Comics

Interview: 2000 AD/Thought Bubble winners Ed Whiting & Senu Senan

26th June 2024

Every year at the Thought Bubble comic festival a hopeful group of prospective writers and artists assemble for the 2000 AD script and art contest, where only the very best will secure the ultimate prize and see their work grace the pages of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic – 2000 AD.

Join us now in chatting to the very latest droids to be manufactured from the halls of Thought Bubble… the 2023 winners – writer Ed Whiting and artist Senu Senan, who bring their very first work for Tharg to the pages of Prog 2388 with the Terror Tale, The Essence of the Piece…

Over the years the 2000 AD/Thought Bubble script and art droid search has given us plenty of incredibly talented comic makers who’ve won and gone on to great things in the pages of the Prog, the Judge Dredd Megazine and beyond, including Rory McConville, Tom Watts, Laura Bailey, Mike Walters, Lee Milmore, Honor Vincent, James Newell, Robin Henley, Paul Williams, Tom Foster, Daniel Dwyer, Will Morris, and Tilen Javornik.

And now we can add the names of Ed Whiting and Sinu Senan to that esteemed list. This week you’re going to see just why the judging panels thought their work had what it takes to make it into the pages of the Prog as they unveil the Tharg’s Terror Tale: The Essence of the Piece. The story here is Ed’s winning pitch, worked up to publication and given to Senu to bring to life in the latest Prog. It’s a great four-pages of absolute horror, very contemporary gothic, and heralds another two new talents who are only just beginning their 2000 AD journey.

So, without further ado, let’s chat to them…

Ed, Sinu, great to chat with you – how are you doing?

SINU SENAN: I’m doing fine and much thanks for doing this interview with me.

ED WHITING: I’m good thanks.

In Prog 2388 we have the very first 2000 AD work from you, the Tharg’s Terror Tale called The Essence of the Piece.

First things first, what does it mean to see your work in print this way and just what does it mean to you both to have your work in the Prog?

EW: It’s amazing and a massive honour.

SS: I’m honoured to see my first international comic being published from 2000AD. It’s a great opportunity to be working with some amazing talents, and get to know people from within the comics community.

The Terror Tale came about following your triumphant storming of the Thought Bubble/2000 AD writer and artist talent search back in November 2023 – and you join an illustrious list of script and art droids who got their first work for Tharg this way.

Going back to last November, can you talk us through the emotions of the day and what it meant to you then to win?

EW: It’s always nerve racking to have to get up in front of a crowd and pitch, especially as my first two times at the contest didn’t go well. Although assigning everyone a number and then calling at random, I actually found quite calming as it was in a way out of my hands if I would get to pitch or not, where as in previous years seeing your number approach brough a sense of rising dread in me.

SS: I randomly came across the 2000 AD Artist Talent Hunt page while browsing through the official TB website to book tickets for the convention. I wasn’t aware of this before and had mixed feelings about whether to participate until about two weeks before the event. It’s been decades since I ever participated in any kind of competition. I took it up as a challenge to myself and worked hard on the pages every day after that and I am glad the effort paid off.

The experience at TB 2023 was great. I remember my first TB visit, the previous year, to be a memorable one as it was my first ever attending an international comic con. So, there was no doubt about visiting for the consecutive year too. But also, I wanted to make use of my talent in some way. I was excited to hear that I got short-listed because now I would get to know genuine feedback from the judges. All three judges were great in giving me their feedback. For me, any kind of feedback from these professionals was all I wanted to hear. Winning wasn’t on my mind, to be honest.

And has it sunk in yet?

EW: Just about. Holding a copy of the Prog with the finished story in it is a fantastic feeling and kind of brings it home.

SS: It is gradually getting there.

For those who don’t know, talk us through the process you both went through to get to the talent search and what the day involved.

SS: This was my first attempt at participating in the 2000AD Artist Talent Search. As mentioned earlier, I initially had no intention to participate until about two weeks from the con date. I had to race against time and get everything done at least a day before the con. I reached the con in the morning and was kinda relieved to see that the queue for the art submission at the 2000 AD stall was less than I imagined, until when things changed and it started to get busy. There were many traditional artists with their big folders and files while I was just carrying my iPad. When my turn came, I showed it to the gentleman reviewing it and as soon as he went through my work, I felt I might stand a chance. Later that evening, I got a message confirming that I was one of the shortlisted candidates and that I needed to be there the next day for the panel.

