Here’s the whole story, direct from Thought Bubble / Hanglands:

THOUGHT BUBBLE FESTIVAL
LEEDS & ACROSS YORKSHIRE
6th – 12th NOVEMBER 2023

THOUGHT BUBBLE COMIC CONVENTION
HARROGATE CONVENTION CENTRE
11th – 12th NOVEMBER 2023

 https://www.thoughtbubblefestival.com

Acclaimed comic art festival Thought Bubble are all set for their week-long festival & convention championing comic art and culture, taking place across Leeds & Yorkshire between 6th – 12th of November. Teaming up once again with partners LeedsBID, Thought Bubble Festival 2023 has a programme packed full of talks, workshops, exhibitions, public art installations, film screenings, venue takeovers and much more.

Getting Leeds in the comic book spirit ahead of the festival is the city-wide Art Trail installation, which opens today. A large-format exhibition celebrating all of the images commissioned by the festival each year by renowned and ground-breaking artists including Becky Cloonan, Tula Lotay, Choo, Natalie Andrewson and many more; the 2023 Art Trail will be hosted across sixteen independent and much loved venues throughout the city centre.

The Art Trail aims to introduce the city to comic art whilst encouraging visitors to explore and experience the best that Leeds has to offer, with large-scale, high-quality prints installed at Miles and Co., OK Comics, The Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, Kapow Coffee, Crash Records, Northern Guitars, Water Lane Boathouse, The Bookish Type, Nation of Shopkeepers, Jumbo Records, Travelling Man, Fred Aldous, North Taproom, Eat Your Greens, The Social Bar, and Outlaws Yacht Club.

Kicking off officially on Monday 6th November, the week-long Thought Bubble Festival includes exclusive events such as Vice Press presents: Batman (1989) in partnership with Everyman, which sees the renowned printmakers bringing an exclusive selection of limited edition art posters and prints alongside a special screening of the film; the official UK Launch Party of radical new comic publishing house DSTLRY who aim to create a more sustainable and equitable future for creators, and an informative and empowering talk in collaboration with Leeds Arts University’s Creative Networks series featuring the multiple Eisner Award-winning ND Stevenson and Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Molly Knox Ostertag.

Thought Bubble will also be taking over the newly renovated Hyde Park Picture House for an animation inspired all-dayer in partnership with Leeds International Film Festival, The British Book Awards Illustrator of the Year Dapo Adeola will be hosting a family-friendly comic book character draw-along and Free Comic Day makes a welcome return on November 10th when, thanks to Diamond Comics, libraries across Yorkshire will have a wide selection of all-ages graphic novels to give away.

Thought Bubble Festival leads up to their internationally acclaimed Comic Convention. Now in its sixteenth year, Thought Bubble is taking over Harrogate Convention Centre over 11th – 12th of November to gather together some of the most influential writers, artists and creators in the world, whilst also celebrating Britain’s own grassroots comics community.

Alongside iconic guests including Jeff Lemire, Jock, Zoe Thorogood, Jason Aaron, Becky Cloonan, and Michael W. Conrad, Thought Bubble Convention 2023 will be packed with panels on everything from classic comics to contemporary offerings as well as invaluable Q&As for budding creators and seasoned aficionados alike and, of course, more artwork and memorabilia than you can imagine.

Tickets for Thought Bubble Comic Convention are on sale now with under 12s, carers and over 65s tickets totally free. Tickets give access to all events within the comic convention weekend; panels, workshops, guest signings, as well as the three huge halls of over 400 exhibitors, publishers and much more.

For full programme, guests and events please visit:
https://www.thoughtbubblefestival.com

Three writers from the DC Comics News/Dark Knight News/Fantastic Universes team will be there, so please come and say hello!

Images and Press release Courtesy of Hanglands / Thought Bubble. Photos by Simon Godsave.

The post Thought Bubble 2023 Is Here! appeared first on DC Comics News.

He’s also worked on Swamp Thing and written a multitude of creator owned independent comics that are loved by millions. Nocterra, Barnstorming, and American Vampire are just a few of the titles he’s co-created.

One thing that fans may not know is how much he supports independent comic stores, champions physical, printed comics and shares his love of sites, like DC Comics News, and our sister sites, Dark Knight News and Fantastic Universes.

I was fortunate enough to finally meet him in the flesh at this year’s Thought Bubble convention. We talked about several of his brand-new projects for ComiXology, including a monthly series with his son, Jack. He proved that, when it comes to comics fans and Scott Snyder, you really should meet your heroes.

Scott Snyder – DC Comics News Exclusive Interview

Thought Bubble started life in November 2007 as a one-day event, an idea sparked by renowned comic artist Tula Lotay (aka Lisa Wood). At the time Lisa worked in a Leeds comic book shop, Travelling Man. Travelling Mans Director, Nabil Homsi, encouraged Lisa to get Thought Bubble going, he gave guidance and financial support to make it happen. The first convention took place in the basement of Leeds Town Hall. The following year the convention grew, and then grew again and again.

From the very beginning Thought Bubble’s ethos has been to celebrate comics and the people who make them. This focus on comics, the creators and the fans make Thought Bubble a unique kind of festival, especially loved by comic creators themselves! This leads to a consistently high caliber of talent at our annual comic convention.

With humble beginnings, Thought Bubble has gone from strength to strength, with an unparalleled reputation and a growth built primarily on word of mouth and a deep love of comics and the people who make them. Now the event has grown to a huge week-long festival and attracts thousands of attendees and guests from around the world.

Look out for our interview with James Tynion IV, also from Thought Bubble 2022.

Cameraman – Roy-Carlos Sinclair
Video Editor – Dave Tidey

The post Scott Snyder – DC Comics News Exclusive Interview appeared first on DC Comics News.

Department of Truth, Something Is Killing The Children, and The Nice House On The Lake are series that are loved by fans and critics alike. James’ work on Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country, for DC Black Label, has also proven to be a smash hit.

I attended the Thought Bubble convention this past weekend, where I was lucky enough to talk to James about his work on Substack, and we also got news about both The Nice House On The Lake and Nightmare Country… but that’s enough from me, let’s hear from James!

James Tynion IV – DC Comics News Exclusive Interview

Thought Bubble is, in my opinion, the UK’s best comic convention. Unlike some of the other shows, which are all great but have comics as a secondary focus, Thought Bubble is all, 100% comics centric. It attracts the biggest names in the business and is the warmest, friendliest con there is.

This show feels like it’s run by family.

Look out for our exclusive interview with Scott Snyder, also from the Thought Bubble convention!

Cameraman – Roy-Carlos Sinclair
Video Editor – Dave Tidey

The post James Tynion IV – DC Comics News Exclusive Interview appeared first on DC Comics News.

This is a show that isn’t all about TV, movies, and video games and that also covers comics… oh, no. Thought Bubble is totally, 100% comics focused. This is what makes it this particular fan’s favorite show of the year.

I mean, check out the guest list!

• Scott Snyder
• Gail Simone
• James Tynion IV
• Ram V
• Dan Watters
• Jock
• Christian Ward
• Cecil Castellucci
• Sean Phillips
• Richard Starkings
• Martin Simmonds
• Si Spurrier
• G. Willow Wilson

and many, many more!

As well as this cornucopia of comics creatives, the show will also feature the usual favorite activities, cosplay, panels, competitions, stalls, vendors, displays and much more besides.

I was fortunate enough to represent DC Comics News, and our sister sites Dark Knight News and Fantastic Universes last year, so am delighted to be doing the same for Thought Bubble 2022.

Whether you’re a fan of DC, Marvel, Image, BOOM!, Dark Horse, Aftershock, Ahoy, Comixology, Manga, Superheroes, Horror, Romance, or all of the above, Thought Bubble is guaranteed to have something you’ll love.

So, don’t let the winter blues get you down. Head on up to Harrogate and let this wonderful convention warm your heart, stimulate your mind, and delight your eyes. Some of the best writers and artists in the business will be there, as well as the greatest fan-sites in the world.

Will you be there this year? If so, you’re guaranteed a great time, and please say hello if you see us there!

The post Thought Bubble 2022 Convention Set To Warm Up The British Winter appeared first on DC Comics News.

This interview was something I’ve been looking forward to publishing for a couple of months, ever since sitting down with the artist back in November, at the astounding Thought Bubble UK Comic Convention.

I’ve been fortunate enough to review his work on Detective Comics and Justice League Dark for our sister site, Dark Knight News, and the stunning The Nice House On The Lake, for DC Comics News.

WARNING! This interview has HUGE spoilers for
The Nice House On The Lake issues #1-#6.
If you haven’t read them, do yourself a favor;
track them down, buy them/download them,
and devour them. The collected edition
will be released on March 1st, the
same day as issue #7 (volume 2 issue #1).

Álvaro Martínez Bueno

Steve J. Ray: The Nice House On The Lake… wow. I’ve said in my reviews…

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Which I’ve read. Thank you.

SJR: Thank you… that there are pages in this series where the collaboration between you, color artist Jordie Bellaire, and letterer, Deron Bennett (AndWorld design) is almost symbiotic, to the point where I don’t know who did what. The web pages/real estate pages of the house, the emails, chat threads, and conversation transcript pages, for example. It feels like the three of you, and James (Tynion) really are four people working as one.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: It’s actually really interesting, because the four of us probably talk to each other a lot less than you might think, or than we’d actually like. Everyone can see the scripts, everyone can see my layouts, so we’re all on the same page – quite literally. When I’ve finished my part, I don’t have to say anything to Jordie, she works her magic, returns her pages – which are always incredible – then Deron does his lettering over it all.

Apart from tiny changes; a hand that’s maybe been colored as a glove when it should’ve been bare flesh, for example, there’s rarely ever anything that ever needs fixing. We have an almost alchemical rapport and relationship. That’s the reason everything flows so smoothly, and we work together so well.

A series like this one depends on relationships like that because it’s so different; all the inserts, the text pages, the emails… those things working demanded a creative team that was united. Thank goodness, that’s exactly what we got. We have a team that’s so talented, yet so humble, that whenever things aren’t exactly right, we all know to fix them and make each other look better. There’s no ego here, which isn’t that common. We all work to put out the very best comic we can, and that makes all of us look great.

Without all that, this series wouldn’t be what it is.

The Housemates as teenagers, by Álvaro Martínez Bueno

SJR: I was so used to seeing your art inked by Raül (Fernandez Fonts) that when I saw TNHOTL #1, the change was incredible. Seeing you ink your own work was one thing… but it’s more than that. It feels like you’ve darkened your style, and adapted it to be more “real” I guess, and less “comic book”. We’re now getting psychological horror, grounded in a real-world setting; cluttered bedrooms, books, characters sitting on the floor. I saw my college years, my friendships. I saw my own life.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: That’s so great to hear. The change of style also owes a lot because of the change to creating the art digitally, instead of it being hand-drawn.

SJR: What?!?

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: (laughs) I can’t draw the same way digitally as I would traditionally. It’s impossible. Back when I worked with Raül I had to make my pencils a lot more detailed, so he could work a lot more easily on them. He might argue that this made him work a lot harder because I really made them very, very, detailed… but they had to be, so he didn’t need to guess about, or re-interpret anything, just work his magic and add the final layers of depth and texture to make the art print-ready.

TNHOTL2 pages 8-9 layouts, by Álvaro Martínez Bueno

When I’m inking my own work, I don’t have to be so meticulous with the pencils or make every character or background detail so intricate, because I can finish it all myself. I can fix issues like shadows and contrast with a thick brushstroke, or a bit of digital ink… I can permit myself a few more little luxuries. I also tried brand new things, because I could.

I had to rethink the way I do things, but it’s really brought to light and re-educated me on my art, and who I am as an artist. I had to try new things and grow, and this book gave me that opportunity. It’s also allowed me to give a little more of myself and my personality. You know that I like to add little things to the art, touches, personal Easter eggs…

SJR: Dabuten…

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: (Laughs) Exactly… small touches that let you enjoy and experience the work on different levels… if you want to take the time to do so. This series gave me the perfect opportunity because it’s set in the “real world” so to speak, so I could put in little nods and winks, to things I love or enjoy. I’d add even more, but this is still a DC book so the legal team had to… shall I say “guide me?” a little.

Character designs, by Álvaro Martínez Bueno

SJR: I knew it! I saw Watchmen and other DC books on the shelves with their correct titles, but Love & Rockets…

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: “Love & Explosives” (We both laugh). There were a lot more examples of this than you might think. The script said that Walter made a library for the housemates, filled with all their favorite books, comics, etc… so I had the thought of asking the whole team what their favorites were; Jordie, Chris (Conroy – series editor), James… for their favorite books, plus any that they thought should be there, and some that would make sense to be there in relation to the story we were telling. They gave me their lists and I put them on the shelves. So those are all books the whole creative team curated for the library.

That’s part of the whole process that I absolutely loved, so it’s quite sad that legally I wasn’t allowed the name some of the actual books or creators we all thought deserved to be.

SJR: I know that sometimes with a limited series artists may have the scripts for multiple issues. Did you have all six scripts, or did you get them one at a time?

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Ha! All six? If only.

Living room design, by Álvaro Martínez Bueno

SJR: So you went through the same emotions the readers did. People in a house? Nice. Idyllic location? Sweet. The world destroyed?!? WTF! Everything you could ever need, but no family, no loved ones, just a group of people; some you know quite well, some just barely, and others only by name.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Yes! Everything you could ever want to eat, drink, watch, read, listen to… but no love, no family. Everything you could ever wish for materially, but without the emotional connection, love, or any of the other things that really make life worth living, or give it real meaning.

In many ways, it’s just like the Covid years. Everyone’s been isolated, separated from their loved ones, and stuck in their own tiny bubble. It’s hard. I haven’t been able to see my parents, you haven’t been able to go to Spain, and millions of people all over the world are suffering the same thing. We couldn’t even meet on the street, or have a meal together… all things that give life meaning. This may look like paradise, but it really isn’t.

So, yeah… I get one script per month. I know what’s happening, more or less, I do know how it all ends… but how we get there…

Model sheet, by Álvaro Martínez Bueno

SJR: So in many ways, you’re reading it just like the fans are.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Yes. James manages to surprise me, just like he does the fans, with every new issue. Issue #6 blew my mind.

SJR: The final chapter of volume one.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Yes, which thankfully gives us a cushion of time, both to recharge slightly and to get ahead of the game for March, when the collected edition and the first issue of volume two are released.

SJR: The end of issue four gave me chills.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Terrifying. It’s like we said; on the surface, this house and everything in it are a dream come true. You see people writing lists for what they want, and they get all of it. Once they know the truth, though, they ask for razors to try to escape by taking their own lives, and they can’t even do that! There’s no escape, even in death, because they’re not allowed to die.

SJR: So many crave or wish for immortality, but without love, and like you said, the things that give life true meaning, immortality is just endless, living hell.

The entrance to The Nice House On The Lake, by Álvaro Martínez Bueno

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Spine chilling. It’s one of the greatest moments in the series, without a doubt. Not just that they can’t die, but the way they find out. Not just the physical horror, but the psychological side. Something that James is so good at.

SJR: This comic really is special. Like any great film or piece of literature… even once it’s ended, or you put it down, it stays in your head. The Nice House On The Lake does that too. It resonates. That’s got to be rewarding for all of you, right?

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: It really is. I enjoy reading it and feel the same way. Just like our readers, I get those sensations and feel that same horror. I’m lucky enough to be one of the very first people to read these stories, but I feel it the exact same way as all the fans. That’s incredible… but then I have to draw it all.

SJR: Yeah, we get to enjoy that part.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: It’s a great feeling. I’m a comics fan and I feel the emotions everyone else does. That makes me feel closer to the audience, particularly when I get to meet you all. When people come to my table, and tell me what they felt, how they’re enjoying the story. How things scare them, make them laugh, or cry. It makes the work easier and makes me feel like I’m one of you. When people say they can’t wait for the next issue, I’m exactly the same! That part’s very rewarding.

B&W digital art by Álvaro Martínez Bueno, side by side with finished page, with colors by Jordie Bellaire and letters by Deron Bennett

SJR: I have to be honest. I thought the change in art style was purely down to you inking yourself and the fact that this is a horror comic and not a superhero book. The fact you’ve done it all digitally is a huge surprise. I honestly didn’t know.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Yes! I tried so hard! I really did everything I could to make it look as much like traditional pencils and inks as I could. I didn’t know if I’d totally pulled it off.

SJR: You did.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: There are so many artists I love who work completely digitally, and it was a real adjustment for me. I really love them and their work but didn’t know if I could do it myself. I still can’t achieve the beautiful, polished look that some of them do.

SJR: I humbly disagree… but for something like TNHOTL, I don’t think that style would even work.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Thank you. I came to the same conclusion, and if I’d continued down that road I would’ve ended up fighting and possibly sabotaging myself at the same time. So, I decided to go with my instincts and tried to make it look as hand-drawn as possible. I said let’s just go for it, and see what happens. What you have is what came out of that.

SJR: That leads me to your collaboration with James Tynion IV. When I first came across your work it was Batman: Eternal, which was co-written by James. Then Detective Comics, and Justice League Dark, also written by James… and now, The Nice House On The Lake. You’re clearly friends, as well as colleagues. That must form part of the symbiosis we talked about earlier?

