My parents knew that I did King-Cat, but honestly my mom didn't want to see a lot of it. She would tell me, "I don't want to know any of what's really going on." Nowadays, when I put out a new issue, my mom will say, "Is there anything in there that will make me upset?" So I have to sit down and screen it.
John PorcellinoIt is more important to me to make art that is an honest expression of my life than it is to make pictures people think are well drawn
John PorcellinoThe way I grew up, I had a lot of personal issues with art. It's an individual thing, but I also think it's kind of Midwestern: You do your thing, but you don't talk about it. You make sure it's not such a big deal, and keep it very low-key.
John PorcellinoThe whole point was just to be yourself, no matter what that was. You didn't have to fit into a certain punk-rock cliché. Create whatever your compelled to create. People were putting out their own records, and it just seemed natural to put out my own magazine. When I was really young, I started making magazines and little books, just folded-over pieces of typing paper, so when I discovered punk rock, it really blew my mind. I played in bands and stuff, but making my own zines seemed like an inherent part of that scene.
John PorcellinoTom Hart, David Lasky, Ed Brubaker, Megan Kelso, Julie Doucet. These people lived comics. The people in Seattle got together every week to draw and critique each other's work. Outside of art school, I never did that. When I came back from that trip, I had a physical, palpable sense of being self-conscious. It was the first time I'd drawn where I was like, "Holy cow, people are going to read this. They're going to like it, or they might not like it. Maybe I really should make my drawings a little more solid, or really think about what I'm doing. Maybe this shouldn't be so sloppy."
John Porcellino