An Interview With Kenny Wong

Interviewer: Anthony Andujar Jr 

Interviewee: Kenny Wong

Q1. You dabble in different worlds of creativity, such as being a stuntman and as an illustrator. What has the journey been like venturing through the world of comics? What inspired your path through the comics field?

KW: Originally, I wanted to be a comic artist growing up. I grew up reading DC/Marvel so it’s always been a part of my life. I feel like, there are things that aren’t that much different from what I’ve experienced in film/tv as a stuntman to the world of comics. There are certainly similarities and that’s helped me in the transition to doing comics. Though, there are other things I’ve experienced getting into this field that have been definitely educational. How it inspired my path, right now I’m still figuring that out. I’ve been in a very reflective moment in my life where whatever I’ve done on a set has bled over to me drawing, as well as being really influenced by french and japanese comics work. I want to capture something that I’ve experienced or felt personally and working on how to express that in sequential storytelling. And, that isn’t just referring to the action aspect of it. We’ll see how that goes.

Q2. As an illustrator you’ve been working away on some comic projects, but what led to your involvement as a contributor to the Light Wood zine? 

KW: I met up with my friend Jonathon (Marks-Barravecchia) and entertained the idea to Jon that I’d love to do something where I get all my artist friends together. We’d have one artist start a story, anything they want and not tell the rest of us what they’re doing. Then hand it over to the next person and that artist would have the freedom to go anywhere else with the story how they see fit. And so on. We wanted to do that bc it sounded fun. So Jon invited Mahdi (Khene) who does his own comiczine Steel Streets under his banner Zuperhero comics. Then we also got another mutual artist friend of ours Jean (Khalife). Mahdi suggested we do it under his Zuperhero Comics banner and that’s how it all came together.

Q3. What was the creative process like working on this exquisite skeleton of a comics project such as Light Wood?

KW: I can’t answer for the other guys, personally for myself, I was just waiting for them to reveal what they’d done. Though, I avoided seeing anything bc since we’re all doing something different with our own continuation, I figured, I didn’t need to know. Plus, I was already busy finishing this comic series I was already on for the past year. It worked out for me when I finished my last batch of pages and had a window of free time to get on my section of Light Wood.

Q4. When you started working on your pages that you contributed to the first issue of Light Wood, what was the developmental process like from start to finish? 

KW: I have to be honest and say I didn’t have any. It was already an improvisational approach to begin with for all of us. Like jazz music. But, my part, I didn’t thumbnail or write a script so, it ended up being a lot more challenging. In fact, I think I made it harder for myself and that was something I won’t do again! I’d start with a panel and then another. And then I’d get stuck wondering where to go. Then I’d look at each panel and decide, oh this needs to have a wash or this needs some depth, etc. There was gaps in between where I’d just not draw and stare at the page bc I was so lost with the direction. It just took me way longer (two months!!) with no plan of direction or idea of going from point A to point B. In the end I needed to get it done as my workload is packed as it is and I couldn’t afford to spend too much time on it.

Q5. While the other creatives had narrative and lettering in their pages, you went with the silent issue approach, similar to Larry Hama’s Gi-Joe issue 21 and New X-Men issue 121. What were the challenges of telling a visual narrative without dialogue? 

KW: Well, I figure everyone else had scripts and dialogue so I’ll just keep it simple. And I’ve always liked the silent movie approach. I’m big on photography and I like to challenge myself to think each individual image needs to express some story within that frame without explanation. The viewer/reader can interpret it as they want. It’s awesome you referenced those comics bc I loved those growing up! I’ll even add that GI-Joe also did a second silent story in the second issue of the GI-Joe yearbook. It worked out anyhow and because it took place in space and I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go with it, I stayed in that space. It goes back to that tagline in the original Ridley Scott Alien poster: In space no one can hear you scream.

Q6. Were there any conceptual ideas that you’d like to expand upon down the line in future installments of Light Wood?

KW: As of now, not really. My goal is to finish the comic project I’m on and then I have a few others that I’m supposed to develop. But I’m hoping I get to hop back on my own comic that I’ve taken a hiatus from.

Q7. Given that illustrators and writers tend to work in a vacuum, curiously, was there a specific set list of music that you were listening to and did it influence your process when illustrating your section of the story that all were collectively working on?

KW: Yeah, I actually did. But I’m not sure if it added to what I was doing because, as I mentioned earlier, I didn’t have a plan and I pretty much improvised the whole thing. I listened to more ambient type music like Olafur Arnalds, the Revenant soundtrack, or my Wong Kar Wai playlist.

Q8. Having worked on this first installment of Light Wood, were there any lessons acquired that have impacted your creative approach to comic making?

KW:  Yeah, don’t improvise again.

Q9. Do you have any projects coming down the pipeline that you can disclose for readers to keep an eye out for? 

KW:  I’m finishing up a comic series at the moment with Dan Panosian and Joe Ross called People Die. I’m on the last issue so hopefully you’ll hear the release announcement sometime later in the year. Few projects that is too early to talk about. My own project that I put ahold on for awhile now which I hope to get back on soon. Come April I’ll do my first ‘con’ at the Brooklyn Independent Comics Showcase in Industry City. I’m going to have my first artbook ready for that (hopefully) and maybe a few prints.

Q10. Where can readers find and follow your work? 

KW: I’m on Instagram as Gengadraws. I also have a Twitter with same handle but, I rarely use it. I’m most active on the ‘gram!