Profile Antics: A Chat with GØDLAND's Tom Scioli!

Thomas Scioli is a Pittsburgh-based cartoonist and illustrator. He's the co-creator of Image Comics' Eisner-nominated series, Godland, and the creator of the Xeric-winning The Myth of 8-Opus. Tom has created, written, and drawn stories for several anthologies including The Next Issue Project for Image and the upcoming fourth volume of PopGun. He's currently the cover artist for Boom! Studios, The Incredibles, and he's done artwork for such series as Elephantmen, Freedom Force, and The Fantastic Four. Tom kindly agreed to "sit" for my impromptu web interview and then very quickly sent back his answers.

Enjoy!

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Q) Tom, tell me about the impact that winning the Xeric Grant in 1999 had on “The Myth of 8-Opus” and launching your career?

Well, one thing a young artist needs is encouragement, and winning the Xeric Grant was a pat on the back that I really needed at that time. It was a big morale booster. I don't think I would've attempted self-publishing with national distribution without that. I certainly didn't have the money. Applying for the grant got me to think about the business end of things. The Xeric application is pretty demanding, but what it does is it gets you to think about the ins and outs of self-publishing, so I came out of completing the application with a valuable body of knowledge. I continue to self-publish 8-Opus, so that's definitely something that was set in motion by the Xeric Grant. 8-Opus got me the attention of Erik Larsen, so that led to Godland. The Xeric Grant was an important turning point for my comics career.

Q) You are known for working in a similar style to Jack Kirby. What was it about the King’s work that grabbed you?

It's hard to nail it down, because when something makes that big of an impression on you, it becomes the central reference point for what you like, so everything else has to measure up to that. Thundarr the Barbarian made a big early impression on me. Then Darkseid showing up on the Superfriends cartoon. Then the giant-size Thor Treasury edition. That was the 1-2-3 that formed what I like. When I was in college I found some old New Gods reprints at a comic store and opened a door for me. When you go back and rediscover things you enjoyed from childhood, they're almost always a big disappointment. When I discovered New Gods, it was like, that Darkseid stuff I remembered from Superfriends was actually so much bigger and so much better than I could've ever imagined.

Q) In the last decade or so, Kirby’s late 1970’s stuff at Marvel has emerged as some of my favorite back issue purchases. Did you follow any of that stuff (The Eternals, Devil Dinosaur, Machine Man, 2001:A Space Odyssey, The Black Panther)?

Kirby's whole body of comics work is before my time, so for me it's all of a piece. I was discovering the 60's Marvel work, the 70's DC work, the 70's Marvel work, the 80's work all at the same time. People who followed Kirby's comics as they were coming out have a different perspective on it than I do. I think his best stuff is his DC work. I love his 60's Marvel work, but I think his 70's Marvel work has aged better. The Eternals is one of his best series. I love Devil Dinosaur. It's this great little world. Machine Man is awesome. The multi-parter with Ten-For is just great. The 2001 Treasury edition is a sight to behold. The comicsville 2-parter, then the New Seed story after that are some of Kirby's best, most personal work. The 70's Black Panther is one of my favorites. In a lot of ways it was Raiders of the Lost Ark, but 4 years early. It's hard for me to talk about this stuff in an intelligent way, because I'm just such a fan of it all.

Q) What type of tools do you use most to produce your artwork? Any particular pen nibs, pencils, etc.?

I like retractable pencils, because I don't have to worry about sharpening them. I like using Micron pens to ink with. The Micron 08 and sometimes an 03 for fine lines. I'm able to get a lot of variation in line by pressing down hard on an 08. I haven't been able to get my favorite brush for many years, the Windsor Newton series 7 sable #3. No stores around here carry it, and I don't want to order by mail because you have to look at the brush tip before you buy it. I use junky brushes now, and don't get the control I used to. So I tend to go in with the brush as much as I can, then clean up the ends of the lines with pen work.

Q) You’ve turned out some superhero stuff with Freedom Force, done the super-sci-fi-opera epic, Godland and dabbled with animal/human hybrids in Elephantmen. What other comics genre fare would you like to tackle?

