JEFF SMITH interview

Interview by smoky man and Antonio Solinas. Answers received as mp3 files in June 2009.
Transcription by Antonio Solinas.
Originally printed in Italy on Scuola di Fumetto magazine (N. 70, October 2009, Coniglio Editore).
Presented here in English for the first time with the artist's permission.
Above: Cover for Bone N.1. Bone is copyright and trademark Jeff Smith.
Jeff Smith site: www.boneville.com

Talking about your last work, the sci-fi series Rasl. I read the first issues and I found them really intriguing with an unusual main character: an art thief able to travel within dimensions with a personal history full of mysteries to be discovered. Can you present this new creation of yours to the Italian audience?
RASL is the first real project I have worked on since Bone that was my own. It’s the story of an inter-dimensional art thief, who is not really a hero: he is more of an anti-hero. He is a man who is trapped. What I am trying to do is to mix science fiction and noir together, and I thought it would be more interesting to have a bad character, rather than the usual hero.

I know you did tons of researches for this new comic, that you read many scientific and physics books. You also went to Arizona and visited the local desert for research. So, what’s about the initial seed for the story? What’s about its working in progress, its development?
As it was my desire to mix noir and science fiction, the science part comes from my own love of physics: I love to read about string theory and M-theory. Some of the ideas scientists have, are pretty far out there, they involve parallel universes, and that’s the real science. The fringe science is just as interesting, but it’s a little more conspiracy-driven. Nikola Tesla creating death rays, and Albert Einstein completing his unified field theory in 1928, but withdrawing it because the human race was not really ready for it yet: I love all that kind of stuff, and then when you mix that with noir, you have those tough, brutal, primal characters trying to just survive. I started to like this idea of this character who has these portable thermo-magnetic engines on his shoulders and then I was off.

Rasl seem to be quite a departure from the “all ages” subject of Bone, isn’t it? Were you worried that your established audience could be a bit surprise by it? Or do you simply don’t mind because this is the story you want and have to tell?
You know, I really wasn’t that worried that the people who read Bone would be upset about a more grown-up story from me. I mean, it’s just a story I want to tell and I assumed that if I just did the same thing, and if I did another Bone story, that would be lame. So the fact that it worked out was kind of lucky and there were people that were a little shocked, but I think that everybody is dealing with that alright.

What’s about the schedule for this news series? How big in scope is it? Will it be another 15-year opus as Bone?
This will not be another giant 1300 book. I probably had only one of those, I mean. I am not going to live long enough to do another book that big. I guess probably RASL will be around 350-400 pages. It depends, you know, on how the story rolls out in the end.

Let’s talk about Bone. It has been – and still is – an incredible (and well deserved) success all over the world. It’s obvious that Bone is gained the status of an evergreen comics, one of the gems of this Art form. How do you feel about that? Also, what’s your feeling to be “labelled” as the guy who creates comics accessible to kids?
You know, I don’t really think about being labelled by kids cartoonist or something like that. I just did Bone because I wanted to do it, it was something I wanted to read when I was a kid, but when I was doing it I approached it as an adult (book) talking to other adults, with classic cartoon characters. How someone wants to label it, that’s all marketing.

Regarding Bone - and I suppose a similar thing could be applied for Rasl - I have always been curious to know how difficult it was for you to manage all the different production and promotion aspects on your own. What was the most difficult part of self-publishing, for you?
The early days of self publishing require an awful lot of different... hats. You have to wear a lot of different hats, you have got to make sure your books are shipping to the right places, that you are dealing with invoices, and distributors: there is a lot of travel involved. I remember being overwhelmed by all the paperwork that was involved in the early days.
And that’s not even counting writing and drawing a strip that is liked by anybody beside your own mother. That’s always a struggle. Of course, now I have my wife, Vijaya, my business partner: she handles a lot of that stuff, as well as Steve Hamaker and Kathleen Glosan, and Tom Gaadt. I mean, I have a pretty good team that takes care of a lot of that stuff for me now, so it’s not quite as tough as it was in those early days.

You always mention Pogo by Walt Kelly as one of your major influences. Is there any other comic or cartoonist that plays a major role in inspiring you in this phase of your career?
Nowadays, one of my favourite cartoonists is Paul Pope, who does sci-fi/noir/fantasy comics, like Heavy Liquid and 100%. And whenever a new comic comes out by Paul, I get really excited and I kind of try to keep up with the level of intensity and depth that he gets in his stories and in his frames.

Let’s talk about some technical aspects. What drawing tools do you use in your work? What do you think about digital art? Have you ever resorted to Photoshop? What’s your approach to technology?
My approach to technology is almost like a double-headed coin: on one hand, my actual comic pages are pretty old school. Two-ply Bristol board, plate finish, pencil, and I use a Number 1 horse hair brush dipped in India ink: I just use that one size brush. Pretty straightforward when it comes to that. However, in the early days of Bone, I would use xerox copies or something, to replicate something in the background if it was absolutely necessary that it stayed the same. I think Photoshop is just the new version of that, so sometimes I use Photoshop to move things around: I am not afraid of it. My feeling on technology comes out of this: if you can use something in the comic and the reader doesn’t notice it or it doesn’t stop the story, then use it.

Before jumping into comics you worked as an animator. Have you ever thought about going back to doing animation, now that you are famous and respected?
Fuck no!!! [laughs]

Let’s talk about your approach to creating a story. Given that you do everything by yourself, how do you normally proceed? Do you work with a full script, or do you just write down an outline of the story? Do you always employ the same method or does it change, from time to time?
My methods are pretty consistent. I start with an outline: key element, though, is that I really like to know the ending, before I start, so usually the first thing I do is to write down the ending, and then write down the beginning, and then the middle, and then maybe find two more spots to hit on in the outline. And then... then go, baby!

A question about the visual side of your work. You normally ink yourself. How does this affect your pencils? Do you draw loosely and then put the finishing touches when inking, or do you do most of the work in the pencil stage?
I do always ink myself and because of that I draw very sketchy and very loose, and I really do the final drawing while I am inking. Sometimes I have young cartoonists asking me if I have pencils so they can have access to my pencils so they can practice inking on, and I always have to tell them that my pencils are worthless: you just couldn’t possibly ink them unless you were there when they were pencilled in my brain.

Bone was definitely a plot-driven story, a choice that doesn’t seem very common in an era where “decompressed” storytelling and cool dialogues seem to be the norm. What was the reason for this choice and what do you think about the whole “decompressed” storytelling thing?
Decompression: I just don’t think it’s that easy to label stories, you know. I am very guilty of taking whole issues for a scene, and sometimes three issues to tell one scene, as early as 1993 or 1994. I just think it depends on what the pacing of the scene is. I mean, I think people can tell if you are full of shit and you are trying to stretch something out because you don’t have a story. But if you are telling a story, and it takes a nice long time to tell it, then decompress it. If not, don’t.

