Patrick Fillion

  We are very happy to present our interview with Patrick Fillion, the co-founder of Class Comics and artistic force behind its success. Born in 1973 in Quebec, Canada, Fillion has been pursuing and developing his unique vision of male erotica since his youth and with his partner Fraz started the evolving company known as Class Comics. 

 While creating and publishing his own line of his own characters and comics, Patrick Fillion maintains and participates in three sister sites, the blogsites Boytoons and Artistic License, and The Art of Patrick Fillion. In addition Class Comics publishes the erotic works of other gay creators and is actively pursuing more.

  (As this interview was being prepared, Bruno Gmunder has published Bliss: The Art of Patrick Fillion and the Bliss 2008 Calendar)

              
 
JackManly: First, we want to thank you for taking the time for this interview.

Patrick Fillion: My pleasure!

JackManly: From what we have seen, you are very busy these days.. Aside from what we mentioned above is there anything else you are doing? And how do you find the time?

Patrick Fillion:  I’m currently working on several other projects for Class Comics.  I’m wrapping up the art on my new mini series, Zahn: Son of Winter.  It’s about a gay barbarian and the series is set in a distant world called Varda.  This project is really fun for me because Zahn isn’t exactly all he seems.  I have a lot of surprises planned for the fans!
  I’m also hard at work on 2 other titles to be released in 2008.  Camili-Cat: Felinoids #3 and a collected book of all my 1-page comic strips called Strip-Tease!
  Finding the time can be tricky, especially since I have some administrative tasks that come with co-running Class Comics., but it’s all such a labor of love for me.  I’d do this stuff even if I weren’t making a living at it... so I make a point to find the time wherever I can.    
 
JackManly: Related to this we've seen your art appearing in "mainstream" comics such as covers from Avatar. We know that you often publish on your blog your take on established comic & movie characters. Do you have a burning desire to draw mainstream comics? Have you pursued this or been approached by any big comics companies?

Patrick Fillion: I learned a lot from working with Avatar, and in many ways it was a great growing experience.  But I think that the most important thing it taught me is that Class Comics is where I belong. 

I grew up reading comics and loving Marvel characters, so in many respects drawing them is a great way for me to have a break from my work at Class.  But I’ve never really felt a need to work for the mainstream comics industry in any great capacity.  Dabbling every so often is really all I need. 



 
JackManly:  We read on your bio that you have been drawing for a long time. Where did you get your training? Who were your artistic influences? Are there any photographers of The male form that you like or are influenced by?

Patrick Fillion: I started drawing when I was 3.  I guess it just came really naturally to me. I was lucky growing up, my parents were always very encouraging as were my teachers in school.  After High School, I applied to The Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, but they turned me down.  I was told I could teach a class on comics and cartooning.  As nice as that was to hear, I figured you never know everything in your field, and I made a conscious choice to keep improving my skills and learning as much as I possibly could.   So I never received any training in the strictest sense. 

Artisticly speaking, growing up I was (and still am) a Huge fan of artists Alan David and Dærick Gröss Sr.  I think I learned a lot from these artists and I think that their influence on my work was extremely positive.  They are both exceptionally talented individuals and quite the perfectionists.  I learned to always push myself and my work by admiring their work. 

As for photographers of the male form, I don’t have any specific favorites.  There are so many amazing folks in that field.  But I think that Robert Guttke who is a fantastic artist and photographer and a close personal friend of mine has managed to inspire me on several occasions via his beautiful photography.  The man is a genius!

JackManly: Which, if any, of your characters and stories are your favorites?  Do your choices coincide with those of  the fans?

Patrick Fillion: Camili-Cat is especially close to my heart because I’ve been drawing him since I was 12 –  over 20 years now.  Cam is so much fun to draw and write, because I can relate to him in so many ways.  Growing up, I really discovered my sexuality through him.  I come from a small Northern Town and Homosexuality was such a taboo back then, I felt completely alone.  So I channeled a lot of that loneliness into my writing of Cam.  I dare say it’s made him quite multi-facetted as a character.  Even today I get a lot of letters from fans that tell me how much they can relate to Cam’s sense of isolation, and how encouraged they are to see this reflected in a comic book.  That’s really cool for me!

A lot of my fans are really nuts for Naked Justice, which is really wonderful... but I personally have never been a huge fan of his.  HA! HA! HA! 

Don’t get me wrong, I love that Naked Justice is so well received and I’m very grateful for that... but I just find him really tricky to work with.  It could be because his strips are so humorous, and when it comes to writing I tend to do drama a bit better than comedy!  LOL! 


 
JackManly:  You've also been drawing erotic and more hardcore stuff for a long time too. Who were your influences here, both artists and characters? Were there characters you had particular fantasies about?

Patrick Fillion: I moved from my small Northern Town to Vancouver in the early 90s, and until then I had never heard of Tom of Finland, or George Quaintance or the Hun.  So moving to the big city really opened my eyes where Gay erotic art is concerned. 

