CHATTING UP CHO: FRANK CHO ON SPIDEY, LIBERTY MEADOWS, AND SHANNA

[MattBrady]

by Aaron Weisbrod

To channel another famous Frank, artist Frank Cho has become a fan favorite comic illustrator by doing it “his way.”

Gaining a national newspaper syndication deal for his comic strip Liberty Meadows in 1997, and then parlaying that into a comic book publishing deal through Image Comics, Cho quickly developed a rabid fan-base throughout both comicdom…

And he’s done it while barely dipping his toe into the pond of superheroes.

Aside from to short contributions to Alan Moore’s ABC line of comics, and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it piece in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up’s finale, Cho’s work with “spandex-clad” characters has been extremely limited… until now.

Along with an upcoming Marvel Max mini-series that promises to “revamp” the dinosaur-fighting and scantily clad heroine Shanna the She-Devil, Frank Cho will be stepping-in on Issue #5 of Mark Millar’s new Spider-Man series, Marvel Knights: Spider-Man.

So, as a life-long far of superheroes, what’s taken the talented and popular artist so long to jump into the realm of the superheroic? Cho recently took some time out of his busy schedule to discuss all this and more…

Newsarama: Just how long have you been a working comic illustrator, anyway? Furthermore, who are some of your biggest artistic influences?

Frank Cho: I started working professionally since 1997. That was the year Liberty Meadows was syndicated in newspapers. As for the comic book field, I only just started "working" in the last couple years.

My artistic influences are many and varied. For comic strip art, they are Walt Kelly, Mort Drucker, Bill Watterson, and Wally Wood. For comic books, they are Al Williamson, Don Newton, John Buscema, and couple of people that I'm forgetting right now. For book illustrations, Norman Rockwell, N. C. Wyeth, Frank Frazetta, Franklin Booth, J.C. Coll - pretty much the entire group of Golden Age illustrators.

NRAMA: In terms of comic books, you're almost without question best-known as the creator and keeper-of-the-flame of the Liberty Meadows, which is now published through Image Comics. For the uninitiated, what is Liberty Meadows about, and what type of readers might it appeal to?



FC: Liberty Meadows is the name of the animal sanctuary that shelters crazy and unwanted animals. It's a place where anything and everything happens. It's also a love story. Liberty Meadows was greatly influenced by Bloom County, Tex Avery's MGM cartoons, and the early Harvey Kurtzman MAD magazines. I try not to target an audience. I write for myself. But from the fan letters I get, men and women from all walks of life seem to enjoy my strip.

NRAMA: To date though, you’ve stayed pretty far from anything too superheroic. Most recently, the closest you got was a short story you did for Rick Veitch's Greyshirt mini-series and a small sequence in the Tesla Strong one-shot from earlier this year. Is it that superheroes just aren't your bag, is it a matter of timing/time-constraints, or something else all together?

FC: I love superheroes. Ever since fifth grade, my goal was to become a comic book/book illustrator. The reason why I didn't do any major superhero book until now was that I just didn't have the time. Doing Liberty Meadows for the newspaper syndicate sucked up all my time.

NRAMA: You were recently announced on as the guest artist on Issue #5 of Mark Millar's Marvel Knights: Spider-Man series. While the fact that your artwork will mesh with the Dodson's so well is surely part of the reason you were picked to pitch-in a helping hand, what lead-up to the gig? Was this something you were hungry and/or petitioning to do, or was it the proverbial “offer you couldn't refuse”?

FC: I owe it all to Joe Quesada and especially Axel Alonso for bringing me into Marvel Knights: Spider-Man. Axel brought me in under contract to revamp Shanna the She-Devil, and while I was trudging along on Shanna, he asked me if I wanted to take a break from Shanna and help relieve the talented and overworked Terry Dodson a bit on Spider-Man. I jumped on in a New York minute. It was a little daunting filling Terry Dodson's enormous shoes, but it was a blast. I'm now back on Shanna and Liberty Meadows.

