Interview for Lau haizetara radio show presented by Asier Txakartegi broadcasted from Monday to Friday from 10:30am to 1:30pm in Bizkaia Irratia.
SHOW DETAILS
Live air date: 2020-VIII-26
Language: Basque
Interview duration: 13 min 12s
INTERVIEW by Asier Txakartegi
We're going to continue with cultural things; we have a comic book in our hands, EdFramed 4 by Ian Nose, published in English, Spanish and Basque. And behind the nickname "Ian Nose" we have Ioannes Busca from OƱati. Ioannes lives in the United States of America and here we have him with us. Ioannes, we have to say good morning because it's 7:11am over there, isn't it?
Yes, that's right, the Sun is rising here right now.
And what's the weather going to be like? Do you know the weather forecast for today?
It's going to be hot. These days have been hot and it's going to continue like that today.
Alright. We've mentioned Ian Nose, but we're talking with Ioannes Busca, aren't we?
Yep, my name is Ioannes but whenever I draw comics I use the nickname Ian Nose.
Great. And in what ways do you publish your comics? This time you've published a book that collects your comics, right?
Yes. EdFramed is a character I started drawing in 2011. I started to draw it as a comic strip, like the ones that were published -and well, continue to be published- in the newspapers: strips such as Peanuts and Calvin & Hobbes. But instead of publishing on a newspaper, what I do is I publish mine daily, in platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, and after two or three months I collect them and publish them in book format.
And this book you published in English, Spanish and Basque. You've always done it that way?
Yep, always. The original comics are in Basque. I translate them to Spanish and then with the help of my wife, to English. So there are three books; I use green for the Basque version, yellow for the Spanish version and blue for the English one. So it's the exact same book but the color of the cover varies for each edition.
And if anybody wants to acquire an EdFramed book, where can they do that?
The best way is to go on the website of the publishing house I created to publish my comics. Its name is AHABI, the same as the fruit* A-H-A-B-I. So if you go into ahabi.net you can find the links to Amazon, Apple Books, ComiXology... various platforms, and you can purchase the book from there. You can also find links to read them for free in there. So, that's the best way: ahabi.net.
And EdFramed, what kind of character is he?
Well, EdFramed...mmm...It's hard to explain because it started one way and...it has to be read to understand it. In 2011, it was a kind of play on words because 'Ed' is the name of the character and 'Framed' is because he's literally framed. He was just a face: two eyes, a nose and a mouth, just talking. But over the years the character has left the 'frame' and he's talking with me these days. So he's a character talking with his own creator. It's kind of a meta-comic.
So you're a comic fan and you also create comics...
I don't make a living out of comics, but every time I have some free time I like creating comics. Apart from EdFramed I've also done other comics and my next challenge is to create a monthly comic. I'd like to publish a 20-24 page comic book every month. But it's a lot of work and I'm getting a head start. I already have a 60-pages draft. Maybe that's a good project for 2021: a monthly comic book.
A monthly comic book. The world of comics...How did you get in there?
I always loved comics and while I was studying architecture in Madrid, one day I thought, "let's give it a try" and without thinking too much, I started to make some comics and publish them in different ways. First, I was publishing on the internet and later I found an online printing system, and that's how. To be honest it's just a hobby because even if I sell some from time to time, I cannot make a living out of it.
You've mentioned Architecture...that means you studied architecture and you work as an architect or what does Ioannes Busca do in the USA?
I started studying architecture, but I finished college in Puerto Rico; not architecture, but a Bachelor's in Arts in the School of Humanities. So I'm not an architect and I don't work in architecture. Here in the USA I'm a Spanish teacher at a school, but these days with COVID, they closed the school on March and as I had a lot of free time I retook this comic.
There in the US, the school year would have already started by now, right?
Yep, in some schools you'll see they already have kids going. Our school is supposed to open on September 9th, but we'll see how things go...
Alright, so Ioannes Busca, a teacher in the USA, started to study architecture, finished his degree in Arts in the Humanities School and creates comics. Are there more surprises? You do other things?
Well...I've done and continue doing graphic design and video related works, but we'll leave it there, because otherwise listeners can get confused. It's better to talk just about one thing otherwise...
(Laughs) ...yeah we can get lost otherwise. Very well. So this is the fourth book of your EdFramed character. The new monthly comic that you're working on...is it going to be with other characters, other themes...what will it be?
The problem with EdFramed is that since it's a daily comic strip, you can't develop the story too much. It's a specific format in which every day you have to make a kind of joke and it has its limitations. With a monthly comic of 20-24 pages I want to tell a kind of adventure, but of course it's also much more work. I'd also like to publish it on paper first. EdFramed is an everyday strip and after two months it gets collected in book format. This new project would be 24 pages every month directly published on paper. To do that I have to draw a lot in advance; I can't be drawing each month the next month's 24 pages, because if any problem arises, I couldn't reach the deadline. That's why I'm working in advance. I already have about 60 pages penciled, and when I have 100 penciled and inked, then I'll start to publish them in booklets of about 20 pages.
And what kind of themes and characters are we going to find in there?
It's an adventure story...mmm...I don't know if I can tell much about it yet...mmm...
(laughs)
It's a young kid and his adventures with an electronic device.
It's quite the thing then.
Yeah, a kind of Dragon Ball adventure, that style. Adventurous.
Alright, and are you planning on coming back from the USA to the Basque Country or are you going to stay there for a long time?
My wife is Puerto Rican and we just had a baby in April, so for now we will stay here. We'll always go back to visit the family in the Basque Country, but with the current situation, we don't know when we'll be able to do so.
Certainly the situation is pretty bad right now to come and go from one place to another, it's pretty bad.
We were planning on visiting at the end of September, but I don't think we'll be able to go.
How's everything over there? Here in the Basque Country we have to wear a facemask everywhere, maintain distance, festivities have been cancelled... how about there?
Yeah, it's the same here. Facemasks must be worn everywhere, even out in the streets. All the restaurants serve only in the open air, nobody can go inside, and then I'm sure you know how the police is killing people and there are protests...a lot of turmoil...there's always turmoil in the US.
Well it's also a big country, so the turmoil is also big. Ioannes Busca, it has been a pleasure talking with you. I don't know if you want to comment anything else to end this interview.
Not much. Let's see, if a lot of people get into ahabi.net and I sell comics, I'll continue to create them. If not, I still will, eh?
Creating comics is a passion for you, isn't it?
Yep, if I sell a lot I'll draw more but...
That's for sure, because you'll have more time to do so.
...if I sell less, I'll continue to draw slowly anyway. I'm already planning the fifth season of EdFramed for next year. By the way, next year it's the 10th anniversary of Edframed since I started to draw it on 2011. So, next year's fifth book will be special.
That's great. Good luck, Ioannes Busca. Thanks a lot and see you soon.
Thanks to you.
*Ahabi means Blueberry in Basque