Influences
A lot of people ask me about my influences. I think making a section on the site would be overdoing it a little bit, so I’ll list some of the major ones here and hope people can go off and find other ridiculously cool stuff.
Kill Six Billion Demons started as the scene that opened the comic (a girl receiving a key from a godlike warrior on the run). I had this idea like 10 years ago. I think I had planned to make it into some kind of shonen Bleach knockoff. Then I discovered I was a secret Where’s Waldo addict and chanced upon 80s and 90s French sci-fi comics.
I must start with the eternal Jean Giraud (aka Moebius) is probably one of the biggest influences on my work. On that note, anything by Jodorowsky (Metabarons is fantastic). Along those lines, Geof Darrow’s Hardboiled kicked the shit out of me. Its the first book I read where I knew instantly I wanted to get into comics hardcore. James Stokoe and Sheldon Vella are both insanely radical dudes that come from the same comic DNA as me. Stokoe’s Orc Stain is a phenomenal book, and the man cannot be mortal. My coloring I have cribbed mostly from Sheldon and Noriyoshi Ohrai. Lastly I cannot give enough credit to Wayne Barlowe and his Inferno work, because he got me into that particular brand of surrealist fantasy. Go check his stuff out right now.
Writing wise Kill Six Billion Demons is heavily inspired by Kurt Vonnegut, Clive Barker’s Abarat and Michael Kirkbride’s 36 Lessons of Vivec, for the Morrowind video games, which tangentially got me into reading Buddhist and Hindu philosophy and writing all the weird crap you find in the comic.
I have to also give credit to Requiem:Vampire Knight. It’s a French comic series with copious blood and boobies, but the art is unbelievable and the concepts are ridiculously goth/metal as hell. I’ll also mention the movie Mirrormask here along with a ton of Neil Gaiman‘s work because he is undeniable God-king of the modern/urban fantasy concept.
Though it’s not an influence you can just parse out immediately, influence from a lot of religions have been folded into the KSBD cosmology, most notably Zoroastrianism, Zen Buddhism, and Vedic Hinduism (there’s also some Abrahamic stuff if you look very hard).
Lastly, I’ll mention that I’m stupidly and unnecessarily into super heavy metal. I can’t really name any specific bands that have had an influence on my comic but the extreme melodrama metal is ridiculously good fuel for the creative fire.
So I hadn’t even heard of James Stokoe until this, and now I’ve already bought the Orc Stain trade paperback and I’m waiting for it to arrive, because my god does that look glorious! So thanks for that, I guess!
yeah, I’m not surprised about your influences, I can see Abarat in all your artwork, and your pacing and storytelling has the same descriptive quality as Clive Barker
Yes! When I first read this I thought ‘huh, this kind of reminds me of 36 sermons’ and then I saw that one knight tell Allison to ‘reach heaven through violence’ and I knew that it wasn’t a coincidence.
Heh, I’ve recently started reading this comic, and planned to comment that it made me think of Moebius, so I’m unsurprized that you mention him as an influence.
I’m really enjoying this story, and I’ll have to take a look at the stuff you’ve been inspired by! It also reminds me a lot of the white wolf tabletop game Exalted, I swear your artwork wouldn’t look out of place in a book about the Infernal City or the Celestial Bureaucracy. If I was going to run a KSBD campaign it’d definitely be my first choice for a system to adapt.
I knew I saw some Stokoe in there! Do you ever read any Brandon Graham too?
Good god, I’m happy that you didn’t end up following the path of Bleach.
Taking inspiration from Jodorowsky, Gaiman and Moebius makes me proud to follow this webcomic, not only in its own brilliance, but also for the affinity to the ones that contributed to it.
On the same note, have you ever considered Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné’s saga? It’s a cornerstone of epic fantasy that should absolutely be taken into consideration.
I’ve never really read or seen much by most of these, but the 36 Sermons and Kirkbride’s style in general totally stood out (and I definitely noticed “reach heaven through violence”!)
Abbadon, was there any influence from the anime 12 Kingdoms or is it just a coincidence? A girl that gets transported into another world, set out for greatness, both with a fancy sword, and more importantly, a monkey spirit/ incubus which troll them about their mental issues?
I recently began reading your comic and intended to say that it reminded me of Moebius, so I’m not surprised that you name him as a source of inspiration.
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It’s a French comic with a lot of blood and idiots. The analysis you give is very interesting. Please continue to uphold!
I just started reading your comic and was going to comment how much it reminded me of Moebius, so I’m not surprised that you cite him as an influence.
That’s great to hear about your influences and how they have shaped your work!
Moebius, also known as Jean Giraud, is a renowned French artist and comic book creator. His work has had a significant impact on your own, and his art style and storytelling have influenced your creative process.
Geof Darrow is a comic book artist known for his intricate and detailed artwork. His work on “Hardboiled” made a profound impression on you and played a role in your decision to pursue comics seriously.
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Influential manga and anime series like Berserk, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure have had a significant impact on the visual style, storytelling, and character development in Kill Six Billion Demons.
Works by authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings), Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melniboné), and Robert E. Howard (Conan the Barbarian) have inspired the epic world-building, intricate lore, and fantastical elements found in Kill Six Billion Demons.
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