Action Comics has seen its share of talented artists over the past 900 issues. One of the more prominent of late has been artist Pete Woods, who has been utterly dominating the Superman books for awhile now. Mr. Woods has been kind enough to agree to an intense round of questioning. He actually agreed to 900 questions for Action #900, but I really couldn't live with destroying such a phenomenal art hand.
He did end up answering twenty questions for us, and what a list of questions it is. Come join us as we discuss his take on the Superman mythos, his approach to various art styles and, of course, Robot Lois.
1. Would you mind giving us a rundown on your history as not just a professional, but also a fan, where the Man of Tomorrow is concerned?
When I was a kid I used to watch the old George Reeves Superman series and the Batman series with Adam West. One day my mom bought me a copy of the Famous Firsts edition of Action Comics #1. I'm not sure if I was really aware that comics existed before that point, but after I read that comic I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Action Comics and Superman are literally where my love for comics and the desire to be a comic book professional began.
2. What character specific approach do you take, penciling Superman over other characters? And Lex Luthor?
Honestly, I don't think I do take a different approach to any specific character. It's really the tone of the story that defines how I come at it.
3. The Black Ring storyline gave us a Lex Luthor who varied from a person of collected confidence to a wily madman. His facial expressions and mannerisms ran every step in-between. How do you capture a character's depth so well? What approach do you take?
The Lex we see in the Black Ring arc is pretty much me. I think most of us can relate to Lex, often more easily than we can relate to Superman. It's not a difficulty to get into his character. Once there it's just a matter of looking in the mirror or taking a couple of photos.
4. A title such as Action Comics carries a lot of weight and a lot of history, overflowing with talented artists. How does it feel to know you are now counted among that number?
I try not to think about it in that way. When you start to take the history of a book or character into account you can quickly become intimidated. I just try to do what I can to make sure that what I'm doing is the best I can do at the time and that it serves the story well.
5. Do you have a set of artists whom you have always aspired toward matching, or surpassing, as it were?
There are so many artists out there whose work is fresh and exciting - too many to name actually. Historically I draw inspiration from artists like Carl Larsson, Alphonse Mucha, Winsor McCay, and I'm rediscovering Norman Rockwell and J.C. Leyendecker after a few years away.
6. So... Robot Lois, huh?
She quickly became my favorite character to draw. She's a B.S. detector for Lex. While he's caught up in the majesty of this epic quest she's not sucked it. There's an irreverence about her. She may have been created to be there for Lex but she's self aware enough to know that her duties don't make her who she is. I think that detachment from her created purpose has allowed her fall for Lex in a way - I don't think she expected that.
Plus, she has guns. Lots and lots of guns. And she is a snazzy dresser.
7. On March 23, you stated on your blog that you are leaving Action Comics after this month's landmark issue. Can you give us any hint at all about what's next? Is the "slick, fast, dark, and sexy" project you mention there the extent of your current list, or is there anything more? When should we look for this hush-hush story?
Well I can't say much about it at all as of yet. I just finished the last of the character designs/redesigns and I really like the way it's coming together. It's a part of the DCU that I haven't played in much before.
The book rolls out after Flashpoint so I think we are looking for a late-summer/early-fall release.
8. What about the mythology of Superman draws you in the most as a fan and an artist?
The Superman universe is a flexible one in that there are so many different stories you can tell within it. You can go light and airy to intense action to heartbreak and back again without it seeming out of place or odd. There are few comic book universes capable of supporting that wide range of storytelling. The possibilities are endless.
9. From where do you draw inspiration for Kryptonian and otherworldly races and civilizations? Do you rely heavily on reference materials and past stories?
For new stuff I try to get the feel of whatever it is I am trying to design. I try to think about who created it and why, what their history, culture, and religion might be. I think about how the item is used. I also think about what we are trying to communicate with the story. From all that I look through reference - usually very Earthly stuff actually - and pull from similar ideas in history and nature.
For characters and cultures that already exist in the DCU I don't ever ignore what has been done in the past as far as the design goes. I don't believe in reinvention, but rather reinterpretation. For fans these cultures have been designed. It's my job to pull what has been created forward and make it believable in a modern context. The current project I am working on has been a fun challenge in that way. I'm taking characters back to their roots - back to their original designs - and then updating those designs. I think we've done a good job with it and the PTB at DC seem quite happy.
10. Death of the Endless was a pleasant surprise, showing up on the final page of Action Comics #893 and then carrying over to #894. Along with the anniversary issue, I'm sure drawing a Neil Gaiman classic in the current DCU has to be up there with your top geek-out moments, yes?