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Absolutely, though I wish we got to actually see each other more. Different continents, a pandemic… those things made that harder. Thought Bubble’s the most time we’ve spent together in years! On a professional level, it’s an idyllic relationship. It’s the same on the personal side of things, but James is also a busy guy, a really busy guy…

SJR: No… really? (Laughing)

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Yeah, he writes a couple of other things too. The great thing is, as you said, over the years we’ve developed our own way of working and there’s a connection where we just know what each other’s thinking. Sometimes we don’t even need to talk or put it into words. We just know, it’s second nature. That’s invaluable, it’s priceless. If I was doing a great job on something, but working with someone where there was no trust, freedom, or understanding, I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t want to. So, I would definitely like the relationship to continue, and to last.

External view of The Nice House On The Lake, by Álvaro Martínez Bueno

SJR: In our last interview, back when you were both working on Detective Comics,  you talked about James’ scripts; their depth, layers, and complexity. Back then you said that after a certain amount of time the trust and the working relationship grew. Because of that, your storytelling was allowed to develop to the point where the scripts didn’t have to be so rigid and that you got the freedom to pace and develop action sequences and fight scenes yourself. Has that grown further with TNHOTL?

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: You’ve read the series, so you know that James’ scripts have a ton of character interaction and dialogue. That’s a lot of pressure for a writer, especially with a cast as big as the one in this story. This means that a lot of the characters’ expressions, the storytelling, and character “acting” can be left to me because that’s the easiest and most organic way to share the workload more evenly.

This means that he can describe the scene, how he wants it to go, and who’s in it, but the emotion and interaction that fits the conversations are left to me to realize with the art. So, I could get a script with a scene that has to make up a double-page spread, made up of 15 panels, with 8 people talking. One character, then another, then a third, and back to the first… it’s my job to make the dialogue and story flow, but in a way that isn’t just pages full of talking heads. It needs to be appealing and fun to draw, and also interesting and stimulating to look at.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: This can be done by making the characters stand, pick something up, move around the room… these are all things that I’ve tried to bring into the book with the intention of making long conversations more than just faces spouting dialogue on a page. I know that James is very aware and very conscious of that; he wants to write great comics, just as I want to draw them. That’s how we’ve come to that state of equilibrium, in an attempt to complement each other’s strengths.

SJR: I also remember you saying that something you didn’t really enjoy much was drawing double-page spreads. TNHOTL, well… you know where I’m going with this.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Ha! James loves double-page spreads. He’s crazy about them. He seems to live for them! I have to admit, though… they work. I think you’d need to ask him why he uses them and loves them so much, that’s more of a question for James.

SJR: Does he know you don’t like them?

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: The crazy thing is that now I know how and why they work, I’m actually learning to like them… as long as there aren’t seven or eight in a single issue! They’re a lot more demanding for an artist, in terms of structuring and page composition.

The wonderful thing about James is that if I tell him I think a particular spread would work better as single pages, he’ll listen. There’s no hierarchy or ego. He’s a very generous and open writer, not precious or the kind of person who says, “It’s my way or the highway”. That’s another great thing about working with him. Of course, if they do work better as double-page spreads, then that’s how I draw them.

SJR: I’ve always maintained that there’s no other art form that demands the kind of teamwork and collaboration that comics do. Not movies, not the stage… nothing. You need to have that kind of open-door policy.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: Totally. With a play or a film, there are units, front stage, backstage, actors, music. It’s almost more like a military operation. In those mediums, you can also shoot out of sequence, rewrite, re-record. With comics, it’s definitely a smaller team, and more close-knit, but there’s also a strict order of doing things. Script, pencils, inks, colors, letters… that’s the order, and it can’t be changed. Sure, there can be minor edits or corrections, but you can’t letter a comic and draw around the speech balloons. It’s a chain and a straight line, so it has to work and flow. That means collaboration is an absolute necessity. If the chain breaks, it’s a lot more evident in comics.

SJR: So, we know that you’re getting a bit of rest and then setting up volume two ready for the March release, but do you have anything else in the works, or any other projects coming up that you can talk about?

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: The Nice House On The Lake is my sole focus. As you can imagine it’s a lot of work, particularly as it’s layouts, pencils, and inks. It’s a project that I both want and need to put all my energy into. For now, there are six more issues to create, and then we’ll see what the future brings.

Layouts, side-by-side with finished line-art from TNHOTL #1

SJR: In that case, there’s just one more item on my agenda, and I don’t know whether to thank you or scream at you…

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: I thought we were friends.

SJR: We’ll see. Friends and colleagues who’ve read and enjoyed TNHOTL have started calling me Walter…

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: (After taking a good look at me laughs out loud) Oh, God… I can totally see it. Yes. Oh, I’m so sorry. Particularly with the new glasses, you didn’t have those before. If you changed them… oh, wow. That’s so funny. Go for round ones, or star-shaped. Go for a Harry Potter, or Elton John look.

SJR: I can promise you that my face won’t melt or turn into smoke, and I won’t destroy the planet. Instead, we’ll close with me saying that I can’t wait for volume two and that it’s been a joy talking to you.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno: It’s been great to finally meet you in person after all these years. Thanks to all the readers and fans for all the encouragement and support, it makes doing what we do possible, and so much more rewarding.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno is an incredibly talented artist and a phenomenal person. This interview was a long time coming, and a joy to conduct.

The collected edition of The Nice House On The Lake, and the first issue of volume two of the series, are currently scheduled for release on March 1st, 2022.

I cannot wait.

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment, and Álvaro Martínez Bueno from his own files and archives.

The post DCN Exclusive Interview: Álvaro Martínez Bueno – ‘The Nice House On The Lake’ Artist appeared first on DC Comics News.

In the course of a distinguished career in comic books, Richard edited a line of original titles for Marvel UK in the 80s, founded the Comicraft design and lettering studio in the 90s, and established the foremost source for comic book lettering fonts at comicbookfonts.com. He’s worked as a lettering artist on just about every mainstream comic book you might care to mention, including legendary books like Batman: The Killing Joke, Batman: The Long Halloween, and Batman: Dark Victory. He’s also written comic strips for The Real Ghostbusters, Zoids, Transformers, and Doctor Who. He and his Comicraft team still letter all the latest Titan Comics Doctor Who books.

He’s one of my heroes as he’s a top-level creative talent, as well as one of the designers and letterers who helped revolutionize the lettering industry. It was a true honor to meet the man and spend an entire hour chatting about his career, his friends and colleagues, Doctor Who, and his clear and ongoing love for the comics industry.

Here’s part one of my exclusive two-part interview. Part two will be presented on our sister site, Dark Knight News.

Richard Starkings

Steve J. Ray: Thanks so much for this. I’ve been a fan of yours since the Marvel UK days, and still am today. Comics in 2021 owe a huge debt to you, and to Comicraft. Let’s not forget that, back in the day, comics lettering was literally dialogue bubbles stuck on acetate over the artwork. You helped launch the digital revolution, as a font designer. You’re also writing comics and have your own creator-owned line.

How did it all start, and why comics?

Richard Starkings: Why comics? Well, I was in a family where I’m the youngest of four. My oldest brother’s 12 years older than me, and he had a massive collection of Marvel and DC comics.

Before he even knew that I was attracted to comics, you know, I was five or six, there was a book called Pippin, which was for very young readers. Then, for me, when Countdown came out, when I was nine in 1971, that blew me away, because it had Doctor Who, U.F.O., and science-fiction.

Richard Starkings: It’s one of those things where I didn’t realize how much I love science-fiction until a friend of mine, Ian Churchill (X-Men, Supergirl) said to me, “You don’t really like superheroes, do you?”, and I said, “I don’t dislike superheroes”, but my favorite superheroes were the Fantastic Four, and they’re very science-fiction oriented.

From there, in later years there was X-Men, which is also very sci-fi oriented… but Countdown was all science-fiction, and I was nine. So that was like, boom! Those were my comics. I think a couple of years later, like ’72, ’73, in order to be on the same wavelength as my brother, I started reading Marvel and DC.

Of course, that was a great way to catch up on all the Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, but unlike most people in England, I had access to complete runs of the main Spider-Man and Fantastic Four comics, because my brother was a dealer… he was a comic book dealer before it was cool. So he had collections, which he constantly upgraded because there was always stuff that he was buying that came through.

In the late seventies, Star-Lord came out. I wasn’t really aware of 2000AD back then, but I loved Star-Lord. Strontium Dog started there, and it was just fantastic.

SJR: I love all the British Anthologies, I came to know your work through the Marvel UK comics. Back in the late 70s and 80s, there was also DC’s The Superheroes, which Egmont published. Again, like yourself, I had older cousins with anthology comics. I remember black and white titles that collected Dick Sprang Batman and Steve Ditko Spider-Man stories in one British comic.

