Webcomic Creator Spotlight:
Elisa Feliz

One of the newest developments in the world of comics is webcomics or online comics. These publications are found on the Internet, often exclusively. Some comics are published in newspapers and books with an online archive. Most webcomics are self-published as the Internet allows almost anyone to author and publish their own creation. Webcomics cover a variety of genres and subjects and range from traditional cartoon strips to graphic novels.

In this new series of interviews, CNI sits down with some of the hottest creators and upcoming creators of webcomics on the Internet today to talk about what got them into this medium, where they see this medium going and what influences them and the work they do.

To start this series off, we will be talking to webcomic newcomer Elisa Feliz who was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She is a self-trained artist and creator of a web comic series called “Alice In Nightmareland”. Only 20 years old, Elisa also has her own self-designed clothing line and a network of self-developed websites.

CNI: First, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What were your biggest influences when it comes to drawing and graphic design?

Elisa: I was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. So, I never had much access to comic books. My early interest in comics was started by watching animated series based on comic books from Marvel. I have been drawing since I can remember, but my first step into the world of art was when I participated in a local contest called "Navidad de colores" when I was 6. That's when I began gaining attention from people in the art world. Four years later, one of my comic strips was printed and published for the first time, and that's when I first broke into the comic book industry. My biggest influences from the beginning were Stan Lee's creations, X-men and Spider-man mainly. But also, from an early age, my attention was drawn by Walt Disney's work. As a kid I always enjoyed his films, they were a great inspiration.


CNI: How long have you been doing web comics?

Elisa: I've been doing web comics for only 6 months. I'm more into printed comics, but just recently, I began making some comic strips only available on the web and decided to continue, after having a good response.


CNI: Tell us about your web comic series “Alice In Nightmareland”? How did you come to start it, and what direction would you like to see it evolve in?

Elisa: Alice In Nightmareland is a dark, spooky, but funny version of Alice in Wonderland. The idea came for a videogame project I was working with on 2006, that's when I began drawing the comic strips just for fun. But I canceled the project a year later, when I heard about the movie "Alice" being in production for 2009. The idea for the movie was too similar to my idea for the game, so I abandoned the project. Months later a friend convinced me to continue the strips, so I did. Now several strips from the series can be found on the Internet. I'm not planning to continue the videogame project, but something I would like to see someday is an animated version of "Alice In Nightmareland". That would be really interesting.


CNI: Are you working on any other webcomics?

Elisa: I have so many ideas and scripts that I can use, but I decided to focus on “Alice in Nightmareland” for now. Still, I've been working on a few other comic book related projects written by others, which are soon to be printed.


CNI: Has the response and feedback you have received on the Internet influenced your work in any way? If so how?

Elisa: It has, actually, 'cause a good response always keeps you motivated. It encourages you to try and give your best. And as long as people is reading and supporting your work, you know you're not wasting time.


CNI: Can you tell us how being from the Dominican Republic has influenced your work?

Elisa: It might seem funny, but even though I grew up in Dominican Republic, my influences come only from TV and Internet.


CNI: Do you prefer doing your artwork freehand or doing graphic-type design with computer applications?

Elisa: I'd rather do my artwork by freehand and later, do the coloring on the computer.


CNI: What are your favorite webcomics that are done by other people out there, and why do you like them?

Elisa: I haven't read many webcomics, to be honest. But from the few I've read, the one that draws my attention the most is "Mazscara" by GT Becks. I've never read anything like it before. I like the influence of Manga in it, but I think what I love the most about it is the quirky, gothic atmosphere.


CNI: Do you see comics on the Internet one day totally replacing comics done in print?

Elisa: I hope not! It just wouldn't be the same. I don't see digital comics replacing printed comics completely. Printed comics on digital form have become really popular lately. Not only due to the free previews you can find online, the illegal scanning have grown really popular too. Still, I don't think it’s likely to happen, at least not any time soon.


CNI: What printed comics have you or do you work on?

Elisa: In the past, I've worked with a few printed comic strips, but at the moment I'm working on a comic book called "Knight Reavers". The story is about a team of highly trained Special Ops Agents tasked with defending the world from supernatural threats. I'm working as the penciller, inker and concept artist for the comic.


CNI: Do you have a favorite comic book artist?

Elisa: I have so many... But my top favorites would be Mike Choi, Adam Hughes, Greg Horn, ChrisCross, David Mack, Greg Land, Tara McPherson, Mark Brooks and Sonia Oback.


CNI: Do you have a favorite comic book writer?

Elisa: My favorite writers have always been Stan Lee, Joss Whedon and Gail Simone.


CNI: If you could sit in a room with Stan Lee and ask him one question, what would it be?

Elisa: He's always been asked the same questions over and over again, so I know most of the answers already. But if I had the chance to ask him a question, (I would try and ask something new, like... "Which one of the villains from your comics do you most relate to?" (laughs).


ENI: Do you have a favorite contemporary artist?

Elisa: I think my favorite would be Joshua Petker. His work is amazing.


CNI: What is your favorite comic-based cartoon?

Elisa: I'm so predictable... The X-men Animated Series was always my favorite. I remember growing up watching the show and buying all of the X-Men merchandise I could find. I rarely watched cartoons when I was a kid (I was more into movies), but I loved the X-Men.


Elisa: What are some of your favorite video games?

CNI: I'm a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series. Even though I was never a big fan of RPG games, I’ve got to admit, Tetsuya Nomura made me love them. I had never seen such a high level of artistic quality on a video game, plus the character design, it's amazing. Also, apart from the FF games, I collect the Tony Hawk series of video games and the Resident Evil series as well.


CNI: You also have your own clothing line? How did you get started with that?

Elisa: In the past, I had always designed clothing and accessories for my comic book characters, it was so much fun. But I always wanted to design something that real people could wear. So, at the age of 18, I began designing graphics for urban clothing. I couldn't produce the clothing myself, so I got a partnership with Spreadshirt, which is a German online retailer that produces and dispatches user-customized products. Now I design the products and they manage the production. It was easy for me to set up the store because I could build the website, design the ads and take pictures of the models myself. I named my clothing line "Elliz", using letters from my name.


CNI: Tell us a little bit about how you got into designing websites and about your network of websites?

Elisa: I remember always being interested on web design when I was a kid. I wanted to have my own website and asked my parents for help, 'cause I had no idea how to build one. The funny thing is they didn't either. So, when I was 10 I made my first website using a web hosting. One of those hostings that allow you to add your own content to a pre-made template. But I wanted to build a whole website myself, so with what I had learnt so far about programming languages, I began building a website, using a site builder to make the design, and later, editing the codes online, using an editor. I never took a programming course, but I've been programming since I was 13, and everyday I have the chance to learn something new about it. At the moment I have more than 20 entertainment websites around the Internet that belong to my "Xtreme Media Studios" network. Each one of the websites is administrated only by me, so... a few of them might need an update.


CNI: Which do you enjoy doing more, drawing web comics, designing websites, or working on your clothing line?

Elisa: Well, I enjoy each one of my jobs, but drawing comics has and will always be my top priority.


CNI: What advice would you give to any young aspiring artist or entrepreneurs reading this that wants to become an artist?

Elisa: I'd tell them to do what they love and fight for it, no matter what the others may think. Success is up to you.


Thanks again to Elisa for taking the time to talk with us. If you would like to see more of her work, then click here.