This is "Went to Tell Everybody," where I spotlighted different cool independent comic book series based on submissions from the indie comic book creators themselves via a set Q & A with the creators themselves. Essentially, the creators speak for their own work and "Went to Tell Everybody" will give them a place to do so!

This is a ostensibly an ongoing weekly feature, so if you would like to see your work spotlighted, as well, there's no time limit or anything like that. So you can submit at any time. It's not a first come/first serve thing, ya know? However, sending your comic in isn't a guarantee that I'll run a spotlight on it. I'm not gonna just promote anything on here, ya know? So if we go a while without an edition of this feature, it is because I don't have something that I'm okay with putting my name on a spotlight of it. Click here for the current submission guidelines.

Today, we look at The Black Cat by Frank Candiloro, a horror comic about a young artist who turns to magic for revenge.

You can pick up a copy of the comic here.

What is your comic about?

The Black Cat is about a young disabled artist Raecl, who visits a comic studio late one night. When they are mistreated by the other artists in the studio, Raecl, feeling distraught and angry, seeks revenge. That night, inspired by a late night horror movie, Raecl draws a giant black cat in their sketchbook, only for the cat to magically come to life. They decide to use the cat in their revenge against the artists that harassed them in the studio.

It’s a horror-inspired comic and can be dark at times, but it ends on a positive note with an important message about gatekeeping and the acceptance of others in the art world.

What made you choose the comic medium for this story?

The comic industry, as with other creative industries, has been facing issues regarding promoting more diverse voices and encouraging more diverse readers, much to the consternation of some. It is an important issue to discuss and the growing backlash against diversity can make it a bit intimidating to discuss it further. I believe that encouraging distinct and powerful voices from all walks of life to contribute to art is vital and especially so in comics, a medium that has had little respect in the past. The comic book medium is essential to this story as it is the main subject of the story and an innovative way to convey this message to readers.

What aspect of your comic are you the most proud of?

The art in this comics turned out great - I’m always trying to evoke mood and atmosphere in my comics and this was especially important here due to the horror roots of the story; I wanted to use a lot of black and grey in the comic to highlight the designs of the characters and make it feel as moody as possible to suit the tone. The use of angular lines as opposed to more traditional curved lines helps create distorted and nightmarish images so that it fits the story better. The fact that it is also set during night adds to this.

What’s the one piece of philosophy and/or advice that has informed your comic book work the most?

For me, making a good comic isn’t just about drawing pretty pictures, but rather about promoting and nurturing a distinctive voice and saying something truly interesting with that voice. This is something that I try to do in my own comics, and I also hope to inspire other potential creators that may have something innovative to share in the medium, even if (or especially if) they haven’t had any formal training in illustration. My main ambition is to hopefully give those who are underrepresented in media and society a chance to see themselves and motivate them to create their own comics.

Since this is “Went to Tell Everybody,” tell everybody about another current comic book series that you would like other people to know more about.

One of my favourite comic series from Australia is the Storm Clouds series by Ben Mitchell - it’s a murder mystery noir type of story set in the Australian town of Bontown, with the local police force investigating a masked gang of copkillers.

It has two sequels - Ghost Beach and Don’t Panic and it’s really great, I love the art and Ben knows how to tell an interesting mystery story. You can find it here.

Again, if you're interested in The Black Cat, you can pick up a copy of the comic here.

And of course, once again, if you're interested in seeing YOUR independent comic book spotlighted in this feature, click here for the current submission guidelines.