Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Alterna Comics talk The Chair, Trading Cards, Pop Culture and more!

You know how sometimes you're just travelling around the internet and you find the most incredible site and you think, "I have to DO something with that?"

That's exactly what happened to me with Alterna Comics.

Alterna Comics was created by president and publisher Peter Simeti on January 4th, 2007. Alterna has published a variety of genres, including but not limited to: horror, sci-fi, suspense, humor, superhero, children's titles, and fantasy/adventure.  Alterna Comics titles are currently distributed through print by Diamond Comics Distributors and Partners Book Distributors and through digital by Comixology, Drivethru Comics, iVerse, and My Digital Comics.




President and publisher Peter Simeti was kind enough to answer some probing questions from me.

What inspired you to start a creator-owned graphic novel publisher?

There's a tremendous amount of talented artists and writers out there and I wanted to essentially help spread the word about their stories.

Have you always had a fascination with comics / pop culture?

Yes, as long as I could remember. Read my first comic when I was six years old, it was a Spectacular Spider-Man issue and I've loved them since.



Do you have a favourite title and why? What are some of the ones that are more special to you? I just adore some of these titles - Huck Finn's Adventures in Underland!

Thanks! I don't really have a specific favorite one.  Every book at Alterna is a favorite of mine, that's a big reason why I publish them.  I don't really publish books that I think are "on trend" or are "cool" but not necessarily something I'd want to read.  I have a wide range of taste and I've never signed a book at Alterna without asking myself, "Would I buy this?"

What is your favourite genre?

Horror and Sci-Fi, and then Superhero  :)


Are your titles available in print and digitally? And where?

Yes, our books are available in both print and digital. Printed books can be found pretty much wherever graphic novels are sold - bookstores, comic shops, amazon, etc.  The digital titles can be found on Comixology, Comics Fix, Drivethru Comics, Tumble Books, and Google Play Books.

I love that you have trading cards!  Where can we get them?

The trading cards and all of our books are available on our Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlternaComics 



What does a creator need to do to submit his comic to you?

We have a submissions page on our site - visit www.alternacomics.com for more information.

The Chair is being brought to life in film and stars, among others, Eric Roberts.
Tell me more about the film and the title and your involvement in the film's production.

Sure, The Chair takes place on death row and follows the story of Richard Sullivan, an innocent man struggling to escape his fate. As he witnesses the brutal murder and torture of his fellow inmates, he figures the only way he's going to survive is if he fights back.  But in doing so, Sullivan starts to lose both his humanity and his sanity. The film is filled with a stellar cast - Eric Roberts, Brian Thompson, Bill Oberst Jr., Naomi Grossman, Zach Galligan, Noah Hathaway, Travis Love, Susan Eisenberg - just to name a few.  We're hoping to start filming this Fall with a release in mid-2015.

Part of the purpose of my blog is to tweak the golden thread of humanity which runs through us all. Artists, authors, movie stars, etc all have the ability to do that. You have the ability to do it through the publication of graphic novels. Is this something that you think about?

Honestly, no... haha.  For the most part, I'm just thinking about helping to put out quality books that people will enjoy.  But it's true, stories of fiction and grandeur have always held a mirror to the human condition.  It's a great thing!

Comics in general have a huge influence on pop culture, and life.  Andy Warhol was the father of pop art and he often painted in a cartoonish way. Lately, shows like The Big Bang Theory have brought huge exposure to comics. How do you think that comic heroes have influenced mankind through the generations?

Comic book heroes are essentially modern day myths.  Stories and characters and archetypes that have been around as long as human beings have been able to communicate.  Visual storytelling is probably the oldest form of communication that we have so I think comics speak to us on that level.

Where can people support and follow your work?

You can find me on twitter @petersimeti and follow The Chair @thechairhorror and Alterna Comics @alternacomics - thanks!

9 comments:

  1. First time to know this business, and am really thankful for you.

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  2. Great interview! It is always interesting to see what makes people tick and why they love what they do so much..

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  3. Nice blog! Yes, i must agree that comics a probably an old form of visual communication but nevertheless, it still rocks! :)

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  4. I love comic books. I have a few of them since my teenage years and I keep them as sweet memories. It is nice to discover other people with this passion too.
    Hugs,
    Rally
    Rally's Beauty Highway

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  5. I love reading comics when I was younger since it's really entertaining reading them.

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  6. nice post indeed
    i love comics much
    Good Luck

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  7. Comic books are so fun to read, the artists are always so talented! Really cool interview :) I love that you're sharing your finds of the web in this way

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  8. I've never heard of Alterna, so this is a nice introduction. Do you have anymore examples of their original pieces?

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  9. I really love comics i like gambit of marvel comics

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