MattBrady
11-01-2002, 10:43 AM
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/filler.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/filler_t.jpg" width="175" height="219" align="right" border="0" alt="Promo art from Filler"></a>Perhaps it’s been his fine line and attention to detail that’s caught your eye. Maybe his teens with characteristically narrow faces and backgrounds. In either case, Rob G’s pencils have been attracting attention of late, first showing up in Teenagers from Mars (written by Rick Spears), and more recently, in promo art for both Couriers and Filler, coming from AiT/PlanetLar. Newsarama caught up with Rob to talk about…stuff.
Newsarama: Of course, these things can’t start off with any other question except asking for the lowdown on your background, so give us the goods.
Rob G.: I was born and raised in eastern Virginia, on the banks of the James River, and where the British surrendered to George Washington way back in 1781. I always failed my art classes in high school, and I attended Virginia Commonwealth University for art but they gave me the boot because I was "ill-suited for the classroom environment". So after that I gave up on going to school for art. I used to really want to do an apprenticeship for some cool comic artist and even wrote a letter to Dave Mazzucchelli to this effect. I still think that comics creators should take apprentices. I think they actually do it that way in Japan. How cool.
NRAMA: So with your, albeit, ill-fated attemots at art in school, did you come to art wanting to be a comic book artist, or just a more general “artist” with the comic book artist idea coming in later?
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/spidey.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/Spidey_t.jpg" width="175" height="233" align="left" border="0" alt="Rob's version of Spider-Man...no, he didn't do this when he was four months old..."></a>RG: As far back as I can remember I was always down with drawing. I can remember in second grade that I used to draw all these future-type space bases. My Mom claims that I drew my first picture at four months old - she put a pencil in my hand and sat me on her lap with a piece of paper and I went at it. She also says that "Spidey-man" was one of my first words. I remember doing my first comic in the sixth grade, after seeing the British cartoon Danger Mouse, and from then on, I was on the path of comic art. I, of course, appreciate all forms of art and take a lot of influence from outside the comic art field, but I like comics the best and highly doubt I would ever want to do anything else.
NRAMA: But despite that, you’ve got quite a lot of non-comics illustration work on your resume, like working at Tor Books…
RG: Right – I’m the Art Department Assistant at Tor, where I do various scut work, like shipping and receiving art, filing cover proofs, archiving cover layout documents etc. I have done two illustrations for books for them which was really fun and they liked both drawings a lot. The people I work with there are great folks which is really the main reason I like being there. I've even had a hand in helping some comics artists get work from them by suggesting them to my boss.
NRAMA: You’ve also done work for the Coast Guard? What was that all about?
RG: I designed, well, am still designing really, the patch for the Marine Safety Office in Miami FL. My Mother is the XO of the base there so she asked if I could do it and of course I said I would.
NRAMA: With your work at Tor and other places, including the Coast Guard and saying earlier that your main interest is in comics, do you think yours is the typical artist/designer's life, that is, a lot of odd jobs until you establish and get the big gig?
RG: I think it's probably typical, though, some people who do better in school can have an easier time finding work than those that don't. Also there are those who are just straight-up gifted and they have no problems at all getting work. Most of us comics artists do have to do other work while trying to "break-in" but if you're lucky you can find a job that is in your field so you won't be miserable. For me I didn't find anything in the art field until I moved to NYC.
NRAMA: Since it sounds as if much of your education has come more from life experience than the classroom, is there anything you can point to in your collection of odd jobs that you still use today in your art or approach to work?
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/curtain.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/curtain_t.jpg" width="200" height="161" align="right" border="0" alt="Curtain - by Rob G"></a>RG: I always try to learn from whatever it is that I am doing, and I use what I’ve learned from past jobs in all aspects of my life not just comics. If you want a specific example, I’d say that my experience as a line cook taught me what "real" work is all about. It's hard, dirty, dangerous and no fun at all. I never want to do that again so it drives me to push harder and do a better job on my comics so I won't have to go back to being a cook.
NRAMA: Moving over to your breakout work in comics, how did you meet up with Rick Spears?
