BlaxTube

Interview with Jim Rugg - November 01, 2009

When Jim Rugg joined BlaxTube, he shared a video trailer for an alternative comic book that was right up my alley. I just had to contact him via e-mail for an interview. Here's the Q & A:

Please tell us who you are and what you do for a living.: I pay my mortgage as a cartoonist and illustrator. I'm the co-creator and artist of Street Angel (the co-writer, Brian Maruca, is also the co-writer for the Afrodisiac). I'm the co-creator and artist for the PLAIN Janes and Janes in Love (from DC Comics). I just finished illustrating One Model Nation for Image Comics. And I'm beginning a 3 issue mini-series for Dark Horse Comics called the Guild which is based on the web series of the same name. I've also done comics and illustrations for VH1, the History Channel, UNICEF, Harcourt, Marvel, and Capcom.
Who is Afrodisiac? What is the origin of the character? What inspired you to create him? Is he a hero or an antihero?: The Afrodisiac is the world's greatest pimp. His superpower is that women can't resist him. We don't do a traditional origin story in the book, but we do suggest some possible origins that include: a deal with the devil, that he's part robot/part government weapon that went rogue, that he's a super soldier, that he was bitten by a radioactive pimp. I'm not sure what inspired his creation. He just appeared in an issue of Street Angel (our previous comic book) and we took a liking to him. He's a hero if you're a poor kid from the wrong side of tracks or if your 12 years old, and your daydreams are filled with beautiful women, fast cars, and lots of death-defying action. If you're the Man, he's a villain and your worst nightmare!
I couldn't help but notice that Afrodisiac is completely surrounded by white women on the poster. Does Afrodisiac have a preference for "snow bunnies"? No love for the sistas? What's up?: Afrodisiac loves women of any color or race, just as long as they are beautiful!
Are you a blaxploitation fan? If so, when and where were you exposed to that genre of film? Name some of your favorite blaxploitation movies.: I am a blaxploitation fan. I started watching them when we came up with the character. I had been a fan of exploitation, action, and b-movies. When I started watching blaxploitation movies, it was just more of the same - total kickass awesome. I like the obvious ones, Shaft, Superfly, the Mack, and Coffy. They've earned their status as the Mount Rushmore of the genre. Some other standouts for me include Willie Dynamite, Candy Tangerine Man, Black Shampoo, the Spook Who Sat by the Door, Welcome Home Brother Charles (retitled for DVD release as Soul Vengeance), the Human Tornado. About the same time as I developed an interest in blaxploitation, I started reading crime fiction and found the work of Chester Himes, particularly his detective series about Coffin Ed and Gravedigger Jones. They adapted two of those novels into movies, Cotton Comes to Harlem and Come Back Charleston Blues. I really enjoy that series. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys detective stories and/or crime fiction.
Please tell us about some of your other work.: Our first comic book series was Street Angel, about a poor, homeless girl who survives using her martial arts and skateboarding skills. Her city is overrun with ninja gangs, mad scientists, crime, and nepotism. It was turned into a short film by some guys from Australia. (Here's a clip of the video). The PLAIN Janes and Janes in Love were young adult graphic novels I did with Cecil Castellucci. They're about a group of high school girls that become art terrorists in their little suburban town. One Model Nation is about a band in 1970s Berlin during the Baader-Meinhof Gang's last days. Here's a video clip from a VH1 special that I did some art for. It's about a legendary rap battle between Grand Master Caz and Afrika Bambaataa.
Tell us a little bit about your background - where you were born and raised, how you got into making comics, etc.: I grew up about an hour south of Pittsburgh. Started reading comics when I was 12, and knew right away that I wanted to make my own comics. Went to school for graphic design, and did that for 7 years before I was able to get enough comics work to make that my day job.
Who are some of the people who inspired you to do this for a living?: Frank Miller, Jack Kirby, Dan Clowes, Chester Brown.
Name some of your favorite comics of all time.: Eightball, Sin City, Batman: Year One, Hellboy, OMAC, 2001, Yummy Fur, Acme Novelty Library, Love & Rockets.
Are there any future plans to turn Afrodisiac into a feature film?: Nothing as of now, but we'd love to see something like that happen.
What is Afrodisiac's "motto"? In other words, in what does he believe above all else?: Money makes the world turn.
One more thing, who did the music for the video trailer?: Don Argott, from the film, Cramming for College.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and good luck with your future projects. :): Thanks again for doing this interview and helping us get the word out about Afrodisiac! I really appreciate it and I think fans of blaxploitation will dig it! :)

Interview with Jim Rugg - November 01, 2009

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