Question Time: Interview to Tommy Lee Edwards
by Antonio Solinas

 

     Hi Tommy Lee. Do you want to introduce yourself to our readers?

     Sure- my name is Tommy Lee Edwards- I was born in heat of Texas in 1973. I mostly grew up in the cold of Michigan, went to Art College in the dry air of California, and now live in the humid North Carolina. For an introduction to my illustration work, please visit www.tommyleeedwards.com.

     How did you start your career in comics? What are your influences, within and outside comics?

     While beginning my studies at the Art Center College of Design in 1992, I met Howard Chaykin at a convention in Los Angeles. He and I became friends, and shared a lot of interests and inspiration. He got my portfolio into the right editors’ hands and helped me line up my first “mainstream” comics work at DC Comics. I had done a small-press comic before that, and another in high school (that I self-published). At the time I was beginning comics, I was also working on odd-jobs as a concept artist or storyboard guy. I was primarily studying film at school then.

     When I first saw your stuff, a few years ago, I could notice a pronounced influence from Mignola. More recently, you seem to have moved in a more “European” direction. Where do you see your style going and what do you think your style will look in, say, 5 years?

     Mike’s stuff was definitely an influence when I was in my mid-to-late teens. It was the 1980’s. Bigger influences at that time were Howard Chaykin, Bob Peak, Alex Raymond, Austin Briggs, and Bill Sienkiewicz. When I grew up and went to college, my teachers became the biggest inspiration. My education solidified my interest in all kinds of illustrators, like Herbert Morton Stoops, Dean Cornwell, Franklin Booth, Bernie Fuchs, Al Parker, etc etc....
     My friendship with Chaykin really opened my eyes to most of my major comics influences. The biggest “sequential” guys that haunt my studio every day would be Toth, Micheluzzi, Toppi, Frank Robbins, Noel Sickles, and Milton Caniff. A lot of friends’ artwork fills the studio. It’s good to have a network of peers that an illustrator can bounce stuff off-of. I’ve got that with guys like John Paul Leon, Chaykin, Walter Simonson, and yes- Mike Mignola.
     I’m not sure what you mean by a “European” direction. My work is (thankfully) always evolving, though. I had to make a conscious effort about five years ago to do less comics work, and concentrate on some other kinds of work- like painting, book covers, film concept work, advertising, etc. The main reason for that, was that I felt that my work was becoming stagnant. I wasn’t growing. I need the excitement and challenge of handling different kinds of projects in different kinds of media. Hopefully in five years, we’ll see another growth spurt.

     You normally ink your pencils and this is not a very common thing in the US market. What are the reasons for this choice?

    Sometimes it’s fun to ink a friend’s drawings or something sometimes. Beyond that, the only reason we have inkers in comics is to save time. By the time I draw something tight enough for someone else to attempt to trace (and usually destroy) a drawing- I could have inked it myself. I prefer to break the art down very loosely in pencil- saving most of the work for the “ink” stage. That helps keep the work fresh and spontaneous.

     You have drawn different kinds of stories, ranging from the sci-fi atmosphere of Gemini Blood and Star Wars to the supernatural horror mood of Disavowed and Blair Witch Project, to straight superheroes like Batman. How do you switch between these different kinds of project? Has it ever been a problem? Have you got a preference on the subject matter you draw?

     I like to draw almost every genre, if it has a good story. My favorite subject matter would be historic. I love westerns and war stories. Unfortunately, that’s not very popular in American comics. I have a hell-of-a hard time drawing superheroes. It’s a huge struggle for me. Switching back-and-forth between genres can be tough, yes. Right now, I’ve got DC’s The Question on my desk- along with licensing art for the Batman Begins movie and a Star Wars children’s book for Random House. It’s hard sometimes to get in the right “mind-set”. It can be very rewarding, though.

     Although diversity has always been your forte, you have mostly strayed from the superhero genre. Has it been a conscious choice?

