Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The Green Lantern by Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • That's what I said. The only one close to the tone is the Quitely variant, and that one is miscolored when you compare it to the final page of the issue.

    Comment


    • Originally posted by Space Cop View Post
      Kind of reminded me of Valerian where there's all this alien stuff happening in the background.
      That's a good comparison, I think I totally jettisoned most of that movie from memory.
      http://cropsycrypt.blogspot.com/

      Comment


      • That movie was good. But do yourself a favor and check out the comic books the movie was based on.

        Comment


        • Originally posted by Michael Heide View Post
          That movie was good. But do yourself a favor and check out the comic books the movie was based on.
          Agreed and agreed, though I've only read a small percentage of them. Gotta get more.

          Comment


          • Originally posted by Michael Heide View Post
            That movie was good. But do yourself a favor and check out the comic books the movie was based on.
            I will have to do that I loved the art I saw.
            http://cropsycrypt.blogspot.com/

            Comment


            • Originally posted by Space Cop View Post
              Kind of reminded me of Valerian where there's all this alien stuff happening in the background.
              That's an apt comparison. There were loads of brightly-colored aliens and organic backdrops. It reminded me of some of the Heavy Metal mags, but I see some Valerian similarities too.
              Check out my Green Lantern product reviews on Twitter as the Emerald Enthusiast! @EmeraldEnthusi1

              Comment


              • I like how all of these strange beings, places and situations are as bizarre and unrelatable as possible, but the characters act like it's just mundane business they see every day. That's a nice touch to sell the mythos to the audience that I really appreciate.

                Comment


                • Originally posted by Big Daddy Dave Skywalker View Post
                  I like how all of these strange beings, places and situations are as bizarre and unrelatable as possible, but the characters act like it's just mundane business they see every day. That's a nice touch to sell the mythos to the audience that I really appreciate.
                  Yeah I really liked that as well, makes sense considering what Hal has been through, and maybe it's not utilized enough in comics with long standing legacy characters, but works particularly well in this setting where really anything is possible.
                  http://cropsycrypt.blogspot.com/

                  Comment


                  • Comment


                    • She looks like a sentient artichoke...

                      Comment


                      • Intimate and Epic: Liam Sharp lights up ‘The Green Lantern’
                        Liam Sharp’s big return to the world of mainstream comics has been an absolute delight. Having been away for years, he returned to rebirth and refocus the Wonder Woman franchise alongside Greg Rucka. He then followed it up with the fantastic Brave and the Bold mini-series starring Wonder Woman and Batman. Now, after work rooted so strongly in fantasy, he’s on a space odyssey alongside Grant Morrison to re-examine the cosmic corners of the DC Universe.

                        Moving away from the blockbuster event tradition of the last ten years in the franchise, Sharp and Morrison’s The Green Lantern has turned the title into a wondrous and episodic police procedural exploring various sectors of the DC cosmos. The first issue showcased a psychedelic tapestry featuring virus lanterns, spider-pirates, luck dials and even a new Oa.

                        Liam sat down with AiPT! to chat about the great work he’s doing, digging into everything from Vampires, ’70s Star-Lord and 2000 AD to Hal Jordan arresting God.

                        Beginning our discussion on his collaboration with the legendary colorist Steve Oliff, Sharp is ecstatic. “We met at a con five years ago in San Jose and really got on,” Sharp says with fondness. Speaking on Oliff’s pioneering work across the years, his digital coloring and his work with Al Williamson, Sharp professes great love for the man’s oeuvre. “When this came up and we were looking, I suggested to our editor Brian [Cunningham] that we get him in the saddle and Brian said ‘He’s a real bucket-list creator!'”

                        When asked about Volk, the volcano lantern from the Todd Klein and Kevin O’Neil’s era of the title and his return to the book (featured proudly on the cover of #2), Sharp chuckles. “Yeah, we definitely wanted to bring back some of what Kevin was doing. The weirdness, especially. And even going back, to guys like Gil Kane and what they were doing on the book. Grant really wanted to bring all of that into the title.” The passion for the past of Green Lantern is evident in speaking to Sharp, as he reports the excitement of the team on the title. “Our editor, Jessica Chen, really took a shine to Volk. She loves him a lot. And he’s just so much fun to draw, there’s always a cloud hovering above him and it’s amazing.”

