We recently connected with Greg Boucher and have shared our conversation below.
Greg, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
I used to draw a lot as a child. My grandfather would always tell me that he wanted to see me do more with my art. After my father died, I needed a way to process some of that grief, so I started working on a superhero story. I inserted some of my own experiences into the narrative. That original story was absolute junk, but I kept on writing, and with every new story, I added some other aspect of my life that I wanted to talk about. I missed the mark on giving the world my art, but I’m giving it my writing, and I think grandpa would approve.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I started by making 4 page comics with a friend down the street when I was a kid. They were terrible, but I learned the basics of page layout, sequential art, and lettering. The first real work I did was a digital comic called “True North”. A couple characters from those of 4 page comic made it into this story. It’s still out there, but I’ve come a long way since writing it and no longer offer it on any of my sites. The first book I put out that I thought was any good was called “Slave”. It’s about a gladiator that goes to war against the slave trade. I’ve been selling well at conventions but I always get a side-eye. Usually, I can turn the doubters into fans. 12 years ago, the title was meant to be provocative, but since then, it’s become a difficult obstacle when it comes to distribution. We’re re-releasing the whole series later this year with a new title, one with less baggage. There’s going to be a few new things in the book and I think people who bought the old one will be happy with the new content.
I’ve also been working on an ongoing anthology series called Weird Western Adventures. An alien, an immortal, a superhero, and a statue that’s been brought to life, all encountering tall tales, urban legends, and mysteries in the old west. We’ve done about a dozen issues and a few graphic novels and they’re a regular fixture on my website and convention table. I try to keep my characters diverse and let the action unfold, with each character lending their unique voice to the story.
I’m also wrapping up production on a cyberpunk story, which is really just a re-telling of True North. I worked out what I didn’t like from the original story, worked in a few things, and have an overall better book. That should be out later this year.
Another creator, one I admire a lot, told me that while “Slave” was one of his favorites, I shouldn’t rest on my laurels. You could say I’ve taken that to heart. Always improving.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I started submitting “Slave” to publishers right after I finished the script back in 2012. I heard no from every publisher until 2024, when I finally heard a yes. I may have been told “no” but no one ever told me to stop writing. Since that first script, I’ve self-published four subsequent volumes (over 400 pages of content with the same artist!) With those 5 volumes, I’m able to show the whole work as well as my willingness to get the project done.
I could have stopped after any of those rejections. I could have stopped after any bad weekend at a convention. I wish I could say that I haven’t stood there wondering what I was doing with my life.
I didn’t stop because this is me. This is what I want to do, and I’m having a good time (most of the time) doing it.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Like a lot of indie creators, I was self-funded for a long time. Set aside a few hundred dollars here and get this project done. Set aside a few thousand there, and get that project done. It really slow going that way and you have to believe in your project to go hungry for it. I eventually got into Kickstarter, but that first one was a disaster. I asked for too much and my campaign failed to get many backers that weren’t my family and friends. After looking at other campaigns, both successful and unsuccessful, I began to see how my campaigns needed to be run, and these changes have made all the difference in my campaigns.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://studiostellapolaris.com
- Instagram: @studiostellapolaris
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/studiostellapolaris
- Twitter: @SSPComix
- Other: Threads: @studiostellapolaris
Image Credits
Photo of Greg by Chandra Vece
Terror of Trout Canyon cover by James Bousema
Weird Western Adventure 3 cover by Dave Mims
Savage cover by Aleksandar Bozic
Slave: the Tower Cover by Aleksandar Bozic
Detonation Boulevard cover by Bogdan Chelaru