READERSVOICE.COM: What’s your dream?

KAZ: I’d love a beautiful hard cover collection of my comics.

I’d love to sell a cartoon show idea to television.

And I’d love to sell a feature film script.

I’d also love to stay healthy throughout it all so I could enjoy my life and my wife.

RV: What was the project you worked on for Tim Burton in Los Angeles?

KAZ: Last month I spent three weeks writing gags in storyboard form for Tim Burton’s CORPSE BRIDE (out in ’05).

It will be a stop motion film based on a folk tale about a guy who accidentally marries a dead girl.

I shared an office in Los Angeles along with the director (Mike Johnson) and other designers and story guys.

I got to sit in on and contribute to story meetings and even do some character design.

Unlike working at home, it was like a regular job.

In at nine AM and out at seven – thirty PM.

But it was great because I was surrounded by a group of very talented people who were all friendly characters.

I’m pushing my own TV and film projects as well as working on others.

Oh, and the next UNDERWORLD comics collection is called MY LITTLE FUNNY and will be out in Feb. of ’04.

RV: I read that in your teenage years you were into the punk music scene in New York. What influence did this have on your comics?

Do you agree with the punk anti-craft philosophy that says it’s more important to get feeling into a work of art than technical skill?

KAZ: Yes and no. Ultimately it’s the idea that’s going to pull your work across.

But you want to give someone something good to look at. Style is important.

Punk was cool because it got people started.

But you learn and add things as you go along. It’s all about layers.

RV: Is there a point where you stop looking for influences and ideas and work on simplifying your style, or do you keep looking for new ideas?

KAZ: Always looking for new ideas.

Never stop looking and using new ideas or influences.

Otherwise the work becomes stale, repetitive, and dead.

As a matter of fact one should force oneself to look at things one normally wouldn’t.

Don’t get locked into who you think you are.

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For more on Kaz and to see his comic strip UNDERWORLD, visit kazunderworld.com.
For more info on comics:
www.linesonpaper.com

Next issue, readersvoice.com interviews New York literary agent, Jenny Bent, and more…!