MattBrady
06-16-2005, 06:41 AM
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01.jpg" width="175" height="264" border="0" align="right"> by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean
Think of him as the (slightly) grizzled vet who steps up to the plate now and again to show the kids he can still swat ‘em out of the park.
When it was announced last year that he’s signed a two-year exclusive with DC Comics (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10281), he said, “I have had many great experiences in 20-plus years in this business, and most have happened while working for DC Comics. I'm thrilled to be working exclusively for DC, with editors like Scott Dunbier, Mike Carlin, Peter Tomasi and others over the next two years, doing a job I love."
With 25 years of experience under his creative belt, Ordway is “a tremendous talent whose artistic style is in the best tradition of classic Golden Age illustrators - but without ever feeling dated," Scott Dunbier, Executive Editor – WildStorm said. "I look forward to continuing our working relationship.”
Ordway got his first big break in comics in 1980 when he inked a Carmine Infantino-penciled Mystery in Space story and there was no turning back since. Over the years, he’s inked guys like Joe Staton, Bob Hall, Rich Buckler and Adrian Gonzales until he started penciling All-Star Squadron with issue #19. And he’s worked on Superman, Wonder Woman, JLA, JSA, The Power of Shazam!, The Avengers, Tom Strong, Just Imagine Stan Lee With Jerry Ordway Creating JLA and the Julie Schwartz tribute book, DC Comics Presents: Mystery In Space (with Grant Morrison).
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01_1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01_1_t.jpg" width="165" height="236" border="0" align="left"></a>In the August-debuting five-issue Top 10: Beyond The Farthest Precinct sequel to Alan Moore and Gene Ha’s Top 10 series, Ordway is teamed up with sci-fi writer Paul Di Filippo. The mini catches up with the officers of Precinct 10 (Toy Box, Kemlo Caesar, Smax, King Peacock, Joe Pi and others) five years after the events of the Smax mini-series.
We caught up with Ordway for a chat about Top 10: Beyond The Farthest Precinct, the ABC line, the impending Crisis, Marv Wolfman and George Perez, and more.
Newsarama: What brings you to Top Ten: Beyond The Farthest Precinct?
Jerry Ordway: Editor Scott Dunbier thought I'd be a good fit, as I've drawn just about every superhero in DC and Marvel's stable, and Top 10 is set on a world of superheroes. This is also a project that requires a knowledge of superhero lore, and an attention to detail, both of which I possess.
NRAMA: Well, you’re not new to the Alan Moore’s America’s Best Comics line, having drawn Tom Strong and Terrific Tales. How big of a fan are you of Moore’s ABC?
JO: I love the ABC line. I thought Tom Strong was my favorite, but after spending a couple of months studying Top 10 in prep for drawing, I'm not so sure anymore. With T10, rereading always reveals little in-jokes I missed the first time around.
NRAMA: What’re some of your favorite ABC titles?
JO: Well they are all really good, and very different animals, so to speak. Promethea is like a tantric Wonder Woman/Doctor Strange, while Tom Strong manages to evoke Doc Savage and the Fantastic Four.
NRAMA: How did you get yourself drawn to the ABC world in the first place? What was your first ABC work?
JO: Well, Scott Dunbier was a fan of my work, and asked me to draw a portion of Tom Strong #5 or 6, and also the cover. That was my first working with Alan Moore, though I had been reading his work since I discovered Marvelman.
NRAMA: In an earlier interview with writer Paul Di Filippo (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32984), he said that working with you have been “immensely rewarding. Jerry is a masterful artist, and I'm relying on him to flesh out my visions with his typical style and skill.” How much of Alan and Gene Ha’s world are you recreating, and how are you putting your own creative touches to Paul’s script?
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01_2_3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01_2_3_t.jpg" width="330" height="253" border="0" align="right"></a> JO: I think Paul is really talented, and puts it all there in the scripts. I have added some in-jokes of my own, here and there, but most of it is already specified by Paul, who has a great store of comic book knowledge in his head. As the artist, I sometimes make little changes in the panel layouts when I see the staging a bit differently from Paul, but that's part of my job. As for adding to Top 10, we have several new cops at the precinct, and we will be exploring a few spots in Neopolis that Alan and Gene never got to in their original series, I believe.
NRAMA: What're some of your favorite bits from the earlier Top 10 stories?
JO: I think my favorite bit in the whole series is the way Joe Pi, the robot, talked the Superman-esque guy into killing himself. That whole issue was great. That was late in the series, and by that time Alan and Gene were cooking! A runner-up was issue #8, with the teleporter accident. That one was really touching and beautifully handled.
