After Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became a cultural phenomenon, Kevin Eastman bought the iconic sci-fi and fantasy comics magazine Heavy Metal. And soon after that, he began spending the bulk of his time working out of his home studio with the British comics artist Simon Bisley.
Together, the pair put out a string of experimental and daring works — from The Melting Pot to Body Count — all with a working relationship so interesting that they were invited to discuss those good old day during a panel at this year’s San Diego Comic Con.
They reminisced about spending their days going to the gym, before working, working, working in the garage that Eastman had converted into a home studio. They would listen to The Jerky Boys, albums by the comedian Andrew Dice Clay, and old war documentaries in the background. They would sit by the pool. They would talk to a cardboard cut-out of President Bill Clinton set up beside their tables. They would draw comics and just generally have a good time.
But, most pressingly, they would draw those comics.
“We were very very productive there,” Bisley recalled. “We did tremendous work day in and day out.”
Eastman nodded.
“It was always marathon,” he said.
And Heavy Metal was key to it all. Eastman pointed to the anthology magazine, first published in 1977, as a foundational element of his comics career. He said he bought it off a newsstand and the effect it had on him was life-changing.
“If there was any question of not continuing a career in comics,” Eastman said, “Heavy Metal cemented that. Even if I was living in my parents’ basement, I’d still be drawing comics.”
Heavy Metal first opened Eastman’s eyes to comics that could be more complex. When he was young, mainstream comics were childish, still beholden to the oppressive regulations of the comics code. But not Heavy Metal.
It hit fans with surprises and variety every month.
“It hit fans on so many levels, and a lot of them were not comics fans,” Eastman said. “They didn’t buy Spider-Man as a comic, but they bought Heavy Metal.”
It was similar to the British sci-fi anthology magazine, 2000AD, for which Bisley had done work. So, when Turtles hit big and Eastman came into some money, he bought the magazine — and he hired Bisley.
“He gave me a whole fistful of money,” Bisley remembered. “And I bought a sports car, ran it into the ground…”
Eastman recalled watching Bisley draw — cigarette hanging from his mouth — with stunning ease and evident joy.
“I knew I could never be as good as he is and do what he could do,” Eastman said. “He is without a doubt the most naturally talented artist I’ve ever seen.”
The two got along well too due to a shared admiration for artists like Richard Corben and Frank Franzetta.
So yeah, the panel was a great mix of old memories like that with mutual admiration between a pair of industry heavyweights, but perhaps the highlight was the set of old polaroids they shared form those days. Look, it was quite a time and the pictures reflect that, and I’m not here to blow up anyone’s spot, as they say, but the slideshow conveyed cool hijinx from a pair of talented young creatives just loving what they were doing.
The pair was young and successful and having a hell of a good time making art…isn’t that a nice thing to remember?
