Aaron Sowd

This interview with comic book artist Aaron Sowd was conducted by Director Sébastien Dumesnil via email during the making of Adventures Into Digital Comics. This interview is a part of the first set of interviews, which means that Aaron Sowd received a part of the shotlist, and was asked to answer the questions as if they were actually shooting the interview together. Aaron Sowd was offered the possibility to interact this way with the members of the cast.

By sending the same questions to all interviewees, Dumesnil wanted to get the most necessary element of narrative filmmaking: conflict. Despite the repetitive aspect of the questions, we hope you will be surprised by the large panel of answers and opinions offered by the interviewees.

Sure. I always loved comics, but I always thought the word “artist” and “starving” went together! So I majored in computer engineering and never took a career as an artist seriously. I always had drawn ever since I could hold a pencil or crayon. I had some stuff published in the comics magazine Amazing Heroes and saw an ad for an independent publisher that was hiring. Just small press black and white books, but they hired me on the spot and I got my first real live professional gig at the age of 18! I was getting something like $40 a page to pencil and ink my own stuff! Good thing I was still living at home or I never would have been able to survive on that kind of money! They went bankrupt after a few issues and ended up owing me all kinds of money! Oh well, at least it got me started!

I went on to ink comics for Comico and then Malibu during the whole Ultraverse days. Then I got my first gig at Image inking Shadowhawk for Jim Valentino. He’s one of the nicest guys in comics. But I had already sent some samples to Marc Silvestri for the Homage Studios Talent Search and I got the call to come down to Los Angeles. Actually, they were in San Diego at the time, sharing space with Wildstorm and all of Jim Lee’s guys. It was great; I worked there for 2 1/2 to 3 years and went on to do commercial illustration and storyboards for film and TV. The pay is much better than comics, but comics will always be my first love!

What do you find in comics that you wouldn’t find in another type of visual exercise?

Magic. It sounds corny, but comics have always been pure magic to me. My family never owned a television when I was growing up, so the first time I saw a comic book, I thought it was the coolest thing ever! They are the perfect marriage of words and pictures. Also, you tend to have a lot more freedom in comics. When I do storyboards, they are always in service of the director’s vision, but in comics, the artist gets to be the director, the writer, the actor, you name it! Complete creative control if you want it. The small press guys and self-publishers have a lot more freedom than the artists at the big companies. Big corporations in any business protect their assets very carefully, and the big comic book companies are no exception! If you have the best story idea ever, but it involves killing Wolverine, it just isn’t going to happen! They make too much money off movies and video games and licensing to let you do something like that. That’s why no one stays dead in comics! Like Chris Claremont says “I got better.” The majority of my comics work has been inking, so there’s no freedom there! I just “trace” the pencils and they actually PAY me to do it! ;-) How cool is that?

What was the overall mood in the industry when you began your career? What was its commercial state? How has it evolved?

When I started at Image and Top Cow it was the tail end of the 80’s boom in comics. Guys were getting royalty checks like you wouldn’t believe and buying new cars and taking crazy trips to Vegas! Some artists thought it was going to last forever and lived like rock stars. I never made a ton of royalties, but I was smart enough to save what I got! Now, things have more or less bottomed out in years gone by and I think are now beginning to pick up. The quality has never been better in the stuff being put out today. Creators and publishers are doing their best work. I just worry that we somehow seem to have lost the younger readers along the way...

Comic book stores were created during the 70’s as a boosting solution for the market. But as years went by, the direct market became the major distribution channel at the expense of the newsstand channel. Do you think that the industry is now paying the price for what was considered as the only viable solution back then?

Possibly. There are some really great comic book stores and some really bad ones. Todd McFarlane once said something to the effect of “No parent wants to take his or her kid to a dark, dingy store that looks like a tattoo parlor.” I agree: some shops can be really scary! But major bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Borders carry comics, which is great! Maybe the future is in trade paperbacks and collected editions that the mass market can sell.

