Interviewee: Sloan Varunok
Interviewer: Anthony Andujar Jr
Q1. What started your journey into comics? Who are your influences?
SV: Comics and cartoons have been present in some form throughout my whole life, just drawing wacky characters and stories for fun as a kid. The first comic book I ever owned was Fantastic Four‘s “Mole Man” issue from 1968, gifted to me by my friend Will when we were 9. Later that year, I thought I’d try my own hand at a comic, made by folding construction paper in half and drawing in marker, one drawing per page. The story was called “Elefan,” a mini elephant superhero who fought the “Chicken Goblin”, a villain of no origin. While a complete Spider-Man knock-off, kids in my class seemed to enjoy it. This was purely for fun, and never with any intention of becoming a comic artist professionally. I continued throughout the years casually kicking story ideas around in my head, designing characters, and seeing if any stayed in my heart enough to give them a story. It wasn’t until I was 18 when I thought of this as a career path, when I drew up Jazzy and crew. I just had a feeling their stories would be the ones.
As far as inspirations, the superhero films of the 2000s (Spider-Man, X-Men, Dark Knight series) gave me a lifelong love of the genre, but cartoons even more so. Kid and adult cartoons of the same era largely informed my sense of humor and joke-telling, such as Ed, Edd, n Eddy, Daria, King of the Hill, The Proud Family, SpongeBob, and countless others. Mad Magazine was when I saw just how funny comics could be, and couldn’t get enough of their parodies. Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon can’t go forgotten about, as those are likely the single biggest drawing influences of mine, and are my favorite anime/manga series. Breaking Bad was a huge influence, even inspiring the New Mexico location of the story!
There are countless films to name, like Clerks, Gladiator, Pulp Fiction, The Big Lebowski, and many, many, more… I’m a movie guy. Rock n’ roll music, particularly Bob Dylan, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Green Day, Social Distortion, The Grateful Dead, Bjork, The Gorillaz, and many more influence the attitude of my work, as lyrics can be found riddled throughout Jazzy’s dialogue. I dig other genres (Jennifer Lopez is pretty great, huh?), but rock n’ roll is in my heart and part of my every day.
Q2. What led to illustrating comics and the pursuit of the comics medium in particular, Zines?
SV: Variety is the spice of life, and I felt a magazine was the most effective way to showcase my work. Mad Magazine became something of a template, with them featuring comics, articles, and more. Most of my stories are 1-2 pages, or done in parts, though none full-issue length. Keeping the theme loosely on attitude with a bright color palette, I wanted to include varied stories and artwork. While the stories are mostly comedy, I wanted to vary the types of jokes being told so as not to get stale.
Outside of the comic aspect, I wanted a spot to showcase the interviews I’ve done with various figures, and to illustrate crazy life stories that people might get a kick out of. Most comic artists have very little, if anything, known about them, and I never wanted that to be the case for me. My work is heavily imbued with my personality, and having more than just my art allows readers to know the creator a little bit too. I was always a fan of the “About the Artist” sections of books, and behind the scenes of movies, as I love to see who and what made what I love, exactly.
Q3. You have a magazine that you’ve been publishing for sometime called Jazzy Mag. What birthed this idea of a zine?
SV: When she was first drawn up in January 2017, Jazzy herself was intended as a side character for a superhero story called Stoner Mon, still in the works, in which Paulie, her idiot coworker, becomes a weed-powered hero. This only existed as an idea, though, and no comic had yet been made. In May of 2018, I made “Jazzy’s Last Night Shift” for my Synergy and the Graphic Novels course at Pace, which is the first story you’ll see inside Jazzy Mag. The Mag, and Jazzy, really started as a way to establish a baseline for Jazzy, her friends, and the dynamics amongst the characters for Stoner Mon. I found that I really liked writing about her character, and thought she deserved the main character status.
Q4. What does the development process consist of when producing Jazzy Mag?
SV: The process is a slow one. It’s largely a compilation effort, sifting through several years of work to determine what will make the grade and not. In general, the story is more or less entirely done in my head before pencil ever hits paper. Each story within the Mag may only take a day or so to do the raw pencil-to-paper drawing, then pen outline. After that, the paper gets scanned onto my computer, where I edit them and color them in GIMP. This can take a day or many months, depending on how much I have to redo in digital. Some work dates back to the 2010s, in which my drawing skills definitely were not up to snuff. Because of this, Issue #2, while having a decent amount of material already, still has a ways to go. The interviews are generally easier to produce, as there’s more to type than draw, and most of the artwork is background on those pages. While I can draw competently now, I’m a writer before I’m an artist. That’s where my bread is buttered.
