[dramatic heroic music] ♪ [dramatic heroic music] ♪ [dramatic heroic music] ♪ [dramatic heroic music] - Hello and welcome to "Comic Culture".

I'm Terence Dollard, a professor in the Department of Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

My guest today is writer artist Kelly Yates.

Kelly, welcome to "Comic Culture".

- Thank you for having me, I appreciate it.

- Now, Kelly, you are the creator of "Amber Atoms", which is a series that came out with Image Comics, but then you recently did a Kickstarter to collect it as one big volume.

So what's it like sort of pitching an idea to Image, and then, you know, going out on your own to get, I guess, a crowdfunding project to put it together in a library type of volume?

- Well, it's a daunting, yet exciting process.

Let's honestly, but I'm gonna give you a little bit of my secret origin here with all of this.

It's a comic, so there has to be an origin story.

So I would say that I was trying to break into comics in the late '90s, and I was getting a couple little projects here and there.

I started getting into about, you know, 2005, 2006, and I just wasn't getting any work from like Marvel in DC.

So I was like, well, maybe I can kind of, you know, do my own, create our own project to get a little, you know, attention for myself or my creativity.

So I'll write and draw my own series.

How hard can it be?

Right?

Well, [laughs] I now have much, much respect for writers.

So, I mean, it's an interesting process.

God, I've never written anything before.

I'd always kind of labeled myself as an illustrator, so I had to branch out to that piece of it.

So I developed concept, trying to figure out how I was going to, 'cause it's a little bit of a fusion of "Flash Gordon", "Star Wars", and then just pure Kelly Yates fun creativeness.

Put the pitch together, put it to Image Comics, and they approved it.

Which was, I mean, you know, for somebody really kind of relatively unknown was a pretty big accomplishment, I have to say.

So I was very excited.

Got the series put together.

And around 2008, we were gonna list it through "Previews", which is the industry magazine.

And Image was very excited about it because they were hoping it's gonna sell about 18,000 copies, which was great for an independent person through Image at that time.

It could not have actually come out a worse time because for those remember the Great Recession, books like "Spider-Man" that were selling millions of copies, they had dropped all the way down to 250,000.

So it could not have come out at a worse time, but that's the kinda the process.

But I did get four issues out and it was well-received.

People read it, you know, they really enjoyed it.

And I always wanted to circle back to do a trade paperback, a collected edition of it.

And that's what I just did this past year.

I explored Kickstarter, Crowdfunding, just trying to figure out how I could do that.

And I got enough education about it where I was like, okay, I feel I can do this now.

So I collected all four issues and I illustrated and wrote and illustrated a new seven page story.

And then had some industry friends contribute some pinups, put it on Kickstarter.

It got funded in about three days, which I thought was pretty good.

And it got funded after 30 day, or fully funded, past fully funded after 30 days.

And you know, here we are.

- Now you mentioned that it's sort of a look at like the classic sci-fi of "Flash Gordon", and then the, I guess, the more modern sci-fi of the "Star Wars" universe.

So, and it's also a lot of fun.

And so as somebody who is inspired by these other influences, how do you sort of take that idea and kind of craft it into something that has something unique to say and isn't sort of going over new ground?

'Cause that's what you're able to do?

- It was just trying to find a balance of telling, I want to tell a little bit more fun and lighthearted story than something so much more like "The Dark Knight" Batman, which is great stuff, but I wasn't going for that.

I was trying to keep it really light and fun and quick read.

So, and I found is when I was writing, I like to write things like quick stories, like I like to cut out the fat and just say, what's the story and get to the cliffhanger.

So I did set up as chapters to tell like almost like the "Flash Gordon" serials of the, you know, the '30s and '40s.

So it kind of harkened back a little bit to that, which is still what kind of "Star Wars" is even based off of slightly too.

So yeah, just trying to find that balance of, you know, okay, we're all influenced by certain things and what elements without being, you know, oh, this is absolutely "Flash Gordon", oh, this is just Luke Skywalker with something else.

It's like you have to add your own flavor and find the balances you just discover when you're in there writing.

You know?

You might start off like, it's gonna look like this, and it shifts as you need it to.

When you find your North Star as a writer, then you can really push it in different directions, but still kind of like find the flavor of what you like along the way.

- And I know for a lot of comic artists, they get a script from a writer and they sort of have to stick to it.

There might be something that they can call up or send an email and say, "Hey, what if we try this?"

