10 Questions for Steven Philip Jones

Steven Philip JonesSteven Philip Jones is a writer with a broad body of work, including comics, prose fiction, and non-fiction. His comic books include Talismen: Return of the Exile (Atlantis Studios/www.talismenseries.com); Talismen: “Calling the King”; Little Dragon: “Albedo 0.39” and “Under the Opaque Sky”; Borderman (Gateway Monthly) Reanimator; H.P. Lovecraft in Color; Dracula; Dracula: The Lady in the Tomb; Dracula: The Suicide Club; Invaders from Mars I and II; Carmilla; Street Heroes 2005; Seduction: “Second Stringer”; Alien Nation: A Breed Apart; Halloween Horror: “Kin” (Malibu Graphics) Worlds of H.P. Lovecraft ; Nightlinger; Tatters; Sherlock Holmes: Adventure of the Opera Ghost; Sherlock Holmes: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Holmes (Caliber Comics), Scales of the Dragon: “Mighty 1”, “Vanguard”; Wolverstone & Davis (Sundragon Comics), and August (Arrow Comics).

Whew! Take a breath…

He’s also written novels and novellas, including the mystery adventure King of Harlem (Mundania Press, May 2005) The Bushwhackers (Avalon Books, 2004),
“The Curse of Wrigley Field” in the anthology All About Murder. He also wrote two young adult manuscripts adapting Spawn for Todd McFarland Productions International. His non-fiction includes articles on comics and Sherlock Holmes.

The Iowa-based author’s current projects include a graphic novel adaptation of People that Time Forgot (for Campfire Comics), Worlds of H.P. Lovecraft II, and Sherlock Holmes (both for TransFuzion Studios). You can learn more about Steven and his projects at www.stevenpjones.com.

Question 1: When did you first decide that you wanted to create your own comics for a living?

In 1976 when I turned 16. I had already decided to become a writer, and the year before I fell in love with comics and decided to pursue the medium as a career.

Question 2: Who has had the biggest influence on you outside the comics industry, and how did they affect your life?

My parents. They raised me.

Question 3: Who has had the biggest influence on your comics career, and how has that person changed your work?

Gary Reed. He continued it when it seemed dead, and has been a source of inspiration and encouragement ever since.

Question 4: What do you do to recharge your creative batteries?

Change projects.

Question 5: Describe your typical work routine.

Write as much as I can whenever I can.

King of Harlem coverQuestion 6: What writing, drawing, or other tools do you use?

Computer, typewriter, reference books, libraries, book shops, friends and acquaintances, internet.

Question 7: What element of your work gives you the most personal satisfaction?

When someone tells me they read something I wrote and liked it. It’s great to know you’ve entertained someone.

Question 8: What has been the most rewarding project in your professional career – in or out of comics – and why?

TALISMEN. It was great to collaborate with someone as talented as Barb Jacobs while having complete creative control of a story we created. And the results were fantastic, mostly due to Barb.

Question 9: We’ve all met very talented newcomers who are trying to get their first professional projects. What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard given to a promising new creator?

If you don’t live, eat and breathe the desire to write (or draw), then find something else to do. Your passion has to be that great to succeed.

Question 10: Time to get philosophical: What’s the most important “big idea” that you’ve learned in life – in or out of comics – and why is it important?

Life is hard, so if opportunities come you’d best pounce on them not matter the difficulties, or later you will wish you had. Most of all, though, nothing is more important than family.

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10 Questions for B. Clay Moore

B. Clay MooreB. Clay Moore is a prolific writer known for a variety of projects including Hawaiian Dick, Expatriate, Battle Hymn, ’76 (all for Image), Superman Confidential, JSA Classified (for DC), Casey Blue: Beyond Tomorrow (WildStorm), Black Vault (Top Cow), and The Leading Man (Oni). In addition, he has an upcoming project for Oni called Billy Smoke.

Clay lives in suburban Kansas City. You can find out more about his work at bclaymoore.wordpress.com and www.hawaiiandick.com.

Question 1: When did you first decide that you wanted to create your own comics for a living?

Several years ago I was dabbling in comic book writing, and whining to my pal J. Torres about whatever crap job I was working at the time, and he said, “Have you thought about writing comics full-time?” It was the first time I remember thinking that I should figure out a way to make that happen. So, as I got more involved in the industry, I began to angle toward finding ways to do comics full time. I sucked at everything else I ever did, so…

Then again, as a kid my goal was to be John Byrne.

Question 2: Who has had the biggest influence on you outside the comics industry, and how did they affect your life?

My parents. Whether they understood the decisions I made in life or not, they always supported me. My mother, who passed away in late 2007, encouraged my creativity from an early age, and always stood up for me when I needed help (which, frankly, was a lot of the time). She was a very creative person herself. My father has the most intimidating work ethic I’ve ever seen, and has achieved tremendous success through hard work and dedication. But he always tempered his business and political success with a commitment to the community and to helping improve the lives of those around him. Despite all that, his dream job is to be the drummer for the Rolling Stones. His sense of humor and enthusiasm for life has had a big impact on myself, and I think my sister would say the same thing.

Question 3: Who has had the biggest influence on your comics career, and how has that person changed your work?

That’s hard to say. I guess Eric Stephenson and J. Torres had the biggest direct impacts on my career, J. by pushing me out there and helping pull back the curtain on the industry, and Eric with his support of my work at Image and friendship over the years.