NRAMA: While artistic renditions of Spider-Man stay fairly consistent, over the years different artists have depicted Mary Jane in a number of different ways… and this clearly makes sense. After all, she's a fashion model and should reflect the fashion of the times. So, considering this, what should fans expect from your stylistic rendering of Peter Parker's main-squeeze?

FC: A big rack.

No, I kid you. I'm just gonna try to make Mary Jane as sexy and as beautiful my skills will allow. Also, I'm trying to bring back the classic "Romita Senior" Spider-Man look.

NRAMA: Thus far Millar's Spider-Man title has been pretty dark, intense, and violent with a lot of “big” action sequences. Has this posed any problems for you in-terms of drawing such complex and/or violent action sequences? After all, from a reader's standpoint, Spidey is usually considered an all-ages type of hero; and from an artistic standpoint, I don't recall you drawing too many books with epic fight-sequences and explosions and such.

FC: Mark Millar is a bad motherf#$%@&. His script is so explosive with over-the-top imagery and action. I was scared to draw some of the pages because they were so extreme and awesome. I couldn't fake them. I had to sit down and do some visual research even before my pencil touched the paper. Millar's script really pushed me to become a better artist and I'm happy for it.

NRAMA: Aside from Spider-Man, your Shanna mini-series for the Marvel MAX imprint has been in the pipeline for quite some time now. How are things progressing on that front?

FC: It's progressing steadily. Don't forget I have to write and draw Liberty Meadows while I'm writing and drawing Shanna. It's very tough to switch gears back and forth like that, but I'm happy to say that I'm approaching the end of Shanna.

NRAMA: Has Shanna’s placement under the MAX umbrella given you free reign to do whatever you choose in term of story and art, or have you had to comply with any editorial restraints?

FC: Not really. Axel Alonso has been fantastic. He's been letting me do just about everything my sick little mind can think of. Thank you, Axel!

NRAMA: In closing, what else should fans should keep an eye out for in regards to your artistic output in the next six months?

FC: A whole bunch projects. The quick list: Marvel Knight: Spider-Man #5, a couple of Liberty Meadows collection books, an art print, a Witchblade cover, Liberty Meadows dolls and statues, the Shanna mini-series, and something big that I can't talk about right now.

[choisez]

Really looking forward to Cho's Spider-Man.

What's the Demolition Girl pic for though? Possible pin-up or creator-owned project?

-Eddy

[jmarshall]

This guy is so much better than Humberto Ramos, there's no comparison.

[Auron]

Good Grief...now the "I hate Humberto Ramos's art" whines and rants are spilling over into boards about books he's never even been associated with! Honestly, do you guys have nothing better to do with your time than bash Ramos?

[AlexLothos]

Beautiful, beautiful art!!!!!!!!!

[onestar]

Cho is God.

'Nuff said.

[Christian Otte]

Originally posted by jmarshall
This guy is so much better than Humberto Ramos, there's no comparison.

Uhm... why the hell did you need to make that comparision?

Now that's outta the way - damn, is Frank Cho one excellent artist. His style is easily recognized and is, to me, an excellent match for the fluid art style that you need on a Spider-Man book. I'm also very glad that Axel Alonso decided to use Cho as the fill-in artist on Spider-Man because his art is so similar to Terry Dodson, but still with his own distinctive style.

Can't wait for Shanna, either - the MAX imprint was meant for Frank Cho and scantily clad women .

Oh, and I ordered the new printing of the first Liberty Meadows TP last month - looking very much forward to that one, too.

[algertman]

you think they could get it right, i thought Spidey's webbing couldn't stick to Doc ocks glasses?

[Agent69]

If there is one thing that Cho shines at, it is drawing the female form. I'm not going to lie; it is a big reason that I am looking forward to his Shanna series.

[authentik]

i've loved frank's art since university², but the classic "romita senior" spider-man mask needs to be put to death. that look became played out the day they printed mcfarlane's "redesign."

