Robert Geronimo interview # 2

You can read my first interview with Robert here.


1) Looks like after getting your kickstarter funded, Alterna Comics stepped in and is bringing your comic Blood Realm to stores on August 29th, that must be really cool! First off I'm assuming Blood Realm is just a name change for the Kingdom of Blood comic right? Why did you decide to go with a publisher vs just continuing to do your comic independently? 

I'm extremely excited to be working with Alterna. Peter Simeti has a lot of experience in this business and now with Alterna's newsprint comic line, the company has been growing. Not to mention he's great to collaborate with. Changing the name was important because I felt this was relaunch of the series, with the original Kingdom of Blood content serving as the first of the 4 mini series for Blood Realm. For me, the biggest draw to signing with Alterna was the worldwide distribution and their interest in expanding the story.

2) Blood Realm will be a 3 issue comic, do you plan on working with Alterna Comics on a follow up series of issues or will you return to kickstarter for your next project? Do you know what that next project will be yet, and if so what stage are you at in its production?

Blood Realm will be a 4-part mini series, featuring 3 issues in each mini-series over the course of 2 years. This is the epic saga I've been wanting to tell and that was something Alterna was totally on board for. As far as other projects are concerned, I have some stories on the back burner that I'm taking my time with. Blood Realm is my main focus, including some super cool merchandise that I will be revealing in the Fall.

3) Your first kickstarter from our last interview was a success, you had the goal of 4,000 and you ended up with 4,626. Im curious how did you decide this price point? Was there a certain amount of issues that you wanted printed or did you think of it as you were going to need to be compensated for the time you put into the book?

It's important to really break down the cost of everything when coming up with a Kickstarter goal. In my case, it needed to cover the costs of the materials, the letterer, my time as the creator, and the printing (which is the most expensive part). You want to make sure you're completely covered.

4) You also have another short horror comic collection called Shiver. What is Shiver, and where did the idea come from?

If you couldn't tell already, I love horror, and 'urban legends' was the theme of my sketchbook in October. It eventually evolved into SHIVER, a packet of zines (hand-made comics) that collected three of the most terrifying urban legends in the world, including the Weeping Woman, the Cropsey Maniac, and the Slit-Mouthed Woman. It was a refreshing side project. I enjoyed it so much that there might even be a Shiver II...


5) You said in our previous interview that you teach at Wagner College in NY, do you have a lot of students that have been inspired by your comic to do their own thing now? Do you use your kickstarter as an example for what your students should others should be doing? 

 I'm fortunate that my students have been open-minded to the vast world of comics. Many of them are natural storytellers and they don't realize how many genres there are. Many of them are only familiar with superhero comics, but when I introduce them to creators like Robert Crumb, Adrian Tomine, and Charles Burns, just to name a few, they see that they can find their place in the industry. It's important for students to be aware of platforms like Kickstarter because it shows them that there are alternatives to financing their projects.


6) In our previous interview you mentioned it would be a challenge to build a completely different audience for Kingdom of Blood, after building an audience for Little Maia. What was key in building that audience? I noticed you've been doing a lot of fan art of horror, sci fi, gaming, and comic characters was that apart of your strategy for drawing more of the kind of crowd that would fund KoB?

I've been making a deliberate attempt to transition from Little Maia. I'm not abandoning those books completely. I'll still have them for sale at conventions. Those books have been an incredible learning experience, but their has been a significant boost in the responses from fans and viewers since I've transitioned to the horror genre. Not to mention, I'm having so much damn fun! I feel like I'm fourteen again, drawing creepy monsters and telling scary stories. That's a sign that you're doing something right. The fan art I've been selling on my website were ways to challenge myself and to reach out to this new audience. I'm fortunate that the responses have been so positive.

7) Was the support you got for KoB that led to the success on Kickstarter online or was it more from people you knew personally like your students? 

One thing I'ey canve learned is that you don't run a Kickstarter, a Kickstarter runs you. It's an exhausting, nerve-racking process because you need to email as many people as you can to get the word out. A large majority of the supporters for KoB were new fans. Students are spending so much money on books, they can't afford to support Kickstarters!

8) Back in July of last year you also had an exhibit or Kingdom of Blood, how important was that in your kickstarter being successful? Is there any kind of tips you can give on running a successful kickstarter?

The exhibit was a great promotional tool. That most helped boost my social media numbers like Instagram, not so much my Kickstarter backers. My advice would be to plan everything out ahead of time. Make a LONG mailing list. Have your press release ready to go. Have a strategy. The last thing you want to do is hit that launch button and suddenly try and figure out who to reach out to. Know your audience and be prepared!


You can follow Robert on Instagram or by visiting his website .