Galen Showman
08/28/2006

GALEN SHOWMAN began illustrating in the 1990?S and since then has contributed to many highprofile projects including JLA: Age of Wonder, Hellboy, Star Wars, and Paradox Books',"The Big Book of...". With writer Gary Reed he's worked on Sinergy and the Raven Chronicles. He hasoften collaborated with artist P. Craig Russell, most notably on The Clowns (I Pagliacci). Galen's artworkand lettering have earned him multiple Eisner and Harvey Award nominations.

Here, Galen talks a bit with Komikwerks which ties in with the release of the RENFIELD graphic novel coming from Desperado Publishing and Image Comics in November, 2006.

A SPECIAL PREVIEW is available in the Komikwerks comics section.

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? HOW DID YOU GET INTO COMICS?
I'm a self-taught illustrator and comics fan from an early age, I broke into the comics business in 1990 while still in High School. Like so many others, I used to take my portfolio around to various conventions to get feedback from editors and artists. It was at the Motor City Con that I met Kevin Van Hook; he saw promise in my work and introduced me to Gary Reed, Gary had just started Caliber Comics and asked me if I could do lettering. Never actually having lettered before, I worked up a few pages of samples over the weekend and managed to land an assignment. Over the next couple of years, I worked my way from letterer to illustrator, providing art for a number of different books at Caliber, including: Sinergy, Renfield, The Raven Chronicles, and Saint Germaine, among others. Around this time, a new comics shop opened in my area and I met local artists Jay Geldhof and P. Craig Russell, they had both been in the business for many years and I learned a lot from them. Jay and I collaborated on a couple issues of The Lost and Craig and I have collaborated on a number of titles, including: The Clowns ( I Pagliacci), Star Wars, and JLA: Age of Wonder. I've also worked on Hellboy: Weird Tales and the Big Book series at Paradox Press.

HOW ABOUT YOUR INFLUENCES? WHO HAS HAD THE MOST IMPACT ON YOUR WORK?
My major influences from the world of comics are: Brian Bolland, Will Eisner, Jaime Hernandez, P. Craig Russell, Dave Stevens and Alex Toth. P. Craig Russell has had the most impact on my drawing style because I have been able to work with him on a number of books. My other influences, particularly on storytelling, are the master film directors such as: John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, Ernst Lubitsch, Michael Powell and Orson Welles.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST MAJOR PROJECT AND WHAT ARE YOUR REMEMBRANCES ABOUT THAT PROJECT?
Renfield was my first major project at Caliber; it was a reworking of the Dracula novel as seen through the eyes of his servant, the bug-eating madman, Renfield. I remember really burning the midnight oil on this book, it was originally planned as a five-issue mini-series, but I fell behind after three issues and it was eventually released as a complete graphic novel. Renfield was an extremely complex story to tell and it required a tremendous amount of period research. Simultaneously, I was lettering an eight-issue Elric mini-series for Dark Horse, so I really learned not to take on more work than I could handle on this project.

WHAT WAS THE FAVORITE PROJECT THAT YOU WORKED ON?
I don't have one particular favorite project above all others. Nearly every book I've done has been something I've felt strongly about and had a great desire to work on. I did enjoy the five Big Book stories I got to illustrate, they feature some of the art I'm proudest of.

IF YOU HAD TO BE LABELED WITH ONLY ONE PROJECT YOU WORKED ON, WHICH WOULD IT BE?
I suppose Renfield is my major work at this point.

YOUR DREAM PROJECT WOULD BE?
What I'm working on right now, a children's picture book that I'm writing and drawing.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD GIVE YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE JUST STARTING OUT? ANY TIPS FOR THE UP AND COMERS?
First off, learn how to tell a story visually: Study the old masters, not just from comics, but from film, painting and illustration. Second, learn anatomy: It's essential to know every bone and muscle and how they go together. Third, always be practicing: Observe and draw everything around you, a comic artist needs to know how to draw the mundane as well as the fantastic.

FAVORITES- A chance to list your favorites

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE ANIMATED MOVIES AND/OR TV SERIES?
My Neighbor Totoro is my favorite animated film. I think it's an excellent story, beautifully told.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE LIVE ACTION MOVIES?
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, My Darling Clementine, The Tales of Hoffmann and Trouble in Paradise.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE TV SERIES?
I'm not really a TV watcher.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS?
The short stories of Guy de Maupassant, Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett and Junky by William S. Burroughs.

WHAT ARE YOUR ALL TIME FAVORITE COMICS?
The Spirit, the E.C. Books, Love and Rockets and The Rocketeer.

HOW ABOUT THE CURRENT SET OF COMICS - ANY FAVORITES?
Hellboy, Night Trippers.

THE COMIC INDUSTRY

WHAT ABOUT COMICS, OR THE COMICS INDUSTRY DO YOU NOT LIKE, OR DISAGREE WITH? WHY?
What I don't like about the comics industry is the emphasis on the monthly superhero books by the big comics companies. I'm encouraged to see some of the big book publishers beginning to support original graphic novels.

ARE THERE THINGS IN COMICS TODAY THAT YOU FEEL ARE MISSING? A GENRE, A STYLE, ANYTHING?
I'd like to see more books dealing with different events in history, maybe even some biographical comics on notable people.

WE AT KOMIKWERKS DIG SUPERHEROES JUST FINE, BUT WE ALSO FEEL THAT THERE IS ROOM FOR MORE NON-SUPERHERO GENRE COMICS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO GROW READERSHIP FOR THAT GENRE?
We need to start making more comics people of all stripes would want to read, let's follow Japan's example. I think more books in different genres would be great, westerns, romance, true crime, etc...

NAME A COMIC CREATOR OR TWO THAT HAS WORKED IN THE INDUSTRY FOR AWHILE THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE MORE WELL KNOWN.
A writer who I think deserves greater notice is Mark Ricketts, he's doing some of the best work in comics today. I think his Nowheresville and Whiskey Dickel: International Cowgirl are both amazing reads.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE CURRENT POPULARITY OF LIVE ACTION MOVIES BASED ON COMICS?
I haven't seen too many good ones, but I liked American Splendor. Still, a Hollywood movie deal can be a great way for a creator to supplement their income, so I'm all for more comic book movies.

THING YOU?D MOST LIKE TO SAY TO STAN LEE?
?Did you really write 'Stan Lee is God' on the side of a building when you were a kid??

PLUG!
PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING PROJECTS, AND SHAMELESSLY PLUG YOURSELF AND YOUR FRIENDS...

Coming this November is a new edition of the Renfield graphic novel; it's a different take on Dracula with a great script by Gary Reed. The book was originally published in 1995 and has been out of print for a few years now. For the new edition, I've gone through the book panel by panel making fixes to the art, adding panels, a new page, and new front and back covers. We're also including a sketchbook section and Gary's contributing writer's notes as well as biographical information on Dracula author Bram Stoker. The book will be released through Image comics in conjunction with Desperado Publishing.

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