Jake of Tales From Uranus Interview

by joseangeles@muchomail.com

note: interview done originally in 2004 so many links and info may be outdated

Ever see an album cover that looks like an insane old school horror comic fucking with your head and wonder who was behind such a masterpiece? Well stop wondering, goremaster artist Jake is the man responsible and if you thought his album covers kicked major ass, you seriously need to check out his comix too, they're definatley the goriest comics I've seen. The man's a true visionary. Read on:

-So what was the last thing you were working on before this interview?

I’m working on a new title called "Kung Fu Death Orgy". It’s my version of kung fu comix. It’s gonna be like The Story of Ricky mixed in with a 70s comic and a bad 80s ninja movie.

(editor's note: If you haven't watched Story of Ricky, you've never truly lived!)

-You have Crypt of Sadism, TFU, and Tomb of Satanic Gore so far, are there going to be more titles you'll be working on? What can we expect in the future?

Yep, the kung fu one mentioned above. Plus, I’m slowly working on a war comic. I also have a crime comic in the works. And I’m always sketching out potential little horror numbers for the already existing titles.

- Have you ever been approached by any comic publishers interested in printing huge runs of your work and giving wider distribution? If not, would you join them or do you prefer the comics always be 100% in your control, from the trimming to the selling?

I’d rather be in total control. Anytime there is more than one person involved it just doesn’t work the same or things get changed too much.

-I read on the Frightmare's site you're concentrating on comics exclusively now. Was doing work for bands getting too time-consuming and demanding? Are comics all you will be devoted to in the future?

Yeah, it was fun while it lasted, but it was something that kept getting in the way of finishing my comix. So yeah, just comix from now on. It’s awesome what I’ve been able to get done now that I’ve cleared my desk of all other projects.

-On your about page you talk about people that just don't get the brilliance in b-movie gore. Are there really lameass fucks that whine to you? Any outraged mothers accusing you of corrupting their kids?

No, nobody’s whined to me. I say that shit in hopes of preventing that kind of crap. Because I know those people are out there, looking for their next scapegoat, and I just like to call them out way before hand.

-It's always a dream for people to do what they love and get paid for it. Has your art been selling good enough yet to make a living off of? Or do you still have a job to keep up with bills?

No, I’m not making a living off of it. I have paid for some bills with it before, but I definitely have to keep a fulltime job.

-You've done a lot of logos and album covers, so I'm curious, how did you go about choosing which bands to work with? Were there any bands you refused to draw for even if they were going to pay top dollar? And about how many art requests did you get before?

Well, it mainly all started with just being involved in the underground and shooting the shit with Billy at Razorback. Bands that played gore type stuff and preferred the old school hand drawn cover art style were the ones I dealt with. I refused some stuff, but it was usually because their ideas sucked or they were trying to get a freebie. I used to get requests almost every week or so. A lot of times it happened in bunches (hence the reason it was fucking with my comix progress). But, almost on a weekly basis I’d get an email from some fuck in Europe or something wanting to know my rates for art.

-Was your style something that came natural to you or did it take years to develop? Did you go to any art schools? And about what age do you think your art finally became a unique style you could call your own?

Nope, no art schools for me. My training comes from reading tons of old comic books. My style has really tightened up in the past few years and I’m really happy with it. Over the years I’ve seen mainstream comics turn into manga looking photoshop nightmares with hardly anyone using their own style or vision (haha, so true!). So, I’ve always tried to steer clear of any of that. I’m not sure what age I was when I finally honed this particular art style down. I consider myself to be always learning.

-You've got a lot of crazy poses and characters. Do you use any reference pictures for a basis or is everything designed completely in your head?

I’d say 90% of it is in my head. But I still grab an old horror comic or mag once in awhile to be re-inspired by a shading style I haven’t tried yet, or a cool pose or perspective that I wasn’t seeing on my own. I always make sure I’m translating it into my own style and not just panel swiping. I do rip off stories though, and credit is given in the contents.

- As a guy that watches many sleazy exploitation and gore flicks, how frequently do you watch them and what do you think is the best scene in movie history of all time?

I watch flicks all the time, probably too much! I don’t consider any one scene to stand out over others really. I like all the typical gore stuff of course. I get more intrigued by hot euro babes, creepy sets, and cool lighting. Scenes that I will always remember are usually the first ones I seen as a kid, like the Romero flicks and H.G. Lewis stuff. I used to rent those as a teenager and watch them hundreds of times. The carnage at the end of Day of the Dead still stands out to me as some great scenes.

-In a movie or a comic, do you think there can ever be such a thing as too much gore? Or is there always room for more?

There’s always room for more I think. It’s just fantasy. And plus, with comix, it’s so detached from anything real at all that I can’t see how someone could take it seriously. Some could I’m sure, but that’s usually because they’re religious freaks. I don’t do movies so I can’t really say a whole lot other than what I prefer to watch. I prefer movies that don’t take the violence too serious. I like a little bit of camp and sense of humor with my sleaze. I watch old shit only anyway.

-Ok cool, that wraps up the interview, thanks for the time, feel free to leave some last words

Jose, thanks for the support man! Anybody interested in buying my comix can head on over to talesfromuranus.net. I accept PayPal but you can also email me about snailmail orders too. I look forward to hearing from genuine underground comix fans!