The Xcentrikz - Interactive Comic

November 18, 2009

Interview on the great webcomic Evil Plan, with Alexis Royce!

(Click on images in this interview to visit the site...)

For some awesome super-villainy fun, you just gotta try out Evil Plan! The stories are clever and funny, you're sure to like them. I had a great chat with Alexis on behind the scenes with Evil Plan, hope you like it. Thanks again, Alexis, you're the best!

The Xcentrikz Team: Thanks so much for the interview on Evil Plan, I’m looking forward to your answers. As I hope your readers are, too! So can you give new readers out there a little intro? What’s the comic about?

Alexis: There are lots of superhero comics out there, but Evil Plan is a supervillain comic. It's about a mad scientist- Dr. Tal A. Kinesis- who has telekinetic abilities, some skill with computers, and an ego much too big for his own good. He is, of course, trying to take over the world, but he's still kind of a small fry in the supervillain world, so he's got a ways to go. He's got to deal with some mistakes in his past, some crazy black market dealers that really want to be his best friends, and a blossoming, weird love with his second-in-command.

THE XCENTRIKZ: So did you do other comic work, before Evil Plan? If so, how did that work compare to this comic?

Alexis: I did have a small comic hosted by a gaming review site back in high school, but the art was bad and my updating schedule just as poor. The main thing I learned from that was to be disciplined in my updating schedule. During high school, my cousin Megan (who does the color for Evil Plan) and I also did a doujin every summer for the Stargate convention, and so we were already used to seeing each others' art and knew what to expect. Those doujins weren't nearly as good as Evil Plan, though one did get nominated for a Stargate Fan Award a few years later, so I suppose someone must have liked them.

THE XCENTRIKZ: How did your idea for Evil Plan originate? What started this great setup and your interesting storylines?

Alexis: Ah, this will be somewhat harder to answer, as I "met" Kinesis at about the end of what we're currently considering to be the Evil Plan plotline. He makes some rather predictable choices, and I sat there for a while, really trying to dive deep into what it felt like to be a supervillain; why someone would make gaping mistakes like hiring pathetic minions, or shouting out your diabolical plots before they came to fruition. I've always liked mad scientists, and Kinesis seemed interesting, because at the same time, he was both very unlikeable, and also hugely sympathetic. And that combination really interested me. The idea for Alice came right along with Kinesis, because I knew Kinesis needed an engineer, and I knew that she had sort of a crush on him. From there, I had to figure out why anyone would ever fall for with a guy like Kinesis. (Laughs.)

THE XCENTRIKZ: Interesting to know!! So how much does your real life personal experience affect Evil Plan? Anything at all?

Alexis: Somewhat more than one might think. I almost never take people from real life and stick them in my comics, but I'll see or hear things people do every day and go "How would Kinesis respond to that?" And sometimes small things like that can help me determine how the characters would react to larger plot points.

THE XCENTRIKZ: Great. Do you have a favorite Evil Plan character?

Alexis: It changes, depending on the day. I certainly love Kinesis, but Alice is wonderful too. She's got this great streak of independence that she has to keep in check, because the boss could go crazy and kill everyone at any given moment. So she's got to keep things very carefully balanced. We haven't gotten enough of a chance to explore her yet.

I know my readers will also kind of want to kill me for this, but I love William. Absolutely adore him, though I can't yet say why. He made a rather abrupt exit out of the series and things have seemed pretty quiet on that front. But he is coming back! A little patience will be greatly rewarded.

THE XCENTRIKZ: How much planning goes on, behind the scenes, for Evil Plan? How far do you plan into the future? Tell everyone about any interesting process you have.

Alexis: I pretty much have all the major plot points charted out. Like I said above, I met Kinesis at about the end, so I know what's happening to everyone. But I'm always coming up with new ideas for the middle, so I have to figure out where I want each adventure, depending on how things are progressing in the main plot.

THE XCENTRIKZ: Yep, understandable. What was it like early on, showing Evil Plan to new viewers? What worked well, or failed miserably?

Alexis: Well, I'll put it plainly: In the start, our art was no good. It's why we're redrawing the first fifteen or so pages (and the first of those redraw pages are up now); so that people can have faith early on that the art will improve (or so people will at least be able to read the beginning and take it seriously). There are comics out there that have started with worse art, to be sure, but it still wasn't as engaging as we'd like. I remember a friend early on who looked at a page I was drawing, and said, "You really don't think you're ever really going to make money from this, right?" It felt like a slap in the face, but I also knew that I couldn't stay at that level. So I gave it all I had, and I think people are genuinely surprised to see how much the art has improved since the start. Comparing the early art and what Megan and I have now is a world of difference.

THE XCENTRIKZ: Great! What do you enjoy the most about doing Evil Plan?

Alexis: I love hearing back from readers. I keep hearing from people that "You have to do art for yourself," or that "It cheapens your work if you do it just for other people." But I disagree. Comics make me happy, and I'd be drawing them just for myself if it came down to that. But ultimately, I am one person on a world of about seven billion. And it's really self-centered to think that shutting those people out of the equation will make my comics any more valuable. I'm really proud to say that I'm making entertainment. When a reader comments on the site, and they're really getting into the action or laughing at something a character did, then that's really important. It gives me a purpose, and I don't think that that's shallow, because wanting other people to be happy and fulfilled is the basis of making things better.

