Our answers to questions posed to us through Parker’s Formspring account.

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-Erika, what is different about drawing a comic whose story you are in control of verses illustrating Jeff’s story?

ERIKA: It pushes me to improve a lot more quickly than when I’m working on something that’s just for me. It stretches my brain, because now I have to envision all these settings and layouts that would have neeeever occurred to me on my own. It’s fun! I always feel like I do my best work when I’m collaborating.

-when are y’all gonna come to chicago? i really want to meet you.

ERIKA: Hmmm, not any time soon for me, sorry! The next time I do a show there, I will put up plenty of announcements, though.

JEFF: I will try to finally get back in 2012. I love Chicago.

-How are portlanders reacting to your depiction of their city so far ?

ERIKA: We never specifically say it’s Portland, but so far my fellow PDX-ers have enjoyed it! As far as I know, anyway. I think our comic does a pretty good parody of this little city. We recently did a live reading of the first chapter here in town and the audience was laughing pretty hard, so I think we’re safe from any angry vegan hipster fixed-gear mobs.

JEFF: That really went over well. Though we use our home for all the inspiration, I tend to think in terms of the global audience and don’t expect anyone to get specific references. So it was great to read to a room that did get them.

-Mark from Kent, WA asks: Mr. Parker, is it possible to get a Bucko and Gyp cameo in Thunderbolts or Hulk? Or if that’s not possible, a Hulk or Thunderbolts cameo in Bucko? I bet Mrs. Moen would have plenty of fun drawing Gen. Ross’s Tom Selleck ‘stache.

JEFF: Then Marvel might think they own our characters! No way, Mark from Kent. But you’re right that I should put more mustachioed characters in for Erika.

-How did Bucko get started? Was it a chance meeting or was one of you sought out by the other?

ERIKA: Parker and I both work at Periscope Studio, so we were already seeing each other every day, and one day we just looked at each other and said “Dude, we should make the best comic on the internet.” So that was pretty much that!

JEFF: Then we high-fived, low-fived and knuckle bumped and walked away, knowing it was a done deal.

-I noticed that the most recent page says “End Act 2”. Does this mean that Bucko will only have five chapters, five being the classic number of acts in a play?

JEFF: Yes! Unless I get all crazy and have a tiny 6th act.

-Do you have an idea of how long it will take to tell Bucko’s story? If so, can you share that information?

ERIKA: It’ll take just about a year to tell Bucko’s tale. In the end, it’ll be a full graphic novel’s length.

JEFF: Interesting how that works out, a story about as long as a proper book. Nice.

-Do parties in Portland ever really get that weird? – Joe

ERIKA: Yes.

JEFF: Oh at least.

-Hey there Jeff & Erika! I love the webcomic, it’s grrreat! Bucko and Gyp and Dell are so funny, goofy, sexy… heh, especially “harsh truth Dell”. Are the background songs (runnin run-nin’) real or custom for the story? I’m not hip enough to know.

ERIKA: Haha, Parker put a note in the script telling me to drop in lyrics from any drunky-party-type song I wanted, so I used “Let’s Get It Started” by the Black Eyed Peas. So both times song lyrics have shown up, it was from that.

JEFF: And The Fixies are a Pixies tribute band (whose lead singer performs while track-standing on his fixed gear bike) so all of their songs are old Pixies numbers.

-Dudes– Is Bucko going to find a dead guy in every chapter? Stephen Gordon

ERIKA: Yeah, Parker? For the record, I did not know there would be a SECOND dead body until he gave me that specific page of script. It was a surprise for me too!

-BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BODY? It seems like that story arc was wrapped up pretty quickly… Finds dead body, pulled in for questioning, jailed, bailed. All in the first chapter! Is there more coming with the dead guy?

ERIKA: Yeah, Parker, godammnit!

-Nevermind, I had not yet realized that you had already begun the next chapter. My apologies.

ERIKA: It’s cool, bro. We’re cool.

-Parker/Moen — Where’d the alt text go for the past few strips? Yours, Asterix

ERIKA: A WordPress update made it impossible for the alt-text to show up any more. We’ve both tried putting it in, and though the text is saved (it shows up in the right spot of the “Edit This Page” page), it just doesn’t show up on the front page. I don’t know. I don’t understand webpage stuff 🙁

JEFF: I hope in the next update it comes back. I love the Alt Text. It’s a chance for one more joke, or behind the scenes notes.

-Do you use Twitter? (Regualarly?)

ERIKA: Oh-ho-ho! @ErikaMoen. Mostly I use it to tweet quotes from my husband and talk about my bowel movements/UTIs.

JEFF: I’m @jeffparker FOLLAMEONTWITTA!

-Ya know, WordPress is flexible enough that you ought to be able to remove even the “Comments are closed”, leaving

ERIKA: I’m sure WordPress is flexible enough, but unfortunately I do not understand crap about how pages work so I do not know how to do that. I wish I did. I’d also fix the goddamn alt-text problem.

JEFF: I kind of like the way that frustrates certain people though. We have to leave it closed, we’d just read comments all the time and do nothing else!