Richard Starkings: Interesting. I was never really a DC guy back then, and one of the reasons for that was my brother’s collection was in a small room in his house in Nottingham and the shelves went from floor to ceiling and he wouldn’t let me go into the DC fifties comics, as they were more valuable than the Marvel sixties comics… back then. So he put them on a shelf I couldn’t reach. So, I could reach all the Marvel comics, which in those days were not as sought-after. So I would literally grab 50 issues of Spider-Man, take them down to his breakfast table, and read them. So that was, for a 10, 11-year-old, you know, to be able to just sit in the summer holidays and read the original Marvel Comics, that was sort of like my idea of heaven.

SJR: So how did you go from being a fan to being a comics pro?

Richard Starkings: I’m a big Doctor Who fan and in the seventies, the Tom Baker era, I drew a Doctor Who strip called Who and Crew, which was published in the Doctor Who Appreciation Society monthly fanzine. I did over a hundred of those stories.

Over time, I did a little collection in the eighties of all the Tom Baker stuff, and that’s where I really sort of taught myself to letter. In fact, in some ways, I was drawing them so that I could letter them. It’s very simple; dots for eyes cartoons. Dez Skinn, back in the day he published three of them in Warrior Magazine because it was that era… the early eighties, I guess.

That’s how I started doing something regularly, you know, and, and I can’t remember now… I think this was monthly, but I would make sure I do at least one comic a month. So I got into that habit of drawing all the time and lettering all the time. I then got a job in London and started going to the Westminster Comic-Marts.

Everybody hung out in the Westminster arms. At that time, you would go into the Westminster arms and it’d be Alan Moore, Brian Bolland (The Killing Joke), Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), Glenn Fabry (Slaine), Steve Dillon (Preacher), Dave Lloyd (V For Vendetta). Dave was the one I went to, and I asked him how to get an aid guide, which is how you rule the lines for lettering.

I can’t remember what year that was, but he told me how to find one, and I started doing little bits of lettering for Harrier Comics, which was a publisher in the eighties. At the Westminster marts, I applied for a job at Marvel UK that was advertised in The Guardian newspaper, and got an interview, but never really a follow-up… and they never hired anybody. So I started doing lettering for Transformers while I was working at a publisher in London. Because I was in and out of the offices once a week, I would stick my head into Ian Rimmer’s office, he was the editor at the time, and I’d say, “Did you find somebody for that position yet?”, and he said, “Come and talk to the managing director”. I started work the next week.

I was doing production on Spider-Man Comics Weekly, which meant doing all the editorial pages, setting up the covers, or the lettering sometimes. That’s the thing, I wanted to get into comics. I didn’t necessarily want to be a lettering artist.

I wanted to work in comics by any means necessary, and I’d read an article in Warrior that said that one of the ways to get into comics was through lettering or design or a production role. Back in the seventies, we didn’t know those roles existed unless you got a job.

I had an English degree that was also partly a design degree. So I sort of fit the right editorial assistant/paste-up artist, that was basically what we called it, but that meant doing design and paste. I continued to do lettering for Transformers. I did a lot of lettering in the day.

I’ve actually been lettering Doctor Who strips for over 30 years. Because I work for Titan now, and I did some for IDW, you know? I wanted my foot in the door and although I started as an art assistant, I became an editorial assistant on Marvel Secret Wars, the UK weekly, and we just had a great team; Ian Rimmer Simon Furman was his assistant.

John Tomlinson worked on Captain Britain and we had a very solid core of people that cared about comics in our department. Within two years I was offered Action Force to edit, and basically from there, worked on Thundercats. What else? Gosh… there were so many titles because they were all weekly.

Ultimately I wanted to work on comics for the American market, so we put Death’s Head in his own book. We did Dragon’s Claws, which was in some ways cynical. We wanted to tap into the 2000AD market, which we all loved. Simon (Furman) came up with that concept. I think our print run was 60 to 80,000 but it was regarded as a failure and was canceled after 10 issues. So, even though we had high print run by today’s standards, Dragon’s Claws closed after ten issues, Death’s Head after ten issues. Sleeze Brothers only lasted six issues.

SJR: I remember Sleeze Brothers!

Richard Starkings: I was working with John Carnell and Andy Lanning on Real Ghostbusters, which was a big hit series that ran like 200 plus issues… that was the most successful thing I launched. John and Andy had lots of ideas and we did a series which was just a gag strip with no real dialogue, just sound effects, and question marks… but they wanted to do this book Sleeze Brothers, which I think they would admit now is loosely based on the Blues Brothers, but at the time they kept saying “No, it’s based on Andy’s cousins”. No, it’s the Blues Brothers and set in the future. We put an issue together and Archie Goodwin was in town for UCAC and… the rest is history.

SJR: To this day, Archie Goodwin is famously known as the nicest man in comics.

Richard Starkings: He really was. He saw the artwork and said, “If you want this to be an Epic Comics title, I give it my blessing”, and he did. It was the only Epic UK comic book. It was my sort of pet project. Unfortunately, I left halfway through Death’s Head and Sleeze Brothers because I was ambitious, and didn’t see eye to eye with my bosses, but it was just time for me to go. I’d been there for five years. I was doing a lot of lettering for American publishers. By then there were loads of British artists working for American publishers. I’d already done The Killing Joke, and I’d worked on Detective Comics with Alan Davis and Paul Neary.

Richard Starkings: Those were definitely calling cards, so a friend of mine, Greg Wright worked in editorial. I’d got to know him in ’87 and he put me on Avengers Spotlight. I did some Marvel Superheroes, all backups, you know, it was like doing “Future Shocks” for 2000AD… you get little jobs.

Richard Starkings: Then I did Deathlok. It was a mini-series, and my first regular title when I lived in the states. It was always with a view to being in comics, not to make lettering a career, but comics as a career. So that was my four or five years in editorial, so when I decided I was going to stay in America, that’s when I started thinking, okay, I need to pick up regular work.

Let’s just say I didn’t have all the paperwork to live in America in order at the time and it took a little while, but I was working. Because it was a continuation of working freelance for the US publishers in England, I actually had an account that I could pay into in the states.

So I put down roots, got myself a place to live, and developed a freelance career as a lettering artist. That was the early nineties. Then one day I got an issue of the X-Men, and this was the post Image Comics explosion. So a lot of the artists that worked back then got poached by Image, who paid crazy high rates. So, they left and I happened to be there in the right place at the right time.

Richard Starkings: At one point when I was lettering X-Men, my brother was in town and I wanted to spend the day with him. That meant I couldn’t finish an issue and somebody in New York had to do it, and I was kicking myself. I had to ask myself how I could meet the deadlines and also have a life.

So, I knew people from Marvel US that had moved out to the west coast – I was living in Los Angeles at the time – and someone said to me that I should make a font for my lettering. I was like, “Oh, how do I do that?” At the time John Byrne was using a digital lettering font, and I bumped into him at San Diego in the Westgate hotel lobby. I asked him which program he was using, and he told me.

Richard Starkings: I got a job at Graphitti Designs, who at the time were doing t-shirts, hardcover books, prints, and working with a lot of great people. So I was in touch with the California community, and Tom Luth who was the color artist on Groo, had a copy of it, and I think I, we did a trade. I had Adobe Illustrator, he had Fontographer, and back in the day you just traded discs, because you could. There was no way to connect to the internet in those days. So, I learned Fontographer.

I created my first font and was famously told never to use them on Marvel books. Bob Harras actually called me after he saw that I’d done two pages of X-Factor with an early version of my font. He said, “Richard, you will never use those on X-Men books” because they didn’t look as organic as they do now.

Richard Starkings: Those were the early days. I’d been a bit cheeky and then two pages later knocked them back in. Luckily Greg Wright and Fabian Nicieza said, “Nope, we’re going to let Richard do it this way”, which ultimately gave me a spot. We developed a font over time, and I had hired a guy called John Roshell who took to Fontographer like a fish to water.

Over the course of lettering, Marvels, there are three different versions of my font in that series, you can see its development. Basically what I was doing was trying to make my font perfect. What John did was preserve all my quirks and nuances. Yes, all because he was much more in tune with making digital look like hand-lettering. This is ultimately how I believe fonts should look, you know, much more fluid, more organic.

So that was 1993, ’94. We started working on W.I.L.D.Cats and every spin-off there ever was. Then Astro City… we worked on the expansion of the Spawn line when, when there was like Medieval and Devil-Spawn.

At one point I had a studio in Santa Monica and we were lettering 60 books a month! It was like 70% of Marvel’s output. We were also doing at least 10 books with DC. We were even still doing paste-up hand-lettering at one point; still laying it out, pasting it up. It took a long time and it wasn’t until really the end of the 90s that everything was done as it is today.