But for the most part, you know, it's a writer's medium at this point where somebody might have a, you know, 10 issue arc figured out, and the writer, the artist rather, has to sort of, you know, stick to that.

So as you are Kelly Yates the illustrator, taking a look at what Kelly Yates the writer has put together, are you thinking to yourself, "Oh, maybe if I do this, I can tweak it?"

Or are you sticking to that script that you wrote because you know that you solved a lot of those problems along the way, and, you know, you can just go ahead and illustrate?

- Well with this project, it was a complete learning experience.

I mean, 'cause I'd never written a comic book before, you know, again, I always kind of geared myself as illustrator, but I found when I found my North Star for my story, like where I want to end the story, then I could backtrack and shift as I needed.

So I actually, my process was, is I wrote the initial four issues, so I knew kind of where I was going with this North Star taking the story, and I was also doing layouts along the way, you know, quick, like, okay, Amber jumps in from this side of the panel, or she jumps down this way, or she blasts somebody from this angle.

So, but then when I was doing that process, I was able to kind of shift back and forth, well, maybe I shift the words here I had on this page to this page, 'cause you know, I am a visual artist, and so I always kind of lead with my visuals more than my writing a little bit, to be fair.

So that was kind of neat to kind of figure out, okay, well I'll shift this, and being the writer and the illustrator, I could take sections like, okay, these eight pages don't work so well here, I'll move them back here, I'll move them 10 pages behind, and maybe it works a little bit better there.

- I guess that's also part of technology coming into things.

You know, I know that in the '90s when you're breaking into comics, you're probably doing things on, you know, on board with pen and ink and that sort of stuff.

But as you're working on "Amber Atoms" in the early, I guess aughts, the 2008 period, is this still pen and ink or are you moving into digital at that point?

- At that point it was pure pencil and ink and just trying to figure it out.

And, you know, all the work was done with traditional pencil layouts and scaled up and inked with the traditional micron pens or brushes or whatever I needed.

And the lettering was, now the lettering was done on computer at that point.

It wasn't hand lettered like that.

That was the one benefit at that time.

Like I could go back and edit, you know, if I had the digital lettering, but shifting.

So it was all the original "Amber Atoms" was done traditional, you know, pencil brush that, the newer stuff, my newer artwork and the new story was done all digital.

And the reason is, is more Command+Z is your enemy sometimes 'cause you can Command+Z too much.

But some of that is just being able to edit yourself a lot quicker.

You know, I use Clip Studio Paint now, and so I can move these pages digitally right here or I can do layouts, digital, and ink right there.

And that really is kind of more of the process just for speed and being able to edit yourself.

So that's kinda where I'm, but now when I do covers, I do a mix of things.

So the cover, when I did the cover, say, for "Doctor Who", I used to do traditional pencils, inks and brushes.

Now I do all my layouts digital because with something like "Doctor Who", there might be so many edits.

Like, you know, the BBC or Titan might say, "Hey, you know that eyebrow doesn't look right," or, "We need to edit that face."

And so being able to do it digital first before you ink just saves you a lot more time.

So, but once I get my digital layout, I print it out on something called blueline and then I ink it still traditional with brushes and pens.

So it's a blending of digital and traditional.

- And it's gotta be nice too, because you are able to have those, as you say, the multiple or infinite Command+Z, you can undo something.

It's the eraser that doesn't leave any marks or eraser crumbs.

But at the same time, you end up with a piece of art at the end that you can hold in your hand.

And, you know, if you wanted to show it at a convention or sell it at a convention, you could do that as well.

So, you know, when you are working digitally, how do you sort of resist the temptation to Command+Z too much and kind of stick to the deadline?

You've only got so many days to work on a story, you know, how do you make sure that you don't get too wrapped up in the, "I can make a perfect if"?

- I think you hit the nail on the head.

Actually it's called deadline.

That really is like, you know, there's some people that are just very confident.

Your Walt Simonson's, or you know your Art Adams, they know, they know exactly, but you know, they've done it for so many years, they're such a creative talent.

You know, maybe it's maybe my lack of confidence or whatever it is, but that Command+Z, you know, at the end of the day, it's the deadline, honestly.

'Cause you can always, you can go back and look at stuff every time.

Just like, "Oh, I could have added that color a little bit more, made it pop a little bit more."

