Bored Panda reached out to Kyle (the author of the comics) to find out a little bit more about him and his work. Previously, we asked Kyle about his inspirations. But this time we were more curious about what comic Kyle is proud of creating himself.
“The favorite comic I’ve made so far has got to be Mr. Muscleman. It’s the first comic to truly stand out on Katalystcomics. It is the first comic I felt proud of creating. The comic has been highlighted on prominent sites like 9gag and Reddit. The comic’s pun and gag were so clean and crisp that I honestly find it hard to ever replicate. Yet, it brings me a smile every time I look at it.”
This character might be familiar but to set it straight, the author added an explanation of what Mr. Muscleman was based on. “Many think he’s based on Braum from League of Legends. Contrary to popular belief, Mr. Muscleman’s design is actually based on a circus strongman, with some Alex Armstrong sprinkled in.”
Making comics does not require an art degree but it does take time and determination. We were wondering how long it takes for Kyle to make a fully finished comic. “Any fully colored comic you see takes between 4-6 hours to create. It varies depending on the level of detail and colors used. And since I tend to upload at least twice a week, that’s a significant amount of time needed to create! In my comics, I tend to sprinkle in small details for people to catch. Anime references, hidden details, silly puns, and a lot more. (Catch them if you can!) All this gives a lot of life to the comics beyond the main gag, but it takes a lot of time to come up with.”
Saying that, Kyle feels very grateful to his supporters. “This is why my Patreon supporters are such a big help in the creation process. They give me a reason to put in that extra care needed to make a comic stand out. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my Patrons who have been supporting me so far. You guys are the absolute bomb!”
The artist told us before that he loves hearing feedback referencing his comics. That way, he can be aware of what you like, and it could help Kyle to decide what to create in the future. It already helped before to decide on returning characters!
“For a long time, each ‘character’ I created was a disposable personality only meant to fit in a one-off comic. This is the reason why over time I’ve created a lot of characters who don’t stick around. (Many of them get thrown back into the idea incinerator, reduced to atoms). But, once in a while, there would be a character who stands out amongst the crowd; a personality so distinctive that people ask for their return. There have been instances where my readers would call out a one-off character in my later comics. It always felt jarring when it happens, like ‘Oh right, I made that character before!’ This is when a disposable personality would become a recurring character.”
Some characters that have become recurring are Muk Jones, Pokecounselor, and the well-deserved Heraboi.
Every creator tends to like one specific character the most. The artist told us that his favorite character is a newish one - Heraboi.
“Heraboi, the Best Beetle Boi. He’s a character based on the fighting beetle Heracross, and one of my personal favorite Pokemon. Heraboi’s a childish rascal with extraordinary strength but isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. Based on a beetle, he has a natural affinity to honey and sweet stuff. He also tends to solve problems by breaking things.”
Kyle continued with the further description of this character. “The idea behind Heraboi is to create a character unique to Katalystcomics. He’s pretty much the first character I’ve consciously thought of giving a distinct name. Complete with a full personality, motivations, backstory, friends, and family. It’s funny I got away for this long making comics without creating a character like this.”
In the newest post, we see a lot of well-known Pokémon characters in the mix. Kyle explained the appearance of such characters.
“There was a time when I felt like my comics weren’t resonating with people anymore. For months, my readers seem to be increasingly disengaged with my comics, and I had no idea why! I started uploading less and even took a long break because I got so frustrated with myself. I thought I was losing my touch as an artist and a comedian. One day, I made a drastic change and switched gears to make Pokémon comics, and people seem to adore it! As time went on, my comics started to pop up on Pokémon online communities, some garnering crazy attention as well! Needless to say, I started drawing comics again. The caveat though, and this is a reason why I didn’t do franchise comics before; Pokémon is not my original idea. Even though people liked the comics I made, they often disassociated my comics from me, the artist.”
He continued: “Partly because of this, I’ve started to develop my Heraboi series as a means to tell my own stories again. Made with ideas not necessarily connected to Pokémon as a whole. How well has that idea worked? Follow me and find out!”
His newest accomplishments and discoveries have revived hope for his comics and Kyle wanted to share his insight with others in need of encouragement. “My advice to everyone out there is to not be afraid to change things up in your life sometimes. I guarantee that your first idea won’t be your last or even your best! Never be afraid to try a new idea, even if it seems like it’s already been done before. But here’s the key: You must put your own unique spin on it. The world is always looking for fresh ideas, and your brand of uniqueness is what people want to see.”
So what’s next? Kyle shared what plans he holds for the future. “Ever since I started creating my Heraboi comic series, I’ve been constantly thinking of new developments and backstories for him. In fact, I want to create a long-form miniseries to tell his backstory, packed with drama, jokes, and fights! I already have a synopsis in mind on how I want to tell the story, I just need to write it down somewhere (hold my beer).”
And lastly, the artist also shared more thoughts about Heraboi. “This will not likely happen just yet as a project like that would take significant time in writing and illustrating. So if you would like to see the journey of how Heraboi came to be, you may consider becoming a Patron! Even if you’re not a fan of Heraboi, I do hope you’d enjoy my own brand of humor through my comics. I started drawing comics as a means to tell the best jokes I can come up with. If you think wacky humor is your thing, you know where to go!”
Let us know what you think about Kyle’s comics!
