Welcome to PennyDreadfull.net

Dan is a 21-year-old senior, majoring in Illustration at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Previous jobs have included being a groundskeeper, a janitor, a dishwasher, a cook, a paperboy, a house painter, a bar back, and he is currently a clerk in a coffee shop. Dan has a web-comic at www.PennyDreadfull.com, where he also sells his mini-comics (hint, hint). Dan also loves writing about himself in the third person because it makes him feel cooler than he actually is.

CR: How did you get involved in creating comics and how long have you been doing them?
DH: Making comics has interested me since about sixth grade, back then I was making Spider-Man and Wolverine rip-offs with my friends during lunch hour. We never actually made comics, just characters. Otherwise, there were a few aborted attempts at making comics in high school. Honestly though, its only been the last 2 years that I have actually put in any amount of dedication to making comics.

CR: How did you get involved with SPX?
DH: I picked up the '98 SPX anthology because of the Jay and Silent Bob cover. I hated it at first because I liked superheroes more. But eventually I realized I was stupid so I changed my mind. I've never actually been to the Expo convention before but I hope to go this year before the big move.

CR: SPX 2002 focused on biographical strips: Who was your comic about and how did you go about researching your subject?
DH: My comic was about Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. For the uninformed, Toulouse-Lautrec was a pre-art nouveau poster artist who lived from 1864 through 1901. He became famous for the posters he created for the Moulin Rouge. A lot of the research I did was on the web as well as some info found in art history books. At first I had planned to do an overview of his entire life. But I kept on getting hung up on little details and stories in his life and then the story would blimp up to an unworkable size. So I just decided to focus on one of the little stories.

CR: Did you find any interesting stories or facts on your person that did not make it into your SPX comic?
DH: The big thing, which I didn't mention in my story, was that some people thought Toulouse-Lautrec was a midget. But as a child he broke his legs in two separate accidents. He had a disease that prevented those bones from growing after they were broken resulting in his infamously short stature. There were many more stories, which I won't get into since I've been seriously thinking about doing a longer piece on him, so you'll have to wait and see.

CR: Where else has your work appeared?
DH: Besides my mini-comics and my website (www.pennydreadfull.com) I've been serializing my web-comic Bongy at www.420times.com. I have also been featured in the online comic anthology Evolution. The SPX 2002 anthology is actually my first piece to see print, so there isn't much to look for at least in regards to the physical world.

CR: What are you currently working on?
DH: I am actually in the thumbnailing stage for a 128 page graphic novel, which doesn't really have a name, although I have been calling it Evolution of Sara-- but that that sounds too melodramatic to me. So I have been thinking of calling it Tuna Sandwich Revolution, but that's only because I like tuna sandwiches. If you can't tell, I really hate naming things, which is why those names are so stupid.

CR: What was your earliest exposure to comics?
DH: Actually the first comic I ever had was one with the Disney Ducks in it. I don't know if it was by Carl Barks or not, but I remember that it had a red cover, and Gyro that kooky inventor was in it... Oh yeah, it was also in Spanish.
Silly question...
CR: If you could choose any superpower what would it be and why?
DH: I never really wanted a super power I just wanted to be the ultimate bad ass like Batman.

CR: What inspires you to work in comics?
DH: I don't know...and I hope I don't find out. If I knew I would hate to know when I lose it.

CR: What comics are you reading right now and which comic creators do you read the most often?
DH: Right now I am reading the Krazy and Ignatz book and I just finally read Maus a couple days ago. Besides that, the artists I enjoy the most are James Kochalka, Andi Watson, Chris Ware and Tom Hart.

CR: What does your mom wish you were doing instead of working in comics?
DH: Going outside and you know, like...doing stuff.

All characters, logos and comics images copyright their respective publisher.
All content and all other images copyright 2002 comicreaders.com.