[FIG]

I've liked Franks art since the first time I saw it. Its awesome and I will surely be getting Shanna and his Spiderman stuff.

[Jeremy Holstein]

What happened to that project Cho was going to work on with Scott Kurtz? I loved the brief taste we got in the benefit book.

-Jeremy

[PhillipVargas]

Frank Cho’s work is incredible. He has such a distinct and clean style. He really look forward to seeing some of his other projects.

[O.J. Flow]

I am so jealous of that puppy.

[punkmonkey]

Originally posted by jmarshall
This guy is so much better than Humberto Ramos, there's no comparison.

So, who's making a comparison?
Hey, since we're dragging other folks into this discussion:
THis guy is so much better than John Stamos, there's no comparison.

Demolition Girl may be a character appearing in the Shanna series (and, man am I looking forward to that fight).
Can't wait, and I also can't wait for the all-new non-newspaper reprint issues of Liberty Meadows -- at last Cho breaks free of the shackles of the syndicated Newspaper strip!

[Fazhoul]

I've followed Frank's work ever since the first issue of Liberty Meadows hit the stands. The guy is fantastic and I can't wait fot his Spider-Man & Shanna series.

[DilithiumDragon]

Frank Cho is the best artist today.

I say that with these things in mind:

He believes in the craft, and loves what he does. Drawing doesn't seem to be a "side job" to him.

He's diverse - ask him to draw anything, and he can.

He knows the Law of the Monkey. Everything's funnier with a monkey added in.

[marc0702]

anyone know when I can purchase that fine piece of ass known as Shanna the She-devil?

[Kon-EL]

at least marvel is being smart about things for once and not soliciting shanna until cho is pretty much done with with all the issues. now if only they could have done that with smith's books.

[JLAJRC]

Is that Shanna mini still bi-monthly?

[DilithiumDragon]

Originally posted by Kon-EL
at least marvel is being smart about things for once and not soliciting shanna until cho is pretty much done with with all the issues. now if only they could have done that with smith's books.

And here all this time I thought it was *Frank's* decision to not solicit it. Huh, my mistake.

[Starpilot]

Originally posted by Auron
Good Grief...now the "I hate Humberto Ramos's art" whines and rants are spilling over into boards about books he's never even been associated with! Honestly, do you guys have nothing better to do with your time than bash Ramos?

Uh, no, not really. Why? :P

[Falkner]

Originally posted by authentik
the classic "romita senior" spider-man mask needs to be put to death. that look became played out the day they printed mcfarlane's "redesign."

What's it been, 15 years since McFarlane started? The Romita look is due for a come back. And based soley on the two pages above, I'll be so bold as to say that Cho is the best damn Spidey artist SINCE Romita Sr..

[Kolimar]

Originally posted by authentik
i've loved frank's art since university², but the classic "romita senior" spider-man mask needs to be put to death. that look became played out the day they printed mcfarlane's "redesign."

He didn't say anything about Spidey's mask. I think Romita Sr.'s take on Spidey's look was about more than a simple mask.

Peace

[Inhumans_99]

Originally posted by Auron
Good Grief...now the "I hate Humberto Ramos's art" whines and rants are spilling over into boards about books he's never even been associated with! Honestly, do you guys have nothing better to do with your time than bash Ramos?

I agree with you, especially since Humberto Ramos is the only Cliffhanger artist who actually knows how to come out with a comic on a monthly basis. I love his work ethic, and love his artwork.

Sticking to what this thread is supposed to actually be about---I am a huge fan of Frank Cho's artwork. I own the Big Book Of Love Limited edition hardcover, Frank Cho Illustrated, the Comic Book Artist issue that focused on his work, the first two Liberty Meadows HCs, and the Liberty Meadows comic is put in my pull box whenever it comes out. And since I need to cut back on monthlies (these $2.99 and $3.50 comics are just insane prices to pay for a broke soon to be grad student), so I know I will be buying the Shanna Trade (or HC).

Regards
Christopher H