Interview | Fabian Rangel, Jr

During C2E2, Kara and Matt sat down with (stood up, wrangled, it’s all the same) with some great COMIXOLOGY SUBMIT creators to talk about their books, their process, and what they read themselves. Since these interviews were done on the fly and in the heat of the con, we also transcribed these interviews. Some parts of the interview have been abridged for maximum hilarity. Enjoy our interview with DOC UNKNOWN’S Fabian Rangel, Jr!

Matt:  We’re here with Kickstarter icon. I think he’s been he’s called on various paper articles that have been written about him.

Kara:  No pressure.

Matt: Fabian Rangel, Jr. “Doc Unknown.”

Fabian:  Yeah. That’s the book that I do, one of the many books.

Matt:  I think you gained notoriety through Doc Unknown and Kickstarter, You’ve put it through Kickstarter. Then it hit comiXology. Why go through that route as opposed to beating down publishers’ doors. Maybe you did, but what eventually brought you to Kickstarter?

Fabian:  You’re right. I did pitch Doc Unknown at first, got various rejection emails or silence. But I really believed in it. I was like, “No, man. I think people would dig it.” It’s not just because when I wrote it, I’m like, “I’m super amazing.” I was like, “I really do think that there is an audience for this book.”

I decided to just do it myself. The first volume I did self-finance. I put myself in a pretty deep financial hole doing it. I got a second job. I maxed out credit cards. I sold stuff. It was pretty crazy. But the book came out bi-monthly.

It was right around the time that comiXology Submit had started. I’ve been reading comiXology for a little bit before that. When Submit happened, I was like, “This is perfect. This is perfect timing.” The first issue of Doc Unknown came out, immediately, I sent it to Submit. I think Submit helps people know what it was.

At end of it, I was like, “I want to keep Doc Unknown going. There are people that like it. I think I could probably pull off a Kickstarter.” There was that audience that were already reading it on comiXology Submit. Pretty much I guess to answer your question, I wanted to see how far I could go. I really liked writing Doc Unknown.

Matt:  Doc Unknown to me, when I reread it again this morning, it reminds me of “Atomic Robo” meets “Hellboy” meets “BPRD” meets “Indiana Jones.”

Fabian:  It’s definitely in that same kind of vein, in that world. Before I did Doc Unknown I was actually thinking about quitting comics. I’ve been doing comics for a couple of years, again, paying out of pocket and stuff. I was like, “OK, so if I do quit comics, what’s the one comic I’ll totally regret not making?” If it’s six months from now and I’m that bitter guy, “I used to do comics,” what’s the one comic that I’d be like, “Man, I never made that comic.”

Doc Unknown was the answer. I was like, “I’d hate it if I didn’t do a…” I was like, “I’d hate if I didn’t do a book that was "Batman: The Animated Series,” meets “Hellboy,” meets “Planetary.” Those are my jams.

Kara:  I loved in your letter to the readers at the end of one of the issues where you said, “Guys, I sat down and I needed to do an issue that had dinosaurs, and Nazis, and the Yeti.” You went down this whole list of stuff. I was like, “Yep, yep, that is exactly what this was. This is fantastic.”

Fabian:  Thanks. I hoped that the one thing that people were maybe getting now… Doc Unknown came out in 2013, right? 2014?

Matt:  I think so.

Fabian:  I don’t remember. It’s been a while. We just Kickstarted the third volume. We’ve done 12 or 13 issues worth of it. Now some other books that I’m doing I hope that people are taking away, “OK, this guy writes fun things.” I like to put crazy stuff, like, “Let’s see some fun stuff in a book.”

Not anything against other comics. Certain comics have certain audiences, but for me I can’t stand to read a comic that’s 22 pages of people talking.

I’m like, “I want to see a dinosaur or a monster.” Keep it fun.

Kara:  You made it happen. From a creative perspective, what was the most difficult part of getting a lock on this character and the story that you wanted to tell?