		Dan Hernandez by Dana Tillusz this interview originally ran at Comicsreaders.com			Dan Hernandez self portrait
					Dan Hernandez self portrait
		Dan is a 21-year-old senior, majoring in Illustration at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Previous jobs have included being a groundskeeper, a janitor, a dishwasher, a cook, a paperboy, a house painter, a bar back, and he is currently a clerk in a coffee shop. Dan has a web-comic at www.PennyDreadfull.com, where he also sells his mini-comics (hint, hint). Dan also loves writing about himself in the third person because it makes him feel cooler than he actually is. CR: How did you get involved in creating comics and how long have you been doing them? DH: Making comics has interested me since about sixth grade, back then I was making Spider-Man and Wolverine rip-offs with my friends during lunch hour. We never actually made comics, just characters. Otherwise, there were a few aborted attempts at making comics in high school. Honestly though, its only been the last 2 years that I have actually put in any amount of dedication to making comics. CR: How did you get involved with SPX? DH: I picked up the '98 SPX anthology because of the Jay and Silent Bob cover. I hated it at first because I liked superheroes more. But eventually I realized I was stupid so I changed my mind. I've never actually been to the Expo convention before but I hope to go this year before the big move. CR: SPX 2002 focused on biographical strips: Who was your comic about and how did you go about researching your subject? DH: My comic was about Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. For the uninformed, Toulouse-Lautrec was a pre-art nouveau poster artist who lived from 1864 through 1901. He became famous for the posters he created for the Moulin Rouge. A lot of the research I did was on the web as well as some info found in art history books. At first I had planned to do an overview of his entire life. But I kept on getting hung up on little details and stories in his life and then the story would blimp up to an unworkable size. So I just decided to focus on one of the little stories. CR: Did you find any interesting stories or facts on your person that did not make it into your SPX comic? DH: The big thing, which I didn't mention in my story, was that some people thought Toulouse-Lautrec was a midget. But as a child he broke his legs in two separate accidents. He had a disease that prevented those bones from growing after they were broken resulting in his infamously short stature. There were many more stories, which I won't get into since I've been seriously thinking about doing a longer piece on him, so you'll have to wait and see. CR: Where else has your work appeared? DH: Besides my mini-comics and my website (www.pennydreadfull.com) I've been serializing my web-comic Bongy at www.420times.com. I have also been featured in the online comic anthology Evolution. The SPX 2002 anthology is actually my first piece to see print, so there isn't much to look for at least in regards to the physical world. CR: What are you currently working on? DH: I am actually in the thumbnailing stage for a 128 page graphic novel, which doesn't really have a name, although I have been calling it Evolution of Sara-- but that that sounds too melodramatic to me. So I have been thinking of calling it Tuna Sandwich Revolution, but that's only because I like tuna sandwiches. If you can't tell, I really hate naming things, which is why those names are so stupid. CR: What was your earliest exposure to comics? DH: Actually the first comic I ever had was one with the Disney Ducks in it. I don't know if it was by Carl Barks or not, but I remember that it had a red cover, and Gyro that kooky inventor was in it... Oh yeah, it was also in Spanish. Silly question... CR: If you could choose any superpower what would it be and why? DH: I never really wanted a super power I just wanted to be the ultimate bad ass like Batman. CR: What inspires you to work in comics? DH: I don't know...and I hope I don't find out. If I knew I would hate to know when I lose it. CR: What comics are you reading right now and which comic creators do you read the most often? DH: Right now I am reading the Krazy and Ignatz book and I just finally read Maus a couple days ago. Besides that, the artists I enjoy the most are James Kochalka, Andi Watson, Chris Ware and Tom Hart. CR: What does your mom wish you were doing instead of working in comics? DH: Going outside and you know, like...doing stuff. All characters, logos and comics images copyright their respective publisher. All content and all other images copyright 2002 comicreaders.com.


		COMICS 101 SPX ANTHOLOGY CONTRIBUTORS This interview originally ran at Comicon Pulse BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO The line up for the SPX Anthology was recently announced and THE PULSE thought now was the perfect time to introduce some of the creators involved in the anthology to the rest of the comics universe. Although many of the names involved are comics household ones ... yet, there's no reason each couldn't be. So sit back, relax, and get to know some of comics current and future stars. NAME: DAN HERNANDEZ Comics Work: Moving at Print; Toulouse-Lautrec SPX 2002 anthology mini-comics; "The Penny Dreadfull #1-3, "Bongy" #1 web-comics; "Moving Short Bio: Dan Hernandez is a graduate from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design where he majored in Illustration. Dan has been creating comics in the form of minicomics and webcomics (pennydreadfull.net)for about three years. He currently lives with his girlfriend and two cats in the City of Milwaukee. SPX Story: Daddy, The Businessman The piece that appears in this years SPX anthology is titled "Daddy, the Businessman, Its hard too explain but basically it is about a girl's traveling father.

		On the Eve of an E-volution----Q&A with Dan Carroll Interview by Joe Zabel this excerpt originally appeared in the Modern Tales Family Newsletter Issue 7: October 22, 2003 Joe Zabel: When I think of Evolution, the first things that come to mind are 'Moving' by Dan Hernandez, and 'Spark Tower Wilson's Silent Song' by Jeff Coleman and Stephen Greenwood-Hyde... Dan Carroll: Dan and Jeff both surprised the Hell out of me. I had read their various mini-comics, and both struck me at the time as having the ability to do something magnificent, without having done so yet. I enjoyed the work they had done, but wanted them to pull out the stops.They did so. With a vengeance. And well beyond what I expected. JZ: 'Moving' really impressed me. The design of the narrative tied in with the story theme in an inventive, ingenious way; and the love story had a greater maturity and complexity than what we often see in comics. DC: Dan Hernandez set aside his usual stoners-in-love plotlines to present the reader with something that was (to me) far more intriguing. The same romantic elements were there, but the window dressing that informs most of his comics was put on hold. Instead of focusing on college-age characters in their first adult relationships, Dan gave us a story about an adult man looking back on childhood, and experiencing more mature versions of the feelings of his youth. The new voice fit seamlessly with his drawing style, and lost none of the soft, almost whimsical feeling his art conveys. This soft feeling to his art, dominated by a gorgeous blue-gray color scheme, is what let the story move so easily between past and present. The lines dividing childhood and adulthood blur in 'Moving', without harming the overall linear narrative.