comiXology: Conversations
Tula Lotay | Thought Bubble
In this episode Tula Lotay sat with us to talk about her work on Thought Bubble and also comics.
Topics include free cookies, Though Bubble art festival, dyslexia, educational programs, Tula’s artbook, the eternal time struggle, getting experimental on Heartless with Warren Ellis, and Tia brings it all back to WicDiv because of course.
Links:
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Transcription:
Matt: Tia.
Tia: Hello.
Matt: We’re here. We’re back.
Tia: We are. It’s like we never left.
Matt: We’re in the dungeons of San Diego Comic-Con trying to get away from the rush, the sweat, the love that’s in the air. We’re here with a sensation right now.
Tia: An artistic sensation.
Matt: Tula Lotay, welcome to the show.
Tula: Hello. Thank you. Thanks for having me. I’ve cleared the cookie from my mouth now.
Tia: True. When we interview you, we spare no expense, cookies, the works.
Tula: It’s delicious.
Matt: No one else gives away chocolate chip cookies quite like comiXology. Now, many people know your work from most recently Supreme Blue Rose with Warren, but I think a lot of people don’t realize you’re heavily involved with shops and bringing artists together in the UK with Thought Bubble. How did that start and why is that a focus for you?
Tula: Thought Bubble started 10 years ago, and I set it up as a little event. It was in Leeds’ Town Hall. Ultimately the reason I started it was because I had problems growing up reading and writing. I’m dyslexic and so I couldn’t read and write properly when I was in school and comics really helped me with that. They helped me to learn. I’m an avid reader now. It’s great but it was comic books. I got that from that. I started Thought Bubble really as a way to put on educational programs to help children and adults that may have literacy problems and just to offer free workshops and a community environment where we can teach things through comics. Because I know a lot of people in the industry through working at Travelling Man, the chain of comic shops I worked at, lots of guests came and they had a really good time. It snowballed from there, word of mouth, like guests just being really, really nice about what we were doing.
Matt: It’s grown, too, since the time you started.
Tula: It’s massive.
Tia: It’s on my bucket list for sure. It’s always during my birthday, too, so I’m like, “One of these days.” Your artwork is absolutely gorgeous.
Tula: Thank you!
Tia: It’s just so sensual and beautiful. You have art book, which is so sensual. I think it goes really well with your art style. Is it a struggle to fit all of these in with a monthly comic or the regular things that you have going on?
Tula: Yeah. It’s really difficult. I struggle with my time all the time. There aren’t enough hours in the day. I think with the amount of jobs I have at the moment just with covers and then working on Heartless for Image with Warren Ellis that’s out next year, that alone I find difficult to fit in and keep on top of everything. Alongside that, this Thought Bubble has to happen. We’re not for-profit organization. We don’t make tons of money to employ lots of staff so it’s a skeleton crew. We only have one full-time member of staff, Martha. Then the rest of us run around and try and figure things out, so I’m constantly behind with everything.
Matt: I was going to ask about Heartless because I know it got announced last year. I was like, “Yes, let’s do it.” Then I was like, “Wait a minute. What happened to Heartless?”
Tula: It’s coming!
Matt: It makes sense how busy you are that a monthly book will take longer than most people that that’s their only focus.
Tula: I feel I’m so invested in it. I’m so excited about it. I’m drawing it at the moment. I think it’s some of the best work I’ve ever done. I’m being experimental doing my own thing. I’m having so much fun with it. It’s more important to me. This book is really, really good. I’m not rushing to put it out. I want to get it out soon. I want to get it out early next year hopefully, but I want it to be something special and sometimes those things take time.
Tia: One of my favorite issues of the The Wicked + The Divine is your issue that you did, number 13, with Tara. How did you feel about it winning the reader’s poll for their favorite issue?
Tula: Did it?
Tia: It did.
Tula: I didn’t even know!
Tia: Congratulations. You heard it here.
Tula: Wow, that’s amazing. Actually somebody said the other day that I was nominated for an award as well. I don’t think I won it but I can’t remember what it’s for. I just found that out, too. That’s amazing!
Tia: Were you intimidated by jumping into a book that already was really established with this duo that has such an established fan base and aesthetic?
Tula: Yeah, sure. Jamie’s art is just beautiful. It’s so clean and slick. He has this really wonderful distinctive style like real pop culture. The fans are going to be … They really love that. Somebody else coming on board drawing very differently … My stuff is messy. I’m nowhere near-
Tia: It’s painterly.
Tula: Yeah, it’s painterly but I’m nowhere near as clean as Jamie is. That’s always a worry. They’re pretty big boots to fill. It’s so nice that it went down so well, but I think a lot of that is Kieron’s writing as well. That story resonated with so many people. It’s something that we experience everyday. Anyone that’s on Twitter or online, you have the guys hiding behind these profile pictures, people that don’t know who you are. People can say whatever they want on Twitter and not think about the repercussions or people’s feelings. That issue is something that’s affected everyone. It was pretty hard-hitting, pretty upsetting.
Tia: I actually cosplayed Tara at New York Comic Con last year.
Tula: Did you?
Tia: It was mostly great but I had a few really uncomfortable encounters with weird guys taking my picture and touching me, which was so meta in a weird way. Then there were fans coming up and hugging me. “You’re alive. I’m a huge fan.” It’s one of my favorite issues. It’s beautiful.
Tula: Wow, thank you.
Matt: If you’re saying you’re experimenting even more for Heartless, I can’t wait to see it. Your stuff on Supreme Blue Rose was so mind-blowing. I know we have a signing that we want to get you to so thank you for taking the time out to chat today.
Tula: Thanks, guys.
Matt: We can’t wait for Heartless.
Tula: Thank you!