Comics Interview — Issue #061

Main Topics: Concrete (Dark Horse), Dark Horse Comics, independent publishing and creator ownership, licensed comics (Aliens, Godzilla, Predator)

Contents
  1. Paul Chadwick
  2. Mike Richardson & Randy Stradley
  3. Up Front — Guest Editorial (Henry Vogel)
  4. Last Word (Letters column)
interview Paul Chadwick
Interviewed by Bob Sodaro
Paul Chadwick Writer/Artist, Dark Horse Comics Working on: Concrete, Dark Horse Presents
Chadwick traces his path from a Seattle suburb childhood and Marvel fandom through the influential Portland APA-5, art school at the Art Center College of Design, a career storyboarding Hollywood films (*Pee-Wee's Big Adventure*, The Big Easy, Strange Brew), and science-fiction paperback cover painting before finally committing to Concrete. He discusses the psychological origins of the Concrete concept — a fantasy of passive, rock-like invulnerability — and emphasizes that it is the execution and character detail, not the high-concept idea, that give the book its value. He also reveals that Frank Miller was an early APA-5 member alongside himself and several future Dark Horse principals.
interview Mike Richardson & Randy Stradley
Interviewed by Andy Mangels
Mike Richardson Publisher/Editor, Dark Horse Comics Working on: Boris the Bear, The Mark, Aliens, Godzilla, Predator (upcoming)
Randy Stradley Editor, Dark Horse Comics Working on: Boris the Bear, Mecha, The Mark, Godzilla, Predator (upcoming)
Richardson and Stradley explain how Dark Horse grew out of shared frustrations with mainstream comics and the connections forged in APA-5, with Concrete as the cornerstone title that defined their editorial philosophy of creator ownership and minimal interference. They discuss the origins of Boris the Bear as a parody of the b&w glut, their move to better paper stock without a price increase, and their anger at being excluded from the Overstreet Price Guide solely because their books were black-and-white. Upcoming projects include the four-issue color Predator series, a Roy Thomas/Robert E. Howard adaptation, the Concrete Color Special, and Outlanders (Japanese manga by Johji Manabe).
article Up Front — Guest Editorial (Henry Vogel)
A libertarian argument that true freedom means the right to be responsible for one's own actions, concluding that the United States, despite its reputation, does not meet that standard given its various paternalistic laws.
article Last Word (Letters column)
Reader letters discuss a previous subscription scare, the X-Men animated preview screened at Dallas Fantasy Fair, and a request for coverage of Dudley Do-Right's Canadian cultural significance.