Interviewed: DEAN HASPIEL

Emmy award winning artist, Dean Haspiel, created the Eisner Award nominated BILLY DOGMA, and has drawn many great superhero and semi-autobiographical comic books published by Marvel, DC/Vertigo, ACT-I-VATE, Dark Horse, Image, Scholastic, Toon Books, Top Shelf, The New York Times, and illustrates for HBO’s “Bored To Death.” http://www.deanhaspiel.com/

What comics or art projects are you working on right now?

I recently drew artwork for season 3 of HBO’s “Bored To Death” [which will air in the Fall] and collaborated with Stan Lee [a dream come true] on a one-page comic titled, “Even Gorilla’s Have Pride!” for Troy Wilson’s altruistic PANELS FOR PRIMATES initiative published at ACT-I-VATE.com [ http://www.act-i-vate.com/114-36.comic ]. The summer issue of OVERFLOW, a free magazine in and about South Brooklyn, inaugurated a new essay series of mine the first of which features a story called “Face2Face” about an internet date gone wrong. I’m currently collaborating with writer, Tim Hall, on an original story called “The Last Mortician,” for Tor.com, which will appear for free online sometime this year. And, I recently curated the COMIX BLOCK section of Cousin Corinne’s REMINDER #3, a literary anthology published and distributed by BookCourt [ http://www.cousincorinne.com/ ]. I’ve helped Seth Kushner on exciting, new CulturePOP profiles [ http://www.act-i-vate.com/104.comic ] and plan to take some time off this summer to draw a new BILLY DOGMA story called, “The Last Romantic Antihero.” I’m also writing the pilot for a proposed TV series and/or feature length film depending on the outcome.

What other artists in your field inspire you?

I’m continually awed and inspired by my childhood faves, Jack Kirby, C.C. Beck, Alex Toth, Will Eisner, Frank Miller, Howard Chaykin, and Walter Simonson. And, recently, I can’t get enough of RM Guera, Jordi Bernet, Frank Quitely, Eduardo Risso, Duncan Fegredo, Mike Mignola, Richard Corben, Nick Bertozzi, Josh Neufeld, Frazer Irving, Marcos Martin, Paolo Rivera, John Romita Jr., Kyle Baker, Michel Fiffe, Mike Cavallaro, and Benjamin Marra — who makes me laugh. Wait till you see what Joe Infurnari has done on his upcoming graphic novel collaborations, MUSH! SLED DOGS WITH ISSUES, and MARATHON, both for First Second. The art will blow your mind away.

Do you work out of your home or do you have an office/studio space?

I often write at home away from the chatter but I currently draw at my new digs, HANG DAI Studios, located in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn with six other writers, artists, and designers.

What upcoming projects are you most excited about and why?

I had the distinguished honor of drawing a page for SCALPED #50, my favorite monthly comic book series being made today. I loved what colorist Giulia Brusco did on my art and asked her to color my 8-page AMAZING SPIDER-MAN story that I wrote and drew for Marvel Comics and has yet been scheduled for publication. 23D Films hired me to do covers and lead character design on a motion comics series they’re producing for season 3 of SyFy’s WAREHOUSE 13, coming soon.

Where do you see comics heading in the next 5 years?

Five years from now, franchise comics monthlies will have fully transitioned to digital download and popular story arcs will be archived in print editions for older fans of the medium. Relationships between publisher, retailer, and consumer will be heavily impacted by this paradigm shift but a possible model that supports the trifecta will be finessed and implemented until the publisher becomes the retailer, too. Surviving comic book shops and bookstores will alter and provide discounted subscription services/kiosks and become destination points for live readings/signings and other types of physical gatherings/events. Meanwhile, savvy auteurs will have abandoned the advance pay and chaperon of the weaker publishing houses and either ally with other content makers to create a new brand of publishing participation or take the burden of solo distribution and marketing while cutting out the middle man. The electronic playing field will have leveled but widened exponentially and the online store will become a vista of too many choices. Progenitors of Cool will sway the day and dictate who makes hay. Beware the promise of a better tomorrow. It’s gonna get hairy.