Who are you?

My name is Jenny Romanchuk. I make a zombie comic about people. I was born June 27 1985, in a small border town called Sault (Soo) ste. (saint) Marie, in Ontario Canada. I currently reside in North Carolina, with my husband.

When do you update?

Every Monday rain or shine. I haven't missed a Monday update in a long long time. Also, as of February 2012, I'm back to updating every Thursday. It's great to be back on a two-a-week schedule :)

Now that you're in the US, will you be doing any conventions?

Yes! We'll post a convention schedule and link to it in the news as it gets updated. Don't expect a whole lot of cons in 2011, though- the major cons need months of advance planning.

So these characters are based off of real people? Including yourself?

Yup! Though as the story progessed the characters in the comic spawned a life of their own, the only things that the characters in the comic share with their real life counterparts is their first and last names, and that they 'sorta' look like us. The TZH characters kind of grew into their own people, as characters should.

Here we all are in no particular order:

Huh, I am a bit wary about 'self insert' comics... Things like excessive egomania, or plot armor...

Little story about this. At first this comic was a private story for my friends and I, it was loosely based off of a dream I had that was highly amusing, so one day I decided to make a comic about it, just something for fun. Months later I posted a few pages online and other people came to like it. People were asking me to do more, and more, and more, so I decided to actually make a short web comic about our 'adventures.' This comic was only supposed to run for no more than a handful of pages, but as people came to like it, I became to like it more as well, so I decided to sit down and actually write a full-length script for it.

Are any of your other characters based off of real people?

People in my life sporadically win walk-on roles as zombies, mechanics, zombie hunters, and other random characters. The rest of the main cast of the comic are purely fictional characters.

Oh look, I did a review of your comic, LINK ME!

I appreciate the review! However, I do not link to reviews.

Do you link to interviews?

Yes.

I have no money to donate! But I still want to help!

That's fine! You can still help TZH without spending a dime. Tell people about us and link to us- the more readers we have, the more our advertising space is worth! And hey, the more the merrier! Our link banners can be found here.

Can I help you with brainstorming, editing, plot-line, etc?

Thanks but no thanks. I never let strangers in on the TZH creation, because that would be kinda weird, and I have several close people who help me already. And you know the old saying: "Too many cooks in the kitchen spoils the soup."

Are you going to make this into a book series?

Absolutely! You can find the books in our store! Currently book one is available, and book two is being developed. Each book contains or will contain about four chapters of the story along with various bonus material such as artwork and storylines not available on the web.

Will the books be available electronically for my tablet (or other portable reader)?

Yes! PDF and CBZ formats of our book are available from our bigcartel store We hope to also release a series of bonus stories as downloadable pdfs as well.

Can I buy a copy of your comic in (my local comic store)?

Probably not- we are self-published, which means we don't go through the normal comic distribution chain. If you just want a single copy, it will probably be easier for you to order it online. However, if you would like to have your local store order a copy for you, have them send Greg an email to set that up!

I run a comic store- how can I get a hold of your comic for my customers?

Send an email to Greg- he handles our distribution arrangements. We do have a discount for large orders and/or retail outlets. I believe the discount depends on how many copies are ordered.

Will you do book signings?

Absolutely! If you are a bookstore in the RTP area (or within an hour or so drive), I would be happy to arrange a time to come to your store and sign things.

What about T-shirts and armbands and other things?

We have a store link on the menu at the top of the page. We currently offer prints, and T-shirts in addition to the books. There will be other goodies as soon as we can make them available.

Will you be making The Zombie Hunters RPG?

I do plan on making a real Tabletop RPG book based on TZH. Not sure exactly when the release date will be, but it's being planned. That said, please do not offer to help. While I appreciate the gesture, I get so many of these offers, I've got all the help I need, for now :)

I found a spelling (or grammar) mistake!

Oops! For spelling problems with the website, send an email to greg. For spelling mistakes with the comic ON the website, send an email to Jenny. And if you found a typo in the book, please check our page, to make sure we haven't already mentioned it :) If you found a new, undiscovered error in the book, send an email to Greg OR Jenny, so that we can correct it for the next printing!

Are you currently seeking representation?

That is very kind of you to ask! I do not have an agent at this time; however, I am not actively seeking one for my print works. Thus far, self-publishing is working well enough. That said, if you can get me a film deal with James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, or Christopher Nolan, send me an email! (or send one to Greg- he'll probably read it sooner.)

