Spanish journalist

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Juan
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:03 pm

Spanish journalist

Post by Juan »

Dear Mister Davis.
I'm the spanish journalist who contacted you weeks ago. As you asked me to do, I post my questions in this forum. Ask as many as you can, please. Thank you very much again.

- You are now an artist and also a writer, but there are some other comic writers or pencilers you would like to work with?
- You worked with Alan Moore in ‘Captain Britain’ and you have some trouble with him. How is he?
- What are the differences between your work in UK and in the USA? Did you have more freedom in your early years or now that you are an star in this media?
- I really love your narrative style, the way you explain the story with the painting. I imagine it’s not that simple... How do you achieve it?
- I supose that, like any other artists, you have influences. Which artists did you like when you were a reader?
- How is the normal process for Alan Davis to draw a page?
- What advice would give you to an amateur penciller?
- What do you enjoy the most: drawing male or female characters? Why?
- Are you still a comic book reader? What have you read and enjoy recently?
- A difficult one: do you prefer Marvel or DC? Which is your favorite character and which one would you love to work with in the future?
- ‘Excalibur’ gave you an Eisner Price. Do you miss those characters?
- What happened with ‘Batman: Year two’? Why didn’t you finish the arc?
- Years after, you did ‘Full Circle’. Was it a way of completing your view of that story?
- You did few Batman stories, but those are beloved by fans. Can we expect more Batman adventures from Alan Davis in the future?
- Do you prefer the comic tone of ‘Excalibur’ or more dramatic series as ‘X-Men’ or ‘Batman’?
- What do mutants have to entertain some much people?
- I think you feel confortable working far away from the continuity of superheroes’ universe, like in ‘The Nail’ or ‘Fantastic Four. The end’. Is that true?
- The first time you did ‘Fantastic Four’ it was only for three issues. Will you come back to the series?
- What future proyects do you have?
Alan Davis
Creator
Posts: 472
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 9:13 pm

Post by Alan Davis »

You are now an artist and also a writer, but there are some other comic writers or pencilers you would like to work with?

- I haven’t given this any thought. I always focus on the job at hand and although I’d consider working with other creators it would depend on the project and character. Even when I’m collaborating with another creator I spend over 90% of my working day alone so the story and character are the most crucial elements of any job.

- You worked with Alan Moore in ‘Captain Britain’ and you have some trouble with him. How is he?

I have no idea how Alan is. I worked with him for less than three years over twenty years ago and when things went bad I moved on.

- What are the differences between your work in UK and in the USA? Did you have more freedom in your early years or now that you are an star in this media?

There is no real comparison because the industry was very different when I first began to work in comics. In those days storytelling was everything and illustrative art wasn’t valued or practical.

- I really love your narrative style, the way you explain the story with the painting. I imagine it’s not that simple... How do you achieve it?

I could attempt to formulate an answer but, having given this a great deal of thought over the years, the truth is I really have no idea about what goes through my mind when I’m working. I attempt to immerse myself in the story and let the art happen—that is, I never put the art ahead of the story. A lot of the decisions are instinctive—things either feel right or they don’t.

- I supose that, like any other artists, you have influences. Which artists did you like when you were a reader?

Neal Adams, Frank Bellamy, Gil Kane, Steve Ditko, Nestor Redondo, Jesus Blasco, Jim Aparo, Wally Wood, John M Burns, John Buscema, … to name just a few.

- How is the normal process for Alan Davis to draw a page?

I don’t have a consistent approach. In general I judge pages as to whether the dialogue or art is carrying the story—text will fill a lot of space and reduce the impact of the art… as will the number of panels— but aside from that I concentrate on characterisation and storytelling.

- What advice would give you to an amateur penciller?

Don’t believe the hype and mythology about art and storytelling. Anyone who works hard can do good work. It takes time but if you love it, the work is its own reward.

- What do you enjoy the most: drawing male or female characters? Why?

Neither. The goal with both sexes is to make the characters believable while incorporating the exaggerated values of classical heroic stereotypes and the most current image of the body beautiful.

- Are you still a comic book reader? What have you read and enjoy recently?

No. I tend to read novel when I have time to read. I find many modern comics inaccessible because I have lost track of the continuity— AND stories are padded and spread across so may issues that I lose interest.

- A difficult one: do you prefer Marvel or DC? Which is your favorite character and which one would you love to work with in the future?

Marvel and DC are both business so I try to ignore the faceless commercial entity and work with the editor. I have been fortunate enough to have drawn or written most of the characters I loved as a child so I don’t have any serious yearnings.

- ‘Excalibur’ gave you an Eisner Price. Do you miss those characters?

In some respects but as any creator will tell you, the characters who have success are no less important (or perhaps less important) than all of the other work. The works that an audience judge as ‘high-points’ are only a part of the tapestry of an entire career.

- What happened with ‘Batman: Year two’? Why didn’t you finish the arc?

I have no patience with people who are unreliable. I always try to act as a professional and if others don’t I move on. I won’t waste time with politics and passive aggressive nonsense. I’d rather be writing and drawing comics.

-- Years after, you did ‘Full Circle’. Was it a way of completing your view of that story?

I like Mike Barr. He asked me to draw Full Circle and I agreed. Sadly, the same incompetence that had cut short my tenure on Year Two interfered again and the book suffered.


- You did few Batman stories, but those are beloved by fans. Can we expect more Batman adventures from Alan Davis in the future?

Nothing planned.

- Do you prefer the comic tone of ‘Excalibur’ or more dramatic series as ‘X-Men’ or ‘Batman’?

Both. Although I don’t see why any series has to be strictly one tone.

- What do mutants have to entertain some much people?

I have no idea.

-I think you feel confortable working far away from the continuity of superheroes’ universe, like in ‘The Nail’ or ‘Fantastic Four. The end’. Is that true?

Yes. Continuity is a real pain. But I also prefer many of the classic character designs. I find the attempts to contemporise established characters often results in making them clunky or needlessly cluttered. I prefer simplicity and elegance.

- The first time you did ‘Fantastic Four’ it was only for three issues. Will you come back to the series?

I agreed to do three issues to help out. I like Scott Lobdell and it was fun to work with him on the characters. I don’t have any plans to return to the characters in the near future.

-What future proyects do you have?

ClanDestine!
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