What first got you into making comics, and even more so, to make them and put them up on the internet?

When I was 13, I ran the newsletter for my church's youth group, and I
think it was probably 30% articles and  text and 70% comics.  A few years
later, after I'd fallen out of Christianity, I was given a job doing
one-panel comics for a Christian magazine called Teen Quest.  I never hid
my disinterest in religion in general from the editor, but he didn't seem
to care as long as I made funny comics, and when you're seventeen, getting
paid thirty bucks a comic is a really great deal.  Hell, it would be nice
now.  When I got to college, I stopped drawing for them, and from what I
understand, Teen Quest has since vanished.

Around 1998 I first toyed with the idea of doing a webcomic.  I wanted do
a strip about three friends - two guys and one girl - who basically sat
around, swore, and did various chemicals.  I'd planned on calling it
Generation Hate, which was also the name of an e-zine I did in 1995 later
brought back around 1997, but the comic never really got any futher.  When
I left Dallas and moved to the Boston area in 1999, I again toyed with
another comic idea, and even plotted a little of it out.  This comic was
closer to what Something Positive is, but I didn't have the time, and was
really too involved in theatre and self pity at the time.  Finally, in the
summer of 2001, I was "enjoying" being laid off, the girl I'd been seeing
just left me, I couldn't find a job - just a whole bunch of things at
once.  And I was moping and griping about it to a very dear friend, who
is the basis for Aubrey, and she wasn't in the mood to listen.  She told
me, in no uncertain terms, to, "shut up and fucking do something positive
for once."  It immediately donned on me that Something Positive was a
great name for the comic I'd toyed with in 1999, and I just shot back,
"Fine.  I'll do Something Positive.  It'll be up in a few months."  She
was confused, to say the least, but when it finally went online, she
thought it was funny.  She also thought I was being a smart ass, of
course.

When I think of comics, I think of two kinds- the funny kind that you
typically find in the newspaper (the Boondocks, Garfield, Peanuts, etc.) and
the kind that you buy in a story that are more fantasy based (Spiderman,
X-Men, Batman, etc.)- do you read both of these types and what made you
decide to do one based on humor as opposed to the fantasy sort?

I used to be really into comic books, and if I had the money, probably
still would be.  The reason I did more of a funny-paper type comic was
because the subject matter comes more easily to me.  I did, while working
on Something Positive's first strips, toy with the idea of doing a
cyberpunk comic that was closer to your typical comic books, as well as a
superhero comic.  Maybe one day, when time is more open, I'll look back
into them, but right now, Something Positive is my baby and it gets full
attention in my life.

Which shows I need a life, I guess.

Are you into animated films, such as Ghost in the Shell and Heavy Metal?

I am, but man, you chose two films I actually can't stand.

Have you ever thought of turning the comic into a film of some sort, or
even just a half hour kind of show? (see Welcome to Eltingville)

Oh yeah.  I actually think of it in terms of a show, in a way.  I think
Something Positive could translate into a cartoon series easily, although
some of the language would probably be toned down, but that's not a big
deal.

Have you ever thought of putting Something Positive into print?

Definitely.  I would love that, but thinking about it and it ever
happening are very different.

I would like to do book compilations eventually, but I'm trying to think
of a way to make it worth people buying it.  Adding in a set number of new
strips, etc.  Of course, the other problem is finding some way to publish
it.

What do you do other than make funny?

I do theatre (right now I'm doing children's theatre - isn't that scary?)
and I bum around and gripe a lot.  I'm also good at testing patience.

What kinds of music are you into? What are the Top 5 CDs going in and out
of your CD player right now?

I listen to a lot of whatever I can, possible exceptions being "new"
country and gangsta rap.  Mainly, I like electronic music and some other
groups with more of a punk sound.  The top five CDs I have been listening
to lately are Meg Lee Chin's "Piece and Love," Jane Jensen's "Burner,"
Electro Pop's "Little Computer People," The Pixies' "Doolittle," and Skunk
Anansie's "Paranoid & Sunburnt."

Something Positive is updated on a regular basis (most always daily), does
that ever take its toll on you?  It must take a great deal of time and
dedication to do something so often of that calibur.

I spend on average, now, about 3 hours per comic.  Some of them take a lot
more time than that, depending on how detailed the background is, how
many main elements/characters there are, and so on.

The comic has become, essentially, a part-time job in its time
requirements, and it does take its toll on me sometimes, but it's also a
great stress reliever.  With one exception, every time I've sat down to
work on the comic, I've ended with a better mood than I had before I
started.

Which of your male characters would you say is most like you, or are they all kind of like you in an alter ego/split personality sort of way?

That would be Davan.  Actually, all the characters are based of someone I
know, and Davan is my representation for me, although most of his attitude
and reactions are closer to how I used to be than I currently am, although
I do sometimes slip into Lecherous Davan Mode when the real Kim's around.

Where do you see yourself five, ten years from now?  What state will
Something Positive be in, and what other projects like it may you pursue?
What can we, the fans, expect?

Hopefully I'll be working in the art or comic field.  To be honest, that's
the main reason I started S*P.  It's something I'll hopefully be able to
point to as an accomplishment.

As far as the comic goes, I'm hoping for a lot of character development.
A few character may leave, but I'm still not sure.  I don't want
characters to just vanish - it has to make a good story.  The characters
will grow, and age (something most comics don't seem to do) and they'll
change some, but not always for the better of those around them.  But as
long as the comic's still funny, I think that's all that will matter.