Q5. What are some of the challenges of making a zine such as Jazzy Mag?
SV: The time it takes. While I’ve found faster ways to do it, it can still be laborious. The drawing part, while enjoyable, is more a means to an end of telling the story. Just as well, generating interest and getting the product to the right people has been a learning process. Being an alternative to the typical comic, I realize I’m in a niche. Being able to put what I do with other things and have it fit neatly into one category or another is a bit of a task. It’s a different sort of thing. That’s been a motif of my life, not being fully one thing or another, so fits that it carries into my work. I don’t lament this, as the people who support and see the vision remind me why I keep going, always into new directions.
Q6. Throughout the duration of the zines existence thus far, you’ve interviewed various figures within entertainment. Some of which consist of Wrestling Legend Mick Foley, Gary Anthony Williams of The Boondocks fame, and other notable people. What is the journey like when having full circle moments with people that have impacted you in some shape or form?
SV: It’s honestly quite unbelievable. The legends have been so generous to lend their time to an up-and-comer, and that is never forgotten. It’s my way of saying “thank you for the memories.” Meeting these folks has let me know I’m on the right track, and lets me believe that Jazzy Nation has legs! I try to ask atypical or never-before-asked questions, as answering the same questions for years must get annoying. This lets them know that I know them and want to hear something new, which sometimes catches them by surprise. Otherwise, why would they not just read an old interview? Getting the info from the horse’s mouth is unique, and who knows who will be on next!
Q7 Aside from Jazzy Mag, are there other projects that you’ve been working on that you aim to release?
SV: YES! Jazzy Mag # Dos has been in the works since the release of the first, hopefully finishing by Winter, 2024. Aside from finishing work, the goal is to sell all of the first issue first. While a majority of the stock has been sold, I want them sold before the next arrives.
Also, Wes, the black-and-white nihilist druggie from the book has his own book in the works, as well as the aforementioned Stoner Mon. Releases TBD. On YouTube, more Merch Madness is in the works, with episodes planned for Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, Metallica, The Grateful Dead, The Boondocks, and more!
Q8 When making comic strips, where do you draw inspiration? Are they inspired by real life, imagination? All of the above? How do you channel what you want to convey in your work?
SV: Inspiration can really come from anywhere, but all ties back to my life, what I’m feeling in that moment, and what art is reaching me at the time. Movies show the kinds of stories I want to tell and how they’re done. A lot of great Jazzy fodder comes from people who annoy me, and seeing Jazzy put the screws to them is cathartic. Never based on anyone in particular, annoying characters mainly have their basis in a lack of social awareness and understanding. We all have to speak our truths, but sometimes even Jazzy doesn’t say all she can (and she can). Seeing a character do so in such an unabashed way might help other people feel empowered to speak their minds. Jazzy stands for self-respect and speaks her mind as a matter of principle.
I feel Jazzy lives in my head, and I am her. When I go about my everyday life, I think “How would Jazzy react to this? What would she say about that?” It helps me get to know my own character better. The Paulie and Jamie stories are based on wacky times in high school with my best friend from home, Issei. Paulie’s lack of grace and putting his foot in his mouth come from my moments of the same. Wes was inspired by the music of nu-metal, particularly Korn and Limp Bizkit, having posters of them in his room. Wes is usually something I only write in a very down state, times I can actually relate to Wes’ numbness to life. A lot of his humor comes from him not knowing a good thing when it hits him (sometimes literally) and from his awkward social graces.
Q9 Are there any projects down the pipeline that readers should keep an eye out for?
SV: Keep a lookout for “Trip to the 2000s (Page 2),” Jazzy Mag # Dos, World of Wes! All will be available to read for free at JazzyMag.net.
Q10 Where can readers follow your work to keep up to date?
SV: To keep up to date on the latest happenings in the lives of Jazzy and her creator, visit us at JazzyMag.net! Alternatively, you can find me on Instagram and TikTok @sloantherollingstone or on YouTube channel name Sloan Varunok! Hope to see you there! You can pick up my work at Etsy.com/jazzymagbysloan online, or in store JHU Comics on 33rd and 3rd and Village Works in Manhattan, or Astor Zombies in Albuquerque, NM.
Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher