Xavier Xerexes (which isn't his real name, by the way) is the publisher and driving force behind Comixpedia. He also has a real job, and a real life, which he doesn't talk about on the Internet. Actually, none of the staff know what he actually does, except that he's a lawyer.

Interviews editor Leah Fitzgerald kicks off the staff interviews with a talk with our illustrious publisher.

A "Sadistic Shoujo" manga with an Angelic Layer theme, Rules of Make-Believe is another one of those webcomics that surprised everyone last year – starting out of nowhere, and gaining notice faster than a speeding broadband connection, Ju-Lian and co.'s work is a quality-rendered webcomic that's about a very specific game, without being a gaming comic. Leah Fitzgerald had a quickie chat to pick Ju-Lian's brain about the whole thing, as well as gloss on gaming and sprite comics, too.

The last year of Comixpedia interviews has given us a chance to get to know a number of webcomics creators a little better. Before we launch into a new year, and many more such opportunities I thought I would share my five favourite interviews from Comixpedia, Year One.

Brad Hawkin, the creator of Monkey Law, talks to Leah Fitzgerald about his art and politics, and the business of making monkeys homeless.

Stephen Notley planted his first comic seeds the mid 90s while drawing weekly strips for the University of Alberta's Gateway (a student newspaper that managed to churn out not only Notley's work, but also Cigarro & Cerveja, Deathworld, and the now-defunct but fondly-remembered Space Moose all in the same span of time). It did not take him or his comic idea about a disgruntled sentient weed – umm, sorry – flower to take root and bloom brightly in the still-Edenic Garden of Webcomics. Now already releasing his fourth book, the creator of Bob The Angry Flower can be seen on the comic convention circuit sporting large yellow petals on his head and pollinating truths about life, the universe, and political everythings as only an angry, petal-bedecked person could.

Jon Morris may claim "the things he writes and draws make people sad," but he has had a hand in several well received webcomics. Starting with the Ignatz nominated Jeremy and moving on to current anthology project Open Book, Morris continues to expand the scope of material he brings to his particular style and approach to comics.

Tom Hart and Leela Corman are married – and so are their professions. Both are artists behind successful comics, Hart on the web (Hutch Owen) and Corman in print (Subway Series), and the two manage to balance close quarter living and their artistic differences.

Comixpedia: Do you find you are competitive with your significant other?

I often wonder what would have happened to me if I'd taken the relationship example of Betty/Archie/Veronica/Reggie seriously.

They tell you cleanliness is next to godliness. They being those people who write those books of guidelines explaining how you're supposed to behave. They give rules about eating candy in church and putting the toilet paper either under or over the roll.

In this case, I'm not sure they're wrong.

Illiad started User Friendly, a webcomic about a small Internet Service Provider and its friendly staff in November, 1997. User Friendly grew to be one of the first truly popular webcomics garnering a large audience and allowing its creator to quit his day job. In fact, Illiad took User Friendly Media, Inc., public on the CDNX in 1999. Today, User Friendly is still one of the most widely-read webcomics.