I’ve just started getting into the realm of indie comics, and my indie journey began on Kickstarter. There, I was told, you can find inspired people who want to break into comics. Many of them are “bucking the system” (or building a creative resume) and trying to strike out on their own.
The original HUNTER’S LORE graphic novel is what inspired me to take a closer look at Lee’s comic projects
This search led me to a graphic novel called Hunter’s Lore and writer and artist, Lee Milewski. As you can tell from our Countdown to Conan event, I’m a huge fan of heroic fantasy and Hunter’s Lore seemed to fit the bill. Milewski’s artwork isn’t done in the realistic style; rather, it’s an odd combination of abstract art and compelling panel layouts that don’t always make sense yet look good anyway.
His books – at this point at least – are not the kind of comic that you’d see from Marvel or DC, but his creativity – coupled with his unusual art style- could easily carve its own niche. The fact that Milewski has already funded 8 successful Kickstarters for numerous projects (and completed artwork for others) indicates that he is starting to build his own audience.
Having spent the last week looking over much of his work (graciously provided on a shared drive), I’ve concluded that sometimes his work reminds me of an immature and perhaps anime-inspired Bill Sienkiewicz, where the artwork is drawn as puzzle pieces that don’t always fit, yet they still work when assembled on a comic book page.
Other times, it seems he’s channeling Mike Allred and I expect to see Madman leap out of one of the panels. His art is glaringly inconsistent, but ironically, that’s part of the charm of these books.
Lee agreed to share his story with Paint Monk’s Library in an exclusive creator interview.
WALLY MONK: What was your first project, and was it funded with Kickstarter? Or had you tried some form of artwork in the comics medium before crowdfunding?
LEE MILEWSKI: “Ha, well my very FIRST comic project was a little creator owned book called With The Earth Above Us – a very sci-fi oriented book that I attempted to crowd-fund, but failed, and never really tried again with it after the fact.
I learned a ton with those pages, a ton of the basics of sequential art anyway, and went on to create my horror series Tangled Weeds after the fact.
It was a lot of fun, but like anything, you have to fail in order to learn and get better!”
WALLY MONK: Who are the artistic inspirations for your drawing? I am not at all a fan of abstract art, or art where proportions are exaggerated (think Rob Liefeld) but your work appeals to me. In some of your pages I think of anime. On others it looks like you’re attempting a more realistic style. Sometimes panel transitions are jarring – perhaps intentionally? What is the “look” you are searching for, or are you trying to create your own mish-mash of different styles to tell a story?
LEE MILEWSKI: “I actually really like the way that you referred to my style as puzzle pieces trying to fit on the page – in all honesty, I can totally agree with that and understand where you’re coming from. In fact, I’m not a very “artsy” artist, and have always thought of comics like any other creative thing – you have to think of what you’d “like” to accomplish, and attempt to achieve it.
Lee putting his “best foot forward” in this page from The Winter Year.
It really is just patience and learning over time, but also the understanding of where your weakness lies and how to better it.
The thing is, I found out early in my learning that I will probably never be a super realistic illustrator… I tend to not prioritize perspective or other things that others may consider, but that all lines up with what I want to do or hope to do. It doesn’t always work, of course, but in the case of Hunter’s Lore – there were several panels/scenes where I re-wrote based on what I know I could accomplish rather that what I would like to.
With my newest project, The Winter Year, I’m really attempting to put my best foot forward and make every panel count… even the ones I will need to draw a million times!”
WALLY MONK: Do you draw by hand and then color digitally? What is your process for completing comic art? And do you do lettering by hand? I’m guessing your lettering is computer generated. Am I correct?
LEE MILEWSKI: “I used to draw by hand and took too long, actually. My entire process is now digital, including the coloring and lettering. I have tried to go back after the fact, though the time saved is just not worth it in the end.
For my personal projects, I just jump right into things – so, no layouts or anything, just begin working on what will eventually be finished pages. For contracted work, I tend to do layouts for the client, then work in the same way.
Lee uses primarily freeware like GIMP to produce his digital comics.
I’ve found that this is super surprising to many people, but I use a totally free program to create my pages called GIMP – so, no Photoshop (nearly ever), Illustrator, etc.”
WALLY MONK: When you’re writing your own comics, I’m curious if the artwork comes first or the story comes first. Do you get an idea and jot down some sketches, or do the stories tend to come from the sketches? What were your inspirations for some of the series you’ve completed, and which ones are your favorite? Will we see more Hunter’s Lore?
