Comics Interview — Issue #009

Joint interview about the creation of Marvel's upcoming Power Pack, a series featuring four super-powered children. Brigman, a newcomer who had previously done only scattered fill-in work, describes how she met Louise Jones (Simonson) at Marvel and won the assignment with character sketches; she discusses deadline pressures, her admiration for Walt Simonson's design approach, and the challenge of drawing convincing children. Louise Simonson explains the origins of the concept (a long-held idea for a younger group than the New Mutants), introduces the four Power children and their powers, and talks about the emotional complexities of children gaining super-abilities — particularly the "loss of innocence" theme — while expressing enthusiasm for her first solo writing project after years as an editor.

A rare interview with one of comics' most prolific Golden Age writers, creator of the Justice Society, Justice League, Flash, Hawkman, Dr. Fate, and Adam Strange, among many others. Fox recounts how he stumbled into comics in 1937 after practicing law, writing his first story for Detective Comics and eventually producing over 4,200 comic books. He discusses his collaborations with Julie Schwartz, the origins of the JSA and JLA, the Earth-One/Earth-Two concept, and his dismissal from DC after attempting to organize a writers' union. He notes that the super-heroes were his "wish-fulfillment figures" for making the world a better place, and that he is now in his 70s, retired from comics, and writing roughly one novel per year.

A double interview: Jack C. Harris traces Simonson's full career from his college art-school senior thesis (The Star Slammers) through his DC and Marvel work (Manhunter, Alien, X-Men/Teen Titans), to his current revitalization of Thor, on which he has been given complete carte blanche as writer and artist. Simonson explains how he's drawing on Viking imagery and Norse mythology rather than the Kirby template, is rehabilitating neglected characters like Balder, and has ideas for the run dating back to 1967. Steve Ringgenberg's bonus interview focuses on the Star Slammers graphic novel, Walt's literary and artistic influences (Heinlein, Gordion Dickson's Dorsai books, Jim Holdaway, Frank Bellamy, European artists like Moebius), and his detailed plot-to-thumbnails-to-script working method.

A wide-ranging conversation with the Texas underground cartoonist whose GOD NOSE (1964) is credited as the first underground comic, and who has since pivoted to meticulous historical graphic novels. Jaxon discusses the erosion of the "underground/mainstream" distinction, the origins of his historical work in COMANCHE MOON (a biography of Quanah Parker) and LOS TEJANOS (the Tejano role at the Alamo), and his reliance on swipes from Remington and Russell for historical accuracy. He reflects on self-censorship as a creative discipline, the political sensitivities of his Tejano material on both sides of the Anglo-Mexican divide, and his pessimism about the current state of underground comics while expressing guarded optimism about the medium's future.

An extensive career retrospective with one of comics' grandmasters, who began professionally at age 11 at MLJ. Kubert traces his decades at DC (Hawkman, Enemy ACE, Sgt. Rock, Tarzan), his 1950s co-publishing venture with Norman Maurer that produced the first 3D comics (selling over two million copies before the market was glutted), his Green Berets newspaper strip (which he abandoned over political interference from the writer), and his current dual role as editor and creator of The Redeemer. He discusses his close working relationship with Bob Kanigher, his preference for full scripts over "Marvel style" plotting, and his Joe Kubert School of Comics Art — a three-year curriculum designed to turn out professional-ready cartoonists capable of working across all genres.

A brief interview with an up-and-coming freelance letterer who broke in through Americomics after years as a production artist for Pepsi-Cola and CBS News. Pinaha describes learning the technical fundamentals of comic-book lettering (Ames guide, stroke thickness, reduction) largely by trial and error on early Dragonfly and Mage issues, and articulates his philosophy that good lettering must be unobtrusive and serve storytelling by guiding the reader's eye.

An impromptu interview conducted after hours in an empty DC office. Roy discusses her seven-year coloring career, the challenges of maintaining costume continuity across DC's decades of history, her approach to mood-driven color (every Batman story is a "night-time story," every Superman a "day-time story"), and the technical differences between coloring for newsprint versus Baxter/Mando paper. She also talks about her tattoo and a recent PM Magazine TV appearance, and defends comics against those who dismiss them as lowbrow reading.

A warm and funny look at Marvel's production history through the eyes of its longtime Art Production Coordinator. Crespi recalls the original Timely/Atlas Bullpen of the 1950s (John Severin, Marie Severin, Sol Brodsky, Bill Everett, Stan Lee), the 1957 layoffs and his subsequent decade in advertising, and his return to Marvel ~12 years prior at Morrie Kuramoto's invitation. He pays affectionate tribute to the late John Verpoorten, who ran the Bullpen before him, and contrasts the old full-script letterer workflow with the modern Xerox-and-vellum system, which he finds inferior.

A detailed interview with the brothers behind Eclipse Comics, conducted over a Middle Eastern restaurant meal. They recount Eclipse's founding in 1977 with the SABRE graphic novel (the first direct-sales graphic novel), their early commitment to creator ownership and royalties, and the organic growth of the company through titles like Detectives Inc., Stewart the Rat, Ms. Tree, DNAgents, and Destroyer Duck. They discuss the deadline difficulties inherent in working with creator-owned titles, the dynamics of "friendly competition" with Pacific and First, Eclipse's upcoming expansion (Aztec Ace, ZOT!, Star*Reach Classics), and their philosophy of keeping the line varied and quality-focused rather than chasing market trends. Jan draws on his parallel music-industry experience to analyze fan market behavior.

DAK's first-anniversary editorial reflecting on Comics Interview's first year: the titles and creators it covered first (Omega Men, Ronin, American Flagg, Dreadstar, George Perez/Roy Thomas), reader frustration at finding copies in stores, and an appeal for fans to request the magazine at their local shops.

(int. Jim Salicrup) — Continuation of the interview with the veteran Marvel collector, focusing on the economics and ethics of comic collecting. Reece analyzes the parallels between early Sub-Mariner stories and King Kong, then turns to the comic-collecting market: he argues that price guides and dealer manipulation have created artificially inflated valuations, describes the "Howard the Duck caper" where shipments were hoarded to create artificial scarcity, and advises collectors to buy comics for enjoyment rather than investment.