Today we’d like to introduce you to Timothy Lim.
Hi Timothy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My wife and I moved to the Central Texas area approximately six years ago: she had just finished medical school in Arkansas and was starting her residency. I spend my time between Arkansas and Texas: by trade I am an audiologist, having received my doctorate degree in 2007 and seeing patients / teaching classes since the fall of that same year. My hobby has always been illustration: while I never wanted to be a professional artist, I found out around the same time as my final year that merchandising and advertising artwork pays well, so I kept it up. Eventually I ended up doing comic book covers and finally, after years of people asking my co-creator and I to do a full comic, we pulled the trigger: so far we’ve published exclusively with Texas-based independent publishers. The first is the well-established San Antonio based Antarctic Press: the second is the imprint / fulfillment company Iconic Comics.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it is rather challenging. Being essentially a hobbyist, I am not nor have I ever been part of the “culture of the arts,” much less the small community of comic book artists. As such, I don’t have access to some of the beneficial resources that they do — such as the reputable printers, the acumen of design experience, the contacts in the industry, etc. etc. And because my business model comes from a private practice / medical background, a lot of the risks we take are seen as being incredibly counter-intuitive to a lot of my peers. We have succeeded so far but I feel that we are under a lot of scrutiny from people wanting us to fail.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Right now, I specialize in the complete illustration and design work of two ongoing, crowdfunded comics– Black Hops: U.S.A.-*-G.I. and Kamen America. My co-creator, Mark Pellegrini, writes the scripts after we plot them out and agree on the story elements. I take over from there and draw, color, and letter the book, as well as handle the logistics of printing. I believe that I am most proud of being able to accomplish publishing milestones as an outsider to the comic book industry, having never gone to art school or made connections in the field. I hope it shows other creators that it can be done.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I’d say it is that perseverance and outside-the-box business ideas can combine to give projects a good shot at taking off the ground. You have to ignore a lot of noise and take small, calculated risks to accomplish your goals.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@iconiccomics.com
- Website: https://www.iconiccomics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninjaink/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IconicComicsPublishing
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ninjainkart
Image Credits
Timothy Lim
