We were lucky to catch up with Brian Judge recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The first time I had my comics published it mean the world to me. Not only did it mean that someone looked at my work and said it was good enough to print, but that they thought it was worth sharing with the world. I can’t properly explain just how much it means when you get to hold a book in your hands after months of working on a project.

Xomik Buk is my way of spreading that feeling to other creators in the indie comic sphere. It’s a comic anthology that embraces the developing artist and aims to highlight the best and brightest faces in the emerging indie scene. The reality of operating in independent comics is that it’s very difficult to find places to submit your work. I’ve been told my art is too cartoony or not realistic enough or flat out unprofessional before, and those comments really sting. I think that comics are a wonderful medium for telling stories that embrace the weird and encourage the experimental. Xomik Buk is my most meaningful project because, in a way, it’s never-ending. I’ve built a community of amazing artists by doing this book and it’s really evolved into it’s own thing at this point. We primarily come together for comic anthologies, but after running these projects for a few years at this point I consider many of our members to be close friends. The highlight of my comic career is being able to meet with these people during conventions and zine fests. There’s nothing better than that.

Brian, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Brian Judge. As of the year 2023, I’m a 25 year old man living in North Carolina. When I’m not drawing comics, I’m working for a phone line for a non-profit donor advised fund. What’s a donor advised fund? Incredibly boring and not worth the explanation. All it really means is that I have way too much time on my hands most days and when I have time I draw comics.

In Highschool I took 2 classes on how to draw comics from a guy who had experience working in the industry. He taught me the most important skills about cartooning and ignited a passion for making comics that never went away. Comics are my life. Whether it’s mainstream superhero schlock, outsider publications like Trashman or American Splendor, or good ol’ fashion indie art zines, I devour any form of media if it’s got a combination of text & illustration to convey a story.

It’s cliche to hear an artist talk about their work in a self-deprecating manner, but the truth is I know I’m not great. and that’s ok. Heck, it’s inspiring! Being a failure is exciting! I strive for failure. Because if I continue to fail then that means I’m pushing myself to do better than what I currently can do. Failure means I get to try new things and experiment with my approach to art. I’ve never been one to cling to the term “artist” as that’s never really how I viewed myself. I don’t think a guy who’s made a 30 minute cassette tape of Yoda making Grunting Noises counts as an artist. I also don’t think artists print their own condoms either. What I love is being able to come up with an idea that’s so stupid, so impractical, that nobody else would ever think of doing it, and form that point putting in the hard work to make it a reality. Almost all of my projects are collaborative at this point as I am unfortunately limited in my own abilities to fulfill them on my own. I leave that to my personal comics which can be found at @one_and_only_comics.com. There it’s a real scattershot of genre and tone. I love the idea of exploring the potential of every genre through the realm of comics so I frequently alternate between comedy, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, diary comics, gag strips, long running serialized stories, etc.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Film is an incredibly big influence on me. I love directors like Francis Ford Coppola whose work vary in tone drastically. Tucker, the Man and his Dream is my favorite of his films and is a great story about a bright-eyed inventor trying to innovate in an industry that wants to kill him. It’s a phenomenal movie and a really interesting story about the automotive industry worth checking out, and it’s a movie that deeply resonates with me. I empathize with Jeff Bridge’s character. Despite all the trials & tribulations he faces, his endearing optimism never wavers as he fights for a dream that he knows will never come true. The dream itself is to create a new model of car, and it’s a dream that bonds his family and closest friends. I love the idea that someone that unabashedly optimistic like that can exist and it’s a type of person I aspire to be like. Really, a great film. The Godfather’s pretty good too.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I won’t pretend like I’m not effected by the amount of followers I have on social media. I enjoy seeing other people react to my comics and it means the world to me every time someone leaves a comment letting me know what they thought of my work. But it’s not something that really matters in the long run. I really haven’t noticed any significant change in my life from going from 4 followers to 4,000. And as much as I completely understand and acknowledge the want to increase the scope of our audience, it’s not something I try to give much thought. I make comics to entertain myself mostly. The only real advice I can give if you’re just looking to expand your reach is to post on as many different platforms as you can. That and follow as many accounts as you can. As cold as it sounds, a lot of my followers just come from them following me back after I like their posts.

Contact Info:

• Website: oneandonlycomics.com
• Instagram: @one_and_only_comics
• Other: Here’s a link to the current charity event we’re running! For only $5 you get over 700 pages worth of insane comics from really talented folk! Plus all profits go to doctors without borders to support humanitarian aid in the parts of the world that need it most. https://brianjudge112.itch.io/comics-for-a-cause

Image Credits
Tome of Terror Cover by Anthony Aiuppy (@stupid.sketchbook) Comics for a Cause illustration by J.F. Maxwell (@jf_maxwell)