Q&A with Hack/Slash's Tim Seeley, part 1

Hack/Slash recently made a high-profile switch from Devil's Due to Image Comics, and following the just-concluded My First Monster miniseries, the action/horror book relaunches with a new #1 in the next few month.  Co-creator Tim Seeley took some time to answer some of my questions about Hack/Slash, some of his other comic work, and the Masters of the Universe, of which Seeley is a big fan.

JM: You might be best known for your creator-owned work with Hack/Slash, but you also manage to do a bit of the work-for-hire as well.  How do you compare the two?  Can they both peacefully co-exist?


TS: Because I write and draw, it's tough to get hired to do both.  So, I originally created H/S for me to write, and then I whore myself out to get art jobs for the bigger companies.  Doing both evens out to a better paycheck for me.  I live in Chicago...it's expensive here!

JM: You often work with other artists when creating Hack/Slash.  As an artist yourself, do you find it difficult turning over your creation to someone who might have another, different vision?  How much input do you have in the design or "look" of a book when you're not also the one drawing it?


TS: Well, because I draw, I know how much I hate some overbearing writer type crawling up my butt.  So, I pick artists whom I trust, and let 'em do their own thing.  I'm rarely disappointed, so it must be doing it right.

JM: Conversely, what are some of the challenges of drawing from someone else's script, as with a book like Exiles?


TS: In general, I find working from other writers' scripts to be totally educational.  With Exiles, I was looking at a Chris Claremont script, and obviously that's a guy with some solid credentials.  The learning makes it more fun, I think.

I'll post the second half of the interview in the next few days.  Watch for it soon!