Q&A with "Artboy_X", part 1

I've known the mysterious, talented and mysteriously talented "Artboy_X" for quite a few years now, having working with him on various projects, most notably the Mr. Massive character.  I recently sent the X (as I like to call him...from now on) a list of questions, and he sent me back some answers.  Most of them are funny, and all of them are interesting.  Here's the first part of my interview with Artboy_X:

JM: This first question is one that many people (or perhaps just me) have been wondering about for years and years: where did the name "Artboy_X" come from? Is there any significance to it? Are you perhaps in the witness protection program?

X: If I was in the witness protection program, I think I would go with a name that was closer to “normal”...like Joe Brown or Joe Momma. Something that would not draw too much attention. I’ve always been a big X-Men fan and so everything I create must have an X in it...or else I’m not happy. In my world, any name, logo, or title that incorporates an “X” is automatically cool in my book. For example: eX-con, eXcalibur, eXtra, eXtra-ordinary, eXtreme, XXX, Triple X, eXample...you get the idea. X is just cool.

JM: What was the process you went through in first designing Mr. Massive? What were your influences for the character design?

X: My ultimate goal was to keep it simple and hopefully achieve that iconic feel of yesterday’s heroes such as Captain America, Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. I started with a rough ball point pen sketch and when I went to color it - everything just came together.

JM: Mr. Massive is played out as a comedy. Why do you think the character lends itself to funny stuff rather than more serious storytelling?

X: The name lends itself well to a comedy, in my opinion. In our reality, today’s America and world...what would be the first thing on your to do list if you just found out that you (a 15-year-old boy) had powers that would rival that of Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, Captain America, Thor, Green Lantern and the X-Men (first class)? I don’t know about you, but a visit to our neighboring galaxy would be first on my list. I understand with great powers comes great responsibilities, but kids will be kids. Mr. Massive is a kid gifted with the powers of gods. Also, I think we just need more funny books in the funny book industry. Why so serious Batman? Why? 

JM: Who are some of your artistic inspirations?

X: I learned early in my art career that, as an artist, you can’t just limit yourself to learning from other comic book artists. So I try to keep my eyes on all forms of art and artists from other industries. When I first had the idea of becoming a comic book artist, I would reference the work of Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Whilce Portacio, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane and Erik Larsen. I’ve always been a big fan of the team books and the mainstream style of the time.


Here is a short list of the artists who inspire me in my growth as an artist and pursuit of my individual style: Jae Lee, Bart Sears, Rags Morales, John Paul Leon, Larry Stroman, Dale Keown, Brandon Peterson, Alex Ross, Joe Mad, Albrecht Durer, Michelanglo, Rapheal Sanzio, Donatello (and all the other Ninja Turtles), Bruce Timm...I can go on and on but I have a questionnaire to finish.

JM: You are currently an artist who is enlisted in the US Army. Do your fellow soldiers ask you to draw things often? Tattoos, perhaps? What kind of stuff do you design for your comrades-in-arms?

X: Yes, the request for tattoos never end. It's a good thing I graduated from the D.A.R.E program...and mastered the ability to say no to friends and associates. But things changed once they started offering George Washingtons and Benjamin Franklins as a sign of their eternal gratitude. I’ve designed t-shirts, logos for some of the units and a couple tats. One thing that I am proud of is the mural of Transformers I did on the back wall of a classroom in Virginia in 2007.

I'll stop there are finish this interview in just a couple days, in which I'll ask Artboy_X about Image comics and vegetables (not necessarily in the same question).  In the meantime, you can check out the Kickstarter page he's set up for an X-Plosive Comics anthology here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2028284042/explosive-comics-black-terror-mr-massive

Ultimate Hero pinup by Ruben Cordero and Todd Swain

Here's more nearly forgotten artwork that I happened upon recently:

It's the Ultimate Hero (and Gary) by Ruben Cordero!  A little while after our "Eye of the Beholder" comic came out in Strip Search, Ruben and I teamed up with co-creator Mike Adams to put a treatment for this character together.  Unfortunately, not too much has happened with these characters in the meantime, though I still have hope that one day the full story might get told.  A short story appeared in the back of Teddy and the Yeti #3, and I've got two more short stories hanging out on my hard drive (one a glorious five-page story by Duane Redhead).  I don't have any immediate plans for them, but they might just show up in a future issue of T&Y.

Below you see the inked version by Todd Swain.  Mike colored it, but we ended up going with a different color scheme in the end, so if this were to be used in some capacity in the future, it'd have to be redone.  Perhaps that's wishful thinking, but perhaps not.

Kung Fu Bean

Mike Adams is a familiar name around these parts (I've always wanted to say "around these parts") as a colorist and co-creator of Ultimate Hero and the Protector.  In addition to those two properties, I've been lucky enough to collaborate with Mike on a few other projects in the past as well: he colored Mario Wytch's pinup in Teddy and the Yeti #2 and a Mr. Massive pitch as well.  Mike is much more than a colorist, though - he's always brimming with new and exciting ideas for comic plots, and he's great with design work to boot.

