Spubba answers: As children, my siblings and I would sit down together and watch anime in the mornings over a bowl of FrankenBerry. I think we saw Voltron, something about a white lion and some Bible series that came on before the school bus came. I remember liking the "look" of the shows I saw and really appreciating the art style.

HRH: Was there something specific that prompted your interest in anime?

Spub: Not really. It was more of a gradual thing. I do remember LOVING Voltron, though. It was the first anime I really "got into".

HRH: What's your current favorite anime movie/series (or both)?

Spub: My current favorite would have to be Key the Metal Idol, or Cowboy Bebop. But I like so many of them, so that's not a really fair question...

HRH: What's your all-time favorite anime movie/series (or both)?

Spub: Katsuhiro Otomo's "Memories", the first short, "Magnetic Rose". I think it's a masterpiece all around- the art, the design, the soundtrack (by Yoko Kanno, who also composed the Bebop soundtrack) and the script. I bought the fansub, and literally wore out the tape watching it... now I own the DVD, and I watch that one on my computer ALL the time. The animation is smooth, the art is flawless, the story is poignant, and I could just go on and on about it.

Hunk asks: And who's the Hunk-iest anime guy around / Who's the hottest anime babe around? (And what anime series are they from?)

Spub: The Hunk-iest guy around? *punches Hunk lightly in the arm* Silly! I think YOU know the answer to that one! But to be fair, I'll tick off my favorite anime men, and most of them are offbeat; not typical "bishounen". I like Commander Hawkins from Vehicle Voltron, Miguel Costriela from "Magnetic Rose", Jet Black from Cowboy Bebop, and Captain Goto from Patlabor. But I have other favorites. As for great anime babes, I really dig Electra from the Bebop movie "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", Utena and Anthy from Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Froi from "They Were Eleven".

HRH: What anime character do you relate to or consider yourself most like (and what series are they from)? What is it about him/her that you relate to/consider like you?

Spub: That's a tough one. I've never really compared myself to any anime person. But, I get compared (by other people) to Radical Edward, the crazy hacker from Cowboy Bebop. I guess I am a lot like her. I'm certifiably loopy, but good at what I do.

HRH: Do you collect anime stuff? (Like videos, DVD's, toys books, etc.) What kinds of things and from which anime(s)?

Spub: I own all things Voltron; I'm constantly collecting there. I'd like a poster with Yellow Lion on it, if I can find one. As for other anime, I have a DVD and fansub collection that's starting to overflow the entertainment-center cabinet. I have some Patlabor figures, and a whole heck of a lot of Gundams. I have Cowboy Bebop everything, including 2 huge wall scrolls in my office. I also collect the Gatchaman and Voltron comics (the old and the new). My whole office is full of comics and little robots.

HRH: Is writing/drawing a hobby for you, or is it something that you would like to pursue (or are pursuing) professionally?

Spub: It started out as a hobby, and then it ended up taking over my life... literally! I started out knowing nothing about computers, websites, or artwork. Now I'm a professional artist, and I can't believe I hadn't thought of doing it sooner. I literally changed careers over this whole anime thing!

HRH: Do you have a favorite (published) author? If so, who and what is it that you enjoy about their writing?

Spub: My favorite authors, like my favorite musicians, are not published... unless, of course, you count their websites.

HRH: Do you have a favorite artist? If so, who and what is it that you enjoy about their artwork?

Spub: My favorite Japanese artists would have to be Gengoroh Tagame and Naono Bohra. Both specialize in gay art and comics, and they both draw my favorite kind of male characters- beefy, bulky, often hairy, not always pretty, and unquestionably manly.

HRH: What's your favorite book or series of books?

Spub: I really don't read much mainstream fiction, so I'll skip this question.

HRH: What's your favorite movie?

Spub: That would have to be the 1984 Dune. The story, the music, and the acting was, to me, all top-notch. As a matter of fact, I'm listening to the score right now.

HRH: What's your favorite TV show (non-anime/cartoon)?

Spub: My current favorite TV show, which I'm constantly obsessing about, is the sexy, smart, and unquestionably slashy Stargate SG-1. I also LOVE Babylon 5; I believe it's a masterpiece in storytelling.

