Day 1 (Heather White) – Day 2 (Jeff Stokely)
Day 3 (Joe LeFavi) – Day 4 (Jeffrey Brown) – Day 5 (Katie Cook)
Jeffrey Brown doesn’t need the Fraggle Rock comic book to gain fame; he’s already well-known in the world of indie comics. He’s written and illustrated comics like “Clumsy”, “Bighead”, and “Incredible Change-Bots”. Now he’s bringing his unique style to the Fraggles, and we’ve got a few questions for him regarding how he’s planning on going about that.
ToughPigs: What are the roots of your Muppet/Fraggle fandom? What form does your fandom take today?
Jeffrey Brown: I grew up watching “The Muppets,” and from that fell into watching “Fraggle Rock.” Now I have a three-year-old son, and they’ve finally started releasing the show on DVD, so I’m able to watch it again with him. It’s much better than a lot of the children’s television being made today.
TP: What is it about Fraggle Rock that lends itself to your artistic style?
JB: I think my sense of humor fits in well with “Fraggle Rock.” Like “The Muppets” and other Henson properties, there’s always been a focus on humor in “Fraggle Rock.” It’s a very honest, imperfect humor and I feel like that’s something I try to put in my other work.
TP: What sort of research have you done to prepare for writing and illustrating your Fraggle Rock story?
JB: Just watching the show a lot, and Googling images, as well as looking at the official Fraggle Rock style guide. Mostly watching the show, though. I usually listen to music or watch video while I’m drawing, so naturally I’ve been watching all of those episodes while working on my story.
TP: Who are your favorite characters? Least favorite?
JB: The Doozers, especially Cotterpin, were always my favorite. I would’ve been happy if there had been an all-Doozer spinoff show. Boober is my favorite Fraggle, and I don’t know who I’d say is my least favorite… Mokey, maybe? Sorry, Mokey.
TP: Which characters have been the most difficult to write for? To illustrate?
JB: My story is pretty short, focusing mainly on Red, so it’s been fairly easy on me writing-wise. In terms of drawing, Gobo has been the hardest to get a handle on.
TP: With few exceptions (The Simpsons, The Escapist), most of your comic works are original creations. What sort of challenges have you found when writing new stories for existing characters?
JB: The biggest challenge is working within the expectations and baggage those characters come with, having them be true to what people know but also keeping them fresh or new. It’s also an adjustment to work with editors, but at the same time that can end up being a helpful thing.
TP: Which would you rather be: a Doozer or a Gorg?
JB: Definitely a Doozer.
TP: What has the response to your work from Archaia Comics and The Jim Henson Company been like?
JB: It’s been good. There’s definitely a bit of pressure to live up to a franchise like “Fraggle Rock,” but they’ve both been very supportive and positive toward me.
TP: Can you give us a tease for what to expect from your Fraggle Rock comic?
JB: You can expect a Cotterpin cameo and some Red Fraggle running around the cave… that’s the most I can say without spoiling it, I think.
TP: Lastly, do you have a message you’d like to pass along to the fans?
JB: Better not, all I can think of right now is the “Fraggle Rock” theme song…
Many thanks to Jeffrey Brown for joining us for this Q&A! And head back here tomorrow for one final (for now!) Fraggle Rock comic book Q&A!
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by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
