Qui suis-je ?

A few words about me

My name is Aerinn, I’m a comic artist and author, and I’ve been publishing a web manga called Chronoctis Express since January 2014.

I grew up with comics and Japanese anime, and I’ve always been passionate about stories. I started writing short tales and novels back in elementary school. When I discovered manga at the age of 13, it was a real turning point — that’s when I decided to make it my job.

In 2007, I created the fanzine Shinokami to dive into the world of comics and try to go pro. Thanks to the warm support from readers and the awards for “Best Fanzine” from Japan Touch (2008) and Japan Expo (2009 and 2013), I was able to take the leap in 2015 and become a full-time independent artist. I started drawing comics online to reach more readers, and I brought back a one-shot I had created in 2011 to turn it into a full series: Chronoctis Express.

I’m currently working full-time on Chronoctis Express. ^^

Where can I buy your comics?

Volumes 1, 2 and 3 of Chronoctis Express are available in bookstores in France and Belgium. You’ll also find them in my online shop on this website.

What tools do you use to draw your comics?

Most of my work is done digitally. I start with a paper storyboard for each page (just using printer paper and a pencil), and then I finish the clean version on my computer. I work with a PC, a Wacom Cintiq tablet, and Clip Studio Paint.

What are your manga inspirations?

Here are the authors who inspired me the most:

Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball)
CLAMP (Card Captor Sakura ; X)
Kaori Yuki (Angel Sanctuary)
Naoki Urasawa : (Pluto ; Billy Bat)
Yuki Midorikawa (Natsume’s Book of Friends)
Hiromu Arakawa (Full Metal Alchemist)
Sorata Akiduki (Shirayuki with the Red Hair)
Mitsuru Adachi (Rough )

Do you take illustration commissions?

No, not at the moment.

When did you start drawing and making comics?

Like many comic artists, I’ve loved creating stories since I was very young. As soon as I could write, I started writing little stories.

At first, I mostly wrote fairy tales, then novels.
When I was around 11, I began drawing to illustrate the novels I was writing. I wanted to become a writer or a video game scriptwriter. ^^

Then, when I was 13, I discovered printed manga thanks to Dragon Ball… and it was so awesome! I had finally found the perfect way to tell stories. That’s when I started drawing more often.

It was at that age that I decided to become a comic artist. Back then, manga was looked down on by most adults and publishers in France, but I didn’t care — a true passion had just been born, and I was ready to face anything to reach my goal! o/

At 14, I started making manga. I drew my pages without storyboards and without inking, just on regular A4 paper. Over the next 4 years, I made more than 600 pages while continuing to write novels on the side.

When I created my fanzine with other people at age 20, I started to realize I still had a lot to learn — both in storytelling and in drawing! Taking part in conventions, meeting other artists, and sharing experiences with my team really helped me grow.

You didn’t go to art school?

I signed up for the Arts Academy in Tournai, Belgium, thinking I’d learn a lot and do something concrete…
But I was disappointed, and I realized I was learning much more through self-publishing (fanzines).
I had already gotten used to being organized and working on my own…
So I left art school at the end of the first year and kept learning by myself, while doing a side job to pay the bills.

That’s just my personal experience — for others, school might be a better fit. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong choice, it really depends on how you work best 😀 I’ve always been quite independent, so school just wasn’t for me.

How did you start Chronoctis Express?

When I was 20, I created a small comic group called Shinokami with a few other members (Kiokun, Lulu, and Nasstia).
At the same time, I was making comic book projects in the “Franco-Belgian” style — back then, it was almost impossible to submit manga to a publisher.
I sent those projects to a lot of publishers, but never got any replies.

I had no idea what was wrong — was it the story, the art, the summary, the style of the book?
Each time I started a new project, I felt like I was just going in circles.

That’s when I started looking into webcomics.
Shinokami fanzine was great to improve, but we didn’t get much feedback on our stories.
I really needed to know if what I was doing could actually speak to readers.

I learned that some webcomic authors, with a big enough audience, sometimes managed to get published.
So I thought: “This is it. If people like my story, that’ll be proof that it works. And maybe that’ll convince a publisher.”

I spent a whole year reworking an old project: Chronoctis Express, and I started publishing it online at the beginning of 2014.
It quickly got great feedback, and more and more readers joined each week.

But… publishers still weren’t interested.

Since I already had experience in printing and selling books thanks to the fanzine, I decided to keep going.
I launched a crowdfunding campaign on Ulule in 2016 to print the first volume of Chronoctis Express in French.
It was a big success! I was able to print thousands of copies with a great printer — it was such a happy moment ^^

In 2017, I signed with a small publishing house called Kotoji Editions.
Thanks to them, my books were available in bookstores in France.
But things didn’t work out, so now I’m working independently again, with the publishing label I created: Harpelume.

How many volumes will Chronoctis Express have?

Around 7 to 8 volumes planned.