Its been some time since we had an edition of Artist Alley and I’m glad we’re bringing it back. In this edition, Casey and comic book creator, Demetrius J Hall, discuss his upcoming comic book The Etherians. It’s a comic that takes place in Buffalo NY, outer space, and beyond. Learn more about Hall’s interesting journey to get to where he is today.
DFAT: How did you get into drawing?
Demetrius: I got into drawing at the at age of five years old. I’ve always been a fan of cartoons, comics, manga and anime coming up. As much as of a fan I was, I always wondered, ” If they can make their own drawings on TV, how come I can’t make my own too?”. So I immediately expressed my interest to my parents and asked for art supplies and began drawing on a daily basis. My passion and love of the craft took my art even further once I was in High school. During my sophomore year at Bennett High school, My art teacher mentioned to me that she had a friend from high school who was a well known underground cartoonist named Spain Rodriguez, the creator of Trash Man. A week later, he visited my art class to speak about his career and how he got started. After he introduction, he noticed a drawing in my sketchbook and said “ Hey young man, that’s some good work you have there. May I see more?” He was so intrigued, I became his understudy while he was in town for two weeks. He told me to keep striving and to “never put down your pencil no matter how hard or busy life gets.”
DFAT: Those are certainly some epic words to live and grow from! What were some inspirations for starting comics?
Demetrius: My inspirations came from numerous sci-fi, fantasy and action films, as well as video games. In regards of comic book titles, I got into “The Darkness” series from the 90’s. The art was super cool, iconic and memorable.
DFAT: It’s good that you have a diverse background of places to draw inspiration from, that’s great. So, what are you reading now?
Demetrius: Currently, I’m reading the Berserk manga series by Kintaro Miura. The story and setting is very dark and grim, but it’s also chucked full of action and beautiful art! I recommend it to any hardcore comic/manga fan!
DFAT: Beserk is a DFAT favorite. Love the anime as well. Let’s switch gears though, why don’t you tell us about the story of this first comic, The Etherians
Demetrius: During the events of issue #1, Haru has been sent on a mission by his father Melchizedek to extract a large quantity of raw gold from planet Eros before it fell into the hands of the Reptilian army. In the midst of his mission, he’s confronted by malicious soldiers who try to detain him. After defeating a few of the soldiers, General Tamash steps up get a piece of the action and the battle rages on into issue#2!!
DFAT: Reading through the first issue, it seems like its part of a much larger world…any hints at the future?
Demetrius: Yes. After the events of issues 1&2, Haru’s journey will take him to Planet Earth, where he’ll be going to the Buffalo Science Museum to intercept an artifact from being stolen. That artifact will play a significant role in the storyline.
DFAT: Can’t wait to see where the story is going to end up! Alright, one last question for you: What super power would you want and why?
Demetrius: I would want the ability to teleport the any location I choose. I could take free vacations, help people world wide and even explore the universe! It doesn’t get any better than that.
Thanks so much to Demetrius for chatting to us about Etherians. Always good to hear from a local creator! Check out more of his work HERE.
