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BUDDHA BOY - ITS TIME FOR A NEW STYLE OF HERO

Buddha Boy There comes a time in everyone's life when they have to face facts and realize what they actually are. Now to some, this could mean they're a serial killer who needs to murder people in a sequential fashion. Where as to some others, this could mean that they need to go away to a secluded monastery and find out that their hearts desire is to be a fully fledged comic book creator. Want to know what I mean by this? Then please check out the following interview I did with my mate, Alexandre.





1) What are your own origins, Alexandre?   I’m Brazilian, from São Paulo City.

2) What inspired you to become an artist / comic book creator?   I’ve always liked comics because they've consistently been a huge part of my overall education. As a kid, I used to try and copy the artwork from the artists that I liked, as I had a huge collection with mostly Marvel and DC comic book titles.

When I was 13 I read the first part of Akira (the colored version) and it literally blew my mind. I didn’t know that it was possible to do something like that in a comic book -- to tell a great story and deal with strong subjects and characters. The artwork was fast and dynamic, and the way Otomo drew the architecture, the machines, human anatomy, and the expressions on the characters faces, well, it was so good that I still can’t find anything similar to it, even today. 

Buddha BoyAfter college I had a kind of spiritual crisis, and so decided to live in a Buddhist monastery and stop reading or trying to make comics. But after a while I inevitably came back to drawing comic books again, and I've been doing it since around 2005 to 2006.

3) Can you briefly tell us about some of the projects you’re currently involved with?   I’m currently writing and illustrating a comic book about my time in the monastery called Buddha Boy (named 'Buda Boy' in Portuguese). With a little luck I'll be able to complete it by June, 2017, as I’ve already printed the first part in risograph and been showing and selling it in and around London. I sometimes have other comics to draw and letter -- mainly from the writer, Josh Spiller -- plus other commissioned work. I’m also slowly writing two more comics that I’ll start to draw after Buddha Boy is finally released.

4) What song would you say best represents your comics and why?   That’s a real hard question, although I think I'd choose Reflektor, by Arcade Fire. There's a lot of talk about love in that song, and that’s pretty much how I feel about comics. What I’m able to do as an artist is just a reflection of a reflection, and so on, and so forth.




Astro Boy
5) If you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Osamu Tezuka, because he created the cutest character ever: Astro Boy. I would ask him to hold Buddha Boy and Astro Boy together, as that would be wonderful to see.

6) What have you learnt about yourself through this endeavour?   Before creating comics I used to look up to artists and imagine they were like entities that could make everything possible. I used to see the finished comics, without being able to comprehend how everything fit together. I mean, I could watch a video and read about it, but to do it in real life, is a totally different thing.

Every day I sit, make a panel, ink a little, and after a while can see that I’ve made something with my time here on Earth. Suddenly I've stopped worshiping the creative process and now I’m more down to earth, grounded, yet it has taken me quite some time to have something to say and find the basic skills to do it in my comics.

7) During your time in this field, what is the one thing that has kept you in good stead?   My main need is to talk to people and try to get from them some form of feedback. Even if it's in an informal conversation I always try to get some direction. In today's world it’s real easy to get lost and to think only about oneself. After all, I am talking about my own personal stories here, and talking helps me find out if my comics have some relevance.

8) If you had a personal motto, what would it be?   To quote Samuel Beckett, 'Ever tried and ever failed? No matter, always try and always fail, but fail better.'

Buy Archie comics & digests at TFAW.com!

And so on that note, I'd like to thank Alexandre for telling us about his comic book, Buddha Boy, before directing you towards his twitter and tumblr pages.  
BUDDHA BOY - ITS TIME FOR A NEW STYLE OF HERO BUDDHA BOY - ITS TIME FOR A NEW STYLE OF HERO Reviewed by David Andrews on May 22, 2017 Rating: 5

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