I immediately gravitated to the work of George Quaintance.  His men were always so beautiful and yet quite masculine.  I wanted that for my own art.  His art was quite inspirational. 

Of course I loved Tom’s work as well.  I particularly loved that Tom also had a love affair with comic strips.  Kake was such fun and thought Tom’s illustrated aesthetic wasn’t necessarily a direct influence on what I drew, I firmly believe the beauty of his work was a big inspiration to me as an artist.
 
JackManly: You have created a very diverse group of characters and stories. Who were your writing influences?

Patrick Fillion: Again, this goes back to my growing up reading Marvel Comics, but I have always really appreciated the writing of Chris Claremont.  I discovered the X-Men for the first time in the early 80s and he was the genius behind some of the series’ most memorable moments and story arches.  I have always loved his sense of drama and how important character development and exploration is to him.  I really think I learned about the importance of strong, diverse characters from reading his work. 

JackManly:  Can you tell us something about the creative process involved in putting together an erotic comic?

Patrick Fillion: To begin with, you need inspiration.  It’s very hard to work on something you feel less than passionate about – at least it is for me.  But essentially, comics can come together in many different ways. 

Personally I like to start by wither having my script all laid out, or at least by having a general idea of the direction I am heading in.  On some comics, I don’t even write the script out first – I’ll just start drawing after breaking down the gist of each page in the comic.  Sometimes than can lead you to some really great and surprising creative places.

Some artists like to pencil out the entire book before they ink... but I’m pretty fickly and can get bored easily if I do too much of the same stuff for too long – so I like to vary it up a little.  So I may pencil 6 or 7 pages and ink those, or I may do 1 page at a time, pencils then inks.  It works for me but it can drive my collaborators a bit crazy!  HA!HA! HA!

The look of a book is a really big deal to me, and I really believe that the creativity shouldn’t end once the book is fully written and drawn.  The production and printing of a book is really important, and I like to be involved in all of those aspects as well. 

In the end, tons of hours can go into creating a comic, but I figure if you’re gonna bother to do something, you may as well do it right from start to finish. 

JackManly: Are your own fantasies the basis for some of the adventures here? Are some of your mainstream stories based on your experiences or those of people you know?

Patrick Fillion:  I wouldn’t say my fantasies, as in what I would like to go through are necessarily the inspiration for my work – but I am a bit of a voyeur, and I think in that respect, my fantasies of what I would like to see happen to my characters are!

As for people around me, I decided a long time ago to keep them out of my comics.  It’s less complicated that way. 

JackManly: What about the characters. They are all-well built and well-endowed. Do you use models or are they based on any specific people?  Are any characters or stories inspired or influenced by porn stars or films?

Patrick Fillion: You could say that my characters are based on a sort of “body ideal”, but they are not tailored specifically after any one person. 

Though I find a great many porn stars to be really beautiful and hot, I don’t really draw my characters after any of them.  I think it’s because I feel that doing so would make my characters less of an original persona or creation.  By relying on what I imagine the characters as being, I think I am better able to deliver characters that will seem more “from scratch”.

Like most Gay guys, I have enjoyed my share of porn films.  Some are truly well done and inspirational in may ways, but I tend to get frustrated with Porn because I find that sex is all in a lot of them.  I guess I like more of a plot. 

JackManly: We see that you’ve put together your third art book, Bliss: The Art of Patrick Fillion for the German Publisher Bruno Gmunder. How difficult was it to pick & choose what to put in it?  Did you have to take a step back and let someone else make choices? 

Patrick Fillion: Picking the art for Bliss was tricky but I am pretty particular.  Where my art is concerned, I know what I like and what I don’t like.  My partner Fraser’s opinion means a lot to me, and I always call on him to help me make the selections.

In the end I tried to include only the pieces which I felt best represent my art at this particular point and time.  I like my art books to be like “annuals” in a way – samplings of my work to date.

I also knew that I wanted a good sampling of most of the Class Comics. characters, because that is what the fans want... and giving the fans stuff they like means a lot to me.

JackManly:  Speaking of which, how big an operation is Class Comics.? Who does what? And how big a role does your partner play?

Patrick Fillion: At the core, Class Comics. is Fraser and myself.  We make the creative decisions, and of course I tend to draw most of our in-house character-based books.  Of course we hire several other artists on a contract basis, so at times Class can be a pretty busy place. 

There’s also a lot of folks that are integral to the running of Class, but to say that we’re a big company would be an exaggeration.  We are constantly growing though and I really believe in our potential.  I think things can only get bigger from here. 

JackManly: We asked you earlier about the adult movie influence. Obviously you don’t work in a bubble. Do you have any faves in the porn world with either actors, films, or studios?