I reached the next day on time and sat in the front row as I was waiting my turn to get my comic reviewed. I didn’t know who was on the judges’ panel beforehand, so was excited to see Jock being one of them I’ve been a fan of his work for years. I was the last one to be called to the stage and reviewed. Anna Morozova and Tom Foster, the other two judges, shared more insight into my work and it was a great learning process too. I felt relieved to be finally getting my work professionally reviewed. Moments later, they announced the winner and the rest is history!

My favourite take on it is still Laura Bailey’s – she practised her writers pitch by getting drunk and pitching her friends beforehand – the thinking was, if you can do it drunk, you can nail it sober.

EW: I tried Laura’s method, but just ended up babbling incoherently.

Yep, a very specialist and niche method that we wouldn’t recommend for everyone!

What was the feeling you both had going into the judging process? All the judges suitably scary and hyper critical?

SS: The judges imparted their reviews professionally, yet were so relaxed and friendly. No one seemed intimidating to be honest. They were awesome!

EW: They were all lovely. Andy Diggle said I’d given him an idea for something else, so even if I hadn’t won that would have been amazing.

Was this the first time you entered or have you had to suffer the terrible pain of rejection before?

EW: This was my third time. No one likes rejection, but I know that I didn’t deserve to win in previous years. It went so badly.

SS: I don’t think I participated in any competition since my 7th grade. I am not a guy who demands attention generally and I tend to just go with the flow of life – keep learning and trying to outdo my own last work. It’s like being in a competition with myself rather than with others. Having said that, I entered this process just because I am serious about comics and I needed professional review/advice for my work and I felt this was the right occasion for it to happen.

Any advice to those who are thinking of entering the contests this year?

SS: Don’t overthink, just go for it! You’ll never know what’s in store for you.

EW: I’d say the same as Sinu. Go for it. Plus it never hurts to get feedback on your work

Now, getting on to The Essence of the Piece, it’s a four page Terror Tale, beginning, middle, end in a total of just 32 panels. First of all, what’s it all about?

EW: It’s about an unscrupulous art broker called Jacob De Pheffel, who makes the mistake of taking advantage of the wrong person, an enigmatic Banksy style artist called Anagram.

Interestingly, it’s usually a Future Shock for TB contest winners, why was this a Terror Tale?

EW: I had been working on two stories, this one as well as a Future Shock. The week before the contest I was actually going with the Future Shock. The original twist in the Terror Tale was actually Panel 2 on Page 4, then as happens with stories something else pops in your head and I though that new idea made for a better ending, although even that ended up being tweaked. I did have a moment during the contest, when everyone else was pitching Future Shocks that there might have been a rule change. Paul Starkey won with a Terror Tale, so I was hoping that was still allowed.

Looking at it now, how do you both think it came out?

EW: I think Sinu has done a fantastic job. It looks better than I imagined and could have hoped for. I hope the readers enjoy it.

SS: I think it came out pretty well but then I leave it to the readers to decide.

What are the particular storytelling difficulties with creating something so short and self-contained?

EW: It’s that difficult juggling act of stripping the story down to the bone, but making sure there is still something there for people to care about.

Of course, this isn’t just a problem for the writer but to pack all the required story elements into so few pages requires real work. And although the writers will always tell us that they do all the heavy lifting, it’s always the artists who have to really get their sleeves rolled up and get into it.

SS: It’s challenging to establish the main characters and draw a whole tale in just four pages. Being a horror-style comic, it is critical to have the panels flowing in a particular rhythm, not overdoing anything, to get the right impact. But Ed’s script helped me follow the beats and I let it naturally flow through the panels.

I took a few liberties to make the visuals more interesting that wouldn’t affect the story, for example, replacing a skull with a candle instead of a flower vase to give it a sinister vibe. Another one was adding an abstract sculpture of hands that Anagram falls onto and then those same hands appear as shadows crawling onto Jacob on the later pages. I didn’t want to explain those aspects but I thought it told well in the thumbnail stage and confirmed it once I got the rough pencils approved from our editor.

