What's Xeno about?

Xeno takes place in an unspecified city beginning in the year 2003. In this parallel universe, an organization known as MORPHS has shut down after experimenting with a form of accelerated evolution. Its subjects were human beings from a variety of backgrounds and personal circumstances. These mutated humans, known as Xenos, struggle with identity as they try to reenter society. The main character of the story is Gecko, a product of MORPHS who has been accused of an unspecified crime. To escape dealing with the accusation, she reluctantly takes a job with a company called Seris whose purpose is to find and remove cryptids from the public eye.

That sounds pretty out there. Why mythical animals and super-powered humans?

When I was a kid, I always looked forward to watching The X-Files because I liked the monster-of-the-week type of episodes. I lost interest in the series when the writers started to focus on the conspiracy aspect. In writing Xeno, I quickly realized that a monster formula on its own wouldn't be that compelling. The super-human interest stems from my longtime interest in comics and I thought it would be fun to have humans with cool abilities, rather than action hero weapons, control mysterious animals in a modern setting. My message stems quite a bit deeper than that, ultimately, and this is a character study of sorts. Still, I hope that the comic is enjoyable on multiple levels. Misunderstood messages are almost certainly a failure on my part to adequately communicate them.

When do you update?
Thursdays. I hope to return to a M/R schedule eventually.

How many seasons are there?

Right now, there are only two planned. The first season deals with Gecko's transition into her life as a Xeno and her introduction into the world and conspiracy surrounding cryptids. I currently have a specific ending in mind.

Is this supposed to be realistic?

Somewhat but I ask for a little bit of suspended disbelief much as one might expect from a Marvel superhero fan. The Cryptids were inspired by various mythologies but I take some liberties with their interpretations. The Xenos and Weres are my own and I try to provide a solid foundation for their existence in this story.

How long have you been working on this?

I officially started working on this comic in 2006. I did a month or two worth of updates but I wasn't happy with a lot of it so I decided to take some time to get better, redo the site and plan far enough ahead so that I would be less likely to need a hiatus.

Do you draw any other comics?

Yes, in addition to this, I've been working on one called Elect Reprobate since 2002. Its art is higher quality and its writing more thematic. I would like to make it available to the public eventually but I don't have a time frame in mind. I also do the artwork for a comic called The Modern Riddlers which has seen publication in a few newspapers. I have a lot of ideas for other comics but none are far enough in development to warrant mentioning.

How did you make your website?

I designed the site in Photoshop. In its current form, the website is highly customized ASP.NET Web Forms. Before that, vanilla HTML. And years before that, a mix of PHP and MySQL. I don't have a language recommendation if you're just starting out but I will say that while you can learn HTML over a weekend, databases and HTML don't play well together (making it lousy for dynamic websites). Take the time to learn some code, definitely, but your most efficient bet, if your situation allows, would be to hire a nerd to build a site for you=)

Where did you go to school?

I didn't go to art school. I'm self-taught and I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. I draw freehand, challenging myself by seldom using references. My formal background is in English and French education. Vincent Price once said that "a man who limits his interests limits his life." I agree. I guess you could say that I'm a proud dilettante. Webcomics are just one of my many hobbies.

What kind of pencil do you use?
Just a regular, mechanical pencil.

What do you use to create Xeno?

My process used to be a little more complicated but almost everything is done in Photoshop on a Surface Pro 3.

Will you publish the webcomic as a book?
It's something I have in mind. Most likely.

Do you accept fan/guest art?

Absolutely, I love getting art from readers. Just use the contact page to attach it and I'll put it up in the gallery.

Do you draw requests?

Sorry, no. I simply don't have the time. I do accept commissions on occasion. Check out the store to see what's available.

Can I link to you?

Sure. Check out the links page if you’d like to use one of our banners. Please link back to http://www.ladytygrycomics.com/Pages/Xeno/Index.aspx

Do you do link exchanges?

I used to but not anymore. I got tired of linking sites only for them to stop updating a month or so later. If you really want a link exchange, you're always welcome to send a guest strip or art and I will post your name and link with it.

Can my character be in your webcomic?
Maybe. Read the “Create a Xeno” section here to find out what qualifies.

What cartoons and anime do you watch?

I used to be really into anime but I fell out of the loop in 2006ish. Favorites include: Gensoumaden Saiyuki, Golden Boy, Mahou Tsukai Tai, Ranma ½, Death Note, Ghost Stories, Excel Saga, Hellsing, Magic Knight Rayearth, Marmalade Boy, Kodomo no Omocha, Hetalia and Dragonball Z.

I was really into a lot of the 90s Warner Bros. TV series (Batman: The Animated Series, anyone?) and 2D Disney films. I'm a big fan of Don Bluth.

Can I create an avatar using your art?
Yes. I draw the line there though.

I have problems viewing your site.

In coding the site, it was optimized for 95% of the web browser market (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome). Still, feel free to use the contact page to report an issue and I'll have my code monkey take a look at it.

If you have a question I've not answered here, feel free to ask using the contact form.