Do you still have the time to read comics? Which comics and cartoonist do you follow regularly? I have always admired you for your support to the indie comics scene…
Well, the kind of comics that I like to read aren’t really mainstream comics. I don’t follow books that come out on a normal schedule. The guys I like are like Jeff Lemire, who did the Essex County Trilogy and has got a few more projects coming out that are very interesting. I mentioned Paul Pope, he is also very sporadic. That’s what I like. I like the guys that are doing stuff and when they come out they surprise me and I got to find them.

After years of rumours about an animated Bone movie, it seems that you received an interesting offer from Warner Bros. What about the status of the deal? What can you reveal to us?
Yeah, I am working on a movie with Warner Brothers right now. I learned a hard lesson last time I had a movie deal and I was working with Nickelodeon and Paramount, and so I don’t really like to talk about it. If Warner Brothers want to talk about it, they can talk about it. But they are working on it.

For a long time, your work has been published in black & white. Then Bone was coloured for the Scholastic edition and you wrote and drew the Shazam! miniseries. Did colour affect your approach to comics in any way?
I don’t think so. I had completed Bone in black and white before we even started to consider doing colour. But Shazam!, when I wrote it and drew it, I knew it would be in colour and I like to think that I would do it the same way, but you know I was aware that some things, like night skies and things like that would be a lot easier to communicate in colour. There are a few scenes where Mary Marvel and Talky Tawny are talking by the river at sunset, and I could evoke a mood with the golden colours and I knew I would get that. So, yes, in a way it gives you a little bit to lean on.

Let’s talk about Shazam! For years, you have been the embodiment of the independent attitude in comics. How did it feel to cross the barrier and work for a big publisher, such as DC Comics?
Oh, it felt alright! DC Comics called me, as I was getting near the end of Bone and asked if I wanted to work on a superhero comic, and when they suggested that I would work on Captain Marvel, I thought it was a pretty good fit. Let me just point out that they called me the week before 9/11, so I returned their call a couple of weeks later, in 2001, and I thought that superheroes were actually invented to be propaganda against the Axis, in World War II, and I thought that Captain Marvel would be a great way to talk about fighting an enemy like that. I mean, half the enemy was our own government [laughs] but it seemed to be a useful kind of thing to work with.

What was the reason behind your decision to work with DC? How was working with an editor, after years of total freedom?
I had a great experience working with DC. My editor there was Mike Carlin and to be honest with you, I kind of expected him to give me a little more trouble than he did. But really, they gave me a free hand to work with Captain Marvel, and I think Mike is a really good editor. The comments he gave, he would state them in such a way that he would make me think it was my idea, so it was a pretty good experience all around.

Why did you pick Captain Marvel, of all the DC characters?
What was really interesting to me about Captain Marvel was that he was a character who had not undergone through a revamp, one that all the characters seemed to have gone through ever since Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, making them very melodramatic and giving them problems and a lot of darkness. That happened to Captain Marvel’s enemy, I can’t remember his name, he’s got Captain’s Marvel suit in black instead of red [he is referring to Black Adam]. He has been updated and so he is horrible. He actually rapes and kills people, which to me is a stupid thing to have in a comic book: I don’t even understand why someone would do that, or want to read it. But Captain Marvel was not like that. He was almost like he was trapped in amber or something: he had been suspended since the early Golden age of comics and I was intrigued by working on something that would connect me so directly to the dawn of American comics.

What can you say about your soon to be released children’s graphic novel Little Mouse gets ready? How did it start? What’s the story about?
Little Mouse Gets Ready: this really is a children’s book. The idea of the Toon books series is to create graphic novels for emerging readers, I think we are talking about between 5 and 7-years old. This is the brainchild of Francoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman, and they asked me if I had an idea for a story. And the idea came up with Little Mouse. It is kind of based on a character that I had around when I was very young, sometime between six and seven or so. I just had this mouse wearing a red vest, so I thought that I could try to do something with that and concentrate on the story on a very simple level and try to draw kid to a comic from panel to panel. It was kind of fun!

A personal question. Your wife is from India and last year you went on tour there. How do you think the close interaction with a culture so different from yours had influenced and still influences you both as human being and as an artist?
I think that’s a big question. Because Vijaya’s family is from Southern India, we have been over to visit a number of times, and I think it’s had a huge effect on me, both in terms of my art and as a person. Any type of travel outside your country is going to be an eye-opening experience and most likely a good thing. I mean, I love to visit Italy or Spain and since I am usually a guest at a comic show I am always lucky enough to have people that want to take me out and get me a good meal and show off the local cuisine. It’s mind-expanding: I think it’s good for you. In terms of my artwork, in America there are certain kinds of things to see, you know, we have the mountains and the desert and the skyscrapers, but in Europe some buildings are over a thousand years old, thousands of years old. And in India, those old temples and churches are still living, and the gods are still residing on the street corners, and I think quite a bit of it made its way into Bone, especially the final act, where they are in Atheia.

A political question. I am curious to know, which are your feelings about Obama as the new USA president? I think it’s a great opportunity of change, not only for USA but for the whole world…
Well, I think you can probably tell from my answer to the Shazam! question that I was not very happy with the Bush administration. I am very happy about the Obama administration coming in and I think it’s a miracle that he kept the US economy and probably the world economy from going down the toilet, because clearly Bush and Cheney were lighting oil fields on the way out of office just like Hussein when he was leaving Kuwait [laughs]. I am very hopeful and I hope the world can forgive us for letting those bastards hang around for as long as they did.

A final question, a fan question. Any chance that you will return – sooner or later – to tell new comics stories of the Bone cousins?
I am a big fan of NOT doing sequels, but the Bone cousins have been such a big part of my life for so long, I am sure I will find some excuse to do something with them again. So, fingers crossed! [in July 2009 Jeff Smith said something more about this. Read the details at his blog]

JASPER GOODALL interview

Interview by smoky man and Valentina Serra. Completed in June 2009.
Originally printed in Italy on Bang Art magazine (N. 4, Sept-Nov 2009, Coniglio Editore).
Presented here in English for the first time with the artist's permission.
Above: illustration (c) Jasper Goodall.
Jasper Goodall site: www.jaspergoodall.com

One of your latest works is a series of images titled Poster Girl, which is a very catchy mix of artwork and photography. Also, as it’s usual in your imaginary, there are several explicit erotic references combined with a strong ironical element. How important is, in your production, the right balance between eroticism and irony?
I think it is vital to have a mix of humour and irony with eroticism. I think that for a very long time erotic art and photography has an easy job to do. Sexual imagery is inherently 'interesting' to humans, whether we like it of loath it, it often produces a reaction which is what you aim to achieve in producing artwork. Erotic art can be titillating or shocking all by itself, it hasn't had to think, just to reveal some skin. BUT now I think we are seeing so much more sexual imagery, it's becoming more and more mainstream. Pornography is all over the internet, music videos are getting more and more sexual and advertising is using sex too, especially in fashion. I think it's not enough anymore to produce artwork with revealing imagery of girls. How is that different to all the sexual imagery around us now?
In my more erotic work, I try a little to comment on the sexual imagery in pornography and erotica. I like to play with and question the clichés that we are presented with.
Like why are nuns so often twisted into a sexual role? Why is pink 'sexy'? why is Latex rubber 'fetish'?
But also I think that using humour and irony is very important for the viewer and the way the work is perceived; it stops the work being purely a sexual image to be turned on by (like Porn), and pushes it into an area where it makes a comment and has intellectual content.

What do you think about the “massification” of eroticism and the gratuitous display of the female body in fields very distant from Arts?
I have mentioned these issues in the above answer, but I guess I have a mix of feelings about it.
On one side I am all for everybody hanging up their guilty feelings around sexual imagery. People do find sexual imagery a turn on, so I like that we are starting to accept that.
However I think the 'massification' as you put it, is quite shallow and cynical. The bottom line is it makes money, I think more so that exploiting women involved in it on whatever level, it exploits us all in a consumerist way.
It uses our human desire to make money, whether in a music video, a perfume advert or a porn movie. But you can say that of our 'western' consumerist society anyway, the whole of the modern worlds economy is basically built on desire, is it not? most of us want to own nicer things, have a nicer house, eat tastier food, make love to the person you think is most attractive - its all about wanting (desire) and a huge percentage of media is now devoted to exploiting out wants to make money. Sexual imagery is just the most obvious and gratuitous manifestation of this.

The “line” has a key role in your art. It’s clear that you absorbed the lesson of Masters such as Aubrey Beardsley and Erté. At the same time, there are Sixties recalls in your subjects and in their sensuality such as Barbarella creator’s Jean Claude Forest or 007 Bond’s girls… The colour seems to show affinities to the Eighties. What’s about your studies and formative years? How did you develop such a variety of references?
That’s a hard question to answer. I think the simple way is to say that I love images. Whatever area, fine art, Photography decorative art, fantasy art, ancient art.
I am fascinated by the capturing of energy and ideas in an image.
So I look at a lot of things, I have a lot of books of all sorts of stuff. I think it's vitally important to have a broad and deep sphere of influences. It worries me that I see both students and illustrators looking in a very singular direction at contemporary illustration. As it has grown over the past decade there are more and more books and websites to reference and people make the mistake of thinking that because one persons style is popular that they ought to emulate it in order to be successful and get work.
I think this is a lack of proper education and a lack of imagination. I say to all my students and to all aspiring illustrators out there: "stop looking at contemporary illustration, go out and buy books from second hand stores, look at images that are hundreds of years old, images that are 20 years old, images that were made by people in another part of the world, maybe for a spiritual reason, soak it all up and be inspired, and make work that you care about that says what you have to say, not what you think will make you money".

Modern Art has showed that what is Kitsch or Camp is not necessary ugly or “bad taste”. Which is your link with the concept of Kitsch?
Kitsch... It can be used well, or it can be purely indulgent. I think used well, to make a comment it is valid. I think it does enter into my work on some levels, but only if it had a good reason to be there. I think certain pieces of my work like 'Bad Bambi' use it and comment on it at the same time.
I think Kitsch is very close to nostalgia which I use sometimes to a small degree, like in the 'Pornogothic' series using gothic horror books movie themes to comment on sexual clichés.

Nowadays it’s not uncommon to see artists from comics or illustration working for fashion companies. You collaborated with Gucci but also for Adidas and Nike. And, sure you designed a cool sold-out bikini collection, JG4B. What can you tell us about these works?
Well not much really! The work for Gucci didn't ever actually go to press. They asked me to design a set of playing cards for them. But what I did was too edgy/modern for them, I toned things down but in the end they were just too conservative a brand to go with it and they backed out of the project!
Nike and Addidas was very much advertising, not really collaboration on fashion wear.
And JG4B lots of people love it, we make very individual bikinis. All the print is designed by me, and most is placement printed on the bikini - not a repeat pattern. They are fun, cool, different to most of the boring swimwear out there. But getting a fashion brand of the ground is very hard, we are hoping to have a new collection out next year, but things are very much in the balance right now.

Can you talk about your processes? What kind of material do you use? What’s about the starting point of an idea?
The starting point is almost always writing. I make lists. I don't really sketch much. I look at books with an idea in mind and sometimes that makes my idea change or re-form.
Then I sometimes make photo-collages on the computer from lots and lots of reference images I have collected. Then I print these out and re-draw them then scan them back in and trace them with at path. I draw some stuff in Illustrator, some in photoshop, some by hand some on the mac.
I take photographs of textures sometimes and use them in the. Obviously for the poster girl series I had large prints and one acrylic cutout made and shot them in a studio with a model. So my process is very eclectic. But always uses the computer as the central point of a number of ways of working.

You are a Brit and considering how old you are, I am curious to know if you were in any way influenced by the growing new wave of British comics like 2000 AD, Judge Dredd, Tank Girl…?
Yes I think I was, I loved 2000 ad. I think Simon Bisley's ACB warriors and Slaine was the best.

What’s about your ultimate dream project?
A show in New York? I'd love to use my creativity in other ways - collaborate on a film maybe?
I went to Paris recently and went to the Crazy Horse cabaret show there. It would be cool to work on branding for them or even a new act in the show - I liked how inventive it was - not just stripping!
Really I think I want to be selling my prints and starting to make original pieces and move in a more gallery oriented direction. If I can be lucky enough to keep producing work that people like and want to own I'll be every happy... thats the long term aim!

JUNKO MIZUNO interview

Interview by smoky man. Completed in May 2009.
Originally printed in Italy on Bang Art magazine (N. 4, Sept-Nov 2009, Coniglio Editore).
Presented here in English for the first time with the artist's permission.
Junk Mizuno site: www.mizuno-junko.com

What do you think about the scene of art toys and collectable vinyls? When and how did you start? What's your current involvement?
I'm just surprised at how the scene has grown so big.
I started designing toys in 2002 by request of a Japanese toy company Art Storm. As for current involvement, some characters from my graphic novel Pure Trance will be released as a series of mini figures from Kidrobot in June [2009. Editor's note: The figures are sold out now.].

In the past you worked for important art toys companies like Toy2r and Kidrobot. What can you tell us about those experiences?
It's been challenging for me. At first, I was nervous as it seemed to be very difficult to work on 3D objects with people who I can't meet and communicate in person like I used to do with Japanese companies. But they were very professional and I'm happy with the products I made with them. There are a lot to learn from them and it's been a rewarding experience.