RG: I actually found Rick in a space-craft that crash landed in my cornfield...
NRAMA: And in reality?
RG: No wait, i met him when he was in the circus as an acrobat and his parents were killed by these gangsters and, wait that's not it either...
NRAMA: {tapping foot}
RG: I think it was when I saved his life by pushing him into a ditch when he wandered onto a gamma bomb testing site. yeah that was it, for sure.
NRAMA: Oh-kay. From a different angle then, what was it about Teenagers From Mars that made you realize you had to be the artist on it, that this was something that you just couldn’t pass up?
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/tfm1.jpg"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/TFM1_t.jpg" width="165" height="165" align="left" border="0" alt="Malcom learns about guns - big guns in TFM"></a>RG: Well, it wasn't that I had to be the artist, I really felt that it was an excellent script and would be fun to work on. Before then, whenever I would have a writer show me a script, it was just crap, and I felt that I could write a better script. This is not so much a statement that I’m a good writer as much as it’s a statement to how bad the scripts were. So when I read the Teenagers From Mars script I was like " Wow! this guy can really write!" I think Rick had similar experiences trying to get an artist, so our collaboration was a perfect fit.
NRAMA: Did Rick have the full script and story ready to go from the time you agreed to illustrate it, or was there some collaboration on it?
RG: He had the full script written, as it was intended to be a movie. The comic is more of a collaboration of the two of us. I almost always draw what is written but try to embellish it in subtle ways, adding background movement, repetition of objects and characters and so on. Rick and I both agree that the comic is actually a third thing in entirely, because after I draw it Rick goes back in and changes dialogue and what not to match better what I’ve drawn.
NRAMA: Along that line then, in a previous interview with Rick, he mentioned how some of the incidents and feel were modeled after his own teen years. Did you bring anything into it in a similar fashion?
RG: Probably not as much as he has. I do draw the characters in a way that is similar to things I have experienced, but it is more an ideological feeling than anything specific. I draw the clothes and styles and such from what i remember from high school. The setting is definitely drawn from the area I grew up in which also happens to be where Rick is from so it fits very well.
NRAMA: So, while you’re finishing up the first Teenagers miniseries, you’re also working with Brian Wood on Couriers for Larry Young’s AiT/PlanetLar. How did you get hooked in with that crowd?
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/tfm2.jpg"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/TFM2_t.jpg" width="175" height="175" align="right" border="0" alt="Madison reluctantly wakes up in TFM"></a>RG: Larry was the first person to really jump on the team of Teenagers From Mars, and ever since then we became friendly with him. We went out to A.P.E in 2002, and got to meet him in person. Brian was there with Larry and the both of them were super-cool and we had a good time hanging out with them. Over drinks at James Sime's Isotope Comics Lounge Brian asked me if I would be interested in doing a book, an OGN in fact. I have never mentioned this to Larry or Brian but I had actually only read the first issue of Channel Zero when Image put it out, but I knew Brian was the goods so I immediately agreed. Needless to say, it’s been all good.
NRAMA: It’s pretty easy to see that except for a select few, no one in the industry is really in a position to turn down work, but what was it about Couriers that attracted you to it?
RG: Three words. New York City - and the chance to draw it. Plus, it would be creator owned, it wasn't super-heroes, and Larry was pubbing it. I have an unsexual crush on Brian anyway, how could I say no?
NRAMA: So living in New York helps, then?
RG: Oh yeah. I moved to NYC because every comics pro I ever read about when I was a kid lived here. I was fascinated by the stories of guys working up some samples and trudging to the publishers to try and get a break, then going home and making improvements and then doing it all over again. This is how I thought it was done, so that's what I had to do. You can imagine my surprise when I found that that way was long gone and you can't even see an editor without an appointment these days, much less even get into the building. There is a certain romance to the comic artist in the city that I find attractive. Will Eisner has a theory about comics artists living in NYC and it's relation to the work itself and the community. I kind of like that idea. There are also numerous other creators here, especially in Brooklyn where both Rick and I live, so that's a big plus as well.
NRAMA: Getting back to Rick, the two of you self-published Teenagers From Mars, yet your next project together, Filler, is coming out through AiT/PlanetLar. Why the change?