                        In regards to what makes the DC Cosmos they’re crafting distinctive, unlike any other cosmic realms out there, Sharp points to the heart of their take–bringing in the European influence, especially that of French graphic novels. “Grant’s pitch really was ‘This is 2000 AD meets Bande dessinées in American comics.’ So what I’m doing is very much not treating it like a superhero book, but as a science-fiction book. It’s different from everything else in American comics.”

                        Bringing up his great mentor, Don Lawrence, and his wisdom, Sharp goes onto explain how his teachings very much guide his work and inform his approach. “It’s all world-building, you know? When you’re doing a book like this, it’s all about creating settings that feel lived-in, that feel different and all have a different makeup and allude to their history. You suggest all of that and this is something I learned when I was working under Don Lawrence. One of the things he’d have me do is draw from test scripts and I’d draw a corridor and it was just a box, he’d ask me ‘Well, what’s the box made of? Is it made of wood? Is it made of meat? It could be made of anything! And what about the background?’ and so he really got me asking questions like that. Being able to answer all that and suggest things for the reader, that I really enjoy and do in my work to this day.”

                        Getting into the vile villains of the universe they’re tackling and the long-term vision of the series, Sharp teases that there is a lot in play. Issue two sees the long-awaited return of classic silver age foe Evil Star and Sharp is thrilled at the mention of the villain. “We’ve got Evil Star in issue two, yeah! And there’s going to be some others coming as well. The Blackstars are great and Controller Mu, he’s really our big bad. There’s the female Vampire, who I don’t wanna give much away about yet. She’s really got legs in the story, this one. Grant’s got a big overarching plan and he’s putting in all these little seeds. Some are red herrings, but a good number are not. His vision for the book really was, each issue is a standalone story, while playing into a much bigger one. So each issue and episode lets us do something different, both conceptually and visually. Issue four is a really great issue and I can’t wait for people to pick that one up. It’s some of my best work to date and it’s my favorite so far. Fans are going to see some familiar things there. And then issue five is, again, very different, it’s much darker and draws from more gothic stuff. Then issue six brings in a lot of the ’60s and people will see some more special stuff there. What we’re really trying to do with the book is not only go to all these different worlds across the universe, but also different times and ages in comics, as well.”

                        And what of Sinestro, the chief Green Lantern foe? When asked if he came up in discussions at all, Sharp discusses the nature of their run and how it contrasts with the recent past. “Not really, no. Geoff’s run was so all-encompassing and so…finished. It was kind of the big apocalypse of the Green Lantern world and by the end of it, it truly was the end of all things. So we didn’t want to mess with that or repeat what he’d done, so Sinestro, who was at the forefront of all that, never really came up. As for Carol Ferris, who Morrison and Sharp have discussed before as being ‘the one true love of Hal Jordan, with sparks and fire’, while Sharp cannot confirm her appearance, he says she will be mentioned and that the team has talked about her. “Right now, we’re really bringing back a lot of the history. We’ve already brought back Eve [Doremus] and we’re definitely going to see a lot of Hal’s other girlfriends from across the years show up. And the thing is, they might not all be from earth, either.”

                        Oa is a place of great significance in Green Lantern history and is one of the elements #1 brought back to the title. #2 features a magnificent full page shot of the cosmic citadel of the lanterns, one that’s been posted and teased without colors, across all of social media. But brought to life by Steve Oliff’s eye-popping color-work, the end result is an ethereal, magisterial look at the setting unlike any other in the past. The only word that seems appropriate in discussing it is ‘definitive.’ Sharp is happy to chat about the page and how it even came to be. “Again, it goes back to the European influence and wanting to build a setting that feels lived-in. I wanted Oa to be twinkling with lights, with glowing bits about, because it’s really a city of light. Originally, it was just a panel in, like, a five-panel page. But I took that and really blew it up into a page with a long-panning shot to really be able to showcase this magnificent home-world and precinct of the Lanterns. It took me four and a half days to do it, which is a lot for me, as I usually shoot for a page a day. But that’s what you have to do, right? Settings are characters in their own right and they’re so important, so that kind of detail is really key to building them up and creating an immersive world. I really believe that. It also just gives the readers a sense of where they are. And the thing is– all that detail? It contrasts perfectly with #1 in the desert, with all of that emptiness surrounding Hal on Earth.”

