Hall H Show host Aaron Nabus talks to Greg Anderson Elysée, who makes his return the podcast to discuss his new comic book, Is’nana the Were-Spider: Birthday Day. This episode is also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Deezer, Amazon Music, and Spotify. The Hall H Show is hosted by Aaron Nabus and Alex Benedicto and is the “Voice of Independent Creators.”

Show Notes:

Hello fellow nerds, geeks and supporters of indie pop culture creators! Aaron Nabus here and thanks for tuning into this episode of the Hall H Show!

We’re glad to welcome back someone that we first met at Black Comix Day 2018, the creator of Is’nana the Were-Spider, Greg Anderson Elysée! It’s hard to believe that the first time we interviewed him was three years ago on episode 31. Time sure went by fast!

He’s been on several shows since then to discuss a few of the comic books that he’s written. On this episode, we’ll be talking about Is’ana the Were-Spider: Birthday Day. While it’s the fifth comic book in the Is’nana the Were-Spider series, Birthday Day is actually a prequel.

It’s available to back on Kickstarter until 7/18/21, so let’s help it finish strong.

Welcome back to the Hall H Show, Greg!

About Our Guest (from Kickstarter):

Greg Anderson Elysée is a Brooklyn born Haitian-American writer, film-maker, model, and educator. He is the writer and creator of the award winning comic book/graphic novel series Is’nana the Were-Spider, a coming of age dark fantasy book about the son of Anansi the Spider, drawing inspiration from Black myths, folklore, and spirituality. He is also the creator of the sci-fi series Marassa and other works, and is the writer for 133art’s OneNation: Stronghold. Through various platforms, Anderson Elysée continually fights for more inclusion and better representation when it comes to people of color and sexualities.

Is’nana the Were-Spider: Birthday Day:

About Is’nana the Were-Spider: Birthday Day: “A horror-fantasy, coming of age story, Is’nana the Were-Spider: Birthday Day (28 page one-shot) is the fifth release of an on-going series of graphic novels and one-shots. Is’nana the Were-Spider has won 7 Glyph Awards (2018 Fan Award, Rising Star Award, & Best Male Character Award; 2019 Best Male Character Award, 2019 Best Writer Award, & Story of the Year Award; 2020 Best Male Character Award).”

Opening Round Questions:

• How have you been able to stay creative during the pandemic?
• Why is creating comic books important to you?
• What’s a typical day like for you? How do you balance your creative projects, your job, life in general?
• Do you have a daily routine to help you get in the right mindset? You seem to be consistent in your workouts, how has that helped you be a better creator?
• Can you give us some insight on how you generally come up with ideas for stories? Do you have a process for brainstorming initial concepts? How do you keep track of everything? What is your research process like? 
• What do your students say when they find out you create comic books?

Is’nana the Were-Spider: Birthday Day:

• For anyone new to the show and that hasn’t heard about Is’nana before, would you mind briefly talking about him, his purpose, and why you created him in the first place?
• Why did you feel it was time to tell a story about Is’nana’s childhood.
• Without giving too much away, what can we expect from this prequel? Who are some of his friends that we’ll get to meet?
• What’s it like being your own publisher? Have you tried to pitch Is’nana to other publishers?
• If someone has read your Is-nana books and they wanted to know more about West African and Caribbean folklore, are there any books that you could recommend for them to read?
• Can you tell us about the creative team behind Birthday Day?
• Any details about the Kickstarter that you’d like to highlight?
• You are a pro at Kickstarter campaigns now. Any helpful Kickstarter advice that you could give?
• Are you planning on attending any in-person comic conventions to promote your new book and your other work this year? On a scale from 1-10, 10 being the highest level of concern, how concerned are you about attending public events amid the pandemic?

Thunder Round Questions:

• If you were a character in the Is’nana universe, what kind of character would you be?
• What’s something that you hated as a kid but love now as an adult?
• You’re at a comic book shop and thumbing through the back issue bins. What kind of comics would you look for?
• Who is your favorite character from the Dragon Ball anime/manga universe and why? Speaking of anime, what’s one anime that you’ve enjoyed lately?
• If you could workout with anyone in history, who would it be with and why did you pick this person?
• I like listening to 90’s hip hop and Queens of the Stoneage when I work out. What kind of music do you like to listen to when you work out?
• On Instagram, you recently posted: “If you’re not gonna write your story, who will? Mad people have ideas. What is the problem though? Why do so many have trouble actually writing them down and turning it into? What’s holding you back?” – Why did you feel compelled to post that and did something ever hold you back in the past from telling your stories?
• Why is teaching about queerness to kids important?
• What’s one of your favorite words? And why is it one of your favorite words?
• What’s it like growing up in New York? Can you picture yourself living anywhere else?
• What’s something new that you learned recently?
• My 30 year high school reunion is tomorrow. What do you hope to accomplish by your 30 year high school reunion?
• You enjoy a good back and forth repartee with Jason Reeves from 133 Art. If you could tell him anything right now, what would it be?

Closing Questions:

What are some helpful pieces of advice for someone struggling with their queerness? And also any insight on how we can be better supporters of their unique stories?

I think in a past episode you gave good advice on the importance of setting aside 10 minutes everyday to write. Is there anything else we can do to become better writers?

Follow Greg Anderson Elysée:

Webway Comics
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Thank YOU:

Thank YOU for listening to the Hall H Show podcast! I’m happy and humbled when I find out people support a project or start to follow one of our guests because of one of our episodes. So thank you so much for your continued support.

And, thanks to my guest, Greg Anderson Elysée. Please give him a follow and consider supporting his newest comic book, Is’nana the Were-Spider: Birthday Day, which is on Kickstarter until July 18, 2021.

We love putting the spotlight on independent pop culture creatives, like Greg. If you have a suggestion for a potential guest, please let us know!

If you believe in our mission to be the voice of independent pop culture creators, don’t be scared to give us a five star rating and a comment on Apple Podcasts. You can also find this podcast on Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Amazon Music, and even Spotify!

Peace, cheers, stay safe out there and if you have a story you’ve been itching to tell, consider creating a movie with your smartphone!

If you would like to recommend a guest that you feel deserves more attention, please reach out to us on any of our social media accounts or the contact form on our contact form.

The post Ep. 109 – Greg Anderson Elysée (Is’nana the Were-Spider: Birthday Day) appeared first on Hall H | Hall H Show.