Lucky for me, Jake Karns seems to have the same sort of appetites, 'cause his most recent line of self-published, digest-sized splatter rags, dubbed Fukitor, showcase a combination of all those things for which my gangrene grey matter hungers. These hilariously warped n' whacked-out comics are loaded out the yin-yang with extreme blood-soaked carnage, big-titted bimbos runnin' 'round naked as jaybirds, big-ass ugly mutants n' monsters, supremely vicious sexual violence, and lots of f-bombs. Lots and lots of f-bombs. Then there's the fiercely independent, staunchly nonconformist, brutal-as-hell poseur-crushing headbanger attitude that practically drips out of these damn books, like wet ink oozing off the page.

Did I mention all those f-bombs?

Of course, Fukitor isn't the first mongoloid beastie Karns has let loose from the prison of his mind to ravage the underground comic book landscape. Ol' Jakey-boy's been around for a long time. Earlier releases include such titles as Tales From Uranus, Tomb Of Satanic Gore, Crypt Of Sadism, and Bloody Skull Comix. You may have heard of some o' those books, or you may not have. If not, then you might be familiar with such metal bands as Frightmare, Ghoul, Fondlecorpse, Gorerotted, or Zombie Ritual, all of whom have featured Karns' highly distinctive style of cartoon mayhem as art for album covers.

Now, Mr. Karns is going to take the time to open up the rusty wrought-iron entrance to that forsaken cemetery of brain cells that is his psyche, and answer some questions for all you faithful BthroughZ readers. Ladies and gentlemen, enter... Fukitor.

About the same time I think, because I can remember watching monster movies as a little kid while reading comic books. But I'm sure it all really culminated when I first saw Romero's stuff in the 80's which made me seek out more movies with gore, such as H.G. Lewis' stuff and a lot of the Euro, Giallo, etc. Funny thing is I've always drawn sick art and comics, even as a kid. I had a normal childhood and all, just always seemed to lean towards the crazier imagery in my drawings. The movies just seemed to put the icing on the cake I guess. I was already drawing some pretty gory stuff when vhs came out,and suddenly there were all these movies available in the horror section that I'd never seen or heard of before, crazy foreign flicks with nudity and people getting stabbed in the eye, their guts ripped out, etc. My art started to reflect all that. But ironically it would be some years before I actually started what I do now.

How long have you been drawing now, and who are your biggest influences and inspirations?

I've been drawing since I could hold a crayon. Influences and inspirations are in the multiple dozens really, but I can try to narrow down some of the more prominent ones, and I'll try to go in order. I'd have to start with the man first, Jack Kirby. As a kid, I bought a few comics for awhile and mainly steered towards a lot of the 60s 70s material, so many big names in there that rattled my eager senses like Steranko, Wrightson, Starlin, Buscema, Severin, Barry Smith, Trimpe, and others I'm not recalling yet (on my first cup of coffee!). Then I would devour all I could of the Warren magazines, Eerie Publications, and even some Mad and Cracked. Then I'd discover reprints of even older stuff and got into Wolverton and all the great EC artists, especially Wally Wood. But things really opened up when I saw material by S. Clay Wilson. Right before this happened I was getting a little discouraged about where I wanted to take my drawing. I was even considering changing my style to fit more into the mainstream and try getting a job doing commercial shit, yuck! But Wilson's crazy stuff reminded me that I could do whatever I wanted, whatever felt right. And at that moment I also remembered a Kirby interview from the 80s where they asked him what his advice would be to young artists and his simple response was "find your own voice", essentially meaning do your thing, not what you think others want. So, all these influences I consider equal in importance, because they all led me to do what I do now, they've all played a part.

I know you're a big fan of the classic horror comics of yesteryear. What are some of your big favorites from back then?

Too many! But I can grade it on different levels. On the cheezy side, I would go with any and all the Eerie Publications. On a more artistic level I would obviously have to say just about all of the EC comics and even their competition, all pre-code of course. I mentioned Basil Wolverton earlier. I would still have to say he is a big favorite. I have some reprinted stuff, but once in awhile I will see something I hadn't seen before on a blogspot and just feel my brain light up! He had the coolest simple, yet dynamic approach to comics.

Are there any artists or comic titles out there nowadays that you're a fan of? What's your opinion about that current state of the comic book industry right now?

I don't really follow the comics these days. Money plays a big part in that, but it's also due to some disenchantment with all the computer graphics, shiney paper, and just overall slick, toxic, snobby feel that comic books seem to have nowadays. I almost got ill the last time I actually grazed down the aisle of a comic shop. Now, that said, I do believe there are some super talented fuckers doing some neato shit out there, it's just my desire has greatly waned since the days of newsprint and "hey, we have 3 pages of space, let's throw in a reprint from the old days!" versus " hey we have 3 pages of space to talk about ourselves and how cool and revolutionary our comic company is gonna be!". Egos have replaced the fun. So yeah, I'm the grouchy old man on the porch going "...back in my day...", but so be it. I do like what I've seen of Johnny Ryan's stuff and a while back I ordered a couple of issues of "Anal Intruders From Uranus" by Wes Crum, those are a riot.

Where did the idea for the new Fukitor line come from? How come you chose to discontinue titles like Tales From Uranus, Tomb Of Satanic Gore, and Bloody Skull Comix? And what made you want to reprint material from your older comics in Fukitor?

Glad you asked this one, because there's been a little confusion on this, all my fault of course, but I can clear this up here. Tales from Uranus started as more of a zine than a comic. When I decided to just focus on the comics I figured a name change was in order, and plus I had seen other people using the term "tales from Uranus" and figured it wasn't the most original name anyway. "Tomb of Satanic Gore" was just me playing with a different title (which I'm getting ready to do again, just won't be reprints...more on that later). Then I decided on Bloody Skull Comix. Those were fun, even got in some new material as they went. Then one day I happened to notice that for every order I was getting I was losing money. I was basically paying people about $2 to read my shit! Now, I have never had any delusions about this underground comix thing making me any substantial money, but I am already poor, and I don't need to get any poorer! So, instead of doubling the price overnight and potentially pissing everybody off I decided to shut it down completely and go into a little artistic seclusion, rethinking everything. Another factor at the time was my divorce and a job promotion that heaped on more responsibility at work. Reality was kinda coming at me from a few different fronts, so I had to hunker down and take it, otherwise I risked losing all desire to do my stuff. "Fukitor" came later as a fresh approach to all these comix I had worked hard on, getting them out there right with full bleed covers, even page counts, just basically streamlining it all into a working vehicle with of course, the right price tag. As it says on my site, I pencil, ink, letter, color, print, fold, staple, and mail all these by myself. I do depend on the existence of kinkos for my covers, but everything else is done at home by hand. A lot of personal time and sudden amounts of cash go into these little monsters and the nice round fee of 10 bones helps to make sure I don't lose my ass. New stuff is around the corner, definitely lots of stuff coming this year. All will be different titles though because I get bored now seeing the same logo on every cover, plus it's just fun to play with a new title everytime I get 20 pages of material ready to go. Right now I have about a dozen different stories at different levels of completion. I work on whatever I'm in the mood for. When 20 pages of shit is done I'll start the onslaught. But I'm taking my time. Some stories are getting longer than I planned, so the "20 page count vs. what will go with what under what title" keeps shifting. "Fukitor" will still be available as a nice little collection of all that older stuff, but I'm gonna have some fun with the different titles in the near future.

Where do most of your ideas for characters and/or stories come from?

Um, psychosis maybe, haha! I get some inspiration from watching trashy movies and staring at those old Eerie Publications. But most is just from my own warped brain. It all started when I was younger and trying to find crazy underground comix with boobs, gore, and humor. When I got frustrated in not finding much of that, I said "fuck it, I'll do my own".

Have you ever considered doing a non-anthology comic, with recurring characters returning in every issue and a cogent, ongoing story arc?

Not really. My characters tend to get killed off pretty quick. Plus, I don't think I'd ever get accused of having any "character development" in my comix. I like to keep it fast, tight, funny, and lowbrow.

Are there any ideas you have for stories or characters that you decide not to put in comic book form? What, for you, determines which ideas are worth your time and which aren't?

Once in awhile I will have something on my desk that suddenly "just isn't working for me" or "this is stupid, why am I torturing myself on this?" But about 90% of what I come up with sees fruition and eventually takes shape as a comic that I'm content with. My brain is pretty much in a clear concise line of thought on what I want to see and what I want to devote time to as art or comic book material.

How long does it take for a Karns-produced comic book to see the light of day, from start to finish, conception to completion?

It varies. Sometimes it's FOREVER, while other times it's "holy shit, can't believe I just belted those 5 pages out like that!". I'm doing it all for fun, so I stopped watching the clock years ago. If I put the beer down, turned the movies off, didn't socialize, and didn't need a job, then yeah, I'm pretty fast!

I know you used to do a lot of album art for some truly kick-ass fuckin' bands like Fondlecorpse and Zombie Ritual. Do you still ever do any album art or commission work, or are you focusing mainly on your comic book output?

You said it. I am just primarily focused on the comics. The cd art was fun and good practice, but it was time for me to move on to what I do now.

Do you have any stories or characters you've created that you're particularly, personally fond of? Any stand-out favorites?

I like them all for varying reasons, but yeah, some do stand out I guess. "Carny Tramp" seems to get a lot of laughs. I laughed out loud when I drew it. It was just a quickee 4 pager barrage of sleaze and filth that as I did it, I realized I had nailed something, not sure what...kinda that old exploitation film vibe I guess, coupled with the limitless boundaries of an underground comic. Even the girls like that one! I was pretty happy with "Zombie Gorebath" also..just a fun title and a fun premise, take all the ideas that have been used in zombie films and smash them all together in a few pages and destroy the world!

Your comic books are pretty fuckin' nasty, vulgar, and offensive. Just the way I like it. Ever get any backlash over the seemingly infinite scenes of rape, murder, or sexually explicit torture you put in your books? Anybody not "get it" and call you a psycho-mysogenist or something? Anyone claiming you hide subliminal messages in the panels, telling kids to kill themselves or some ridiculous shit like that?

Oh, there's people out there, always will be, that just "don't get it". Once in a while I'll get a comment from these fuckheads, or get a pic yanked off of myspace or something. I don't really give a shit anyway. I'm not trying to appeal to EVERYBODY in the first place. The people who know a little about the horror movie genre, underground comics, old paperback and men's magazine covers will automatically know where I'm coming from. It's all just an homage. When someone suggests I have a problem with women, or had a rough childhood, or trying to take out my aggressions in life through my art blah blah blah...I see them as the ones who "have a problem". If someone takes the time to look at something that, first off, they don't enjoy, and then tries to read more into it than what's really there, then that someone has the mental disorder, not me. Some people just don't know how to have fun. I think they're called "christians" or something like that?

How would you describe your art style, and, looking back, how would you say you've developed it/watched it evolve over the years?

A little cartoony with a hint of serious action style maybe? I think I've succeeded in combining a bit of Kirby with Wolverton and a dash of S. Clay wilson all glazed over with a 70s comic kinda feel. I don't think about it much. It just spills out. I don't keep a sketchbook. All my practice is on the comic pages. Any serious art critic would probably love pointing out all the flaws and gaffes, but I don't care really. It's all just for fun. I know when I've rushed through a panel vs. when I've really slapped in some serious detail and eye candy. As far as watching it develop, I have noticed a lot things are easier for me now. It's because of repetition. My brain constantly takes pictures I think, and as years go by I find myself able to quickly slam out certain imagery without even thinking about it at all, like my brain had it in there on file just waiting for me to send it to my hand. That sounds kinda deep, maybe a little pretentious too...I dunno how else to explain it. When I watched that Frazetta movie, there was a part about how he wouldn't draw anything for months, then suddenly unleash a bunch of amazing shit in just days, pissing off other artists that try a lot harder than that every day. Not comparing myself to Frank of course, but that part made me giggle a little, because I can be "that guy" once in awhile. I'll fuck around and fuck around and fuck around, drink, drink, put shit off, fuck around...then BOOM, a bunch of art comes spilling out. Don't plan it, can't plan it, it just is.

How would you describe the content of Fukitor, and the sense of humor your comics have, to someone who might be unfamiliar with your output?

I'd have to say something along the lines of "have you ever seen Mystery Science Theater? It's kinda like that but with bad words, boobs, and ultra violence...the things you wished would happen in those old cheezy b-movies" Otherwise, it's kinda hard to nail down. If a person "gets it", they get it. If I try to describe it too much to someone, I feel like I'm holding their hand too much, and that's not my style.

Obviously, you're stuff pushes the envelope. I want to say it pushes the boundaries of good taste, but I think it'd probably be more apt to describe Fukitor as taking the concept of "good taste" and raping it in the eyehole. What do you think, are there any boundaries you'd be hesitant to cross in one of your tales? Or is nothing off-limit?

