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Welcome back kiddies! This time we welcome Alex Thompson into the dungeon. Sit back and relax as he tells us about who he is, what he does, and what we can expect from him in the future. Trust me, you will like what you read!

Decapitated Dan: Hey Alex. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me about Approbation Comics and the projects you’re working on.

Alex Thompson: Hey, Dan! Always a pleasure. Apologies on the delay… I had the flu. Thankfully, not any of the exotic versions. The basic kind was bad enough!

DD: First of all let’s talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?

AT: I am Alex Thompson and I’m a writer. Mostly comic books and screenplays. I also do a little acting and other behind the scenes movie related work.

DD: How did you get into making comics?

AT: I’ve always been a storyteller using a mixture of words and pictures. I always thought I’d tell those stories via television and movies, but those routes were a bit out of my reach due to lack of cash and connections. Then I discovered comics and after analyzing the hell out of them I learned that they were just like television and movies, just on paper. I could tell my stories that way without as much up front cash, plus I’d have more control of the final result.

DD: So what can you tell me about Approbation Comics?

AT: Approbation is the place I can play… do the books I want when and how I want to do them. This is a big deal because in Chinese astrology I’m a Horse sign… we tend not to like being fenced in and like to go all out on projects when the mood strikes us. This tends to not be superhero stories (aren’t there enough of those already out there?!) and are usually of the horror variety.

DD: What titles do you currently have out? (descriptions of each if you can)

AT: Our main focus right now is Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies. Right now we have nine issues out via our online store at Indyplanet.com. That’s a big deal for me as I’ve never had nine issues of any one comic title out and we are hard at work on getting issues ten through twelve out! We really would like to get Chaos Campus out there in the local comic shops in the form of graphic novel collections and we’re trying to get people’s help on making that dream a reality via our page at KickStarter.com.

Some other titles…
Vampires Unlimited, which isn’t your typical love struck, poetry writing, prissy vampires. These were contemporary people who were turned in a science experiment who try to find their way not fitting in with their old lives or the new lives of the supernatural. I’m planning on restarting this series from scratch under the name, The Lazarus Factor.

The Evil Inside and Amour were a horror and romance anthology series I did to experiment with short 7-ish page stories and to try and stretch my writing abilities. It was a fun little exercise with interesting results.

DD: Where did the ideas for all of these titles come from?

AT: There’s this Idea Store online that I order ideas at a bulk rate… okay, I kid (maybe). They come from wherever. They come from excitement, they come from boredom. They come from events and non events. They come from dreams. They come from everywhere. I just try to be receptive when they pop up.

DD: What are you hoping readers can take away from your books?

AT: I’m at a crossroads in my writing career right now… usually I’d be happy with people just enjoying the work and going away with a smile on their face from being entertained. In a way I still want that, which is why I’m doing a book called Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies!

On the other hand, I’m ready to strive for the next level… to touch the soles of the feet of the great writers who really teach a lesson and really make you ponder, think, and possibly change or improve things relating to the human condition.

DD: Can you talk a bit about what it takes to come up with so many different titles?

AT: Haha, huge heaping parts of frustration, restlessness, stubbornness mixed in with a touch of ADD, bi-polarism, and poverty.

DD: How did you go about finding all of these artists for your books?

AT: After doing this stuff for ten years, sometimes I strike up the initial conversation and sometimes I’m the one approached.

DD: What can we expect from you in the future?

AT: More insane, random, and wild fun times with the Chaos Campus series. There are 60 issues of this series planned and I really intend to write “The End” on the last page of that 60th issue. I have the series split into three 20-issue acts… so if I’m not able to do all 60 you’ll at least get the first 20 issues even if it kills me.

Blood, Shells, & Roses through Arcana. I’ve been saying this for years and this project has had every single freakin’ roadblock possible thrown at it. But it’s almost done. And this series just might really kill me. But it will come out. Soon.

I’m also working on a few horror screenplays and comic mini-series. I really want to get these right so I’m doing further extensive rewrites on these. I won’t mention them here, but for those who are REALLY interested in knowing, do a quick internet search on me… I’m sure you’ll discover those projects.

DD: What got you into horror comics?

AT: I just like horror, period. Whatever form I can get it. I do horror comics because I like writing horror and there aren’t many horror comics out. There are so, SO many superhero comics. I’m not really a superhero fan. I can do it in small doses or for particular stories here and there, but it’s frustrating to me how the genres in comics are split. 95% superheroes and 5% everything else?! That’s CRAZY to me! Do you see things like that in other entertainment mediums? Movies? TV? Novels?

DD: What comics are you currently reading?

AT: I’ve kinda been slacking on the comics lately. I still love The Boys, Bomb Queen, and Hack/Slash.

DD: So in summary, give me a quick recap on Approbation Comics and why fans should give your titles a try.

AT: Approbation Comics is where you turn when you want a break from superheroes! You don’t have to cut them from your reading diet, but is that ALL you want in your reading diet? I love pizza, but could you eat it every meal, every snack, every day of every week, month, year?! Variety is a beautiful thing.

But yeah, come on over… we have Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies! How can you not have fun with hot girls fighting the undead?! People have preconceived notions about the series that either makes them jump on the book or they run away. Those who run to it get what they expected, but stay because there is so much more to the book than insinuated. Those who run away but eventually come back to check it out are usually amazed that this isn’t the early 90’s mindless T&A crap… yeah, there’s T&A, but they end up staying because of humor, the storytelling, and our heroines aren’t mindless bimbos but young feminists in their own right.

DD: Thanks so much Alex. I hope people can jump on board and check out your books. I know I have been really impressed by what I have been able to check out so far.

AT: Thank you for having me, Dan! I appreciate the compliments and the help you’ve given to expose more people to Approbation Comics and Chaos Campus!

If you want to see what Alex is up to please go to: http://www.approbationcomics.com/

Decapitated Dan
decapitateddan@comicattack.net