Derick Jones is a comic book creator whose work is deeply influenced by indie comics, 90s OVAs, and a love for horror and crime storytelling. After realizing his rap career wasn’t going to happen, he turned to comics, drawing inspiration from Werewolves of Montpellier by Jason, along with artists like Jack Kirby, Taiyo Matsumoto, and Charles Burns. His latest series, Nose Bleed, is a gripping psychic horror story exploring revenge and consequences, showcasing his unique voice as both a writer and illustrator.
As he talks with us below, Jones shares his creative journey, the inspirations behind Nose Bleed, and the challenges of independent comic publishing.
Interviewee: Derick Jones Creator of Nose Bleed
Interviewer: Anthony Andujar Jr
Q1 What started you on the path to illustration and the field of comic book making? Who are your influences?
DJ: I started making comics when I realized my rap career wasn’t going to happen. I always loved comics especially indie stuff so after reading Werewolves of Montpellier by Jason I decided I wanted to make my own. Jason is a huge influence on me. Jack Kirby, Taiyo Matsumoto, Charles Burns, Daniel Warren Johnson, Alain Dodier, Frank Miller, Chris Samnee, and James Callahan AKA Barf comics, all get me excited to draw. Oh and lots of 90s OVAs, horror and crime movies.
Q2 You’ve been working on a series recently, titled Nose Bleed. I can see that there are some possible influences in this book such as The Craft, and Akira, to name a few. Though, preferably, to hear from the source, what inspired this project?
DJ: I love the psychic genre and have absorbed as much of those stories as I can but I wanted to make something that would add to the genre and not be another homage or worse, a rip-off. The project itself is mostly inspired by 90s OVA’s and the theme of revenge and consequences. Also, it’s my shot to show people what I can do as a writer and an artist.
Q3 What was the development process like from the ground up when writing the characters of Reggie, and Tilda? Did you write a script first? Or did you do a hybrid between thumbnails and margins?
DJ: Nose Bleed was conceived basically in a weekend. The first idea was going to be detectives interviewing all the kids in a Rashomon style. You know like every kid saw a different angle with everything pointing to these kids having powers but the cops not believing it. But it wasn’t working out when I tried to execute. Luckily, I found an editor and she helped me iron everything out in about a week. I highly suggest hiring an editor of some kind. It helped me. From there it’s pencil to paper. I write an outline, divide that up into 5 pages, chapters, and thumbnails, and write the dialogue, pencil and ink, and tone.
Q4 As an independent creator, what were the challenges of putting out a book such as Nose Bleed?
DJ: Like everything in the comic space, it’s money and time and then getting people to stop their busy lives to read your work. People are so busy and the world is so chaotic and here I am being like, hey guys wanna read my new comic? That’s the biggest hurdle in trying to get people to read your work without becoming a dancing fool. I don’t wanna make TIk Toks, or start a podcast when the whole goal of doing those things is to get your eyes on my comic. So I’m just making the comic sending it out to reviewers and hoping people see it.
Q5 As an illustrator, what were you hoping to aim for when illustrating Nose Bleed? How did you keep engaged with writing, lettering, and illustrating this book without burnout?
DJ: With this book, I was hoping to find my voice and style. I’ve been drawing since 2011 and my style has bounced around a lot. I’m kind of a product of what or who I’m obsessed with at that moment. For Nose Bleed, I wanted to embrace my love for the cartoony style. I wanted to rely less on making academically correct drawings and make stuff that looked like I was having fun. I also really love dot eyes and wanted to make a whole comic in that style. I feel like seeing those dot eyes next to horrific revenge and violence was going to be so cool. Burnout definitely happens, but I’m lucky enough to have either a commission or editorial work on the side that gives me space from Nose Bleed.
Q6 When I read the first issue, I was impressed with the pacing of the book. It flowed smoothly and made it a leisurely read that had mystery, along with the intensity of the story. Were there any rewrites when you worked on the script stage of the book?
DJ: The pacing comes from the monthly release schedule. I put out 5 pages a month on Artblog and I want people to come back, so there’s always tension and a cliffhanger. It’s nice cause it keeps the rhythm and the heartbeat of the story going and hopefully keeps people coming back.
Q7 Given the events that take place in this book, you thematically cover revenge, cruelty, and apathy. What is it about those themes that made you want to explore them to the fullest when writing Reggie and Tilda?
DJ: Those are the themes that I constantly find myself attracted to. I hate bullies. I hate that we live in a dog-eat-dog world. It’s nice to see characters fight back cause a lot of times in real life you can’t. But I didn’t want this to be some revenge story without consequences. That’s been the fun part of Nose Bleed is figuring out the consequences of these characters’ actions.
Q8 What is the mirror that you want to reflect to the reader when reading Nose Bleed? What do you hope for the reader to take with them when the series is completed?
DJ: Great question. To be honest, I don’t know cause I’m still knee-deep in the book. I keep saying the book will wrap by book 4 but now I’m thinking it might be book 5, maybe 6? At the end of the day, I want to make something that is great. A good ass comic. A comic where you can tell someone is putting their heart and soul into this.
Q9 Are there any projects that you have in the pipeline that readers should keep an eye out for?
DJ: Besides Nose Bleed, I have another Idea brewing for what I hope is another series but It’s hard to write something else while you’re still working on an ongoing title. I’m doing research for that thing at the moment. But yeah, it’s mostly just Nose Bleed for a while. Maybe a short story or two in between.
Q10 Where can readers find and follow your work?
DJ: read Nose Bleed monthly for free at https://www.theartblog.org/author/derickjones/
Follow me on Instagram and Blue Sky @skudsink
Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher