Dit najaar verschijnt bij de independent
uitgeverij Arcana Studio een nieuwe comic genaamd Ant. De
bedenker, schrijver en tekenaar van deze serie heet Mario
Gully, een fris nieuw talent met een uitgesproken mening.
Het afgelopen jaar tekende hij enkele pin-ups voor Image Comics
en in Ant verhaalt hij over Hanna Washington, een achtjarig
meisje dat haar toevlucht zoekt in een fantasiewereld waarin
zij de volwassen superheld Ant is.
In dit via e-mail afgenomen interview
praat Gully uitgebreid over hoe hij is begonnen in de comicwereld,
hoe hij aan zijn ideeën voor Ant is gekomen en wat hij
verder van plan is. Omdat bij een vertaling de woorden van
Gully te veel geweld wordt aangedaan, is het interview in
het Engels. Welkom in de wereld van Ant.
q&a
interview :: mario gully
weeklydose.com:
With most artists, people simply assume they have been drawing
since childhood. Does that hold true for you as well? How
did you start out and how did you discover comics?
mario
gully: I started drawing when I was little,
about four years old, or so I've been told. I got into reading
comics when I was about thirteen years old, with my best friend
who lived across the street. We would read Secret Wars and
then play with the action figures. Boy, those were some good
times!
Then as I got older, I always enjoyed
creating my own characters. I never liked to draw, say, Marvel
or DC characters. Don't ask me why. It's a habit that kind
of stayed with me. Later on, I finally got the resources to
do my own comic book and the rest is pretty much history.
weeklydose.com:
What kind of comics did you read when you were a child? Did
you have any favorites or major influences?
mario
gully: As I said, I remember reading Secret
Wars when I was little. That's one of the first comic books
that I actually went out and bought. I read Superman and She-Hulk
too, because of John Byrne. He was my major influence back
then. I used to try and collect every single book he was drawing.
weeklydose.com:
Did your parents encourage you or did buying comics involve
a lot of begging, crying and promising to do the dishes?
mario
gully: My parents always encouraged me to
use whatever talent I wanted to dip into. From drawing to
martial arts or whatever. They were always supportive of me.
If I wanted comics, I got comics. That wasn't a problem. We
were not rich or anything, but if they had money to give me,
I got it. If they didn't, I went without.
weeklydose.com:
What are your influences in terms of art or otherwise?
mario
gully: My biggest influence in terms of art
is Greg Capullo. I think that's pretty much evident in my
work. He also has a good work ethic, which I really admire.
For some reason, that kind of work ethic is rare in the comic
book world.
Martial arts have been another major
influence in my life. Being a third generation Jeet Kune Do
guy, Bruce Lee's philosophy and guidance pointing me towards
truth has had an influence in my life that is second to none.
weeklydose.com:
A number of people, myself included, will probably not understand
your reference to Jeet Kune Do. Could you elaborate or clarify?
mario
gully: Jeet Kune Do means 'way of the intercepting
fist' and it's the term for the martial arts training methods
and practices that Bruce Lee has incorporated in his lifetime.
The art is primarily made up of Wing Chun Gung Fu, boxing,
fencing, grappling and kali (stick fighting). Jeet Kun Do
is often called the formless form or style because it really
has no strict style or form. In essence, we wish to achieve
a level of emptiness so we can flow with any style or system,
as simply as water flows from a cup to an ashtray.
weeklydose.com:
With you being so busy launching your own comic book right
now, do you still have time to read comics yourself? If so,
what books are you currently enjoying?
mario
gully: I'm an artist first and foremost, so
art is the first thing that gets my attention on any comic
book. I look at the work of various artists to see how to
improve my own. So usually if an artist I like jumps off a
book, I will jump off with him or her. Silly, I know, but
that's what I do. It may be months before I actually read
the damn book again.
The book I pick up now is Batman 'Hush.'
Anything else that looks good I'll pick up, but those titles
may vary from month to month.
weeklydose.com:
If there was only one established comic character you would
be allowed to draw, which one would it be and why that character
specifically?
mario
gully: I'd have to say Spawn. My friends tell
me all the time, "You should be drawing Spawn!"
I know that's because of my style. Like I said, Greg is one
of my influences. I hope to develop more of a 'Gully' style
as I progress. I would hate to be labelled as a Greg Capullo
or somebody else's clone. I do make different decisions than
Greg does, artwise, but I am a beginner. My book is not even
out yet.
It's a great compliment to me when
somebody uses my name and Capullo's in the same sentence.
That's like a kid going out for an audition and everybody
is telling him, "I see a lot of Denzel Washington in
you." What a compliment! If people are comparing me to
a guy like Greg now, in a couple of years my art should be
explosive!
weeklydose.com:
The shift of going from simply reading comics as a hobby to
producing comics for a living usually makes for an interesting
anecdote. What's your story?
mario
gully: Todd McFarlane Productions called me
up one day. I couldn't sleep! That was my first contact with
a comic company. I was very young and frankly, a lot of my
stuff back then was immature. But I worked hard and they helped
me grow. Nothing materialized, but it was a great experience.
I would to like to have some closure to that part of my life.
Coming full circle, you know. Tell Todd I'm looking for him.
weeklydose.com:
How exactly did Todd McFarlane Productions getting in touch
with you come about? Had you been sending around your portfolio
and did you luck out or was it the result of some active lobbying?
mario
gully: No, I didn't do any lobbying at that
point. I had never been to a convention or anything like that.
In fact, I didn't even have a portfolio! Sad, I know. TMP
had a talent search posted in a Spawn comic. I was on the
city bus coming home from the comic shop when I saw it. I
instantly made up my mind that I would send them samples until
they called and told me to stop.
I was very determined. I had a plan
to send out four pages a week. I drew up the four pages and
sent them out. About three days later, while working on my
batch for the week after, I got home and my girlfriend (now
my wife) told me 'Image' had called. I went through the roof!
I didn't sleep for a week after that.
weeklydose.com:
What can you tell about the plans they had in mind for you?
And why, in the end, did nothing materialize on that front?
mario
gully: I don't know what plans, if any, they
had for me. Todd was expanding his line at the time. I was
told out of hundreds of submissions that I was the only one
contacted at that point. Later, I was sent a three-page script
and I drew it up in, I think, a single day. From what I understand
Todd liked my stuff but was saying, "not yet."
I sent samples to them for about three
months. I don't know why nothing materialized, but I was told
that Todd said he didn't have anything to put me on. I guess
I was too late. He also said to keep an eye on me because
I was going to be the next somebody.
All the hard work was worth it. I
grew a lot. And in the end, it did help me get a foot in at
Image Central a year later.
"I
was very determined. I had a plan to send out four pages
a week. About three days later, I got home and my girlfriend
told me 'Image' had called. I went through the roof!"
- mario gully
weeklydose.com:
Let's move on to Ant, your first professional comic book due
out this fall over at independent publisher Arcana Studio.
What's the format of the series? Is it a miniseries or is
it an ongoing book, divided into separate story arcs?
mario
gully: The first three issues of Ant are the
first story arc. After that, I'll begin an ongoing monthly
series.
weeklydose.com:
Where did you get your ideas for the book? The popular story
is that you developed the character Ant in prison.
mario
gully: Whoa! I was never in prison! I'm not
that kinda hardass!
No really, I was in county jail. I
went down in 1995 for attacking a tourist with a non-deadly
weapon. What can I say, I was young and stupid. But in jail,
I found focus and made the decision to come out with a better
mentality than I went in with. Drawing was an outlet for frustration
and entertainment. I used to draw these colorful envelopes
and pictures of chicks for my fellow inmates for commission.
Then one day while I was looking out
the window feeling depressed, I saw an ant coming in from
the outside. I thought to myself, 'If I was an Ant, I could
just crawl right out of this place.' Well, that couldn't happen,
of course, but I could make a comic about it. And that's what
I did.
All that's not even close to what
Ant is today. Everything is different with the exception of
her costume. I still have the original sketch and the twenty-two
pages I did back then. I'll show them one day when I'm famous!
weeklydose.com:
You are credited as the sole writer and artist, yet a number
of sources mention Matt Nixon as co-plotter and scripter.
Did that collaboration somehow fall through or is Matt still
involved?
mario
gully: Matt and I worked out the plot for
the first issue. He was the co-plotter and scripter. Then,
situations arose that were out of our control and we were
unable to make the team-up happen. Matt is a wonderful writer
and I plan to work with him on future issues of Ant if and
when our schedules will allow it.
weeklydose.com:
Writing and drawing your own comic book series, your first
professional work no less, is probably quite daunting. How
is this working out for you at the moment?
mario
gully: It's stressful, as I take full responsibility
for the book. I am the writer and the artist of Ant and that's
stressful because I take all the risks. If it's a bad book,
it's my fault and nobody else's. As a result, all that makes
me super critical about my stuff. When I don't get a panel
right, I lose sleep over it, because I want this book to be
the best I can make it.
Furthermore, I'm new to the world
of creating comics. Ant #1 was the first thirty-three pages
of professional work I'd ever done and for issue #2 I've also
taken on the chores of inking. That alone makes me nervous.
But as far as writing is concerned,
it gets crazy only because I have so many ways to tell the
story. I can write a situation ten different ways and draw
it ten different ways. A lot of time it's hard for me to be
content with a route I chose to go in upon scripting or laying
out a page. I'm sure it would be much easer working from a
script so that I couldn't say, "Hey, let's do this and
this" or "Oh, that would be cool, let's put that
in there!"
weeklydose.com:
Ant is about eight-year-old Hanna Washington and her overly
active imagination. Will the focus remain on Hanna at eight
or will we see her develop into a teen and possibly even beyond?
mario
gully: Yes, Hanna will develop into a teen
and then into a woman. I think it will be interesting for
comic fans to see a character actually grow up in front of
their eyes.
weeklydose.com:
What can you tell about the rest of the book's cast?
mario
gully: There is Danny Washington, Hanna's
father. He's a noble character that repented of his street
life to be a single parent and raise Hanna. Betty White is
Hanna's mother. She's the unruly parent that had a child at
a young age and regrets not having had a life. She usually
pops up when she needs something.
Mrs. Joyce is Hanna's principal at
school. She is the voice of reason; she's aware that Hanna
is picked on in class and tries to help her fit in with the
rest of the children. Also on Hanna's side is Stephen Richard,
the boy from down the block. He finds Hanna interesting and
gets pulled in by her zeal to become this hero when she grows
up. He's Hanna's one and only fan. Finally, you have Carrie
Wolfe, bully of the third grade. She and her henchmen have
focused on making Hanna's life miserable. They have adopted
the name 'Bug Girl' for Hanna, to make fun of her fantasy
and her love for insects.
In Hanna's fantasy world, her archenemies
are Cockroach and the Dwellers. The Dwellers are tiny roaches
that crawl in your ear and take over your mind to do the Cockroach's
will. Cockroach is a giant killing machine with only one purpose,
destroying Ant! No joking, no taunting, he just wants her
dead.
weeklydose.com:
With Hanna's adult superhero alter ego Ant being just a figment
of her imagination, aren't you afraid you will limit yourself
in terms of the scope your stories? After all, the fictitious
Ant cannot directly interact with and have impact on the outside
world.
mario
gully: Since Ant is fictitious, the book has
no limits. Every comic book character is created with a world
around them. Batman will always be Batman and Superman will
always be Superman, etcetera. They have to act the part because
they are supposed to be 'real.' If they act out of character,
then they cease to be Batman or Superman.
Ant, on the other hand, is a story
within a story. She's not real in the first place, so she
has no 'character' to play. There are no boundaries or limits
to her abilities, because she is created by Hanna's mind.
Hanna really believes that she will become Ant when she grows
up and she needs Ant to help her solve her problems. The more
problems that arise in her life, the greater her need to become
Ant to solve them.
So the solution is the problem. Ant
will affect Hanna's outside world on many levels. Either this
is an incredible idea or I'm a nut. I guess we'll have to
wait and see.
"Ant
is a story within a story. She's not real in the first
place, so she has no 'character' to play. There are no
limits to her abilities, because she is created by Hanna's
mind."
- mario gully
weeklydose.com:
What are your plans for the future? If Joe Quesada or Jim
Valentino were to call you next month, would you jump at the
chance to do work for a big publisher or do you want to find
your own voice first and then, but only then, expand your
horizons?
mario
gully: If I were to get such a call, yes,
I would take them up on it, because I need to work as hard
as possible to reach these goals of mine to be a well-respected
comic book artist. I think working with a big company will
only further my career and help Ant. The more experience,
the better. After all, I'm very young in this field and I
have a lot of growing to do.
I love doing my own book and calling
my own shots, though. Ant will always be available. I'll just
work double hard, that's all. I'm used to that.
weeklydose.com:
Where do you want to go with Ant?
mario
gully: Ant represents the possibilities of
the imagination. It's a book about the struggles and pain
in life, as well as the victories. Ant is about me, a guy
that had nothing, a loser that changed his life to become
somebody you'd want to interview. Ant is about the greatest
hero this world has ever known, because in Hanna's mind she
is the best at what she does. And in my mind, I am the best
at what I do.
Why I say that? Because when you compare
any professional's first book to mine, I will probably blow
them out of the water. When I've had the chances they've had,
I will be on top of my game.
Where I want Ant to go? I want it
to be a voice for the little guy. I want Ant to break through
the vast array of failed independent comics, so everyone'll
know my story. And when that geek at the con thinks about
giving up on all his dreams, he will be reminded of Ant. He
will be reminded of me. He will be reminded to never give
up. If that bum Mario made it from the dirt, then he damn
sure can.
weeklydose.com:
In closing, can you give the potential readers one single
reason why they should check out your book?
mario
gully: There is nothing like Ant out there,
period. The artwork is the best this guy can do and I'm only
getting better. I can't promise you the best writing you have
ever seen, but I'm working on that, too.
I think comic book fans are looking
for something new, something fresh. I know what's bugging
the comic fans of the world; that something is Ant!
Dit exclusieve weeklydose.com
interview is een initiatief van Richard Boom, die tevens een
deel van de vragen voor zijn rekening heeft genomen. Mario
Gully is de maker van de comic Ant, uitgegeven door Arcana
Studio. Voor meer informatie, zie de website www.anthillstudios.com.