Richard: Why did you want to draw this comic "We The People"?
Joe: As soon as Jason pitched me the story, I was hooked. I try to diversify what I do from book to book--Dummy's Guide being a twisted crime book, Serpo being science fiction and We The People being a street level superhero story. It was a chance to branch out and try something I hadn't done before, plu I really liked the characters and they way they were developed.
Richard: How do you update each of the three characters looks?
Joe: There was a lot of back and forth discussions as to the looks of the characters--Jason and Rick had some great thoughts that they brought to me. Overall though, it was just trial and error--keep the classic feel of the characters they represent, while still maintaining a modern look. Talia's costume went though about four or five revisions--I thought about ways for her to look sexy, but still be tough and practical. And with Z, I wanted to keep that classic Zorro-style mask, but bring it into the 21st century.
Richard: How do you make Talia make people think of Robin Hood?
Joe: That was tricky. I wanted her to look like the rogue that Robin Hood was, but I had to make sure she was sexy as well. The green color scheme and hood were my main attempts to have her carry the Robin Hood theme.
Richard: Will we be seeing lots of action scenes here?
Joe: Oh yes. That was a major attraction to this book for me. In my time, I've done my share of talking head scenes and I was itching to break out the action! There's some James Bond-style action sequences, broken bones and fighting homeless. The final action sequence just about killed me though--a hugely crowded fight scene.
Richard: Have you read Zorro, Robin Hood and Sinbad or seen the movies?
Joe: I've seen various incarnations of Robin Hood films and am a big Ray Harryhausen fan (Seventh Voyage of Sinbad rocks!).
Richard: What is the most memorable comic you have worked on?
Joe: The most memorable comic I've worked on of late (besides We The People) would probably be the 'Dodge's Bullets' short story I worked on for Jay Faerber. He asked me to draw a short backup for Dynamo 5, and being a long time admirer of Jay's work from his Generation X days, I couldn't say no. Working with Jay was different than any other writer I've worked with--he was encouraging, but also pushed me to take chances more with my work. Plus, around the time I started this story, my son was born, so I'll always remember it for that alone!
Richard: Did you enjoy drawing the dummy in "A Dummy's Guide to Danger: Lost At Sea"?
Joe: Yes, Mr. Bloomberg was always a fun character to draw. He was literally the straight man in the joke situations--that same blank expression always amplified Jason's twisted humor, in my mind. It was fun trying to come up with funny situations to put him in.
Richard: Why would someone want to find and read "Happy Valley Park Rangers"?
Joe: Well, if they wanted to read it, they'd be out of luck. I unfortunately got too busy to go beyond the initial pitch pages for the book. I think it's a fun concept and could be a great comic, though. Hopefully one day it'll see the light of day!
Richard: What is the best thing an artist can do to improve their skill?
Joe: I say this all the time--draw from life. An artist can't improve their skills by copying another artist's style or aping their skills--they need to get out there and draw what they see. Take a life drawing class, or take a sketch book to a mall or park and draw. Draw draw draw! And push yourself to try different things--different styles, mediums, tools. If you're not in a constant state of learning, you're not going to improve.
Richard: Which artists do you admire?
Joe: I admire the work of mainstream artists like Frank Cho, Steve McNiven, Alan Davis and Salvador Larocca. Cho & McNiven are fantastic line artists, and I love the fluidity to the work of Davis & Larocca. Also big influences on me are a lot of the independent comics artists like Becky Cloonan, David Lapham, Craig Thompson and Adrian Tomine. I admire them because of their dedication to their craft, the chances they take and that they often write and draw their stuff (something I want to do someday).
Richard: What do you have planned next?
Joe: Next my work will be seen in Dynamo 5 #25 from Image Comics this September. I'll be drawing a 5-page short story in the extra-sized issue, which promises to bring big changes to the series. Jason and I are collaborating again on a book of my own creation--a super hero farce called The Super Life. I'm also working on a pitch called Morning Glories, with Nick Spencer.
Richard: What other comics besides yours would you recommend?
Joe: I would recommend Carnet De Voyage by Craig Thompson, Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine, Local by Brian Wood & Ryan Kelly, Stray Bullets by David Lapham, as well as Captain America, Captain Britain & MI-13 (read the trades!) and House of Mystery.
Richard: How can someone contact you?
Joe: They can contact me from my site, www.supajoe.com, my deviantart, http://supajoe.deviantart.com , twitter, www.twitter.com/supajoe or email me at joe(at)supajoe.com.
Richard: Any final words of wisdom?
Joe: Be the ball!