                        Another image that’s been making the rounds across the internet is the now viral image of Hal Jordan facing off against God to arrest him, while Earth lies behind him. Sharp is absolutely delighted when it comes up and laughs in response. “It’s classic Grant, right? And, again, there is another angle to that, because there always is with Grant, right? Of course there is. But yeah, it’s just this guy arresting God and it’s such an entertaining concept. I had a lot of fun with it.”

                        Going from God to the laws of the lanterns, we also ask about one of the more fascinating ideas at the core of the book: What laws do the Green Lanterns actually enforce? It’s a question that has never really been answered in a meaningful way, but The Green Lantern is determined to explore it to unveil some answers. “That’s really what Grant’s been having a lot of fun figuring out,” Sharp explains. “It’s like, what are these laws? There’s natural laws to the universe, right? In #1 we mention the square-cube law and it’s like, that’s physics, it’s the natural law of the universe, it’s not tied to humans. And so in that fashion, that’s sort where we’re going with that. Those natural laws of the universe and Grant’s really been working on those.”

                        We then finally get into Hal Jordan, himself. Long dubbed ‘The Greatest Green Lantern,’ Hal feels like it and acts like it in The Green Lantern. Calmly resolving cosmic problems and doing police work with clear years under his belt, Hal lives up to his title. But beyond his job as a Green Lantern, he’s also a hero who very much struggles. Finding meaning and purpose only in being Green Lantern, Hal no longer knows who he is beyond it. This is a man who stares at the stars for hours on end until he’s called back for duty, because there’s so little for him on his home planet. Rather than a hero with PTSD, Jordan is a man who’s simply seen and experienced so much beyond comprehension over the years that he has no way of expressing or conveying any of it. He’s been dead, he’s returned from the dead, he’s been the Spectre, he’s been bad and he’s been good. He’s fought gods and survived the apocalypse. He’s lived through it all and he can’t quite live the way any of us do. His perspective has been changed from all he’s encountered. And he’s still very processing everything and trying to live as best he can.

                        Sharp expresses agreement throughout our discussion of the character. “I think you hit it right on the head. That’s exactly right. He’s a guy who’s been through everything and he does not have PTSD, though in the past we have seen PTSD Hal. He’s been an interesting character and not at different times, so for us it was all about this guy who’s been through everything, like in Geoff’s run. He’s seen the end of days and he’s come out of it and he’s unfazed — he’s a man beyond fear, almost — he’s so utterly unfazed by anything in front of him and so even if it’s a god, he’ll treat it like a normal thing and do what needs to be done. I talked to Grant about this and for us, his journey and struggle is almost that of a cosmic entity. He’s more like this cosmic being, despite starting out human, that has to try to keep his humanity and it’s really all about that. And Grant’s vision really plays into that. It’s intimate and epic, laid out in the form of a police season. It feels small but at the same time it’s massive.”

                        But how do Hal’s peers and friends feel about the man? These are questions that also interest the creative team, who’re intent on bringing back all his lovers and building a portrait of Hal Jordan through various figures in Hal’s life across his vast history, spanning from John Broome to the contemporary age. “It depends on the person. But I think those who really know him and are close to him, his friends and family, are a bit frustrated with him. In #3 there’s a bit with an old earthly ally, so you’ll see,” Sharp remarks. “He’s a ’70s movie hero, really, in the vein of Paul Newman and it’s that kind of unreconstructed, old-fashioned guy who’s out of time and place. The kind of character us kids back then grew up on, but things changed and they changed for the better. But since no one’s doing it, it’s an interesting character to explore.”

                        And tying back into humans with changed perspectives, who struggle with keeping their humanity, Sharp responds to a popular question that’s been on many minds since the first issue. Doctor Manhattan’s symbol is clearly visible on The Book of Oa, with the Guardians discussing how all that is known has been messed with and perhaps edited. It’s a fascinating choice and one made even more interesting in the context of the story the team is telling about Hal Jordan. Amused, Sharp replies “Sometimes Grant will be fairly enigmatic, even to me. It was just there in the script. And that’s another thing about this book, usually, I try not to read ahead of the story I’m drawing. If I do, I sit with it long enough to the point where I’ve feel like I’ve already done it and also reading it one after the other, that’s how I get to experience it as a fan. It’s the only way I get to enjoy my work as a reader, at that script stage. On this though, I’ve actually been reading ahead to see what’s being done and to get a better sense of things.”

                        Examining his experience as an ex-Judge Dredd artist and a 2000 AD creator, Sharp has a lot to say on how British comics influence everything he does. “In general, I think all of us British creators growing up really have that influence.” he notes. “It’s inevitable, right? It’s our own homegrown comics and we’re bound to be influenced by stuff like Eagle and 2000 AD. We really bring a mid-Atlantic sensibility, I think. And again, especially in regards to scope and world-building, the work of my mentor, Don Lawrence. He used to do these books called Storm, which were published by the Dutch Press, so a lot of stuff like that plays in. It’s all really about new ways of thinking. For instance, how do you resolve a dispute between sentient clouds that take a hundred years to form a thought? What if a god builds a giant alien mega-structure near a populated planet and it causes weather problems and tidal waves? A Green Lantern has to tell him ‘Oi! Move your thing elsewhere! You can’t put this here!’ things like that. But again there’s always been that cross-pollination, right? Everything influences everything.”

                        Finally concluding on the collaboration between him and the legendary Grant Morrison, Sharp begins to tell the tale of its very inception. “It’s funny, really. Grant and I have been circling each other for years, wanting to do something together. We finally got talking at the Wonder Woman premiere and decided that we really should. I’d written this prose book called Paradise Rex, which Grant had read and loved and we both grew up loving a lot of the same cosmic stuff, particularly Adam Warlock and Star-Lord. There’s a great little Star-Lord story by Chris Claremont and John Bryne which we both adore. Great stuff. We also loved Luther Arkwright, these steampunk books by Bryan Talbot, so we had all these commonalities and interests. Originally, we were gonna do a 40 page thing, something special where I could really dig in and have time to work. But when DC came in with the offer, it was perfect. I’d already been talking to them about what to do after Brave and the Bold and there were a lot of offers — for instance, Scott Snyder mentioned how much he’d love for me to do some work on Justice League. But then Dan DiDio called and said ‘Hey do you wanna do Green Lantern with Grant?’ and it was like ‘Yes!’. And that’s the thing, you know? Green Lantern isn’t just another book, it’s everything. That’s why I had to do it. It’s all the worlds, it’s the entire universe and there’s no limits to what you can do. I didn’t just want to be ‘the fantasy guy’ at DC, and so I had to shake things up. Doing science fiction with Grant was the perfect opportunity.”

                        There’s a wealth of passion and infectious excitement that’s evident in Sharp’s voice as he speaks. In regards to how the collaboration has grown and how long it may last, Sharp provides some insight. “We’re definitely doing the first season, all 12 issues and we have plans beyond that. Grant’s currently working those out. I might need a break to help me catch my breath after that first season, because it does take a lot to do the book, but I’ll be doing most of it. The thing is, now, whenever he’s writing and planning the stories, Grant’s always thinking of my art and how it’s going to be drawn and that’s very much in his mind. It’s very much done for my sensibilities. We’ve gotten to that point and so that’s exciting. But really, we’ll keep doing the book as long as we can, so long as we keep enjoying what we’re doing.”

                        The Green Lantern #2 is out on December 5th.

                        Comment


                        • “The Green Lantern” Artist Liam Sharp Discusses Working on a Space-Cop Procedural
                          Last month, DC released “The Green Lantern” #1, the start of a new ongoing series by the superstar team of Grant Morrison (“Final Crisis,” “The Invisibles”) and Liam Sharp (“Wonder Woman,” “Wonder Woman and Batman: The Brave and the Bold”). It was a stunning debut that showed a really fresh take on the Green Lantern Corps, a property that, by many accounts, had started to feel a little stagnant as of late. Morrison and Sharp created an issue that felt expansive, fun and, more than anything else, like the first chapter in a wonderful, long story.

                          We were thrilled to have Liam Sharp talk with us about the book. We spoke about his process, working with Grant Morrison, and a certain character that you’re going to absolutely love in issue #2, which hits stores on Wednesday. Thanks to DC for making this chat happen!

                          So, one of the things that has been so remarkable about the first two issues of “The Green Lantern” is how I feel like, its instantly recognizable as your art, but it is totally different than what we’ve seen you do at DC over the last couple of years. So, I guess my first question is, when you’re approaching a new project like this, are you looking for a way to do something brand new or does the script just speak to you in a way where that happens naturally?

                          Liam Sharp: I think it was literally the case of it being science fiction rather than fantasy. The stuff I was doing with “Wonder Woman” and “The Brave and the Bold” was very organic and I guess it was as much about landscapes, and natural forms like rocks and trees, and Celtic designs and magic, things like that. And even down to the castles they were very… sort of craggy and organic. This is a very different feel, as you say. I still think there’s an organic element to it, but there’s also, you know, you’re dealing with things that are made of metal and space ships and alien technology and just that all by itself, takes you in a different direction. But, then there’s also the aspect of aliens as opposed to ogres, and that lends itself to a different kind of aesthetic as well. But, so much of what was on the page was in the script, so I tried not to cut any corners.

                          Yeah, I wanted to ask about the script. I had the pleasure of speaking to Yanick Paquette at New York Comic Con. And I asked him, yeah know, “What does a Grant Morrison script look like?” And he said, “Well, if I understand correctly, everyone’s scripts look different. He really tailors the script to the artist he’s working with.” So when you got these scripts, what did it look like for you? Was it insanely detailed, or was it very loose?

                          LS: I think, because we’ve been talking for a couple of years, two or three years, about doing something together. And I think because he’d been aware of the work I’d been doing, particularly on “The Brave and the Bold,” I’d been sort of sending himself and showing him the pages as I was progressing, he instantly had a sense that I could handle detail. So, he didn’t pull any punches on that front. So, for instance, panel two, which actually isn’t even that big panel from the first issue, panel two, page two is something like four pages long in the script. It was just… it was crazy. But he’s very chit chatty in his scripts as well. So, he’ll digress about influences and childhood experiences and what he’s thinking about and why he’s thinking about it.

                          It is very detailed, but it’s also quite open. He does leave me room to explore. He’s like, here’s your basic five panels for this page, four to five panels, but if you can think of a better way, just go for it. Often, I just stick with what he’s done, but it’s nice that I have that trust, and he just pretty much leaves me to it, to be honest.

                          It certainly shows the trust in the script and in the art, because there are such ambitions ideas here. And, every panel seems to have new creatures, new landscapes, all these incredible things, and unless there’s trust between the creators, that can feel very stifling. But, this work really breathes. Wen you were looking at this script, are you first thinking about, “Hmm, what sort of world am I going to inhabit this scenery?” Then what? The backgrounds first? The characters come first? How do you go about constructing the page based on what you read?

                          LS:
                          Each issue so far has had a very different feel. The first one was obviously an introduction, so we have an introduction of deep space with that and the whole casino planet. And then we’ve got hell on Earth, and that’s its very much kind of rogue movie. We were keen to land that. And then of course he goes to Oa, and the whole thing begins in earnest. This, the second issue, we get more of the police procedural. So, its like, okay, the interrogation. Setting up the environment for that. What its like there and that crazy long shot of him. The city and the tiny figures and then he gets a little bit closer to them as he enters the building and then, big close up as he enters the interrogation room.

                          That kind of stuff is a lot of fun! But, it also meant that that second issue is quite formal in terms of the layout. The issue that I’m just wrapping up now, issue 5. Is a… It’s a much more gothic affair. So we kind of really played with, extremely organic kind of layouts you haven’t really seen since the 70s I guess. Classic “Vamperella” type. Layouts. Very rounded and curved and different. And that is then gonna follow the issue after that. Which is gonna hearken back to 60s almost. And 50s type stuff. So, the issues tend to suggest, how am I going to approach it?

                          And also, I think the tone too. Because, some of them are funnier than others. Especially in the first two, the characterization of Evil Star is hilarious, I thought.

                          Yeah. I just finished reading issue 2 and there’s was a lot of really funny Evil Star stuff in there.

                          LS:
                          Yeah! And he goes there and it just humorous logic to it. But it still, we ended up liking him! That’s to display the fact, that he’s incredibly nasty. We’re having a lot of fun with that stuff. Issue 4, is a much more, sort of, serious, quite dark issue. So, all of those things, just play into the way that I approach each issue.

                          Yeah. It’s funny that you mentioned, sort of, an issue that you’re working on now being, sort of that more, classic 70s layout. I was talking with a few folks, who read the first issue. And they said, there’s something really, that reminds them of, sort of, late 80s early 90s Vertigo, in the way you laid out the first issue. And I thought that was a pretty astute observation. So, when you were laying out that first issue, was that a touchstone for you? Or was that just a happy coincidence?

                          LS:
                          I think a lot of British artists, come from a sort of, Mid-Atlantic tradition, in a way. So, we’ve been influenced by, European comics and also they are, sort of, Native comics, like 2000 A.D. But, also heavily influenced by American comics. And, Grant made the point that it seemed like… it seemed like the European comics, 2000 A.D., and mainstream American [comics] had all got together, had a threesome, and this was their strange offspring.

                          Haha, that’s an image.

                          LS:
                          It’s completely ridiculous. But, I get exactly what you’re saying. My influences, so much, come from all of those areas. And, in that sense, working with Grant was great because it afforded me an opportunity to really, dove into, the passions I have for all of those different kinds of material. If all of those aspects are coming across, then that’s great. That’s what I would hope for. So, in terms of the layouts, I think, once I saw in print, I definitely got that 80s vibe, late 80s vibe. I sort of intentionally stayed away from the look and feel of the books from the 90s and 2000s and everything too. Because, there’s just no way you can follow on from someone as good as Ivan Reis. He’s just so amazing that you can’t even begin to play in that arena unless you’re going to embrace the full on, super heroic aspect of it. And I think we’ve just wanted to take a swerve away from that, and try something very different. Otherwise, what was the point, in a way, yeah know? That’s been done, and done, and done, and so well, by Geoff [Johns] and Ivan and the other people who’ve been on those books.

                          Between our 60+ staffers and people on Twitter and in our comments, I get to talk to a lot of people about comics. And, after the first issue, and I heard a few people say, “I couldn’t believe that Liam Sharp could do such incredible cosmic work.”

                          For a lot of our readers, they may feel you took a good chunk of time off from doing regular, monthly, super hero comics, even though you were working consistently. So, I think a lot of folks are just getting to know you in the last couple years. Even though you have this, very, very rich past in comics. And, I think they’re surprised at the breadth of your work, and that’s a great compliment to you. If you’ve only read “Wonder Woman” or “The Brave and the Bold,” you have this very specific idea about what your style is like. I think its so cool to see people exposed to this cosmic side of your work But, once I opened the book myself, I thought, “Oh of course. This just feels so perfectly like what you’ve been doing. But just in a different location”

                          With “The Brave and the Bold,” I would look at those pages and I’d think “I can’t wait to one day see this without the dialogue balloons” because there was just so much detail. I want like an oversized, just plain, raw art version of that. I want to see every little bit of detail. And when I opened up “The Green Lantern,” I had the same feeling. But, its such different detail. Its such a different beast.

                          LS:
                          Right.

                          And I wanted to particularly talk about, in issue two, the character of Volk. Which is a volcano head on a human body Green Lantern. There is so much amazing, detail, in every panel you draw of him. And, its different, and its this, like, evolving creature. So, when you are approaching a character like that, is your first instincts that you want to flesh it out as completely as possible? Make it this detailed, unique, thing. Or, are you concerned about just conveying the simple physics of the guy? I know he’s been not a new character, so there is obviously reference available for it, but I guess I’m asking, when you are presented with a Green Lantern with a volcano for a head… where does that start in your head? And when do you say, okay, that guys done?

                          LS:
                          Right. I think that he was interesting, cuz, if there’s one character that I probably did go back to “The Brave and The Bold” approach on, it was him. So, I was using the same kind of textures and I felt as though his head was in the mountains, as a piece of landscape. So, I just approached it as that, really. Like, he’s just a walking mountain. We had fun with him. Its like, okay, so which bit of him is alive? We basically came to the conclusion, he’s a magma being. You know? And the alive bit is the magma. And, the rest of its kind of a construct to keep him in place and he uses concentration to make the cloud of smoke above his head. You’ll see a face in it if you look hard in some of them. Ya know? And that was almost accidental. Its funny, the first cloud I drew in, my wife said, “Oh I love his face” I hadn’t seen it. It was totally unintentional. Then I saw it, and was like “okay! This has to be a thing”

                          I was talking to Grant about it, and he was just laughing his head off. He’s got these really wide apart eyes and that funny, little, long mouth and… So, soon as we saw that it was like yeah we love that. It became sort of… once you see it, you can’t un-see it. And then its kind of fun to look for it. Its not in every one. But when you see it, its got kind of a charm to it. I know that Jessica Chen, our editor, she always loved it when he turned up. He just gave her glee. She kind of squeed every time I sent a new page with him on it. We had a lot of fun with that.

                          Its funny you say about, not being in the mainstream, superhero world. It was never my desire. These books are very hard to get onto. Ya know? There’s a huge map of competition and I guess somewhere in the 90s, sort of fell of the radar it terms of editors. You end up taking whatever jobs you can. Its not to say I wasn’t glad to have them, and I wasn’t putting my heart and soul into it. But it was never a sort of plan to move away from the main stream. But I think, sometimes, ya know, when you end up doing that, working on letting go type books. You are taken in a creative direction that you don’t expect. And that can actually push you as a creator.

                          Absolutely!

                          LS:
                          So, coming back to this after all that time. New things like, “Gears of War,” if anything, that book has elements of “The Brave and The Bold” and “Green Lantern,” because it was Sci-fi, but it was still on the very kind of, rugged, landscape. I think, that was my… that was 10 years ago now. Which is crazy! But, if there’s a line at all from my early, sort of mainstream stuff to what I’m doing now, the “Gears of War” work, that was probably the sort of, middle point.

                          So, I want to talk about your process for a moment. So, when you get a script, typically, how long do you work on each page? I know that this is an answer that varies based on the page. But, just generally, what does your page take you?

                          LS:
                          I actually shoot for a page a day. Obviously I don’t always achieve that. The cityscape for instance, that one took about 4 1/2 days, all in.

                          Wow!

                          LS:
                          I just kept going back to it. I wanted it to be as epic as I could make it. I just wasn’t satisfied. So I kept going back and tinkering and tinkering until, it just, adding more and more detail. Then it got really kind of, a little bit, too industrial. And I wanted it to have some life, ya know? And to twinkle and to have lights. City of a million lights. So, then I added all the lights right at the end and that really kind of finished it off. So its not just this cold, sort of hostile place. Its got a bit of heart to it to.

                          Are you working with pen and ink? Are you working digitally?

