EMEL:  First and foremost, how long have you been drawing?

JORGE: I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. Drawing has always been my safe place, and I’m lucky that, to this day, I still enjoy it just like when I was a child. I think one of the biggest advantages I’ve had is that drawing has never really been my job. While I’ve often done drawings for commissions or commercial purposes, it’s never been my main work, which helps me keep enjoying it. I do it for myself and by myself.

EMEL: You formed the idea for Elena when you were a teenager. How many revisions did you go through? How did you know when the story was finished and ready to be turned into a comic?

JORGE: Elena started when I was about 15 years old, and the first script I wrote was based on the story of Georg Carl Tänzler and Elena Milagros. The short film I originally wanted to make corresponds to what would be the first 30 pages of the comic. Years later, after realizing I couldn’t make the animated short I had wanted, I decided to turn it into a webcomic. Later, without planning it, Line Webtoon became interested in serializing it, and as I hadn’t planned what would happen next, the story evolved as I drew it week by week. I’m not exactly sure how many revisions it went through, but I think I mostly traced a path where the story was leading me, improvising along the way.

EMEL: Your art style is very gritty and it worked incredibly well for the anniversary scene, which was very pretty. How did you develop your art style?

JORGE: My art style, especially for this comic, was very much dictated by what I personally wanted to bring out of the story. I knew the kind of world and style I wanted the story to unfold in, but it was also important for me to practice many elements of cinema and film in the creation of this comic. That’s why all the scenes were first done in 3D, and I planned the blocking of each scene as if I were going to shoot it with cameras and real actors. I did this because I wanted to practice skills that I felt would improve not only my comic work but also my skills as a filmmaker. I think this approach helps give the comic a very cinematic style, with a strong emphasis on lenses and visual storytelling.

EMEL: Out of curiosity, the old painting of Elena, is that of a real person?

JORGE: Yes, the image is inspired by a real person. However, Elena as a character in the story isn’t a real person, she represents Carl’s concept of the perfect companion, his ideal wife and family. That’s why it was easy for me to choose my wife as the person in the painting of Elena, my Elena.

EMEL: You originally wanted to be a filmmaker, so what got you into doing comics instead?

JORGE: I’ve always had a huge passion for telling stories, but because of my mild dyslexia, writing has never been the easiest for me. But at the same time, I think this has helped me develop my skills as a visual storyteller. When I decided to switch to comics, it was because I felt that many of the stories I wanted to tell weren’t being told in film, making it nearly impossible to make them. But I realized that many of these stories were being told in independent comics and graphic novels, and unlike film, which requires a lot of people and money, in comics I only needed myself. So, I decided to give it a chance.

EMEL: The idea of Elena is from a doctor on a TV show—which was based off of a real doctor in Florida. The real story is pretty insane, however, you chose to look at Carl in a more empathetic light. Why did you decide to embark on that direction?

JORGE: I’ve always enjoyed looking at the other side of stories, not just jumping directly to what’s presented to us, but finding a new perspective. From the very beginning, when I first watched the documentary about Carl, one part that resonated with me was the fact that Carl, a man who had lived with a corpse for 7 years, showed no signs of madness. This helped me find the perspective that the story needed. I realized that Carl always knew he was living with a corpse, but he preferred that to being completely alone. That’s the direction I wanted to take with the story.

EMEL: Do you plan on turning Elena into a short film one day?

JORGE: I’m not sure if Elena will ever be a short film, but I can say that the option for a movie adaptation has been sold, and a script based on the comic is currently being developed. I hope that one day, Elena will be seen on the big screen, and that the story will come full circle.

EMEL: Congratulations on your successful crowdfund! What is your next/current project? And where can readers find you across social media?

JORGE: Thank you so much, it was really amazing to see the goal met. I never expected so many people to connect with the story. Right now, I’m still working on several film projects, especially in VFX. But curiously, this year I’m starting to adapt another story that I’ve carried with me for the last 10 years, and I think it could be my next comic. You can also see more of my drawings and animated shorts on www.lordbinah.com and @lordbinah.