Do you think that toys are a good way to express your Art vision or what? I mean, in respect to comics and illustration...
That's a difficult question as I'm doing it just because it's fun...
What I like about a toy is that it has a different impression from 2D work. It feels fresh and inspiring to see my characters in 3D.

Also, which you consider the best toy you created or the one you are most attached to?
It's too hard to choose. They are all my babies.

You created and still create toys. I am curious to know are you a collector too? And if you are (and I am pretty sure you are or at least you had been one), what do you collect?
I used be a collector of girl's toys from 60's to 80's but I've slowed down now...
I have no more room in my place. I still like going to check toy stores and toy events for inspiration, though.

Recently you have started a collaboration with Japanese company "GARDEN" creating a new line of products under the label Mizuno Garden. The concept says: Mizuno Garden is a paradise of erotic fantasy where the fruits of love are always ripe. The crops include beautiful lingerie, costumes, condoms, lotions, vibrators, and more!” Till now you created the gorgeous package for condoms and lotions, but I suppose there are plans for some toys. Can you reveal anything about it?
We've been planning to do some massagers, lingerie and costumes but the project is going very slowly due to both my and their schedules. So unfortunately, there's nothing I can reveal to you at this point...

JH WILLIAMS III interview

Interview by smoky man and Antonio Solinas. Completed in May 2009.
Originally printed in Italy on Scuola di Fumetto magazine (N. 69, July 2009, Coniglio Editore).
Presented here in English for the first time with the artist's permission.
Above: Cover for Promethea N. 12. Promethea published by DC Comics.
JH Williams III site: www.jhwilliams3.com

Could you talk about your collaboration with Alan Moore on Promethea? How did it start?
Hmmm... I'm not sure where to start with this question, considering it has been around ten years since the time of starting Promethea. Basically I was working on a graphic novel called Son Of Superman at the time when I received a call from Scott Dunbier inquiring about my schedule. He was asking because I had been recommended to him By Todd Klein and Alex Ross for this new Alan Moore series titled Promethea. Of course I was thrilled to hear this. Scott quickly informed me that I was not their first choice because they had been looking for a more established artist that had a name known by the fans. At this time in my career I was not as well known as I am now. So I completely understood Wildstorm's position in wanting as high profile a talent as possible for Alan. However Scott said he had been convinced to give me a call. He asked if I could send along samples of work to him to forward to Alan. After looking at my examples, Alan told Scott that I was the right choice. Very exciting for someone like me during that time in my career. So when they officially offered me the project I thought about it for a few days and then agreed to take it on. The most gratifying compliment I received was about a year or so into the work, Scott Dunbier, the editor, said to me..."Jim, you know you were not my first choice for Promethea, but now I can't imagine anyone else drawing this project but you." That was such an amazing thing to hear, to have won him over so completely was very rewarding. It showed me that I was onto something unique with my work.
 
What's about your type of collaboration in the series (e.g. any input in the script from your side; your page layout on the series were stunning, were they suggested by Moore or you proposed the approach, and so on...)?
Early In the process, before Alan started writing, we had a few conversations on the phone about things we were both interested in and would like to see come out of the main concept. He asked a lot about subjects I was interested in and those sorts of things made their way into the details of the backgrounds and story points. As for the imaginative layouts, I drew the first issue based on his script details, which had a couple of interesting layout ideas. I took those and built a lot on top of this, after all, I was already into unorthodox page design by this point in my art, as seen here and there in previous projects. So I heavily expanded upon this and when Alan saw what I was doing it seemed to excite him. I remember us having a conversation about design specifically after the first issue was completed and told him I really want to push this design notion to further complexities. So from that point on he really started to gear the scripting more and more in that experimental direction in terms of the visual presentation. Over the course of the series he would put into the scripts all kinds of ideas, some I would use and some I wouldn't. Quite often I came up with things on my own. He always trusted me to do the right thing. The final result for the visual presentation of the page design layouts is about 50% my ideas and 50% Alan's. A true collaboration!
During the Qaballah Quest issues (13 - 22) I had told Alan I really wanted to take the experimentation even further by toying with the art styles themselves. We devised this idea because during the story the characters would travel from one different reality to another, from issue to issue. So it made perfect sense to communicate to the reader just how different each new world was by changing the look of the art dramatically to suit each new reality. Alan loved this idea for the visual context and we would have a conversation before he would write each of those issues, to figure out the art style it should be and then would write the script around that style. So everything was very cohesive. We were both so willing to take things as far to the edge as possible. To see just what was possible.

What kind of impact Promethea and working with Moore had on you as an artist and, in general, as an human being?
I'd say the most impact was the creative freedom I had. I was truly allowed to explore any artistic notion and this led to many discoveries on just what comics can do and what I could be capable of, particularly in something considered "mainstream superhero" comics. Before coming onto Promethea I was already getting experimentation into my work, but the creative freedoms that came with Promethea allowed me to explore this to a much fuller extent. It allowed me to show what I could do and what was possible for how a story can be told. Another way it was a learning experience for me was learning more about metaphysics. This was a subject that I was already interested before my work on Promethea. So the project was a natural fit for me and and allowed me to grow in those areas as well. Alan was definitely more thoughtful and knowledgeable than I was at the time. However, due to my prior interest in metaphysics, I was able to meet the challenges that the series was to bring head on. And basically I have continued with this ever since Promethea ended and apply this to many things in my life including all of my since.

Any "strange magical" anecdotes to share with us related to your long run on the series?
A couple things come to mind... when working on the abyss issue, where the characters have to cross a great dark divide in order to reach the highest forms of reality, they had to make it through a destroyed reality, Alan had called to warn me about possible physical dangers I might face while working on this issue. While he was writing this particular issue he had become very ill and became better upon completion of the script. He was convinced this was due to the thoughts on this negative reality becoming manifest physically. He actually experienced many of the sensations the characters did in the story. So he thought it best to warn me that strange things could occur while drawing. As I worked on the issue and got closer and closer to the middle of the issue where we show this black hole in the reality that leads to the inverse negative Tree Of Life, I began to not feel well and started having chest pains. The closer I got to drawing this black hole scene the worse my chest pain became, to such a degree I went to the emergency room to get looked at by a doctor. They ran an EKG test, among others, to see if maybe I was having a heart attack. After all of the tests were done the doctor couldn't find an explanation for what was occurring. During this time I had kept working on the issue. As I got past the drawing of the black hole scene and started to reach the end of the issue all of my chest pain and feeling bad went away without any further incident. When Mick was inking that issue I remember him saying that everyone in his house came down with the flu or cold virus or something. How's that for odd? 

