ROK Comics creator Dave Windett tells us he's drawing Lazarus Lemming, a new comic strip for the new British weekly, subscription-only title, The DFC.
Dave's credits include Simpsons Comics, Korky the Cat for The Dandy, and, on ROK Comics, The Wacky World of Animals, written by John Gatehouse, who is also writing Lazarus Lemming. John's credits include the Cheeky Mouse & Cool Cat books and Shelltown.
Dave also provided some of the fabulous characters and backgrounds used in the ROK Comic Creator Tool, which enables you to create comics even if you can't draw (Dave did all the hard work for you)>
Dave can't tell us much about the strip at this stage: watch out for more news as the publication date draws ever nearer.
• The DFC launches in May and ‘Early bird’ subscriptions are available now at www.thedfc.co.uk.
Dave Windett has been with ROK Comics since its initial testing, providing character designs for the Creator Tool and working on other ROK projects. He has worked for a huge range of publishers during his varied career and is one of the few British artists to have drawn for Bongo's Simpsons Comics.
Questions compiled by David Hailwood
How did you discover Rok Comics?
From John Freeman. I was one of the service's alpha testers.
How do you feel about Digital comics over Print based comics?
Both have their advantages and disadvantages, I am more interested in the quality of the work than the delivery method.
What's your greatest achievement in the comics field?
Over more years than I care to remember I've worked for most of the major publishers, but in this business it's not what you've done, it's what you're doing next.
What projects (both Rok Comics and non Rok Comics related) are you working on at the moment? �
I'm currently drawing a strip for The DFC, a new comic from publishers Random House. I will get back to Wacky World of Animals (my Rok strip) as time allows.
British comics for Panini, DC Thomson, Egmont, Fleetway, and many others, European comics from Italy to Norway, and the odd American title. Advertising work, book and games illustration, T-shirts, and even kids shoes! My website has a list of everything I can remember.
Where/when did you get your first comics break?
The first comic I worked on was Thomas the Tank Engine for Marvel UK, but It wasn't until I started working on Duckula (for London Editions/Egmont) a couple of years later that I did any professional sequential work.
What comics are you reading at the moment (both web and print based)?
Whose work do you most admire in the comics field and why?
Alex Toth, Jim Aparo, Mort Walker, Dik Browne, Graham Nolan, Mike Parobeck, Paul Dini, Vaugn Bode... the list goes on. They are all great artists and more importantly great storytellers.
British creator Dave Windetthas drawn comics featuring numerous licensed characters, including Inspector Gadget, Eek the Cat, Ace Ventura, and Daffy Duck, and illustrated educational books, business manuals and comics for the Scandinavian market.
We're delighted he was able to work on ROK Comics, creating another suite of 'Freefall' characters, objects and scenes for our Creator Tool, which enables anyone to create comic strips, even if they can't draw!
Dave has designed original characters for a variety of publications in the past and provided illustrations for everything from magazines and websites to mobile phones, games, and children's shoes.
At the moment, he's busy converting some smashing pencil designs by Steve Bright into vector art, another suite of Freefall characters the Creator Tool which should be added to the free service soon.
Dave is also uploading a humour strip The Wacky World of Animals, written by John Gatehouse, to ROK Comics.
ROK Comics creator Dave Windett tells us he's drawing Lazarus Lemming, a new comic strip for the new British weekly, subscription-only title, The DFC.