Or, "I could have added a weight line to make something pop out a little bit more in the foreground versus the background."

So, you know, you can always second guess yourself, but at the end of the day, you just have to feel good about what you've done.

And, you know, the deadline's usually the pressure point.

- You mentioned "Doctor Who".

Now this is a property that's been around, I guess they're celebrating, is it their 60th year?

- Last week, 60 years.

- So how do you get involved with, you know, working on "Doctor Who" comics?

- I think it's pretty cool they let this guy from North Carolina play in their British sandbox, first thing.

So I feel very blessed to be a part of it.

I started watching, I discovered "Doctor Who" on the PBS station on Chapel Hill, actually, in the late '70s, early '80s.

There's three channels, so I didn't have much to flip around, but I'm flipping around.

It's like, you know, the news, "Andy Griffith", the news.

And then I go by this fourth PBS station and there's this giant robot walking, you know, around this tiny village.

I'm like, what the heck is this?

I mean, this is like prime "Star Wars" is out, "Battlestar Galactica".

So it's in that kind of frame of like sci-fi.

It immediately grabbed my attention, I was like, what is this?

And there was no internet, there was no magazine.

So it really had to kind of figure out what it was over the years.

But I'm a longtime Whovian, and so I kind of like to say that comic books and "Doctor Who" for me kind of came together because "Doctor Who", you had this great run up until like '87, it went off the air, had a time to rest, as they say.

And they brought it back out in 2005.

Well, which was about the same time I was working with "Amber Atoms", and, you know, this.

Well, IDW had acquired the rights, the US rights to publish the comic books of "Doctor Who".

And they had started, they put out about a year's worth of content.

And I was at San Diego Comic-Con, and one of my studio mates who was doing "G.I.

Joe" at the time for IDW, I was talking with him.

I was like, "Man, I'm like a huge "Doctor Who" fan.

Would you take me over and introduce me to the editor?"

You know?

He said, "Well, sure, come on over" and everything.

So I just, like a kid, I take my portfolio over to the editor, I'm like, will you look at my stuff?

You know?

And he did, he flipped through it.

He looked at it, he goes, "I love it, but we're booked up for the next year.

I can't give you any "Doctor Who" work for the next year."

I was like, I said, "I don't care.

I'm a huge fan."

I mean, "You know, I'll wait a year, a pin up, a cover, anything, you know, I'm just a fan.

I would just like to contribute at least one piece to 'Doctor Who'."

He goes, "Okay, it's gonna be a year."

I was like, "I'll wait."

A month after San Diego Comic-Con, I get an email that says "knock, knock, opportunity."

And an artist wasn't able to meet a deadline.

I was able to step in and start contributing.

And so here I am.

I've been working on "Doctor Who" since about 2008.

- That's fascinating too, because you know, you talk about deadlines, and I know for a lot of artists it is tough to sit down and be disciplined to get those pages done every month.

So what about the deadline?

I mean, you said it's a great motivator for you not to get too precious with your artwork, but, you know, how do you schedule your day so that you're at the drawing board long enough to get the page done?

Maybe a page and a half or however many pages you have to do in a day to, you know, also be able to go sleep, grocery shop, and, you know, have a life?

- Well, here's the other secret part of my secret origin.

So I would love to do comic books full-time, but, you know, [indistinct] I have a full-time job.

So I actually am a senior graphic designer at Wrangler jeans.

And so I do that during the day.

And then, you know, I spend time with my family 'cause they're very important to me.

But after everybody goes to sleep, about 10:00 at night, I start drawing.

I start drawing for about two, three, four hours.

Whatever I can.

And just so it's just little pieces.

So I love doing comic books, but I'm just not that, you know, there's just people at the top tier.

It's very hard to make it into comic books and everything, unless you're that top, top tier.

Like you're, you know, you're Robert Kirkman or somebody who's been at Marvel for years, it's hard to make it.

And so, yeah, I love doing it, and it's just a passion that I've had for comic books since I was 12 years old.

And that's what I kind of just, so I dedicate a few hours every day to it.

- It speaks to a discipline.

It's tough to force yourself to do something 'cause you might be tired.

You're working, you know, probably eight, nine hours, depending on how many hours you've gotta get up before work, the drive to work, at work, home from work, all the stuff you have to do at home.

And then to find the, you know, the desire to sit down and draw.

- Yeah.

- Before going to bed at a reasonable time so you can do it all again the next day.

