5 Quick Questions with Jiggeh- Dank Zine No. 41

Let’s take a trip all the way to Sweden and hang out with retro gamer, artists and collector enthusiast, Jiggeh. We featured a few art pieces from Jiggeh in the 41st issue of Dank Zine, and sharp-eyed readers might have noticed the neat Sinistar sticker included. Jiggeh is totally in love with retro gaming and collecting. Tuning in to his streams, he’s not just playing the games, but inviting you to come along for the ride and share his delight when he’s discovered the perfect new addition to the collection. It’s not just retro video games, but a little bit of everything including action figures and the art he creates.

Here are five questions with Jiggeh so you can get to know him and pick up issue 42 of Dank Zine to get your hands on the physical art.

AnnK : Tell us a bit about yourself, where you are from, what sort of games and things you collect.

Jiggeh: Hey, what’s up! I’m Jiggeh, I’m a 30-something streamer/artist/Japanese game collector/action figure enthusiast from Sweden. Action, arcade and fighting games are my favourites, but I collect a little bit of everything, mostly for 16- and 32-bit systems. I like to say I’m more focused on games that are “interesting” than “good”, but games can interest me for any number of reasons – be it art, character design, a novel premise, cool music, or whatever else. I pick up a lot of cheap, unknown games from Japan as they tend to offer all kinds of interesting experiences, even if the games might be a little janky.

AnnK: You clearly have a love for fantasy that inspires your artwork. Can you tell me a bit about what sorts of fantasy inspire you? 

Jiggeh: I think my inspiration has come from a lot of different places over the years. I grew up reading a lot of comic books, both Marvel stuff as well as a lot of pulpy European adventure comics, and as I got more into video games I was greatly influenced by that as well – especially Street Fighter and other Capcom games. As I’ve gotten older though I’ve increasingly gravitated towards classic pulp adventures and artists like Frank Frazetta, Buichi Terasawa, Boris Vallejo, Noriyoshi Ohrai, Simon Bisley… it’s a pretty wide gamut but I feel like they all channel a sense of fun, adventure, imagination, sex appeal – and a little bit of schlock – that really inspires and speaks to me!

AnnK: Why does making art make you feel good? 

Jiggeh: Hah, now that’s a deep question! I’ve been drawing and creating for as long as I can remember, and although I obviously do enjoy it, I think it’s probably more of a compulsion than something I do because it’s fun or makes me feel good. That said, I think there is something inherently enjoyable about putting something out in the world, not to mention seeing your craft improve as you put more time and effort into it.

AnnK: When do you find time for your art?

Jiggeh: I’m always juggling hobbies and creative projects, and more of them than I would like tend to get put on the backburner for months if not years at a time. But on the flipside, for everything I’m setting aside, there’s something else to receive my attention. I try not to stress out too much about necessarily “finishing” stuff, but at least putting some time into it every now and then – usually an evening or two per week or so.

AnnK: If you were stuck in lockdown on an abandoned island and could only have one game system and one set of comics what would they be?

Jiggeh: I’d have to go with my trusty Mega Drive – it was the first console I owned as a kid and I still have a big soft spot for it. Maybe I’d finally have the time to play through all those RPG and strategy games in my collection! My comic of choice would be Space Adventure COBRA – I’ve been a fan for ages, but as I’ve read and collected more of COBRA (and other of Terasawa’s works) over the past couple of years, it has slowly but surely grown to be one of my absolute favourites.

Check out Jiggeh’s streams and his site to see more of his work. Pick up issue 42 of Dank Zine to get your hands on the physical copy and discover more art, articles and stickers.
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