Artist August: Tommy Lee Edwards (Interview)

Today on Artist August, we have the incredibly talented Tommy Lee Edwards of “Turf” and “Marvel 1985” fame. Edwards’ art is some of the most dense and beautiful art in comics, and his ability to bring some of the most imaginative ideas and worlds to life is unparalleled in the industry.

Click through the jump to find out what Tommy thinks of working with Jonathan Ross, how it is working with Image Comics, what the benefits of The BLVD.’s studio are, and a whole lot more.

Was there a single moment in your life that you can look to as one that made you want to work in comics? Or was it more of a natural progression that led you here?

Tommy Lee Edwards: There was no single moment. I don’t remember ever not drawing stories. I drew single page “scene” type stuff too, but always seemed to gravitate towards sequential art. It started with drawing storybooks of pages, usually Star Wars, stapled together. Eventually the stuff turned to more traditional comic-book style page layouts. When I was maybe 10 years old and started thinking about art as a way to make a living, comics were still only one of the many things I enjoyed creating.

You’ve done extensive work in other industries, yet you keep returning to comics. As an artist, what is it that is so attractive about the medium?

TLE: It’s sort of like when I was a kid. One minute you’re drawing comics, and then writing or reading. The next day you’re making a movie with your buddies or painting or doing some monster make-up effects. But comics was, and always will be, the most unique of my interests. Comics is by far my favorite medium to work in, because it’s the most liberating. The only limit you have is the reach of your imagination. Sometimes there can be frustrating time restraints, but you’re primarily your own boss on comics. And the final product is yours. I really feel like comics come from the soul, and is the closest thing to making your own music or dance. It can be a wonderful voice of expression.

Your books always have some of the most unique and original visuals in the business. Who or what influenced the look of your art, and how do you think your art has been developing in recent history?

TLE: Developing one’s art is a very gradual process. You should not try and force it, as it will happen very naturally. Unless you’re a person who only cares about fitting in or being commercial. I’m influenced by everything by all kinds of art, but primarily the teachers I had in the past along with artists and movies I grew up on. Some of my biggest influences that people might know would be Howard Chaykin, Bernie Fuchs, Austin Briggs, Alex Raymond, Stanley Kubrick, Bob Peak, Herbert Morton Stoops, Sergio Leone, Alex Toth, Noel Sickles, Harry Carmean, Burne Hogarth, Joe Johnston, and on and on.

Your first collaboration with Jonathan Ross – Turf – was a huge success both critically and commercially. Now you’re working on an ongoing series with him titled Golden Age. What is it about this partnership that is so rewarding for you creatively, and how is it working with him?

TLE: TURF was the first comic I’ve ever been able to help create from the ground up. I’ve never had a more rewarding collaboration than the one I had on TURF. Jonathan and I get along so well, and are inspired by so many of the same things. At the same time, we bring our own unique experiences and ideas to our projects to push each other further. We both are committed to telling the best possible story, and are equally hard on ourselves in the process. And as “human beings”, Jonathan and I really mesh well. We are both family guys with similar ideals and personalities. It’s just really professional with a mutual comfort level to promote creativity.

Turf wrapped up in epic fashion, and it really was a beautiful blend of a variety of genre fiction. What attracted you to that project specifically, and how was it designing all of the disparate character elements of it?

TLE: I was initially attracted to the characters and the genre that Jonathan was creating. But as TURF developed, it became a much stronger book than I had anticipated. But that took a lot more blood, sweat, and tears than anticipated. TURF is both the most rewarding and most difficult comic I’ve ever done. It was a joy to create, while at the same time completely exhausting.

Turf, especially in the first issue, was a very dense read filled with a lot of panels. How did you design the overall look of the book, and what difficulties did you run into when trying to match visuals to the verbose nature of Jonathan’s writing?

TLE: Jonathan and I do a lot of back and forth before he finishes the final scripts, so I generally know what I need to do on the visual side. And having that final script is very important, so that I can properly and clearly establish the who, where, and when. I also need to execute the characters’ acting, and indicate the placement of the lettering. It was sometimes tough though, especially in the early chapters, to establish all the characters and locations amongst all of the dialogue. Especially when most of it had to be done in wide-shots with lots of detail.

Turf is (I believe) your first adventure with Image Comics. How was it working on a project in which you handle all aspects of design and production, not just covers and interiors?