HRH: We don't want to pry into anyone's personal/real life, but we'd really love to hear more about you - is there anything you'd like to share with us? We'd love it if you'd tell us a little bit about yourself...

Spub: Well, let's see. I love to learn new things. It's an addiction. I dabble in gourmet cooking and I love to try new recipes, especially ethnic food. My current favorite "theme", food-wise, is Japanese. I'm learning to make sushi. It's harder than it looks! I'm also a bit of a techno-geek. I like to play around with my computer a lot. When I get tired of drawing cartoons, I make 3-D renderings of things. I'm also getting pretty good at building models in Lightwave.

HRH: We know that you've written fan fics about the series Voltron, are there any other series that you write fics about?

Spub: Not really. Voltron is the only series I've written any fanfiction for.

HRH: Same question as above, as it pertains to fan art.

Spub: I've drawn fanart for other series, like Cowboy Bebop, but not much. Most of my fanart is still Voltron.

Hunk: What's your favorite snack/drink to have when you're writing/drawing?

Spub: I don't like very much to eat or drink in front of the computer, but I like Dr. Pepper and a frozen Twix candy bar when searching for inspiration. (Sugar rush!)

HRH: What about writing/drawing do you find the most challenging? Why?

Spub: I consider myself a rather mediocre artist, honestly. I always see little flaws and problems with my drawings. I really have a hard time accepting my own art and saying it's good. I nitpick myself too hard and end up destroying a lot of art because of it.

HRH: What about writing/drawing do you find the most fun? Why?

Spub: I think I like the idea that I can, literally, make anything happen. I love to put my own "spin" on an existing character, make them look different. I love to create new attitudes, hairstyles and costumes for them.

HRH: Where do you find your inspiration?

Spub: Sometimes I just can't find any. I go through "dry spells". Other times, I have too many ideas to use them all. This is going to sound strange, but it's true: I compose 99% of my fanfictions while showering. After a few days, the fiction is written; then I just have to sit down and type it. I think somebody built a shrine to my shampoo bottle. Daily routines and everyday tasks help inspire me, rather than sitting down in front of a computer trying to work out a story or whatever. While actively working on a piece, I listen to high-energy, charged-up music, and that helps immensely. Often the sound of the music I'm listening to will affect the overall mood of my work... so I have to choose the tunes carefully. When I'm in a "dry spell", I spend my time honing my art or technical skills.

If I've got a lot of things going on in "real life", that tends to suck the muses dry, and I won't find any inspiration. If I hit a REAL dry spell, I'll do some activity to break the routine- for example, I'll go for a drive, or hit the store and browse through some art books. Flipping through pretty books ALWAYS gets me inspired to do something.

HRH: What was it that made you want to write fanfics and/or draw fanart?

Spub: That's a long and very personal story with me, but I suppose it started with the whole Voltron nostalgia thing. I accidentally stumbled onto a website one night in late 2000, and I was floored by the quality of the fanfiction that I read there. It brought back so many good memories of the old show, and I found I wanted to be a part of this community. I love other fandoms, I obsess over other characters, but Voltron is still my first love.

HRH: As a writer, who (or what) influences your work? Why?

Spub: My main influence is also my earliest: Todesengel. He writes Voltron yaoi, and it's his website that first inspired me to try my hand at all this. He's a deliciously angsty writer with a real touch for hurt/comfort and deathfic. I love that melodramatic kind of stuff!

My fics tend to revolve around war, death, and human anguish. I believe that characters, like real people, have a chance to shine in bad circumstances. Of course, I take the occasional break for wacky comedy. You'll normally find both laughter and tears in my stories.

HRH: There are so many different writing techniques, maybe you start with an outline, or maybe you just start writing and see where the story goes. Would you tell us a little bit about your writing technique/style?

Spub: I don't usually outline anything out on paper. Rather, I make mental notes of key points in a story line, and try to "connect the dots" in my head. I think to myself that certain things must happen at certain points in the timeline, in order to arrive at a pre-determined ending. Once the timeline is laid out, I sit down and type it all in.

HRH: Likewise, many writers just have characters "appear" - some spend months creating their characters. How do you develop characters?

