Interview with Indie Comic Creator Ricky Lima on Black Hole Hunter’s Club

We had the chance to sit down with independent comic writer Ricky Lima to discuss his comic, publication, his favorite characters and what projects he’s working on now.

Tell us a little about yourself!

Hi! My name is Ricky Lima and I’m a writer. I like short walks on the beach and making bacon in the nude.

How would you describe Black Hole Hunters Club for the woefully uninitiated?

What I tell people is that it’s like Star Wars meets Lethal Weapon. It’s a buddy comedy in space about bounty hunters trying to collect bounties, but of course nothing ever goes as planned. If you’ve ever seen me at a con you’ll hear me say that a million times.

How did the concept of Black Hole Hunters Club come about?

The concept came along pretty organically. Shane Heron, the illustrator on the book, came to me with a bunch of character designs he did a while back for fun and told me some ideas he had for them. We both came up with the concept pretty quickly. Since the characters were aliens we figured it’d be funny if they were hunting humans instead of the other way around. And that’s how the first issue was born.

Can you tell us a little bit about the process to publication for you? Once you knew you wanted to do this, what were your next steps?

The process is pretty straight forward actually. We agreed to do it, then we brainstormed ideas. I went off and wrote the script and when it was done, Shane took it and drew it. We knew a local printer who did comics before, so then we sent off the final art to them and they printed it. Now! The real trick work bits are in those steps. There’s like a billion sub steps to each step, but that’s really something that’s different for everyone. How do you write a script? How do you draw? Shit, if I had the answers to that I’d be rich, I’m sure of it.

How much time and work goes into a single issue of BHHC?

If you want a number, I’ll say 100. It takes 100 time and work to make an issue [laughs]. Depending on the complexity of the script it could take me an hour or 3 days. Issue 1 surprisingly was done in an hour and a half, whereas issue 5 took probably 8 hours after thinking about it for weeks. Drawing is another affair. It usually takes about a month to make a single issue from layouts to pencils and ink. Then lettering (we do our book in black and white so there’s no colouring stage) takes significantly more time than writing.

You co-created this comic with Shane Heron, who also takes care of the artwork. How much do you collaborate while working? Say, for example, on character designs?

We’re pretty isolated creators I’d say. We usually get together for a brainstorming session then go our separate ways until the book is done. I think the key is we trust each other’s tastes enough that were comfortable doing that. After I have a script, Shane will read it give me feedback and then I’d revise. Once it’s tight, he’ll take the script and work on the art. He’ll often change layouts as he goes without talking to me. And that’s totally fine because he’s in charge of the visual aspect of the book. That’s his job, to make things flow and look good.

One thing that really stands out about BHHC is that it’s a sci-fi story without any humans in the main cast, and minimal human presence period. Was that a conscious decision?

This was definitely a conscious decision. As we started creating the story, Shane would keep reminding me that they’re aliens so the weirder the better. He has no love for the alien designs in shows like Star Trek because they’re just “people with crap on their face.” So we tried to make real aliens with this book. I’ve had some people tell me that no one cares about non-humanoid characters but I don’t think that’s the case with BHHC. The characters may not look human but they feel incredibly human and I think that’s why people care.

Can you talk a little about what thought went into conceiving and designing the bugish ‘look’ of the creatures featured in BHHC?

I don’t want to speak for Shane, but from what I’ve seen and talked about, his designs come from a lot of research on weird things here on earth. A lizard that shoots blood from its eyes or a frog that gives birth from its back, all of it comes from things that already exist and we just amp it up a little.

Who is your favourite character to write and why?

Lars is definitely my favourite character to write because he’s such a good dude. He’s honest and kind and ready to help out whenever he can. His dialogue comes most naturally to me.

Can I ply you for any teasers of what happens next?

Well, issue 6 is coming out soon and that will be the end of the first story arc. So shit’s getting crazy. Let’s say that the epic battle between father and sons will hit its climax in issue 6 and we may lose a hunter or two.

Besides BHHC, what other projects do you have coming down the pipeline?

I launched a Kickstarter campaign for an original graphic novel called Deep Sea. I’m working with an exceptional artist in David Bishop. We’re both super excited about the project. It’s a dark psychological thriller about an underwater welder who discovers the secret fuel the city uses. I’m really happy with the book because it’s exactly what we wanted to create. It’s the kind of book only independent creators can make.

What about the process of publishing comics independently has been the most challenging, and what has been the most rewarding?

The hardest part by far is the money aspect of it all. You can create all you want and learn everything about printing, but you’ll need a little bit of money to start and that doesn’t just appear [laughs]. We’ve been lucky with BHHC that we’ve been able to keep it alive through going to conventions and stuff but if it was all coming out of my personal wallet the book simply wouldn’t be running.

Any advice for folks interested in publishing their own indie comics?

The biggest hurdle to making comics is yourself. Finding the time and motivation to create is often what stops people from creating. The key is just to do it. Every time I find myself with a problem or something I tell myself just to do it. “Oh, I’m tired!” Just do it! “I’m not good enough!” Just do it! It’s tough, but nothing easy is worth doing. At the end of the day that’s the real test of a solid creative, can they do it? If the answer is sometimes then that’s not good enough.

Thanks so much to Ricky Lima for taking time out of his day to talk with us. You can find Black Hole Hunters Club on Facebook, as well as Deep Sea.

This interview was conducted for the GCE by Lindsay Young