I like your description! Oh, I dunno man, as far as what I wouldn't do...there's obvious things...not gonna have child porn in there...and speaking of porn, I try to keep a slight distance on that. There's sex, but I like to poke fun at it moreso that having cocks slamming into pussies panel after panel. I like that stuff, but it gets a little distracting when I'm drawing too much of it. I think REAL bad taste would be having a bunch of muscle guys in tight clothes beating the shit out of each other, but that's just me. Otherwise, my constant focus is on FUNNY. I know when something is just shock value versus when it's witty, tongue-in-cheek, "hey that's from that one movie" kinda bit. I always try to cater to my inner 12 year old I guess. A 12 year old that's killing zombie vampire witches with his giant cock.

On a similar note: gore! How much is to much? Is there ever enough?!?

My brain always knows where to draw the line. It just comes natural. Sometimes you have to have a boob ripped off, or a penis, while other times you have to have two characters talking to each other for a little bit...THEN have their boobs and dicks ripped off. It's a science really.

What are some of your own favorite horror flicks/directors/subgenres/etc.? How 'bout music, what bands and stuff are you into right now?

Whew...um gotta go with H.G.Lewis films and the original Romero trilogy of Dead flicks as all time favs. "The Mask of Satan" is one of my favorite movies of all time, as far as what do I watch repeatedly. Mexican Horror films are awesome and I like the Santo stuff too. Paul Naschy's stuff is always a winner, plus Spanish/italian horror in general. Jess Franco is a fav director of mine. His stuff is soooo sleazy, I love it. Jean Rollin slapped out some cool atmospheric stuff that I dig often. With music, it varies. For instance I'll be the loudest motherfucker in the room and say "Motorhead is the best band ever! Period! No further discussion!" but then turn around and listen to lounge jazz, department store in the 70s kinda stuff. So yeah, I'm a little rowdy with my styles. I like old Slayer, but I also like music with xylophones in it. I appreciate primitive satanic metal while also digging on some old fuzzed out garage rock. I stopped trying to be in "a clique" or "a scene" a long time ago. If something appeals to me, even for just a few days, I dig it and I tell friends about it. If I don't like something, instead of bitching about it and planning some violent overthrow of the music industry, I simply move on. There's plenty out there and there's room for everybody. Motorhead is the best though, seriously.

Issue #5 of Fukitor was the special "war" issue. Where did that come from? Any chance of any similar stuff in the future? Any more war stories, or special "theme" issues?

It just kinda happened. I read a lot of old Sgt. Rock and Sgt. Fury when I was a kid and I guess that coupled with a brief stint with GI Joe toys as a kid came out in some over-the-top war comic material. That whole "80s macho american pride on steroids" kinda thing was still lingering in my diseased mind is about the only way to explain it. I always prefer horror material, but sometimes I loosen up and attack something else for shits and giggles. Oh, and there's some WWII stuff coming later on, lots of nazis. And the crime stuff I'm slowly cramming out is gonna be similar to those old Mack Bolan/Phoenix Force paperback books, just good 80s cheeeezzz homage is the way I'd put it. It's all just an excuse to draw more gore.

So what's next? How long do you hope to keep Fukitor going for? And, aside from Fukitor, what else do you have up your sleeve? Any projects, comic book or otherwise, that you hope to accomplish anywhere on the horizon?

Just gonna keep slinging these crazy, gross-ass comic books. As I said earlier, gonna be playing with different titles, just change it up everytime I have 20 pages of filth ready to go. Most of the covers will be similar to pre-code comic styles. But what I really want to do is direct films...just kidding!

Alright, that's about it. Thanks again for taking the time to do this interview and everything.

Thanks man! I appreciate you covering my stuff. I'll do the usual self promotion thing now and just tell everybody to go to my blogspot, http://www.fukitor.blogspot.com is where it's at. I'm keeping the myspace and facebook pages up so people can find me, but I really just hang out on my blogspot page. Blogspots are more fun. Facebook is too much useless info and myspace are..well, they're just dicks over there. Some of you know all about that already. Anyway, thanks again William! Cheers to all who took the time to read my rambling bullshit and those of you who actually give a shit and "get it".

Until next slime... Stay sick!
Your pickled pal,
William Weird.