I got some good news the other day that Mike was bringing a long-time favorite concept of his (and mine...I'm a big fan), "Kung Fu Bean", to Viper Comics (publisher of Josh Howard Presents: Sasquatch) as an exclusive webcomic, and lo and behold (I've also always wanted to say "lo and behold"...dreams do come true!!), the Viper-hosted site seems to be up and running.

Kung Fu Bean is a tongue-in-cheek comic about a baked bean imbued with both sentience and a martial arts background after falling from space through the broadcast signal of an all kung fu television channel.  As crazy as that plot seems, I think it really works and it sets up a lot of the laughs that follow.  At one point I had written something resembling a KFB comic with Mike - I have no idea if any of that plot will be used in this webcomic, but I'm excited to see where it goes.

You can check out the KFB webcomic here.  The site is updated with new pages every Monday!  Best of luck to Mike in his new endeavor.  The only negative thing to come out of this is that Mike now has the martial arts vegetable market cornered.  So much for my new comic, "Tai Chi Broccoli".

Issue #3 preview

The time is almost upon us - Teddy and the Yeti #3 will go on sale this Friday, April 23rd, at the Pittsburgh Comicon - I'll be at booth S088 with all three issues, the Josh Howard Presents: Sasquatch anthology, a few copies of Strip Search and a few other things.  Below is a preview of the issue; as I've mentioned before, this issue features three stand alone Teddy and the Yeti tales, including a colored version of their origin story, as well as a short backup story with the Ultimate Hero.  The following is the cover and the first pages of all four stories (so if reading them in succession doesn't make sense, don't worry - you're not stroking out).

The cover is by Godland's Tom Scioli, with Alan Gallo providing inks and Karin Rindevall on colors.  The interior pencils and inks are all by regular series artist and co-creator Duane Redhead, and there are a bevy of colorists in line for the Teddy and the Yeti stories: Giuseppe Pica, Karin Rindevall, Omi Remalante, Jr., and Paul Little.  The short Ultimate Hero story is penciled by Travis Sengaus, inked by L Jamal Walton and colored by co-creator Mike Adams with help from Paul Little.

The official solicitation info is after the preview.  Hope to see you at the show!  Look for the me there - I'll be the one shamelessly promoting this book.  Also, I'm very attractive.

Solicit info:

Thrill to three titanic tales in the third issue of Teddy and the Yeti!  Discover the origin of Teddy and the Yeti!  Witness an undersea battle!  And marvel at the one villain who could turn Teddy and the Yeti against each other!  Plus: Ultimate Hero with Travis Sengaus and an interview with cover artist Tom Scioli!

Other stuff, part 5 - Ultimate Hero

One of the co-creations that I feel most fond about has to be the "Ultimate Hero".  Unfortunately, it is also one of the most frustrating.

The Ultimate Hero began as the Ultimate Avenger - it's since changed for obvious reasons ("satire" gave way to "blatant copyright violation" once Marvel actually released a book titled "Ultimate Avengers").  Mike Adams and I developed a story where an egotistical jerk of a super hero had his powers taken away - transferred to an eight-year-old boy - to teach him a lesson in humility.  The result was one of the funnier, more complete stories I think I've ever told, but trying to get this concept off the ground has run into any number of speed bumps.  More than once we've been told that the project had been picked up for publication, but each time the fates conspire to stop production in one phase or the other.  Even though I manage to get my heart broken every time, I still hold out hope that one day - one day! - the right situation will come along for UH to see the light of day as an actual series.

The page you see posted above is from Teddy and the Yeti #3 - the Ultimate Hero plays the role of the second feature in this issue.  Occurring before the events in the proposed series take place, this short story lets loose one of my favorite aspects of the UH story - Ultimate Hero and his contempt for the old-school super hero "Super Supreme".  The art is by super Canadian Travis Sengaus, who has a flashy style that really suits the story.  Travis at one time was working on an actual issue of Ultimate Hero...maybe one day I'll be able to twist his arm enough to continue.

For now, though, I'm just happy to get the concept to print, even if it's just a short story in the back of Teddy and the Yeti.  Small steps.

Cover preview, part 6

I'm in the planning stages of putting together a "convention exclusive" edition of Teddy and the Yeti #3, one that I'd sell only - get this - at conventions.  Hopefully that includes more than just the Pittsburgh Comic Con, as I have the application for the New York Comic Con filled out and ready to mail.  Fingers crossed!

Jorge Correra, of Action Comics and Protector fame, put this together for me, featuring a strange party with - gasp! - Teddy and the Yeti and all of the characters from the backup stories that appear in each individual issue.  Outside the window is the monster from my as-of-yet unpublished story, "You Don't Mess with the Big Red Rex!" (co-created by Paul Tucker), which would conceivably be the backup story for Teddy and the Yeti issue #4...premature, for sure, but I had to get the character in because I like him so much.

I really like this cover, because ist has that "crossover" feel.  Even if it's completely misleading and the characters don't interact inside the covers at all.