With so much focus on the mainstream comics and collectibles, it is easy to miss out on some of the really nice work currently being done by independent publishers. Several of these independents are turning out consistently high quality material on a regular schedule. While some of what they are doing can occasionally be "out there," much of what they do is actually deeply rooted in the traditional forms that we are all familiar with. One artist/publisher has taken his early love for the work of Jack Kirby and turned it into his own successful publishing company.

Billy Martinez, the 37-year-old owner and publisher of Neko Press, has been drawing comics for as long as he can remember. Scoop had the chance to talk to Billy for a few minutes last week. He starts his story this way: "When I was real young, my father was the drummer in Barbara Mandrell's touring band. One day, he took me to a party the home of Mike Jones, who was Mandrell's steel guitar player at the time. Without any real reason--probably because he figured I was a kid and that all kids love comics--he gave me a whole box of DC comics that he didn't want."

This simple gesture affected Billy for the rest of his life.

The guitar player's collection was mostly DC. There were a few copies of Unknown Soldier, Metal Men, and some other titles, but one comic really stood out in the youngster's mind: Jack Kirby's Kamandi. Something in the way Kirby portrayed so many animals and their relationships to the environment really caught Billy's eye.

"As long as I could remember, I had been a real big fan of Planet of the Apes. When I saw Kirby's work for the first time, I felt that he had given Kamandi a real Planet of the Apes feel. I completely fell in love with the way Kirby took all of the different species and the way they looked to another level. It was amazing."

From the beginning, Martinez had a collector's concern for his books. Even if he had gotten them free, he wanted his comics to be in the best shape possible. Most kids will start out tracing directly over the comic they own. Martinez was different. From the very beginning, he drew everything freehand. There were many hours spent carefully copying Kirby's lines onto a separate sheet of paper. Eventually, he realized that he was developing his own style. As he got older, he began to explore other books and other artists, but he always found himself coming back to what Kirby had done, especially with Kamandi.

After high school, Billy began to attend a local college. There, he took as many art courses as possible. While in college, in order to pay the bills, he worked with several bands around L.A. After weighing his options as both a musician and a roadie, he quickly determined that the lifestyle was not for him.

So he made the conscious decision to direct all his energies towards breaking into comics.

After about two years in college, he had taken almost every art course the school offered. Faced with nothing to look forward to but regular academic work for the next few years, Billy moved into the workforce. Married at 20 and a father by 23, Billy wanted to make sure he met his parental responsibilities. Working nights as a shift manager for a nationwide grocery chain, Martinez used the free time he had during the days to help with his daughter and work on his art.

Finally, after three years of knocking on doors like Antarctic Press, Dark Horse and Malibu, Martinez got his first professional contract with Sirius Publishing. They liked one of his original creations, Wildflower. He was 27 at the time. The interview picks up with Martinez having sold Wildflower to Sirius Publishing.

Scoop: What were some of the ideas you had worked on before you sold Wildflower to Sirius?

Martinez: Wildflower was the definitely the first professional sale. Sirius Entertainment had picked her up in 1996. Prior to Wildflower, I had created quite a few others. There was the Intergalactic Space Team of Camie and Clyde. They were bounty hunters who traveled the galaxy, and I just couldn't seem to get that one through to the publishers. I was also submitting work to Marvel, DC and Image. For my submission to Dark Horse, I put a manga-like spin on Aliens. This was about ten years ago, and I am surprised they still haven't yet done a Manga-style Aliens. It seems almost logical for that character. After Wildflower got a small following, I started working on Kickass Girl. Sirius Studios had only picked up Wildflower; I didn't offer Kickass Girl to them. That I kept for myself. I had been thinking of going independent, and I didn't want to give up my rights to the character.

This was when?

Sirius had picked up Wildflower in 1996, and I spent about two years publishing through them. They were kind enough to give me my start. Working there was a real education in how things actually work behind the scenes. It was great preparation for running my own publishing. During my time there, I really made sure to pick up whatever they could in the way of experience, whether it was in negotiating or printing, I watched it all go on in right front of me.

When did you leave?

Around the end of '97, Sirius was having financial problems, and I was five books into a 16-book contract. I had become uncomfortable with the time delay on royalty statements. I didn't get my first statement until six months after it was due. Eventually, we had a few legal problems with character ownership, but that is all water under the bridge. They even ended up giving me a good price on some back stock that they had. I was able to take that stock and move it at trade shows. This helped give me the capital I needed to start Neko Press. They gave me the first real shot I needed and I appreciated it. The education I got really helped make up for the one or two bucks I may or may not have been paid. I went for a couple of years without an official publisher.

How did you stay afloat financially while trying to start Neko Press?

I taught art at local schools. I was able to promote own classes through comic stores and local papers. During this time, for about five years, I was the manager of a comic store in San Diego called Comics N Stuff. This is a ten-store chain and they would run me ragged, but I got to know a lot of people on both sides of the industry. Managing so many stores taught me how to physically run a business. I will always be grateful for my time managing those stores. It was better than any college. When you are involved with the day-to-day activities of so many stores and so many people, nothing can be in the abstract. It all has to be in the concrete. You HAVE to deal with problems as they happen. I apply that to Neko Press. Last year, it came down to making Neko a full-time job or managing ten stores. I had to go with Neko. I know how to make this company work.


