What is 'Ian in Communism Land?'
'Ian in Communism Land' is a comic on the World Wide Inter-web. It is the sequel of a comic I drew in 2000 titled 'Communism and You,' which introduced Ian's role as a capitalist freedom fighter, and his mortal enemy, Mecha-Stalin.
This time around, Ian has arrived in Communism Land after falling through a transdimensional portal that he found for a very good price at a garage sale. Now it's up to Ian to make it out intact.
When does it update?
'Ian in Communism Land' updates once a month. I haven't the time (or inclination) to do it much more than that. Besides, the monthly format works best for telling this story, since I can spend as much time as I need drawing each one.
Who makes this comic?
Joshua Gulch, Internet Star. I live in Toledo, Ohio, and am a history major at the University of Toledo. This comic isn't so much fiction as it's based on the real life adventures of my good pal Ian Malcolm.
Ian Malcolm? Like in Jurassic Park?
I don't think I can get into copyright issues with Universal Studios/Amblin Entertainment, Steven Spielberg and/or Michael Crichton, since the real Ian Malcolm this story is based on was born many years before Crichton wrote a character of that name in Jurassic Park. It was an interesting moment though, when the first thing Ian ever said to me was "My name's Ian Malcolm ... like in Jurassic Park."
How long does each comic take to create?
The answer to that can be found in the special behind the scenes article.
How long will the comic run for?
'Ian in Communism Land' was only supposed to run for a year, a total of twelve issues. However, I keep adding stuff, so the story will continue indefinitely, until the end comes about naturally.
What happened in 2005?
A number of things happened very early on in 2005 that prevented the comic from running for an entire year. So don't think that I was just too lazy to draw it, because I did want to continue. It's just that the politics of the time prevented my drawing it out of respect. But now everything's been worked and all is well in the world. So this, friends, is why the archives jump from December 2004 to February 2006.
What was the deal with Khrushchev's Dream?
I really wanted to take a time out from the narrative and do an "origin" story, showing the background of the people involved and how they all relate to one another. That was the main reason. The other reason was that I needed a time-out in order to work out what was coming up in the story. At that point work on the comic ended for a year, and when I came back I went ahead with the origin story, now in part because I still wanted to do it, but also to reintroduce people to the events going on. Ian in Communism Land is rooted in history, and it's important to have a basic working knowledge of that history in order to really get some of the material. Khrushchev's Dream presents that history from Nikita's self-glorifying perspective.
Will there be any merchandise?
There is currently a store featuring Communism No! shirts and items. I want to release an 'Ian in Communism Land' printed collection after the comic has finished its run. To make it worth while, the book would be packed with behind the scenes information and concept drawings. In other words, things you can't see for free on the website.
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