When we were putting together this Artist August, I [Brian] decided that I wanted to choose a few artists that were not Americans. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as patriotic as the next guy, and throughout this month, I’ll be chatting with a number of Yanks as well. But the majority of my pieces this month will feature foreigners. Last week, I chatted with the UK’s Laurence Campbell, and today I have Mahmud Asrar and Yildiray Cinar, two comics artists from Turkey.
Cinar and Asrar aren’t simply among the most talented and versatile artists working today – and they also happen to be friends and studio mates. Both gentlemen were kind enough to chat with me, as well as send us some process art, which we will be sharing later today, along with an art feature piece.
Please note – this interview with Asrar took place before his announced departure from “Supergirl,” and subsequent gig at “Indestructible Hulk” was announced.
I’m interested in talking to you guys together, because you both come from a comics experience very different than many of our regular readers. Growing up in Turkey, what are your earliest memories of comics?
Mahmud Asrar: Well, as far as I can remember I’ve had comics all around me. My mother would get me all sorts of comics to keep me occupied with. I remember a ton of Italian western comics, Disney comics and of course a lot of superhero comics. Most comics published in Turkey were translated from foreign publications. I used to stare at the pictures before I learned to read. My luck was that my mom being Austrian, she would bring a variety of comics that weren’t being published in Turkey. They’d be in German but I’d be exposed to different material overall. In time this fascination to stories in pictures turned into an obsession along with my interest in drawing things.
Yildiray Cinar: They were all printed half-size of the originals and black and white. I used to buy lot of comics. Conan comes to my mind first and then there were Marvels and DCs all from 70’s era. I was always close to the books and was lucky enough that my family supported me. The Fumetti books and local humor magazines were in print too but I got on them later around high-school era.
Forgive my ignorance, but what is the comics scene in Turkey like? Are there many creators publishing comics there, or were you getting mainly American/European comics?
MA: The comics scene in Turkey is mostly about translated books of which the majority is Italian books. Over the years we’ve had almost every type of comics from all over the world although not always on a consistent manner. Currently this generation is experiencing a revival in translated comics. We get all sorts of publishers publishing all sorts of comics. There’s of course always been local creativity for decades mostly about Turkish mythology or historical figures. Local humor comics and caricature publications have also remained strong over the years. Me and Yildiray have started creating comics locally too. We’ve self published a ton of comics. Superhero comics were not a part of Turkish comics until we started doing them, I’d say.
YC: Conan and Spider-Man. The first comic I drew was “Conan vs. Spider-Man” when I was 14. Also Kung-fu movies pushed me into action stuff so I wanted to say that they inspired me too.
What was the comic, for each of you, that really inspired you to want to draw comics yourself?
MA: For this I’ve had a different answer for almost every interview I had. The point is, I can’t remember or rather don’t have a specific comic per se. Conan, Asterix, Batman… These books have all been inspiration along with other comics I’ve had an affection for later such as John Byrne’s books or Peter David’s Hulk run.
YC: I always wanted to break-in but wasn’t sure how to do it. We collaborated on many artwork with Mahmud which later become a portfolio to Image Comics. I think it was around 94-95…We didn’t get any response. But internet changed everything. Also there was a language problem from my side but I got over it. (I guess)
Continued belowWas there a clear path to working in American comics for you guys? Who were some of the people you looked to as examples of how to break in?
MA: The path was kind of indistinct and uncertain but we were determined to create it if need be. The advent of the internet made things much easier for me. Once I realized I can actually reach actual persons working in the comics field, I knew I could work for comics.
As for people who inspired me, my list would be endless. Biggest and earliest influences would be John Buscema, John Byrne and Jim Lee. One thing that really made me believe I could do this was the start of Image Comics and later their call to creators. They were holding open talent searches which made it all real for me.
What were each of your first professional gigs?
MA: Depends on what you’d call pro, I suppose. First international publication of my work was with Digital Webbing Presents and Small Gods with Image Comics. All these work was followed by bigger work.
YC: It was a short story in Digital Webbing Presents #5.
