Questions
& Answers
Reiko
Q. How did you come up with the idea for Reiko?
Q. What does "Reiko" mean?
Q.
Is Reiko Japanese?
Q.
Can Reiko speak Japanese?
Q.
Is Reiko an oni?
Q.
Does Reiko live in Japan?
Q.
Does Reiko have a mother?
Q.
What is the name of Reiko's school?
Q.
Why does Reiko kill more boys than girls?
Q.
Why does Reiko's dress have swirls on it?
Q.
Why are Reiko's arms so long?
Q.
Is Reiko a real pirate?
Q. Will
you ever give Reiko a boyfriend?
Q. How does Reiko chew with only big pointy teeth?
Reiko's
Family
Q. Why
do Reiko's sisters all start with "Shi" but "Reiko"
doesn't?
Q.
Why does Reiko have a katana and ponytail sometimes? She looks
cooler like that.
Q. I thought Shinobu was a boy. If she's a girl why
doesn't she have breasts?
Q.
What is that red face on Shinobu's shirt?
Q.
Why does Shinobu have a scar under her eye?
Q. Does Shinobu only have one eye?
Q.
Why does Shinobu have a katana?
Q. Why is Shirabe a blonde but her sisters all have
black hair?
Q.
Why does Shirabe wear pentacle earrings? Is she wiccan?
Q.
Why does it say Shirabe likes engineering and robotics in her
profile? Is that a joke? I thought she was a dumb valley girl.
Q.
Why do Reiko, Shirabe, and Shinobu look alike but Shihoka is different?
Q.
Why is Shihoka's neck so long?
Q.
Why does Shihoka have such a big nose?
Q.
Why does Shihoka wear glasses?
Other
Characters
Q.
Is Lucy an alligator or a crocodile?
Q.
Is Lucy a boy or a girl?
Q. Where did Reiko get her crocodile, Lucy?
Q.
Why does that one girl have two heads?
Q.
Can Nadi and Zeni split apart?
Q.
Will we ever see Nadi and Zeni's parents?
Q. Were
Nadi and Zeni based on Alice from "Alice in Wonderland"?
Q.
Why doesn't Irving have a head?
Q.
Will we ever see Irving's parents?
Q.
Why are Irving's clothes so old-fashioned looking?
Q.
I love Irving's knee-socks and pointy shoes! Where can I get some?
Q.
Why does Irving always look sad? I feel sorry for him.
The
Artist
Q. Who are some influences on your work?
Q.
How do you get your ideas?
Q. Do you draw Reiko comics on a computer?
Q.
Did you go to Art school?
Q. How old are you?
Q.
Are you a man or a woman?
Q.
Are you Japanese?
Q.
Do you live in Japan?
Q.
Can you speak Japanese?
Q.
Your name sounds Italian. Are you Italian?
Q.
Where were you born?
The
Site
Q.
How many people does it take to maintain this site?
Q.
What is the Tainted Ink symbol supposed to be?
Q.
Why doesn't your site have a comics archive?
Q. Can you make a RSS feed?
Q.
I made some Reiko fan art! Can you put it up on your site?
Q.
May I use your Reiko art to make a signature tag?
Q.
Can I get a Reiko tattoo using one of your images?
Q. There is a product design I want that is
not in the shop! What can I do?
Q. I have an idea for a Reiko comic or cartoon!
Can I send it to you?
Q. I have a suggestion for this site. Can I send
it to you?
Q. How can I support this site?
Q. I have a question that is not answered in this
FAQ. What can I do?
Q.
How did you come up with the idea for Reiko?
A. Reiko was inspired
by a combination of sources. The main one would probably be the
painting "Portrait
of Reiko" by Japanese artist Ryusei Kishida. I encountered
the painting while working as an assistant English teacher in
Japan.
Q. What
does "Reiko" mean?
A. Reiko means "ghost
child". I changed it from the traditional meaning of "beautiful
child" by switching a kanji character.
Q.
Is Reiko Japanese?
A. Yes.
Q.