LEE MILEWSKI: “Good question! A lot of times, I’ll be messing around on the weekend or something, come up with a character or style that I really enjoy working in, and begin the story process after that. Most of my projects began like that – the Winter Year has been restarted nearly FIVE times in the last year because I began with the art side of things and couldn’t nail down the story. So, after several months of thinking on the project and the artstyle, I landed on what i have now.
A lot of my influences come from film or video games; when scenes or environments really, really captivate me, it can be stuck in my mind for a while until I jot it down or make something of it. The first time I played Bloodborne, as an example, drove me to create a small indie vampire comic called Of The Dark a few years back.
Hunter’s Lore felt wrapped up in the two books, and like I said, I just don’t even draw in that same traditional style anymore – my plan is to actually Kickstart a hardcover version of both books sometime in the near future!”
NO MORE LORE? Lee said he feels this series has been “wrapped up.”
WALLY MONK: Out of nine Kickstarters that you’ve created, only one failed to fund. What was that story about, and why do you think it’s the only book of yours that didn’t make it to the presses? What did you learn from that project that helped you be successful with so many follow-up projects? Which of your successful Kickstarters did you find the most fulfilling from a creator’s viewpoint? Was it the most “commercially” successful book that is your most fulfilling or a different one?
LEE MILEWSKI: “Well, my first Kickstarter was a scifi book called With The Earth Above Us – and though I liked the idea at the time, I can easily recognize now that it wasn’t ready for public consumption. It’s an easy, and beginner, mistake to make – that you have something that you really love and have put time into, but just isn’t presented in the way that you can hook people. Probably for the best, of course.
What I did learn from that though, and each consecutive one that I do, is that you cannot rely on past successes. It may sound simple, or silly, but you always have to be trying to outdo your previous efforts – this is because backers are super keen to what you’re pushing and can tell if your ENTIRE heart is in it, rather than just a portion left over from the last one. It’s important to take people’s time seriously – and when you’re talking about sharing a link online or something, it’s especially true.”
WALLY MONK: You mention in your Kickstarter and Patreon profile that you are married. What’s it like balancing full-time work (assuming you have a day job), advancing your comic book career, and having a young family? And is your family supportive?
LEE MILEWSKI: “I actually work full time on comics, and believe it or not, my wife Kat works at home with me!
We’ve been doing this for the last few years and love it – I’ve certainly done many, many years with a full time day job and doing art on the side, but nowadays I find that I earn more if my attention is entirely focused on comics and illustration.
My family is super supportive and has always been – I always have to give credit to my wonderful wife for allowing me to live this dream for many years and am happy that she can now join me in the studio.”
WALLY MONK: You’re currently running a Kickstarter project as this interview is being published. Tell us a little bit about The Winter Year issue #1.
LEE MILEWSKI: “The Winter Year is a fantasy comic, written and illustrated by me. I’ve been working on this series for the better part of a year and am SUPER excited to share it with yourself and others – it’s a true labor of love and my most proud project that I’ve put together.
It’s a story about a hunter with a family, Garai, and his journey into the winter lands to reclaim what he believes is owed to him. It’s about discover, revenge, and ultimately, redemption. It’s a ton of fun and I would love for everyone to check it out!”
WALLY MONK: Have you ever thought about writing/drawing for Marvel or DC or another one of the larger publishers? How important is that to you, or could you happily be a “self-publisher” because of the freedom it gives you?
LEE MILEWSKI: “I have always put publishing with a publisher on a pedestal, until about two years ago. Then, I realized that as long as I’m able to create the stories I want to make and earn somewhat of a living doing so, that I feel happy about my situation. Of course, there’s a glamor to working with a bigger company like DC and Marvel, though it’s not my primary goal or achievement in my career.
Like anything, you have to be happy in your day to day – and as long as comics make me happy to create, I’ll continue making them. And, of course, hoping that people enjoy reading them!”
WALLY MONK: Excellent! Thanks so much Lee, for talking with me for the readers at Paint Monk’s Library, and good luck with your newest Kickstarter. I’ll definitely be following along.