In terms of influence, I think I absorb a little bit from everything I read, see or hear. Speaking strictly in terms of comics…as a kid, it was Stan Lee, the Byrne/Austin X-Men, Steve Gerber, Roger Stern and Bill Mantlo that turned me on. Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing and Grant Morrison’s Animal Man completely turned my head around and made me realize what kind of potential there was in “mainstream” comics. And then James Robinson’s Starman, combined with Warren Ellis’s StormWatch, DV8 and Authority, helped point me in the direction I wanted to head.

Ellis, in particular, taught me how dialogue could be used to develop a character in relative shorthand.

Question 4: What do you do to recharge your creative batteries?

Hawaiian DickI usually stop writing and dig out some inspirational movie or book. Or, more and more, some well written television series (usually British these days). Right now I’m knee-deep in Band of Brothers, which is the kind of thing that just fuels the creative fire.

Question 5: Describe your typical work routine.

I don’t have one, to be honest. Generally I type up a loose idea, think about it for ages, do a rough outline. Then, when inspiration strikes, I’ll usually just plow through a script in one sitting. Sometimes I’ll tackle a script in pieces, though, scripting a scene here and a bit there, and then editing all of that when I sit down to finish it. My “rewrites” usually consist of minor tweaks. One of my goals for 2009 is to develop a more consistent routine.

Question 6: What writing, drawing, or other tools do you use?

Moleskine notebooks and a Sony Vaio laptop. I’m kind of a journal freak, though, so I’m always picking up interesting looking journals. So I have notes on various projects scattered throughout numerous half-full journals.

JSA ClassifiedQuestion 7: What element of your work gives you the most personal satisfaction?

I love reading something I wrote months ago and finding myself entertained by the dialogue. I think dialogue is my strong suit, so it makes me feel good to read something I’d totally forgotten about writing and getting a kick out of it.

Yeah, I’m the dude who picks up his own books in the shop and chuckles over them. What a dick.

I suppose I get my greatest satisfaction, though, from developing a good plot. Plotting is harder work.

Question 8: What has been the most rewarding project in your professional career – in or out of comics – and why?

Oh, I don’t know. I kind of feel like that’s still on the horizon. Hawaiian Dick makes me very proud. We’ve published twelve issues and two trades, despite a billion setbacks and hardships, and there’s more to come. I just love writing that book.

I’m developing something right now that I hope will turn out to be the feather in my cap thus far.

Question 9: We’ve all met very talented newcomers who are trying to get their first professional projects. What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard given to a promising new creator?

Do the work.

Question 10: Time to get philosophical: What’s the most important “big idea” that you’ve learned in life – in or out of comics – and why is it important?

Oh, man. I don’t know. My life philosophies haven’t always held up under fire. My one unwavering “philosophy” is that ultimately, what you accomplish in life is up to you and you alone. In comics there’s a lot of whining about how “unfair” the business is, but, you know…what is fair in life?

If one avenue is shut down, build your own damn road.

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10 Questions for Rob Davis

Daughter of DraculaRob Davis is an illustrator with credits including Star Trek (DC), Star Trek: The Next Generation (DC), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Malibu), Scimidar (Malibu), and Pirates of Dark Water (Marvel). The Missouri-based artist’s recent projects include Daughter of Dracula with Ron Fortier and the upcoming Robyn of Sherwood: The Reboot with Paul Storrie.

Rob isn’t just an accomplished illustrator, he’s also a long-time friend of Comics Career. In fact, he drew the cover of Comics Career Newsletter #1 (April, 1988). You can find illustrations and links to his work on his blog.

Question 1: When did you first decide that you wanted to create your own comics for a living?

At eight years old!

Question 2: Who has had the biggest influence on you outside the comics industry, and how did they affect your life?

My parents, for the obvious reasons.

Question 3: Who has had the biggest influence on your comics career, and how has that person changed your work?

Presently it’s Ron Fortier who has pushed me in new directions with his constant fountain of ideas that he’s anxious for me to do — too many for me to actually keep up with.

Question 4: What do you do to recharge your creative batteries?

Read a good book.

Question 5: Describe your typical work routine.

When I was full-time freelance it was up around 8:30, 9:00 a.m. quick breakfast and then to the drawing table for at least 4 hours. Lunch, read e-mail/online news then back to the drawing board for off and on until 10:00 p.m. with plenty of mental and physical breaks.

Question 6: What writing, drawing, or other tools do you use?

My art tools are constantly changing. My one regular tool is Photoshop, which I use on nearly everything I do these days. Otherwise it is whatever will put the line down on the bristol board (I’m still not totally digital, I like the tactile feedback of working on the drawing board on a sheet of paper).

Question 7: What element of your work gives you the most personal satisfaction?

Nearly every facet. It would be hard to pinpoint one aspect that outshines the others.

Question 8: What has been the most rewarding project in your professional career – in or out of comics – and why?

Daughter of Dracula, it took two years of steady weekly pagework and is the most detailed and original project I’ve ever tackled.

Question 9: We’ve all met very talented newcomers who are trying to get their first professional projects. What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard given to a promising new creator?

The “Five P’s”: Polite Persistence Prevents Poor Performance, or Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice. If you truly believe you are destined to work in comics you will stay with it until it happens.

Question 10: Time to get philosophical: What’s the most important “big idea” that you’ve learned in life – in or out of comics – and why is it important?

Do what you love and the money will follow — just don’t expect to become a billionaire that way. 🙂

Want more? See the index of “10 Questions” interviews.

Discuss “10 Questions” in the ComicsCareer.Com Forum.

Are you a professional comics creator? Participate in the 10 Questions project.