NRAMA: Which characters are you having the most fun drawing? And why is/are he/she/they such joy to work on?
JO: Toybox and Smax are fun, but Gene Ha put such a distinctive stamp on all of them. Shock Headed Peter is really fun because he has such comedic potential. The new characters Paul wrote in are my own, visually, so they already fit like a glove. The mermaid is pretty sexy.
NRAMA: While we’ve talked to Paul, what more are you able to tell us about the sequel to Top 10? What’s in store for fans of the series in Season 2?
JO: Well, Paul has a nice angle on the robots and mechanical beings who inhabit Neopolis, which figures a lot in the series. There's a lot of human drama as well. I really don't want to give anything away, except to say that fans of the original should have a good time with our story. It's always intimidating, trying to follow Alan or Gene, but we have their blessing and guidance, so it's not like we're trying to pass off our cheap knock-off of the original behind anyone's back. This is an approved project, so we must be doing something right, right?
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01_4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01_4_t.jpg" width="165" height="251" border="0" align="left"></a> NRAMA: Some of the highlights from the first Top 10 maxi-series were homages to the entire superhero world and spoofs on other comic book characters/events such as appearances by a rodent dressed as X-Men's Wolverine (#3), the Batmobile (#5), Astro Boy, the Legion of Super-Heroes (#8), Wonder Woman (in issue #9), The Authority, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Powerpuff Girls (#11) and a host of other characters and stuff…
JO: Well, there are quite a few in all the scripts, but I actually had more than I could fit in, in the first issue. Paul has set up a ton of them, and I am adding them on my own where they fit. To give it away spoils the fun though. I will tease with the sequence in issue one that takes place in the Top 10 Evidence room. You won't believe what's piled on the shelves in there!
NRAMA: Reflecting on your career as a creator, you were part of the creative team that brought us one of DC’s (and the industry’s) biggest events ever: Crisis on Infinite Earths some 20 years ago. Looking back at Crisis, what are your thoughts on this mega-crossover event?
JO: It was a solid piece of work which has held up pretty well. I can't speak for Marv [Wolfman], because I was not part of the story process on Crisis, but George [Perez] just poured his love of the DC characters all over those pages, and I am proud to have been able to add my small contribution to the final product. That was the Marv and George show all the way!
NRAMA: Later this year, DC celebrates the anniversary with the much-anticipated sequel to Crisis. You played a role in the original, inking George Perez for a number of the issues. Are you in any way involved with the upcoming crisis?
JO: Well, I wish I was, but no. I'm thrilled with my workload at Wildstorm, but I miss being an active part in the DCU. I have plenty of stories to tell, and to draw, but I haven't been in any inner circle of creators there for a few years. It's a bit like I'm from the Class of 1988, only brought back for high school reunions, y'know? I can't complain though, as I had my day in the sun, and it was good while it lasted.
NRAMA: That said, George Perez is now exclusive to DC for five years. Any thoughts of working together with him again on a project?
JO: Well, I am not sure my eyes would be up to the task of inking something like Crisis again. George is a terrific guy as well as a talented one, so I would love to do something with him. When he was in our Superman rotation, back in the age of dinosaurs, he was an enthusiastic collaborator, and we did some good stories together. As a fan, I'm thrilled that he's back at DC.
NRAMA: It was announced in March of last year that you’ve signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC. How has this relationship been? Have you been able to draw your favorite characters? What could fans look forward from you next?
JO: After 25 years in comics, it was great to get a 2-year exclusive. I started with DC in 1980, and have made my mark there, on many features. As for post-Top 10, I have nothing concrete, but will no doubt be kept busy.
NRAMA: Okay, lastly, for those who're still not convinced, give us ten reasons to check out your and Di Filippo's sequel to Moore and Ha's Top 10?
JO: #10 - it will have 22 pages
#9 - it'll be in color
#8 - it's printed on real paper
#7 - we have Todd Klein lettering
#6 - one of the characters is a topless mermaid (woo-hoo!)
#5 - another character has a TV for a head! (gets DirecTV!)
#4 - Alan Moore and Gene Ha have approved!
#3 - both Warren Ellis and Harlan Ellison are huge fans of Paul's writing!
#2 - I am inking my own pencils on this one!
And the number one reason is--It won't suck! (or blow for that matter!)
Top 10: Beyond The Farthest Precinct #1[/b], 32 pages, $2.99, is scheduled to be in stores on August 17.
