So I answered a handful of questions you guys sent me. I received way more than expected, so I went ahead and have only shared the ones that I think warrant useful answers for everyone to see!

1 - As we’ve seen, friendships are basically social networking come to life, with various ranks and statuses. Romantic relationships pretty much follow the same idea. More on that soon!

2 - There are many types of discrimination in Nephilopolis, but they’re more related to the technocratic setting. Less enlightened people focus their bigotry on the more exotic elements of the setting, including cyborgs (mezzodes) and some other elements. I think every society has a tendency to blame its troubles on those who don’t have a major voice in that society’s workings.

3 - I don’t know everything about the world I’m making, but I know the important parts. The little details can be invented on the fly, so long as they’re coherent with the themes I’m working. Regarding a “World of Dresden Codak” book, I don’t have much interest in presenting setting information for its own sake. Nephilopolis is a means to an end, and exploring it outside the context of the narrative seems too indulgent.

4 - My favorite and least favorite are the same thing: a lack of structure. Being your own boss and having few imposed schedules is the best, but it can very easily be a nightmare if you’re not careful about it. To make it work you have to impose your own structure and stick to it.

5 - Dark Science has been plotted out for a couple years now, but the details of the script can change a lot. I’ve basically never used dialogue I write beforehand because once you actually get into the page, you find ways to visually convey what you want and trim down the script.  Similarly sometimes I’ll change small plot points once I’ve started drawing something. I think it’s important for designing and drawing elements to inform my narratives; “writing” is not simply typing out a script or prose, it’s about crafting the story, and that’s both visual and text.

6 - I don’t advertise Dresden Codak at all! In my opinion, it’s of a sufficient size that word-of-mouth is the best way to spread to new people. I’m not against advertising in principle, but I’ve never seen a satisfactory cost/benefit.

7 -  There will definitely be another Comfy Con! I’d like to see my other B9 Kingdom bros, Emmy and Danielle, join in next time, I think that would be fun!

8 - I let him devour me from the inside out, until nothing anyone else says about my work will be as harsh as what I’ve already thought about it.  Let your own self-doubt burn so hot you can forge a blade of artistic vengeance!

9 - Randnar is Randar. Obviously.

10 - There are existing characters in Dark Science that are queer, but whether this is directly addressed will depend on the needs of the story. Most of my stories don’t really address sexuality of any kind, but when someone’s orientation is relevant (gay, straight or otherwise), I’ll definitely bring it up.

11 - It’s hard to say because “Dresden Codak” includes any comics that I might be making. I’d probably just be doing other humor comics and probably some fantasy stories. Originally, I started Dresden Codak as a way to teach myself to draw for a fantasy graphic novel I wanted to make, but in doing so I realized that graphic novel was pretty terrible and that DC was a much better way to spend my time.

12 - My advice would be the same as Neil Gaiman’s advice.

13 - It’s hard to give one answer, because her design’s changed a lot since I created the character. Originally I wanted her to look fairly generic, as that let me drop her into whatever settings I wanted. After Hob and into Dark Science, I focused the design a lot, especially with her prostheses. She’s still not inspired by any one thing, but there are a few visual nods. Her back plugs are somewhat of a reference to Ghost in the Shell, and the limbs she’s missing are inspired by Darth Vader & Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Thanks for all your questions! If you’ve never heard of me or want to know what Dresden Codak is, go here: http://dresdencodak.com