And here’s a little compare and contrast for you… the abstract sculptural vase and, later on, the shadows creep in…

Obviously, the pitch for Essence was done in advance of Thought Bubble, Ed. But did you have the full script nailed down as well?

EW: No, just the outline.

Once the win had sunk in, was it a case of plenty of back and forth with Matt to hammer the final script into place?

EW: Not really. Matt wasn’t there this year, so I sent him the outline first so he could actually see what the story was about. He had a few notes, but he has a skill of getting right down to the nub of the story in just a few sentences. There were a couple of minor changes, I worked really hard on my first draft, making it as tight as it could be, revising constantly and when I submitted it, Matt signed off on it (although it still needed a bit of a dialogue polish).

And did you get together to discuss Essence and how it would be?

SS: I contacted Ed, via his socials, when I received the script from Matt. Ed and I have been in touch from time to time to inform him of the art progress. I didn’t need to discuss a lot since it was pretty straightforward and there was clarity in his script already. So I had to just dive in and draw.

EW: I was happy for Sinu to do his thing!

Sinu, a perfect place to talk art here – how did you approach Essence?

SS: Initially, when the editor told me that it’s gonna be in black and white, I was immediately intrigued. I love the rawness and fluidity of brushwork, whether traditional or digital and also playing with light and shadows. So, naturally, this script allowed me to experiment with layouts that complement the genre. I try to grasp the requirements of the script and then leave it to my instincts. The style must come naturally. I don’t force too much into it.

To me, there’s a very cultured line in what you do. It’s very fluid, an elongation and exaggeration of forms that’s effective but not excessive. And there’s a real ability to get the story beats just right, hitting all the tense moments with art that lingers nicely on the eye.

SS: Yes, the main focus is on the beats you noticed and I am careful of bringing clarity with artistry into my work.

When it comes to your art, how do you work? Nowadays I always presume most artists are working mostly in digital.

SS: Yes, mostly digital for now. But I would love to ink traditionally in the future and will need more practice before I commit to it. Let’s see!

Can you talk us through the process of getting Essence to the finished page?

SS: I read the script 3-4 times until I had the complete visuals in my head. I did some rough sketches of the overall page layouts along with character poses and expressions. Then I collected inspiration from multiple sources – the purpose was to enhance these visuals in my brain and search for better ideas.

I cleaned up these layouts a bit and sent them to the editor for approval, after which I moved on to the final rendering.

I enjoy working on dark-themed stories. Also, I adore black-and-white art where you can see the strokes doing their job.

And Senu was kind enough to send along some lovely examples of the process his art goes through…

What are your backgrounds and how did you get into comics – both reading and writing?

SS: As an Indian who grew up in Bahrain for most of my childhood, I was exposed to comics at a very young age. I remember my father buying me a local comic magazine every week at a grocery store near school. It contained different stories and comic strips amalgamated into a single magazine.

I used to draw anything and everything around me as a kid. I moved to Kerala, India around the eighth grade where I got introduced to some Indian comics like Amar Chitra Katha, Phantom, Mandrake, and a few comics in my regional language – Malayalam. Internet was almost non-existent, so I lost touch with international comics for over a decade. However, I never stopped drawing and filling up my sketchbooks.

I don’t remember much of those childhood titles now, but what I do remember clearly is discovering an Incredible Hulk issue from one of my friends in my neighbourhood. It had crazy detailed inks and the panels were exploding with energy. I kept drawing as a hobby, copying and drawing all kinds of pop-culture content which was hot in the late 80s to 90s era.

Life took turns and I got re-introduced to comics after my University programme in engineering. I think it was a Spider-Man comic drawn by Humberto Ramos, a Superman comic by the late Carlos Meglia and another one from Jim Lee. Since then I never stopped digging deeper into comics, irrespective of region and language, and getting inspired by many more artists’ works who may influence my current art style.

Fast forward to 2011, I co-created an indie comic series named Autopilot – A Traffic Novel with my colleagues which was self-published and launched at the 2012 Comic Con India. It was an urban fantasy story with a humorous core and was received very well at that time. Unfortunately, the project did not make it past the first issue. Anyway, it was a nice learning experience.