     Like I said, Superhero stuff is hard for me. I really don’t feel like I’m good at it. That stuff is usually written pretty poorly, too. I remember turning down a monthly job drawing Generation-X so that I could draw Zombie World: Winter’s Dregs for Dark Horse. It’s always been more important for me to attempt quality rather than popularity. It would be nice to do a comic that sold well, however.

     You are a master storyteller. Do you prefer to work on tighter scripts, or looser ones? How much freedom and input are you normally allowed in the comics you draw?

     I prefer very tight and thought-out full scripts. Even when I write for myself, I want a fully realized story. That way, I can come up with the most ideas, execute the characters’ acting accurately and come up with the most effective layout for the art and word balloons.

     Have you got a writer you prefer to work with? Who’s your favourite “partner in crime”?

     So far, my most enjoyable comics scripts have come from Rick Veitch (the Question), Bob Fingerman (Zombie World: Winter’s Dregs), and Chris Hinz (Gemini Blood). I look back now on the artwork of Gemini Blood and want to vomit- but damn, that is a great story. I love writing my own stories, too.

     You are a very good cover artist. What are for you the different challenges between doing covers and illustrating the interiors? Do you have a different approach for the two jobs? Which job do you prefer?

     Doing a cover is totally different than telling a story in comics-form. A cover is more like a traditional illustration- telling a story with only one image. I’ll often paint a comic book cover, which is something I’d be scared to do in comic interiors. It would take too long, and not pay well enough.

      How do you organise your work, given the fact that you normally pencil and ink your pages? Do you do all the pencils first, and then ink, or do you ink the pages as you go along?

     The general process for my comics usually goes like this:
After reading the script a couple times, I lay out the entire story (usually 22 pages) at print-size. I then enlarge the roughs about 150% on the copy machine, tape them on the back of Bristol board sheets, and place them on a light-box. I draw all the panel boarders and indicate the word balloons and sound effects before I send the boards to my letterer, John Workman. While John is lettering on the pages, I usually switch to another job, or look for reference that will help me draw that specific comic. When the pages return from John, I draw the pages in ink and scan them in. I use a Mac G4 and Photoshop to do the color.

     You sometimes worked with your wife Melissa, a very talented colorist. Are any drawbacks in this family “tag-team”?

     Melissa is trained in art history and in art education. She’s very skilled, and we have great communication. There can be drawbacks, though. Especially if (when the credit for colorist says “Melissa Edwards”) I butt in and don’t let her do her job. I’m proud to say that Melissa primarily takes care of our two children right now, but still sometimes works as a colorist for my best friend, John Paul Leon. Some of JP’s comics colored by Melissa include Earth-X, Static Shock, and X-Men. My favorite coloring is the job Melissa did over Mick McMahon’s art in a Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight story arc. Most of the comics I do lately can only be colored by me- due to the specific kinds of things done with rendering.

     Another big interest of yours is storyboarding for cinema. How did you get involved with Hollywood?

     Going to school in Los Angeles had a lot to do with that. I see film as the ultimate story-telling medium, so I try and do as much in that field as possible. I got involved in that kind of work the same way I did with comics or game designs or books or advertising or whatever. It takes a lot of hustling. It takes a lot of sending portfolios, making connections, sending e-mails, making phone calls, and having patience.
     Sometimes one kind of job will lead to another. For example- I worked on Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas for DreamWorks. The film’s director, Patrick Gilmore, is now producing video games for Electronic Arts. He brought me on-board as the lead artist for a new Command and Conquer game this year. I got to do almost the same type of work on this game that I did with Sinbad. I did concepts, storyboards, and an animatic.

     You have worked for all the most important publishers in the US. Did you find any differences between them? Is there any publisher you prefer to work with?

     I tend to gravitate towards the publishers who give me the most independence and creative-control. I’ve had a lot of negative experiences in the past with certain editors not respecting me as an artistic person. Most publishers will try to “type-cast” you as a certain kind of artist, and they like to dictate who does the inks, lettering, color, etc. I’ve been through a lot of fights (especially at DC)- but things are slowly getting better. There are ups and downs to all comics publishers. Some have no money, or poor distribution, or something. Others have plenty of money, but take months to pay. Some publishers do a lot of promotion, while others do none, etc, etc...