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/robgspecial.jpg"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/robgspecial_t.jpg" width="250" height="188" align="left" border="0" alt="Special from Couriers"></a>RG: It was actually Uncle Larry's idea. He wanted to do something I think initially with me because I was probably bragging – ignorantly - about how fast I could produce a page, so he wanted to come up with a book for me. Somehow Rick got involved in writing the thing and that was pretty much it. We were stoked to get to do our own OGN with Larry.
NRAMA: Since this is a full-on collaboration from the get go, what can you say about Filler at this point?
RG: I don't want to give up too much of the plot but it's basically a crime-noir thriller about a guy who is the fill-in guy in the police line-ups. Larry came up with the idea, Rick wrote up a script and I’m working on the art. I plan to do the art in a very heavy black and white style which will fit the story much better than my usual light line-work. Larry has also agreed that we can do a spot color of red in the book, which needless to say is going to be intense. I’m very excited about this project.
NRAMA: Speaking of your style – at least with your light line work as you call it, and your attention to detail, it seems that you would've been snapped up a while ago by the big two. Have you had offers?
RG: Actually, they weren't that interested at all until Teenagers From Mars came out. I was talking to someone at Marvel, who will remain nameless, and that guy wanted me to draw "more in the Image style" he thought i was pretty good but "wanted something like Mike Deodato" and could I draw more like that. Of course I said "hell no," and didn't really pursue the big leagues for a while. I wanted to get better and develop a nice portfolio and then show it around. As it is now, Rick and I are doing a back-up story for Detective Comics from DC in the spring, and thus far it's been really no hassle. We are certainly happy to do work for the majors but only if it doesn't interfere with Teenagers From MarsTFM or any other project that is creator owned that we want to do.
NRAMA: So what does the future hold for you? Are you looking to both write and draw and move more into the industry?
RG: Who knows? I don't. I’ve always wanted to draw comics and the thought of doing anything else is completely alien to me. A lot of people move out of the comics field to other more lucrative pursuits, but that's just more work for me. Rick and I plan to work together for a long time to come so I don't think I’ll write my own stuff any time soon. I do have ideas for stories that I want to do but I usually tell them to Rick and he comes up with stuff way better than me so then we just end up wanting to do it together - which is just fine with me.
Newsarama: Of course, these things can’t start off with any other question except asking for the lowdown on your background, so give us the goods.
Rob G.: I was born and raised in eastern Virginia, on the banks of the James River, and where the British surrendered to George Washington way back in 1781. I always failed my art classes in high school, and I attended Virginia Commonwealth University for art but they gave me the boot because I was "ill-suited for the classroom environment". So after that I gave up on going to school for art. I used to really want to do an apprenticeship for some cool comic artist and even wrote a letter to Dave Mazzucchelli to this effect. I still think that comics creators should take apprentices. I think they actually do it that way in Japan. How cool.
NRAMA: So with your, albeit, ill-fated attemots at art in school, did you come to art wanting to be a comic book artist, or just a more general “artist” with the comic book artist idea coming in later?
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/spidey.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/Spidey_t.jpg" width="175" height="233" align="left" border="0" alt="Rob's version of Spider-Man...no, he didn't do this when he was four months old..."></a>RG: As far back as I can remember I was always down with drawing. I can remember in second grade that I used to draw all these future-type space bases. My Mom claims that I drew my first picture at four months old - she put a pencil in my hand and sat me on her lap with a piece of paper and I went at it. She also says that "Spidey-man" was one of my first words. I remember doing my first comic in the sixth grade, after seeing the British cartoon Danger Mouse, and from then on, I was on the path of comic art. I, of course, appreciate all forms of art and take a lot of influence from outside the comic art field, but I like comics the best and highly doubt I would ever want to do anything else.
NRAMA: But despite that, you’ve got quite a lot of non-comics illustration work on your resume, like working at Tor Books…
RG: Right – I’m the Art Department Assistant at Tor, where I do various scut work, like shipping and receiving art, filing cover proofs, archiving cover layout documents etc. I have done two illustrations for books for them which was really fun and they liked both drawings a lot. The people I work with there are great folks which is really the main reason I like being there. I've even had a hand in helping some comics artists get work from them by suggesting them to my boss.