Think of him as the (slightly) grizzled vet who steps up to the plate now and again to show the kids he can still swat ‘em out of the park.
When it was announced last year that he’s signed a two-year exclusive with DC Comics (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10281), he said, “I have had many great experiences in 20-plus years in this business, and most have happened while working for DC Comics. I'm thrilled to be working exclusively for DC, with editors like Scott Dunbier, Mike Carlin, Peter Tomasi and others over the next two years, doing a job I love."
With 25 years of experience under his creative belt, Ordway is “a tremendous talent whose artistic style is in the best tradition of classic Golden Age illustrators - but without ever feeling dated," Scott Dunbier, Executive Editor – WildStorm said. "I look forward to continuing our working relationship.”
Ordway got his first big break in comics in 1980 when he inked a Carmine Infantino-penciled Mystery in Space story and there was no turning back since. Over the years, he’s inked guys like Joe Staton, Bob Hall, Rich Buckler and Adrian Gonzales until he started penciling All-Star Squadron with issue #19. And he’s worked on Superman, Wonder Woman, JLA, JSA, The Power of Shazam!, The Avengers, Tom Strong, Just Imagine Stan Lee With Jerry Ordway Creating JLA and the Julie Schwartz tribute book, DC Comics Presents: Mystery In Space (with Grant Morrison).
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01_1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01_1_t.jpg" width="165" height="236" border="0" align="left"></a>In the August-debuting five-issue Top 10: Beyond The Farthest Precinct sequel to Alan Moore and Gene Ha’s Top 10 series, Ordway is teamed up with sci-fi writer Paul Di Filippo. The mini catches up with the officers of Precinct 10 (Toy Box, Kemlo Caesar, Smax, King Peacock, Joe Pi and others) five years after the events of the Smax mini-series.
We caught up with Ordway for a chat about Top 10: Beyond The Farthest Precinct, the ABC line, the impending Crisis, Marv Wolfman and George Perez, and more.
Newsarama: What brings you to Top Ten: Beyond The Farthest Precinct?
Jerry Ordway: Editor Scott Dunbier thought I'd be a good fit, as I've drawn just about every superhero in DC and Marvel's stable, and Top 10 is set on a world of superheroes. This is also a project that requires a knowledge of superhero lore, and an attention to detail, both of which I possess.
NRAMA: Well, you’re not new to the Alan Moore’s America’s Best Comics line, having drawn Tom Strong and Terrific Tales. How big of a fan are you of Moore’s ABC?
JO: I love the ABC line. I thought Tom Strong was my favorite, but after spending a couple of months studying Top 10 in prep for drawing, I'm not so sure anymore. With T10, rereading always reveals little in-jokes I missed the first time around.
NRAMA: What’re some of your favorite ABC titles?
JO: Well they are all really good, and very different animals, so to speak. Promethea is like a tantric Wonder Woman/Doctor Strange, while Tom Strong manages to evoke Doc Savage and the Fantastic Four.
NRAMA: How did you get yourself drawn to the ABC world in the first place? What was your first ABC work?
JO: Well, Scott Dunbier was a fan of my work, and asked me to draw a portion of Tom Strong #5 or 6, and also the cover. That was my first working with Alan Moore, though I had been reading his work since I discovered Marvelman.
NRAMA: In an earlier interview with writer Paul Di Filippo (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32984), he said that working with you have been “immensely rewarding. Jerry is a masterful artist, and I'm relying on him to flesh out my visions with his typical style and skill.” How much of Alan and Gene Ha’s world are you recreating, and how are you putting your own creative touches to Paul’s script?
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01_2_3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01_2_3_t.jpg" width="330" height="253" border="0" align="right"></a> JO: I think Paul is really talented, and puts it all there in the scripts. I have added some in-jokes of my own, here and there, but most of it is already specified by Paul, who has a great store of comic book knowledge in his head. As the artist, I sometimes make little changes in the panel layouts when I see the staging a bit differently from Paul, but that's part of my job. As for adding to Top 10, we have several new cops at the precinct, and we will be exploring a few spots in Neopolis that Alan and Gene never got to in their original series, I believe.
NRAMA: What're some of your favorite bits from the earlier Top 10 stories?
JO: I think my favorite bit in the whole series is the way Joe Pi, the robot, talked the Superman-esque guy into killing himself. That whole issue was great. That was late in the series, and by that time Alan and Gene were cooking! A runner-up was issue #8, with the teleporter accident. That one was really touching and beautifully handled.
