Jeff MacNelly
Writer/Artist (political cartoonist & strip cartoonist), Chicago Tribune / Syndication
Working on: SHOE strip, political cartoons
MacNelly, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and creator of the SHOE comic strip, discusses balancing daily political cartoons at the Chicago Tribune with writing and drawing SHOE. He explains his philosophy of gleeful journalistic rule-breaking ("I slander people, I libel them, I misquote them"), his self-described conservative politics, and the challenge of finding ugly politicians to caricature. He names Walt Kelly (POGO) as his primary artistic hero, praises BLOOM COUNTY, and mentions a forthcoming collected edition of his political cartoons called DIRECTIONS.
Art Adams
Artist, Marvel / Comico
Working on: LONGSHOT Graphic Novel, GUMBY one-shot, Marvel Fanfare Longshot story, Action Comics Annual
Adams discusses his self-taught, humor-inflected artistic style, developed primarily through his work on LONGSHOT, and his habit of hiding background cartoon characters (Gumby, Wimpy, Goofy) in Marvel pages. He describes his upcoming projects — a LONGSHOT Graphic Novel he will pencil, ink, and color; a MARVEL FANFARE Longshot story that ballooned from 15 to 30 pages; and the GUMBY one-shot for Comico written by Bob Burden, a collaboration he initially tried to dodge. He expresses dissatisfaction with print reproduction quality and praises inkers Terry Austin and Craig Russell.
Bill Woggon
Writer/Artist, Renegade Press
Working on: VICKI VALENTINE
Barb Rausch
Artist, Renegade Press / Marvel Productions
Working on: VICKI VALENTINE, NEIL THE HORSE, JEM animated storyboards
Part two of a conversation with KATY KEENE creator Bill Woggon and his collaborator/illustrator Barb Rausch, covering the Katy Keene revival at Archie Comics, the creation of their independently owned character VICKI VALENTINE (debuted in NEIL THE HORSE #11 and now published by Renegade Press), and their creative process. Woggon writes the stories and Rausch handles art, with planned story arcs involving world travel and celebrity cameos. Rausch separately discusses her storyboard work on the JEM animated series at Marvel Productions.
Richard Bruning
Art Director, DC Comics
Working on: HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE, new Prestige-format series
Bob Rozakis
Production Manager, DC Comics
Working on: HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE, 'MAZING MAN
Part two of a conversation with DC's art director and production manager, covering corrections made for the collected DARK KNIGHT RETURNS edition, the production challenges of HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE, and a detailed discussion of the troubled Flexographic printing press at World Color/Sparta. Rozakis defends his early support of Flexo despite disastrous results on WHO'S WHO #1, while Bruning critiques the inadequate black coverage and warns that letterpress presses built around World War II are aging out. Rozakis also reflects on the autobiographical roots of 'MAZING MAN and its cancellation.
Rick Werft
Retailer, Comic Castle (Fullerton & Victorville, CA)
Working on: Running two specialty shops
Werft, owner of the Comic Castle stores in Fullerton and Victorville, California, identifies ROBOTECH, X-MEN, and G.I. JOE as his top sellers, notes that younger readers favor Marvel while older customers prefer independents, and argues that high cover prices hurt independent sales. He criticizes Marvel and DC reprint titles as deceptive to consumers, praises CEREBUS, NEXUS, and GRIMJACK as worthwhile reads, and reflects on the specialty shop's competitive advantage of receiving books before mass-market retailers.
DAK celebrates SOUTHERN KNIGHTS reaching issue #20 and announces a weekly four-issue DRAGON mini-series shipping in August.
Reader mail includes a note from Bill Mumy announcing the DREAMWEAVER graphic novel for Marvel (pencilled by Gray Morrow) and work on THE COMPANY for Pied Piper Press. A Canadian reader reflects on Frank Frazetta's #42 interview in the context of creators' rights.