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Radiation Interrogation: Mike Choi
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Location: Blogs Atomic FalloutRadiation Interrogation |
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| Posted by: Jake Bell |
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 2:39 PM |
 What's your favorite part about drawing this book? What is the worst thing you have to draw? Is there any character that just never seems to look right no matter how many times you draw it?
My favorite part is probably being given a really great story to be a part of, and the chance to help tell the origin of a really cool and original (yeah, I didn't think so either, until I read the first trade) character like X-23. The worst thing I have to draw is probably X-23 herself. I still haven't been able to get a good grasp on how to draw kids, as in anyone under the age of, say, 35. It's still trial and error, but hopefully it's working.
Is it more fun to work on a project like this with a lesser known character whose mythos is still being established or to take on an icon like Spidey or Hulk?
I like the fact that X-23 is still a lesser known character, in that she's not really an icon. Maybe one day, if Craig Kyle and Chris Yost keep taking her in the right direction. There's a lot of pressure which comes from drawing an established icon like Cap or Spidey, in that you really have a lot less room to do your own interpretation, usually because the status quo IS the best interpretation. They look a certain way, and have a certain feel that you have to identify and reproduce, or else it just isn't the same character. With X-23, her feel is a lot less specific. Get it in the same ballpark and you'll find that you're actually helping to shape her character.
What kinds of opportunities are now open to you with this Top Cow/Marvel deal that might not have been otherwise?
A lot more people are hopefully going to be reading the book. I think Top Cow fans are some of the most loyal fans in the industry, but in the end there aren't a lot of them, especially when you compare them to the big 2. Hopefully more people will find out about Sonia and my art, and that will get more people buying it if they like it. Yeah, we could use the royalties, but hopefully that would open up more avenues for us to work on our dream projects.
 You now have your foot in the door at Marvel. Is there any particular project you're hoping might land in your lap?
I think a big limit (not necessarily in a bad way) in the industry is the fact that every big name is exclusive to one of the big 2. I really don't care what projects I get to do in my career, as long as I get to work with some of my favorite writers, most of whom are at Marvel. My dream projects change all the time, but they're invariably written by Bendis, Millar, Brubaker, Ennis and all of their writer buddies. I am a huge fan of Marvel comics though, and of course there are specific titles I'd love to do, like the Inhumans for example, but I'd do Herman the Magic Dingleberry if one of the aforementioned writers were on it. I never thought I'd ever want to the Inhumans until I read Jenkins' run. Although I wouldn't have been able to do anything resembling what Lee was able to do on the book, I would have loved to have been given the chance.
How are things different from a behind the scenes point of view between Marvel and Top Cow? How are the two styles meshing?
Marvel cares about deadlines. Next question.
Just kidding. Marvel puts a lot more pressure to get things done months in advance, because their titles are so entwined. What we do on X-23 directly correlates to events on New X-Men, so things have to be released on a specific schedule to optimize the reader experience. Top Cow is a lot more relaxed, not because they care less, but because they don't release a lot of books and therefore want every product to be of the best quality possible. If a book could benefit from an extra week, we get that extra week as long as we don't waste it. Right now, the meshing is great, in that we're trying to produce at a Top Cow standard, but on a Marvel pace. The net result is I haven't slept since September.
What would be your dream project at Marvel?
Fantastic Four/Inhumans with Brian Michael Bendis, or a Punisher one-shot with Garth Ennis. That could change in five minutes, though. |
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