By Grits
It was hard for the Busy Gamer Reckon Crew to miss Matthew Mohammed on
Artist Alley. Sporting a leather jacket, a shirt that read “Major League Bastard”
and an immaculate ‘fro (I admit to my jealousy), Matthew certainly stood out in
the crowd. Friendly and outgoing, he was willing to spare some of his time and
his wit for an exclusive Busy Gamer interview.
Grits: So I'm here with Matthew Mohammed, creator of Black Bastard, and
we're going to do a quick interview about his comic books. Matthew, the first
question I have to ask is, why did you name the comic book "Black Bastard"?
Matthew: Well, Black Very Un-Nice Guy didn't have the same ring. But
seriously, a friend of mine had seen Austin Powers and came into work one
day saying "Fat bastard this, fat bastard that", and he went on like that for about
half an hour. After awhile I said "Yo man, you have to get back to work." He
pointed his finger at me and looked at me, and said "You know what, you're the
black bastard." And it just kind of rolled from there. I designed a t-shirt and
everyone was like "Yo, where's the comic book?" So I said "OK, we're going to
make one." And I just wanted it to be as wrong as possible, just to go with the
name, right? And well, it's just been rolling ever since.
Grits: So when did you first get involved with comics? How did you get into
artwork and writing?
Matthew: Well I actually don't draw, I'm a writer. I went to school for film and
screenwriting and I've always enjoyed comics since I was a teenager. It was
just one of those things where I enjoy it and I want to write it, and I don't
necessarily only want to write comics. I've written movies, I've written stage-
plays, and it's one of the things I love to do. I love writing, and it's just another
medium to express myself in.
Grits: Well, do you have a favorite comic? Outside of your own, of course...
Matthew: I like the things like Marvel and DC. I like Batman, I like X-Men, but I
REALLY like Black Panther, I think that's a cool comic. Nothing too shocking or
anything like that.
Grits: Where do you get your inspiration for your comics on a daily basis?
Matthew: I just watch the news. I was talking to my buddy Mark before we
came here and I was saying "Do you think I should put up a sign saying
'Accepting donations for the OJ Simpson/Barry Bonds/Kanye West legal
defense fund?'" You just gotta turn on the TV or look in the newspaper and it's
there.
Grits: Did you think when you first started out that you were really going to
shock people, or did you think that you were just going for humor?
Matthew: To be honest with you, we expected it to be shocking, we expected it
to be outrageous with the name and everything like that, a lot of controversy.
People were picking it up and then coming back and saying "This is really
funny!" So we were kind of surprised that the controversy wasn't there as much
as we thought it would be. The funny thing is, when someone DID come back
that was offended by the title, we were like "What's your problem? It's just a
joke!" It's funny because when we started doing this comic, there wasn't Family
Guy, but South Park was around then. They weren't as bad as they are now.
There was more shock value, they are a little more creative now, their scripts
are very good. It was one of those things, when we were around it was a lot
more shocking and now it almost seems run of the mill with everything that's
out there these days.
Grits: As far as negative comments go, what is the biggest negative
comment you've gotten on your books?
Matthew: I think the biggest one was the guy that went "You can't do this, it's
wrong". I explained to him what I was trying to do with the satire and he was like
"I understand where you're coming from, I just don't think it should ever be
done." I saw him a few months later when I was in San Diego for the first time
and he saw me and came up to say hi and he said "I thought I told you to stop
doing this."
Grits: And as far as positive comments go?
Matthew: A lot of people just think it's very funny and they get it and they see
there's a message in there. It's not preaching, but it's there, so I appreciate that.
I love it when people come back and say "I don't buy a lot of under the radar
stuff, but I love your stuff." I get a lot of that in Texas, so it's cool.
Grits: So if you ever went mainstream, do you think you would ever bow to any
exterior forces or do you think you'd keep trying to go like you are?
Matthew: I'll tell you something right now, man, I was BORN to sell out. If you
want to bring me the dollars, I will do what you tell me. *laughing* No, seriously,
if you want to go mainstream, you gotta realize you're appealing to a broader
market and there are certain things you can't do, but that's been loosened by
shows like the Boondocks, Family Guy, and South Park. There are a lot of
things you can do. I think one of the things is I understand there are certain
things I’ve done in my comic book that I couldn't do in a TV show, but the title is
"Black Bastard", and he's gotta be a bastard. SO there is a certain element that
has gotta stay if it becomes more mainstream.
Grits: Gotcha. Is there anything else you want to add? Anything you'd like to say
as far as being an up-and-coming writer?
Matthew: Well I just wanna say check out the website, www.theblackbastard.
com. It's going to be revamped in a couple of weeks, and also we have a four
issue miniseries called "Bastard No More" coming out next year, and it's the
search for his daddy. *laughing* It's gonna be good, check it out.
Grits: Alright Matthew, thanks a lot for your time!
Matthew’s comic certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. If you’re easily offended, I’d
recommend staying away from it. But if you’re a little more thick skinned and
like to laugh and enjoy a work that sees the humor in the barriers society has
managed to erect over the decades, you’ll definitely enjoy his work. After
reading the first two issues, I was a solid fan.
God help us all if he or his creation ever decides to use their powers for evil.
For more information about Matthew Mohammed and his comic, “The Black
Bastard”, you can find him on the web at www.theblackbastard.com. Check him
out, it’s worth the visit.
