Harris O'Malley self-published the "dark urban fantasy" minicomic series BETWEEN THE CRACKS in 2002, under the banner of Studio Underhill. Since then, O'Malley has used Studio Underhill to put out his first graphic novel, BETWEEN THE CRACKS: ALL MIRACLES HAVE A PRICE, and has more releases planned for 2004-5. He currently lives in Austin, Texas.

BIG NEWS:

Since I'm never one to understand the meaning of the word "overbooked", I'm collaborating with writer Jens Altmann on the original graphic novel BERSERKER: THE WILD HUNT, to be published through Studio Underhill in the summer of 2004. I'm also writing a 20-page short story for my friend Whitney Loof as an entry for Tokyopop's RISING STARS OF MANGA, and following the completion of those, I'll be working on my next solo project, an original graphic novel entitled MASQUERADE.

BIG BUSINESS:

I've been a comics fan from way back; I remember picking up CRISIS #7 back when it first came out and being blown away by it. I think that was the point when I decided I wanted to go into comics, and a story that I had been writing and re-writing in my head as a novel eventually got translated to comic form.

I'm still writing it in my head as we speak. When I finally do publish it, it'll be interesting to see how much it's changed from the really crappy swords-and-sorcery LONE WOLF rip-off it started as.

I started BETWEEN THE CRACKS in late 2001/early 2002 after learning about minicomics on the Warren Ellis Forum. As sad as it sounds, I was completely ignorant of their existence up until that point. The publication of Larry Young's TRUE FACTS also helped push me over the edge from "wanna-be" to "creator".

When I realized that the barriers to entry in the comic industry were actually fairly low, I finally sat myself down in front of my drawing table and drew a comic instead of just being the guy who's always talking about the epic he's gonna do "some day."

BIG TROUBLE:

The two biggest challenges in making comics are, as always, time and money. There's never enough of either of them at any given moment in life. Not that pesky things like reality have ever really stopped me...

BIG SPENDER:

I'm a full-time comic artist and publisher, which sounds lovely until you realize that I'm between temp jobs and living off my savings while we all wait for the economy to improve enough for people to start hiring again. Having a credit card, a steady hand and enough of an income to help keep the bills under some semblance of control also helps...

I've been relatively lucky. My initial orders helped pay for the printing of BETWEEN THE CRACKS: THE BRIDE, and I take the long view with regards to my other books. This is why I prefer to publish graphic novels. They're more of an investment up front, but they stay in print for as long as you want and pay off in the long term, rather than leaving you hoping to make all your money back in the three-day window when your comic hits the stores.

BIG AMBITION:

Even if time and money were no object, ultimately I'd be making the same books, just with higher production values and in color - possibly even painted, if I thought my skills were up to the task. I would also be collaborating more with other people, since I would actually be able to pay them.

Fortunately, I have this cunning plan to win the lottery...

BIG UP:

Considering that this isn't the greatest time for the comic industry, it always blows my mind how many great comics are out there. I always hesitate to make a list since I'll inevitably forget someone, and there'll be hurt feelings and blow-ups on the great big ComputerInsultWeb that will eventually lead to knife-fights and blood on the con floor.

That having been said, as a sampling of my tastes, I always look forward to FINDER by Carla Speed McNeil, DEMO by Brain Wood and Becky Cloonan, VÖGELEIN by Jane Irwin, JOHNNY PUBLIC by Wendi Strang-Frost and Sean Frost, PLASTIC FARM by Rafer Roberts, DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY by Jim Massey, and PROGRESSIONS by Jeff Coleman... I'm also a huge mark for a lot of the Oni books like COURTNEY CRUMRIN AND THE NIGHT THINGS by Ted Naifeh, and manga like Takehiko Inoue's VAGABOND or Masakazu Katsura's VIDEO GIRL AI.

BIG TIME:

For me, the future consists of decidedly more work, both solo projects and collaborations. After MASQUERADE, I'm planning on doing another BETWEEN THE CRACKS graphic novel, a modern crime-noir story called DEAD VOICES and an urban fantasy story called THE TWILIGHT WARS.

BIG FINISH:

Realistically, I'd like to be remembered as an influence on the expansion of comics and as an influential creator in and of my own right. But as long as I'm dreaming, I'd love to be remembered in the same breath as Neil Gaiman, Charles DeLint, Guy Gavriel Kay and George RR Martin.

Or, for that matter, the first independent comic publisher/self-publisher to make it to the New York Times Best Seller List.

Not that I've got high hopes or anything.

BIG DEAL:

Currently, BETWEEN THE CRACKS: THE BRIDE and BETWEEN THE CRACKS: ALL MIRACLES HAVE A PRICE can be found at finer comic book retailers around the world and directly through Studio Underhill, where I take check, money order, credit cards and PayPal. BETWEEN THE CRACKS: ALL MIRACLES HAVE A PRICE can also be ordered from Amazon.com.

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