Mignolaversity: Talking B.P.R.D. with Artist James Harren [Interview]

Today on Mignolaversity, we have a chat with one of our favorite up-and-coming artists in comics, James Harren. His work on “B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Long Death” has been incredible so far, and for fans of great art, consider 2012 his coming out party. Coming up next, he has a three issue arc on Brian Wood’s “Conan the Barbarian,” as he’ll be illustrating issues four through six. After that, it’s back to more B.P.R.D.

We talk with Harren about how he broke into comics, how he got into working on Mignola books, who his favorite artists are, and a whole lot more. Check it all out after the jump.

Layouts from BPRD Hell on Earth: The Long Death #2

Looking through your blog, you can see that you touch on a lot of different mediums and styles with your art. What’s your background in art, and how did you decide you wanted to work in comics?

My academic background is a few years in Community College studying fine art (while reading comics the whole time) followed by a year at the School of Visual Arts. I majored in Cartooning and dropped out when my grant ran out and I got itchy to get real work. Klaus Janson, my teacher and hero at SVA, passed my portfolio to Marvel and got me working.

My interest in comics is something that’s been around since the beginning. I love drawing but more importantly, I love storytelling. It wasn’t really a decision that had a clear date and time. It’s just something I’ve wanted to do since I discovered that people were doodling stories for a living. As for the variety of mediums and styles; I think I just have a lot of diversity in my taste. Competence in drawing comes in many forms and I’m an appreciator of skill in all its forms.

Both inside and out of comics, who and what have influenced your art the most?

It’s tough to narrow down any kind of top ten. I’ve been jumping from obsession to obsession since grade school. The artist’s that I seem to return to the most for inspiration in comics are Manga guys and European artists. I remember getting it in my head as a teenager that the big two’s production-line process can really limit the variety and individuality of artist’s voices. So I got obsessed with work from overseas early on. The motion and strong black and white of Manga and the elaborate texture and draftsmanship of the European bandes dessinées were probably the most formative. Guys like Otomo and Moebius are high up there. There’s also Mignola (of course), Kirby, Miyazaki (film and comic), Katsuya Terada, Stuart Immonen, Naoki Urasawa, and Hiroaki Samura.

Pencils from BPRD Hell on Earth: The Long Death #2

Much of your major published work has been in the Mignola books. How did you first line up the Abe Sapien gig, and for you as an artist, what do you find attractive about working with these titles?

I first got an email from John Arcudi out of the blue. I think he came across my blog or my DeviantArt page. He dropped me an email asking if we could talk. After I cleaned up the vomit on my keyboard we talked on the phone and I was offered the gig. The attractive part of working on these titles is that they’ve been my favorite American comics since I was a kid. As far as work-for-hire prospects go, I could do a lot worse. I came in as an utter novice and they’ve offered a lot of feedback (and patience) that’s been completely invaluable. For a young guy that likes to draw monsters it’s been an amazing experience.

Were you familiar with the world and characters Mike created before taking the gig, or was it something you had to dive into once you picked it up?

I’ve been a BPRD fan since the beginning. I thought the Mike and Guy team on Plague of Frogs was incredible and than John jumped on board and the series got its legs. So no real research necessary. I just had the pleasure of re-reading all the trades. The cool thing about this storyline in particular is that it wraps up the previous arc, “Killing Ground,” which was my favorite volume from the series. I remember working as a cashier at a pharmacy and reading the trade under the counter. I was tortured by that friggin’ ending where Daimio’s left naked in the wilderness. The Long Death actually wraps up that storyline in a really profound way.

Inks from BPRD Hell on Earth: The Long Death #2

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Long Death is probably your highest profile work to-date, and the first issue was a stunner. While Mike and John likely gave you a lot to work with in the script, what elements did you want to bring to the table on this book to leave your own impression on the story?

My greatest concern was just not screwing it up. It helped that the script was a blast to draw. It was a project where I was trying to overcome bad habits and see if I could serve the script with as much enthusiasm as possible. John’s collaborative spirit made that really easy. The opening of issue one where Johann freaks out was based on a warm-up that I did for mine and John’s amusement before the project was written. As a lark, I drew a big monster eye in Johann’s bubble head and John threw it in as the opening nightmare sequence.

Looking through your site, you can see that you touch on more monstrous, horrific ideas on a regular basis (such as, “Boston Life with Monsters”). Did the fascination with drawing reality with a little dash of the unreal stem from working on these titles, or has that long been a point of interest for you?

It’s been an interest since I can remember. I’ve always gravitated towards the morbid and the grotesque (not to the exclusion of other subjects…I don’t think). It’s just fun stuff.

So far, what’s your favorite aspect of working on the Mignolaverse titles? Have there been any panels, characters, moments or anything else so far that you’ve particularly enjoyed working on?

So far there’s been too many highlights to pick a favorite. The Johann cadaver/Daimio fight that turns into the Johann zombie moose/Jaguar fight was a helluva thing. The entirety of issue three will be a major highlight. I won’t spoil anything, but it’s the best thing I’ve been a part of as an artist.

Something a little less obvious that I really enjoyed drawing was the character moment in issue one between Johann and Giarrocco on the helicopter. There’s something so tragic and endearing about Johann and any scene with him is a pleasure to draw. And I hope to get a chance to work with Giarocco again.

Pencils from BPRD Hell on Earth: The Long Death #2

You’re part of the art collective The Sindiecate. How’d you hook up with that group, and do you feel like working closely with a group of artists of that sort pushes your art in any way?

I got an email from David Lafuente about joining a sketch blog and said yes before I even knew who else was involved. It came at a great moment where I was in a major creative rut. It’s been a great push to try out new compositions and techniques that I wouldn’t think to try elsewhere. Seeing what everyone else is bringing to the table has been a great kick in the pants.

On your blog it looks like you primarily work with fairly traditional mediums. Do you ever work with digital tools, or do you prefer to keep it to the more tangible, classic methods?

I don’t really have an interest in digital at the moment. If a Cintiq landed in my lap I think I could have a lot of fun with it. And if they ever perfect a stylus/drawing program for the iPad I’d give it a try. But comics to me are about paper and ink. Photoshop saves my ass when I have to stitch together re-drawn panels and cleanup pages, but I prefer it as a servant rather than a master. Seeing artists addicted to that ctrl-z is a little disconcerting. All my best innovations have come from me failing and fucking up.

In terms of artists today, whose work are you really digging? Who blows you away on a regular basis?

I’ve really been enjoying what’s coming out of Image these days. The Prophet series with Brandon Graham and Simon Roy is absolutely stunning. It combines influences that have been absent from American comics for an inexcusably long amount of time. It’s like a Moebius and Miyazaki love child. That and Tradd Moore on Luther Strode has been a blast. It restores my faith in the industry to see such talented young guys doing something exceptional outside of the usual comic mills.