Richard: You must keep pretty busy being the owner of Cinemacomics along with your duties as writer, letterer and inker how do you manage your time?

Jay: You also have to factor in your website, any social sites you have a presence at, forums, and so on and so on. It is a LOT of work do so many things. But it’s like any other job where you have to structure the day around the work that needs to be done. I usually put in a minimum of twelve hours a day virtually seven days a week to keep up with everything. And no, it doesn’t get easier as you complete more projects, if anything the hours get longer because you have more products to promote. [laughs] The one thing that makes it all worth it though is I love doing what I do. I could never work as hard as I do and put in this many hours if it was for a "regular" job.

Speaking of social sites if I may, we had a rather large following on Myspace and the other day I found out in horror that our site had been deleted. No reasons why and still haven’t received one from Myspace or if they can reinstate it. We had built it to over 9000 friends strong so it was quite a depressing day to say the least. We’ve set up a new site while we see if we can get the old one back but if not then it’s starting over at building our fans profiles back up. So, for any fans that wondered where our Myspace page went, there is your answer. We do have a new site up though and the address is: http://www.myspace.com/cinemacomics_publishing

Sorry for the digress & plug there.[laughs] Getting back to your questions...

Richard: How and why did you form Cimemacomics?

Jay: The idea to start self publishing and also creating projects we place at other publishers started entering my mind in late 1999 early 2000. It took me quite a while to eventually get to the point we’re at now, but the ideas for my own company started forming back then. As a kid I used to draw and write my own little comics including stapling them and so on, so maybe even back then the seeds were planted now that I think about it. In my late teens I was living in Los Angeles and like everyone living in LA you either write screenplays or act and I happened to get drawn into both. [laughs] My love for comic books has always been constant though since childhood up to present day. Flash forward several years to my decision to start up Cinemacomics mainly as a way to take everything in my own hands and chart my own destiny, without trying to sound too cheesy. [laughs] I wanted to combine my two loves, comics & movies, to hopefully create something entertaining to the masses. The name Cinemacomics was a name I came up with as a reflection of my love for both mediums. Comicscinema just doesn’t roll off the tongue like Cinemacomics did so that’s what I went with. [laughs]

Richard: Can you tell us what "The Misadventures of Clark & Jefferson " are about?

Jay: Sure, I wrote a screenplay way back in 1997 called Cowboys & Aliens (no relation to the title of the same name that came out from a different publisher last year) and shopped it around Hollywood for a few years before putting it on my shelf. As I started the plans for Cinemacomics this story was always on the board to be among our first projects to start production on. After we started on it we found out that the other company was coming out with their project of the same name and rather than go through the long hassle of fighting for the name we changed it to The Misadventures of Clark & Jefferson. In the end it’s worked out for the best since the next mini series with these characters won’t involve aliens at all. This first mini series, as you can guess by now, does contain aliens though. I didn’t want to do a straight action/serious story though when I wrote this so our story also has lots of comedy & thrills in it in addition to the action. It focuses on Clark and Jefferson and has a bit of a "buddy" theme like Murtagh and Riggs, Laurel & Hardy and a bit of The Three Stooges. Sprinkle in a little Silverado and Aliens and I think that sums it up pretty well.

I should also point out that this mini series is being published by the fine gang over at Ape Entertainment. The first issue is due out near the end of November and will run monthly for all four issues. Everything is done also so there shouldn’t be any late books to this series.

Richard: Who are the "creatures from the sky"?

Jay: They are the bad guys in Misadventures. We’ve got the typical small "grey" aliens but there is also a type of alien/insect hybrid they created which they use as their grunts or soldiers. Big bad boys with even bigger teeth. [laughs]

Richard: Who is "The Last Warring Angel"?

Jay: His name is Michael Walker. The story begins with the assassination of Kennedy and Walker is part of the crew that was involved in it. He had deep reservations before and after the assassination and several months later he is killed to cover up the operation. He is given the choice to help right his wrong and so he comes back as a Warring Angel. We flash forward several decades and he is still alive and continuing the fight against Fallen Angels, which are the equivalent of Warring Angels only they work for the other side. The other Warring Angels have been killed off by the Fallen Angels which leaves Walker as the last Warring Angel trying to stop a world ending event, hence the title.

Richard: Can you tell us about "Zero Hunters", "The Disc" and "Gods of Illusion"?

Jay: Zero Hunters was the first project I did and on it’s surface it’s a pure vampire/monster revenge story set in the future a bit. The underlying story for me with it though, is about what hatred is doing to our lead character in the story. It has consumed him and we see that in many ways he has become equal or worse than the monsters he is hunting. In the end the story is about whether or not this hatred will doom his soul or if he can overcome it and find peace.