Fabian:  I don’t know. None of creating Doc Unknown is hard. I guess that might sound arrogant, like, “It’s really easy to write.”

Matt:  You jerk.

Fabian:  Ha!

Kara:  He just appeared fully formed in your mind.

Fabian:  I was like, “You know, a pulp character that doesn’t look like a basic…” Everybody’s like, “Oh, well, it’s a pulp character so he should wear a trench coat and a fedora, and a domino mask.”

Kara:  Why?

Fabian:  Yeah, I was like, “Let’s make him look a little different.” A lot of people commented, “It looks like a modern book,” but it is set in the ‘40s or whatever.

I don’t really ever have writer’s block or anything like that when it comes to Doc Unknown.

Kara:  When it comes to figuring out, is this more of a plot driven story or a character driven story? Do you start writing and the character takes you along for the ride or do you say, “No, you’re going here now”?

Fabian: Before it was definitely, “Let me make a list of all the fun stuff I want to do.” It was trying to get to those points.

There wasn’t much, “Oh, what’s going on with the actual dude that this is happening to?” It was more about, “I just want to explore that world.” Once we started doing the Kickstarter I was like. “Oh, people dig it. We can keep it going.”

I plotted it out for two more volumes. That’s when I started to be like, “What are the things that are going to happen to him that’s going to make the whole story make sense when it’s all done?” That’s when I started developing more of what’s going to happen and how is his personality going to be affected by all this stuff that’s happening. Again, it’s also having fun.

Things get really weird in volume three. I’m going to go ahead and let you all know.

Kara:  Can we get a sneak preview?

Fabian:  It’s very much that I try and explore all the different things that happen in comics in general in four issues because I knew I had to wrap it up. There’s alternate reality stuff. There’s time travel.

Everything that’s ever happened in comics, it’s going to happen in Doc Unknown by the time the whole thing’s done. At first it wasn’t that, but it turned into, “This book is going to be an example of things that only happen in comics.”

Kara:  Are you going to do a crossover with some of your other stuff?

Fabian:  No, not that crazy.

Kara:  Giant Fabian universe.

Fabian:  Ha! Yeah, yeah.

Matt:  "Fabianverse.“

I’m circling back to the animated series. That was the greatest show ever.

Kara:  Of all time.

Fabian:  I think everybody agrees with that. I think that’s an accurate statement. It’s not an opinion. It’s all factual.

Kara:  Do you have a favorite episode?

Fabian:  I’m pretty basic when it comes to my favorite episode. I like "Heart of Ice.” That’s everybody’s answer.

Matt:  "Almost Got Him.“

Fabian:  Is it? Almost Got Him, those episodes you can’t…

Matt:  [Matt does amazing Killer Croc impression.] "I hit him with a rock.”

[The joke kills, everyone laughs]

Matt:  I think I remember “Almost Got Him” was…when it was revealed that it was Batman the whole time. I was like, “So, wait, he was acting like a dumb Killer Croc the whole time?” I was like, “It’s amazing.”

Fabian:  Heart of Ice, I could watch that every day… What does that say about me? “I could watch it every day, all day.”

Being younger and seeing it when it first aired, it was the first time where you felt sorry for a villain. All these guys, even though they’re all super crazy, all of Batman’s rogues, they do have these personalities that’s almost sympathetic.

Matt:  Was that your introduction? Because when I grew up I remember watching the “X Men” animated series and that.

I think eventually I was like, “Oh, there’s some comics similar to this?” and then I read them, totally adult, and I didn’t get it at the time, but I thought they were cool. Was the animated series a gateway like that?

Fabian:  No, I used to see the Adam West “Batman” on reruns on…I don’t know what channel. I would see that when I was really young.

Then the '89 “Batman” movie, we had that on VHS. We watched the shit out of that.

Matt:  I love that movie.