Well, Godland #33 [pictured; above left] will be our "funny animals" issue. I'd like to do some non-fiction comics at some point. For the past couple years I've been working on a barbarian epic. I'd like to try doing a movie adaptation some time. I'm really in awe of Kirby's 2001 adaptation and Steranko's Outland adaptation. It's an odd genre, the movie adaptation comic, but it seems like something you could do a lot with, particularly if you took a movie that isn't so great, but that you feel a strong affinity for. I'd like to do an adaptation of Lou Ferrigno's Hercules movie from the eighties, or Zardoz. Something like that.

Q) As Godland quickly slides towards the end of its run, do you have any pangs about leaving Adam Archer and friends behind?

When we started it we didn't know if it would last 5 issues or 500. I had this fantasy of working on it forever, at least a lot longer than we have. 37 issues is a lot of comics. I wish Kirby could've done 30 issues of New Gods. I definitely think about what might have been, if things really took off in a huge way, but I'm proud of what we've accomplished. 37 issues is nothing to sneeze at. That's a lot of imagination, hard work and sacrifice that we've poured into it. I'm not too sad about leaving the Archers behind, because Joe Casey and I own it, so if I ever get the itch to do another Godland story, I can.

Q) What personal goals are you working towards in comics next?

I want to write, draw, and color a long-running series with a beginning, middle, and end. That's the barbarian epic I mentioned. I want to get 8-Opus to a point where I finish the 700+ page story arc that began in issue 1. That should take me 2 more graphic novels to do. I will breathe a massive sigh of relief when that happens, then get started on the next 700+ pages. I also have a short graphic novel, along the lines of a Wizard of Oz-type fantasy story, that I'd like to complete within the next couple of years. My niece asked me to make a comic "for girls" and mail it to her. All my comics so far have been "boy's club" stuff, so it's definitely something I'd like to have published before she's too old to enjoy it.

Q) What has been your biggest or most fun “fan-boy” moment on the convention circuit?

Meeting Lisa Kirby at Comicon. I'm such a fan of her father's work, it was nice to say "thank you" to somebody in the family.

Q) I'm a fan of walking dead flicks, so what’s the status on that “Zombie Kamikaze” book?

I'm about the furthest thing from a horror movie fan. But I really liked Scott Mills' script for "Zombie Kamikaze" and had collaborated with him on a short story prior to that. When I started ZK, it was at a time when I had the boundless energy and enthusiasm of someone just entering comics. I thought I could be like Kirby and work on 8 monthly series simultaneously. About 12 pages into ZK I realized I had to prioritize. I couldn't do everything. So I stopped work on that and another series I was working on with John Fultz called "Ray Gunne." I kept intending to get back to ZK, but I just started to look more and more like it wasn't going to happen. Like I said, I'm not really a horror fan, and one of the things I've learned about doing comics is that unless you're totally 100% head-over-heels in love with the project you're doing, it's just not going to work. ZK is a great script, and I looked at it as a way of doing a genre Kirby never worked on (how rare is that) but ultimately that just wasn't incentive enough to keep me at the drawing board. The final nail in the coffin, is when I discovered Walking Dead. Walking Dead is just such a great comic, well-done on every level, endlessly entertaining. I don't know how you can compete with that. It's the only zombie comic anybody needs. It's a shame, if we had gotten down to business, finished ZK before the Walking Dead phenomenon hit, we might've gotten somewhere with it, but I think it's time has passed. Maybe when zombies go out of style again we can try it, but the market is just too flooded.

Q) When you’re ready to just chill out and relax what do you typically do?

Read comics. No TV, just silence and a good comic. Going for a walk is fun, too, but this has been a pretty unpleasant winter for that.

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Tom, it's been a blast, thanks so much for visiting the Catacombs and let me wish you the best of luck for continued success in the future!

Jungleman in "The Indochina Air Raid/Trapped By Poachers" (Harvey; 1941-42)

Since I had promised earlier to post another adventure of Harvey Comics golden age character, Jungleman, I almost had a change of heart. This isn't the best jungle adventurer that I've ever seen and I've been itching to run some more Rulah stories.

But a promise is a promise and obscurer stuff often appeals to fans of the golden age, so here it is - or rather - here "they" are. The Jungleman tale that I had selected was just too short to stand on its own, so not only are you folks getting two-for-the-price-of-one today, but these golden oldies are running a day early, so that I can fit in an interview on Thursday with GØDLAND artist Tom Scioli. That really fun creator profile will be posted in the Catacombs sometime tomorrow.

