SPENDING TIME WITH ANGELS: JAMAL IGLE

[MattBrady]

Jamal Igle is not dead. He hasn’t left the industry either. In fact, he’s been steadily producing work for the last year plus, even though it’s been hard to find his name on the shelves.

The artist who’s been a near-constant fill-in guy for DC and Marvel, as well as penciller on his and Jay Faerber’s Venture has work out and more coming. Thing is, as with John Cassaday’s I Am Legion, it helps if you read French.

Igle’s most recent work has been illustrating the three-volume Army of Angels series for Humanoids – not the American branch though – the parent one, in France. It’s impressive work, and shows Igle’s growth as an artist, but it’s still an oddity of sorts – to the European audience, he’s an unknown, while he’s recognized by the American audience. No one ever said comics are a normal world.

Newsarama caught up with Igle to talk about Army of Angels.

Newsarama: Starting this off then, when did you sign on with Humanoids, and why? This was after Venture ended, right?

Jamal Igle: Well, truth be told I literally got the offer to draw the series a week after Jay and I decided to cancel Venture. It was a weird time because I had turned down a lot of work to concentrate on Venture and of course as the numbers kept getting lower and lower and there was no revenue stream coming in. I had ended up working on the last two issues with no income. I was very worried because although I knew that I would book something, you never know when it's going to happen, so getting the call from Humanoid's was a relief.

NRAMA: Why sign with Humanoids, if you knew something, presumably from the big publisher was coming?

JI: I had been working on a way to break into the European market for a few years before this, especially since a lot of my DC and Marvel work had been reprinted in France and Italy. Fred Van Lente, who writes The Silencers for Moonstone and I had developed a graphic album project based on a character I created years ago called Warchild, which we're still pitching. It had been a very unsuccessful process because while I was becoming known in the U.S., I was still an unknown quantity in Europe.

NRAMA: So, what was the straw that broke the camel’s back with Humanoids?

JI: Paul Benjamin, who I've known for a few years now was the one who made the call. Paul was really the person who put me in front of Fabrice Giger and got him to take a chance on me. Loyalty and friendship go along way with me. When Paul told me about the story and about the characters and what they were envisioning, I immediately became hooked by it. Once I spoke to Tom Fenton, the writer and explained the idea even further, I just fell in love with the concept.

NRAMA: What was it about Army that really pulled you in?

JI: It was a chance to really pull out all the stops. The idea of having a project of this scale out in print was the big thing. For me as an artist it was the idea of envisioning these Angels in a way that hasn't been seen visually. From the dress to their hair to the weapons they carry, and the characters that are involved in the story. It was also an opportunity for me to do a story that was much darker in concept and tone than I'd ever done before. I've shown pages from volume one to non comics fans and the only word that came out of their mouths was "creepy". It felt really good.

NRAMA: The story has no superheroes, no spandex…and you’re okay with that? You’ve always been a pretty superhero-y guy…

JI: True, But for every four superhero stories I've done, I've done a story that was more grounded and realistic in tone. It hasn't been a huge transition for me. Even in a lot of my more mainstream superhero stories, I have always been called on to do quiet scenes, where there is real character interaction.

As an artist and as a writer myself I love stories that deal with emotion and real situations. I'll be honest though, I occasionally get a jones to draw some old fashioned slam bang superhero stuff. So when ever I get to squeeze something in a fill in or such or a cover, I do.

NRAMA: So tease here - who’s Jason Ash how does the ball get rolling?

JI: Jason Ash is a homicide detective with the New Orleans Police department. A newlywed and expectant father, Jason and his partner Reyna Deshon are investigating the abductions of young girls. While investigating that case they get called in on the homicide of a John Doe who was stripped naked and crucified upside down to a tree using nine inch nails, and that's where the story begins.

NRAMA: In spandex books, the costume and more fantastic elements can…in a way, distract the reader’s eye somewhat, whereas in this story, there’s none of that to “hide” behind, so to speak. Does that change the way you approach your work in something like this?

JI: Yeah - I've really had to be more careful about what I draw in this series. There's a certain esthetic in French comics that doesn't apply to mainstream American comics. Comics are thought of and examined in a different way in France. It’s been a real learning experience for me. On the first book, Paul would ask for changes constantly not because I was doing things incorrectly but because I would let little mistakes creep into my work that wouldn't be caught in a monthly.

My drawing has really improved over the course of working on these volumes. Also considering that this is the first series that I am penciling and inking completely, it has been an excellent test of my abilities as an artist and storyteller. I'm forced to do a comic without forced perspectives, heavy shadows, overlapping panels and funky page designs, just pure old fashioned comics storytelling.

NRAMA: The story runs for two volumes?

JI: Actually it's three volumes, the first which shipped recently and the second will ship later this year.

NRAMA: Gut level – drawing folks in regular clothes and in a more “drama” storyline than a superhero book, with it’s costumes and action – easier or harder than superhero style stories?

JI: It's much harder because everything has to be researched. The amount of reference alone is mind-boggling. You have to understand that with a story like this set in a real city, based on a real police department and real procedures, It's so important to make sure things are realistic.

Everything in this book has been pulled together by myself and Humanoids to give this book the level of verisimilitude, for lack of a better word. I have volumes of reference on New Orleans alone as well as on police procedure, pre-natal care, weapons, and vehicles. My book shelf keeps falling apart because of the books I've had to find.

NRAMA: That said then, what were the biggest challenges in drawing this story?