Fabian:  I bought all the toys and stuff. I had a lot of toys growing up. I think that’s what Doc Unknown is, is me making all these toys and playing with them. All the villains, they’re all different toys. Making them do stuff to each other. That sounds worse than I meant it to.

Matt:  What were the comic books that you grew up with or that you used to have back in your days? Do you have any?

Fabian:  Yeah, and I still read a lot of comics. The first comic I ever bought was an issue of “Thor” from '91, just a random issue of Thor. When I was a kid I used to read books about dinosaurs and books about mythology.

I remember seeing Thor, and being like, “I remember Thor from mythology,” and I just bought it. It was at a convenient store, and we needed to get that. Anyway, that was the first comic, and the second comic I bought was a “Tale from the Crypt.” It was a reprint of another whole different cool stuff.

I loved it, especially, horror, monsterish, stuff like that. One of my favorite movies growing up was “Monster Squad.”

Matt:  Oh yeah.

Fabian:  Anything like monsters, and just really fun stuff. That was my first comic, but then I actually started collecting with the Death of Superman. That was the one that was making me go every Wednesday.

Matt:  I don’t think I bought the singles, but I have the Death of Superman trade.

Fabian:  That trade was the first trade I ever bought.

Matt:  What’s great about those last few issues is the last the last issue’s all splash pages, and then the issue before that is all two panel pages.

Fabian:  I didn’t catch that as a kid. Now, though I make comics, and I catch myself doing weird things, like counting panels. It’s annoying. That was a turn off kind of thing.

Matt:  Ha!

Fabian:  When reading someone’s comic, and I’m like, “Oh, why did they do that?” They’re like, “Well, that’s cool they did that.” I like reading a comic that totally takes me out of there. Just makes me forget.

Kara:  Can I switch on fan brain, and turn off your pro brain? What comics are you reading now that you like?

Fabian:  I really like “Rumble.” It’s…

Matt:  It’s James Harren.

Fabian:  Yeah, James Harren, and John Arcudi. Those guys, Jesus.

Matt:  Yes!

Fabian:  John’s one of the probably, I would say, my favorite writer currently working. His dialogue is so natural, but really good.

It’s really hard to describe. He’s great, and of course James Harren is like a beast, insane monster of an artist. That first issue of Rumble, I was like, “This is how you do it. This should be taught in schools.” This and Saga.

Kara:  We’ve heard that a lot today. At first like, “What’s your favorite?” Don’t say Saga. We all know what Saga is. Something else.

Fabian:  I like Rumble a lot. Southern Bastards, Five Ghosts since I have back-ups in there..!

Matt:  Hey, you have to get that plug in.

Fabian:  Well, I really like to…

Matt:  ..keep that business relationship going?

Fabian:  No. I don’t really read too much the picture stuff. Actually, I have a list because people ask me this a lot. [laughs] I’m like, “Well, I should just make a list.” It’s at the top. Lets’ see where it is. Like Hellboy and the BPRD….

Matt:  You read Baltimore?

Fabian:  Yeah, Baltimore. Like all of the Mignolaverse stuff.

Matt:  Baltimore is so good.

Kara:  On your elbow, you got a tattoo from the BPRD.

Fabian:  The BPRD symbol. That’s my “Hell-bo” right there. Then there’s stuff that I’m looking forward about to come out. The Fiction putting out from the room. I’m really excited about “Oh, Killstrike.” Logan is drawing that. Kind of start, I’m writing a Mouseguard story. Stuff like that.

Kara:  Here, you are allowed to like your own work.

Fabian:  Yeah, I really do.

Kara:  I was kidding!

Fabian:  No, definitely. Stuff like that.

Matt:  Well, I appreciate you taking time out. Doc Unknown is a huge step favorite. Everybody loves it, so good luck with the rest of the con, and keep making them. However you need to make them, keep making them, and we’ll pay you for it.

Fabian:  Thank you.

(Source: SoundCloud / comiXology)