     Let’s talk about your new projects. Do you want to tell us something about the new Question book with Rick Veitch? What do we have to expect from the book?

     I am very proud of The Question. The book is a DC property, but thankfully being edited through the Wildstorm division. Wildstorm has been a treat to work with. They give me a ton of freedom to illustrate The Question to the best of my abilities. Jim Lee generated the project, and put Rick Veitch and I together. Rick’s scripts are incredibly smart. This six-issue series is definitely the best “superhero” comic I’ve ever been involved with. I’m drawing and coloring the interior art, along with providing painted covers. I just got done putting together all of the ads and promotional material for the series.
     Our Question series is very much in the vein of the classic Steve Ditko creation from back in the late 1960’s. The primary difference here, is that DC requested that the series take place in Metropolis. Therefore, Superman definitely shows up in The Question. Even when we don’t see him, he’s always a presence. He has, in someway, affected virtually every character in this Question series. Rick Veitch and I have made Superman “larger than life”. He’s approached very differently than Vic Sage or the Question. The Question is a very anonymous. Visually, he’s a featureless face in the crowd. Superman is obviously on the other end of the spectrum. As much as I have trouble with the superhero genre, I still have dreams of tackling certain icons. I have always wanted to draw Superman, and now I get my shot.

     Apart from the Question, what are your current projects?

     Another iconic character that I’ve been spending a lot of time with is Batman. John Paul Leon and I are handling all of the licensing and promotional art chores that support the upcoming Batman Begins film. It’s a similar kind of thing that I’ve done for films like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Men in Black II, or Dinotopia. The artwork will be used on merchandise, ads, and promo materials. Batman Begins has been fun, because we got to spend a week on the sets in London. We just returned from witnessing a cool chase scene involving the Batmobile in Chicago.
     I recently wrapped up a series of similar “style-guide” illustrations for Star Wars Episode III. A few of those images are starting to surface now, as Episode III posters and packaging and stuff. I typically do a lot of Star Wars work, which I love. I was four when the first Star Wars came out. That movie made such an incredible impact on me- It’s really the primary event that started my interest in drawing stories.
     I’m doing a run of painted covers right now for Dark Horse’s Star Wars: Empire. In December, I’ll be wrapping up another Star Wars children’s book for Random House. This one is for Episode III, and it’s called Obi-Wan’s Foe.

     Are you a big fan of comics? What do you read?

     I grew up as a big comics fan. I collected a pile of new stuff every month. It helped my reading skills as a kid, which is why I am so eager for my own children to read comics. I read a lot of comics with my son and daughter, but I don’t spend much time reading any purely for my own enjoyment. I’ll always try to pick up and read comics done by friends, or by the creators I like.

     You work mainly for the US market. Do you know anything about the European Comics scene? Is there anyone you like? What about Italy? Do you know anything about Italian comics?

     My next comic project will be with Carabas- a publisher in France. I did a short vampire story for them a few years ago, and they’re giving me a shot at writing and drawing Teddy Grant. Teddy Grant is the story of a post-WWII mercenary pilot. You can see a bit of it at my website...
http://www.tommyleeedwards.com/teddygrant/index.cfm.
     I’ve been trying to get this comic off the ground for years, and cannot find an American publisher to get behind it, due to the unpopularity of the genre here in the States. The plan with Carabas, is to do two or three 48 page hardcover volumes (in the oversized European format).
     I was able to draw a short western for Humanoids last year. It was published in Metal Hurlant. Beyond that, I haven’t done a lot for European publishers.
     Some of my favorite artists are European comics creators. I mentioned Micheluzzi and Toppi earlier. I also love Hugo Pratt and especially Dino Battaglia.

      The Comics Code trademark question. Name three comics a comic fan should really read...

     Batman: Year One (Miller and Mazzuchelli), Corto Maltese (Hugo Pratt), and The Shadow (Howard Chaykin).