Conversations with Jorge Santiago

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jorge Santiago.

Hi Jorge, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a storyteller for a long time, but I made my first graphic novels as a sophomore in high school. After years and years of honing my craft and learning intricate story and illustration construction, I’ve been working in both the professionally published comics sphere and the indie self-published comics sphere, where I think I truly belong. My webcomic Curse of the Eel, with over 1.4 million views on the webcomic platform Tapas, just completed it’s 26th chapter, and with it, I self-published my 5th volume of the series!

In addition to writing and drawing my own stories, I’ve also been working as an educator, teaching illustration and storytelling classes at Kennesaw State University. As much as I enjoy telling my own tales, helping the next generation of storytellers is an honor I cherish every time I step into a classroom.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think over the years I’ve had to face the challenges of just getting older. When I was younger, I could draw for. hours and live on minimal sleep, but as an adult, I need to be far more healthy and responsible in order to continue working in art. I pride myself on my speed and art quality, but as I’m in my 40’s now, that creativity needs proper support.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a storyteller, focusing on sequential art and comics. I’ve spent decades studying film, animation, comics from around the world, all in the hopes of creating better narratives myself. I think I’m known for my characters, and how much people can connect with their struggles on the page, and how I use my art to make those feelings clear to my readers. I’ve spent over two decades building stories in sequential art, and I think even if someone else had the blueprints for my stories, very few people could tell them like I can. It’s all in the structure, no panel is an accident.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
One of the things I’ve become very interested in in the last decade is medieval history. I’ve become obsessed with fantasy stories, my new story Honor Bound is inspired by medieval events, and I’ve been enjoying finding resources for how medieval life was lived, such as The History Squad and Modern History TV on Youtube, which make learning history super interesting, and help give me insight into how I can make my period stories feel more authentic.

I’m also a huge fan of music, from the electronic hip-hop artist Blockhead, to dungeon synth artist Witchbolt, to Beethoven, I can’t create without music to get lost in.

Pricing:

• Curse of the Eel volumes are 20$ each
• Curse of the Eel vol 1-5 bundle is 90$
• Honor Bound chapter 1 is 10$
• Rare Drops volume 1 is 15$

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.jorgesantiagojr.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jorgesantiagojr/
• Twitter: https://x.com/#%21/JorgeSantiagoJr