Being a part of Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology, I have been fortunate enough to meet a lot of really cool people and make a lot of really good friends. Jerry Ma fits into both categories. The founder of design studio Epic Proportions and Art Director of Secret Identities, Jerry is not only one of the most talented people I know, he’s also a really cool guy. Recently, I had the chance to talk to Jerry for this exclusive PCS interview.

I know you’re probably sick of telling this story, but talk about how you and I met, and how that led to you being part of Secret Identities.

Sheesh… I guess it was about, like, four years ago at the Wizard World Philadelphia Con? At the time I was pursuing my dream of being a comic artist. So I was self publishing my book BURN, and I had been exhibiting at comic conventions in Artist’s Alley with my friend Ken Knudtsen, who is the creator/artist of My Monkey’s Name is Jennifer. And over in Artist’s Alley, I believe you initially approached me to purchase a Bruce Lee t-shirt. From there, we started a conversation about doing an Asian American Superhero Comic together. And honestly, in Artist’s Alley, I gotta believe most artists are approached all the time with a “great idea” from tons of people. When I first heard your “pitch,” I just figured you were another one of those guys. Sorry.

No offense taken. It’s all good.
But in our conversation, once you mentioned Jeff Yang, I knew this project was legit. Luckily for me, you were more than just “another guy with a great idea,” and that’s when we really grabbed this thing by the horns and made this book come together.

What has been the best part about being a part of Secret Identities?
God, there are so many things. The obvious answer is how lucky I’ve been to work with all the people involved on the book. I mean, just look at the list of names; it’s really amazing. But for me, the true “best part” was probably when it really hit me on how important and necessary this book was. And that was back in February at Rutgers where all four of us editors–you, me, Jeff and Parry Shen–gave our first “Build a Hero” workshop and keynote speech at ECAASU. I mean, when we were on stage speaking in front of what looked like a thousand people… it was really moving for me. The impact of the book really hit me right then and there.

ECAASU was definitely a highlight. That said, what’s been the biggest drawback for you?
The biggest drawback? I lost a lot of sleep when getting the book ready for print, and I have to read a lot more emails than I’m used to, but there really hasn’t been a drawback at all. As an indie comic creator, I’m constantly wondering if the work I do is worth it. If people even notice it. With Secret Identities, there are no such thoughts, and any “drawback” is totally worth it.

Before Secret Identities, you had gotten away from comics for a while and was pretty focused on fashion and design. Do you have a preference for one type of art over the other?
I’ve had a strange route to where I am today. I’ve always wanted to draw comics. I love comics. I just love the medium. I believe that comic artists are the most underrated artists ever. But comics are also one of the most competitive industries to break into. Since I was doing my own books, I had to figure out ways to make a living so that I could afford to continue doing comics. So I figured I would take all the things that have inspired my artwork and apply them to one of my other interests like fashion.

Many people don’t know this, but while I was going to the School of Visual Arts to study illustration and comics, I was also taking night classes at FIT for fashion design. Anyway, I found doing t-shirt designs refreshing. It was quick and satisfying. I could sit at my art table and computer for one night and make a design. And then I was done. Just like that. It was amazing to me. I had a finished product in only one night’s worth of work. Whereas with a comic, it took me, like, three months to finish one book. So it isn’t that I prefer one over the other. I owe my imagination to comics, and I think having an interest in comics has made me a better artist and designer in general.

Who are some of your comic art influences? What other influences inform your fashion/t-shirt design?
I have a pretty eclectic group of artists and designers that I sweat. In no particular order: Walter Simonson, Ken Knudtsen, DHKY.com, Staple Design, NIKE, Travis Charest, Jim Lee, The Shaw Brothers, Bruce Lee, Amano, Haruhiko Mikimoto, Alphonse Mucha, Sapporo Beer, Daiginjo Grade Sake, Johnnie Walker Blue, Adam Hughes, Larry Hama, Greg LaRocque, Cliff Chiang, Bernard Chang, Shu Qi, Moebius, Wendy and Richard Pini, Kelly Hu, and of course New York City.

Yeah, you’re definitely not shy about being a native New Yorker and your love for the city. From your World Series tribute tee to that old design of John Starks “dunking”–that I, as a die-hard Bulls fan, must remind you wasn’t all that impressive. Anyway, how does New York inform your art, if at all?
[Laughs] FIRST of all, the DUNK was amazing. I actually had a chance to have lunch with John Starks this year where I was able to give him [a shirt] and have him sign one for myself. But New York is seriously an amazing city. I do some traveling–and I love seeing other cities–but every time I leave, I just can’t wait to get back to New York. It has been my biggest influence. Everything from the nightlife to the people to just the city streets themselves. There is a story in every crack of New York.

What was the original inspiration for creating Epic Proportions?
Well, I remember sitting on the couch with my older brother watching Enter the Dragon together. And when Han, the actor Shih Kien, who passed away earlier this year in June, rest in peace brother, said the line,”this will truly be a tournament of epic proportions,” that is when my brother stopped the DVD, looked at me and said, “THAT is what we’re calling ourselves.”