For now let's take a look back at "The Indochina Air Raid" from Champ Comics #14 (Jul. 1941) illustrated by artist Mort Leav (signed as "Stanley Maxwell") and "Trapped By Poachers" from Champ Comics #17 (Feb. 1942) illustrated by artist Stan Zuckerberg; both originally published by Harvey. Of the two stories, I prefer the Mort Leav art style better, but that crocodile panel in the second tale is pretty cool. The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for these stories. Note: The copyright for these issues, their contents and artwork belong to the original publisher and/or creators and are reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

I've been Interviewed! Does that make me famous?

I would like to thank Shane Rivers over at "Only Good Movies" for the opportunity to ramble on about motion pictures from my dusty old bully pulpit over in an abandoned corner of the Catacombs. You will find his brand-spanking-new interview of yours truly by following this handy link.

If you are a film buff, head on over and check out Shane's excellent webpage and don't forget to tell him that Chuck sent you. Hey, I'm at least famous enough to get you in the door, but please be on your best behavior.

Thanks, Shane!

Taanda in "Jungle Vengeance/Death Wears the Jungle Crown" (Avon; 1951)

I've decided to postpone running an additional "Jungleman" story (as promised on Saturday) until this Thursday, in favor of making a space available today for White Princess of the Jungle #2 (Nov. 1951); originally published by Avon. I've selected two Taanda tales from that issue since both "Jungle Vengeance" and "Death Wears the Jungle Crown" are clearly signed by artist Everett Raymond Kinstler. A different artist drew the third Taanda feature. Louis Ravielli, Gene Fawcette, and Vince Alascia also pencilled Taanda adventures for Avon, so it's probably one of them. (I will eventually post that story too!)

Taanda was a typical white, intelligent, voluptuous, scantily-clad babe in an animal-skin bikini, with the ability to communicate with jungle beasts or birds, and ever wise to the ways of cruel men. Her life was devoted to preserving the peace and beauty of the jungle, confronting evil men up to no good, dickering with hostile, superstitious tribesmen, and exposing the deceits of bone-rattling witch doctors. Kinstler managed to make those duties look like a walk in the park for our lovely heroine and you also get to see his terrific cover for this classic issue.

The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for these stories. Note: The copyright for these issues, their contents and artwork belong to the original publisher and/or creators and are reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

Editorial Diatribe from the Catacombs: Siegel's vs. DC

DC Comics has fired its previous lawyers from the Weissmann Wolff Bergman firm and brought in big box, Los Angeles attorney Daniel Petrocelli to handle the Siegel Family's lawsuit for their rights to the character of Superman. Petrocelli is known for his work in several high-profile trials, including defending Enron CEO Jeff Skilling in a case that reached the Supreme Court and helping the Ron Goldman family win a multi-million dollar judgment against OJ Simpson, Petrocelli successfully defended the Walt Disney Company in a long-running intellectual property dispute over the royalties from Winnie the Pooh.

Time Warner’s decision to bring in a major litigator as its new counsel seems to suggest that the company does not expect to reach a settlement with the Siegel family in the foreseeable future. This could also be seen as a negotiation tactic, not unusual for a party in a lawsuit to involve a big name counsel as intimidation for a seemingly intractable opponent.

Regardless of the ramifications of this action, it's yet another example of a corporate entity being all-too willing to shell out big bucks for anyone other than the original creator of a property (or their legal heirs). Sad, contemptible and just too typical of American business practices!

Free Comic Book Day 2010! 62 Days and counting .....

The eighth annual "Free Comic Book Day" returns on Saturday, May 1, 2010. This is the blessed day when participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops. This years sponsors include Ape Entertainment, Archie Comics, Archaia Studios Press, Boom Studios, Dark Horse, DC, Drawn & Quarterly, IDW, Image and Marvel. (Thank you all very much!)

With almost three dozen books being offered by a variety of publishers, needless to say there is something for everyone. I'm particularly looking forward to the titles that are pictured above from Archie Comics, Dark Horse offers a new Dr. Solar and Magnus Robot Fighter relaunch, by former Valiant chief Jim Shooter, IDW reunites creator Larry Hama with his 1980's property, G.I. Joe, Drawn & Quarterly issues another outstanding collection of John Stanley material (perhaps my favorite freebie last year), The Library of American Comics presents an assortment of classic newspaper strips by top artists and Jim Woodring's "Frank" features in Weathercraft from Fantagraphics.

