Indie Comics Spotlight: ‘Is’nana The Were-Spider’

The Indie Comics Spotlight is a series that aims to bring attention to independent comic books, publishers, and creators deserving of wider recognition. In this installment, we speak with Greg Anderson Elysée about his comic book series, Is’nara The Were-Spider. 

Tristian: Hello Greg! Thank you for taking time to speak with Geek Vibes Nation about your comic, Is’nana The Were-Spider. Could you tell our audience a bit about yourself and your comic book? 

Greg: Sure. My name is Greg Anderson Elysée and I am a comic book writer and creator. Born and raised Brooklyn, Haitian background and I love writing all types of Black folks in speculative fiction while honoring different aspects of our Blackness.

Is’nana the Were-Spider is a coming of age, horror fantasy series of comics about the son of Anansi the Spider. Is’nana works with his father to stop a bunch of horrors he accidentally unleashed into various realms all the while having to live up to his father’s legacy and find his own place in the world. The series also incorporates various figures from Black stories, mythology, folklore, traditions, etc.

Tristian: What made you want to create your own comic? What were some of your inspirations? 

Greg: I was obsessed with comics ever since I walked into a comic book shop heading home from school. I was in second grade. Each year my love for the medium grew. By middle school I was writing my own fanfic and by high school I made the decision that comics was going to be my career. I love the synergy of reading and art coming together. And there are so many different genres. Superheroes are just the tip of the iceberg. I would eventually fall in love with independent books that had a wider range of topics, genres, and forms of storytelling.

Inspirations would be writers like David Hine, Christopher Priest, Dwayne McDuffie, Peter David, Peter Milligan, Grant Morrison, John Jennings, and many many others. I’m also going to toss in Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. While they may not have been comic book writers, their writing helped form and enforced a lot of things about my own writing and depicting various forms and nuances of Blackness. They were unfiltered and proud.

Tristian: What are some of the highs of producing your own comic? How do you deal with the lows? 

Greg: Highlight is that I am my own boss when it comes to my comic book series. I can do whatever I want with it and it truly means a lot that so many people have jumped on board and love it. We’ve gotten great reviews and many people have reached out and told me how much fun they had researching some of the characters and figures I featured, and that’s exactly what I wanted to do with this series. Another high is meeting fans in various states I never knew I had and seeing their excitement makes me feel like I’m doing something right.

Lows would be not always being financially able to release as often or as quickly as I would like. As successful as the book may seem, I stay being broke [laughs]. Majority of my money aside from living goes straight back to productions to release more content.

Tristian: What’s it like collaborating with an artist? Are there any difficulties? If so, how do you deal with them? 

Greg: Oh, it is awesome. It’s one of my favorite aspects of creating comics. The fact that you can write something straight from your head then see it brought to life? Man, it’s the best feeling. Especially when you get new pages in your inbox. When you have a great artist who is professional and works well with you while also throwing in their own interpretations and personality… It’s unparalleled.

Sometimes there may be miscommunication. While I may think I was clear in my script, there may be some confusion and I get something completely off. Or in a recent case of another book I’m writing, the artist had an older script and not the most recent and we were going back and forth completely confused of what both of us were asking of each other [laughs]. You take a step back and communicate and try to see where the confusion is coming from, laugh about it, hope it doesn’t ruin the relationship, and grow, learn from it.

Tristian: What advice do you have for others who aspire to create their own comic? Or to start their own comic book company? 

Greg: If you’re not going to be the one to tell your story, who is? Stop making excuses and make your damn shit already!

Tristian: Where can our audience connect with you online and find your work?

webwaycomics.ecwid.com/