How’d you get into designing t-shirts?
Well, like I’ve said before, comics can be tough. So for a long time, I had to figure out how I was going to make a living while doing something creative. Another thing most people don’t know about me is that I
actually worked at Morgan Stanley right out of college. I basically did all this crap work for them. But it paid really well. After four and a half years of that, I just quit and decided to self-publish my own comics. When I realized that I was going to lose all that Morgan Stanley money I had saved up, I had to get a new job. And I actually got a job designing socks. Uggghhh… that sucked. But I quickly started hopping from design job to design job. And along the way, I picked up the skills and knowledge to start my own line of tees. And it really has been the perfect medium for me as it allows me to apply all sorts of interests I have.

Do you have a favorite tee in particular?
I’d probably have to go with my “86″ shirt, which is a Mets tribute shirt. And it happens to be the very first
design I ever did for myself.

Do you have any plans or ambitions to go into other types of design work? For instance, any interest in designing kicks or vinyl?
Right now, my schedule is pretty full. But I am always open to doing new types of work. I mean… I LOVE LOVE LOVE sneakers and toys. But currently, I’m hoping to help get Secret Identities Vol. 2 completed. And I’m actually helping out our mutual pal and editor Parry Shen with a project of his. This is probably something you’ll have to ask him about though.

You have a pretty big following at places like SDCC and NYCC. How’d you get into the comic convention scene? How much has it changed for you since you first started out?
Oh boy. I’ve been going to comic conventions for quite some time now. I mean… we met at a comic convention! [Laughs.] But I first started off by exhibiting in Artists Alley. And I remember…the very first con I had gone to was the National in NYC. I split a six-foot table with Ken Knudtsen and had no idea what to expect. We just plopped our comics on top of the table and had two bottles of booze under the table. [Laughs] Ya know, just to help us get through the day. And then, my older brother’s girlfriend at the time wanted to come see what the hell I was doing there as she wanted to see why I had quit my job at Morgan Stanley for. And she friggin’ brought my mother with her! I was so embarrassed. My mom was standing in front of our table telling everyone to look at her son’s very first comic. And she was taking pictures of me and Ken. At the end of that day, though, thanks to my Mom, I sold the most comics ever in one day. So…thanks Mom. I love you for being there for me when it all started. So I tell you this because…I HAD to have my Mom see what this has all become nowadays. As she really doesn’t know how much this has grown until very recently. But at the San Diego Comic Con, like, three years ago, my mother was there with me again. I brought her in on a Saturday, which is like a Zoo in there. But she thought it was weird that I wanted her to come all the way to San Diego to see my six-foot table with Ken! [Laughs] So she comes with my grandmother and my cousins and see that now I have this humble little booth with people sometimes lining up to see me. [Laughs] It was great. She was so happy for me. And I was so happy to show her I wasn’t wasting all of my time. But you know as well as I do that this past year. I mean, wow. I’ve had the honor of doing a Walter Simonson t-shirt. He was even at my booth signing autographs.

I’ve recently had Geoff Darrow send me artwork for the second shirt in my new Signature Series Line, which will be a line of shirts illustrated by who I believe to be the “elite” in our industry. And of course, we’ve had Secret Identities at the booth which brought Jeff, Parry, you, Cliff Chiang, Bernard Chang, Kelly Hu, Keiko Agena, Gene Yang, Sonny Liew and even Larry Hama to the Epic booth! It’s really been a long road, and one that made me want to quit many times. But now, I look forward to everything that is ahead.

Recently, you relaunched “Space Ranger” as a webcomic. How has that been going? Can you talk about the story and how you and your brother came up with it?
I love it. This book first came out years ago. Every character in the book–and I mean every character–is based off of someone I know. Even the background characters just walking on the streets. Which is what makes it so personal to my younger brother Jim (he writes it) and myself. But really, we just wanted to do this webcomic as a chance to finish up what we started. Basically, all of our comics are about these two characters Troy and Meiling. They’re about destiny and fate and how everyone in this world is destined to be with someone else. And that you might not meet them in this lifetime, but you will in another. So we took the same two characters and started them off in old school China with The Eighth Dragon. Then, we took them to present time Chinatown in BURN. Then, we took them through a sci-fi background in The Movement. And finally, we end it all in the cute futuristic galaxy of “Space Ranger.” In every story we tell, Troy and Meiling never get together. In our last book, we allowed them to finally find peace with each other. Since we never had a chance to finish that story, we decided to do this webcomic as our outlet to finish the story we’ve always wanted to tell.

Is there a difference doing webcomics vs. traditional comics?
At first, I thought doing a webcomic was going to be fun and easy. And I have quickly realized that it is a ton of work. But the main difference is in the “canvas.” The layout of each comic page is much
different from the webcomic strip. And of course, the pacing of the webcomic is much quicker than that of an actual comic as you just don’t have the time to dilly dally around with a webcomic.

Finally, what is it about the “Jerry Ma charm” that makes you irresistible to the ladies?
Ha! I don’t know how much “charm” I have as I’m still single. But I know she’s out there waiting for me. Just like in our storyline. I just gotta go find her.

Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team