You also worked with two other British well-known writers: Grant Morrison (on Seven Soldiers and Batman series) and Warren Ellis (on Desolation Jones). What's about collaborating with them? What do you think are their best qualities? In which they differ?
Working with Grant is always a pleasure. His stories are loaded with energy and one mad idea after another. His scripts are very surreal in a way. You have to kind of decipher them to get to the heart of it all. Quite an interesting challenge. He and I feel like we're on the same page in terms of how to tell stories. He is very open and gives me the freedom to do what I think needs to be done. I really enjoy Grant's surrealness. His ideas are always big and wild and mind bending. That is something I highly appreciate and I can grasp. Hopefully that shows in the work we've done together.
Working with Warren was challenging as well. Desolation Jones allowed me to explore different ways of storytelling much in the same way Promethea gave that freedom as well. Just in a completely different manner than Promethea, which was good to stretch my creative boundaries in new ways. Warren has this amazing way of telling a very darkly toned story that can point out the horrors of humanity without losing soul. There is always heart and soul in his grimmest work that shows you even more about being human than the horrific elements do.

You have worked both as a cover illustrator and a comic artist. What are the different challenges in those two different roles and how do you approach them? In particular, what is the process behind a cover illustration of yours?
Well the main difference with doing covers versus interior pages is that the cover doesn't always need to be story specific, and if you are going to do a story specific cover there are ways of designing it so it just isn't a giant story panel. There are a lot of covers that read as just a giant story panels to me and these are the least interesting to me. So my goal is to create covers that give the reader dynamic captivating imagery by using heavy design concepts instead that feature elements or ideas from the story. My process for this is very simple actually. I don't over think it and go with my initial idea. I approach covers ideas with an immediacy to design aspects in my thinking process. I know a lot of artists will do a few different sketch concepts for each cover before they choose what they are going to do. I will do that only once in a while. On most occasions, I will know what I want to do after thinking about it for a day or so and then do a very rough sketch for basic composition to show the editor. Once they approve the composition I will get started on the work based on any notes they may have. The end result needs to be a cover that can grab one's eye as they scan the shelves among the competition of other books.

Can you tell us anything about your creative process when you draw comics? How do you approach the pages? Your inking is very tight: do you lay down detailed pencils and then ink, or do you rely on the strength of your inking technique?
When I was penciling and working with an inker my pencils were pretty much as tight as finished inked work, but now that I do my own inking I don't do finished pencils at all. It is all sketched out using non photo blue pencil and pretty loose by my standards, so no traditional pencil work. A lot of details just won't be there because I know I can add that with ink. As an additional note: my page layout process is very similar to the way I approach covers, in that I don't over think what I'm going to do. I don't do any thumbnails, except for sometimes I will draw a little diagram of the rough panel shapes. So all of my design is on the board as I work. This gives me some flexibility to make changes if something isn't working the way I thought. It allows for the design process to be metamorphic and more spontaneous.

In this respect, you chose to ink your own work after collaborating with inkers. What were the reasons and what kind of improvement did inking your pencils bring to your pages?
The main reason I started to ink my own work was to expand my horizons creatively. It allows me to explore more variety of styles, to do things that are impossible to convey in just pencil form and expect an inker to translate things properly. This is the same reason for not doing full pencils anymore. It gives me freedom to change styles at will without worrying about it, giving my work a transformational aspect. I enjoy this greatly because I think I'm better able to convey what I think a panel, or scene, or sequence needs. I just couldn't grow as an artist being just a penciler, I was feeling limited. So that is why I've taken on so much more of the art chores. I'm doing this with color as well, to some degree, coloring certain panels, coloring my own covers and such. I feel I need to constantly expand my skills, to learn. By doing this, and thinking in this way, it opens up the possibilities of what I can try to achieve creatively.

How did you develop your style and its blend of photorealism tempered by a very graphic way of inking? Do you look at any other artist working in comic right now for inspiration?
I'd say that is my main style but currently don't feel limited to that and I think that shows in a lot of things I've done over the years. I'm not sure how the relatively realistic look developed other than trying to draw the things I see around me, from everyday life, applying that to telling comics stories. I think it helps to get the readers to believe in what they are reading, no matter how wild and crazy it might be when examined. I try my best not to be influenced by other artists, if possible. The only times I will let influence show is when I purposefully allow it because I'm really trying to gain a specific feel for a scene or character, and to learn something from that process as well. I also use that trick to pay tribute to different artists or art techniques or styles. But, even when I do that, I try to apply it to my way of thinking in terms of storytelling, such as layout and composition presentation, so I don't lose myself, so it has some of my signature storytelling tricks.

Do you feel like there are other people doing something similar to you? I mean, Sean Phillips, in a different context, seems to be working on a style which blends realism with a graphic approach. Anyone you feel in particular?
Yeah, I think there are quite a few artists, like myself, that come from a more realistic sense to the visuals. But each manage to make that idea uniquely their own. Besides Sean Phillips, there is Jae Lee, Tony Harris, Scott Hampton, Leonardo Manco to name just a few. However, I don't think that any of us are too similar, even though we come from similar modes of thinking in the way we approach drawing style.

How do you feel about Photoshop and technology applied to comics? Do you ever use the computer as help for your illustrations?
Phtotoshop is an amazing thing. It doesn't bother me at all that many artists that work in comics rely on digital techniques. There are quite a few that work completely digital. The only only real sad part of that is so much of the art does not exist physically for collector's. I try do most of my work physically on the board. I will use digital techniques for art changes if needed and for basic color work. But even with color I try to keep doing painting so my skills stay strong. But when doing painted work for covers or pages I will use Photoshop to enhance things if need be, alter textures or color adjustments, or for mixed media concepts.

Where do you feel your graphic style is going and where do you see yourself in 5 years time, say?
I really don't know. It's impossible for me to make such predictions because I like to keep myself open to new ideas. I'd say my main concern for the future is to keep growing creatively, to not limit myself in anyway, to keep true to fluid thinking. This is the main reason I've managed to do some of the things I have so far. I like challenges.

What can you reveal us about your upcoming comics projects or the things you are currently working on? Any Promethea-related? By the way, I loved your Jonah Hex’s issue, simply spectacular…
Oh, I'm glad you liked the Jonah Hex issue. That was extremely fun to do and would love to do more western themed comics in the future. I hope that opportunity arises someday. I'm currently working on Detective Comics with Greg Rucka, Dave Stewart, and Todd Klein. Our run will be featuring Batwoman. I'll be doing that for awhile. Beyond that, I don't know yet. There are some creator owned things I'd like to do if the situation is right, we'll see. And for Promethea... There will be Absolute editions produced over then next couple of years. I'm contributing a lot of work towards those. Such as new covers, new design material, 32 new chapter head designs. The first volume won't have a lot in the way of extra material due to the page count but it will have an Afterword by my friend, Brad Meltzer. Volumes 2 and 3 will have lot's of fun things. Our goal is get everything Promethea in there. So we will have commission pieces and con sketches and stuff like that. It will be good stuff.