Richard Starkings: my idea was always, I wanted to make my own comic book. I wanted to write my own comic book, own my own comic book. write the theme tune, sing the theme tune… I didn’t want to be controlled in the way that the creators I worked with on the Sleeze Brothers, Death’s Head, and Dragon’s Claws were. Although those are owned by Marvel, Sleeze Brothers is owned by John and Andy, because they had an Epic contract. That’s why you’ve never seen a Marvel collection of it.

I had had long conversations with John Wagner and Alan Grant. We used to play Marvel UK versus 2000AD softball, so we used to meet in the park after the game, and would go and sit in a pub at Hyde Park Corner. At the time John was quite bitter because owned nothing on 2000AD. Eventually, there was a change in leadership at Fleetway and they finally gave him a piece of it.

Richard Starkings: Back then though, he was saying, “You know, don’t sell your creations to a publisher”. I read comics during the eighties when Cerebus and Love and Rockets were big. I always think that Elephantmen is actually Cerebus and Love and Rockets in one book. Dave Sim and Jaime Hernandez were doing creator-owned comics, they owned what they made. There was a lot of talk about that in the eighties and it’s taken for granted now that you can create something and own it. Obviously, it’s still in the news because of the Marvel movies, Bill Finger, Jack Kirby. These were all creators who didn’t get a substantial reward for their contribution to the industry.

I never wanted to be in that situation. I love Batman but never wanted to write it… I say never because I sort of scratched that itch by working on it as a lettering artist. Of course, that doesn’t reward you either. You do not get a royalty. It’s horrible. Writers and artists get healthy royalties, some colorists have negotiated royalties. So John Higgins, I think, I believe finally got a royalty fee on the Killing Joke for his colors. I don’t, but I didn’t negotiate that. At the time I don’t think I could, but I have had royalties for Grendel Prime.

Richard Starkings: I’ve also had royalties for Astro City and some generous creators have given me kickbacks out of the kindness of their hearts. I do get royalties from selling fonts. So that’s sort of the ultimate, it’s creator ownership. John Roshell and I own the font line, we created it together and we benefit from it.

This was always done with the idea of bankrolling my own comic book, which ultimately was Hip Flask, which then led to Elephantmen.

SJR: Let’s talk about those. Let’s talk about all your work with comiXology and with Image. Now you’re creating your own comics. They’re yours and they’re great, so let’s tell new readers all about them.

Richard Starkings: Well… Elephantmen was going to be… I thought if I could write something, I maybe had four issues in me. I could maybe write one story. Ironically, that first series was a five-issue series created 22 years ago. What happened is Ladronn hasn’t yet finished, because he went and did The Incal for a few years.

The good news is that he’s actually working on it this year and we will finally finish that five-issue series. I wrote that story in 1999, and the script is only now wrapping up.

When Image approached me to publish Hip Flask, I was like, well, I can’t work on a monthly with Ladronn, as he’s so methodical. The plan was to follow it up with a Hip Flask sequel set in 2262. So I thought to let him finish the first series, and I’d start a prequel instead, and by the time he finished Hip Flask, I could then do the sequel. I thought I’d get maybe 10, or 20 issues into Elephantmen, and he’d finish Hip Flask. Luckily I set it in 2259, 3 years before, because I’ve since done a hundred issues of Elephantmen that are all the prequel to Hip Flask!

Richard Starkings: When it’s concluded, which should be next year, I will have done 105 prequel issues. This can be frustrating cause you can’t kill any characters. You can’t really resolve any stories that clearly aren’t resolved in the Hip Flask story. Thankfully, it’s all been very satisfying, and I taught myself how to write an ongoing series. Anyone who’s done an ongoing series will tell you it isn’t easy when you’re the sole writer, especially for over a hundred issues!

The story we’re doing right now leads right into Hip Flask, but it’s interesting, I may be exhausted, but I thought I was exhausted when we finished issue 80 with Image. I always thought it’s 60 to 80 is about right, you know? I think Sandman was 75 issues. So, 10 volumes, 10 trades, um, so that, you know, it sits on the shelf. You can do omnibuses and you’re not losing your audience.

Head on over to Dark Knight News for part two of this interview, where Richard talks about The Killing Joke, The Long Halloween, and more!

Images May Be Subject To Copyright. Photos by Jessica Cole Eriksen and Luigi Novi.

The post DCN Exclusive Interview: Richard Starkings – Part One appeared first on DC Comics News.

Joëlle is an American comic book writer and artist. She’s the creator of Lady Killer, a series first published in 2015–2017 by Dark Horse Comics. She’s also known for creating covers and art for various Marvel titles, and for her work writing and illustrating DC Comics series including Catwoman, Future State: Wonder Woman, and the ongoing Wonder Girl series.

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Joëlle and discuss her work. Here’s that conversation.

Joëlle Jones Interview

Steve J. Ray: Hi, Joëlle. When we met yesterday, I told you that I reviewed your Catwoman: Copycats for DC Comics News, and my offspring reviewed it for Dark Knight News. We both had so many questions. For starters, Raina Creel? What?!?

Joëlle Jones: Where did that come from? Probably my nightmares. I think I just wanted something sort of equal to Catwoman, but terrifying. So maybe coming from the same background except making different decisions… but it’s also playing on the fears of growing old, losing your beauty, and you know… I guess she’s the ultimate Karen. So, yeah, absolutely.

SJR: What was clever about her was that there was also the mother aspect. Even though she was terrifying and horrible, there was almost a time when you actually did feel a bit sorry for her. So that’s what makes a great villain to my mind.

Joëlle Jones: That’s nice to hear. I mean, I was hoping that people might be able to see something they would recognize in themselves and sort of relate to her in that way, even though she’s clearly evil. I mean, I don’t think she’s Thanos level, but you know… she’s interesting.

SJR: I think she’s definitely fascinating in the worst way possible because obviously, with Selina, the mask is there to hide her identity, but with Raina, it’s just so much deeper because her real face – or what’s left of it – is monstrous. Is that a comment on plastic surgery and the fear of growing older?

Joëlle Jones: Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, it’s like a play on using masks, except hers was to pass as normal, and to be ashamed of her true face and try to hide it. I think that sort of made it what was ugly about it.

SJR: Yeah. The fact that she’s actually far uglier on the inside.

Joëlle Jones: Exactly. It’s that whole, you get the face you deserve, she worked on it. You make your bed, you lie in it. You make your face, that’s your choice.

SJR: You’ve gone on record to say that Catwoman’s your favorite? Why is that?

Joëlle Jones: You know, my first exposure to Batman was the sixties TV show. So once I saw Eartha Kitt, it was over forever, and then Michelle Pfeiffer and the animated series… it was just every bit of exposure I got to her. Then there’s the other, deeper, stranger level and all the places you can go with her being an anti-hero. Is she good? Is she bad? You know, sort of straddling that line. I think most people live in a gray area and she’s sort of like a hyper realization of that. So I just adore her.

SJR: Absolutely. She’s a character with an 80 plus year history, which has to be reinterpreted re-imagined to keep it fresh. What I liked about your version is – I’m glad you mentioned Batman ’66 – because I saw a little bit of the high society Selina. She’s attempting to escape from that, obviously. Then there’s the street level Selina, was that a conscious choice on your part because of your influences to bring that high society aspect of it back?

Joëlle Jones: Absolutely. I mean, also it was an excuse to dress her in some more high fashion, which is an interest of mine. There were some great Valentino clothes I wanted to throw in there, and that just gave me an excuse to drop in what I wanted.

SJR: Well, the wedding dress is something I wanted to talk about, too.

Joëlle Jones: Yes. That’s 1950s Chanel. Yeah, I really enjoyed that. In fact, how it came about was really strange. I was at the San Diego comic con and it was the first time I met Tom king. We were talking about the wedding and that’s when I found out they weren’t actually getting married.

I said, “But is she going to wear a wedding dress?” He’s like, “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about that”. So, I said, “well, if she is, I’m going to design it, I’m sorry. Don’t ask anybody, just let me know and I’ll do it”, and he’s like, “Well, I wasn’t thinking about it”, and I’m like, “Just in case”. So he contacted me and I was like, “Okay… I’ll do it.”

I kept putting it off, and then three weeks later he’s like, “Where’s that dress?” So I had to do it overnight. His daughter picked the ones she liked. I did like five of them, but I thought it was only going to be drawn for like one or two panels and that I would draw it, and then that would be it.

It turns out it got drawn a lot more than that. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have made it as intricate. Had I known other artists would also be taking it on and I’d ruined their lives… I tend to get overwhelmed.

It was the same with Yara Flor’s costume; I did 15 different versions, and then they said your pages are due. So then I had to just pick one and hope it worked.

