I first met TJ May around the time he released his first comic book, Ill Conceived, at a Wizard World convention in Philadelphia. As it turned out, we found out that we lived fairly close to each other at the time and we’ve been friends ever since. I showed TJ my portfolio and he was impressed enough that he gave me the job of illustrating his second book, A Day In The Psychosis Of David Price. This is the interview that I conducted with him.

GM: Can you give me some background on your education?
TJM: I graduated from the University of Hartford with a Bachelors degree of creative writing and minors in journalism and sports information.

GM: Can you talk a little bit about how you broke into the comic book industry?
TJM: Nepotism. I had a cousin that worked for DC and he introduced me Scott Beatty who was editing ToyFare for Wizard at the time. Scott used me a freelancer for about a year and then he made the move to freelance writer full-time. Buddy Scalera at WIZARD-Online threw me a few bones and we have become fast friends. The Wizard gig got me set-up at Brainstorm Multi-Media where I was the lead writer for 14 issues of Vamperotica Magazine. In 2000 I founded SUMM Publications with my brother Jason. We did a year or two of webcomics, and then started publishing. Our first project came out in 2004 (Ill Conceived) which went international and got me a job writing for Narwain in Italy. Now I'm developing more comics, screenplays and novels for a bunch of different folks I met in San Diego last year.

GM: Who were your influences that made you want to work in comics?
TJM: Initially it was the medium I had the most connections in. But in the early '90s I loved the spirit of the IMAGE guys, particularly Todd McFarlane's business sense. As a writer I most influenced by Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore and Garth Ennis where comics are concerned.

GM: Do you work in comics exclusively or do you also rely on other outside income sources?
TJM: Nah. I can't even count on writing in general as a full-time source of income at this point. I am a Behavior Therapist by day working with kids with Autism.

GM: How long is your work day when it comes to comic/comic-related projects?
TJM: it varies at this point. With the day job, kids, and family, I get about 3-4 hours a night a week. Weekends can be as much as 0 to 10 hours per day depending on what I've got going on.

GM: As a writer, what resources are you using to come up with new stories?
TJM: My imagination. Like any true writer I read whateer I can get my hands on. Sometimes a news story will present an interesting thread to start a yarn with. Other times it comes up in a conversation as a "What if…?" sort of thing. And other times something horrendous has happened to me, or someone close to me and I use writing to help me figure out why. Therapy I suppose.

GM: What comics/graphic novels are you regularly or sem-regularly picking up and enjoying?
TJM: I keep going back to Sandman and Preacher. Otherwise I keep up with guys I know well, or have had a fun time with at cons. For instance I keep tabs on Tony Moore and Robert Kirkman 'cause we had a blast with them at Chicago 2000. I'm always reading Shawn Granger's Family Bones at King Tractor Press. And I dig a lot of the Digital Webbing folks like Ryan Ottley, the Fist of Justice series, Tony Lee and Zombie Highway. There are more, but that's the gist.

GM: What has been the most effective way you've found to promote your work?
TJM: Street corners. Um, conventions, shaking hands, cracking jokes, acting like a hawker at a carnival. The internet is the future, and we were on the cusp in '99-2000, but kind of got away from it. We are looking into improving our web-presence over the next year.

GM: So far, who have you really enjoyed working with as an artist/writer in the field?
TJM: That's a loaded question seeing as you are one of my many collaborators. Well, the best part about it has been creating stuff with my brother. Even if we don't get off the ground in this field, it's been time well spent with him. Other than that I have had nothing but good experiences with the likes of yourself, Shelton Bryant, Jay, the Narwain folks, Wizard, and Brainstorm. And I'm looking forward to working with a guy by the name of Jacques Bredy and possible collaborating with Granger at King Tractor.

GM: At this point in your career, what is the one thing you've worked on that you are most proud of?
TJM: That's a tough one because each project I've done has lead to the next, and opened up all kinds of opportunities. Completing Catching Lucifer Lunch was a thrill. But seeing Ill Conceived in Italian was kinda too. Tough call.

GM: I know you've worked on Catching Lucifer's Lunch somewhat recently; what can we expect to see from you in the future?
TJM: Jay and I are heading back to our roots. We'll be reviving the webcomic Deviant Society in some capacity as well as another comic formally known as Zennon3 and tentatively retitled Red Giant. I'm also working on a novel currently named The Opal of Calmet, and a screenpay version of Ill Conceived.

GM: And finally, what piece of advice can you offer anyone who is currently trying to break into the industry?
TJM: Go to cons and meet people. Keep your quirks but act professional. Never tell an editor where you see faults in your own work. And know when to shut up and listen.

For more information on TJ May and Summ Publications, be sure to visit the website at www.summ.net.

More interviews by Geoffery Mosse:
Chris Batista
Ken Knudtsen
Todd Dezago
Robert Tinnell