- You're making me tired thinking about it right now.

So.

[both laughing] - But it's a work ethic.

And I don't know if a lot of people understand, and, you know, 'cause they think it's fun to draw, but if it's work, you know, and you have to sit there and stick to that schedule, how do you sort of make sure that the other outside influences aren't there?

Maybe the friend isn't asking you, "Hey, I know you're free, could you help me with this?"

Or, you know?

- Yeah.

- How do you kind of control that?

- That's tricky.

You're exactly right.

So a lot of it is having passion for it.

'Cause at the end of the day, yeah, I wanna make money and support my family and I enjoy it.

I wanna be compensated for my time.

But there's still this whole, man, I just love doing it.

I love being a part of it.

So being passionate about whether it's illustrating or writing or whatever it may be, you've gotta be passionate about it first.

The money will come later, right?

I think when I first started out in comic books, I was trying to get work, you know, just whatever I can get, you know?

And some of it was rough and like, oh, not my best illustrations.

And I started learning like I would rather do less stuff and do better stuff than a lot of stuff that's bad stuff.

So just kind of being a little bit more choosy in what I do.

So I've turned down projects along the way because of that.

- And when you're working with, I don't know if IDW still has the rights to "Doctor Who", but when you have that relationship with an editor, with a publisher, and it's gone on for close to two decades, you know, how do you keep it fresh for yourself?

You know, obviously you've got a good rapport with the folks you work with, but how do you make sure that you're able to, you know, still be invigorated to draw the characters?

I know there's different doctors that- - [Kelly] Yeah.

- And likenesses you have to work with.

So how do you kind of, you know, maintain that focus?

- Titan Entertainment actually owns the rights to "Doctor Who" now, so it shifted about 10 years ago.

So I've had to, it was almost like starting over again, because I had to meet new editors and work with new people, but they were based out of the UK so they actually worked directly with the BBC.

So it's just trying to maintain those relationships.

But to your point though, there's so many different doctors, it's almost like drawing a different character every time.

You know, like, well draw the Fourth Doctor.

It's like, okay, well that's like drawing Batman, but then draw, you know, we need the 10th Doctor.

It's like, okay, well that's Superman.

You know, not that direct correlation, but it's like drawing different characters essentially.

And I've been involved in other projects along the way.

It hadn't been just comic books.

So because of the connections I've had through Titan and the BBC, you know, I've illustrated shirt designs for now a decade, which have led to toy designs, which have led to doing DVD covers for the "Doctor Who" releases, so a little bit of everything.

So it's kind of new and fresh and changing like toy designs, everything in between, so.

- Now you mentioned toy designs.

You actually did bring a toy with you if you wanted to share that with us.

- Sure, yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely.

So this is the brand new 14th doctor that I designed.

It just premiered actually this past week on Disney+.

It was a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive, which I've now had a relationship with the BBC.

So now, I guess for the past seven, eight years now, I designed a lot of stuff for the BBC booth at San Diego Comic-Con.

So I designed a lot of their shirt designs and a lot of the process is now actually designing figures.

And the kind of the cool thing about these figures that came by, I didn't get into this to design figures, so, but it's pretty cool now I have like this, so what happened is, is I got an email from the guys at Titan.

I'm sorry, they called me actually one night at about 8:00, and they go, "Mate."

I'm like, uh-oh, something's going on.

"We have a meeting at Hot Topic tomorrow morning at 10:00, and we want to pitch this like cute kawaii doctor to them, like a shirt series and everything.

So can you do something like in a couple hours for a meeting?"

I was like, "Yeah."

So they went into the meeting, Hot Topic loved it, made a shirt out of it, it sold out completely, like boom, like that.

So then we did some more designs, more designs, based off of these cute little doctors.

And they sold out every time.

Well then Titan's like, "Well hey, we wanna design toys."

It's like, okay, well let's start figuring that out.

And so I started doing all the 3D models, not the 3D models, I did the side views so the 3D artists could take my designs and develop it.

And we did the whole line of "Doctor Who" toys and here we are now.

So I think... And I've designed not only "Doctor Who", but because of that I've designed the "My Hero Academia" toy line, the "Attack on Titan."

What else have I done?

I don't know.

I designed a lot over COVID, so it's gonna look like I've done like 10 million different designs, but coming out all within a week.

But I've done all these.

So I feel very blessed to be a part of this process, you know?