1986 has been a turning point for the industry with works like Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen. It seems that since then, the comic book audience has grown up with the industry and that there are just no new readers. Has the industry at that time completely forgotten its younger target audience?

No, they know the kids are out there, they’ve just forgotten how to reach them. Marvel is trying with the Ultimates line to lessen continuity issues and make books friendlier to new readers and DC puts out good books for all ages. Kids today grow up much faster, they have shorter attention spans and don’t seem to read as much. Maybe super-heroes are no longer relevant to their lives or video games provide more entertainment with less effort. I hope someone gets them reading again!

1993 was the last profitable year for the American industry. The market has been shrinking ever since. What do you think are the causes of the industry’s collapse in the 90’s?

The glut, the collector’s mentality didn’t help out. The media and investors focused on the supposed monetary value of comics and not their intrinsic value. No one was talking about how good the stories were, they were talking about how much money they were going to make when they sold them in ten years.

It was like the stock market, with all the speculators from the sports trading card market spilling over into comics. All those gimmicky glow-in-the-dark, scratch-and-sniff, and holographic foil multiple variant covers will be taking up space in landfills for years to come!

For the past few years, we’ve seen the big companies trying to improve quality: better paper, big names from other industries, etc. Do you think that it had an impact on sales? What could be a key to solve the sales problem?

Sure, quality always helps. The focus on good stories, good characters and top talent is better today than ever. Bringing in outside talent is good for sales, whatever helps! I think the key is to bring in a new generation of readers, but that seems to be easier said than done.

We had an interview with Marv Wolfman who told us that the industry had become a “flavor of the month” type. Can you tell us about your experience in the 90’s and your thoughts about the industry nowadays?

I agree with that, sure. But that kind of mentality isn’t limited to just comics, you see it with actors in films, etc. I was never “huge,” or if I was, I never believed my own press. The promotional machine can spin it out of control. Just do your best work and hopefully the fans appreciate it, the press and publicity will follow.

In the 90’s, publishers began to create alternate covers, and made a lot of—sometimes unnecessary—relaunches. What do you think of those gimmicks?

Like I said earlier, all those gimmicky glow-in-the-dark, scratch-and-sniff, holographic foil multiple variant covers will be taking up space in landfills for years to come! I always thought the funniest gimmick was the polybag.

People actually wouldn’t open their comics to read them! I always joked that the polybagged X-Force #1 was really old copies of Care Bears comics that Marvel couldn’t sell, so they put a Rob Liefeld cover on it and stuck it in a bag! Did anyone even check?

To make more money and be able to reach different places such as bookstores, the publishers have created the trade paperback. As an example, many people have read Sandman when it was available on paperback, but not before. Do you feel that the comic book format had its days, and could be replaced by the paperback?

Maybe... I think there is room for both, but my girlfriend hates monthly books because they never really “end.” Monthly books have to continue by definition and can become like soap operas in that regard. Trade paperbacks have the appeal of telling a complete story and seem to be better for people who just want a good read without researching 25 years of continuity.

The early 90’s saw the first digital lettering and coloring in American comic books. Do you think that it opened a new world of possibilities as far as storytelling is concerned?

Sure! I’m all for using technology to our advantage! It’s just another tool, after all! Lettering and inking by hand could be on their way out, who knows?

But artists will never, ever be replaced... they just learn different tools.

Also around the same time came the Internet. Did you guess at that time that the Internet could become a distribution system for independent artists?

I didn’t see it coming at the time, but there is some great stuff out there these days. In fact, my current project, Masterminds, can be seen online at www.masterminds.us. I created the property along with my writing partners Lance Karutz and James Denning. Masterminds will be part of Komikwerks Volume 1, a print anthology book that will ship to stores in August 2003.

I even have my own website www.aaronsowd.com to sell my original art and show my portfolio.

When I was art director at Stan Lee Media we did Flash animated “webisodes” which were a blast! Alas, the company is no more, but that’s a whole other interview!

