Channel Frederator Blog

Michael May’s radical and romantic webcomic Eros, Inc. follows the unassuming Mot Fleishman as she is unexpectedly chosen to assume the role of “Cupid of Silverlake”. Eros, Inc. is featuring guest artists all week long (including Box Brown and Yuko Ota) and launching hardcopy versions of the first chapter this weekend.

Channel Frederator: What gave you the idea for “Eros, Inc”?

Michael May: I love writing about relationships, meeting someone for the first time, that first kiss, the heartbreak, the drama, the love; I’m obsessed with it. So I wanted to do a comic about that - an “investigation” into relationships, why we like who we like, why things fall apart… That really attracted me to the idea. And I had realized that not many people had played with the myth of Cupid, so I decided to go my own way with it. Which is to say I more or less went an entirely different route with it.

And everything kind of grew organically from there.

CF: What artists, writers, or filmmakers have impacted you the most?

MM: First, in terms of artists, my biggest influence is Jeff Smith. BONE was one of the first graphic novels I ever read. I love the way he paces his comics; he is not afraid to give an extra panel or two of pure character facial reaction. I kept coming back to Bone because his characters were so strong, likable and imperfect.

As for writers and filmmakers, I really love Woody Allen, Preston Sturges and Wes Anderson (Stardust Memories, Sullivan’s Travels and Rushmore are my three favorite films). Sullivan’s Travels is an incredibly funny film in the first half and the second half is just sad and heartbreaking.

CF: Biggest responsibility you’ve had thrust upon you out of nowhere?

MM: Ironically, I’d say doing this comic. I really started doing this for myself, but now that there are actual readers enjoying the characters and story, I do feel responsible for what I put on the site.

CF: Biggest heartbreak?

MM: I think every heartbreak I’ve had is slightly worse than the one that came before it. And I’ve had a lot of heartbreaks.

But the ones that hurt the most were the relationships that just dragged out. To quote Alvy Singer: “A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark.” The “dead sharks” were the most painful.

CF: What’s next for “Eros, Inc”?

MM: On Friday, August 7th, we wrapped up the first season of Eros Inc. (ten chapters or story arcs equal a season of the comic). Right now, I’m running a guest week where some of my friends and web-cartoonist colleagues fill in for me while I work on Season two storylines and a buffer of comics. Then, on August 17th, Eros Inc.: Season Two starts! I’m very excited about that.

I just self-published my first mini-comic collection of Eros Inc., which contains the first chapter of comics. I plan on self-publishing the rest of the chapters as soon as possible. I also plan to attend the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco on October 17-18th.

But most of my attention is going towards production of Season two.

-Bailee DesRocher