Can Reiko speak Japanese?
A. Yes.
Q. Is Reiko an oni?
A. Reiko is one
of many Japanese
spirits called "youkai" or "yuurei". I
consider her to be a type of demon or "akuma". An oni
is more of an ogre, like Reiko's Uncle Kenzo.
Q.
Why does Reiko's dress have swirls on it?
A. Because swirls are
fun to draw. As a bonus there is a type of mystical healing art
called Reiki
and one of the symbols is a swirl representing a snake called
Chokurei.
Q.
Does Reiko live in Japan?
A. No. She lives
in the United States.
Q.
Does Reiko have a mother?
A. Yes, everyone
has a mother. Even demons.
Q.
What is the name of Reiko's school?
A. Reiko goes to
Elizabeth Andrew Borden Elementary School. Or Lizzie
Borden Elementary School for short.
Q.
Why does Reiko kill more boys than girls?
A. I don't intend for
that to be the case. If that's the way it works out it's a coincidence.
For visual clarity I think I just try to draw someone whose looks
contrast Reiko's.
Q. Why are Reiko's arms so long?
A. I think it looks
creepy. Anyway, the real question is why do humans have such short,
stubby arms?
Q.
Is Reiko a real pirate?
A. Of course!
Q.
Will you ever give Reiko a boyfriend?
A. Nah.
Q.
How does Reiko chew with only big pointy teeth?
A. Uh, the same
way a shark does, I guess.
Q.
Why do Reiko's sisters all start with "Shi" but "Reiko"
doesn't?
A. I just like the way
it sounds. "Shihoka, Shirabe, Shinobu, and little Reiko".
I created Reiko years ahead of her sisters, but I designed her
older sisters all at about the same time. They are all named after
people I have known in real life. The number 4, or shi, is also
very unlucky in Japanese culture and relates to death.
Q.
Why do Reiko's sisters have horns, but Reiko doesn't?
A. Reiko has horns,
too. They're just under her bangs.
Q.
Why does Reiko have a katana and ponytail sometimes? She looks
cooler like that.
A. Arrgh! That is
not Reiko. It is her older sister, Shinobu. *sob*
Q.
I thought Shinobu was a boy. If she's a girl why doesn't she have
breasts?
A. She is only ten!
Q.
What is that red face on Shinobu's shirt?
A. It is just a
scowling demon face. It is Shinobu's trademark.
Q.
Why does Shinobu have a scar under her eye?
A. She cut
herself on broken glass. I'll tell the story someday.
Q.
Does Shinobu only have one eye?
A. No, she has two.
Q.
Why does Shinobu have a katana?
A. It's an heirloom.
Q. Why is Shirabe a blonde but her sisters
all have black hair?
A. Like most blondes,
Shirabe's hair color comes in a bottle.
Q. Why does Shirabe wear pentacle earrings?
Is she wiccan?
A. Shirabe is not
wiccan. She just likes pentacles.
Q.
Why does it say Shirabe likes engineering and robotics in her
profile? Is that a joke? I thought she was a dumb valley girl.
A. It's not a joke.
She's not dumb. I just haven't had a chance to show her skills.
Q.
Why do Reiko, Shirabe, and Shinobu look alike but Shihoka is different?
A. I guess Shihoka just
takes after a different branch of the family tree.
Q.
Why is Shihoka's neck so long?
A. I was inspired
by a type of Japanese female spirit called Rokurokubi
with a very long snake-like neck.
Q.
Why does Shihoka have such a big nose?
A. Don't be mean.
Q.
Why does Shihoka wear glasses?
A. She's near-sighted.
Q.
Is Lucy an alligator or a crocodile?
A. Er, a crocodile, I guess. I just like the way "crocodile"
sounds.
Q.
Is Lucy a boy or a girl?
A.
He is a boy.
Q.
Where did Reiko get her crocodile, Lucy?
A.
He was a birthday present.
Q.
Why does that one girl have two heads?
A. It is not one
girl. It is two girls. They are twin sisters who are conjoined
from birth.
