JINKY CORONADO
Creator of Banzai Girl

Jinky Coronado is a former beauty queen that hails from the Phillippines who is now working in the U.S. She is the writer, co-artist, and cover model of her own slightly autobiographical anime-styled comic book, Banzai Girl, currently being published by Sirius.

JINKY'S CREDITS

Banzai Girl

Interview taken over the internet. (October 2002)

• HOW DID YOU FIRST GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR OWN COMIC BOOK?
  About four years ago, I attended a Creating Comics seminar in Malina taught by David Campiti of Glass House Graphics. I was so fascinated with comics and how to do them that I kept going back to later seminars. Someone at the first seminar, who disappeared, suggested the name Banzai Girl to me. Eventually, I connected with another seminar attendee, Wilson Tortosa, and we began working on Banzai Girl and the backup strip, Katie's World, together. Wilson's so great! He's like a brother to me. He's drawing Battle Of The Planets for Top Cow.
  
  
• WHAT WAS LIKE FOR YOU IN ASIA BEFORE YOU CAME TO THE STATES?
  Completely different! I miss my family. Filipinos hold their sense of family very dear to their hearts, and it's difficult being away. We had no running water, rice was most of our diet, a TV was a luxury, there is no glass or screens in our windows, and our bery large extended family all lived under one very small roof. But we love each other very dearly, and that's what counts. I was fortunated to win so many beauty competitions, and become Miss Pond's Asia 1998, so I was able to use money from those to pay my way through school. Even now, I send money for Banzai Girl back to my family.
  
  
• WHAT PART DO YOU PLAY IN THE PRODUCTION OF THE BANZAI GIRL COMIC?
  Almost everything! I based the book on my own life, then fancied it up with adventures and monsters. Future issues will go deeply into Filipino cultures, lifestyles, relationships, dating, and especially urban legends. My country's urban legends are alot earthier, scarier than American urban legends. I'll want to bring alot of that to the printed page. I deliberately made the first issue accessible, so whether anyone had watched anime and read manga, or had never seen an Asian-inspired comic before, they'd get it all. I'm the main character, she carries my professional name, she's based on me. Michelle is based on my sister Michelle, Katie J is based on my real American friend Katie, Rommel is based on my brother Peejee and my cousin Rommel, Jhopet is based on my brother Jhopet. So me writing about my life is easy. I draw the book with Wilson Tortosa, as I've mentioned. The work is done entirely in pencil-no inks! He's a godsend. In fact, I'm flying back to see him in October, and I'm hoping we can finish the art for issue #3 while I'm there. What's also cool is, we're both going to lecture at a new version of the same seminar we originally both attended!
  
  
• HOW DID YOU FIRST ARRANGE FOR IT TO BE PRINTED BY SIRIUS?
  I began shopping Banzai Girl around a year ago at Wizard World Chicago Con 2001. It was a big proposal-cover, promo art, photos, character designs, half a drawn and lettered book, even fully colored pages and a mareting plan. I gave it to Jim Lee at Wildstorm, to Davy Scroggy at Dark Horse, to Chaos, to Vertigo, and to others. Later, I mailed the proposal to several more publishers. Out of those that expressed interest, Sirius Entertainment wanted it the most, and Robb Horan, the publisher was a doll to work with. Everything came together. One year later, the Banzai Girl Preview Book was available at Wizard World 2002, I was signing books at the Sirius booth and at Wizard's booth, I was even a presenter and award handler at the Wizard Fan Awards! Wizard has given me alot of coverage, and I dearly appreciate it.
  
  
• HOW REGULAR WILL EACH ISSUE BE PUBLISHED?
  It's kind of a bi-monthly schedule. The Preview Book was July, issue #1 and the poster were September, #2 ships around Halloween, the Banzai Girl Sketchbook comes out around Thanksgiving, #3 ships right after Christmas, then on from there.
  
  
• HAS YOUR PREVIOUS CAREER AS A BEAUTY QUEEN HELPED IN PROMOTING BANZAI GIRL?
  Yes! But not as much as my marketing background. I guess I combined the two. I was well into working on Banzai Girl when I attended my first-ever comic book conventions, and I took in everthing I saw with the fans, the collectors, the manga and anime interest, the convention models, the artist signings, and so forth. Being in front of so many people in beauty competitions a little easier, but despite it all I'm basically really shy about speaking in English. Hiligaynon is my language. I also speak Tagalog, of course.
  
  
• HOW DO YOU PREPARE THE PHOTOS FOR EACH ISSUE?
  The photos in the Photo Album section of each issue are from various sources and photographers: convention shots, location shots, and studio shots. I send a bunch of them to Eugene, and he often picks the ones to use. As for the photo covers, they're more complicated. Wilson and I work out sketches to follow, then Don Feenerty shoots those in his studio. Then it's up to Eugene to make it all work as a cover.
  
  
• WHAT OTHER CREATIVE TALENTS ARE BEHIND THE COMIC?
  My lettering is done by Matt Thompson, who is also a better artist than I'll ever be, but he's doing this as a favor. Michael Kelleher is my colorist, and he's terrific. He worked carefully with me to create a look with very specific fleshtones. Eugene Perez, who is my incredible webmaster, does all the design/production work, occasionally from my little sketches. but he makes it look great. He also created the digital goodies on my photo covers. Several photographers contribute their work to me, particularly Don Feenerty and Howard Feltman. And some professional friends of mine-Mike Deadato, Will Conrad, and Cliff Richards-have all contributed pinups and so forth. Al Rio donated four back covers! And Hermes Tadeu, one of the best digital artists in the whole wide world, just finished a painting of me in all three Banzai Girl incarnations. It was a delight to post for. His color scheme makes it look like a Boris Vallejo painting. I am thrilled!
  
  
• ANY PLANS FOR EXTENDING BANZAI GIRL BEYOND THE COMIC SERIES?
  I have plans, certainly! Urban legends as I said. I'm already plotting out a storyline involving a wedding(for the character stuff)and a horror story involving the Manananggal(Filipino vampires). But the future of Banzai Girl really depends on the readers, the retailers, and the publisher. I'm really happy to see the merchandise popping up too. The t-shirts, the sketchbooks, the thong, mouse pads, prints, posters, even the upcomming lunchbox, and other items. I'm taking sets of them back with me to Iloilo(the island where I come from)to give to my family.
  
  
• WHAT IDEAS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOURSELF IN THE FUTURE?
  Comics are not my life, they're something I felt the need to learn and to master. Something that put use to everything I knew about and experienced. I plan to continue a bit of writing and drawing(I prefer the writing)and I'm accepting modeling assignments. I have more convention appearances planned over the next year too.

JINKY'S WEBPAGE