                          LS:
                          Mostly I’m traditional pen and ink brushing. I use Pentel brush pen, for the most part. Then, some fine lined stuff for, sort of, little details. But, there are areas where I’ll sort of import the art that I’ve drawn and then tinker with it in digital. I think, particularly with technology, you might as well take advantage of the tools because they’ll give you this, sort of sharp edges, and a sense of construction that you don’t always get from sort of, organic drawing. So, I’m playing around a bit. As we get on and there’s more cosmic stuff, certainly an issue for more of this cosmic stuff. I brought in a little bit more Photoshop into that one. I think it’ll be obvious, where, generally when you see, planets or anything that requires a little bit of distance. And I didn’t want just solid blacks with hard lines. I’ve turned into create sort of, gray scale art in Photoshop. Which, Steve [Oliff]’s just done an amazing job coloring . He’s just brought it to life. I’m so pleased with what he’s doing as well. Its amazing!

                          Between Steve and Tom [Orzechowski, letterer], working with you, its simply the most gorgeous book on the stands today. Hands down.

                          LS:
                          hank you! Well, its a real veteran team. I just turned 50 and I’m the kid of new kid. But, working with those guys, is like, its just a trip really. Its amazing!

                          I don’t want a spoiler, but, tell us whether its a construct or a character, or a setting… what’s one of your favorite things you’ve drawn, in an upcoming issue, that we should looking out for?

                          LS:
                          There’s a four armed character coming up in issue 4. We all really, really fell for. We just thought he was great. I’m very keen to see what reaction is to him… I don’t want to give anymore away. But he took us awhile to come to the conclusion how to deal with a character. But he’s just really cool! And, unexpected I think. There are so many things in every issue, there’s more than one character that we slightly fall for. I think, like in issue 2, obviously there’s Volk. But, I really liked the nurse towards the end.

                          Yes! I loved the old fashioned uniform.

                          LS:
                          Yeah! Well that was fun too! W had this concept, there would be certain things that would be universal, no matter what planet you’re on. Lets say, hospitals always going to have a red cross on the side of it. Because, wherever you are, there’s got to be a universal symbol or something if you find yourself injured or… need to know where to go. So, that’s kind of a neat idea. And also, I like the way that she’s kind of, sort of, feminine around how the idea that, Hal just attracts interest from everyone.

                          We were at New York Comic Con this year and we asked every creator we talked to, this question. But this questions is tailor made for you right now. Which is, if you had a Green Lateran Ring, what would be your go to construct? How has the boxing glove, what would be your go to thing you would make with your ring?

                          LS:
                          Ah man… That’s really tough. What would it be? That is really… actually, really tough. I think a pair of wings.

                          A pair of wings? I like that.A lot of artists said a pencil. Because that’ll do the work for them.

                          LS:
                          Well, you’d still have to do the thinking though.

                          Yeah, but your hand would be much more relaxed I presume.

                          LS
                          : There’s that. But, no. I like the idea of being able to fly. Mind you, that ring would give you that anyway. So, Maybe that’s not… maybe a pair of wings is not self defeating slightly.

                          No! The wings are classy!

                          LS:
                          Yeah. They’d look good though, wouldn’t they?

                          Comment


                          • THE GREEN LANTERN #5
                            written by GRANT MORRISON
                            art and cover by LIAM SHARP
                            variant cover by JOE ST. PIERRE

                            “Blackstar at Zenith!” Hal Jordan has abandoned the Green Lantern Corps to join the Blackstars! But to do so, he’ll need to convince their leader, Countess Belzebeth, and pass an initiation test. Which means he must survive a series of trials on the vampire planet Vorr, whose entire population wants to feast upon him! It’s cosmic goth at its bloodiest…with a cliffhanger that’s even bloodier!

                            ON SALE 03.06.19
                            $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
                            FC | RATED T+
                            This issue will ship with two covers.
                            Please see the order form for details.

                            Comment


                            • That is a GREAT cover!!

                              Comment


                              • Originally posted by Big Daddy Dave Skywalker View Post
                                That is a GREAT cover!!
                                Now if they could just get their b cover game on or at least offer some within the realm of fitting the book.
                                Space Cop
                                The Dandy
                                Last edited by Space Cop; 12-21-2018, 05:11 AM.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X