What’s your dream project in comics? Maybe you would like to write and draw your own graphic novel, wouldn’t you?
My dream project, or projects, are all creator owned concepts. I've been slowly working on a lot of things in the writing stages for a long time. I have an idea or two that I've been working on that I will be the artist for as well the writing. I also have concepts that I'd like to write for other artists, the way I did with the sorely missed Seth Fisher for Batman: Snow. Right now I'm in the middle of a second script draft to a 150 page graphic novel being written for Laurenn McCubbin. I'd really like to get my career moved into the direction of creating my own new material, but it's tricky getting publishers interested in my writing because they are so invested in my drawing, so it's a bit tough to get things going. Also, it has to be financially sound because I need to be able to make a living too.

TODD KLEIN interview

Interview by smoky man and Antonio Solinas. Conducted in March 2009.
Originally printed in Italy on Scuola di Fumetto magazine (N. 68, June 2009, Coniglio Editore).
Presented here in English for the first time.
Todd Klein blog: kleinletters.com/Blog

1. How did you start your career and why did you choose lettering?After discovering in high school that I had no particular interest in other careers, I spent two years in art school at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and the Kansas City Art Institute (1969-71), before running out of tuition money. I then worked at several boring jobs, including putting together instruction manuals for air conditioners. In my spare time, I began submitting art, and occasionally writing, to science fiction, fantasy and comics fanzines, with some success. I was a fan and long-time reader of all three. In 1977, after putting together a portfolio, I applied for work at several New York comic book publishers.At DC Comics I was offered a two-week trial in the Production Department, doing art and lettering corrections and paste-ups, to fill in for a vacationing employee. At the end of the two weeks, that employee decided not to come back, and a glorious career in comics began. While on staff I learned the basics of hand-lettering from John Workman, also on staff then. While I tried other things, like writing, inking and coloring comics, lettering seemed the best fit for me, and the direction I've mostly followed.
2. Your early influences include people like Gaspar Saladino, John Workman, Tom Orzechowski and Joe Rosen. What do you think you learned from them? Furthermore, are there any lettering people whose work you follow today?Well, what I learned from them was how to make lettering that looked good, I guess. Once I mastered the basics, studying the details of style in those who influenced me, and copying it in my own way when I could, allowed me to develop my own style. I can't say there are any current letterers who I follow closely, though I try to keep an eye on what's being done.
3. You started in an era when computer lettering did not exist. How do those times compare to today and is there anything you miss about those pre-internet days?When I began in the comics business in 1977, all the elements on a page of comics were done by hand. Today it's possible for all of them to be done on a computer, though much of the artwork is still done by hand first, then scanned onto a computer. The evolution of desktop publishing powered by inexpensive but powerful desktop and laptop computers, especially those made by Apple, began in the 1980s, and started having an impact on comics lettering soon after, though the effects were gradual.For lettering comics pages, the computer has some distinct advantages and some disadvantages. Lettering SANDMAN on the computer, for instance, would have been a nightmare, because every time Neil Gaiman wanted a new lettering style for a character, I'd have to create a new font, a very time-consuming process. For a book like, say, CAPTAIN AMERICA, where the need for lots of styles is absent, the computer can be quite a timesaver. Over the years I've tried to develop a library of fonts that will serve in most situations without becoming stale, and now that nearly all the work I'm doing is on the computer, I've gotten comfortable with that, though I still enjoy the challenge of hand-lettering on those rare occasions when I'm asked to. While there are now many advantages for computer lettering for the comics companies, there are still comics artists who would prefer to have the lettering on their pages. First, it would save them some drawing time (not having to draw where you KNOW a big caption will be), same for the inkers and colorists. Second, comics tell a story, and a page of comics art without the lettering is only half the story. Selling a page of comics art with lettering is usually easier for that reason. So, there are still some hand-lettering holdouts, but they're dwindling fast against the rising tide of digital convenience.
4. How has computer lettering changed your way of approaching your job?The main change is sitting down in front of a computer instead of at the drawing board. Otherwise, I think my approach is similar: try to do the best job I can with the tools at hand.
5. Lettering is a very important part of comics, but as Richard Starkings says, a letterer’s job is successful when you do not notice it, basically. Do you agree with that? In your opinion, which is the main feature a good lettering has to have?Well, the lettering is part of the package, and when done well it helps tell the story without being distracting. So, bad lettering will stand out and interfere with that. Good lettering will be part of the entire reading experience, enhancing it, but there are times when good lettering can also stand out and be noticed. Not enough to distract from the story, just enough for the reader to see and appreciate it. So, I don't agree. Just as in a film, where very good music or sets or costumes can be noticed and appreciated while still enjoying the story, so it is with very good lettering. Or inking, or pencilling or writing or coloring.
6. You are known for the versatility of your lettering and for the elegant letter design. Can you describe the process of creating custom made fonts for your lettering? When you designed “the voices” of characters in Sandman, did you get to talk to the writer before using the lettering styles you had created for them?It depends on the writer and the project. Some writers have many suggestions, some leave it to me. Neil Gaiman usually had a lot of input in the lettering choices I made, Alan Moore, for instance, usually made a few suggestions and then left it to me. As for the process, all I can say is, I look for the style that seems right for the character or situation, drawing on my knowledge of comics and non-comics art and design.
7. How did the collaboration with Alan Moore and JH Williams work on Promethea? Can you describe the process in detail? How did the experimental solutions came about and what was your input?Nearly everything you see in Promethea was described first by Alan in his scripts. J.H. added details and styles to that. I worked more closely with J.H. on the look of the lettering than with Alan, who, as I said, tends to just make a few suggestions and then leave it to me. J.H. likes to have a lot of input, and we often discussed styles and lettering ideas as the series went along.
8. You are a well-respected logo designer: in particular, your work for the ABC line was remarkable. What can you tell us about that? Can you talk about the process?With the ABC books I was essentially the cover designer, and worked with the artists and Alan to come up with the covers from start to finish. Sometimes Alan would have a firm idea, sometimes the artist would, sometimes I would. It varied a lot. The logos and type for each issue of Tom Strong and Promethea were designed with a particular style in mind, each one different. It was a lot of work, but also lots of fun, most of the time. It would begin with Alan's concept for the issue's contents, and from there we'd settle on a style. Then I'd research it, get examples, and work with the artist, sometimes giving them a layout first, sometimes working from their layout. When the art was done I would do final logo and type designs, making everything fit and work together.
9. Has any of the artistic teams you worked with ever complained about issues related to lettering?Oh, I can think of a few, but I won't name any names. Most of the people I've worked with have seemed to like what I do.
10. What do you think of companies like Comicraft selling commercial lettering fonts? Does this bother you in any way?I have no problem with it. Commercial fonts from vendors like Comicraft and Blambot have allowed more artists to do their own lettering, which I think is a good thing, if they want to. And when they do, they're letterers. Well-made fonts will allow anyone to reach a certain level of competence, but to excell with them takes practice and skill.
11. Your ToddKlone fonts are a sort of “holy grail” of lettering fonts, as you keep them for yourself. Are they ever going to be commercially released (maybe when you will retire)?I may, when that time comes. I have no plans for it as of now.
12. Can you talk about the various prints you created with your collaborators, with Moore, Gaiman and Ross? I find them a really great idea…While the production of these signed prints might seem like a savvy business plan, in fact I kind of happened on it. After thinking about it for years, in January 2007 I started working on a website for myself. Looking at other websites I liked, I noted that all of them had an “items for sale” section of some kind, and I thought I should do that, too. I put together a short list of things to sell, including two 11 by 17 inch prints I had made in the 1990s, and when the website launched in July 2007, they were on my Buy Stuff page.For the first few weeks I made sales, but that dropped off to almost nothing by the end of July, and I pondered what new things I could do to add to the list. New prints of my own lettering was an option, but I couldn’t think of anything really novel in that line. Then it occurred to me to try collaborating with some of the popular and well-liked creators I’d been working with for years. The first two that came to mind were Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman. Those were names that could get some attention and generate sales. Of the two, I was in touch more regularly with Alan, so I started with him, and we produced “Alphabets of Desire,” which to my shock was a runaway hit, with the first printing selling out in less than three days.Okay, then, success! And, why not more? Within days of putting Alan’s print on sale in early December I emailed Neil about the possibility of him writing one for me. The answer came back, “Sure.” It took some months, but he finally delivered a poem to me that I thought would make a fine print. I worked up a design, lettered and drew it, and "Before You Read This" became the second print.Next I began to think about doing a third print, this time collaborating with an artist rather than a writer. I’d had an idea: a boy sits happily reading a comic, while around and above him are a cloud of phantom word balloons and captions, representing some of the comics he’s reading, or has read. Above that is an obscure image of a flying super-hero, perhaps one the boy is reading about or imagining himself as, and at the top a large title, “Comic Book Dreams.” The title would feature a large letter C at the beginning, continuing the alphabetical theme of the first two prints (something I hadn’t planned, it just happened.)My ideal choice for artist was Alex Ross, but I didn’t know if he’d have time or would be interested in doing it.I gave Alex a call and nervously made my proposal. Happily, he agreed right away, and from my description said he already had a visual in mind. Again, it took some months, but finally Alex delivered the art, and I put the print together with the lettering. Detailed descriptions of the creation of each print are on my blog, if you want to know more.
13. Which are the works you are most proud of? Any works which you were not happy about?If I had to pick one project I'm most proud of it would be the entire run of Sandman. There are many others I like a great deal, too, including most of my collaborations with Alan Moore. In a long career there are always going to be some projects that didn't come out the way one would like, but I'm not going to name any.
14. In your career you won several Eisner Awards and it is not a surprise that you are considered one of the best letterers in the field. Have you got any dreams left to chase? In the past you wrote a couple of comics: is there more writing in the near future, for you? I know you also play music, any news about this?I'm so busy with the work in hand I don't have time for either new writing or music these days, I'm afraid. If lettering and design work slows down for me, or when I decide to cut back on it in later years, there might be time for more of those. Meanwhile, some of the Green Lantern Corps stories I wrote have recently been reprinted by DC Comics in trade paperback form (with stories by others), so that's nice. And the music I've recorded is available on my website.