I didn’t have any formal education in the Arts and I’m mostly self-taught. I moved to India from Bahrain where I completed my higher education and University degree in Electronics engineering. I left my engineering career much earlier than I thought as I had no passion for it and took a nose dive into trying something in the entertainment arts. The animation and game industry was exploding at that time and after doing a short course on animation and watching tutorials online, I worked for several companies as a Concept Artist. But in the back of my mind, I aimed to work on comics full-time someday.

EW: Like most kids on a certain age in Britain, I got into comics through The Beano and then stuff like Eagle and Battle. I was massively into the Marvel UK stuff like Dragon’s Claws and Death’s Head. I got into 2000 AD when I was about 13, my local library had a bunch of Titan reprints and some Best of 2000 AD collections.

I’m not sure I ever thought of writing comics as a career when I was a kid. I thought all comics were made in London or New York. Both of those places seemed a million miles away from where I lived.

I did English and Film Studies at school and college, so I wrote stories and scripts for them. I kind of lost the thread in my twenties, it wasn’t until after I had a couple of bouts of Hodgkins Lymphoma in my thirties that I started writing again. You really re-evaluate your life when there’s a chance it might be over sooner than you expected.

I started submitting stuff to the slush pile, but the big thing was meeting Dave Evans at Thought Bubble one year. I started submitting stuff to him and I had half a dozen stories accepted in Futurequake, Something Wicked, and Zarjaz. Seeing you stuff in print really does help. I owe Dave a lot. I really wish he was still with us. Peter Duncan at Sector 13 has also been a massive help to me

Oh yes, Dave (Bolt-01) Evans is, and always will be, sadly missed by us all.

Ed, you already said you discovered 2000 AD in your teens – Sinu, were you aware of the Prog?

SS: I was aware of 2000 AD as a sci-fi comic a long while back and drooled over some of the artists’ works, but took a closer look after I moved to the UK in 2022.

I am stunned by the legendary works of Brian Bolland, Simon Bisley, and Cam Kennedy on Judge Dredd, Dave Gibbons and Colin Wilson on Rogue Trooper. I am still discovering more talents along the way.

As for influences on your writing/art, who are the creators that you credit with really making you sit up and realise how good comics could be and made you want to be a part of it?

EW: There’s so many. If I start listing people I’ll miss someone out, so I’ll say that my favourite comics writer and for me the greatest is John Wagner.

SS: I can’t have enough of the works of creators like Katsuhiro Otomo, Takehiko Inoue, Kentaro Miura, Daniel Warren Johnson, Wes Craig, Stan Sakai, Mike Mignola, Sean Gordon Murphy, Jeff Lemire, Frank Millar, Craig Thompson, Jeff Smith, Bill Watterson, Sergio Toppi, Naomi Urasawa, Makoto Yukimura, Junji ito, and Alex Toth to name a few.

Finally, imagine you have carte blanche over any character in 2000 AD history – who’s the one you’d pick to do a story/art on? And what would the story be?

SS: Judge Dredd is a character I would love to draw if I get the chance.

EW: Dredd. He’s an iconic character.

Two votes for Dredd there – hey, Tharg? You listening here?

Thank you so much Ed and Sinu for speaking to us. You can find The Essence of the Piece in 2000 AD Prog 2388, out right now wherever you get your Thrill Power, including the 2000 AD webshop.

We’re sure you’ll agree that both Ed and Sinu are both worthy winners of the contest and two names to keep an eye on for the future. We can’t wait to see what they deliver next.

You can find Ed Whiting online at Twitter. You can see more of Sinu Senan’s art over at Instagram and Cara.

And if reading about their pathway into the Prog and imagining your own route into making comics, there’s no better way to make that happen than to try out yourselves at the 2024 2000 AD/Thought Bubble search for the next script and art droids. Thought Bubble takes place on 16/17 November 2024.

You can find everything you need to enter here. And who knows, this time next year, it could be you not believing your work is appearing in the Prog!!

Now, we’ll end with the full-sized versions of Sinu’s rough, pencil, and inks that he so kindly showed us…