Ewing & O'Connell

You know, there are schmucks like me who like to think they know a thing or two about comics, and there are legitimate journalists who know a thing or two about interviewing, but I'll be damned if the best comic-related interviews are the ones conducted by other comic book creators. Especially talented ones who respect each others' work, and ask questions out of a genuine interest in improving their own craft. It should come as no surprise that I was thrilled to see Garen Ewing (The Rainbow Orchid) interview David O'Connell (Tozo, The Public Servant). It's an impressive interview in both its depth and breadth, and I learned quite a lot about BOTH creators.

Also interesting from an American point-of-view is the fact that O'Connell, like many European comic creators, did not aspire to draw Batman or Spider-Man or Judge Dredd. He had a full background and training in areas outside comic art, and uses that experience and knowledge to influence his work. Consequently his work, which bears some superficial similarities to others', still comes across as fresh and original.

There's also an interesting discussion in there about webcomics in general and, more specifically how Tozo is designed for a print format, but with the knowledge/understanding that it will also show up on the web in an even more serialized form. It seems to me that Girl Genius is treated similarly, and I half-wonder if Jack Kirby had the same thing in mind when he was working on Sky Masters back in 1958!

But, hey, enough of me blathering about it, go read the actual interview!

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