Can I use some of your story/characters/world/etc. in a project of my own?

You may NOT use my comics, storyline, world, art, zombie classes or any other part of TZH in a commercial comic or project of your own. Please don't infringe on my copyrights. If you want to make fanart or fanfic for your own enjoyment or to share with your friends, that's fine, but make sure you tell everyone where you got the idea from :).

What does your copyright cover?

Everything you see here, as well as everything else that I have ever created, and any derivatives of those works. Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created, and applies to all my original works and any works derived from them. With the exception of a few cases mentioned in other questions here, you may not reproduce my works. The copyright of the site's code would be held by Greg or any other original programmers. For more information, check with your country's copyright office (Canadian Copyright Guide ... US Copyright FAQ)

I made some fan art for you!

That's great! You can post it in the forum, and sooner or later it will get put up in the gallery.

I wrote a fanfiction, can I send it to you?

I don't read fan-fiction. However, there's a lively community on the forum that enjoys reading and discussing fan-fictions. You can find it under Fan Works.

I was wondering if it would be ok for me to use your zombies or world in a table top role playing game.

I tell people that as long as it's for PRIVATE and PERSONAL use its fine, like using them in a tabletop RPG with your friends is totally cool. If its an online RPG game I ask that if you can, play it on the TZH forum, but if not, I want you to give credit and a link back to www.thezombiehunters.com. If the content on this site starts finding itself elsewhere however, there may be some problems in the legal areas, which I don't want to have to go into.

I wrote a story that is not a fan-fic, can I send THAT to you? And can you give me your opinion/help me with it?

I'm sorry- I'm not an editor, and I'm afraid I don't have the time to help anyone with their projects right now. Even just to read a story and give an opinion. Reading a story and giving an honest review of its strengths and flaws takes a lot of time and effort. If you are looking for an editor, I have to say that the really good ones do cost money, but they are worth every penny. I wish you the best of luck.

What software do you use to make the comics?

Good old pencil and paper, Photoshop CS3, aaand Painter 10, and a Wacom Intuos3 Tablet =D I also use Poser8 for assistance with anatomy and well, poses. I also make extensive use of reference photographs that I take while exploring various places.

How long does it take you to make a comic strip?

A good solid 7-8 hours from start to finish. Could be more depending on if I run into snares with the script and panel layout, which I often do...and depending what is going on in my life-- work, life hazards, it can take days.

Update more!

See above.

You haven't responded to my email!

One of 4 things could have happened:
1. My hungry email monster ate it, so it never got to me.
2. Haven't gotten around to responding because I was busy.
3. The title sounded spam-like so I just deleted it outright. Oops!
4. I just didn't know what to say!

Also, don't email me asking to be friends. Cause dude, that's just weird.

Can I ask you questions for a school project?

Yes, but like it says above, I may not be able to reply very quickly, if at all.

Do you know about "The Zombie Survival Guide" or "World War Z" by Max Brooks? Were you inspired by them?

Dude, I'm writing a comic about zombies, of course I know about those books! I haven't read them though, so I guess that answers the second question: No, I didn't base any of my ideas off of him. His zombie world is completely and uniquely different from my own.

Have you heard of or have played Left 4 dead? Were you inspired by the zombies in that game?

Yes I have heard of Left 4 Dead, I haven't played it, but I am aware of the zombie classes and the basic mechanics of the game. Which brings me to the second question. No, I wasn't inspired at all by the game. I was writing TZH (and it's zombie classes) years before that game was conceived.

How long of a comic do you have planned?

A very, very, long one. It will likely run about twenty chapters, or more as the expanding storyline dictates. Expect it to take up between five and seven books.

What were your sources of inspiration for The Zombie Hunters?

Natural human history. I am a big WW2 buff and I read about real survival stories whenever I can. I also get a lot of ideas from music- I'm a music junkie. Many of my dreams have inspired me as well- yes, I have weird dreams.

What is your favorite zombie movie?

I usually like anything from the post apocalyptic genre. 28 days later, Shaun of the Dead, and Zombieland were some that I have particularly enjoyed.

What's with the hat?

I used it once for a comic, and over time people seemed to get attached to it, and it stuck. If you notice the bear hat always matches Jenny's mood -- like its alive...

Do you actually HAVE a hat like that?

Yup! I sure do! Since it doesn't exist in stores my best friend Sammie made it for me!