The true truth

Who are you, John Allison?
I am a real human boy who lives in Chadderton, near Oldham, Lancashire, UK. Oldham is a town next to Manchester. I really hope to move soon - but where to go?

John, what is this "Scary Go Round"

Scary Go Round is a comic that I've been making since 2002. It started off as a comic about barmaids Tessa and Rachel, then it became more about Shelley Winters and her bizarre escapades. In recent times it is kind of a split between the Shelley Show and Tackleford Grammar School. It's always evolving.

Is this a funny comic? Are there jokes? John, there aren't any jokes.

I like to think you could draw a chuckle from the dialogue if you tried. A hollow laugh full of regret.

Why doesn't [character X] appear any more?

Characters just get worn out after a while.

Are the characters based on real people? John come on they have got to be real people you know I mean seriously.

One or two characters were based on real people at their inception, before quickly growing away from the reality. Everything is influenced by real life, even if it's only in a very abstract way.

How do you draw this thing?

Scary Go Round used to be drawn in Adobe Illustrator using a Wacom tablet. To be honest, this isn't the best way to draw a comic. These days I use pens (several) and paper (cheap). I do still letter the comic in Adobe Illustrator, as it means I can push the speech bubbles around to cover things I rendered less than perfectly.

Is this your job? Do you make a living from Scary Go Round?

Yes, somehow I support myself by making up silly girl adventures. This fact continues to astound me.

I want to make my own colour book like how you did! Should I do it?

If you think you can sell at least 1000 copies, then do it. Bulk printing is cost-effective (remember to shop around) and extremely rewarding. If you can't, don't! Vanity publishing via print on demand is a racket that feeds on self-delusion. When you're good enough, you'll be able to sell some books without having to pay $10 a pop to print them.

But here's a secret: BLACK AND WHITE LITHO PRINTING IS NOT ALL THAT EXPENSIVE. While all my books are printed in colour, which isn't cheap, you can get into black and white printing at a fraction of the cost - especially if you work in a standard size. If I'd known then what I know now, I probably wouldn't have designed a comic that would be so expensive to reproduce. Mark an old man's words.

Do you do commissioned work?

I don't really have time any more, and because of the weak US dollar, I don't offer very good value if you're in the USA.

Will you do more short stand-alone books like Girlspy and Scareodeleria?

This is something I really really want to do. Unfortunately those books were made when Scary Go Round was a smaller, less time-intensive comic. Half the problem is sitting down to write a project like that. The other half of the problem is drawing it. I have to find 100 hours from somewhere for 40 new, never-before-seen black and white pages. Two words: no chance.

Do you make appearances in person?

I do sometimes! I try to make a couple of appearances a year in the USA and at least one in the UK. I've exhibited several times at San Diego Comic-con, as well as shows in New York, Maryland, Connecticut, London, Brighton and Lancaster. But these things cost me money and bitter experience has taught me to give most things with a big picture of The Hulk and Wolverine over the door a miss (from a purely financial standpoint). If you'd like me to attend your event, I can probably be lured with the promise of a hotel room, travel money and a gold satin sash (sash negotiable).

(I promise this is a real frequently asked question)
John, are you married?

No, I am not married. But I think we ought to go out a few times first to work out whether this thing is "going on". Then we can look at rings, posies and those ever-complicated table settings.