Indie Comics Creator Marika Kapogeorgakis Talks About Her Books, Self-Publishing, and Crowd Funding

One of the first people to sign up for Indie Comics Zone — right after the site came online — was indie comics creator Marika Kapogeorgakis. She submitted her titles, “MK’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde,” “Word is the Bird,” and “Cupcake War Machine,” and has been hard at work ever since. I caught up with Marika to chat with her about her indie comic titles, how she got started, and her plans for the future.

INDIE COMICS ZONE: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

MARIKA KAPOGEORGAKIS: I am a housewife and mother from Montreal, Quebec. I have no formal training in art, so I am self-taught. I have been drawing since I was five and “educated” myself on drawing by looking at videos, reading books and also getting advice on forums. Even as we speak, I am always open to learning new techniques and improving my current ones like any artist.

INDIE COMICS ZONE: How did you get into comic books?

MARIKA KAPOGEORGAKIS: I grew up with comics. My interest began with the Archies and then moved up to “Superman,” “Batman,” “Hellboy” and most of Marvel especially “Spider-Man.”

INDIE COMICS ZONE: Give us a few creators who inspire your work.

MARIKA KAPOGEORGAKIS: I am highly inspired by the work of Bruce Timm, Stan Lee, and Stephen King who is a novelist, but still inspires me nonetheless. Like these people, I intend to create for as long as I live.

INDIE COMICS ZONE: Tell us about your titles… and why you wanted to create your books.

MARIKA KAPOGEORGAKIS: My adaptation of “Jekyll & Hyde” was inspired by a slot machine game I saw and found cute as it had Disney elements to it. For fun, I thought “what if Disney did make its own version of Jekyll & Hyde?” but I got more and more into the story, I stopped thinking about what Disney would do and concentrated on doing things my way.

“Word is the Bird” is just a fun gag a day comic inspired by my own childhood and adulthood experiences, and memories of having pet birds. I also wanted to make a funnies comic that even kids could read, enjoy and relate to.

As for my current big project “Cupcake War Machine,” it was inspired by my son and realization of how different my life turned out than what I expected as well as how it was all for the better. It satirizes the ’80s cartoons as well as tournament themed anime by calling out the dark sides of both while also showing how to handle these said situations in better and healthier ways.

INDIE COMICS ZONE: Tell us how about your journey of self-publishing and crowdfunding…

MARIKA KAPOGEORGAKIS: It was not easy at all. I did not have a successful run until my fourth try. My first three attempts were getting Jekyll & Hyde: Book 1 in print, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Also, I was still learning how to run a crowdfund.

My fourth try was the charm and it got Cupcake War Machine: Volume 1 in print. It was an extremely happy moment in my life and I feel like I reached a huge milestone in my career. It is a real confidence booster and I am only setting the bar higher for myself to stay motivated.

INDIE COMICS ZONE: You said that your family is your #1. What has been their reaction to your stories?

MARIKA KAPOGEORGAKIS: My husband is my biggest support and fan when it comes to my work. He can also be my biggest critic, but I appreciate that about him because he helped me perfect a lot of character designs.

For instance, he had a hand in designing Warrick’s appearance when he was a war machine during World War IV as well as the titular character of my upcoming big project “Psychoborg.” My son is too young to read or understand my comics, but he loves watching me draw and color on the computer. He also seems to have taken a liking to drawing himself. Who knows? Maybe he will write comics someday.

My mom is always happy to hear about what I am doing and seeing my art. For instance, when I got CWM: Volume 1 crowdfunded, we raised a glass together over a celebratory dinner. Then there is my brother-in-law who has a copy of my book and reads it to his kids who are big fans of my art style. All of this means the world to me and I feel truly blessed to have such a supportive family

INDIE COMICS ZONE: You mentioned that you have big plans for Cupcake War Machine: Vol. 2. Can you share any of those plans?

MARIKA KAPOGEORGAKIS: Originally, I was going to host a Kickstarter for getting Volume 2 in print, but I am delighted to say that I managed to raise the money on my own with the support of Patrons, Ko-fi donors and customers who buy commissions from me. I’m hoping I will be this lucky the next time I plan to print something.

INDIE COMICS ZONE: What advice would you give to an independent artist/writer who also wants to self-publish?

MARIKA KAPOGEORGAKIS: Start off small and start at the bottom. In other words, aim for a low budget. Even as you host your crowdfund, you’re still building your audience. Also, don’t get discouraged just because it doesn’t work out. As I mentioned before, it took me four times to finally find success. Most importantly, do research on how other people succeeded at their crowdfunds and don’t be afraid to ask them questions. Also, listen to what your supporters and fans want as rewards. I did and it was the best idea I ever had. Of course, do so within reason. Don’t offer rewards you cannot give or afford.

INDIE COMICS ZONE: How can readers get your work, and how can folks learn about your future projects?

MARIKA KAPOGEORGAKIS: I still have a few copies left of CWM Volume 1 in shop and I still have an infinite supply in PDF format that you can get here: https://mkomics.storenvy.com/ Moreover, here is the main link to CWM.  

Follow Marika on social media — on Twitter: MK_Wizard and MKJekyllAndHyde; on Instagram at mk_wizard; and at Tumblr: MK_Wizard’s Tumblr.