I mean, it's pretty cool.

- It is pretty cool, 'cause when you think about it, you are, you're kinda learning new styles.

I mean, what we're seeing with "Amber Atoms" is a particular style, what you're doing with "Doctor Who" has to be probably closer to the likeness of the, you know, current doctor.

And if not, it has to at least match the wardrobe that we associate with the doctor.

- Right.

- And then when you're designing a cute anime style, that's a whole other sort of discipline.

So how are you kind of keeping current with the different styles that, you know, a client might ask for?

- I actually had a friend who's like, "Well, aren't you worried you're gonna be identified with this style now?"

Right?

And I was like, well, but that's kind of part of the game is learning new things and trying new things.

I mean, I gotta say it's pretty cool when you have your name branded on the bottom of a "Doctor Who" BBC box.

I mean, most people don't have that.

And they put my name also in the T-shirt design.

So I'm okay with it.

It's okay, it's a different venue.

And then I can always draw "Amber Atoms" right?

I can always draw "Doctor Who".

So it's a challenge, but I like it.

And you gotta stay fresh.

- And you say challenge, and I'm thinking, you know, there have been a number of doctors.

I think since the reboot there have been four doctors and then someone's come back?

- 15.

It'll be 15.

Ncuti Gatwa's gonna be the new one premiering in a couple months.

So yeah.

- So as you work on those comics, whether it's a cover, whether it's sequential pages, and you have to sort of capture that likeness, you know, how much feedback are you getting from the editors saying, "Oh, you know, it's a little off."

Or, "For marketing purposes, we can't have it look too much like them"?

- Thank goodness I haven't had too much of an issue with that.

I've been able...

When I first started working on "Doctor Who" I actually did have a little bit of trouble 'cause you know, they didn't have all the reference then.

You know, they didn't... Like now when I get a link from the BBC, I get hundreds of images.

[train whistling] So I see what a lot of this stuff looks like before the general public.

Like, oh, okay, like this trench coat is like this or whatever, I have a better idea.

But when I first started, [train whistling] you know, like, here's two images, you know?

I'm like, oh my gosh, you know?

And just the reference, having the reference.

So that helps tremendously, honestly, is having that.

- I will point out to those watching in home, we are at the Mary Livermore Library here on campus at UNC Pembroke.

And right outside our window is a train line.

So if you hear train whistles, it's us.

[laughs] - Not us personally, but the train.

- But the trains.

- Right, right, right.

- So, you know, when you are dealing with likenesses, are you facing something where the actors have, you know, agreed that they can let you use their likeness in the comic?

Or is it something where, you know, that one doctor had the really long signature scarf and therefore we can just use that kinda like a Batman cape.

We all know that scalloped edge is Batman.

- Right.

- Is that sort of, you know, something that you're facing?

- Well, I love using that cape.

Anytime I use the fourth doctor's long scarf, it's a great design tool to hang your, you know, you can work it in somewhere.

It's always a fun thing to put in there.

I think one of the experiences I had when I was working on one of the stories one time is the writer of this book had written like, you know, the Daleks, or the villains that the doctor were fighting and there was all these explosions and cyber men and Rose was in the scene too.

She was one of the companions of the doctor.

And the problem was that we had to stop the whole process because as wonky as it is, the BBC at the time didn't have rights to the Daleks, although it was their show, it was owned by somebody else.

The rights.

Like Terry Nation, he had it.

So it was really a bizarre thing.

And the image rights had run out for the actress who played Rose and everything.

So we had to scrap the whole thing.

So I think now they figured out like, oh "Doctor Who" is gonna be a thing again.

I think all those licensing things are settled now.

But when we first started that first two, three years, it was a little weird, you know, with licensing and getting, you know, what you could or couldn't do.

- And I know that when you and I met, we met at HeroesCon this year.

We probably met the year before that.

And then we met at Baltimore this year as well.

So you do a lot of conventions, which seems like it's a bit of a commitment.

I mean, you've talked about San Diego and you've also talked about having a full-time job and having a family and having, you know, so many hours a day to work on comics.

So how do you balance the other obligations of being a professional illustrator with, you know, the fact that you have real world stuff that you have to do?

- You have to be very conscious in what you choose and what decisions.

'Cause you're right, because if you start taking on like a convention every one a month for a year, that's 12 conventions, which that's a lot of commitment.

