Benjamin Marra / Dan Meth

You've published dozens of books in less than a decade. Can you give some advice to those who want to be that prolific in making comics, or any other craft?

BM: You need to draw really fast but still be into the drawing. Forgive yourself for mistakes and imperfections. If I focused on all the things that my work wasn't, then I would never be able to finish anything.

It needs to come from a very pure place of creativity. That's more important than any success you might gain from it. You can't use the audience as a motivational element. It's about creating something for yourself. That emotional engagement will be in the DNA of whatever you make.

In the world of self-published comics, you aren't really doing it for any financial gain. You can use this to your advantage. If it's only for the pleasure of making it, you're not beholden to pleasing anybody. When book projects come my way, its usually for small publishers who give me freedom. Because comics is a very small industry, you don't have to compromise yourself creatively. That's why there's a lot of exciting things happening.