TLE: Image does a fantastic job, but you have to share the work. You have to learn how to utilize each other’s strengths, and you have to communicate. Like I keep saying, TURF was way more work than I anticipated. An insane amount of work. I had all the freedom and control I ever wanted, but the extra responsibilities of a creator-driven book add hours upon hours to each page. Production stuff. Retail and marketing stuff. Scheduling stuff. Jonathan and I both learned a lot on this series, though. So things should be much easier moving forward.

While Golden Age isn’t coming for some time, it’s never too early to start the hype machine. What is this ongoing series going to be about, and what can readers expect from it?

TLE: Taking a lot of what we learned on TURF, Jonathan and I will be publishing GOLDEN AGE through Image on a monthly basis. So yeah, it’s gonna be out next year, and not solicited until I have a few issues in the can. The page count will be closer to a typical 22 page story, instead of TURF’s insane 26 to 35 pages. On the content side, GOLDEN AGE is more of an “all-ages” story, primarily about retired superheroes. It’s funny, tragic, and quite touching. Many of the characters are based on archetypes of the genre’s past, but we’re also creating many new things that people have never seen. I’m really excited, and issue one is zooming along.

In the past, you’ve worked extensively on developing the look of films visuals (including Batman Begins and Men in Black II). But Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Golden Age will be the first time one of your own works has been adapted. What will your role be in helping aid Vaughn’s visual design on the film, besides creating the look in the comic itself?

TLE: We’re working out all that right now. Jonathan has written a very detailed treatment and first draft of the screenplay. Matthew is producing. I’ll be contributing in a manner similar to the way I handled the concept art on The Book of Eli. But the movie will be the director’s baby. The comic is ours. They’re both destined to be different animals, no matter how closely Jonathan and I work on the film version.

While you’ve done work in the past for the Big Two, you seem like someone who prefers the wild west of creator-owned comics. What is it that you find so attractive about creator-owned books, and what are the major positives they offer over working for-hire?

TLE: Primarily it’s about creative freedom without having to deal with having your hands tied by continuity issues, the whims of an editor, or the publisher’s parent company’s commercial concerns.

The BLVD art studio has been something you’ve been a part of for a while now, and yourself and your (virtual) studio mates John Paul Leon, Sean Chen, Trevor Goring and Bernard Chang seem like a very tight knit group. What are the benefits that come from working with such a group, and how did the five of you form up?

TLE: We’ve all been friends for years and years. We work together on projects, critique each other’s work, refer clients to each other, etc etc. We also commiserate about the business and offer moral support and anything else you can think of. They are my brothers. We have an “all for one, one for all” attitude toward our relationship. So us wanting to hang out, coupled with my own negative feelings about the way San Diego Comic Con treats artists, led us to share costs and form our own group away from artists alley. The BLVD helps on that end of things too. Sean, Trevor, JP, and Bernard and I have set up at SDCC for seven years now as the BLVD. Since teaming up and trying to have a pro-active attitude toward conventions and comics and fan relations, we’ve produced five books, web content, and now have an mobile device app in the works.

In the digital age, new tools are available to artists of all types. How does that affect and expand your work?

TLE: We rarely need FedEx and trips to the airport anymore. Most work is shared over the internet. Many of my meetings are done through skype. Sometimes I’ll draw on my Wacom Cintiq while sharing my screen with somebody on the other side of the world to increase productivity and share ideas. So yeah, the advancing tech is always helping.

What would be a dream project for you?

TLE: Something where I can combine all mediums I have interest and experience in. Something that combines comics, games, movies, books, and online media to tell one big story.

Desert Island question: one book, one album, one film and one comic. What do you take with you?

TLE: If today, I might bring some sort of desert island survival manual, Elvis Costello’s North album, Once Upon a Time in the West, and Batman Year One.

Who are your favorite artists working in comics today?

TLE: Mostly my friends, as I’m sure there’s a lot of current solid stuff I’m unaware of. In my opinion, the best comic artists working today are John Paul Leon, Duncan Fegredo, Moebius, Walter Simonson, David Lafuente, and Jordi Bernet.

What else can we expect from you in the near future?

TLE: Well the TURF hardcover and Rocketeer Adventures #3 just came out. The next comic will be Golden Age. I’m painting a book cover for Random House right now, and ten other pieces for a Star Wars book. I’m developing an animated series with Film Roman, based on a comic book I created years ago. And then there’s the BLVD app and an online game I can’t tell you about yet…!