Patrick Fillion:  Chi Chi Larue is in my opinion one of the most creative people in the porn industry. I mentioned earlier that I like a porn film with plot, and Chi Chi can really deliver on that point.

I’ve often thought of how cool it would be to see a live action porn film version of some of my characters, and this is something I would to work on with Chi Chi.  I think creatively she would really get where the characters are coming from and how important production, character depth and hot sex are to such a project. 

JackManly: We read about your musical tastes on your blog, Boytoons, and were wondering what else you listen to.

Patrick Fillion: I always have my Ipod plugged into my ears when I am working – music is my gasoline!  LOL!  I listen to a lot of different stuff, from Dance to Jazz to Alternative to Folk.  It really depends on the mood I’m in. 

I’m a HUGE Annie Lennox and Eurythmics fan, but I also adore P!nk, Madonna, Jill Barber, Keane, Dame Shirley Bassey, Freeworm, Maroon 5, Bebel Gilberto etc, etc, etc... it’s a pretty long list! LOL!

JackManly: Do you still read mainstream comics regularly? If so, what are you reading and or/ enjoying? What about alternative and gay/lesbian titles. Who are your faves?

Patrick Fillion: Currently I am LOVING Marvel’s The New Avengers and The Mighty Avengers – Great characters, great stories and fantastic art make for a Hell of a good read!

As for gay titles, I am really loving “Myth” by artist/ writer Sean Z.  Myth is a great online comic that I find extremely creative.  Plus Sean’s art is really wicked.  I always look forward to the his new installments.  

JackManly: You’ve been publishing more works by other artists. Are there more you are seeking to publish or work with? Are you at liberty to tell us names you’re actively pursuing?

Patrick Fillion: We have a lot of projects lined up for 2008, and a lot of those were created by other artists.  There are a lot of really talented individuals out there and Class Comics has the ability to help them get their work out there.  That is an amazing thrill for me, because it means I get to interact with other creative people in a way that is really positive for all involved. 

Without giving too much away, let’s just say that we have some really wicked projects coming up with a lot of really creative people, new to Class Comics.  And fans will be happy to know that we have a lot of great new stuff coming up form artists such as Logan,
Ismael Alvarez, Max’ and Benoit Prevost.

JackManly: About the other non-Fillion books published by Class Comics can you tell us a little about them and the artists?

Patrick Fillion: We like to publish a little something for all of our readers, so we tend to pursue the works of artists who contribute a little something new subject-wise. 

Logan is wonderful because he depicts beautiful burly bears and chubs.  His art is really top notch and very impressive.  His Porky series is a great blend of raunch and love of the silver age of mainstream comics.

HvH is a brilliant artist with such a strong and unique style.  His work is breathtaking, and his writing is quite enthralling.  HvH was the first artist to do a Portfolio book with us, and it was an instant success.  Nobody can deny that this guy is gifted.  His follow-up project with us, a comic book called “In the Blink of An Eye” was a terrific collection of 3 short stories which prove that this guys is a great writer as well as an artist.

There are so many more that we have released in the past year; “The Art of Mike, by Mike, “Rainbow County” by Max’, “Brother to Dragons” by writer François Peneaud and artist Carlos García and of course “The Mark of Aecus” by writer Charles “Zan” Christensen and artists Mark Brill – it’s our first non hard-core sex book meant for mature audiences.

These are really just a few of the projects that we’ve put out, and there are plenty more on the way!

JackManly: Are there long term plans for Class Comics?  Where do you see the company going? And can you give us any hints about new projects or plans that have not been announced?

Patrick Fillion: I really see Class Comics becoming a sort of gay Marvel Comics – at least that is my dream! Both Fraser and I are committed to increasing people’s awareness of our company and continuing to publish hot and exciting new titles.  I would love for Class Comics and my characters to become an even bigger part of Gay Pop Culture – we deserve our own super heroes after all!  HA! HA! HA! 

Hint-wise, I can tell you we also plan to offer more “mature audience” themed books – erotic but less hard-core -- in order to broaden the average comic buyers choices of gay comics. 

We also have plans of creating books aimed at the bi-sexual members of the community.   And in 2008, we plan to attend the big conventions and events to meet our fans and readers in person and to continue to develop strong business ties with our fellow creators and publishers.

JackManly:  Finally, is there something you’d like to tell our audience (and yours) something about yourself that people haven’t asked you that you’d like to share?

Patrick Fillion: HA! HA! HA!  I am wondering what I might still have to share that I have not already mentioned on my Boytoons Blog – but seriously, I think I mostly want people to know just how much I appreciate their support and encouragement.  Drawing and publishing comics is great, but it’s fun BECAUSE there are people who read them.  So yeah!  Big thanks to everyone out there who digs my work and the Class Comics stuff.

JackManly: Again, thank you for spending this time with us. We wish you continued success with Class Comics and beyond.

Patrick Fillion: You’re welcome! I had a great time!