CHRIS SPROUSE interview

Interview by smoky man. Conducted in November 2008.
Originally printed in Italy on Scuola di Fumetto magazine (N. 65, February/March 2009, Coniglio Editore).
Presented here in English for the first time.
Above: Cover for Tom Strong Vol. Two.
Tom Strong published by DC Comics.
Chris Sprouse blog: sprousenet.blogspot.com

Right now you are in the comics biz from more than 20 years. How did it all started? Did you attend any artistic school or are you an autodidact?
Actually, this year is my 19th year in comics. I drew comics for myself all through childhood. I studied fine art and graphic design in a standard university, not art school, but all of my comic book abilities are self-taught.

Most of all, why making a living by drawing comics? Was it your dream as a child?
It was my dream as far back as I can remember. I wanted to do something creative for a living and I was able to draw and liked comic books, so it seemed like an obvious choice to me.

Which artists did influence you the most? Not only from comics but in Art in general… And why?
Herge was my first influence. We lived in India when I was a child and my parents bought us European albums to entertain us. Tintin was my favorite and is still my favorite comic today. I think I developed a "clean" style because I've read and re-read the Tintin albums my entire life. Later, my big American comic influences were Michael Golden, Frank Miller and Walt Simonson. Golden is a master of design and knows how to pick the perfect image or pose for every panel or cover he draws. Miller is the best visual storyteller in comics, and Simonson brings a sense of excitement and fun to his drawing that I can only marvel at and hope to understand one day.

Was it difficult for you to break in the biz? I think it could be said that your professional career in comics started at DC with Legionnaires in the ’80. What can you recall of that experience?
It was very easy to break in: I simply mailed sample pages to DC Comics and they called me two weeks later! I was very lucky! Legionnaires was my first big series and I loved drawing the book. It was also very exciting to be a part of that group of creators--Jason Pearson, Keith Giffen, Tom & Mary Bierbaum, Stuart Immonen--we all tried to do our best because we didn't want to disappoint anyone else. I would draw a Legion comic again in a second if they asked me!

Then you moved to the various Rob Liefeld’s Image studio incarnations in the 90ies. I remember you doing a couple of issues of New Men for him, a nice book. Then you were attached as the new regular artist of his flag-ship title, the Supreme’s run by Alan Moore. How did you get this assignment?
I drew three issues of New Men, then the series was cancelled. Coincidentally, the editor of Supreme was the writer of New Men, and he asked me to draw Supreme for one issue as a fill-in artist. That was issue #50, and they liked it enough that they hired me to be the regular artist.

Were you more excited or a bit “frightened” to work with Moore considering his writing status?
Both excited to be working with someone as good as Alan and frightened because I wanted my art to be as good as his stories and I didn't know if I was up to the task.

Drawing Supreme, had you any direct contact with him or did you work only on his scripts? I think at that time he had already finished his scripts for Awesome and had no contact with the company... What’s about the “quality” of his scripts? Were they as detailed as the legend says?
No, I had no contact with Alan while working on Supreme. The scripts were indeed detailed and very long, but they were so much fun to read! I've kept them all!

After Supreme you followed Moore on his ABC line co-creating Tom Strong. What’s about your contribution to this modern classic hero? Was is only limited to the visual aspect of the characters, the city (even if Millennium City IS a character in itself), mecha design and so on.. or did you also contributed to the story in any way?
At first, I supplied purely visual input, but supposedly Alan created all the ABC books with the specific creators in mind, or at least tailored the stories to fit each of our strengths and interests. Later, around issue #10, Alan and I did discuss stories very briefly and decided together to focus on the Strong family as a sort of homage to the family feel of the old Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four, which we both loved. Otherwise, I was very content to let Alan write whatever he wanted to because it would always be interesting and fun to draw.

