Chase Poulton talks about PIZZA TREE

Ryan Onorato, Mark and Chase Poulton have a new hardcover original graphic novel coming out from Arcana Studios in their new partnership with ArtistaComics. Their project Pizza Tree is an original concept from the mind of creator Chase Poulton. Chase was nice enough to answer our questions and catch our readers up on all things Pizza Tree.

First Comics News: Is this your first published comic?

Chase Poulton: Yes, but I did a pin-up for A Cat Named Haiku.

1^st: What do you love about comics?

Chase: I love stories. I would make my Dad read me stories from comic books or make up his own silly ones for me.

1^st: Who are the main characters in Pizza Tree?

Chase: Chrissy, Mark and Chase.

1^st: Are these characters you have based on your life experiences?

Chase: Yes, they are my Mom, Dad and me!

1^st: Is Pizza Tree an actual Tree that grows pizza?

Chase: Yes. He grew from a slice of pepperoni that was planted.

1^st: What is your favorite kind of pizza?

Chase: Cheese.

1^st: The tree looks like it is growing pepperoni pizza, does it only grow pepperoni?

Chase: Pepperoni or cheese. Definitely no mushrooms!

1^st: Why does the tree look so angry?

Chase: He’s evil. He’s part of a curse by the Pineapple God, P’thulhu, who turns your sweet dreams into nightmares.

1^st: What is the main conflict in the story?

Chase: Chase becomes obsessed with the Pizza Tree and his Dad needs to find a way to destroy it.

1^st: How did you and Ryan Onorato start working together?

Chase: My Dad was looking for an artist and met him through a friend.

1^st: What does Ryan bring to the project?

Chase: Great art!

1^st: How old are you?

Chase: 6, but I will be 7 on May 27^th.

1^st: Rob Liefeld was 16 when he broke into comics, Jim Shooter was 13 when he broke in. At 6 years old are you the youngest comic creator in history?

Chase: We started Pizza Tree when I was 4 and finished it when I was 6. I thought I was the youngest, but my Dad says the boy who writes Axe Cop might have been younger.

1^st: At age 6, what grade are you in?

Chase: First Grade.

1^st: When did you learn to read?

Chase: Last year in Kindergarten.

1^st: How do you write a comic at age 6?

Chase: With help from my Dad.

1^st: So was this your plot and then your Dad added dialogue, or did he just adapt your story into comic form?

Chase: I came up with the idea when we were out having pizza one night. I told my Dad pizza came from planting a slice of pepperoni and a pizza tree would grow from it. He thought it was such a funny idea that we should make it into a comic book. I would give him ideas on what should happen and he would write it out.

1^st: What do your friends at school think about you writing your own comic?

Chase: They think I’m cool!

1^st: Is your teacher excited about the Pizza Tree?

Chase: Yes! I brought the book in and read it to my class!

1^st: What is the coolest thing about Pizza Tree?

Chase: Writing it with my Dad… and imaging to eat pizza whenever you wanted!

About Author

Rik Offenberger

Rik Offenberger has worked in the comic field as a retailer, distributor, reporter, public relations coordinator, writer and publisher since 1990. He owns and operates the e-mail bases Super Hero News service, and his published works in print can be seen in The Comics Buyers Guide, Comic Retailer, Borderline Magazine, and Comics International. On the internet he has worked as a writer and/or editor for Silver Bullet Comicbooks, Comic Book Resources, Newsarama and First Comics News. He was the Public Relations Coordinator at Archie Comics for a decade. He is currently the Editor-In-Chief at G-Man Comics. For TwoMorrows Publications, Rik co-wrote The MLJ Companion with Paul Castiglia and Jon B. Cooke, charting the history of Archie’s superheroes, and for Gemstone Publishing wrote chapters of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide to Lost Universes.

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