I also love that I get to work with Megan each week. She lives in Colorado, and I'm in Chicago or Grand Rapids at any given time, so we rarely see each other. Even if our E-mails only have a couple sentences outside of comic notes, I get to hear about her other projects and what bands she's been hanging out with lately (seriously, she has the greatest stories about all these bands, and she tries to act like it's nothing. Too modest for her own good). I've always looked up to her, and it's thanks to Megan that I ever really thought about taking comics seriously.

THE XCENTRIKZ: That's nice you like working with Megan, you two are both really talented. So doing web-comics for a living or a hobby can be really great. But it can be hard for some authors, who balance maintaining a free web-comic along with their day-job. What are your thoughts on this?

Alexis: Currently, I'm working on my major in Cartooning, so things work out very nicely indeed for me. Also, drawing helps me to relax, so the hours I get to sit and work are my favorites, in the day.

THE XCENTRIKZ: Well that's good. Are there things that challenge you in your work? If so, how do you work through them?

Alexis: Right now, there is a little parrotlet on my keyboard, nipping at my fingers and trying to bite the keys. She tries to battle with my stylus when I'm toning and touching up comic pages with my tablet. She growls at it and scurries about, calling the stylus out, hungry for battle! She steps into a birdy battle-stance, then charges forward with the strength of ten small birds!

What was the question? Oh, oh yes, challenges. Well, our parrotlet Abby needs a lot of attention, so she tends to get very distracting while I'm working. Keeping to the deadline can get tough when I'm working on other comics, too. I like to have a buffer for Evil Plan, but right now I have to churn out a page a day of Sire (my other webcomic) for classes, so sometimes it can get a little grueling.There can also be days when I feel really lackluster, but those are the times I just need to grab a coffee or energy drink, and have at it.

THE XCENTRIKZ: Heh heh heh, fun. Alright.... If Evil Plan somehow became a feature film, how do you envision it? Would you pick certain celebrities to play your characters?

Alexis: I actually had this discussion one night, while I was out with my editor. Most of the people are still in the air, but I'd want Gilbert Gottfried to play computer. Can you imagine how much it would drive Kinesis up the wall, to have Gilbert Gottfried talking to him every single day? "Hey, Stan! I've got this joke I want you to hear!" I can hear it really clearly in my head, and so it makes me laugh every time I think about it.

THE XCENTRIKZ: Haha. Tell us a bit about your personality! It’s fun to get to know who’s behind the comic.

Alexis: Well, I'm a senior in college, and I'm feeling pretty prepared to take on the outside world. I really like RPG's, especially ones like DnD or While Wolf's games. I'm in a couple DnD groups right now. For Halloween, I helped my roommate put together a murder-mystery L.A.R.P. where everyone was some kind of paranormal/magical being. I also go a little crazy when I see nerf ammo on sale; especially since my gun only takes a longer kind. I don't get to watch enough sci-fi anymore, but I really do love it, especially anything having to do with superheroes. I tend to root for the villians, but you've probably guessed that already.

I also really love to read; and though I've got a lot of comics, I'm a real junkie for literature, especially anything written in the Victorian-Romantic period. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is my favorite, as anyone who's even glimpsed at Sire can probably figure out.

THE XCENTRIKZ: Cool stuff. Do you have favorite print comic books and graphic novels? Do they affect your work with Evil Plan?

Alexis: Well, bits and pieces of different superhero comics effect Evil Plan, but I try not to crib too much. I'm fine with taking big ideas, but I always shy away from "Let's do that right there," unless I'm willing to go straight into parody. Superhero comics can sometimes be a little removed from our common experience; especially the ones that are really set in their characters and the world. I am a fan of Batman, however, and I'll read anything Alan Moore hands down to us lowly mortals, especially his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen works.

THE XCENTRIKZ: How often does viewer input affect your comic? Do you take people’s suggestions?

Alexis: Viewer input is extremely important to me. These characters are my babies, and the comic is made because it's what I want to do, but I'd never lie and say that I do it solely for my own benefit. I'm never going to go completely against my own judgment, but I really care what my readers think. Like I said above, it's really self-centered to think that shutting everyone else out of the equation will make my comics any more valuable.

THE XCENTRIKZ: That's great you love to participate like that. For you, what is the comic’s crowning achievement?

Alexis: Existing, probably. Also, I'm feeling very good about the variety of differing opinions of my different readers. I'm happy to see people that like Kevin and those that loathe him. I'm happy to see people rooting for Kinesis, or worrying about him. The fact that Evil Plan can inspire people to care makes me full with pride. So I have to keep working even harder so that those people can continue to care.

THE XCENTRIKZ: Great. Are there some common misconceptions about Evil Plan? How would you like to address them?

Well, I don't know if this counts, but the subject of Kinesis' hair is the one that gets more questions than anything else. Here's the scoop: Kinesis' hair grows in blue. He messed it up in an accident with William. He temporarily changes it to its original brown when he's posing as a normal person.

THE XCENTRIKZ: Well now we know! Any thing else you’d like to share? A hint on the future of Evil Plan …?

Ah, spoilers are the best part of any interview, aren't they? But I like surprises so very much...what can I say that's not too big nor too small? Oh, I know! "A very strange romance is about to begin, soon." There. Something to get you guys thinking, but vague enough that you'll have to keep thinking!

THE XCENTRIKZ: HMMMMM!!! You've got everybody wondering, now. Thanks again Alexis, say hi to Megan for me. Everyone -- Do give Evil Plan a try!

Thank you so much for the opportunity! I've read a few of your interviews before, so it was a huge honor to get contacted!

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