Tease Time: first burlesque webcomic debuts in Portland

Webcomics are able to cover any subject under the sun, but local producer/performer Frankie Tease has started what may be the first burlesque-style webcomic. Miss Tease, who writes about Portland burlesque news for Examiner.com, has teamed up with David Herrick to produce the weekly Tease Time Comics, filled with mystery and adventure in a classic style. The Portland Comic Books Examiner spoke with Tease Time Comics' creators about their new endeavor.

Christian Lipski: What was the inspiration for creating a webcomic?
Frankie Tease: I was an avid reader of a photo webcomic that was Portland-specific around 2007. Its name escapes me and I've lost the address. It was a slice of life, hilarious comic about real Portland places, with captions and stories based on friends and players the artist/creator recruited. I love drawing, but this type of new immediate-style comic excited me very much. You would see places and things you knew in Portland neighborhoods you loved. Sorry I can't remember its name; and to the creator: Thank you!

Originally I had the idea for a slightly suggestive pin-up kitchy cheesecake photo comic with captions.
I secured TeaseTime.com and published this taking photos myself, and writing funny captions. There was no story and I abandoned the idea when I realized this idea needed to be manifested with much more depth and respect. I wanted a vintage feel to the comic, and this year I met the right person to manifest the original Tease Time Comics vision with beautiful style and lines in tribute to the strips you might see in the NY times circa 1940 to early 1960.

CL: Do you follow any comics/webcomics? Which ones?
FT: Dinosaur Comics, Root Rot Comics, Achewood, and webcomicoverlook.com for abundant clicking.

CL: Have you done any comics writing before?
FT: Nope! I am an unpublished story writer. I have only been published as a columnist to this point.

CL: What inspires the stories you write for the comic?
FT: My ideas are going to be coming from the actual burlesque performers I've seen live, a movie that is a point of inspiration starring Jack Lemmon called How to Murder your Wife and from old Fire and Ice Frazetta full page comics. But both David and I are pretty affixed with the old dot-type comic strips of the 40's and 50's.

CL: How did you meet up with David?
FT: I met David the first month I began to hold LIVE ART character model short pose session for animators, at Backspace. He was in the back drinking coffee and drawing people really, really small and I said, "Do you want to join our drawing group, which is open to the public?" He came over and I was ASTONISHED at his talent and his youth. The rest as they say, is history. That was October or November 2010.
 
CL: How long have you been involved with burlesque?
FT: I have been really studying burlesque as a genre and to perform since 2005, but I began producing events of my own in 2008.
 
CL: What do you enjoy most about the art of burlesque?
FT: First I love the element of surprise. I love the tribute to mid-century Americana akin to the vintage scene that I got into via swing in Hollywood circa 1995. I enjoy that it involves a certain bawdiness and a social commentary of the world. I enjoy that it doesn't take itself too seriously. I enjoy women having a voice on stage that is however they want it to be, and any age or shape too, anything goes. This genre is run by women. I enjoy the variety MOST. The classic burlesque stages exposed (pun intended) people to skills, skits, and acts they could never have imagined. We hope to do the same at the shows we produce here in Portland. The art of tease is so missing in today's society. It's fun to engage the audience, and to watch the smiles, happiness and reactions of our audiences.

CL: What makes Portland a good choice for burlesque?
FT: Portland has a rich history of Vaudeville and strip tease. One of my favorite performers was a regular here "Tempest Storm". It makes you realise who started the popular use of the name "storm" for strippers!

CL: David, tell me about your choice of art style for Tease Time Comics. It's quite different from Root Rot.
David Herrick: The style choice is based largely on the feel that we're going for with the comic. We felt that a strip form comic would be better to carry the humor and the halftone coloring works better with the throwback theme.

CL: What's your process for drawing the strip?
DH: Well, first I do a quick thumbnail sketch so I can see about where everything is going to line up. Then, sketch it and ink it on bristol board. Next, I scan it into the computer and throw grey-scale tones in with photoshop. Then, I convert those tones into a halftone pattern, draw the speech bubbles and that's about it.

CL: What is your writing collaboration with Frankie Tease like? Does she send you ideas, vice versa, or both?
DH: Frankie and I bounce Ideas off of each other, but in general, Frankie handles most of the writing.

FT: DEFINITELY BOTH. I think the process is still changing since it's our 4th strip. I trust David's judgement unconditionally for the execution of my vision, he's great to work with.

CL: Who are your role models in comic art?
DH: Todd McFarlane (Spawn), Aaron Alexovich (Serenity Rose), Doug TenNapel (Earthboy Jacobus). I know there's more but I can't think of them at the moment.

CL: Do you attend burlesque shows to get inspiration, like Toulouse Lautrec?
DH: It's a little tough for me to go to burlesque shows because most of them are 21+, but I came to the table with a general knowledge of burlesque and Frankie fills in the blanks with loads of pictures and video.

CL: When you're not drawing, what are you usually doing?
DH: This is a tough question. I am usually drawing. Um... I go to film school so there's a lot of that. I spend a fair amount of time writing, I guess. I've been known to play a video game or two. But yeah, mostly I'm drawing something.

Tease Time Comics publishes every Wednesday.