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INTERVIEW: Weeds and Lore Lead to Small-Press Success
By WALLY MONK – Paint Monk’s Library Editor
I’ve just started getting into the realm of indie comics, and my indie journey began on Kickstarter. There, I was told, you can find inspired people who want to break into comics. Many of them are “bucking the system” (or building a creative resume) and trying to strike out on their own.
inspired me to take a closer look at Lee’s comic projects
This search led me to a graphic novel called Hunter’s Lore and writer and artist, Lee Milewski. As you can tell from our Countdown to Conan event, I’m a huge fan of heroic fantasy and Hunter’s Lore seemed to fit the bill. Milewski’s artwork isn’t done in the realistic style; rather, it’s an odd combination of abstract art and compelling panel layouts that don’t always make sense yet look good anyway.
His books – at this point at least – are not the kind of comic that you’d see from Marvel or DC, but his creativity – coupled with his unusual art style- could easily carve its own niche. The fact that Milewski has already funded 8 successful Kickstarters for numerous projects (and completed artwork for others) indicates that he is starting to build his own audience.
Having spent the last week looking over much of his work (graciously provided on a shared drive), I’ve concluded that sometimes his work reminds me of an immature and perhaps anime-inspired Bill Sienkiewicz, where the artwork is drawn as puzzle pieces that don’t always fit, yet they still work when assembled on a comic book page.
Other times, it seems he’s channeling Mike Allred and I expect to see Madman leap out of one of the panels. His art is glaringly inconsistent, but ironically, that’s part of the charm of these books.
Lee agreed to share his story with Paint Monk’s Library in an exclusive creator interview.
LEE MILEWSKI: “Ha, well my very FIRST comic project was a little creator owned book called With The Earth Above Us – a very sci-fi oriented book that I attempted to crowd-fund, but failed, and never really tried again with it after the fact.
I learned a ton with those pages, a ton of the basics of sequential art anyway, and went on to create my horror series Tangled Weeds after the fact.
WALLY MONK: Who are the artistic inspirations for your drawing? I am not at all a fan of abstract art, or art
where proportions are exaggerated (think Rob Liefeld) but your work appeals to me. In some of
your pages I think of anime. On others it looks like you’re attempting a more realistic style.
Sometimes panel transitions are jarring – perhaps intentionally? What is the “look” you are
searching for, or are you trying to create your own mish-mash of different styles to tell a story?
page from The Winter Year.
It really is just patience and learning over time, but also the understanding of where your weakness lies and how to better it.
WALLY MONK: Do you draw by hand and then color digitally? What is your process for completing comic art?
And do you do lettering by hand? I’m guessing your lettering is computer generated. Am I
correct?
GIMP to produce his digital comics.
I’ve found that this is super surprising to many people, but I use a totally free program to create my pages called GIMP – so, no Photoshop (nearly ever), Illustrator, etc.”
WALLY MONK: When you’re writing your own comics, I’m curious if the artwork comes first or the story comes
first. Do you get an idea and jot down some sketches, or do the stories tend to come from the
sketches? What were your inspirations for some of the series you’ve completed, and which ones
are your favorite? Will we see more Hunter’s Lore?
WALLY MONK: Out of nine Kickstarters that you’ve created, only one failed to fund. What was that story about,
and why do you think it’s the only book of yours that didn’t make it to the presses? What did
you learn from that project that helped you be successful with so many follow-up projects?
Which of your successful Kickstarters did you find the most fulfilling from a creator’s
viewpoint? Was it the most “commercially” successful book that is your most fulfilling or a
different one?
WALLY MONK: You mention in your Kickstarter and Patreon profile that you are married. What’s it like
balancing full-time work (assuming you have a day job), advancing your comic book career,
and having a young family? And is your family supportive?
LEE MILEWSKI: “I actually work full time on comics, and believe it or not, my wife Kat works at home with me!
We’ve been doing this for the last few years and love it – I’ve certainly done many, many years with a full time day job and doing art on the side, but nowadays I find that I earn more if my attention is entirely focused on comics and illustration.
WALLY MONK: You’re currently running a Kickstarter project as this interview is being published. Tell us a little
bit about The Winter Year issue #1.
WALLY MONK: Have you ever
thought about writing/drawing for Marvel or DC or another one of the larger publishers? How
important is that to you, or could you happily be a “self-publisher” because of the freedom it
gives you?
WALLY MONK: Excellent! Thanks so much Lee, for talking with me for the readers at Paint Monk’s Library, and good luck with your newest Kickstarter. I’ll definitely be following along.