Interviews Conducted by Robert J. Beck

How is it you came to work on the “Deadpool: Merc with

a Mouth” series?

I had the opportunity to draw him on the THUNDERBOLTS
Magnum Opus arc. I just drew the way I saw him fit, and the
rest of the T-bolts go with it and It was the most
nerve-wracking episode in my comics career (such as it is).
Imagine, handling this loquacious merc and one of Marvel's
top superstars. It's like going on stage to dance with him and you have this “stage fright." I'm always thinking, “Oh, is this good? Will they hate it? Is this on a professional level? Will DEADPOOL fans kill me? Etc.. etc…etc.. But it was also an educational ride, especially seeing the colours.
After that, my editor extraordinaire, Bill Rosemann, told me that uber-editor Axel Alonso is looking for my head. W-w-what did I do this time? I thought it was the last time I was gonna see this beautiful universe, but he was looking for a very crazy head, to draw a crazy book.

You had a chance to draw Deadpool in the THUNDERBOLTS, do you think this was good for you in preparation for drawing his ongoing series?

Pretty much. It was like, "Now you’ve seen the process, be creative in handling our precious Merc". With the mimicry I’ve learned from the SFMT (hi, Dan!) I put it to use. Now I can tell how Deadpool’s reactions will be, his smirks, his laugh, or just his plain “pool o' vision” in the works [laughter] Morris being on cue, even bought a katana errrr…a dotanuki, though I’m only human. No regeneration or anything. (Hey, gimme a Band-Aid here!!!!)
Wha? W-where was I? Oh, yeah,…Marvel has this “special way” of creativity in process, all working together, the rapport, the humanity….very influential…very exciting…very Marvel.

Have you ever had to draw comedy before your work on this series?

None I can recall. Maybe it was there all along while I was drawing STAR WARS. I mean, sometimes I’ll do these silly things with the characters and they’ll love it . If they like what they’re seein’, then it will be very fine for me…
I hope readers will not put me on the “comedy list” but heck, it will be ok and fun, though if you look at the www.GlassHouseGraphics.com website (hi, Mighty Koala!), I have multiple styles to brag about -- from Sherlock Holmes to Killer 7 to Star Wars so maybe comedy is our new total refreshment!. [laughter]

Is it fun to draw comedy?

Oh, yeah. Sometimes I laugh myself while doing it . Victor Geischler is really a force to reckoned with, very inventive, very out-of-the-blue surprises and he gives me ample room for improvisation. His veins have this chemical compound called creativity, so that sometimes I feel unworthy to be his artist [laughter]. He said that, if we ever meet at a Comic Con, how I wish!, he will buy me a beer and a pretzel, and I’m gonna bring me my dotanuki to get me some of those chemical juices, his awesome writing prowess must I have!!!
Drawing comedy is fun, but danger lurks within that adventure. You unconsciously exaggerate your drawing and it’s a baddy baddy no no, because you’re having fun, right? But when you think of it, good-looking people sometimes tend to make these awful, exaggerated faces whenever they react to something, maybe its in the masseter region or something, and Deadpool has one. Even though it's a mask, you can still see his reaction and, with those two black patches encircling his puppy eyes, the reactions are endless….and we haven’t touched yet the multiple articulations of the human body…

You are known best for your work on Star Wars; have you enjoyed your recent work for Marvel compared to this?

I’ve had my share of comics titles ranging from independent to Big Companies even educational comics, I thought I encircled my destiny and ready for anything, but when I entered the Marvel Universe I felt like the plankton guy on Spongebob. It's not the joy of creating the title because it’s a team effort; it’s the educational process I am proud of at Marvel. It's unfortunate that readers don’t see it, but it is where the magic really comes to life. You thought you have all of that egoistic, “Been there, done that" attitude, but it’s wrong in thinking that way, so that’s why I cannot compare any past title I’ve handled because the process and the learning level varies, but there is one thing for sure that I can say “I must sharpen my pencil, always”.