E-Ville under the Sun: Q&A with Ted Mathot of E-Ville Press

When you have a resume that includes working for Pixar on some of the best Disney movies of the last 10-15 years, what else is left to do but conquer the world of comics?

Several Pixar artists have banded together under the name E-Ville Press (named for Pixar's hometown, Emeryville, Calif.) to create their own comics. Ted Mathot was kind enough to fill us in on E-Ville Press and his book, Rose and Isabel.

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JK: Can you tell us a little bit about E-Ville Press and how you guys came together?

Ted Mathot: Co-workers Ronnie Del Carmen and Enrico Casarosa had been doing the self-publishing thing for a few years, and after being inspired by their creations, we decided to get in on the game. We created a group to keep each other motivated and had monthly meetings to show each other our progress.

JK: How does E-Ville work, exactly? Does each of you have an official position within the company? Is it correct to even call it a company at this point?

Ted: We're not officially a company and no one has any real title, so I don't really know how to describe it...most of the decisions are made by committee. I guess we're closer to a co-op than anything else.

JK: Is Pixar supportive of your "moonlighting" efforts on the comic book front? I would assume from the pictures posted on your blog of your crew selling your comics at the Pixar offices that they approve.

Ted: Pixar is very supportive of artists pursuing their own outside projects, as long as they don't interfere with work and there isn't a conflict with any of the Pixar projects. Everything had to be cleared by the company first to make sure of that.

JK: So you already have a pretty creative day job that many people would be envious of. What made you want to do your own comics?

Ted: For me it's about having a creative outlet outside of work to pursue my own ideas. I have a lot of stories tumbling around in my head and comics is a great way to get them out.

JK: In terms of the creative process, how is creating your own comic different from working on an animated film? How is holding the final product in your hands different from seeing one of your films?

Ted: When I hold my finished book in my hands, it's gratifying because it's 100 percent me. It's a very different feeling from seeing a finished film, because that's a group effort. I love to work with teams just as much as working solo.

JK: Let's talk a little bit about your book, Rose and Isabel. What's the general premise of the book?

Ted: The story is about a family living in Virginia during the Civil War, whose three brothers go off to fight for the Union army. The brothers go missing and their two sisters journey into the deep south to find them and bring them home. The twist is that the sisters' genealogy ties into to a long line of female warriors from the past.

JK: How much research have you put into the title? Were you a Civil War buff before you started it?

Ted: I've put quite a bit of research time into it. The Civil War is extremely well documented so there is no shortage of resources; many people are familiar with the major events, so I owe it to the readers to try and make things accurate. I love reading non-fiction and history books, and previously I had only a passing interest in the war, but it's much greater now.

JK: Part 1 of Rose and Isabel is available now. How many parts will Rose and Isabel be?

Ted: It will be two parts, the second of which will be released in April 2006.



JK: How did fans react to E-Ville's books in San Diego?

Ted: San Diego was awesome. It was my first convention as an exhibitor, and I loved it. There was a very positive reaction to the book; people were really intrigued about the story. There were quite a few who bought the book just based on my description of it.

JK: Currently E-Ville's books are available from a few retailers on the West Coast, at conventions and, in the case of Rose and Isabel, via PayPal on your blog. Are there any plans in the works to distribute them more widely?

Ted: I would love to distribute them more widely in the future, but there's also something that is really satisfying about selling in person at the conventions; to meet everyone who comes to buy the book or even those who just ask what it's about. To have that dialogue and interaction is really great.

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Related links:

• Rose and Isabel is currently available from Ted's blog
  
• E-Ville Press blog, with links to pages for other E-Ville Press creators