It seems that fans complain that the big US companies don’t produce enough diversity. On the other hand, the big sellers are only super-hero books. What do you think of the fans?

I think that it’s slowly getting better. One of my favorite books right now is 100 Bullets. Eduardo Risso is amazing! So if the fans vote with their wallets and buy more non-super-hero books, companies will publish more of the books they’re buying.

Diversity seems to be a key problem for the industry. Do you think that current comic books are oriented mainly toward a male audience in its 20’s?

No, current comic books are now oriented towards a male audience in its 30’s!!! And they’re getting older all the time! We need a new, younger audience, that’s one of the big problems! We need more female readers, more readers of all types! Maybe we need to look at the types of stories we’re telling and tell stories that have a wider appeal. The classic super-hero story is, at the core, a male power fantasy. That’s why the industry tends to attract males much more than females who couldn’t care less about two muscle bound idiots in tights beating each other up!

A success of the American film business has always been not to ignore the foreign market. Do you feel that the comics industry has been successful abroad?

Sure. Simple “good Vs. evil” type stories told in comics translate well into all languages and cultures. But, like I said before, there’s so many other types of stories to tell.

The average price of a comic book in the US is around $3. Do you think, regarding the production and distribution system, that it is too expensive?

No, it’s not too expensive given the production values and costs involved.

Comic book conventions are typical in North America. What feedback do you get from your peers over there? Is there a positive mood within the industry?

I would say the overall mood is optimistic, but artists are a moody bunch. It depends on which day you ask us! I go to San Diego Comic Con every year and it’s always a blast!

When you go to comic book conventions, do you feel that people come to buy comics... or toys, busts, and whatever merchandising has to offer? What do you think of that merchandising?

I don’t know why people go to conventions, I’m sure it’s different for different people. When I was a fan I went to meet artists I liked, living legends like Jack Kirby, Frank Frazetta and Bernie Wrightson. I wanted to meet them, talk to them and maybe get an autograph. So for me, it’s always been primarily about the art and the artists. Nowadays, I go to meet friends, meet fans and have fun! But I collect comics, and I’ll buy the occasional toy or statue if it’s really well done and appeals to me. Merchandising is great if it increases public awareness of comics and comic characters. I’ve got no problem with it.

In the biggest comic conventions we can find print and digital artists. Some print artists seem to be ferociously anti-digital. Do you feel that there are now two clans of comic book creators?

I think some people are always going to fear change no matter what. Kurt Vonnegut, when asked to come up with one universal constant, said, “this too shall change.” In other words, the only constant is change. I say go with it and try to grow as an artist. I don’t think digital comics will ever replace paper comics any more than movies replaced books. There is room for both, and people will gravitate to whichever form most appeals to them. People that are anti-digital tend to be the same people who refuse to learn how to use the computer, whose VCRs, are still blinking 12:00. The computer is just a tool, like anything else. Which is not to say there isn’t a lot of bad digital art. You need have the foundation of a good solid traditional artist before you can be a good digital artist.

Many forgotten artists who can’t find a job in the industry because they are told they are “outdated” make money thanks to commissions on their personal websites. Others create those digital comics but don’t really make money out of them. Do you think that the Internet could be the solution to the current state of the comic book industry?

Probably not on a large scale, because like you said, most people don’t make money off the Internet. But in the sense of providing a market for “forgotten” or “old school” artists, sure, it helps. I think there are a lot of talented artists who don’t do monthly work any more, so if the Internet can help them connect with their fans, fantastic! Ironically, artists from that generation who could benefit the most from the Internet tend to be the most fearful of new technology in general! Go figure...

Some digital comics use animation; others sound, etc. For you, what is a digital comic? What would be the aesthetic definition?

We were doing Flash animation at Stan Lee Media, other people just post their comics in panel form. I tend to think of digital comics as static, anything that moves is getting more into the area of animation.

Do you think that digital comics offer much more diversity than the paper market?

