Ronnie Filyaw of Whomp!

Small Talk was lucky enough this week to interview Ronnie Filyaw, artist of the not-quite-slice-of-life webcomic Whomp! and a testament to the enjoyment of Hawaiian shirts, highly nuanced self deprecatory humour, and simple but vivid art. Whomp! is also known for constantly subverting whatever the reader would expect next in a totally natural way, ending somewhere completely different from how a strip began and being all the better for it.

Who are you, what do you do and where are you from?

I am Ronnie Filyaw. I draw 'Whomp!,' a comic strip. I'm from the Carolinas, and I've moved around a lot.

Whomp! has changed style pretty significantly since the first few strips, from a black and white more traditional strip comic to what we have now. Why the shift? Was there anything that directly influenced the change, or did it just happen gradually?

I would dare say it happened relatively quickly. I've drawn my whole life, but I'd never really drawn cartoony-style characters before. While my skill has improved a lot since then, the drastic change at the very beginning was me figuring out how to present the style when I was still used to drawing Goku and Sailor Moon.

One thing about your comic is that even from the beginning, jokes are usually more layered than the traditional setup-punchline strip. Do you think a lot about how you can add more funny details to a comic, or does it usually come out that way naturally?

I don't always go out of my way to think "Okay, what would make this background funnier," but if I think of something funny, I try my best to work it in. Having a lot of hidden and unhidden extras can add a great deal of value to any joke.

Ronnie's a pretty clear stand-in for yourself, but how much of the rest of the comic is based around your life? 

I base it on real life situations as much as possible, though it's certainly not always autobiographical. Things are usually embellished for the sake of a comic, but all of his motivations and fears are almost identical to mine.

Usually, what's the process of creating a comic strip? How long does it take?

3 times a week at 4PM, I begin writing the comic. I come up with as many ideas as I can and VERY roughly sketch them out (a whole panel might just be one sloppy circle that represents Ronnie). I allow myself no more than 2 hours of writing time, because if I haven't come up with anything by then, it's not a good writing day for me. Ideally I've come up with 5 ideas, but sometimes it's a big fat zero.

Then I draw the comic. I do a tight 'pencil' sketch, add the words, then ink, color, and add the flowers to Ronnie's shirt. Then I have to think of a "clever" pun for the title, and the alt text (secret words, as I call them.) The alt text is a treat to myself to be silly, so I turn off my filter and get verbose. The drawing process is about 4 hours, but can take longer if I'm being especially lazy or drawing something very challenging.

As much as the strip draws on your life, it brings in some pretty surreal elements too-even just M-Dude is pretty out there for a slice of life comic. 

NOT A QUESTION

(Editors note: son of a gun he found me out)

Speaking of surreal, who in god's name is Runnie's Replace? Will the world ever truly understand?

Who is that? I don't know what you're asking. I'm shaking a little right now, and I don't know why.

Whomp! is noticeably strict to schedule-I don't think in the nearly two years I've followed Whomp! you've missed a day. How are you so punctual?

I've missed a few! Like holidays or when I took longer to recover from gall bladder/hernia surgery than expected, but I always put up some kind of drawing in hopes fans will forgive me. I'm bad about working the night before, so if anything happens, I have nothing to show for it.

However, I will admit that I have a high percentage of consistency. I chalk that up to just being really devoted to Whomp!. If you're not consistent and you have the time, you don't care enough about your work to be consistent. I don't mean to say that in a negative way. It's just that it's hard to push forward on something you don't love. And I love Whomp!.

Are there any comics or writers that particularly influenced your own style?

Horribleville and Gunshow by KC Green. It is shameful how much I was cribbing from him early on. However, I'm glad I did, because he helped me find my own voice and style, and it was huge. You can't just tell someone to 'be original.' They have to first find out what that means.

Do you follow any other webcomics? 

I'm always embarrassed to answer this question. I love and respect all of my fellow cartoonists. They're brilliant writers and artists, but I personally don't really read webcomics! I like manga, anime, video games and 80's music. There was a time I was really into webcomics, and that inspired me to start. It's just not been a huge focus for me.

That said, I never pass up Hark! A Vagrant. I think that's one of the few comics that I simply can't ignore. 

Are there any other starting webcomics or comics in general you think should get more attention? Anything aside from comics you like a lot right now?

One of the most impressive artists I know is Simon "Berk" Dickie who does Malky Dungeon (malkydungeon.com). At first glance his comic seems crude and amateur, but he has a surprisingly strong grasp on a lot of fundamentals, and he knows what he's doing. He reminds me of my all-time favorite comedy genius Brad Neely (Creased Comics), in that respect.

Do you actually own the green Hawaiian shirt with flowers? Please tell me you do.

I don't think I specifically own a green one with flowers. I've tried to find the perfect one, but they can be tough to come by. I do have many Hawaiian shirts, however. I very much enjoy wearing them all!

How did you start drawing comics, and drawing in general? Like as far back as you can remember.

I originally drew Ninja Turtles and things from video game manuals. I didn't trace exactly, but I used my eyes to copy the drawings. I would even sell these drawings to kids on the block so I could go rent more video games.

I then started drawing things off paused VHS tapes. You had to record on EP (Extended Play) or the freeze frames would stutter. I drew a lot of Samurai Pizza Cats and Sailor Moon like this. Continuing to be inspired by Sailor Moon, I went on to start learning the actual fundamentals of drawing. I 'graduated' to drawing DBZ characters all the time, and it just kinda went from there.

I always wanted to make comics and characters and stories, but I was never satisfied with just drawing on paper for myself.  It wasn't until Whomp! I really understood what it meant to make comics.

Lastly, what are your plans for the future? Anything really cool on the horizon for your fans?

It depends. Whomp! will probably be around until I die out of sheer necessity to get my life experiences directly translated into comic form, but I want to create other things, mostly comics, since it's something I already know I can do. I don't want to say a whole lot now, but I would never allow myself to be stuck to one comic for life.


You can read Whomp! at www.whompcomic.com, and you can follow Whomp! on Facebook at www.facebook.com/whompcomic.