Ryan Claytor is currently touring the country and a couple provinces in Canada, making stops at numerous comic stores along the way to sell his   self-published creation: And Then One Day. He took to the road back in early May 07 and will finish just in time for the Comic Con International on July25^th in San Diego. I had a chance to visit with Ryan in Austin, TX, one of his stops through the south. Ryan was relaxed, open and friendly in sharing his experience, with an easy smile and a cute sort of boyish handsomeness about him.   

We started chatting right away and Ryan offered to sketch in one of his books for me as we talked.

Ryan Claytor: How do you spell your name? I always ask because I remember when I was a kid, I went to see one of my favorite artist and he misspelled my name. He thought I said Brian instead of Ryan. So I have this really good sketch, and it doesn’t have my name on it.

CBB: Oh no! And for a kid, that’s hard.

Ryan Claytor: Yes. (boyishly) I’m too small to say anything…

CBB: Elephant Eater! Let’s start with that. How did you come up with the name?

Ryan Claytor: That’s from when I was a kid, something my Dad used to say. He would say, it’s just like eating an elephant, you just do it one bite at a time. And that’s really how I approach anything in life, be it grad school, or doing the books, or doing this tour… my way of paying tribute to my pop still.

CBB: Give me a quick description of your books, for those not familiar with your work.

Ryan Claytor: It’s an autobiographical series, but not quite so angsty, not quite so downtrodden… it’s more focused on recognizing the little things that happen in life. Those things we don’t always notice that really make life. In the first book, each page is one day, kind of like a diary.

CBB: What made you take off on this tour?

Ryan Claytor: It’s a dream. I had been thinking about it for a while. I tied it with the release of my new book, which was a bit of a close call. It’s a way for me to get to know more store owners, get to know more of my readers… I’m staying with a lot of friends and family, which definitively helps with cost. Here’s the schedule... you can see from that that I crammed it right with the end of the semester up to the Comic Con in San Diego. That’s my summer vacation right there.

CBB: What will you be doing once this tour is done? Grad school?

Ryan Claytor: I’ve been teaching for 4 years now and it’s become apparent to me that to continue I need a Masters Degree. I’m getting an MFA with a Multimedia emphasis at the Sand Diego University. I teach things like Photoshop, Illustrator, intro to graph design programs and webtools.

CBB: How much of the process of putting your books together to do you? Layouts, computer work, etc.

Ryan Claytor: All books are printed in duo-tones. I do everything… drawing, ink, scan, layout, colors in Photoshop… everything. All the printer has to do is press go.

CBB: Any crazy… funny… scary stories from the road?

Ryan Claytor: Ha, ha.. well, no, nothing too much. Or maybe driving through Arizona in triple digit weather. And there was a stop in Las Vegas… I stayed with my niece who’s a bartender there. She took us to Studio 54 and we got in like rock stars… got in the VIP area… people literally throwing money around. Wow. That was something. It’s been a fun experience the whole was through. I’m barely a third of the way. A little car trouble in Arizona, but I think it was just because of the heat. Once I got out of Arizona it’s been fine, so let’s hope it continues.

CBB: Should we expect a book about the trip?

Ryan Claytor: Ha, ha, ha… That’s the most asked about question on this tour! Not promising! Not promising anything! I’ve got a different project I’m working on that will come before anything about the trip. I’m sure something from the trip will show up somewhere.

CBB: What do you most look forward to once done?

Ryan Claytor: To just relax a bit! I like driving, and I like meeting people… but most people don’t realize, you’ve got to be “on” all the time… people underestimate how taxing this is. (laughing) I will look forward to my own bed again. And if you look, I did plan in little breaks here and there. The end of June in Calgary, Canada... I’ll visit with my brother up there, I plan on going camping a little bit.

CBB: Anything else you’d like to say? Some deep dark secrets you’d like me to announce to the world?

Ryan Claytor: (laugh) No, no, I think that’s it.

CBB: Thank you very much for your time. It was great visiting with you. You are certainly doing what a lot of us dream of doing.

Ryan Claytor: Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you too.

I purchased both The collected And Then One Day (books 1-4) and Ryan newest, The Autobiographical Documentary (book 6). Ryan’s work is honest and insightful. I found it to be indeed full of the little things in life that make us smile at how so very human we all are. Ryan sees the lighter side of life, even in the midst of heavier experiences. His hand becomes more assured as the book evolves, and his cartoons are bursting with expressions. Book 6 is a documentary of what his friends and acquaintances think of him. It is hilarious and charming in its simplicity and honesty. Recommended reading.

See more of Ryan Claytor and his books and get the In-Store Signing Tour schedule, visit here: www.ElephantEater.com