[BLOG] One Year Anniversary and the Future of Conquest Comics!

Greetings and Salutations!

Today is a very special day so I thought now would be a better time than ever to look back over the last year and make an important announcement about the future of the Conquest Studio. So, without further adieu...

One year ago today I found Yuka Cross and recognized her tremendous talent. I was drawn to her skill for depicting men of super-heroic proportion rather than the slender protagonist so often depicted by modern artists. After a series of conversations and negotiations, I learned that she was an ambitious college student majoring in Animation and Comics. I was excited to be working with someone with a pre-existing set of art skills. However, I was yet to learn of the deep and miserable failure of the education system.

A WORD FROM THE ARTIST (YUKA CROSS, 25TH, SEPTEMBER, 2021)

Seeing as though I’ve been working with my boss for over a year I’ve had time to make nothing but progress. Some times I’d rather not look at my own past art because it just makes me cringe; I guess I’ve gone through a lot of character development in the span of the year hence why I loath looking at the original version of Arrowyn.  It’s just very jarring for me, to see how I started off to how I thought it was the finished product only to have a better feel of the character until it’s the actual finalized product we see today!

Where did this all start?

I don’t remember how old I was when I started drawing I just know that I was still in diapers. My mother was teaching me how to make stick figures and I remember thinking “I want to be better than her at drawing stick figures” so I kept practicing.  Afterwards when I started going to school I noticed that kids would huddle up around me to watch me draw. They’d say things like “wow, that’s so cool”, “you’re really good” and “who taught you to draw?” And I’d say “nobody, I’m self taught”. But then as we all got older they stopped giving me all that praise and admiration, because it all turned into “did you draw that? I don’t believe you so prove it” and the most infamous and irritating “can you draw me? What do you mean I have to pay? We’re friends/family so just make an exception”. Eventually everyone just stopped bothering me and only those who understood the time and effort spent on each piece just watched silently or nodded in approval. 

Then even more time passed, someone sent me a link to the 100th Annual Shōnen Jump Tezuka Contest where they would publish and possibly serialize the winning manga or something like that. 

At the time my biggest dream was to be published by Shōnen Jump and get an anime so I would’ve been a fool not to have entered or at the very least tried to have fought for my dream.  In the end I poured my heart and soul into making a 15-page manga and entered with low expectations, knowing full well that I’d never get chosen; but I would die happy knowing that my favorite authors actually looked at my characters, I didn’t care if they thought “well this sucks, next” I could just tell everyone that they read it, even if they did think it needed more work or if it just wasn’t enough. I did end up being on the tenth page of the most viewed section so I patted myself on the back for thinking that I at least did something right.

College had also been a problem during my preparation for the contest. It ate so much of my time and I found myself thinking it was holding me back, considering I only had 3 classes left to graduate I sucked it up. 

Making animation while working on manga is not a good combination. It wasn’t until my boss found me while scouting for talent that I thought “Wow, I can finally prove my family wrong and actually get paid to do what I love” but then I realized I’d never be of use to him in my poor preparation condition.  

Here’s the embarrassing part. 

I never understood what my boss said about composition, perspective, panels, tiers, etc. Yeah, he did die a little inside when I told him, or rather, confessed that I did not understand what he wanted me to do. College didn’t prepare me for those simple terms, they just taught me to follow orders. 

The sad truth about art school is that you’re just paying them to teach you far less than the bare minimum for a piece of paper that says you can do something when you can just learn more from googling things for free, except jobs won’t give you the time of day unless you have a degree. It’s unfortunate but it’s also the life I’ve chosen for better chances at asking people for a job.  

Anyways, I’ve improved so much after graduating and working with Liam, since that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing for the entire past year. Nothing but hard work and constant improvement.

A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER (LIAM GRAY, 25TH, SEPTEMBER, 2021)

When I found Yuka, I never thought we'd be where we are today. Her raw potential was undeniable but to say I was shocked to learn that she had none of the technical understanding would be an understatement. 

I'd originally intended to bring her on to Conquest Comics as a secondary artist. I'd placed her on Wonder Island with the hopes of cutting her teeth on the creative process. Making Manga can be daunting and few professional artists have the grit and determination to make it. 

In the early days, Yuka (using the moniker: MangaChan) spent her time juggling college, animation and manga production. While I spent my time guiding her in a more limited fashion while focusing on future releases with then lead artist, Odysseas Theodoratos. However, it soon became apparent that tensions were afoot and Odysseas, believing he would have greater success on his own instead chose to depart from the company. Taking the marketing strategy I had developed and implementing it for himself.

Conquest was in dire straights!

What was I to do?  My lead artist had abandoned the company leaving me with a green artist, whose attention was divided and everyone was furious. I scrambled to find a solution and keep the ship afloat. Wonder Island was a fun and magical series but at the time it was never meant to be my flagship series. However, when the chips were done Yuka confidently picked up the pencil and said "I'm willing to learn."  

Showing tremendous discipline and devotion to the art the two of us worked tirelessly to turn what was a fun but heartfelt adventure shonen into a title worthy of the success I knew our fans would heap upon us.

Of course, there were tensions and conflicts. Though she passed Top of her Class, no surprise there, the college studies took a significant toll on our production resulting in delays and a slower curve of progression in Yuka's art skills.

However, unlike Ody, who had always conveyed an air of entitlement or indifference regarding promotion, Yuka (donning the mantle of Mangachan) was happy to step up to entertain her adoring public while getting to know the fans. It was a refreshing change of pace. For a second time Yuka had shown her commitment to success and willingness to do what needed to be done to thrive and survive in the face of adversity.

In the months that followed after graduation, I watched Mangachan rapidly increase her skill set and a tireless dedication to hard work fettered only by occasional distraction. Her backgrounds improved thanks to my guidance and the tutelage of Vinnie Tartamella and her speed improved through her growing experience. 

As of the time of this update we have finished approximately 30 pages of Wonder Island, most of which have been produced since graduation. Yuka has shown that she does not expect her success handed to her, but rather is thankful for the opportunities before us.

It is for this reason that I am proud to announce that as of today, the 25th of September 2021, Yuka Cross (Mangachan) is the lead artist for Conquest Comics. Going forward she will be in charge of art direction, management and design for all future projects and paid and credited accordingly. Her loyalty, hard work and humble never-say-die attitude fills me with genuine awe and pride. I am honored and blessed by the opportunity to work with her and I am excited to build this company with her going forward.

I can't wait to retread this ground next year and show you just how much more she will have improved. Her tireless hard work, dedication and joyful singing are a constant source of inspiration and fun. I'm proud to know her, work with her and I can't think of anyone better to capture the awe and majesty of Wonder Island!

Thank you for your Support!