Spub: Well, in my latest novel, the character development was carefully planned. I agonize for weeks over a character's assets and flaws, trying not to unbalance the story too much, and then I'll throw in some completely random characteristics, quirks I suppose, that make them more human. As for personality, I start with dysfunctions first, and then I add their good points. If I start the other way around, I end up with too-strong characters; the dreaded "Mary Sues". I always consider a character's purpose in the story before fleshing them out. And as time goes on, the character begins to "speak" to me, and develop their own personality. They start to act on their own. My best characters are so real to me, I feel as if I could reach out and physically touch them.

HRH: s an artist, who (or what) influences your work? Why?

Spub: I would have to say, two things: music, and my friends. I get so much inspiration from my friends, art-wise, that it's not even funny. And music gets me charged up, in a BIG way, to start drawing. I have about 3000 MP3's on my server, and I know each one by heart. I'm always listening to music. And then there's always the art book thing when I really need new ideas.

HRH: Likewise, there are many ways an artist creates. Would you tell us a little bit about your artistic technique?

Spub: Well, my technique is pretty similar to everyone else's, but I'm a real slave to technology; I use the computer a lot. I do most of my sketching in Photoshop, directly on the computer, using a Wacom tablet. Sometimes I ink in Photoshop too, using the Bezier tool, or I'll print the sketch and ink it by hand on my lightbox. If I ink something by hand, I normally use a brush and India ink. I like to scan and color my inked drawings in FlashMX. It's a fast and neat way to color celshaded art. I use Photoshop to color and add special effects.

HRH: Does your real life, or do your real life experiences, affect your writing/drawing? How?

Spub: Not really. The real world seldom invades my fantasy realm.

HRH: If you could offer one piece of advice to new fan fic writers and/or fan art artists, what would that advice be?

Spub: I'm not an art teacher, and I don't have a sheepskin hanging up on my wall. Everything I learned about art and writing I found on the Internet- home pages, message boards, tutorials. My advice to anyone wanting to improve is, watch what the experts do, and practice, practice, practice. Have someone beta your work. Don't fall in love with your first draft of anything. Remember that there is ALWAYS room for you to improve. Remember that it's gonna take time, and lots of it. The day you start thinking you're awesome, and you don't need to improve anymore, is the day you start to suck. Do it because you love it, not because you're starved for attention or feedback. I guess my advice could be summed up in two words: Stay hungry. That internal drive to learn, grow, and create is vital to success for a fan artist or writer.

But enough with the theatrics. Spubba the Mad in my opinion is one of my favorite artists (along with Zejan, kudos to you!) as well as fanfic writer. I love how he can have a dark taste to some of his creations and yet have a silly sense of humor on others, I don't care whether its yoai, yuri, hentai etc. I am always happy to see more of his talent!

Another thing I like is that he's into the dark Go-Lion themed fanfiction as I am, which is a different change from the usual sappy, sticky romances that's been clichéd many times with Voltron fanfiction. Although he can have some nice things in there that make a yaoi fangirl sigh. And speaking of that, thanks to him I've been into anime yaoi for a long time now... Thanks a lot Spubba!!! (j/k) :)

But neverless I have to say he's a great guy, very talented and we all hope to see more of his lovely work in the future. (I bet your ego is swelling up right now eh Spub?) -- Lady Cyberdragon

My favorite fiction of his is when it's comedy. He has one heck of a sense of humor! I remember his one story about the journal entries of Voltron characters. I was laughing 'til tears were pouring out of my eyes, and that doesn't happen often. -- Kyence

I love the way he details his subjects and background to work well together. Clean lines, and his lighting works great, too. He is also unafraid to experiment with effects. The results of his art execution seem positive and confident enough, because they ARE sensual, as he intended. He's truly gifted, I must say his works' overall impact reminds me of that of stuff by Adam Hughes (who, by the way, is also very cool with using both contemporary comic style as well as anime to evoke sensuality). -- Neogorbash

I love his style, to put it plainly. I always like checking out his new work, even his sketches that he shares at times. I've read some of his stories and found them to be interesting while reading. He's just.he's Spubba! He's got a cool name! He's a cool artist! He knows how to use that Flash thingie and make paper dolls for the computer and.he's just a cool guy!

So, that's Spubba. He's all good in my book. -- Turbo