SJR: Wow. You designed the wedding dress overnight, and created over a dozen Yara Flor looks? Amazing. Well, that was a nice segue, thank you! It’s like you’re planning this interview for me. I have to say that after the two-issue, Future State: Wonder Woman, everyone at DC Comics News is in love with Yara Flor… everyone! We love her, and you did that with just two issues. Now, of course, there’s the ongoing Wonder Girl series, which… let’s try and clarify. Is this Wonder Girl, leading to the “Future State” future, or is that just one possible outcome? I’m asking because no one’s giving the same answer.

Joëlle Jones: Right…. and that’s what I’ve been told as well, I’m just doing my job. They tell me to do the book. I’ll do the book and then if they change it, then I’ll change it. I don’t know… it’s comic books.

SJR: That’s fair. It’s great that you took her “home” though. Boise, right?

Joëlle Jones: Well, I didn’t want to, I wanted to use Portland, Oregon because that’s where I was living at the time. Then Bendis called it first, for Naomi. So DC’s like, “Well, you can’t use Portland”, so I said, “Well, how about New York?”, “No”. All the other cities were taken, so I’m going, “Nobody’s using Boise, because it’s such a $#!+ town, so I’ll take that one. I can say that because I’m from there.

SJR: That’s brilliant, thank you. Of course, the hometown aspect of it’s actually a great call because it feels more real. I’ve got to talk about the unreal stuff, though, which is something else we’re in love with. Let’s talk flying horses. Where did that come from?

Joëlle Jones: Yeah, Yara Flor came out of a really strange place. I was given directions from Dan (DiDio) to go a certain way. He gave me three things that needed to happen; she had to be from Brazil, she needed to have a Bola, and she needed to have a Pegasus. That was it. So, I made them work. None of those things are actually resident to Brazil, neither the bola nor the Pegasus. I think I watched that one James Bond where he went to Brazil and used a Bola, and thought that was Brazil.

SJR: I love her Pegasus’ name, it’s like the most non-mythological name you could’ve chosen for a mythological creature.

Joëlle Jones: Yeah. Again, it came down to the wire. I was looking for houses and my real estate agent’s name was Jerry. I thought that was the funniest name. I kept saying it around the house, and then my editor kept saying, “You need a name for the horse”, and I’m like, “Yeah, I’ll get to it… I’ll get to it”. So it got to the point where I’m told, “We need it, like right now!” I said, “How about Jerry?”, and she’s like, “Great! Let’s go for it!”

SJR: That’s hilarious!

Joëlle Jones: Oh, wait ’til I tell my real estate agent, he’s been immortalized. If he reads this interview he’s going to feel insulted that I named the flying horse after him.

SJR: Are you kidding? that’s the coolest thing in the world… just don’t name a villain after me!

Now.. the bola. It’s great because it’s a bit more of a weapon than the lasso, but it’s got a magical element to it as well. It’s like the lasso on steroids… the next level up. Was that something you consciously wanted to do, as well to try and change the dynamic a little bit?

Joëlle Jones: Yeah. I mean, originally, I was doing the next Wonder Woman, before it was changed to Wonder Girl. So I thought, well, she needs to be on par with Wonder Woman, so I need to come up with somebody just as great. Editorial said she needed a Bola, so I turned that into Yara’s lasso of truth. I think in the issues you’ll find out it does some other things besides what the lasso does… but, yeah, I work really well with parameters, so once given certain objectives I was able to just kind of play with it from there.

SJR: So, I’ll be perfectly honest. I picked up Future State: Wonder Woman because your name was on it, but I was fully prepared to hate it because I’m such a fan of Diana. I thought, “We don’t need another Wonder Woman.” You shut me up, because what you gave us was perfect. I’m man enough to admit you proved me wrong, because she’s not Diana, but she does embody some of the same goals and ideals.

Where did the changes come from and how did you implement them?

Joëlle Jones: So, she’s a very different Wonder Woman, I think. The thing was, I was never a wonder woman fan, I just thought she was a bit remote, and kind of snotty. Nice, but like a goddess. She’s up there, and we can’t touch her. So when I was given the brief, I went back and I started reading all the Wonder Woman stories from the beginning.

Then I got to the George Perez era, and I fell in love with Wonder Woman, and wanted a character to sort of reflect that. I wanted somebody that isn’t Wonder Woman, but instead, she’s starting from square one, aspiring to be Wonder Woman, and is working her way up to be like Diana. I think a lot of people can relate to that, somebody that would reflect that for a new generation.

Through creating Yara Flor, I learned to appreciate Wonder Woman.

SJR: Brilliant. So you didn’t go in as a Wonder Woman fan, but because of the experience, you are one now?

Joëlle Jones: I’m a huge one now! I’m continuing to read the series and I’m loving every second of it.

SJR: You’ve done so much work for everybody; DC, Marvel, Dark Horse. Please tell us about Lady Killer.

Joëlle Jones: That’s therapy for me, basically. It’s super violent, rude, and, indulges all my love of fashion and history. I’m not a violent person, but I think it helps, getting all that out on the page. It’s cathartic. I can just be unapologetic and I don’t have anybody telling me what to do. I just kind of sit in a room alone and turn out pages, and that’s it. So it’s nice. It’s just really relaxing.

SJR: So, let’s talk about the obvious fact that you’re a successful comics creator, but do you remember that one moment when the first thing you did actually arrived, finished, printed… done. Was that moment you’ll never forget or was it just not as big as you thought it would be?

Joëlle Jones: Oh, I think I was living in Portland at the time and it was working with Jamie Rich. We did 12 Reasons Why I Love Her, and he brought over the printed copies. It was surreal, really surreal. It didn’t feel like it was a thing. I think to this day I still have panic dreams that I haven’t finished all the pages… and it continues. It still doesn’t feel like it’s a thing that really happens, it’s always sort of uncomfortable for me to see it in print. I hate looking at myself, it’s really uncomfortable.

SJR: I heard something similar, just recently, and I hadn’t before. So many other creators are like, “Oh yeah, Wow! This is my moment”, but for yourself then, is it more about the creation than the finished article?

Joëlle Jones: Yeah. I find it sort of cringe-worthy to have it out in the world. It’s like I was just playing pretend and other people sat in on it and listened, and that’s really uncomfortable. It’s fun to make it, but then when it’s out in the world I’m done with it.

SJR: Does it make it a little bit better when fanboys like myself bring it to you and say, “Please sign this?”

Joëlle Jones: As long as I don’t have to open it up and look at the interiors, I’m okay. Just the cover is fine. I’ve gotten used to those.

SJR: Wow.

SJR: Okay. So you’re no stranger to comic cons now, and they’re back. You’ve probably been asked every question in the world imaginable, but has there ever been a question you would’ve liked someone to ask you that they never did? What would you like our readers to know about, maybe not even Joëlle Jones the comics creator, but Joëlle Jones, the human being.

Joëlle Jones: Oh… I don’t know, I’m pretty boring. I just work all the time. I don’t know… I’m a Pisces, and I’m allergic to walnuts. I don’t know what else is interesting.

SJR: You are NOT boring. Let us know what else is on the horizon. What else do you have coming that you can tell us about?

Joëlle Jones: Wonder Girl‘s going to go up to issue seven, and then I’m going to do the “Trial of Amazons” for two issues, which I am beyond excited about. We’ve been working on it for over a year now. All of us get on a Zoom call – all the Wonder Woman, people – and hash it out. It’s confusing… but exciting! There’s a lot of characters, and more than one Wonder Woman. Oh my God, that’s so much stuff to take in, but I’m having a blast and I can’t wait for that to come out.

After that, I’m back on Lady Killer. Beyond that, I don’t know. Buy the books!

SJR: Thank you so much!

Joëlle Jones: Thank you.

What a wonderful lady Joëlle is… I cannot believe that she can’t look at her own art! She’s one of the sweetest, most humble, yet easy-to-talk-to comics creators I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. If you haven’t read any of her work, or seen any of her art, I hope this interview will lead you to check out her great back catalog. I promise you won’t be sorry!

Huge Thanks to Joëlle Jones, Thought Bubble, and the convention organizers, Hanglands. Images May Be Subject To Copyright.

The post DCN Exclusive Interview: Joëlle Jones appeared first on DC Comics News.

Ram is about to conclude amazing runs on Catwoman and Justice League Dark, but a continuation of his fantastic The Swamp Thing series will be coming in 2022.

Ram V, is an award-winning author and creator of comics & graphic novels such as Black Mumba, Paradiso, These Savage Shores, and Blue In Green. Since self-publishing in 2016, Ram has gone on to create critically acclaimed work with the industry’s major publishers, including DC and Marvel.

Ram V

Steve J. Ray: Vault comics, why don’t more people know about them? These Savage Shores is fantastic and it was my first exposure to your work. How did you go from the indie scene to writing some of the biggest characters known around the world?

