Neal Shaffer is an accomplished, critically acclaimed graphic novelist who has published multiple books with Oni Press including One Plus One (which has been hailed as a cross between the Twilight Zone and Hard Eight), Last Exit Before Toll (a real world drama that explores what happens to a man when he simply vanishes from his old life) and The Awakening (a supernatural thriller).

He’s currently working on an ongoing series in a graphic format called Borrowed Time that is released on a slightly erratic schedule by Oni Press.

He was kind enough to answer some of our questions about his work, past and present, and the state of the comics industry. For up to date information about him, you can check out the blog he maintains at his communications firm, Slant Six Creative.

Big Shiny Robot!: How did you find your way into comics?

Neal Shaffer: It all started when I worked with Daniel (Krall) at a cafe. We had a lot of downtime, and we spent much of it tossing ideas around. Eventually we decided to do a comic together, so we worked up some pitches and took them to the San Diego Comic Con. We met Oni, the guys there were great, and we sealed a deal a couple of months later.

Everyone who gives out advice on “how to get published in comics” will tell you that pitching at San Diego (or any con) is not a good way to do it. That’s probably true, but it worked for us. Which highlights the fact that nobody should ever take too much “good advice.” There just isn’t one right way to do anything, especially in an industry like comics.

BSR!: You’ve published with Oni Press for about 95% of your career, your books are great and stand up to the best of those offered by Oni, but is it daunting sitting at a booth where you’re over-shadowed a little bit by Scott Pilgrim and Stephen Colbert?

NS: Not really. There’s virtually zero overlap between what I do and what those guys do. They certainly do overshadow me — justifiably so, given the size of their audiences — but I wouldn’t say it’s daunting. I just kind of do my thing and I’m grateful for every person who takes an interest. Oni’s a good place for that because they care a lot about the books and they respect everyone equally.

BSR!: I would say my [Swank-mo-tron’s] favorite piece of work you’ve done (other than One Plus One) is easily Last Exit Before Toll. Could you talk a little bit about where that story came from and how the response to that piece has been.

NS: That story originated from reading Dashiell Hammet’s The Maltese Falcon. There’s one chapter in that book — chapter 7, called “G in the Air” — that didn’t translate to the movie version. It’s a very strange little interlude about a guy who just disappeared one day. I found it fascinating, and I wanted to jump off of it to tell a full story of what that might be like. To just leave everything behind.

The response was really good, actually, and people still comment on that book occasionally. It’s not the kind of story that’s to everyone’s tastes but the people who get it seem to really like it.

BSR!: What do you look for in a story to tell in the graphic medium?

NS: There’s no one thing, really, and that goes back to how I feel about the medium itself. I think comics (graphic novels, whatever) can accommodate virtually any kind of story, as long as the approach is right. So I just try to tell stories that I find interesting.

BSR!: You’re 2 issues into Borrowed Time, for those that haven’t read it, give us the pitch. Where are things going next and when can we expect issue 3?

NS: Hmm…the pitch…It’s a story about a man who slips through a crack in time and has to navigate an unfamiliar world while searching for a way back to the things he holds dear.

I think that about covers it, but the one-sentence pitch has never been my strength.

Things are going to an interesting place with the story. We had some setbacks with issue #3 when Joe [Infurnari, the artist] had to deal with some personal issues, but we’re back on track and hope to have it out later this year. We’re going to be doing some exciting things with distribution, too, really exploring the boundaries of new media and new ways to get content in the hands of the consumer. Plans aren’t finalized yet so I can’t really give specifics, but it will be exciting. I’m looking forward to it.

BSR!: For the release of Borrowed Time, you had shirts designed by Tony Larsen incorporated into the art and then had them printed in a cross-promotion. I think it’s a great idea (hell, I bought a shirt) but I’m wondering when the idea struck you, if you’re planning on printing more shirts (I didn’t get the color or size I wanted, they sold too fast) and what the reaction to it was.

NS: I can’t remember exactly when I first had the idea, but it goes back to pre-Borrowed Time days. I really wanted to do something unique, to try to integrate something new into the comics medium. The reaction to it was really fantastic, and I sold all but a few of the shirts. It’s something I might revisit down the road, for sure.

