Webcomic Interview: Matthew Taranto, Brawl in the Family

Brawl in the Family is a parody comic featuring a number of famous Nintendo characters, particularly those featured in the Super Smash Bros series, and a few surprise guests. A Master Hand behind the comic, Matthew Taranto, was kind enough to do an interview Enjoy!

Alex: First, tell us a little about yourself.

Mathew: I graduated with a degree in Graphic Design in 2008, and have since done BitF during the weekdays and played piano/sang at various churches on weekends (I also taught music for a year). I still live fairly close to my family in the town of Gonzales, LA, and am left-handed.

Alex: How did you get started with Brawl in the Family?

Mathew: I didn’t initially plan on making a webcomic, but I did like to frequently post and draw odd things on the IGN message boards for fun, so one day I decided to convert some weird doodly comics (within the confines of my art history notes) into digital images and posted them in their own thread. After a strong reception from a few different places, I felt it was a good idea to start it up as its own comic!

Alex: Who is your favorite Brawl character to draw/write for?

Matthew: King Dedede! As the artists who’ve worked with Daffy Duck, Eric Cartman and Strong Bad can testify, the antihero/antagonistic characters have more wiggle room with characterization, and can get away with being generally mean. His oddly fish-like face is a lot of fun to draw with as well.

Alex: What’s the creative process like behind the creation of each strip?

Matthew: It’s typically not too consistent–sometimes I’ll notice something unusual within a game itself, but more often than not, I’ll reflect on certain mechanics and rules within beloved Nintendo games that people just accept, and try to explain or subvert them in a fun way. On occasion, I’ll start drawing a character and will see where he takes me!

Alex: Two trains leave their stations at 3:00. Train A travels at 120 MPH, and Train B travels at 110. How long until it’s Waluigi Time?

Matthew: To answer this question, I thought it’d be best to consult Waluigi himself. After staring blankly at the screen for a moment, he quickly scribbled the image below:

Matthew: Considering he didn’t show his work, I’m not sure if this would be acceptable on an academic test, but there you have it.

Alex:  Which characters have you yet to feature but would like to?

Matthew: There aren’t really too many that I can think of. Typically, I’ll try to work in a character or series that I like if I haven’t done something with them in awhile, but I will say that I’d like to do more EarthBound humor. I’ve mostly shied away from a lot of it since it isn’t as well known, and it’s already a hilarious series which makes doing humor based off of it a little more difficult for me.

Alex: If you were to liken Brawl in the Family to a food, what food might that be?

Matthew: I’d say Flan. It’s pretty unassuming and kinda funny looking, but most people will probably enjoy it in a weird way as long as they eat it with an open mind. It’s also a pleasant follow-up to a dinner of flautas and chalupas, but make sure it’s got a good balance of syrup and a nice consistency. …What were we talking about again?

Alex: Do you try to hit any of the comic book conventions, such as Comic-Con, Wizard World, etc.?

Matthew: Actually, I just came back from my first one–NoBrandCon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin! It was a great experience overall, and the BitF fans were a joy to chat with. I’m actually heading to another one next month, albeit not as a guest. Animazement in Durham, North Carolina goes down May 27th-29th, and I’ll be there with some friends who’re doing the Phoenix Wright Musical panel. If any other cons across the nation would like to feature us as guests, let us know!

Alex: What other comics, web or otherwise, are you a fan of?

Matthew: I actually don’t actively read a ton of webcomics, but I do like to keep my eye on the video game ones to see what’s up with them. I used to read 2P Start until they wrapped up, I catch fellow Nintendo comic Awkward Zombie most of the time, and I have a lot of respect for the Penny-Arcade guys for setting a lot of the groundwork for gaming comics, and being a big part of the gaming community today. My favorite comic strip is Calvin & Hobbes, and I’m also a big fan of FoxTrot.

Alex: Where all can people find you on the internet?

Matthew: Outside of BitF, I wrote several songs for Turnabout Musical (the Phoenix Wright fan musical project) and also provide the voice for Phoenix himself. Besides the BitForums, the message board I most often frequent is Negative World, a great community for Nintendo fans. And of course, you can always find me on Brawl in the Family, updating Tuesdays and Fridays.

Thanks for the interview, Matt! You can find more Brawl in the Family at http://brawlinthefamily.keenspot.com/

-Alex

Original post: http://www.rocketllama.com/blog-it/?p=4883