An Interview With Szymon Kudranski

Interviewee: Szymon Kudranski

Interviewer: Anthony Andujar Jr

Q1. You’ve worked on various books for various publishers such as Marvel and DC, notably on titles such as The Punisher with Matthew Rosenberg, and Action Comics: Superman with Brian Bendis amongst others. How has the experience as a professional comic book illustrator informed your work on your current project published by Image, Something Epic?

SK: Brian and Matt’s roots are in underground and independent comics, which is a genre very close to my heart, so working with them has been nothing but a pleasure!

Q2. The story focuses on Danny, whom readers follow a chunk of his childhood as he experiences a traumatic moment in his life. Due to his imagination he’s able to see what others cannot. What were the Inspirations for Something Epic?

SK: Brian and Matt’s roots are in underground and independent comics, which is a genre very close to my heart, so working with them has been nothing but a pleasure!

SK: For a very long time, I have wanted to create a story elaborating on this subject, to take a closer look at the mechanisms of imagination. It’s a fascinating topic scientifically, psychologically, and spiritually, which to this day has few answers to explain it. It gives the creator a huge space for reflection and creative expression. Danny—a young man on the edge of being a child whose creative power knows no bounds and an adult whose imagination causes clashes with reality—is the perfect character through which to explore this phenomenon.

Q3. How long did it take to develop this series? Was it always meant to be a mini series? Was there thoughts on it being a maxi series or ongoing? And what made it appropriate for Something Epic to be a mini series and why was that important to your approach to the story?

SK: The first arc has 7 issues total. The second story arc (which is already in progress) is due out in early 2024.

Q4. As an illustrator you’ve drawn various characters in comics, but for this series, you not only illustrate characters, but various characters in various styles, homaging pop culture within and outside the comics medium. What informed your approach to depict Danny’s imagination in that way? Was it more of a creative challenge, or reflective of what people consumed over the years through various forms of pop culture?

SK: Everything! Using pop culture references made it much easier for readers to relate to Danny as a character. I’ve always created in many different mediums—animation, film, sculpture, painting, drawing, writing–and having a place where I can take at least some of those aspects and merge them into a story is very satisfying as a creator

Q5. You wear a lot of hats as the writer, illustrator, and color artist in the book. What is the creative process when making a creator owned book such as Something Epic?

SK: Good question…from what I hear from other creators, it is different for everyone. For me, as crazy as this may sound…in a flash I see the whole story in my head, with a beginning, middle, and an end—all the visuals and writing are already there. It reminds me of watching a whole movie in a split second, but more than that, as there is also a sense of taste and smell that accompanies it that we as creators cannot bring to mediums like music, film, or illustration. Then it’s just a matter of translating that experience into a creative medium of our choice. And comics… for me, is the closest medium through which I’m able to share that experience.

SK: Right, when dealing with titles like EPIC, there’s a ton of material that doesn’t make it into the story. If you pick a DC/MARVEL book, you have 20 pages to work with. . For me…even the full length of a 32 page comic book is not enough—but that’s the length I have to fit my creativity. As for the schedule, before I go to a publisher like Image, the book is already 100% finished and ready to print–that way I make sure readers don’t have to worry about the book being delayed.

Q7. As of now you’re three issues into this series. While the first two issues are set on Danny’s youth, the third issue takes Danny into a very different place midway. What were some of the reasons for those creative decisions? And how does it inform Danny’s journey as he struggles to reconcile with his own creative imagination?

SK: I think showing Danny as a young person dealing with his imagination, but also later when mature offers a great contrast, showing how the character’s personality develops as he deals with creative power that can’t be stopped or dulled.

Q8. One of the biggest takeaways to be gained from this title is the power of storytelling and its ability to break and mend one’s life. Was there any solace found in crafting Something Epic? And how did that impact you in your life as a creative and as a person?

SK: As a creator, whether you want it or not, there is always a part of your personality in everything you create, things you may not even realize are there. Creating art, especially drawings, is the most natural process to express emotions that are uplifting or too heavy, in a very intimate, individual and safe space… which is creativity.

Q9. What do you hope for readers to take away when reading Something Epic? And what can readers expect to see as Danny continues through the quest of his imagination?

SK: That is the beauty of art–you take what you want or need from it! Everyone should interpret it the way they feel, because everyone experiences things differently and individually.

Q10. Are there any projects that you have in the pipeline that readers should keep an eye out for? And where can readers keep up to date on your work?

SK: I have a new miniseries from Image Comics coming this November! If you want to stay up to date and get insights from ONE MAN ART production, sign up for my newsletter here:

https://szymonkudranski.com/

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