I am a huge fan of Ken Knudtsen! Anyone that meets him at a convention would know why. Not only is Ken's work outstanding, he is one of the most dedicated Aquaman fans I've ever met. I am also proud to call myself one of his friends. We met at a Wizard World show a few years ago, and I can safely say if he hadn't pressured me to do more and do better, I'd have written off doing any work in the comic book industry a long time ago. This is the interview I conducted with the great Ken Knudtsen.

GM: Can you give me some background on your education?
KK: I attended (and graduated) the School of Visual Arts in NY, NY.

GM: Can you talk a little bit about how you broke into the comic book industry?
KK: After unsuccesssfully attempting to find work through submission pages, my friends and I decided to try self-publishing. That was tough for me in particular, because I had never written ANYTHING before. And what did I end up with? A book about a little girl and a monkey. I handed photocopies of teh 1st issue to everyone that made eye contact with me at cons. I then went out to the San Diego con, where I discovered that Peter David had said nice things about my comic in his "But I Digress" column for CBG. Then I met Dan Vado from SLG, who thought it was great (and also loves monkeys). About 2 months after the con I re-mailed a copy to Dan, who then mailed me a contract. Woooo!

GM: Who were your influences that made you want to work in comics?
KK: Just about everyone…I've been reading comics since I could read.

GM: Do you work in comics exclusively or do you also rely on other outside income sources?
KK: I currently am what you would call a "retail whore."

GM: How long is your work day when it comes to comic/comic-related projects?
KK: It's a schedule that is constantly in fluctuation. Which makes it so very important to maximize any time that I may have to work on my art.

GM: How much do you depend on digital means to produce your work, or are you strictly a "traditionalist"?
KK: Well, I did just very recently buy my first computer. So other than scanning, I'm still doing everything old school.

GM: What comics/graphic novels are you regularly or sem-regularly picking up and enjoying?
KK: Anything from Klaus Janson, Walt Simonson, Peter David, Paul Pope, the Ultimates, various Spider-Man and Batman, Nightwing, anything from the following fools: Terminal Press (Silent Assassin, Crowpsey/Rufus+Cleveland), Epic Proportions (Burn), Arvid Nelson (Rex Mundi), Chris Kirby, Gigantic Press…I buy a ton of stuff!

GM: What has been the most effective way you've found to promote your work?
KK: Conventions are huge, because then I get to actually present my work to people (that's where retail whoring comes in handy). MySpace has been handy in letting everyone know what I'm up to.

GM: So far, who have you really enjoyed working with as an artist/writer in the field?
KK: Slave Labor was pretty much perfect in allowing me to work. Each of their decisions turned out to not only be right, but REALLY right. Brian Ferrara was great because his scripting gave me a lot of room to maneuver. And I got to work with Dan Way on a Wolverine story, which was pretty fucking cool.

GM: At this point in your career, what is the one thing you've worked on that you are most proud of?
KK: My Monkey's Name is Jennifer, without a doubt. Not only was it the first comic that I had published, but it was something that I did entirely on my own.

GM:I know you've been working on some My Monkey's Name is Jennifer and some Marvel stuff rather recently; what can we expect to see from you in the future?
KK: I'm almost finished with I Hate Zombies. Yes, another zombie book on the stands…but I assure you that this is different. It has a talking zombie dog.

GM: And finally, what piece of advice can you offer anyone who is currently trying to break into the industry?
KK: You really have to need to do this. Otherwise, talent is not going to be enough. i can't emphasize enough how much hard work is required to bring your work out into the public. Going to cons and handing photocopies to everyone that makes eye contact. Talking to everyone behind a table for advice (be nice, and buy their book when you're done talking). It is time consuming. It is exhausting. It is draining. But there's no better feeling when you walk into a comic store and see your comic on the racks with Aquaman!

Be sure to pick up issues of Ken Knudtsen's book My Monkey's Name is Jennifer.

More interviews by Geoffery Mosse:
TJ May
Chris Batista
Todd Dezago
Robert Tinnell