The Disc is about a a DVD that is stolen from a high ranking official filled with every true conspiracy theory there is including all the incriminating evidence that implicates a current administration in the White House. The two hitmen used to get the guy who took the disc are horrified by what they see on it and come to the conclusion very quickly that the moment they turn this disc over they’ll probably be killed themselves so they end up running.

The God’s of Illusion isn’t something I can go into great detail yet regarding the plot. I can say it’s a big action comic that mixes a lot of different genre’s.

Richard: The "One: Season 1" is this an action packed comic?

Jay: Yeah, this is kind of my love letter to action comics and movies. The Last Warring Angel is also but this one even more so. We’re starting production on it again after a long lay off as we got The Misadventures of Clark & Jefferson completely finished and ready for print through Ape Entertainment. Anyway, it’s got everything I love–action, super heroes, apocalyptic world, anti-hero lead and did I mention action? [grins] It’s top on the list for us in ‘08 and we plan to roll out the mini series’ as "seasons" like on television. So, the next mini will be ONE: Season 2 and so on until the entire story is told.

Richard: What future comics will you be working on?

Jay: Right now we’re busy on The Disc, and ONE and God’s of Illusion are also our main projects to get done in 2008. We also have Zero Hunters 2 on the horizon now in addition to a couple other projects that are in the development stage. Plus we may be working on the occasional project for different publishers we’re talking with now that I can’t go into great detail about yet.

Richard: Why are Cimemacomics comics better or different than other comics?

Jay: I’m barely humble enough to not say our comics are better than x,y,z, comics [laughs] but that said, I do think we are producing some solid stuff. I won’t speak about my writing because I can’t judge that fairly, but Marc Borstel, who is one of my main go-to-guys to create the art for a lot of my projects, is just really amazing and gets better with each issue he does. His work alone is worth checking out many of our projects. As far as us being different–we don’t have any ongoing series and don’t really plan to. So you get, for the most part, a contained story each mini series. Now, there will be sequels and "seasons" but we pretty much like the self contained mini. We also are doing these books for the pure enjoyment of it and we hope that shows through and maybe separates us from some of the other companies that seem like they are pretty much in it only for the bottom line.

Richard: Do you remember the first comic you read?

Jay: I don’t know if it was the exact first one I read but it was the first I can recall. I used to stay at my Aunt’s house after school until my Mom got off work and she had some old comics in the house. The one I remember reading over and over was an issue of the Incredible Hulk. It was really old and I can’t remember the number or anything but I remember the splash page had the Hulk jumping over a suspension bridge. As a kid as I was growing up it was in the heyday of Byrne, Perez, Miller on X-men, Teen Titans, Daredevil, etc., so man, it was a great time to be a kid and reading comics. [laughs] I could probably write a novel on how many of those creators back then influenced and shaped me at the time. Some great stuff back then.

Richard: Does Cinemacomics have a lot of talent besides yourself?

Jay: Yes, as I mentioned before Marc Borstel does a lot of the work load for us. I have also used other artists including inkers and colorists and will continue to expand in the future but only very slowly. We are small press and know that every step is extra crucial because of that and don’t want to extend too far too fast. I’m fortunate in that I know how to do a lot of the different aspects in the creation of the books, but at the same time I look forward to the day when I can just focus on one or two things. [laughs] We’re trying to build our library of titles slowly and over time I think that’s the better plan as opposed to burning out quickly.

Richard: What would you like to accomplish in life that you have not?

Jay: You know, to be honest I’m doing it right now. I’ve got my little company, I’m getting to create on a daily basis, I’m meeting all kinds of cool and interesting people because of it and I’m having fun despite the long hours. Some may like our projects and some may not like our projects--that’s okay–but at the end of the day I do this because it brings me happiness to be able to create.

Richard: How can someone contact you?

Jay: Through our site at: www.cinemacomics.com . Myspace (hopefully!): www.myspace.com/cinemacomics_publishing . Comicspace: www.comicspace.com/cinemacomics/ . Facebook: Type in the search box--Cinemacomics Publishing

Richard: Any final words of wisdom?

Jay: It’s clichéd, but true. Don’t give up. Whatever you do in life if it’s creative or not there will always be people, or just plain old life, that throws up roadblocks before you. Find a way around those road blocks and keep focused on your path. Whatever you want to do in life, learn what you need to learn to do it and like the slogan says "Just do it".