1. For folks who haven't had a chance to read "Banana Man" yet can you tell us a bit about the plot and characters?

V: Banana Man is Andre Andre, a high school nutrition teacher who preaches the importance of potassium while dressed accordingly.  His arch nemesis is Gorilla Guy, someone in a gorilla suit that believes that the planet is going to be taken over by talking apes.  I think that pretty much sums it up.

2. You self publish Banana Man but did you try other venues first or do you
fell it's better under your own terms?

V: My original intention was to put out my own comic that I could put out at local comic conventions.  I thought I would just try something out and see if it worked, and the response has always been very positive at the shows so I have kept on doing it. Of course it helps that I give out a banana with every purchase.  Thankfully bananas are cheap.  I am glad I picked Banana Man and not Pomegranate Man. Because those are expensive.  And hard to find.  And hard to spell. Come to think of it, they are kind of hard to eat too.

3. The title itself sounds amusing but the writing as I can testify is so witty and the banter had me rolling. What gave you the idea to go with a slapstick type of book and was it always meant to come across so?

V: I have always thought comics should be funny, and I am the type of person that tends to make jokes, in particular bad puns.  Puns come in handy when doing a comic that does take itself seriously while having the main character dress up like a banana.  I have tried to make the world of Banana Man realistic in that anything that happens in the comic could actually happen in real life, just not very likely.

4. You handle some of the artistic chores yourself but your other half is Chris Caldwell who handled the chores on #1-5 and is back on board for issue #7. How did you meet and how is the working relationship?

V: Chris and I have worked together at a few different jobs, and we discovered that we both had a passion for comics.  He had graduated from the Kubert School, and he was really itching to draw a superhero comic so he asked me to write one.  I came up with Banana Man whose real name was Andre Andre, and when I told him this I realized how ridiculous it was so I said I was still working on the concept, but he loved it and wouldn't let me change anything.  I would say he and I have very different styles when it comes to our work and how we work,
but we somehow work together perfectly.

5. Is Banana Man a mini series or something you hope to be churning out long
after the suns demise?

V: There are no definitive plans when it comes to the series.  I have a couple more issues written, and a few ideas beyond that.  How many puns could possibly be made about bananas?  I thought I would have run out a long time ago, but it has taken on a life of its own.  Chris and I are currently working on a custom Banana Man action figure that I am sure people will find appealing.

6. You have a slew of Banana Man related products in the works including a
PC Game so tell us a bit about these extras and what they entail.

V: I found an awesome game engine called Adventure Game Studio that you can use to create adventure games in the old Sierra style.  So I started playing around with a Banana Man game, and it once again took on a life of its own.  The game basically covers the plot of the first four issues of the comic, but there are some interesting additions as well.  Adding sounds added a whole new dimension to the world of Banana Man, so I have to thank my friend Chris Konkel who was my sound engineer for that project.  I am really happy with how well it turned out, and response so far has been great.  There is one spot in the game where you can use a motorcycle to jump three buses in the parking lot which is a lot of fun.  Some people were upset with that part of the game though because the chance of dying is extremely high so I recommend saving your game before attempting that.

I also have just completed the Banana Man Activity Book which I find very entertaining so hopefully other people will as well.  It is a pretty straightforward activity book, but some of the things have my sense of humor mixed in as well.

7. Do you have anything outside of Banana Man you are currently working on?

V: Banana Man really consumes a lot of my time; I am constantly thinking of new and entertaining thing to do with the character. Other than that, my job as a graphic artist and my family keep me very busy, and I am also currently watching the second season of Alf. Making the video game was a fun experience so I am working on a new game, and depending on response to the Banana Man game I may do a sequel.

8. What/who do you attribute to your becoming a writer?

V: I was lucky to have some great English teachers in high school and in college that helped me out tremendously, and just being an avid reader of everything my whole life makes you want to write something yourself.

9. Did you collect comics as a kid and who is your favorite writer inside and outside the comics medium?

V: Yes, I collected comics as a kid, and still do. I would have to say if I could only pick one writer it would be Alan Moore, and outside of comics it would be Douglas Adams.

10. If you could write any character in the comics world who would it be? Which character would you hate to write?

V: I would love to write Spider-Man, and I even did kind of put him in issue 3 of Banana Man.

And the character I would hate to write is Ultimate Spider-Man.

11. What else would you like to make sure your fans know about you or your projects now and upcoming?

V: I never quite know what I am going to do next, but you can keep up to date with Banana Man at my website at:

http://www.deercrack.com/banana/

All of the comics are able to be read there or downloaded in PDF format.  The real charm of the comic though I believe is that it is printed on yellow paper that is folded in half so if you want to read it that way, all of the comics can be ordered for 50 cents.  You don't get a free banana like at a convention, but I try not to rip you off on shipping.  Shipping is a dollar no matter the size of your order.

Giant-Size Banana Man reprints the first four issues (on white paper) with lots of extras including an awesome full color cover by Chris Caldwell.  The activity book is a full size comic with a color cover and center spread. The giant size and activity book are each a dollar.

If you found Banana Man entertaining, you will probably also like Chris Caldwell's creation Killer Diller which is about a killer pickle from outer space.  Those are also available at my site.
 

Meet The Creators!

Jim Cracchiolo is a graphic artist in Plymouth Michigan.  He graduated
with a degree in graphic design from Central Michigan University. He
has worked for different companies as a graphic artist in the Metro
Detroit area while self-publishing his comic Banana Man on the side.

Jim Cracchiolo and Chris Caldwell formed Crack Comics in 2000 to
publish their comic and to terrorize people at comic conventions.