Ram V: Before These Savage Shores, in 2016, I put together a book called Black Mumba, which was a series of black and white short stories set in Mumbai. I kick-started that book, turned it into a nice, hardcover, and (comics editor) Jamie Rich who was at a convention here, was also at another in 2016. So I gave him the book and did the same with a lot of other editors and publishers, and gave the book to Image Comics.

Jamie got back in touch about a year later, so that would have been 2017, and asked if I wanted to work on making a second volume of Black Mumba with him at Vertigo, and I said, yeah, I’d love to. I had gotten into comics off of reading, a lot of Vertigo books. Unfortunately, while we were in the process of pitching that book, Jamie reached out to me and said, he was no longer at Vertigo. I was obviously terribly disappointed, but then a week later he says, “I’m now heading up the Bat office, so would you like to write a Batman story?”, I said, “Yeah, that will do!”

So I ended up writing a short story in Secret Files, uh, with Jorge Fornés, and it did quite well. People responded to that story and I think DC was quite happy with the story as well. That led to more opportunities. I did a couple of Catwoman issues for Jamie after that, which is what led to me eventually taking over the series.

By that time, because I’d been doing other DC work, James Tynion read These Savage Shores, and so he said, “Do you want to do Justice League Dark? It’s going to be a Swamp Thing story”, and I was like, “Yes, of course!”So that’s kind of how I started writing these stories. In the meantime, Marvel got in touch as well because they’d seen them come out.

So, I did a couple of short things for Marvel. I was supposed to do the Thor tie into the “Secret Empire” event, which then fell by the wayside because of the pandemic, unfortunately. Then they reached out and they said, “Do you want to write Venom when Donny (Cates)’s done with his run? Actually, to be honest, it was Donny himself who reached out and asked if I wanted to write Venom. I said, “Yeah, absolutely. I’d love to!” It’s still a shame about the Thor thing though, I think it was a really good story, you know? Thor, in India… this isn’t a thing that has been done before, and people don’t realize how much crossover there is between Norse and Asian mythology.

SJR: Yeah, I would’ve loved to have read that. Maybe one day. Hey… never say never.

I’m so glad you said that you grew up a fan of the old Vertigo Comics because that’s something I really wanted to ask you about. Reading your comics, especially your mainstream stuff with Marvel and DC, you reference back and show a lot of love for all the same stuff that I grew up loving. That may well be why I liked your work so much, particularly your Swamp Thing. The way it hearkens back to sprout, Swampy taking over Constantine’s body to create the next Swamp Thing… and you’ve done that. You’ve brought us the next Swamp Thing, the next member of the parliament of trees. Were all those Alan Moore stories something that inspired you, with your work on the character?

Ram V: I really appreciate that era of comics, and what they tried to do. They said that there doesn’t have to be a line between fun and intelligent, you know? Things can be both fun and really smart, and interesting and complex at the same time.

I think we kind of lost that post, that era of writing. You have Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, Jamie Delano, all of those guys. I understand why things changed, but I felt like, especially with the other White Noise creators as well, I felt like there was a need to see that type of comic again.

That’s where my interests lie. So, more than having a direct influence, I’m trying to write stories the way those writers approached stories. Rather than reference specific things that they did, it’s more like feeling that it’s more of your own voice being heard.

SJR: Yes, your story is completely unique, but I can sense a lot of affection, rather than a direct impact.

Ram V: Yeah, I mean that’s bound to be there. I think every writer, every artist has their influences and they’re influences because you love them.

SJR: Wonderful. Many of the writers and reviewers here at DC Comics News, and our sister site, Dark Knight News, are loving your work, including my offspring. They’ve given me a couple of questions to ask you about Catwoman. Was it a distinct decision on your part, or was it part of your pitch to bring Selena back to ground level and the Alleytown roots, rather than have the high society thief that we’ve seen her in previous iterations?

Ram V: I don’t think it was, it was an editorial directive, it was just the direction that I wanted to take it. Partly because I wanted to find a way to make the story meaningful to the character and have her experience some kind of change. I felt like, with everything that had happened before in Selina’s book and story, it felt like it was a bit too much of the aftermath of what had happened with Batman.

I felt like I needed to take the character away from being somebody else’s love interest, and the comic needed to become about Selina. So what better way to do that than to take her to where she became Catwoman in the first place. Obviously this Selina, this Catwoman isn’t all about a failed relationship with Batman, or any kind of relationship with Batman. This is about a character finding her own path and not necessarily being defined by anything else that came in her past. That’s what I wanted. Turning, or at least taking Catwoman, from what point I had control over her, and turning her into a three-dimensional character.

Of course, the relationship with Batman is a very important part of her, but if you think about real people, they’re not defined by their love interests. They’re not defined by their job. They’re not defined. There’s a lot more nuance and a lot more complexity to their individual choices. We make choices because we want to see ourselves a certain way.

This might be a cynical way of looking at it, but when someone gives something to charity… yes, of course, it’s a charitable thing, it’s, it’s a wonderful thing, but also on some level you’re doing it because you want to be that person. So, I was trying to answer a lot of questions about Catwoman and her motivations and that’s who this Selina Kyle would have to be. What does she want other people to see when they see Catwoman?

SJR: Thank you. So… back to Swamp Thing. Thankfully, it’s no longer just ten issues and is going to carry on in the new year, which is going to please so many of the team at DC comics news. Can you talk about the creative team, or is it the same guys from the current run? The team working with you on that book is just awesome.

Ram V: Yeah, it’s the same creative team, everyone’s sticking around. Mike Perkins, Mike Spicer. We might even get another one-shot after the next six-issue run with another artist at some point, but largely it’s just going to be that creative team again.

SJR: That’s great news because I get the sense of horror and that ache in the gut from your Swamp Thing that I haven’t honestly felt since the Moore run. You’ve got a background in darker stuff, work that’s based on more psychological horror. Do you think that’s where your strengths lie as a writer? Or is that something you just love?

Ram V: I just don’t find myself frightened by any other kind of horror, to be honest. I always quote the John Carpenter line where he said that the key to good horror is to trick other people into scaring themselves, rather than you trying to scare them. I think people tend to think that blood and gore and guts on the page are what’s scary, or people tend to think like doing jump scares. They don’t really work in comics. The thing that really works for me is, more than scare someone, I want to off-center people. I want them to feel disturbed at some point after they’ve finished reading an issue.

Just to link that back to some of my creator-owned stuff, the most common comment I get after people have read Blue In Green is, “I couldn’t stop thinking about it for a week after. I was sad. I felt perturbed by it.” That to me is the greatest compliment. That’s a great experience. I prefer implying what’s going to happen, rather than actually showing it.

That’s what plays on the brain. Comics are about like, literally the story should happen in the gutters. Very, very early on when I was starting to write scripts for Mumba, a very good artist from India, Singh, said to me, “In comics, you should never show the moment during, you should always show the moment before or show the moment after” if you think about it in the most rudimentary terms.

Like when you see a character punch another character on film, almost never do you see the actual moment of impact? If you take that philosophy and then apply it to a story, it’s almost always better to imply the moment when it happens, either before or after the fact.

SJR: What can fans look forward to, not necessarily just with DC, for 2022?

Ram V: There’s an as-yet-unannounced DC project, Swamp Thing, obviously. I’m going to continue writing at Marvel with another unannounced project as well. Then I’ve got a potentially creator-owned thing with Dark Horse also coming up. That’s why I’m stepping back, but not that much.

SJR: You can’t keep a good man down. On that note, you work with some amazing, amazing guys, but you can write and you can draw. Will we see a bit more of Ram the artist with Ram the writer? Are you thinking about doing that?

Ram V: I don’t know. I quite enjoy keeping one thing as a hobby, because of how much I love doing it. I mean, it’s not like I’ve stopped loving writing because it’s a job, but it is a job. It entails me doing things that are tedious sometimes, but I have to do them because they’re a job. I don’t want to ever feel that way about two things.

SJR: That’s a great answer.

I know you’ve self-published some stuff before going to DC/Marvel, but what did it feel like when you saw your first story featuring a childhood favorite character? Was that a good moment? Something you can clearly remember?

Ram V: To be honest, no. I have a weird thing where my interest in a story or a book stops the moment it’s left my desk. I don’t like going back and looking at the things that I’ve done. There are comps of books that are sitting at home which I’ve never picked up, or even looked at since I finished writing them. I’m very interested in seeing the pages come back from the artist and seeing them lettered, but once it’s lettered and done, once I’ve signed off on that final proof, that’s it… I’m no longer interested in picking it up and reading it again. Everything that happens on release day, the reviews from people, like yourself, enjoying it or not enjoying it… that’s enough. I watch it all from a distance and it becomes this kind of, oh, that’s entertaining. You know, sometimes I get bad reviews, I’ll look at it and go, “Oh, that’s interesting. You thought that this was weird”, but that’s cool. I’m able to look at it from a distance. I think I’m far too much of a child really, I’m more interested in making the thing.