NRAMA: You’ve also done work for the Coast Guard? What was that all about?
RG: I designed, well, am still designing really, the patch for the Marine Safety Office in Miami FL. My Mother is the XO of the base there so she asked if I could do it and of course I said I would.
NRAMA: With your work at Tor and other places, including the Coast Guard and saying earlier that your main interest is in comics, do you think yours is the typical artist/designer's life, that is, a lot of odd jobs until you establish and get the big gig?
RG: I think it's probably typical, though, some people who do better in school can have an easier time finding work than those that don't. Also there are those who are just straight-up gifted and they have no problems at all getting work. Most of us comics artists do have to do other work while trying to "break-in" but if you're lucky you can find a job that is in your field so you won't be miserable. For me I didn't find anything in the art field until I moved to NYC.
NRAMA: Since it sounds as if much of your education has come more from life experience than the classroom, is there anything you can point to in your collection of odd jobs that you still use today in your art or approach to work?
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/curtain.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/curtain_t.jpg" width="200" height="161" align="right" border="0" alt="Curtain - by Rob G"></a>RG: I always try to learn from whatever it is that I am doing, and I use what I’ve learned from past jobs in all aspects of my life not just comics. If you want a specific example, I’d say that my experience as a line cook taught me what "real" work is all about. It's hard, dirty, dangerous and no fun at all. I never want to do that again so it drives me to push harder and do a better job on my comics so I won't have to go back to being a cook.
NRAMA: Moving over to your breakout work in comics, how did you meet up with Rick Spears?
RG: I actually found Rick in a space-craft that crash landed in my cornfield...
NRAMA: And in reality?
RG: No wait, i met him when he was in the circus as an acrobat and his parents were killed by these gangsters and, wait that's not it either...
NRAMA: {tapping foot}
RG: I think it was when I saved his life by pushing him into a ditch when he wandered onto a gamma bomb testing site. yeah that was it, for sure.
NRAMA: Oh-kay. From a different angle then, what was it about Teenagers From Mars that made you realize you had to be the artist on it, that this was something that you just couldn’t pass up?
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/tfm1.jpg"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/TFM1_t.jpg" width="165" height="165" align="left" border="0" alt="Malcom learns about guns - big guns in TFM"></a>RG: Well, it wasn't that I had to be the artist, I really felt that it was an excellent script and would be fun to work on. Before then, whenever I would have a writer show me a script, it was just crap, and I felt that I could write a better script. This is not so much a statement that I’m a good writer as much as it’s a statement to how bad the scripts were. So when I read the Teenagers From Mars script I was like " Wow! this guy can really write!" I think Rick had similar experiences trying to get an artist, so our collaboration was a perfect fit.
NRAMA: Did Rick have the full script and story ready to go from the time you agreed to illustrate it, or was there some collaboration on it?
RG: He had the full script written, as it was intended to be a movie. The comic is more of a collaboration of the two of us. I almost always draw what is written but try to embellish it in subtle ways, adding background movement, repetition of objects and characters and so on. Rick and I both agree that the comic is actually a third thing in entirely, because after I draw it Rick goes back in and changes dialogue and what not to match better what I’ve drawn.
NRAMA: Along that line then, in a previous interview with Rick, he mentioned how some of the incidents and feel were modeled after his own teen years. Did you bring anything into it in a similar fashion?
RG: Probably not as much as he has. I do draw the characters in a way that is similar to things I have experienced, but it is more an ideological feeling than anything specific. I draw the clothes and styles and such from what i remember from high school. The setting is definitely drawn from the area I grew up in which also happens to be where Rick is from so it fits very well.
NRAMA: So, while you’re finishing up the first Teenagers miniseries, you’re also working with Brian Wood on Couriers for Larry Young’s AiT/PlanetLar. How did you get hooked in with that crowd?
