Interview: Leikoi
By Sophie Minello
Leikoi is a Canadian comic artist who has a superb talent in creating compelling atmospheres in his work. He is the author and artist behind HAZESHIFT, a post-war dystopian webcomic that balances dark themes with two adorable main characters. In a polluted world, two boys come to rely on each other. Lei showcases a breathtaking ability in world building through this work that is sure to leave you stunned. Check out our interview with them below, and be sure to check out the comic HAZESHIFT.
What is your background in art?
Oh boy... I started when I was about 13. I just wanted to draw cool anime people. I never went to school for it, it was just something I really enjoyed doing.
What gave you the idea for HAZESHIFT?
Oh man so many things. It started when I was 14 and someone said I should make a comic out of my ideas. So I started writing some story involving a cast of friends in a pollution stricken world. It was nothing more than a jumbled mess of ideas for so many years, and I think I rewrote it at least 10 times.
Eventually I came to the main points of the story being post-war pollution, dystopia, disabilities, and deaf communication. With a lot of inspiration coming from series like No.6, and historical events such as the Great Smog of London.
But I was still too scared to start. I didn't have any connections to the art community, no idea where to begin with comic making. Until I met someone off an art subreddit who helped me immensely; he now makes a comic called Petty Teddy. As well as another webtoon creator, fantakoi, who does Ghost Lights. They helped explain to me the basics of where to start. They were the final driving force that helped me start HAZESHIFT.
What tools do you use to draw?
Just your regular ol' Intuos and Paint Tool SAI
What is your process for creating your comic?
I refer to my original text document of the storyline and just... scribble vaguely characterized stickmen. I know, super professional. Then over a couple weeks I fully illustrate each stickman scene in a separate SAI canvas, pasting them into the storyboarding once I'm done.
That's just how I do it though. I've heard a lot of different methods.
Why did you choose to release your work through Webtoon’s platform?
I figured self-publishing would be a disaster, since I would have zero exposure and would need to direct people to my comic. So I looked for a platform. It came down to either Tapas or Webtoon. Webtoon seemed to be much friendlier to new creators and had better benefits. I might expand to Tapas sometime soon though, once I have the print version of HAZESHIFT formatted. I feel like Tapas would be a nice alternative for PC readers.
What drew you towards the comic format?
Well, I wanted to tell a story. Animation was beyond my capacity, and I failed English in school so a novel wasn't in my best interest either. Comics are a nice medium between the two.
There are lots of dark themes in HAZESHIFT. How do you balance the darkness and the wholesomeness, both in the comic and in your life?
Yin-yang y'know? Can't have good without the bad. In HAZESHIFT I try to stretch the highs and lows as far as possible so the wholesome moments are a lot more meaningful.
In my personal life I'm pretty sheltered and privileged so I'm just a happy goof. And I have NO complaints, man. I'm perfectly content with my chocolate milk and weighted blankets. But that may be why I lean towards darker themes in fiction. For that yin-yang balance. I crave blood, father.
HAHA, kidding.
As the boys learn ASL in the story, you’re also studying the language. Learning a language for a comic is a huge commitment, what made you want to delve into Deaf culture and ASL in your story?
Despite failing English in a similar fashion to Spongebob failing every single driving test he took... I really like alternate language. I wanted to learn it so I could portray Slade and Calico talking in a proper way, minimizing inaccuracies. But also because I think it's something everyone should know.
Mind you I'm not taking any classes for it yet, and I'm only learning single words for now just cause I want to primarily focus on my comic. So don't give me too much credit haha.
You have a major talent in creating compelling atmospheres. How would you say you developed this skill?
I'm actually so glad people seem to think so. Cause I have no idea what I'm doing, man. All I do is try haha.
Who are some artists that inspire you?
@MrJest_Art and @fantakoi. They're both great artists and both helped me start on my comic. I have high respect for them.
When you’re not working on the comic, what do you enjoy doing?
Talkin' with friends and goofing off in video games haha.
Check out Leikoi’s amazing comic here!
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