But That's Just My Opinion!

Long Forgotten

I have done my fair share of interviews; this is one that never saw the light of day. I always feel badly when an interview I perform never comes out, it has only happened two other times. I find it to be very unprofessional, but sometimes things…well, happen outside of your control. In the case of this interview, well it just wasn’t very good for whatever reasons. The worst part was somehow all the questions were lost, so I had to recreate them.

The interview is with Ken Lashley, who founded Draxhall Jump, and is best known for his work on Excalibur and Age of Apocalpyse. He worked with Christian Zanier at Top Cow on J. Michael Straczynski’s RISING STARS, which at the time was surrounded by some controversy.

So without further adieu, the interview that never was.

DMH: So did you read comics growing up?

Ken Lashley: Yes, I read a ton of comic books. When I was a kid, I used to get $2.00 a month, which seems like a minuscule amount compared to the $30.00 kids get these days. But that was enough to get two comic books, something to drink, and a bag of chips. Sour Cream and Onion Baby.

One of the first comics I ever remembered buying was Spider man #130 something. It's the one where the guy was a football player in school, and when his daughter gets kidnapped he has to save her on the same football field of his greatest failure. This time, with his daughter in his arms, he does it right, but loses his life.

But before that I think I bought was a Spider man/Light Master Issue, with Light Master on the cover, washing out Spider man. Cover was done by a guy named Ernie Chan, if I remember correctly. I think I drew that cover a thousand times growing up.

I used to collect: X-Men, Spider man, The Avengers, Teen Titans, The Hulk, and anything else with a good artist.

DMH: So why did you choose to go into the comic industry?

KL: I don't think anyone chooses to get into this business, I think the business chooses them. There was a time where I probably could have been a pro football player, but my love for drawing was always my first choice. I went to art college and was going to be a story board artist, or commercial illustrator of some sort. I actually started off my career doing marker comps for an advertising agency. At that time I was teaching part-time for the Toronto Board of Education, where I had my own program to teach kids to draw cartoons. There were three kids in that program that are responsible for my comic book career. They brought in comics and showed me what the best ones were, and asked me if I could draw some of the characters form these books. I drew a picture of Wolverine on the board, it was the quietest day I ever had as a teacher up to that point. The kids kinda looked at each other and said, "Holy Crap!". The same three kids asked if I would take them to a Comic Convention, featuring Dale Keown and his smash hit comic, ‘Pitt'. The lineup at the show was enormous. It was easily a four-hour wait. I had brought X-Men samples I had drawn. My intentions were to show them to Mr. Keown. Because of the lineup, I changed that idea and asked one of the Con Volunteers if anyone was looking at portfolios, without such a long line. She led me to the front where a small group of artists were gathered around a table. Sitting at that table was Mark Askwith, at the time I didn't know who he was, but later found out he's a tv producer for countless shows about comics and science fiction. He looked at my portfolio and said nothing for the first three minutes, which felt like eight hours. He told me I had the best portfolio he'd seen in quite some time, and offered to take my work to New York and show Marvel, on a trip he was taking to do some interviews for his show. He did, and Marvel hired me to do Excalibur. Now that's a lucky break!

DMH: Who is your favorite character and storyline?

KL: Colossus is my favorite character by far. Don't ask me why, I don't have a good answer. Somehow, his character speaks to my soul.

The John Byrne X- Men run, like everyone else on the planet.

DMH: What characters would you like to draw?

KL: Other than my own, I would probably say Star Wars. I'm a big-time sucker for all that Jedi stuff. In fact, I shut down the studio the day Phantom Menace came out, and had everyone stay over at my house. I think I saw that movie three times on the first day. I sat next to Marvin Mariano (the Colourist of my book Legends) and he wouldn't shut up. He kept going, "Holy, Wow." every five minutes, it drove me crazy. Maybe because I was doing the exact same thing, just not as loud.

DMH: Who are the creators that inspired you?

KL: My favorite creators are all "OLD SCHOOL": John Buscema, Sal Buscema, John Byrne, Joe Sinnott, Walt Simonson, George Perez, Garcia Lopez, Kevin Nolan, Martin Nodell, and Brian Boland. I've had the honour of meeting some of these guys, and what strikes me is that these guys could draw circles around pretty much everyone, and they're still some of the most humble people I've ever met. Flat out, what I thought a comic artist should be is: able to do it monthly, and have a real understanding of human anatomy. These guys are all artists' artists. I found it amazing how effortless they made stuff look. And if you know anything about comics, what they did, and continue to do, was anything but effortless. Those guys are consummate pros.

DMH: What about non-comic inspirations?

KL: My favorite non-comic creator is Ian McCraig. He's the concept artist for Lucas films. This guy is unbelievable. He's responsible for the beautiful designs of Queen Amidala, Darth Maul, and Jar Jar (but don't hold that against him). I rarely see someone with that much control. Something I strive for every day.

DMH: Is there a specific environment or condition you like or require to work?

