea of what you’d be getting into. You can find out more about the different projects I’m working on at www.davelawart.com and you can find me on IG and FB.