For the first time, legendary artist Sergio Aragonés has created the first-ever Free Comic Book Day Commemorative Artist T-Shirt. This shirt is intended as the start of a new tradition, with a different artist selected each year to provide a special design. This year's shirt from the fan-favorite Groo creator and MAD Magazine legend will be available in white, black, and purple, in sizes ranging from Small through XXL. Proceeds from the sale of the shirts will go to support FCBD's marketing and promotional efforts, with $1 from each T-shirt sale also being donated to Sergio's elected charity, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. T-shirts will be available for purchase in comic book shops starting in early April, 2010.

Hope to see you in the shops in May for Free Comic Book Day!

Jungleman in "Island Survival" (Harvey; 1940)

Welcome to the weekend!

Writer/artist Charles A. Winter returns to the Catacombs today with Jungleman who is culled from Champion Comics #7 (May 1940); originally published by Harvey. A different writer/artist worked on Jungleman in the Harvey series, Champ Comics and some of those stories will be posted here early next week for a comparison basis.

The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for this story. Note: The copyright for this issue, its contents and artwork belong to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

"Gal" Friday & Classic Cutie! Joi Lansing

Joi Lansing began modeling in her teens and at the age of 14, was signed to an acting contract at MGM Studios, where she completed high school on the studio lot. Lansing was often cast in bombshell roles similar to those played by her 1950's contemporaries, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Joi was frequently clad in skimpy costumes and bikinis that accentuated her attractive figure.

After Lansing's film career began in 1948, she played an uncredited role in MGM's Singin' in the Rain in 1952. She received top billing in Hot Cars (1956) and in the opening sequence of Orson Welles's Touch of Evil (1958), she appeared as Zita, the dancer who dies at the end of the films famous first tracking shot, during which her character exclaims to a border guard, "I keep hearing this ticking noise inside my head!" Lansing had a brief role as an astronaut's girlfriend in the 1958 sci-fi classic Queen of Outer Space. During the 1950s, she starred in short musical films for the Scopitone video-jukebox system. Her recorded songs include "The Web of Love" and "The Silencers".

By 1956, Joi Lansing had appeared in more than 200 television shows, including The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, I Love Lucy, State Trooper, This Man Dawson, Maverick and she had a recurring role in The Beverly Hillbillies. She is perhaps best known as Shirley Swanson in The Bob Cummings Show, plus she appeared as the title character in "Superman's Wife," a 1958 episode of The Adventures of Superman.

As a Mormon, Lansing did not drink or smoke and although she was often photographed in bikinis and swimsuits; she never posed nude. Joi Lansing died from breast cancer at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California in 1972 at the age of 43.

Camilla, Queen of the Lost Empire; Part IV (Fiction House; 1940)

As promised, here is the next chapter of Camilla. This one is from Jungle Comics #4 (Apr. 1940) by Fiction House and writer/artist Charles A. Winter. The Queen of the Lost Empire has a better disposition at story's end, and there is yet another large snake on hand to imperil her "guests". I will run more of this strips chapters at some point down the road, but my very next golden age jungle story post will star a jungle lord making his Catacombs debut. While I may post an additional item later today, don't forget to drop by tomorrow for my regular "Gal" Friday featurette.

The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for this story. Note: The copyright for this issue, its contents and artwork belong to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

Camilla, Queen of the Lost Empire; Part III (Fiction House; 1940)

Writer and artist Charles A. Winter certainly had a soft spot for wicked women, and he was definitely homaging Ayesha from H. R. Haggard's classic novel, She, as this serialized Camilla tale plays out from Jungle Comics #3 (Mar. 1940) published during the golden age by Fiction House. Capt. Stanley is replaced in this issues outing by Jon and Ruth. They will probably come to regret exploring this lost corner of the dark continent.

The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for this story. Note: The copyright for this issue, its contents and artwork belong to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

I will probably run the next sequential Camilla story again tomorrow, before introducing you to a new jungle lord here in the Catacombs this weekend. Today's strip is again taken from a grainy microfiche source, but the next chapter is crystal clear (and you get to see it tomorrow).

Enjoy!