Q.
Can Nadi and Zeni split apart?
A. No. They're "conjoined"
twins.
Q.
Will we ever see Nadi and Zeni's parents?
A. Maybe.
Q.
Were Nadi and Zeni based on Alice from "Alice in Wonderland"?
A. Not intentionally.
Q.
Why doesn't Irving have a head?
A. That's just the
way he was born. He comes from a long line of proud headless men.
Q.
Will we ever see Irving's parents?
A. Er, maybe.
Q.
Why are Irving's clothes so old-fashioned looking?
A. He is a trend-setter.
This look will be all the rage soon!
Q.
I love Irving's knee-socks and pointy shoes! Where can I get some?
A. See? It's starting!
Q.
Why does Irving always look sad? I feel sorry for him.
A. He's not sad.
He's just carved that way.
Q.
Who are some influences on your work?
A. There are many, many artists with a variety of styles and media
whose work I greatly admire. However, some cartoonists I really
like are David
Wenzel, Carl
Barks, Sergio
Aragones, Gary
Larson, Chaz
Addams, and Eiichiro
Oda. Tim
Burton's work is excellent, too.
Q.
How do you get your ideas?
A.
I sacrifice baby kittens to Colonel
Sanders in exchange for inspiration.
Q.
Do you draw Reiko comics on a computer?
A.
No, Reiko is drawn in sketchbooks, the old-fashioned way. I do
use Photoshop to finish the images and get them ready to put online
though.
Q.
Did you go to Art school?
A. Sort of. I went
to a New York liberal arts college called Pace University and
majored in Studio Art. Later I briefly attended the Art Student's
League of New York, and the Reilly League of Artists.
Q. How old are you?
A. Old enough to
know better.
Q.
Are you a man or a woman?
A. How many women
are named "Vincent"?
Q.
Are you Japanese?
A. No. I'm American.
Q.
Do you live in Japan?
A. Currently, yes.
Q.
Can you speak Japanese?
A. Yes, I can speak
some Japanese, though I would not consider myself fluent.
Q.
Your name sounds Italian. Are you Italian?
A. My father was
born in Italy. My mother was born in Puerto Rico.
Q.
Where were you born?
A. Bronx, New York.
Q. How many people does it take to maintain this
site?
A.There
is only me. I do all. Comics, cartoons, web design, newsletter,
etc..
Q.
What is the Tainted Ink symbol supposed to be?
A.
It's a fairy puking into an ink bottle.
Q.
Why doesn't your site have a comics archive?
A. I had one but
it was a pain to keep updated. Plus, Reiko can be read in any
order and doesn't require an archive in my opinion. Just browse!
Q.
Can you make a RSS feed?
A. Nah, If you feel
like checking out some Reiko stuff just come and visit the site.
Q. I made some Reiko fan art! Can you put it up on your site?
A.
Sure. I love fan art! E-mail
it to me!
Q. May I use your Reiko art to make a signature tag?
A.
Yes, you may. If you want to be extra nice you can add "TaintedInk.com"
or "Tainted-Ink.com" or "ContemplatingReiko.com"
in there somewhere. And
send it to me. I love
to see Reiko fan art type stuff!
Q.
Can I get a Reiko tattoo using one of your images?
A.
Yes, you may. But please send
me some photos so I can see how it comes out! If you want
a custom design e-mail me
about it and I'll give you a quote.
Q.
There is a product design I want that is not in the shop! What
can I do?
A.
If you don't see what you want, don't hesitate to e-mail
me about it and let me know what you want!
Q. I have an idea for a Reiko comic or cartoon!
Can I send it to you?
A.
Thanks for the offer, but I rather stick to using my own ideas.
Q. I have a suggestion for this site. Can I send
it to you?
A.
Sure, if you have a suggestion to improve this site please e-mail
me!
Q. How can I support this site?
A.
Tell your friends about it. Visit often. And buy
a DVD.
Q. I have a question that is not answered in this
FAQ. What can I do?
A.
E-mail your question
to me, of course!
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