One of the things you have used to spread the word about your books is conventions.

While I had attended conventions for years, as both an artist and while working a booth, I started going to shows with the express purpose of promoting Neko Press. Eventually, in 2000, I did a short, one-shot, 16-page book called Wildflower 2000. This was meant to celebrate the year 2000, and it also celebrated my finally getting complete (legal and everything) ownership over the character. I had 2,000 of these printed up. The money came from teaching art classes and selling all the back issues I had gotten back from Sirius. Over the next year, I sold over 1,000 copies of my first book at trade shows. What really sold the book, aside from the people who had grown to love Wildflower, was that I had left the inside front cover blank. There, I numbered and signed each one. Lastly, I did a full-color sketch for each and every book that someone bought. People got a fresh sketch while they waited!

Working the conventions also helped you meet some industry people who may have been previously unavailable to you.

One night, I met Kevin Eastman (of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fame). We started talking and he told me I was insane for doing this. He couldn't believe that I was doing full-page drawings inside each issue of Wildflower. He thought this was so nuts that he offered to publish a Wildflower short story inside Heavy Metal Magazine.

What was the fan reaction to Wildflower's Heavy Metal appearance?

This was the first time that people were able to see Wildflower in color. It was incredible. To have a publishing credit like Heavy Metal really began to get people's attention. This all happened while I was setting up Neko Press. The additional attention really helped kick things into gear. I owe Kevin Eastman a lot. He is one of the most down to earth, real people you would ever want to meet. The time he has spent with me and the incredible respect that I receive from his company make me very loyal to Heavy Metal. The book has a long history and I am proud to be part of it now. There have been one or two offers from other publishers, but I don't think I could get a better venue for my work than Heavy Metal.

Do you consider Wildflower an adult book?

No. While Heavy Metal may have other adult content, I try to watch what I put in my books. Wildflower was never designed to be adult. That doesn't mean she is not sexual, but there is a big difference between innuendo and flat-out adult content.


Where did the name for Neko Press come from?

About six years ago, after I left Sirius, I was working for Straight Jacket Studios, (They have since gone under, which is unfortunate. They were fun and they treated you with respect.), I had created the character of Kickass Girl and her identity was Katrina. She always wore a little cat emblem on her beanie and we liked it. (Kat is short for Katrina), So, we pulled that cat off her Beanie and made that the logo. Now, since calling the company "Cat Press" just didn't sound right, I wanted something a lot catchier. We went on the Internet and started searching for other translations of the word cat. We ran across the Japanese translation and it was "Neko." So, it is our English version of the Japanese word for "cat." We almost went with "Koneko," which means kitten, but ultimately, we went with the shorter version. We felt that it stood out a lot more.


What was Neko's first real publication?

We started with a four-issue mini series, in black and white, of Wildflower. Right after that series got off the ground, I published a one-shot by the artist Fsc. It was a collection of stories without words. It was very esoteric. We sold out of the first print run, and we are now at the end of the second printing. She is now publishing with Slave Labor as well as Neko. My web designer had pointed me to her website, and I fell in love with her work. We spoke over the Internet for over a year. When I formed Neko, I asked her if she was interested in doing a one-shot. She knows she has full creative freedom with Neko. What is great is that she is really doing well at Slave Labor, drawing Nightmares and Fairy Tales with the writer of Gloom Cookie, Sernea Valentino. That book is very hot and yet she still is publishing with us. I really appreciate her loyalty.

The min series sells well, and you are able to do a one shot for a new artist. What happens next?

I was able to sign on the artist of Animal Mystic. His name is Dark One. He has been very good for us with Brutal Planet. We just published issue #3, and #4 is on the way. This is one of the best looking painted books I have ever seen. He is meticulous and completely professional. As an artist myself, I know the pressure he is under. While this is going on, we have been publishing a trade paperback of a character that Butch Adams did for Straight Jacket called Lily. This quickly went to a second printing.

Have you branched into merchandise or collectibles yet?

The big news is we are bringing out a Kickass Girl statue shortly. We already have baby-doll t-shirts and notepads. We have gone so far as to put together a soundtrack for her adventures, and we are looking to have that out in time for the San Diego Comic-Con in August. After that, there will be another Wildflower in Heavy Metal, and we will be also publishing her own miniseries on Neko.


Martinez has spent 15 years working conventions, dealing with store owners and other publishers, teaching private art classes and just about anything he needed to do in order to become his own boss. Today, he owns the rights to his own characters, he is regularly published in Heavy Metal and he is doing going back to press for second printings on books that he has published. He has finally started to realize an American dream. He is his own boss. He knows full well that his own success depends completely on his own effort and work ethic. Neko Press is moving thousands of comics and trades every year, with the aforementioned merchandising effort in full swing. But the advent of his success hasn't hindered his reverence for and fascination with those early comics influences.

He still has a complete collection of Kamandi.

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