7 Questions with: Jaime Lalor

Jaime Lalor has contributed to IrishComics since its inception. Aaron Fever took a moment to sit down with him to learn a little more about our gothiest creator.

Q: AFTER YESTERDAY has been running a long time. 7 chapters! When you look back at the early pages of the comic and now, how does that make you feel?

A: Looking back at the early pages makes me realise how much I’ve learned and improved over the years. I’m always learning and still have a lot to improve on but I feel proud of my progress so far. It can be a little embarrassing looking back at the early stuff sometimes but I’ve read a lot of comics where you can see the artist grow and improve through the series and I like seeing that.

Q: While the story is fictional, the slice-of-life style of AFTER YESTERDAY almost makes it feel like a diary comic sometimes. What would you say were your influences for it?

A: Just about all of my work is based on parts of me and my experiences, the people around me, the media I like, and stuff like that. I feel like putting a bit of yourself in your work is a way to connect with people and I like when other artists do it. The main inspirations for AFTER YESTERDAY are the 80s goth and punk bands I love like The Cure and Joy Division and the heaps of romance manga I read as a teen, FRUITS BASKET being one of my all time favourites. There’s also a lot of stuff in there about parasocial relationships, and struggling with identity, and connecting with others inspired by my experiences as an autistic person which is shown mostly through Margo’s character.

Q: Would it be fair to say you’re a shy person? How do you find doing self-promotion?

A: I wouldn’t say I’m shy, I can be quiet but it’s more because I’m introverted rather than shy. I struggle a lot with the business and promotion side of making art and comics, I just prefer to draw all day than promote myself. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy getting my art out in the world, sharing it with others and getting feedback is something I really enjoy. I really appreciate the work IrishComics does to promote artists’ work and it’s good for artists to have a community.

Q: AFTER YESTERDAY must take up most of your creative energy. Do you ever think about what your next comic might be?

A: It’s been a while since I’ve worked on it actually! I have a large backlog of pages that I need to finish. I struggle with finishing pages because I get so excited and inspired to keep moving onto the next part of the story. Even though I haven drawn for it much recently I’m always thinking about it and editing the story in my head trying to make it as best as I can.

As for other comics, I played around with the idea of a furry comic set in Dublin that would follow a group of characters’ individual lives and how they interconnect. I made a one off short comic that kind of tied on with it. It’s about an anthro greyhound named Luna who discovers they’re autistic and spent a lot of their life undiagnosed. Again this is something heavily based on my own experiences. Other than that my other comic ideas are mostly fan comics based on songs and bands I like. Those are more indulgent and just for fun.

Q: Can you remember the first comic that made you think “I want to make one of these”?

A: I’ve been drawing characters and stories for as long as I can remember but it was when my local Waterstones opened. I was about twelve or thirteen and when I discovered manga for the first time there, that is when things really took off for me. TOKYO MEW MEW was the first one I really fell in love with. I’d copy the art form it, make comics about me and my friends being in the world, and I’d almost always carry around one of the volumes with me to just stare at and read over & over. 

Q: What do you think are the pros and cons of being the sole creator of a comic?

A: For me the creative freedom is a big positive and being able to work at my own pace. I like just getting lost in my own world and not worrying about communicating with others which can be a struggle for me. (That said, I do enjoy working on a group project every now and then, it’s fun to bounce ideas off someone and give my brain a creative change.) 

The cons… for me personally it’s feeling unsure on the business side of things. When you’re on your own it can be difficult to make decisions and know the best ways to move your career forward but thankfully there are lots of creatives online to take examples from.

Q: What comics or creators out there do you recommend our readers check out? Who do you think deserves more attention?

A: Honestly anyone on the IrishComics website and I’d recommend people going to or taking part in DCAF or local zine fairs to find and meet other small artists. I’ll occasionally shout out small artists I like on instagram too, if people are interested. 
To mention someone in particular, I’d say Clare Foley. I was in college with them and their art is beautiful, lots of cool gothic fantasy stuff. 

You can catch Jaime’s comic AFTER YESTERDAY posted here on IrishComics.ie with a new page every Tuesday.