You’ve both dabbled in creator owned works – including a few things worked on together – is that something you would like to return to one day, or are you happy in the company owned world for now?
MA: I’m one who sees validity in both ends. I am currently happy working for DC or Marvel. They have some of the coolest toys to play with. Besides working for the big two gets you exposure that is otherwise hard to achieve. Of course I’d love do more creative work. Work that would be remembered with my name. I do have some things in mind that I’d like to do once I think the time is right. Hopefully they’ll come to life someday. In any case, I feel this is all a continuous process. One can do either or both as time allows, that is unless you have a strong view on either side.
YC: DC keeps me busy enough with work. I always have ideas behind the curtain for more creator-owned work but waiting for the right time. Right now, I’m trying to grow better as an artist. As for clear answer, yes, I’ll do creator-owned work.
Who is your favorite artist working today?
MA: One? That’s tough. Olivier Coipel, probably.
YC: I’m not giving you one name. Sorry. There are some really good artists out there who inspire me a lot so that would be unfair to each one of them.
Yildiray, I first became aware of your work when you were drawing “Legion of Super-Heroes” for DC in 2010 – what was it like to take on such an iconic book, full of such diverse characters?
YC:It was hard. I was scared. There was a HUGE cast. Honestly, I wasn’t very much into Legion before I got the gig. It wasn’t like I didn’t like the series but I always thought it was too late to get into that book. Later, I really had fun and enjoyed working on Legion and now I feel so lucky. I’m hoping to get my hands on the characters in the future again.
Also, Legion fans are great!
You’ve done a ton of work at DC, drawing everyone from Superman to Blue Beetle – who is your favorite DC character to draw?
YC: This is hard to answer but I’m still waiting to get my hands on Batman sometime.
You’re working with your old “Legion of Super-Heroes” partner Paul Levitz on the “Desaad” issue of “Earth 2” in September – what was the working relationship like between you and Paul?
YC: Working with Paul is always a pleasure. I love collaborating with him and he is always open to ideas. With Desaad, the story has a dark mood and I’m also inking it. Fun times!
Mahmud, I’ve got a few questions for you. “Dynamo 5” was your first big break in the States, and since the book’s completion, the team has popped up in a mini and in a holiday one-shot. Can we expect to see any more “Dynamo 5” anytime soon?
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MA: Characters from the series have been appearing in Jay’s other projects now and again. I’d very much enjoy doing more Dynamo 5 work but a full time ongoing book is not feasible at the moment.
It appears that for the time being, you are drawing two monthly comics – “Supergirl” and “Ultimate X-Men.” How do you manage that sort of workload? Do you have any time saving tricks you could teach the rest of us? Do you ever sleep?
MA: I gave up on sleep after we’ve had a son so I suppose that helped with my schedules. In seriousness though, my commitment to Ultimate Comics X-Men was limited to 5 issues so I arranged my schedule so that I could keep on track with both books. I’m fairly fast I think which also helps. The thing with keeping up with a monthly schedule is knowing your limits and planning accordingly. I don’t go working on every tiny detail on a computer keyboard that would only appear a square inch on the art board. As artists we all are perfectionists to some point but we have to accept the fact that we can’t always put a %100 on every page every day. So you’ve got to come to terms with that notion and move on.
“Supergirl” is a book that is almost totally different from its pre-”Flashpoint” incarnation. What was it like to step into a book that was so radically different than what fans were expecting? Did you deal with some initial backlash because of the change of direction?
MA: I think it was a perfect starting point for me. We as a team weren’t held down by continuity or storylines so it was as enjoyable as it could get. I feel we had one of the better creative teams in terms of getting along and being in sync. Once things got rolling, we had a blast working on the book and thankfully the general readership enjoyed what we were doing.
As with any re-imaginations in comics we were up against a huge skeptical crowd. Luckily we’ve had a lot of open minded people who were interested in the book so we didn’t end up getting a strong backlash at all. Most comments were aimed at the new costume and specifically the boots. I never saw what the big deal with that was though.
