Wendy Pini
Writer/Artist, WaRP Graphics / First Comics
Working on: *Beauty and the Beast: Portrait of Love* graphic novel; *Elfquest*
Pini discusses creating the Beauty and the Beast graphic novel Portrait of Love for First Comics, describing her visits to the CBS television set, her working relationships with cast members Ron Perlman, Linda Hamilton, and Roy Dotrice, and the lengthy approval process with show creator Ron Koslow. She explains her watercolor technique using prismacolor pencil layouts as a base, her goal of achieving "transcendent likenesses" from photo reference, and the thematic parallels she sees between the show and Elfquest.
William Messner-Loebs
Writer/Artist, Freelance
Working on: *Journey*, *Flash* (DC); former *Jonny Quest* (Comico)
In a wide-ranging conversation, Loebs and McCloud discuss the appeal of Jonny Quest, the nature of the independent comics market, and Loebs's philosophy of honest, character-driven storytelling in Journey. Topics range from realism in adventure narratives and the limitations of the revenge motif, to the tension between writer and artist in collaborative comics, copyright law, and the role of comics criticism. Loebs also reflects on his artistic development — his debt to Will Eisner, his shift toward a more cartoony style, and his experiences working on Mr. Monster, Munden's Bar, and DC's Flash.
Dominique Rasquain
Comics Retailer (co-owner), The Album Shops, Paris
Working on: Running three Paris comics shops
Bruno Terrier
Comics Retailer (import manager), The Album Shops, Paris
Working on: Managing American/English comics section
The co-owner and import manager of the Paris-based Album Shops discuss the structure of French comics distribution (publisher-direct vs. national press distributors), pricing laws under the Socialist government, and the contraction of the French comics market due to publisher overproduction. Bruno offers observations on American comics from a French retail perspective — noting that superheroes are a hard sell in France, that John Byrne and Frank Miller are the most popular American creators, and that Chaykin's Shadow was perceived as anti-communist by French readers. Both discuss their rapid receipt of new American comics, shop signings with creators including Walt Simonson and Bill Sienkiewicz, and the challenges of shoplifting.
A brief editorial comparing the cultural status of comics in Japan, France, and Italy to their treatment in the United States, noting the irony that European and Asian cultures treat comics as serious art or literature while Americans remain ambivalent.
An editorial note explaining the convoluted production history of the Messner-Loebs interview (delayed nine months, computer disk incompatibility, multiple rounds of editing); includes a reader letter praising *Comics Interview*'s comprehensiveness.