NRAMA: Which characters are you having the most fun drawing? And why is/are he/she/they such joy to work on?
JO: Toybox and Smax are fun, but Gene Ha put such a distinctive stamp on all of them. Shock Headed Peter is really fun because he has such comedic potential. The new characters Paul wrote in are my own, visually, so they already fit like a glove. The mermaid is pretty sexy.
NRAMA: While we’ve talked to Paul, what more are you able to tell us about the sequel to Top 10? What’s in store for fans of the series in Season 2?
JO: Well, Paul has a nice angle on the robots and mechanical beings who inhabit Neopolis, which figures a lot in the series. There's a lot of human drama as well. I really don't want to give anything away, except to say that fans of the original should have a good time with our story. It's always intimidating, trying to follow Alan or Gene, but we have their blessing and guidance, so it's not like we're trying to pass off our cheap knock-off of the original behind anyone's back. This is an approved project, so we must be doing something right, right?
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01_4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Wildstorm/TopTen/TTBFP01_4_t.jpg" width="165" height="251" border="0" align="left"></a> NRAMA: Some of the highlights from the first Top 10 maxi-series were homages to the entire superhero world and spoofs on other comic book characters/events such as appearances by a rodent dressed as X-Men's Wolverine (#3), the Batmobile (#5), Astro Boy, the Legion of Super-Heroes (#8), Wonder Woman (in issue #9), The Authority, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Powerpuff Girls (#11) and a host of other characters and stuff…
JO: Well, there are quite a few in all the scripts, but I actually had more than I could fit in, in the first issue. Paul has set up a ton of them, and I am adding them on my own where they fit. To give it away spoils the fun though. I will tease with the sequence in issue one that takes place in the Top 10 Evidence room. You won't believe what's piled on the shelves in there!
NRAMA: Reflecting on your career as a creator, you were part of the creative team that brought us one of DC’s (and the industry’s) biggest events ever: Crisis on Infinite Earths some 20 years ago. Looking back at Crisis, what are your thoughts on this mega-crossover event?
JO: It was a solid piece of work which has held up pretty well. I can't speak for Marv [Wolfman], because I was not part of the story process on Crisis, but George [Perez] just poured his love of the DC characters all over those pages, and I am proud to have been able to add my small contribution to the final product. That was the Marv and George show all the way!
NRAMA: Later this year, DC celebrates the anniversary with the much-anticipated sequel to Crisis. You played a role in the original, inking George Perez for a number of the issues. Are you in any way involved with the upcoming crisis?
JO: Well, I wish I was, but no. I'm thrilled with my workload at Wildstorm, but I miss being an active part in the DCU. I have plenty of stories to tell, and to draw, but I haven't been in any inner circle of creators there for a few years. It's a bit like I'm from the Class of 1988, only brought back for high school reunions, y'know? I can't complain though, as I had my day in the sun, and it was good while it lasted.
NRAMA: That said, George Perez is now exclusive to DC for five years. Any thoughts of working together with him again on a project?
JO: Well, I am not sure my eyes would be up to the task of inking something like Crisis again. George is a terrific guy as well as a talented one, so I would love to do something with him. When he was in our Superman rotation, back in the age of dinosaurs, he was an enthusiastic collaborator, and we did some good stories together. As a fan, I'm thrilled that he's back at DC.
NRAMA: It was announced in March of last year that you’ve signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC. How has this relationship been? Have you been able to draw your favorite characters? What could fans look forward from you next?
JO: After 25 years in comics, it was great to get a 2-year exclusive. I started with DC in 1980, and have made my mark there, on many features. As for post-Top 10, I have nothing concrete, but will no doubt be kept busy.
NRAMA: Okay, lastly, for those who're still not convinced, give us ten reasons to check out your and Di Filippo's sequel to Moore and Ha's Top 10?
JO: #10 - it will have 22 pages
#9 - it'll be in color
#8 - it's printed on real paper
#7 - we have Todd Klein lettering
#6 - one of the characters is a topless mermaid (woo-hoo!)
#5 - another character has a TV for a head! (gets DirecTV!)
#4 - Alan Moore and Gene Ha have approved!
#3 - both Warren Ellis and Harlan Ellison are huge fans of Paul's writing!
#2 - I am inking my own pencils on this one!
And the number one reason is--It won't suck! (or blow for that matter!)
Top 10: Beyond The Farthest Precinct #1[/b], 32 pages, $2.99, is scheduled to be in stores on August 17.