I mean, I’m not doing it out of any sort of considered thought process. The reason that it genuinely is that I’m more interested in playing the game. After I’ve done it, I put away my toys. I really don’t care. Once I’m done, I’m done. You know?

SJR: Wow. I actually think that’s really mature, not childish at all. That’s really fascinating, it leads me to think that you’re a writer who’s a lot more concerned about the writing, about making your story. Then once it’s done it’s out there.

Ram V: So to come back to your question, yeah. I felt like that once, and it wasn’t when something was released. The first time I wrote for DC, I put down the words in a panel, like “Page one, panel one; Batman does this”. I just went, oh, I just wrote Batman does that. That’s pretty cool. Like I’m writing a character that’s been around almost a century. I’ve never had that moment since writing anything else because I’m way more interested in, what can I do with this? What story can I tell with this?

Even with creating our own stuff, uh, I was just talking about this with someone downstairs when Blue In Green was finished… I didn’t want to look at it. The book came out, and like six months after we published it I picked it up again for the first time, looked at it and I was like, “Okay. Yeah, we did a good job. That’s amazing.”

SJR: I’m blown away. So many people are probably, “Oh, I can’t wait to see this come out”, I think I would be, but you’re just about the creation. That’s actually beautiful to me.

SJR: So, you’ve done a few conventions, you’ve been in the industry for a while, you’re a recognized pro and a respected one. You’ve probably done a thousand interviews and been asked every question under the sun. Has there ever been a question you wish you’d been asked? Anything you wanted to tell people about, not necessarily just about your work or your life as a creator, but as a person. Something you think might help them on their journey in life as a creative, or otherwise?

Ram V: Yeah, just be a kid. So many people get embroiled with the idea of being successful. “I have to pitch this editor. I have to go see this person at this convention”. Too many people come to convention parties with scripts in their hands, and you kind of get jaded and lose your sense of why you’re doing this in the first place. I think preserving that and being around people who are like that, that’s far more important. You know, much better in the long term than, you know, putting your efforts into, into all the stuff that goes around the creation process. I think that’s important because I still want to enjoy writing the story 40 years down the line. If I stop enjoying it because everything around it got too big or it got too annoying, that would be a travesty, you know?

I think this is a hallmark of other great writers. Like, I really enjoy writing from George Saunders who’s a short story writer. He said something that was very beautiful to me, “Sometimes you need to take a deep breath, take a step away, walk out”. So, remove all the cynicism from your head and realize that the world is just as beautiful as it was when you were eight. We forget that. Yeah, we do. We get so caught up in all the, you know, achievement and ladder climbing, and all that stuff. When we forget to get to think, “Heck, I’m making cool stories and comics, and let’s look at this art. It’s amazing!”

SJR: You’re so right. I’m supposed to be here for work, but this whole show has really been 30% work, 70% having fun, talking to people like you, getting my comics signed, and learning about new stuff I didn’t even know about. Hey, enjoy what you do, life’s too short. I felt a bit guilty about that, but you’ve changed my mind. Thank you.

Ram V: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you.

SJR: Where can people catch up with you?

Ram V: My website, and my Twitter otherwise, I’m generally just a private person outside of that. I can’t handle more than one social media at a time.

SJR: Thank you.

What a conversation, and what a wonderful man. Please tell us if you’ve met Ram, and let us know what you thought of the interview. Please look out for more conversations from Thought Bubble too; here, and on our sister sites, Dark Knight News and Fantastic Universes.

Huge Thanks to Ram V, Thought Bubble, and the convention organizers, Hanglands. Images May Be Subject To Copyright.

The post DCN Exclusive Interview: Ram V appeared first on DC Comics News.

The list of comics talents attending this year is simply stellar, and it looks like the fans who wanted to go last year but couldn’t are going to be very well rewarded for their patience.

The festival starts today and runs all week, culminating in the UK’s favourite two-day convention on Saturday and Sunday.

What is Thought Bubble? This press release has the full low-down:

THOUGHT BUBBLE FESTIVAL SHARES FULL PROGRAMME
UK’S LARGEST COMIC ART FESTIVAL RETURNS
FOR FIRST EVENT SINCE 2019

THOUGHT BUBBLE FESTIVAL
8TH – 14TH NOVEMBER 2021

THOUGHT BUBBLE COMIC CONVENTION
HARROGATE CONVENTION CENTRE
13th – 14th NOVEMBER 2021

Thought Bubble, the UK’s largest comic art festival, has shared the full lineup and schedule for this year’s festival and convention.

Following a move to a digital event in 2020, Thought Bubble will return for a physical event on 13th-14th November – their first since November 2019.

Hosting a full festival week of events and exhibitions across Yorkshire, Thought Bubble will round out the week with a huge two-day comic convention at the Harrogate Convention Centre. Hundreds of independent comic creators and artists will be attending to showcase and sell their work alongside a full lineup of special guests made up of some of the most exciting names in comics. Alongside guests and exhibitors, the convention will host two full days of panels, workshops, screenings and lots more – reaffirming why Thought Bubble is one of the most beloved events on the global comics calendar.

Guests appearing at this year’s festival include acclaimed US comic book artist Joëlle Jones (Wonder Woman, Batman, Lady Killer), iconic British artist Jock (2000 AD, The Wytches, Wolverine), Jordanian-American artist, illustrator and creative director Sara Alfageeh (Squire) and multi-award winning artist, Christian Ward (Invisible Kingdom, Superman: Red and Blue, Thor) among many more.

The festival has also shared its full panel and workshop programme including ComiXology Originals presents:

CONversations with Tula Lotay and Jock as well as Rewriting Extinction – Comics to Save the World, YA Got It! – Young Adult Comic Spotlight and Strip Panel Naked – where creators James Tynion IV, Charlot Kristensen break down pages from their work and discuss how they created the writing, art, colours and lettering, and how those choices end up affecting the reader.

In the run-up to the comic convention, the festival week includes a whole host of events including exhibitions and installations from the students of Leeds Arts University, schools workshops with JAKe and Kim-Joy (Great British Bake Off), drawing socials, a huge comics giveaway in libraries all across Yorkshire, and an exclusive Northern launch of Cecil Castellucci and Charlotte Marlow’s opera, The Language of Flowers.

Due to pandemic related travel issues, a number of Thought Bubble’s featured guests will now be appearing digitally, with iconic American creators including Scott Snyder & Chuck Palahniuk amongst those videoing into the Harrogate event.

Thought Bubble remains committed to delivering their event with sensible and careful policies in place to combat the spread of covid-19. The festival has announced that all those over the age of 18 will need proof of full vaccination or proof of a negative test within the last 48 hours to gain entrance to the convention and, unless medically exempt, masks must
be worn by everyone over the age of 12 while on-site.

Alongside these entry requirements, this year’s convention will take place over more of Harrogate Convention Centre than ever before, allowing for more space and less congestion, while the number of exhibitors has been reduced to allow for easier movement throughout the convention halls. Working with their event and industry partners, Thought Bubble is doing all it can to create an environment that is safe while remaining fun, relaxed and welcoming for all.

Tickets for Thought Bubble Comic Convention are on sale now with tickets for under 12s, carers and over 65s totally free. Tickets give access to all events within the comic convention; panels, workshops, guest signings, as well as the three huge halls of comic creating exhibitors, publishers and more.

Chloe Green, Thought Bubble Festival Manager, said:

Now we are on the home straight, I want to say a huge thank you to every single ticket holder, exhibitor and guest who has put their faith in us over the last 18 months. It really feels like the community has pulled together, more than it has done before, and we cannot wait to show you what Thought Bubble 2021 has for you!

Gemma Rio, Head of Destination Management for Harrogate, said:

The whole town really got behind Thought Bubble in 2019, and it was heart-breaking that a return in 2020 wasn’t possible, so we’re all absolutely thrilled that we can now, finally, give the thousands of comic fans and artists a warm Harrogate “welcome back!”

 

We are extremely proud that the festival has made its home in Harrogate; the event’s creativity, values, and energy have become a fantastic asset in the district’s cultural programme.

For the full programme, guests and events please visit the Thought Bubble website.

Press Quotes For Thought Bubble:

The highlight of the year for comic, animation, games and film fans across Yorkshire and beyond.
The Big Issue

 

So many cool guests! We got up to some really cool stuff.
WhatCulture

 

This is a weekend in the comics calendar that is as much about the people attending as their chosen art form and that sense of comics community was evident throughout.
Broken Frontier

Images and Press Release Courtesy of Thought Bubble and Hanglands. Photos by Andrew Benge.

The post The Thought Bubble UK Comics Art Festival Is Back appeared first on DC Comics News.