JI: Keeping the characters consistent. I've found that as time went on - and keep in mind I've been working on this story for over a year, that my design for Jason kept changing in little ways. As the drawing improved Jason began to morph a bit. One of my ongoing concerns as an artist has always been trying make all of my characters look like individuals, which was always some thing I admired Steve Rude for. No two Steve Rude characters look alike and that's one of the things I've always strived for. Also working on particular types of perspective was a huge challenge for me.

NRAMA: Moving to the overseas element of the work, what’s it like to work and work on something for so long, and then not have your largest audience be able to pick it up for a while? Does working on something that will see print overseas first affect your ability to get US work? After all, you can’t point quickly to something currently on the stands….

JI: it can be difficult. I've been working on this for over a year now and still have at least seven months left of work. The big thing for me is that for the first time in my career I have regular work and I've had to turn several monthlies down. That really hurt because they were both characters I love and hope that the opportunities to work on them come up again. Since I don't do as many conventions anymore, it's difficult to promote my work because it's not easily picked up here in the states. My U.S. output has been sporadic, only being able to a do a Green Lantern or a Noble Causes story so far but looking to get more work going. The good part is I have Army of Angels to fall back on and I get to take my time on it.

NRAMA: When’s Army of Angels coming to the US?

JI: It should be out sometime next year after all three books are done.

NRAMA: And then what’s on your plate for after volume 3?

JI: I'm working on some pitches for various companies and keeping myself open to possibly doing another monthly after this is done. There’s also the possibility of doing an Army of Angles sequel. I'm open to anything.

[FIG]

THis looks awesome, can't wait for this. Jamal, you are now one of my favorite artists, you should pimp this over at Penciljack, I'm sure people would love to buy it after seeing the few pages I've seen in these previews. I look forward to seeing you more over there also.

[Sammycomic]

I loved Jamal's work on Venture. He's got a real juicy line to his work. Wish him the best!

[andy smith]

Hey Jamal, the work looks great. I'm looking forward to picking this up when it hits over here. Humanoids puts out great books.

[wishlish]

Jamal's one of the nicest guys in the industry. I met him a few years back at WizardWorld Philly and was impressed by his generosity. Go, Jamal, Go!

[Ray Dillon]

I think I'm probably Jamal's biggest fan. I had the pleasure of working with him on Venture and his Noble Causes work and every single line has me in awe. With his most recent NC story, I actually had a hard time lettering it. I didn't want to cover ANYTHING up. Didn't matter if it was a speck of dust, it seemed too good and too important to cover up. Seriously, you gotta see this story.



Beautiful work as always, man! Great expressions, great everything. Everything feels real in your pages.

Looking forward to this new book!

[stlfan79]

I really enjoyed Jamal's work on Venture, I hope to see him doing more regular work for some stateside publishers.

[pmpknface]

Jamal is an incredible talent and I'm glad to see him still kicking ass.

[Ryan Dunlavey]

Wow - I was lucky enough to see some of these pages in pencil form and they're even more spectacular in finished form. Is Jamal inking the art as well? Looks great - he should do it more often.
That's some of the best coloring I've ever seen on his work - excellent color choices and just the right ammount of rendering - all too often I've seen J's work gotten too much color rendering or not enough. Or in the case of VENTURE where it had great art all around but was printed on crappy paper that sucked out all the crispness of the lines and the vividness of the color. Luckily that won't be happening with his Humanoids work - they always have top-notch printing. Can't wait to see the finished product - just wish I could read it in English sooner!

But...

Quote:
Jamal Igle is not dead.

That's gotta be one of the dumbest opening lines for an article I've ever seen. It'd be appropriate for an artcle on Abe Vigoda maybe, but not for a 30 year old comic book artist. I realize it was meant as a "here's where this guy disappeared to" opening, but the way its written marginalizes both Jamal and his work, which isn't deserved at all.

[Ryan Dunlavey]

PS - the coloring on that Noble Causes page looks really sweet too - thanks for posting it!

[mrhelm]

I remember Jamal from back on his first project for the big 2: Daredevil/Shi. His art's always been good, but the Humanoids work in just freaking beautiful. I'm going to have to check that book out.

[Village_Mystic]

The 3rd Annual East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC) will be Saturday, May 15, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Ritter Hall, Kiva Auditorium, at 13th and Montgomery Ave., on Temple University’s main campus in Philadelphia.

Using Super-hero Movies as a tie-in to the general public the one-day convention seeks to examine that the exception of movies such as "Blade," the African American presence is nominal and underserved.

Moderators include Yumy Odom who teaches art and comics at Temple University, author of A New Direction in Original American Mythology; Maurice Waters who brings in the literary and popular science fiction perspective and is creator and founder of the Black Science Fiction Society; and Professor William H. Foster III, a long-time comic book collector and researcher, has been an expert commentator for both CNN News and National Public Radio. His exhibit on the "Changing Image of Blacks in Comics" has been displayed at a number of venues across the country, including Temple University’s Paley Library, The 1998 Comic-Con International/Comic Arts Conference, and the 2000 Festival of Arts and Ideas.

The guest list currently includes:

Dawud Anyabwile, formerly David Sims
Dwayne Ferguson
Samal McNealy
Jerry Craft
Omar Bilal
Joseph R. Wheeler III
Gregory L. Walker
Reggie Byers
Jamar Nicholas
Jamal Yaseem Igle
Rob Stull
Roland Laird

For bios of the guests and updates please contact:

Maurice Waters at blackscifi@yahoo.com