Subjects

Jena Lombardi (age 19) and Betsy Jorgensen (age 21) both work on an online comic called UC, which the art work is anime inspired. Also they both are currently full time students. Betsy describes herself as a sarcastic and cynical person. Betsy is an English major and has taken two years of Japanese. Jena describes herself as being more bouncy person than sarcastic and cynical like Betsy and enjoy's Shonen-ai (in Japanes means Boy's in love stories). Jena is a Spanish major and has just started taking Japanese this year. Betsy writes the comics scripts and plots the fates of the characters, while Jena does all the art for the comic. Even though they do different comic related stuff they both are anime and manga fans. This interveiw took place Wednesday, November 26, 2003 at 5:36 PM.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

How long have you been drawing?

JENA LOMBARDI

I was one of the little arty kids when I was little, but have only really been drawing seriously for four or five years.

BETSY JORGENSEN

One could argue that I have never started.

JENA LOMBARDI

And one could argue that you are a poo.

BETSY JORGENSEN

Look you.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

How long have you been working on your comic?

JENA LOMBARDI

Ive been working on it a year, starting about this time last year.

BETSY JORGENSEN

Ive been working on it for seven.

JENA LOMBARDI

Well, aren't you the over achiever.

BETSY JORGENSEN

Again, look you.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

Has anime influenced you and/or your art/comic in anyway? If so, how?

JENA LOMBARDI

No. Not at all.

BETSY JORGENSEN

Liar. Filthy filthy liar.

JENA LOMBARDI

Well... maybe a little.

BETSY JORGENSEN

*pointed silence*

JENA LOMBARDI

Ok. tons. Its manga style, what do you expect?!

BETSY JORGENSEN

I win.

JENA LOMBARDI

I hate you

JENA LOMBARDI

I watched lots of Slayers. And then I drew lots of Slayers. And then I got bored drawing Slayers, and I drew other things.

BETSY JORGENSEN (putting words in Jenas mouth)

"and then people told me I drew like poo, and then Betsy told them to go to Hell."

JENA LOMBARDI

Yes. Yes thats exactly what happened. Betsy is the defender of my honor.

BETSY JORGENSEN

Cept I dont get any nookie out of it.

JENA LOMBARDI

*sweat drop*

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

What do you call your drawing style?

BETSY JORGENSEN

Pretty pictures.

JENA LOMBARDI

I have to name it?

BETSY JORGENSEN

Wait, wait! If Im being all artsy & crap, Jenas artistic style is a blend of traditional and electronic mediums.

JENA LOMBARDI

Meaning pen & ink and photoshop.

BETSY JORGENSEN

With heavy influence of eastern art, with such notable influences as Rumiko Takahashi, Yun Kouga, Yokatashi Amano, and Naoko Takeuchi.

JENA LOMBARDI

Meaning we both like lots of manga.

BETSY JORGENSEN

Except for Amano! He does other things!

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

Where or how did you learn to draw?

BETSY JORGENSEN

This whole interview seems a little bit biased towards the art. Im gonna go kill zombies. Let me know when youre ready.

JENA LOMBARDI

But, youre too busy trying to get the zombies to kill YOU.

BETSY JORGENSEN

Shut up! Points damnit!

JENA LOMBARDI

Right then. I learned in math class. Or at least, the other boring classes in high school. And I learned from drawing the same kinds of pictures over and over, and then changing things, and adding new things. Like different eyes on one character, or a different pose to a certain picture. Then, I sucked it up and admitted they were bad, and tried new things until I was happy with them. Oh, and I asked Betsy what I did wrong. That helped too. That still helps, lots.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

How did you develop your drawing/art style?

JENA LOMBARDI

I copied Slayers screen caps. No, seriously. I did that for a year.

BETSY JORGENSEN

Not traced, mind you. Copied. And you used to be funny about outlines and stuff. You wouldnt use pens cuz you said they looked funny. You insisted on using a black colored pencil.

JENA LOMBARDI

Thats because it hadnt yet occurred to me to do the outlines FIRST. I know better now! But yeah. I drew lots. And I do not suck anymore.

BETSY JORGENSEN

One would hope.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

Do you think anime has had a big impact on American Animation?

BETSY JORGENSEN

Considering that over half of American animation in the past 20 years has been done in Japan YES!

JENA LOMBARDI

Animatrix.

BETSY JORGENSEN

Also, more traditional anime style has definitely influenced American art, because it made money. And who is to argue with corporate America when things say dollar signs.

JENA LOMBARDI

Thats depressing.

BETSY JORGENSEN

But true.

JENA LOMBARDI

*sniffle*

BETSY JORGENSEN

Dont you DARE start crying. We still have an interview to finish, and you cant afford to have your laptop short out now. Lets go to the next question.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

Do you think anime has affected a lot of people's drawing style and/or comics?