KL: I have this weird thing, the guys in the studio think it's hilarious. I can't draw unless I'm clean shaven. Don't ask me how it started, all I know is if I have a beard (or any kind of stubble) it irritates me. I also like to listen to music, the funkier the better (not sure if "funkier" is a word). I also like to have a variety of books around me. I like the visual candy. When I'm restless, sometimes I put on my favorite anime "Giant Robo," in the background. Call me crazy.

DMH: Let’s discuss your experience at Top Cow. What did you learn while there?

KL: My experience at Top Cow? I don't think the question is "What did I learn?",but more so, What did they learn? I could only speculate as to what they really learned, but I would guess it should fall under the category of: Artists should be treated as human beings.

All we wanted from Top Cow is a, "you're Welcome," or a "thank" you for doing issues 3 through 13 on time and with the same artist.

When DHJ decided to leave that job, it was probably the most difficult decision we, as a company had to make. We enjoyed working on Rising Stars, and it was Christian's dream to work at Top Cow. A lot of things have been said since our departure. Renae Gearlings, the "editor" at Top Cow said something to the effect of "We listened, we heard, we acted." In regards to the art change, my official response to that is "whatever." I recently read a remark by the writer of Rising Stars stating the reason it was late was because we left "at the 11th hour." I don't know if he thinks that the people who read comics are stupid, but obviously one artist leaving a book doesn't affect that writer working at another company and being late. I think what the writer is forgetting is that DHJ isn't the first to bale on Rising Stars. We left that book for very real reasons. Christian was treated terribly. I was treated terribly. I employ artists, and I would never treat the people who help build my company that way. But that wasn't enough to have us quit. No artist should find out about their working conditions on a website without ever hearing it from the company themselves. Although it is their right to do so, it is also our right to leave. And that we did.
I never understood Top Cow's position in all this. Their company was founded on creators rights and being in control of their own destiny. But I guess their mandate wasn't for creators to ever feel welcome. Its founding member called our studio and tried to intimidate me. I guess he didn't realize I didn't care. But honestly . . . It was a year ago, good luck to them.

What they do has no bearing on us whatsoever.

DMH: What are you working on now?

KL: My creator owned book, LEGENDS. It's a book that I've been dreaming about doing for the past six years; I put it on hold several times. I even had Image interested in this book at one point, but the situation just didn't feel right. I feel that now is the right time it put my money where my mouth is.

I'm also doing a lot of design work for Hasbro, like G.I. Joe, Transformers and other stuff.

Our web site, www.dhjcomics.com, showcases a number of design and comic book stuff we have done. Also, you can see some finished and in progress pages of LEGENDS. Our publishing schedule begins in May 2002, and for the retailers out there, we will be in the March issue of Diamond.

DMH: Why form your own studio?

KL: When I see the talent around me, it inspired me; it's very obvious why I started a business with these people. A lot of the artists that I'd admire had one thing in common, they all had there own businesses and ownership of the things that they worked on. And that's what I'm trying to do here.
A lot of the experiences that I had in the comic book field had led me to this decision. Ownership.

DMH: What are your plans for the future?

KL: My calendar for the foreseeable future will mainly revolve around LEGENDS. Because of it's epic nature, the story line will run for some time. One of my goals is to go back to my old college and teach comic book illustration. The colleges don't seem to acknowledge that comic book work is a true art form. I'd like to change that.

DMH: What is your dream project?

KL: I am doing my dream project right now. LEGENDS (yet another shameless plug) is something I've wanted to do for so long, and now that I have the team I've been waiting for, everything else we've done will pale in comparison.

DMH: What are your thoughts on Marvel and its publicity stunts?

KL: I think Marvel comics had injected new life into the industry, a new enthusiasm. There was a time when people would look at you funny if you were buying a Marvel book because there were not any good artist there at that time. And I'm part to blame. My first work was god awful. Joe Q, challenging Todd McFarlane and CrossGen and Marvel talking smack it's a good time to be in comics. By nature I love controversy.

DMH: Why do creator-owned projects?

KL: It's freedom, the opportunity to do whatever you want to do. I love the fact that the guy or girl in his or her basement with a computer, photoshop, dream, and an idea, can create a multimillion dollar product, it's total freedom, it's power. The fact that I can have a website and get that product out ten minutes after I've drawn it, is amazing. Being able to be directly in touch with the people who are interested in your work is a phenomenal thing. The first month DHJ's website went live we had over seven hundred thousand hits. Even though that's not a huge number, it is considering we were not on any search engines. For an industry that is so small, it seems to have a long reach in Hollywood. The fact the Tick and Witchblade each had a Television show is proof of the level playing field. I'm not saying that working for the majors cannot be rewarding, it can and it has been for me. It's just that you want to see your dreams come to life, and I'm a total dreamer.

DMH: Do you keep abreast of the current going ons in the comic industry?

KL: Yup, I surf all the comic book sites. And Monday Buzz is my ritual, I wish every day had a Monday Buzz. I know Jim Mclauchlin pretty well, I'll slip him some Dodger Tickets and he tells me any thing I want to know.

DMH: What books do you read?

