More ROK Comics Creator Interviews

• Josh Alves
• Michael Colbert
• Paul Harrison-Davies
• Rich Diesslin
• David Fletcher
• John Freeman
• Mychailo Kazybrid
• John Maybury
• Ben Tinsley
• Dave Windett

Rok Comics Creators: John Maybury
First Published: 9 March 2008

John Maybury, editor of the Comic Creators Guild annuals, is one of a small number of comics artist utilising ROK Comics for its 'mature readers' strand, reformatting his cult indie character Space Babe for mobile. John describes The Erotic Adventures of Space Babe 113 as "a naughty SF comedy". Too right...

Questions compiled by David Hailwood

How did you discover Rok Comics?

John Freeman gave me a promotional handout at the 2007 Bristol convention.

How do you feel about Digital comics over Print based comics?

I wouldn't want to lose either.

What's your greatest achievement in the comics field?

Actually creating something.

What projects (both Rok Comics and non Rok Comics related) are you working on at the moment?

Space Babe 113, both in print and for ROK. I will also be starting work on editing the third Comics Creators Guild annual soonish.

What advice would you offer to new cartoonists?

Absorb as many influences as possible, but try to find your own voice.

What's your favourite comics related website?

Perhaps I should surf more often.

Where else has your work appeared?

Some fanzine/small press stuff in the UK. I've edited the first two Comics Creators Guild annuals.

Where/when did you get your first comics break?

Apart from fanzines, a strip I drew appeared in the short-lived (one issue) football comic Foul!

What comics are you reading at the moment (both web and print based)?

Nemi and Em in the free London papers. I'm not currently following any particular comic series at the moment, though Scarlet Traces was great.

Whose work do you most admire in the comics field and why?

This is very hard to answer, however the 1960's Marvel artists, particularly Steranko, Kirby and Ditko and many British newspaper strip artists, 'specially Sydney Jordan, had a big influence on me artistically. More recently, Lise's Nemi strip and Maria Smedstad's superbly minimilist Em strip have both impressed me.

The first few years of Terry Moore's Strangers In Paradise really grabbed me, as did Hiroshi Aro's Futaba Kun Change, Max Allan Collins and Tery Beatty's Ms Tree and Paul Grist's Kane.

• You can buy Space Babe 113 comics on-line from Soaring Penguin

Space Babe 113 is available in these London comic shops:

• Avalon Comics
143 Lavender Hill, London, SW11 5QJ

• Orbital Comics & Collectables
148 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0LB

• 30th Century Comics
18 Lower Richmond Road, Putney, London, SW15 1JP