Creator Interview: Alex Batts

Welcome comic writer, Alex Batts!

Alex Batts is a Comic Writer, Editor, and the COO of Apollo City Comics. He also has a series of videos on his Instagram called, 'Daily Walks.' Welcome, Alex!

There's so many forms of entertainment out there today, from streaming shows and movies to Instagram and YouTube. In your opinion, why is reading still a valuable and viable way to consume media?

I've always been drawn to reading. I know it's not for everyone, but I think there's something special about the way you can conjure an image and a world in your head based on the book that you're reading. I love movies, shows, and games, basically, any form of storytelling I can get my hands on I think is great, but there's something wholly unique about books. My experience reading Dune is never going to be the same as anyone else's. What I have in my mind will always have variations specific to me, and I think that's amazing.

It's also something that I think brings a level of satisfaction that other forms of entertainment don't. I always feel like I've genuinely accomplished something when I finish a book in a way that's different to the experience of finishing a movie or a season of TV. A video game is maybe the closest comparison because of the level of interaction there, but it's a different type of accomplishment. This isn't to diminish the other forms of entertainment, but just to point out that I think books and reading carry an extra level of weight to them. There's also just so much you can pack into a novel. I'm a big fan of both fiction and non-fiction. So a big part for me is genuinely just learning about new subjects, I adore learning. And when it comes to fiction it's about getting engrossed in the story, but also as a writer one of the best ways to get better is to read other good writers. So reading becomes a double-win of enjoying the story but also learning how to get better at my craft.

For the record, I'm in the "audiobooks count as reading" camp. It's a different way to engage the medium, but you're still getting through that book. This is another reason I think podcasts are so popular, but that's a different rabbit hole.

You curated the amazing Cybersync Anthology, and are launching the title, Avalon. (With the impeccable Bob Little!) When world building in the genre of science fiction, what are some of the most critical aspects to consider?

Bob Little is indeed doing the art for Avalon! He's been sending me some progress on the pages the last couple of weeks, and they are unreal. I'm planning on getting back on track with my newsletter soon and I'll definitely be sharing some special looks there.

It's funny, I always go back and forth between whether science fiction or fantasy is my favorite genre. In truth, it depends on the day you ask me. When it comes to world-building in science fiction I think it comes down to a couple of important questions that directly impact each other. How far into the future are you going? Is it terrestrial or interstellar? What, specifically, is your story about? The first two sort of go hand-in-hand, depending on how you craft the lore for your world. You've got to figure out just how advanced you want the world to be and figure out the scope of your story. The third is a bit vague, but I'll give an example to put it into focus.

For Avalon the main thrust of the story is about consciousness, whether it can be replicated, and the ramifications of that. Space travel does exist in this world, but it's not my focus here. The climate crisis and overpopulation have been averted for now, but they aren't the focus here. Body mods are a thing, but they're more set-dressing than a primary narrative thrust. I think sci-fi is most interesting when it reflects genuine questions or concerns that we feel inherently, and it excels when you pick just one to hone in on. You don't want to stretch yourself too thin trying to explore all the possible angles in one story (especially if you're working with a roughly 20-page comic, across a couple of issues). You want to have a clear north star the story is driving towards or around.

I think world-building can also easily become a distraction from the actual writing. I think it's important, and I love crafting the world, but at a point, it can become something you're doing instead of writing the story. It's a different line for everyone, and some things are crucial to figure out before getting into the story, but it is good to recognize when you've built enough and know that some of it will fill itself out when you get to the story. For example, I crafted a roughly thousand-year timeline of events leading up to Avalon #1, I didn't go too in-depth with it, but it established the world for me and helped me get into that mindset. I'm not sure readers will ever see that timeline, but it's something I can pull from and place little nods to in the issues.

We have a lot in common. I also lost my Dad when I was a teenager. What's the best piece of advice he's given you that comes to mind regularly?

"Make them laugh, and the rest is easy.”

Anxiety is a problem that a lot of us face. Do you believe that Stoicism is a right way to combat those feelings?

Yeah, it's tough. My anxiety has been pretty bad again lately, if I'm honest, and I'm trying to get back into my better habits. I don't know if stoicism is *the* right way, but I think it offers a lot of incredible advice. I think it probably saved my life. It's funny in the last few years I've noticed an uptick in the amount of discussion around it. Granted, this could just be my circle of internet algorithms feeding me a loop of it because I'm interested in it, but the videos do have a lot of views. I've also seen a lot of "The trap of Stoicism" types of rebuttals to it lately, too.

I think there are some misconceptions that get lumped in with stoicism because of how we colloquially have used the term "stoic" for years now. A lot of the time when someone is described as being stoic it's analogous to saying they're emotionally detached or not present or that nothing bothers them. Depending on the school of thought you're into for stoicism some of them do emphasize learning how to emotionally detach yourself from certain situations, but even that is an oversimplification. It's less about not feeling your emotions and more about controlling how you feel them. Stoics recognize that you're going to get upset, mad, angry, disappointed, scared, anxious, whatever. It's not the goal of stoicism to just become some emotionless statue that nothing penetrates. The goal is to learn how to deal with those emotions when they come in a healthy and more positive way.

Let yourself feel them, recognize what you can and can't control, and move forward. The only thing you can for sure control is your reactions to things. That doesn't mean you don't have an instant reaction of "That sucked" if something bad happened, it means you don't let that reaction permeate for the rest of the day. One of my favorite quotes comes from Epictetus, "Right now, then, make it a habit to tell every jarring thought or impression*: 'You are just an appearance and in no way the real thing.' Next, examine it and test it by the rules that you have. First and foremost: does it involve the things up to us, or the things not up to us? And if it involves the things not up to us, have the following response to hand: 'Not my business.'"

*Impression in this context basically means an intrusive thought. So he's essentially helping provide a mantra for dealing with intrusive thoughts, which is great. The "You are just an impression and in no way the real thing" mantra is something that has helped me calm many an anxiety attack. It also goes to show how human and timeless of an experience anxiety is. Epictetus was a slave in ancient Greece who lived from 55-135 AD, yet his words are just as relevant now as they were then. So yeah, I think Stoicism is great. If anyone is interested in it I highly recommend checking out the Encheiridion by Epictetus, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, or any of Seneca's writings.

Alright Alex, this is a highly debated topic and there may not be a right answer. What is the best pizza topping?

I'm a simple guy, pepperoni is my go-to. Though, for the record, pineapple does make a good pizza topping as well.

Thank you, Alex!

www.ApolloCityComics.com

https://www.instagram.com/thealexbatts?igsh=MmV6ZWE5YmpsdjN2

https://substack.com/@alexbatts