Not really from what I’ve seen so far. The potential is there, though. You could have more interactivity in a digital comic, like having the reader choose which way the story will go, etc. The content seems pretty similar, though.

Only big publishers would have the financial asset to afford the legal support needed in the piracy issue.  How do you think that the big companies will make their way into the digital world?  Do you think that independents will have to wait for those companies to make money in a safe way?

I think big companies like Stan Lee Media had a problem making money online, so if anyone figures out how to do it, it will probably be an independent “little guy.” Then the big companies will rush in if there’s a buck to be made!

Do you think that readers are into comics for collecting and need to touch a comic book to enjoy it, or would a computer screen be enough for them? What about you?

I like to hold a tangible comic. I read a few strips online, but mostly comedy stuff.

There are many issues that could prevent digital comics from growing, such as piracy. Also, and even novelists ran into that wall, it seems to be hard to get paid, even with systems such as Pay Pal. Subscription, advertisement, micro-payments: what do you think is the best option to be paid on the web for digital creations?

Hell if I know! I like the Internet the way it is; I like the free exchange of ideas. I believe creators have the right to profit from their creations, but I kind of hope the Internet never becomes a fee-based service, taxed and regulated to death. Free speech!

There are different ways to compose a comic book story on the Internet. Some artists like to consider the screen as a page; others still use a typical comic book format. We can also use the screen as a panel/link leading to another panel and so on. What do you think of those ideas?

They both work. It just depends on the style you like best.

On the other hand, other artists use the Internet as an unlimited space to compose a story, the screen being considered as a window to an unlimited reality. What do you think of that idea?

I tend to like that approach more.

One can find digital comics on the web, but also short films produced especially for the Internet. Do you watch such films sometimes? What do you think of them?

Sure, if a friend e-mails me a link or I hear of a particular film that is getting attention or is really well done. I’ve seen films like Troops, 405, Tripping The Rift, and Herds of Nerds. I don’t have the free time to actually seek films out on the Internet, so unless someone calls them to my attention, they usually fly under my radar.

Don’t you find it frustrating to use the Internet to watch a trailer or a short film in a small rectangle surrounded by an unlimited space with a program like QuickTime?

Amen. Preach it, brother!

We talked earlier about the infinite canvas and animated digital comics. Do you think that we could apply some of those compositional ideas to live moving pictures, instead of just drawn panels?

Of course.

Bad artistic, and moreover marketing, decisions have been the main reasons of the industry’s downfall. The digital technology seems like a good solution to create art without any form of concession. Do you think that the Internet is an open door for new creative voices?

Sure, the Internet is the great equalizer. Some guy in his basement can create his own comic or animation and put it out there right next to the pros and the major companies. I’m all for democracy! Now how you do that and make money is another issue entirely. I have a real hard time paying for anything on the Internet. I love the community, the free exchange of ideas... the operative word being “free.”I’m not going to PayPal you $2.95 to read your webcomic!

Now that comic books have become a niche market (whether they are on paper or digital), pretty much like painting, do you think that we’re going to see a peak of creativity and quality as a reaction to the current situation?

I don’t think so; in fact it’s been quite the opposite. In the collector’s boom of the late 80’s/early 90’s, anyone who could hold a pencil was getting work because the need for artists was so high... Marvel and DC were putting out hundreds of books and kids (right out of high school in some cases!) were drawing them. So the overall quality was pretty low, whereas now, with the market a fraction of what it was, the overall quality is quite good and getting better all the time. The hack artists who were just in it for the money have gone on to other things or are no longer able to find work. The majority of creators who’ve remained are the best of the best and really do it more for the love of the art form. Just look at all of Alan Moore’s ABC books, Marvel is getting great talent, The Ultimates, Daredevil, X-Men! DC got Stan Lee himself to write for them! Jim Lee is doing Batman! Creatively comics have never been better. It’s just a shame the sales figures don’t reflect that.