“
How the hell did I end up here?
I certainly had no intentions of making this comic. There was, in fact, no comic to be made. Sunstone was the end result of the deepest fast-food and burn-out I have ever experienced in my life.
It was three years ago. I had just finished my last issue of Witchblade, a comic that I had lived and hated at that point.
Comics itself had nothing to do with it ... [sic.] Truth was, artistically speaking, I hit a wall and there was no way past it. In my eyes I wasn't a storyteller anymore. I was a grinder going through the emotions.
And I was burnt out.
So there I was, sitting and hate-staring my computer monitor...
or way...too...long...
,
Something had to change. I had to find the spark, which by that time, I had obviously lost. I started reminiscing about those great outbursts of inspiration and drive I experienced in my past.
And there, I remembered it. The most exciting moment of my career. It was just before I got hired by Top Cow. I was in my early twenties, and my dream was to become a comic artist. Chances of this living in Croatia were slim to none, but my work was noticed, and I got asked to do a fetishistic erotic comic.
Not all that unusual in Europe.
I was ecstatic. For the first time I would be able to help my family by doing something I love. I remember drawing up a storm. I drew over 30 sample pages, and then crazily enough, Top Cow's offer came in.
I had to make a choice. And it was a choice I never regretted.
But I remembered something about those long list sample pages ... They were expressive.
There was so much energy to them ... Energy that got lost in my work over time as a result of trying to emulate other people's work.
I shrugged ... said "Fuck it!" turned to Linda, and told her about my idea ...
”
”
Stjepan Šejić (Sunstone, Vol. 1)