KL: Ultimates with Brian Hitch, 100 Bullets, and any thing that has interesting art. I've been hassled at my work by these guys that I should read comic books, and not be so concerned by what it looks like. But I don't think so. I've got to have both. If the guy is a crappy artist I don't care how good a writer he or she is. Although I'll probably give it a chance, I'll lose interest faster if the artwork is not that good. But to be honest I buy everything. The guys at the comic stores see me coming and they pull out their Porsche catalogues.

DMH: Serials or trades?

KL: I buy everything. But, I am more partial to trades.

DMH: What’s your favorite food?

KL: My Mom's lasagna and her cheese cake. I'm a momma's boy at heart.

DMH: What are some of your favorite movies?

KL: My favorite movie is the Empire Strikes Back and Run Lola Run. Lets not forget La Femme Nakita
Favorite album is Nyuphonic #3 and Erika Badu Live, and Heavy D and the Boys.

DMH: What movies were you most looking forward to and enjoy the most in 2002?

KL: Attack of the Clones, MIB2, Spider-Man, and LOTR: Two Towers.

DMH: What do you like to do in your spare time?

KL: Video Games, I have a video game room in my house, with all the systems hooked up to one tv with a switcher box. All the kids in the neighborhood think I'm the coolest, although I never show them mercy.

Scene of the Crime: A Little Piece of Goodnight
by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark
Vertigo/DC Comics

By Denny Haynes

I signed up to do this review never having read the book, heck never having done a formal review. Don’t tell. Why would I do such a thing? The never having read the book part! Well even though I’ve never read Scene of the Crime, I had a feeling I would like it as I never heard a bad review about it, tons of people that have similar tastes in books recommended it, and it is written by Ed Brubaker, whose books I enjoy. It just sounded like a winner to me. It also gave me a good reason to bump it up in my reading pile. Why was it not up farther in my reading pile if I knew I’d enjoy it? Well, I couldn’t find issue four for the longest time, I finally did. A trade is available from DC comics for $12.95 so you don’t have to worry about tracking down the issues like I did.

Scene of the Crime reminded me of those old P.I. movies/TV shows. You know the ones where they are thinking in their head about the rain, or their last case, and then this dame walks in, and everyone refers to him as a dick. Here’s a good example, remember that Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where Captain Picard is in the holodeck and he’s set up a program where he’s a private detective. Yeah, you know the one! That’s what it reminded me of, that whole cliché, but that isn’t a bad thing. I love those types of stories and style of storytelling, especially done right. This is the feel that the book gave me, and I was hooked because Ed and Michael did it right!

Scene of the Crime is broken down into twenty-one chapters with a prologue and epilogue telling the story of private investigator Jack Herriman and the case he took as well as revealing a past he’s tired of keeping a secret. It read like a prose novel to me. The pictures set up the scenery, the narrative of Jack along with the dialogue between he and the other characters just made it feel like you were reading a novel instead of a comic book, as if that’s a bad thing. Scene of the Crime is a good trade to recommend, give as a gift, or loan out to a friend to negate the stereotype that comics are just for kids.

Reading Scene in its serialized form, I have to mention that Ed ended issues one through three masterfully. The events that occurred in each issue lead right into the revelation on the last page that makes you want to tear into the next issue! I’m glad I didn’t pick and read this book up as it came out monthly, I don’t know if I could bear the wait.

So what is Scene of the Crime about, well I told you enough, go buy it and find out for yourself. I had no idea what the book was about until I read it and I think that’s the best way to go into reading it. I’ll just say this, if you like compelling urban mysteries, good crime comics, you’ll love this book by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark!

I guess I still haven’t done a formal review.

Let me know what you thought at snacky_uky@yahoo.com

The One Trick Rip Off
by Paul Pope

By Denny Haynes

The first Paul Pope book I read was Heavy Liquid. DC recently released Heavy Liquid and having heard a lot of good things about Pope and his THB, still haven’t found those issues, but I hear a trade is planned so I’ll wait for that, I picked it up. Enjoying Heavy Liquid immensely, when I saw The One Trick Rip Off at a local comic store in town for half off, due to them going out of business, I snatched it right up. This was back in June. I finally got a chance to read it this Labor Day, yeah I’m a little behind on my reading. I was so impressed by The One Trick Rip Off I decided to review it for Gray Haven’s Crime Comic Feature.

For some reason I always like to read the introduction first. I think it gets me in the mood for the comic and the introduction by Paul definitely did that for me. The One Trick Rip Off is about Tubby and his girlfriend Vim and the heist they have planned to get out of Los Angeles and start over. Of course the best-laid plans never work out, wouldn’t make for a very interesting story if it did.

Pope provides some stunning visuals with his eye for design and the different style he brings to the medium. You can see the European and Japanese influences in his art, design, and storytelling.

Paul also does a great job with the characterization of Tubby, Vim, and even the supporting cast. You can see the main traits each character possesses whether it is greed, loyalty, fear, hope, confidence, or diffidence. There is also a neat little twist I didn’t expect explaining why the gang is called the One Trick’s. Paul is a very good storyteller as shown by One Trick and Heavy Liquid.

When we came up with a list of crime comics I don’t know if anyone thought of this one, and what a grave oversight it was. This is a book everyone should take a look at. The One Trick Rip Off is available through Dark Horse comics for $12.95.