Grits – End Of Line
It was hard for the Busy Gamer Reckon Crew to miss Matthew Mohammed on
Artist Alley. Sporting a leather jacket, a shirt that read “Major League Bastard”
and an immaculate ‘fro (I admit to my jealousy), Matthew certainly stood out in
the crowd. Friendly and outgoing, he was willing to spare some of his time and
his wit for an exclusive Busy Gamer interview.
Grits: So I'm here with Matthew Mohammed, creator of Black Bastard, and
we're going to do a quick interview about his comic books. Matthew, the first
question I have to ask is, why did you name the comic book "Black Bastard"?
Matthew: Well, Black Very Un-Nice Guy didn't have the same ring. But
seriously, a friend of mine had seen Austin Powers and came into work one
day saying "Fat bastard this, fat bastard that", and he went on like that for about
half an hour. After awhile I said "Yo man, you have to get back to work." He
pointed his finger at me and looked at me, and said "You know what, you're the
black bastard." And it just kind of rolled from there. I designed a t-shirt and
everyone was like "Yo, where's the comic book?" So I said "OK, we're going to
make one." And I just wanted it to be as wrong as possible, just to go with the
name, right? And well, it's just been rolling ever since.
Grits: So when did you first get involved with comics? How did you get into
artwork and writing?
Matthew: Well I actually don't draw, I'm a writer. I went to school for film and
screenwriting and I've always enjoyed comics since I was a teenager. It was
just one of those things where I enjoy it and I want to write it, and I don't
necessarily only want to write comics. I've written movies, I've written stage-
plays, and it's one of the things I love to do. I love writing, and it's just another
medium to express myself in.
Grits: Well, do you have a favorite comic? Outside of your own, of course...
Matthew: I like the things like Marvel and DC. I like Batman, I like X-Men, but I
REALLY like Black Panther, I think that's a cool comic. Nothing too shocking or
anything like that.
Grits: Where do you get your inspiration for your comics on a daily basis?
Matthew: I just watch the news. I was talking to my buddy Mark before we
came here and I was saying "Do you think I should put up a sign saying
'Accepting donations for the OJ Simpson/Barry Bonds/Kanye West legal
defense fund?'" You just gotta turn on the TV or look in the newspaper and it's
there.
Grits: Did you think when you first started out that you were really going to
shock people, or did you think that you were just going for humor?
Matthew: To be honest with you, we expected it to be shocking, we expected it
to be outrageous with the name and everything like that, a lot of controversy.
People were picking it up and then coming back and saying "This is really
funny!" So we were kind of surprised that the controversy wasn't there as much
as we thought it would be. The funny thing is, when someone DID come back
that was offended by the title, we were like "What's your problem? It's just a
joke!" It's funny because when we started doing this comic, there wasn't Family
Guy, but South Park was around then. They weren't as bad as they are now.
There was more shock value, they are a little more creative now, their scripts
are very good. It was one of those things, when we were around it was a lot
more shocking and now it almost seems run of the mill with everything that's
out there these days.
Grits: As far as negative comments go, what is the biggest negative
comment you've gotten on your books?
Matthew: I think the biggest one was the guy that went "You can't do this, it's
wrong". I explained to him what I was trying to do with the satire and he was like
"I understand where you're coming from, I just don't think it should ever be
done." I saw him a few months later when I was in San Diego for the first time
and he saw me and came up to say hi and he said "I thought I told you to stop
doing this."
Grits: And as far as positive comments go?
Matthew: A lot of people just think it's very funny and they get it and they see
there's a message in there. It's not preaching, but it's there, so I appreciate that.
I love it when people come back and say "I don't buy a lot of under the radar
stuff, but I love your stuff." I get a lot of that in Texas, so it's cool.
Grits: So if you ever went mainstream, do you think you would ever bow to any
exterior forces or do you think you'd keep trying to go like you are?
Matthew: I'll tell you something right now, man, I was BORN to sell out. If you
want to bring me the dollars, I will do what you tell me. *laughing* No, seriously,
if you want to go mainstream, you gotta realize you're appealing to a broader
market and there are certain things you can't do, but that's been loosened by
shows like the Boondocks, Family Guy, and South Park. There are a lot of
things you can do. I think one of the things is I understand there are certain
things I’ve done in my comic book that I couldn't do in a TV show, but the title is
"Black Bastard", and he's gotta be a bastard. SO there is a certain element that
has gotta stay if it becomes more mainstream.
Grits: Gotcha. Is there anything else you want to add? Anything you'd like to say
as far as being an up-and-coming writer?
Matthew: Well I just wanna say check out the website, www.theblackbastard.
com. It's going to be revamped in a couple of weeks, and also we have a four
issue miniseries called "Bastard No More" coming out next year, and it's the
search for his daddy. *laughing* It's gonna be good, check it out.
Grits: Alright Matthew, thanks a lot for your time!
Matthew’s comic certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. If you’re easily offended, I’d
recommend staying away from it. But if you’re a little more thick skinned and
like to laugh and enjoy a work that sees the humor in the barriers society has
managed to erect over the decades, you’ll definitely enjoy his work. After
reading the first two issues, I was a solid fan.
God help us all if he or his creation ever decides to use their powers for evil.
For more information about Matthew Mohammed and his comic, “The Black
Bastard”, you can find him on the web at www.theblackbastard.com. Check him
out, it’s worth the visit.
Grits – End Of Line
MATTHEW MOHAMMED
introduces busygamer.com to the Black Bastard
introduces busygamer.com to the Black Bastard
| Black Bastard Issue #2 / www.theblackbastard.com |