Absolutely. For many people (myself included) Death has a special place in their hearts. First I did geek out and an instant later realized that if I screw it up I'd never live it down. I don't think anyone was disappointed. Neil said he thought it worked well and that was nice to hear.
11. What have you learned from your time on the Superman titles? What useful wisdom or trivia would you impart to future creative teams?
Superman fans are the best. They are some of the friendliest and most supportive people I have ever had the privilege of meeting. As long as you treat Superman and his cast with respect then you'll be alright.
As with Paul Cornell's interview, I've pulled questions from various sources, including not just GeekDad.com, but also the Bendis Boards, Twitter, and my own off-line friends.
12. Jack Massard asks, "Having switched to computers, how does it affect how you approach your work, Pete?"
The safety of having an undo button has allowed me to experiment. That experimentation has taught me a lot about how to achieve the look I've always wanted. Having learned a lot of little tricks I am going to switch back to traditional media for my next project and try them out.
1__3. Jack Massard asks, "How does the time difference affect working together [with Paul Cornell]?"__
Since I stay up very late at night and Paul gets up at normal human hours we had a good deal of crossover time. I could speak to him as he was getting up and before I went to bed and then after I woke up he could speak to me right before he went to bed. I actually have a harder time keeping up with the DC offices!
1__4. Jack Massard asks, "What is Metropolis like to you? Can you describe a little of the work behind your 3D representation of Metropolis, Pete?"__
Oddly enough after all this time in the Superman universe I haven't had much opportunity to draw Metropolis. I have several versions of Metropolis that I could go with. There's the film version which is pretty much New York, the 1930's version which is very art deco and bauhaus (my favorite) and then there's a sci fi version that looks a bit like Coruscant. I think the best version I have ever seen is the DCU Online version. The design team did an incredible job!
When asked to build the 3D map I created for DC I was given a couple of maps and some landmarks they wanted included. The 3D map is mostly for placement of important buildings in relationship to each other and is open to individual artist interpretation as far as actual design goes.
A fly-through of the model can be found here on YouTube.
15. Duxdoom asks, "How awesome has it been to draw (for the most part) Lex Luthor's most recent story?"
It's been my favorite project so far! Paul made it work so well and it's been an absolute blast!
16. Jack Massard asks, "What under-appreciated character would you like to play around with?"
Not a character but a team: Challengers of the Unknown!
17. Vic G. writes, "There are so many call to action moments ingrained in our culture: Green Lantern reciting his oath, Optimus Prime telling his Autobots to roll out, and Superman ripping open his shirt as he bursts from a phone booth with the classic line, "this looks like a job for Superman!" Unfortunately, phone booths are kind of an endangered species now. If you had to reinvent that moment for a new generation how would you frame the Superman call to action sequence?"
I thought Donner handled it perfectly in the first film. The revolving door bit worked so well for me I don't see any reason to do it differently.
1__8. Vic G. asks, "You've been approached to draw Action 1000. What do you see going on for big blue in another 100 issues?"__
I would love to see a return to his roots. I would like to do a story based back at the beginning of the Superman mythos where he could leap tall buildings and nothing short of a bursting shell could penetrate his skin. As far as what's really going to happen I couldn't even guess, but if they want me to help out I'd be glad to!
19. Personamanx - "Do you find it weird that sometimes a young Lex Luthor looks exactly like Jimmy Olsen?" Have they ever been seen together? Weird.
I had never thought about it. Other than red hair I don't see much similarity. I always thought Jimmy and Archie could switch places and no one would really notice.
20. Vic G. asks, "What member of the extended cast is in most need of a comics makeover?" How would you approach that if given the green light?
Wow, that's a tough one. My knee-jerk reaction is Bibbo. He doesn't need much of a makeover however, I'd just like to see more of him and what makes him who he is. He must have had a tough life. I'd like to see his history played out in a modern way and without quite so much goofiness. He could make a strong supporting cast member today.
I would absolutely by a Bibbo mini with Pete Woods art. He's one of my favorite characters from the '90's, really.
All right, Pete, I guess that's a wrap. Thanks for agreeing to this interrogation, you've been a wonderful guest. Keep up the great art and come back often.
Next up, we’ll have an interview with Paul Cornell to get the writer's perspective. Then, we'll have a few poll questions. The polls were actually pushed back to get the interviews in prior to the release of Action Comics #900 this Wednesday.
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