JENA LOMBARDI

Ameriamanga. Enough said.

BETSY JORGENSEN

If you are talking web-comics? Definitely. But web-comics are a fairly recent thing. Traditional comics (though I loathe to say those words) still have a mostly consistent and separate kind of art, and I havent seen it change all that much since the inundation of popular anime/manga.

JENA LOMBARDI

Because the anime and manga is separate. In its own section and everything.

BETSY JORGENSEN

That too.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

If you think anime has affected a lot of people's drawing styles and/or comics, How did anime affect them?

JENA LOMBARDI

Betsy, did you just say infected?

BETSY JORGENSEN

NO. Affected. Promise. Anyway, miss interviewer person, I would say that the one thing that has bled over is the size of eyes. Really.

JENA LOMBARDI

Even the last couple Disney movies to come out, they dont look like anime, but they are also not traditional American animation. Stylization of both is kind of where we are.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

Do you use any kind of programs in the making of the comic? If so, what is it, how much was it and where did you get it from?

BETSY JORGENSEN

*snarky* notepad. Was on the computer. Occasionally a notebook.

JENA LOMBARDI

As for the art, I use Adobe Photoshop elements, and a Wacom tablet. And this is after I draw the line art and scan it in. I would love to tell you how much they were, but I got them as a present, and its not polite to ask.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

How long have you been into anime?

JENA LOMBARDI

Five and a half years.

BETSY JORGENSEN

Ummslightly less than that.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

Which do you like more American Animation or Japanese Animation? Why do you like that one more?

JENA LOMBARDI

On the whole, I would say Japanese Animation, but it totally depends on what youre looking at. A lot of Japanese animation is aimed at older people, for one, and there are many more entertaining stories in anime. If you took Mickey Mouse and put it up against Yun Kouga (Earthian) for example, Earthian wins, no question. But take something like Titan A.E.? That was gorgeous. So I guess Im on the fence.

BETSY JORGENSEN

Mostly ditto, but I have to say some of the American Animation has its high points. Maybe Im just a child of this age, but I am almost always entertained by pictures moving on the screen.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

Which do you like more Anime or Manga? Explain why you choose what you choose. If both explain you why couldn't choose one or the other.

BETSY JORGENSEN AND JENA LOMBARDI

Manga.

BETSY JORGENSEN

Manga almost always has the better story. And the artist gets to have more of a freedom for his original idea, rather than the production crew that is producing it.

JENA LOMBARDI

And Manga is less cheesy. You would think that it would be the other way around, with the voices and stuff, but its not.

BETSY JORGENSEN

and the whole, we cant produce the anime thing, and we can draw manga.

JENA LOMBARDI

So true. So true.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

How long does it take you to make a comic?

JENA LOMBARDI

matters the comic. The Thanksgiving one? 23 minutes. The one with a candle in it (which hasnt been put up yet)? Long time.

BETSY JORGENSEN

and the writing of it can take anything from a five-minute phone conversation, to a couple of hours of serious plotting. It really depends.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

Are you a fan of anime, Manga, or both?

BETSY JORGENSEN AND JENA LOMBARDI

Both.

JENA LOMBARDI

Manga more so, but both of them have their strengths.

BETSY JORGENSEN

and depending on what you what youre doing, one or both of them is better. I have never known anyone to make out to volume of Cowboy Bebop.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

What are some of your favorite anime shows? Why do you like them? Why do you think other people would like them?

BETSY JORGENSEN

I hate you. I quit.

JENA LOMBARDI

Betsy! Be nice. This one requires bunches of thought

*three hours later*

JENA LOMBARDI

Ok. For pure mind-blowing confusion, series like Lain and Revolutionary Girl Utena are my favorites. Ive also got a soft spot in my heart for Slayers, as it was the first anime I ever saw and became addicted to. Ive also entertained obsessions with Excel Saga, Knight Hunters WeiB Kreus (despite the not-so-impressive animation and general inconsistency of the series), Trigun, Cowboy Bebop and (guiltily enough) YuYu Hakusho. For the most part (with a couple exceptions in that list) I like the animes known for being pretty, and thats more than reason enough reason for anybody to enjoy them.

JENNIFER SCAFIDE

What are some of your favorite Manga?

JENA LOMBARDI

Wow, there are lots of them. I love just about everything by Rumiko Takahashi (Inu-Yasha, Ranma ½, Mermaids Forest) and Yun Kouga (Earthian, Gestalt). I also read Fake, Mars, Chobits, Sorcerer Hunters, Slayers, DNAngel, Sailor Moon, Shadow Lady, Gravitation, Marmalade Boy, Video Girl Ai, Demon Diary, and Futaba Kun Change (to name a pile).

BETSY JORGENSEN

X is another one that is pretty good, and stuff. I tend to find things that I cant quite read in Japanese and browse through them, but havent gotten around to translation the titles, so youre out of luck on that front.