I’d be remiss in talking about this if I didn’t point out that Tony Larson is just an amazing dude. Great artist and great person — I really can’t say enough about him.

BSR!: Are you sick of people comparing Borrowed Time to Lost?

NS: I was, but since we’ve had this downtime that has kind of tapered off. The truth is that I’ve never watched more than about 30 seconds of Lost, so I can’t say that I have any idea what the comparisons are about. All I can say is I hope people mean it in a good way.

BSR!: Aside from Borrowed Time, what’s up next for you and when can we expect to see it?

NS: I’m working on a new pitch for Oni, which is taking more time than it should. It’s something kind of different for me but it’s a story I’m really passionate about. I want to get it right, you know? Hopefully there’ll be an announcement about that this year.

In terms of the rest of my work, I’ve recently launched my own communications studio (Slant Six Creative — http://www.slantsixcreative.com) with a goal of helping individuals and businesses with their communications needs. That’s a real passion for me — it’s work I’m good at and love to do. That’s to me what doing TV commercials is to Errol Morris, only I’m not quite (read: nowhere near even getting anywhere close) as far along at it just yet. But I hope to get there, while continuing to do things like comics along the way.

BSR!: Have you found it hard trying to find your place as a writer in an industry dominated by artists?

NS: Yes.

BSR!: Care to elaborate?

NS: Well, I don’t know what else I can say. The comics industry is biased towards artists (logically enough), and there are only a handful of writers who get that kind of recognition. But it hardly keeps me up at night.

BSR!: If you were forced to recommend three comics for someone to read (other than your own) what would they be?

NS: That’s a tough one. I think I’d have to say:

1. Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli

2. the Big Questions series by Anders Nilsen

3. the Optic Nerve series by Adrian Tomine

BSR!: Be it design nerdery or literature or wherever, what would you say are your primary influences on your writing?

NS: It’s hard to say because I’ve been influenced by so many things over the years. In a general sense I’m influenced by stories — in whatever form — that challenge the reader/viewer to think and come up with his/her own conclusions. I like things that create room for a conversation rather than answer all of the questions up front. I like things that stick with you and make you wonder “what does that mean?” I’ve found that in films, books, music, comics — pretty much everywhere.

BSR!: The comics industry seems to be floundering in a way these days and new readers of anything at any age are hard to come by. Why do you think that is and how would you seek to remedy that?

NS: This is the kind of question we could talk about for hours, but even if we did that I’m not sure I’d be able to come up with a great answer. Here’s what I think, though:

The biggest problem the comics industry faces is its own myopia. The problem isn’t that there aren’t readers out there (the popularity of manga would seem to prove this), it’s that the comics industry — generally — doesn’t do enough to find them.

What’s needed is for the industry to shed the idea — largely self-perpetuated at this point — that comics is a marginal medium. Then, it needs to fully embrace every tool available to it — particularly with New Media — to get people interested in the stories. The stories being told, the stories behind how they were made, and the stories of the people who make them. Do some old-fashioned PR and marketing work. Do some outreach. Stop focusing so much on the retailers — as important as they are — and start focusing on finding new avenues for content distribution.

Essentially, the industry needs to be re-branded. That’s far from an impossible task, but to be honest I haven’t talked to anyone else who works within it who agrees with me. Or, if they do agree with me, they tell me it’s not possible. On that, I call bullshit.

Here’s an interesting tidbit: I know someone at one of the larger comics companies who told me that the press contact at a major news/entertainment magazine practically has to beg for review copies and access to creators and publishers. How ridiculous is that?

So, basically, I think that whatever problems the industry faces are of its own creation. That doesn’t mean I don’t like the industry or the good people I’ve met within it, it just means that there’s a systemic problem that can only be fixed from the inside. There are some very smart people at work on it, but until the idea really takes hold then nothing is ever going to change.

BSR!: I think that about covers it. Is there anything you’d like to add?

NS: The only thing I think I’d add at this point is that I do have a great love for the comics medium and I want to see its full potential realized someday. It’s frustrating, then, to see just how ass-backward the industry is sometimes. The good news, though, is that there are some great people doing great work, though, so I suppose we’ll see what happens.