[X]Press Magazine recently sat down with creators Henry Flynn and Ray Henry (no relation) for a few rounds of Irish water and a little insight on their newly released collaboration. 

[X]Press: How long--from conception to release--did Uncle Irishizms take to put together?
 

Henry Flynn: It was a two-and-a-half/three-year roller coaster ride.

 

What did your preparation for writing and drawing the book involve?

 

HF: Well, first I had to spend countless nights at my favorite Irish pubs, drinking a lot of Irish water. After maxing out a few credit cards, I found inspiration (a few shots o' da hard stuff didn't hurt da cause). I checked "find inspiration for a story" off my list and [went to] hunt down some characters.

 

Ray Henry: For the drawing, I put together same size panels drawn on the computer for each skit. We then made decisions to crop and reframe each set of skits down to two pages. As far as the look of the characters, we referenced people that we know or familiar faces.

 

Do you think it's any harder to be a working cartoonist today than in the past?

 

HF: Couldn't tell you, it's a first for us. If we can't buy a yacht in five years, we will say, "Damn, this cartoon thing is a hard gig. Where's all the money and the ladies?" If we get the yacht, we'll name it the "SS Uncle Irish." 

Name a few of your favorite cartoons/comics.

 

HF: It's not really a cartoon or comic, but a block from my house, someone spray-painted "beer picnic" on a Muni sign, and I get a kick out of it every time I walk by.

 

RH: Calvin and Hobbes, X-men, Boondocks, Transformers. 
 

Who are your favorite cartoonists?

 

HF: I would have to say the person who wrote "beer picnic," once again. 

 

RH: A lot of my favorite cartoonists are comic book artists. Bill Watterson, Jim Lee, Frank Miller, Frank Cho, Marc Silvestri, Michael Turner, Scott Cambell.

 

How would you describe your drawing style?

 

RH: My main influence growing up was comic book superheroes. For the look of Uncle Irishizms, I use a very simple vector-based line drawing. The character size and shapes are kept to anatomical proportions, for the most part.

 

Are you a Bay Area native? If yes, where specifically? If not, where did you grow up?

 

HF: S.F. Native, baby, and yes, I am an endangered species. I put in work in "The Avenues" (Richmond District), went to SH High School (yes, I am a "dysfunctional" Irish Catholic boy) and attended the most prestigious four-year university that would take on a City College transfer--SF State. 

RH: I grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland.

 

Are Uncle Irish, Lil' Hanky and Co. based on real people?

 

HF: Ahhh, back to the Irish water. After finding inspiration for Uncle Irishizms at a pub, I needed a main character. I got another credit card so I could find the right bartender to study. I had to find a bartender that was a good ol' "Irish a-hole" with a soft heart. I ended up getting thrown out of a few places--thought some of the guys were it, but they lacked heart or had too much (got the bruises to prove it). Then I maxed out another credit card, and then hit Coinstar. I was down to a few pubs--and BOOM! No bruises and four-letter words from the Irish bartender, just simply, "Hare's a wata. If ya know what's good fa ya--go home, take a showa, den get sum rest." I thanked "Uncle Irish" and went on my enlightened path. 
 

What's the most important lesson readers can learn from Uncle Irish,
Lil' Hanky and Co.?
 

HF: Not too sure. We're not really in the business of teaching "lessons." Isn't that what school is for? We're definitely trying to distance ourselves from that. Hey wait, isn't this a school magazine?

 

What's next for Uncle Irish and Lil' Hanky?

 

HF: A L-O-T more research. It's not easy publishing a book. Can you recommend a good Irish pub...?

 

RH: A trip to the Yacht!

 

Any future plans for other projects?

 

RH: Yes, many more plans for other mediums like animation and merchandising. 

Uncle Irishizms is available for purchase for $14.95 at Amazon.com and UncleIrish.com.