I mean, 'cause you're gone three or four days or if you do San Diego, it could be up to a week.

So you have to be very mindful, intentful into what you want to actually go to.

I mean, HeroesCon at Charlotte, it's a standard.

You gotta go.

It's our local show.

It's been around what, 40, 41 years now, I think.

I mean you gotta do HeroesCon, but there's some other great shows like South Carolina Comic-Con and Baltimore.

I have great relationships with the people.

So they're kind of like my evergreen shows.

Well, San Diego will always, I hope, always be my evergreen show because I know that show has changed so much over the years.

When I went in like the early, I think '96 was my first year, it was a mere 30,000 people.

Everything.

Now it's what, 250, 300,000, whatever it is.

It's a massive amount of people.

And it's shifted and changed a little bit over the years with not fully comic book centric anymore sometimes.

But I think the great thing about that is, you know, the people beat it up.

It's like, oh, it's a corporate con.

Well, I tell you what, going out there, networking, 99% of my work has come from going to San Diego Comic-Con and meeting people, 'cause that's where the people are that wanna give you jobs, or, you know, networking to meet people.

So you gotta find that balance, you know, like you can't do, you know, you can do too many and burn yourself out for sure.

So just, you just gotta plan it.

I plan it throughout the year.

Like I'm doing these.

There might be one or two that pop up along the year, but, you know, just be mindful of that.

- And you know, you talk about how it's a networking opportunity for you, but it's also an opportunity for you to get feedback from fans.

And it might be something where, you know, you could see something on a website somebody's posting, but most times when people post on a website, it's something negative.

- Oh sure.

- You know, we very rarely get compliments.

But if you go to a convention, you've got people who come up and tell you how much they like your work.

So how, you know, when you're dealing with fans in a convention scene, how rewarding is it for you to get that feedback?

Because it is a fairly solitary, you know, work environment.

- Well, you're right, yeah.

You gotta be careful about reading reviews about your work online.

That can always be tricky for sure.

Well, you know, there's so many...

The convention scene has changed so much over the years now.

You know, it used to be just a handful of conventions around the US, usually during the summer, and now it's changed so much.

I mean, there are conventions every weekend around the United States, around the world.

So there's that.

And being in front of people, there are so many people that have never even been to a comic book convention before.

They're brand new and they don't know how to, what you do at a convention.

So they, oh, you can meet the creators, the people that work on "Spider-Man" or the people that work on "Amber Atoms", like them even understanding the process.

So there's so many new people, which is great for the industry, new people coming in and experiencing it.

And I gotta say, when I do conventions, you know, yeah, I'm selling stuff, but if somebody buys a "Doctor Who" print from me, and I see them smile or laugh about something I've illustrated.

If I've given them five seconds of something to giggle at or enjoy themselves about, I've done my job as an illustrator at the end of the day.

You know?

They're engaging.

But I will say that when somebody brings up like the original "Amber Atoms" that I did back in Image Comics, those four issues they bring out, I just get, "I love this series so much" and they want me to sign them.

I love working on "Doctor Who".

I love...

I hope I get to work on "Star Wars".

There's so many things I wanna do and I love to do, but when somebody comes up and puts something for you that you created in your mind, you wrote and illustrated for you to sign and they appreciate it, that's the moment.

That's the one.

- And that's probably the most rewarding any of us could hope for is to have somebody come up and appreciate, you know, something that we've done.

Not that I did this, but you did this, "Amber Atoms".

So is there a plan for you to come back and maybe do another four issues or maybe, you know, some more collected short chapters?

- Well, I've written a lot of a second book for "Amber Atoms".

So it just, again, it gets down to dedicate or not dedication, well dedicating the time to it so I can proceed with it.

But I'm actually trying to finish up another creator owned book right now called "Monsther."

It's my second one.

So it's M-O-N-S-T-H-E-R, "Monsther".

And it's about a girl who lives in a halfway house for monsters.

So I'm about two thirds of the way through with that.

So I'm hoping I can get it done by next year.

So if I can keep my pace going, and I probably will do that and do it through Kickstarter as another crowdfunding campaign.

- And I see we probably have about a minute or so in our conversation left.

If the folks at home wanted to find out more about you, where can they find you on the web?

- Kellyyatesart.com.

I'm on social media, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @KellyYates _art.

- Well, thank you so much, Kelly.

Thank you everyone at home for watching "Comic Culture".

We will see you again soon.

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