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/tfm2.jpg"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/TFM2_t.jpg" width="175" height="175" align="right" border="0" alt="Madison reluctantly wakes up in TFM"></a>RG: Larry was the first person to really jump on the team of Teenagers From Mars, and ever since then we became friendly with him. We went out to A.P.E in 2002, and got to meet him in person. Brian was there with Larry and the both of them were super-cool and we had a good time hanging out with them. Over drinks at James Sime's Isotope Comics Lounge Brian asked me if I would be interested in doing a book, an OGN in fact. I have never mentioned this to Larry or Brian but I had actually only read the first issue of Channel Zero when Image put it out, but I knew Brian was the goods so I immediately agreed. Needless to say, it’s been all good.
NRAMA: It’s pretty easy to see that except for a select few, no one in the industry is really in a position to turn down work, but what was it about Couriers that attracted you to it?
RG: Three words. New York City - and the chance to draw it. Plus, it would be creator owned, it wasn't super-heroes, and Larry was pubbing it. I have an unsexual crush on Brian anyway, how could I say no?
NRAMA: So living in New York helps, then?
RG: Oh yeah. I moved to NYC because every comics pro I ever read about when I was a kid lived here. I was fascinated by the stories of guys working up some samples and trudging to the publishers to try and get a break, then going home and making improvements and then doing it all over again. This is how I thought it was done, so that's what I had to do. You can imagine my surprise when I found that that way was long gone and you can't even see an editor without an appointment these days, much less even get into the building. There is a certain romance to the comic artist in the city that I find attractive. Will Eisner has a theory about comics artists living in NYC and it's relation to the work itself and the community. I kind of like that idea. There are also numerous other creators here, especially in Brooklyn where both Rick and I live, so that's a big plus as well.
NRAMA: Getting back to Rick, the two of you self-published Teenagers From Mars, yet your next project together, Filler, is coming out through AiT/PlanetLar. Why the change?
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/robgspecial.jpg"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/robgspecial_t.jpg" width="250" height="188" align="left" border="0" alt="Special from Couriers"></a>RG: It was actually Uncle Larry's idea. He wanted to do something I think initially with me because I was probably bragging – ignorantly - about how fast I could produce a page, so he wanted to come up with a book for me. Somehow Rick got involved in writing the thing and that was pretty much it. We were stoked to get to do our own OGN with Larry.
NRAMA: Since this is a full-on collaboration from the get go, what can you say about Filler at this point?
RG: I don't want to give up too much of the plot but it's basically a crime-noir thriller about a guy who is the fill-in guy in the police line-ups. Larry came up with the idea, Rick wrote up a script and I’m working on the art. I plan to do the art in a very heavy black and white style which will fit the story much better than my usual light line-work. Larry has also agreed that we can do a spot color of red in the book, which needless to say is going to be intense. I’m very excited about this project.
NRAMA: Speaking of your style – at least with your light line work as you call it, and your attention to detail, it seems that you would've been snapped up a while ago by the big two. Have you had offers?
RG: Actually, they weren't that interested at all until Teenagers From Mars came out. I was talking to someone at Marvel, who will remain nameless, and that guy wanted me to draw "more in the Image style" he thought i was pretty good but "wanted something like Mike Deodato" and could I draw more like that. Of course I said "hell no," and didn't really pursue the big leagues for a while. I wanted to get better and develop a nice portfolio and then show it around. As it is now, Rick and I are doing a back-up story for Detective Comics from DC in the spring, and thus far it's been really no hassle. We are certainly happy to do work for the majors but only if it doesn't interfere with Teenagers From MarsTFM or any other project that is creator owned that we want to do.
NRAMA: So what does the future hold for you? Are you looking to both write and draw and move more into the industry?
RG: Who knows? I don't. I’ve always wanted to draw comics and the thought of doing anything else is completely alien to me. A lot of people move out of the comics field to other more lucrative pursuits, but that's just more work for me. Rick and I plan to work together for a long time to come so I don't think I’ll write my own stuff any time soon. I do have ideas for stories that I want to do but I usually tell them to Rick and he comes up with stuff way better than me so then we just end up wanting to do it together - which is just fine with me.