Interviews

Paul Gravett asks Burns about X'ed Out and more. And this is the source of that preliminary cover for THE HIVE, BTW.

BY JEN VAUGHN - Comic writer, podcast host and serial blogger at his own website, The Invincible Super Blog, and Comics Alliance, Chris Sims sat down to have a chat with me about his upcoming Dracula comic to be fully released on Monday, October 31st, also known as Halloween. Six delicious pages are up as a preview now.

The return of a beloved Beat tradition!

Here is a Village Voice interview with Marv Wolfman, which is interesting for many reasons. Because Wolfman is always a thoughtful commenter on the comics industry and its may pressures, but also because CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS --and NEW TEEN TITANS by the same Wolfman/Perez team -- is to the New 52 generation what Fantastic Four #1 (the 1961 one) was to so many before it. With its sweeping changes, dramatic deaths and multiple universes, it set the stage for many a crisis to come. And, famously, there was talk after CoIE of doing a line-wide issue #1 reboot. The idea lay dormant until now. But Wolfman points out that for an event to be an event it should have actual motivation:

Props to the Mindless Ones for transcribing this interview -- recording the soft-spoken heavily accented Morrison is bad enough but when it's from a mike by a speaker phone...really guys, what WERE you thinking? Have you ever heard of SKYPE?

Today's slam dunk interview is Alex Dueben's chat with Fantagraphics' publisher Gary Groth, probably just because on the internet a frank discussion with a knowledgeable comics publishing figure is about as common as a humble moment from LeBron. Throw in that he has stellar vocabulary skills, and you have a winner.

By Chris Sotomayor -- I’ve been a fan of Reilly’s since I first noticed his work on Cable & Deadpool, a few years back. One of the great things about following an artist from the beginning of his career, is that you can see glimmers of greatness, and Reilly is no exception. Reilly is a student of storytelling, and he gets straight A’s every time, always adding a new layer with every project. Plus, he’s just such a personable and easy-going guy.

[Chris Sotomayor is a successful and well known colorist for Marvel and other publishers. Recently he began a series of interviews he called "The Dirty Dozen" where he asks industry figures questions about their careers from a business standpoint. The themes are among those that we've recently been exploring here at The Beat as the career paths for cartoonists become more tangled -- here is more opportunity than ever, but the way to get there is not always clear. Although the interviews appear first at his site, Chris has graciously allowed The Beat to reprint them. Up this time, writer/artist Jimmy Palmiotti.]

ColoristChris Sotomayor has just begun a new series of interviews on his website, where he asks subjects a series of pointed questions regarding the state of the industry. First up, writer Kurt Busiek, whom you may remember from such hits as MARVELS, SUPERMAN: SECRET IDENTITY, ASTRO CITY, and that post here at the Beat where he made a really great point. The whole thing comprises only a dozen questions but covers Busiek's break into comics, followed by a swift break out of comics, and years working at Burger King to break in again, and also one of the double-edged swords that we all live with:

On the occasion of the German edition of Chew, which recently debuted from Cross Cult Verlag, I had the opportunity to talk to Layman about the series, his prospects in the comics industry and his experiences at WildStorm. An abbreviated and translated version of the interview, which was conducted via e-mail over the course of several weeks, appears in Chew – Bulle mit Biss 1: Leichenschmaus. The book can be purchased here, here or here, among other places. (Disclosure: I’m the translator.)

Wizard-watchers will find mostly familiar territory in the ICv2 interview with Wizard's CEO Gareb Shamus. Key words: "exciing" and "incredible." But it does include what may be the most awesome interview question ever:

In as unstable job market as we have today, three men have decided to give their art their full time attention, their all. Writer and artist of Let's Be Friends Again!, Curt Franklin and Chris Haley respectively started their witty webcomic on the print comic world and what it means to really be friends in 2008. Eugene Ahn aka nerd rapper Adam WarRock quit his career as an attorney in 2010 in order to follow his heart and let his mouth fly. Today they announced the joining of their two ventures into LBFA!, Inc.