After Supreme and Tom Strong, how do you weight your collaboration with Moore? Do you consider it as the highest point of your career till now? Any "strange magical" anecdotes to share with us related to yr long professional relationship with him?
It was definitely my favorite time in comics. I don't know if I was always able to do the best I could have every single issue, but I'm very proud of the work I did on Tom Strong. No real magical anecdotes in the literal sense, but it was very magical to work with Alan. I'm honored to have had the chance.

There are rumors that a new Tom Strong series (without Moore on the writing) is upcoming. With you as penciler. Can you reveal us anything?
Peter Hogan and I are doing a new mini-series called Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom which should be published next year. It begins with Tesla and Val planning their wedding, but events soon go horribly wrong when Tom's illegitimate son Albrecht alters the time stream. That's all I'll say for now!

Let’s talk about your style and drawing approach. You use a really clean line, more light than shadow, I like to define it as “realistic cartoony”. What can you say about it? How did you develop it? It seems an easy style, at first look, but I know it takes tons of thoughts and time to draw a page. Like for Mignola’s style, which is at the opposite style of your spectrum considering all the blacks he puts on.
As I said earlier, I think my "clean line" style started because of my interest in Herge's work. Since reading Tintin as a child, I've always liked clean linework, and when I began to draw, what I had learned from reading Tintin and other similar comics came out in my drawing style. It's all intuitive though--I just know when a page or drawing feels "right" or "finished" to me and when to stop rendering so that I like the finished result. Too many lines looks too busy and too fussy to me.

What’s the process behind your page? What kind of tools do you use? Any digital support?
I start by drawing quick thumbnails with a soft blue or black pencil on standard copy paper while reading the script. Then I either draw large full-size layouts on 11"X17" cheap paper or I draw the layouts directly on the final Bristol Board paper. The finished product from this step is all the "under-drawing" and construction work--I've worked out all the poses and anatomy and perspective. Next I put the layout on my lightbox on my drawing table and make a very clean-line tracing (with black H or HB lead) of just the necessary elements. Finally I do any shading and fill in black areas before giving the pages over to Karl story for inking.

What’s about your studio? Do you work at home? Any digital support?
I do work at home, in a studio full of reference books and models and props that I use for maintaining accuracy when drawing. I use a computer to shrink or enlarge sketches when needed, and for altering artwork for specific effects.

I think it’s correct to say you are basically a penciler and your clean pages are created (I suppose) keeping in mind that they have to be inked. You worked with inkers like Al Gordon and Karl Story, who are regular collaborators. What’s about your teamwork with the inker? I mean it is a kind of a matter of trust… Do you prefer they stay faithful to your lines or… for example I remember a great team-up with “embellisher” Kevin Nowlan (who’s also a penciler on his own)…
I really do prefer that the inker is faithful to the pencil artwork. It's heartbreaking to create a page you love only to see it changed by someone else. I work very hard on getting just the right expressions on faces or making sure technical details are correct, and these two things can be destroyed very carelessly by bad inkers. Luckily, for many years I've been able to work with good inkers I do trust. I prefer Karl Story over anyone else and we've worked together so long that I think we both know what the other expects or what the other will do. Being inked by Kevin Nowlan was amazing! He was very faithful, yet occasionally his own spirit would show through on certain details.

Why don’t you ink yourself? Is it just a matter of deadline? In Europe, comics artists draw and ink their own stuff which is quite unusual in the USA market, especially in the “superhero” field…
It's very much a matter of deadline. And since I haven't inked very much of my own work, I haven't been able to practice my inking skills and am not very good at it! The US publishers just don't seem to want to give creators the time to create longer stories in an album format--it's all about the monthly treadmill over here!

Do you prefer a fully detailed script or something more like Marvel-style script?
I think I prefer a detailed script. At the very least I prefer to know the dialogue when drawing expressions and poses. I recently had the chance to work "Marvel-style" with Walt Simonson on a Spirit story and it was a challenge!

Any desire to write your own comics?
Not at all! I love to draw and am happy doing just that.

Your sci-fi Ocean miniseries written by Warren Ellis has been optioned for a movie adaptation. Any news about it? Are you involved in it in any way?
I'm not involved in any way. I'm very excited about it--I love science fiction movies and to have created something which will one day be a science fiction movie is amazing to me. I just learned that the script is finished and it should go to the studio for casting and budgeting soon.

What’s your opinion about the strong relationship between the comics industry and Hollywood? There is for example a big hype around a couple of comics movies such as Spirit, Sin City 2 and of course Watchmen… Is it good for comics in itself or not?
I'm not sure if it is good. I suppose that good Hollywood movies based on comics has helped to make comics more legitimate in the eyes of the general American public. When I was in school, you could be ridiculed and even beaten up for liking comics, but now it's very accepted among all age groups and I think it may be partially because of the movies. No one has been able to say conclusively if the movies have helped generate more comic sales, but I don't think they have. I don't know. I can only speak for myself: I didn't get into the comics business to make movies--I just want to draw good comics and if someone wants to make a movie out of one of my comics, that's great, but it's not my ultimate goal.

What do you think about the graphic novel phenomenon?
I'm happy that there are more US graphic novels now! I would love to see even more.

Your last work is the Number of the Beast miniseries set in the Wildstorm Universe. What can reveal about this story?
Number of the Beast is about a group of superheroes form the 1940's and 1950's who have been kept in suspended animation. Now they are waking up and will quite possibly cause the end of civilization! That's the basic premise. I was attracted to the series because of the 1940's-50's characters. I designed nearly 30 characters for the series and I loved every minute of it. It was very hard work ultimately, but I enjoyed the series.

You are also working on some Superman covers even if you said in the past “I don’t think I can’t draw him well”…
I just finished my second cover an hour ago! Originally, I was supposed to draw a two-part Superman story, but plans fell through and DC decided to abandon it. I don't know what happened, but I was ready and willing. I'd resisted doing Superman for years because I never liked how I drew him at conventions, but I did a cover for one of Brad Meltzer's JLA comics featuring Superman and it looked okay, so I thought I could do it. I drew another cover this year in preparation for my two issues and I loved it, so I thought it would all go perfectly. Oh, well...maybe someday. For now, I'll be drawing a total of four Superman-related covers: two for Superman, one for Supergirl, and one for Action Comics.

Which comics do you currently read? Because you READ comics, don’t you? (It seems that many comics artists don’t do that…)
I regularly read Ex Machina, Hellboy, anything by Warren Ellis, Stuart Immonen's Ultimate Spider-Man, and Mark Millar & Bryan Hitch's Fantastic Four.