Questions and Answers with Tom West and others:
Questions involving ZA4M with Author and Illustrator Tom West:
Q: where did the idea for this series come from, and what made you eventually decide to do it? (citizen from Paradigm high, 2009)
A: I have always found the Zombie apocalypse thing to be both frightening and fascinating. I have watched as many movies and played as many games based on Zombies as much as i could, and found many ups and downs to each. One in particular is comedy, sure there's shaun of the dead, zombieland, and even plants vs zombies, but those movies and games are designed to impress a specific age group, mainly mature adults. I wanted to create a series that has more of a story driven quality, but still be insanely humorous by all ages. Something that any one person of any age can enjoy and read. Also, I wanted to show an aspect to what a Zombie apocalypse could be that no one else has ever truly done.
Q: what specific genre would you consider this series to be? (citizen bystander, 2010)
A: I see this as an action/ mystery comedy, it certainly is not a horror series...
Q: have you ever considered making this a Horror series? (same bystander)
A: Once or twice, however I knew that a comedic side had to be done. Not everything has to be taken seriously, especially in a world where people do take things seriously. Horror stories are taken seriously, if it ain't scary or well story driven then it ain't good according to people of today, I wanted to avoid such conflicts. However, I am [going] to release a Spin-off story called Asylum Z, which will be a Horror story.
Q: why a comic? (Paradigm Citizen, 2010)
A: I like doing comics. I started doing comics way back when I was at least 12 years of age. Whenever I come up with a story I always consider the possibility of that story being a comic book. I do write stories also, but my drawing instincts always invest in one way or another. To have Zombies and 4 Morons be a comic book trilogy is an excellent idea! People can see illustrations of how I see the story in my mind, and also read what's going on at the same time.
Q: were the four Morons (Shrew, Geoff, Tom, and Craig) always considered as the main protagonists, or did you have other characters in mind? (Personal friend, 2009)
A: I originally had the idea of using Tyler, Shrew, Geoff, and Tom as the main protagonists. Then I ultimately had Tyler removed cause he had been in everything else TAD related and wanted to have a different approach with Zombies. Then I just had the original three in mind, until i met Craig Tangren at Paradigm High. We quickly became friends and, Ironically, he also knew Shrew and Geoff. It was then that I decided to also use Craig, thus the four were made.
Q: is every character in the ZA4M comics portrayed after a specific person? (Relative, 2011)
A: Many are, but some are not, and some characters are later designed after how a specific person acts but not completely portrayed after that person. I have always had my friends and family members portrayed in the comics and stories, given that I have permission by that person to do so. Sometimes I even introduce relatives and families of my friends (Tyler's sister for example).
Q: Have you ever wanted to expand your stories into a movie or something? (Bystander 2011)
A: Actually, we were planning to make a movie to show at the sundance film festival back in 2010. Craig Tangren was going to produce, while I was the lead producer and writer. We even had many people willing to play Zombie leads, but the script proved to be Difficult to write and expand on the story (if we precisely followed the story in the comic, it would have been a 30 minute movie). Also we had problems getting Geoffrey Porter and Alex Sherman to play the leading roles of Geoff and Shrew, for they had busy schedules and school issues. Therefore the Movie project was canceled. However, I am going to start selling attire such as shirts and hats. And I am also going to be writing a legit story Spin-off called "Asylum-Z" which I hope to get published.
Q: How about a Video Game? (close friend 2012)
A: That actually, and hopefully, will happen sometime. The game will tell the story of all three comics and will be a side scroller action-shooter RPG with elements similar to games such as Mario, Super meat boy, and Zelda. You'll be able to play the four morons (Shrew, Geoff, Craig, and Tom) as well as unlockable characters (Dr. Holder, Krackhead, Hat) and, of course, boss fights. However, the game will not come out or be made until the third comic is completed.
Q: Why is the third book taking so long to make? And why is the second book taking forever to be downloadable? (Bystander 2012)
A: The third book is taking long because i'm actually putting effort into it. The first two were the same in quality and detail, and I had some bad moments where I would misspell and write things the wrong way. The third book will be so detailed in Quality and Detail, and even in spelling, that it's taking a bit longer to make. The second book is much longer than the first, because it has much more story depth to it, so it's taking a while too. [EDIT] the book will now be two separate downloads.
Q: How difficult is this series compared to other ones you have made? (bystander 2011)
A: Pretty hard, other comics I've made like TAD shorts and Natural Disasters were easy to make cuz they were meant to give a good laugh and entertainment. Zombies and 4 morons is for entertainment too, but i also care about the story. So I take the series to heart in a sense.
Q: Will the third book be the last? (Good fan 2011)
A: For the main story arch that revolves around the Four morons, yes it will be the last for their story will be a trilogy. However, there will eventually be a spin-off book revolving around a different character, and even a prequel story if it need be. I'll also be doing a contest where people can write their own story ideas about what happens in the five year gap between the first and second book when the 4 morons are not present.
