The Man Behind JL8: Interview with Yale Stewart

Yale Stewart is a comic artist who has worked with major comic publishers like Marvel, DC, Image, and Boom! His most well-known work is the web-comic, JL8, featuring the Justice League in elementary school. He was kind enough to take a few minutes during the convention to answer a few questions.

Daily Dragon (DD): What made you decide to be an artist?

Yale Stewart (YS): That’s a tough question. It’s just what I’ve always done. One of my first memories is being in pre-school finger painting Michelangelo, the ninja turtle. I’ve never really considered doing anything else. There was never a lightbulb moment. The light was just always on.

DD: What inspired JL8?

YS: Boredom. I was in between projects because I’d just moved back to St. Louis.  I needed something to keep me busy, and it just seemed like a good idea.

DD: Do you have a favorite JL8 character?

YS: Whoever I’m focusing on in the moment. Because when I’m doing that I can see all their positives and negatives. As cliché as it is, it’s like asking me to choose my favorite child, because they are children.

DD: You’ve been to Dragon Con before; how many years have you been coming? What makes you come back each year?

YS: I’ve been coming since 2010, so this is my sixth year. First of all, I have a lot of close friends here and that makes it easy. But besides that, it’s just fun. It’s a lot of fun.

DD: What’s your favorite part of Dragon Con?

YS: People watching. Pretty much everything I do at DC that I enjoy, whether I’m doing it actively or not, it’s always an option. So yeah, I think all of the people watching is the best part of the show.

DD: Do you have any other projects besides JL8 currently?

YS: A few; unfortunately, I don’t think I’m allowed to talk about them that much. One is with Dynamite, I can at least say that much. So JL8, Dynamite, and some freelance stuff. Nothing too spectacular, honestly.

DD: Do you have anything new planned for the future?

YS: I’ve been trying to come up with some new stuff. There are definitely ideas there. I’m trying to figure out how to make those ideas work and if they’re ideas that will hold my interest for a long period of time and not just while I’m brainstorming. So nothing in the immediate future, but I’m always looking for what will be next.

DD: Can you tell us a little about what’s coming up for JL8?

YS: Bruce and Karen’s date.

DD: What fandoms are you interested in besides DC Comics?

YS: I’m a Marvel guy through and through. The DC thing happened because it seemed to work with the concept. I’m a fan of anything. Okay, that’s not true; there are things that aren’t my fandom. But I’m very into a large group of things for sure.

DD: Where can fans find you this weekend?

YS: The best place is Artist Alley at Table 21.

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