Interview:
Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan and his wife Linda
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This interview was done trough emails in February
2004.
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Matthieu-David:
Which artists influenced you the most ?
Paul
Ryan: Some of the artists who
influenced me at a very early age were Hal Foster, Sy
Barry, Dan Barry and Curt Swan.
I was enthralled by the adventures of Prince
Valiant, Flash Gordon and The Phantom.
This was before I discovered comic books.
Once I started reading comics I tended to
gravitate to any stories drawn by Curt Swan.
In those days before credits we never had a name
to go with the artwork.
I just liked the “good” Superman artists.
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity, on
two occasions, to speak with Curt.
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Hal Foster
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Sy Barry
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Dan Barry
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Curt Swan
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M-D: And what
are your influences in general ?
P.R.:Everything I see influences me in some way. I am constantly trying to memorize people, places and things
as well as light, shadow and texture.
I love movies.
Movies and TV are a geat influence as well.
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M-D:
What’s your favourite movie ?
P.R.:Now
that one is a very tough question.
There are so many fine films.
Off the top of my head I can think of a dozen
that could be a favorite.
I have quite a large film library to choose
from. If
I had to select two films by the number of times I
have viewed them they would be Superman: The Movie
and The Phantom.
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M-D:
could you elaborate on the movies as an influence
for you ? is it in terms of story telling, frames
? ( I’m a future director of Photography so
I’m really interested in the relation between
movies and comics )
P.R.:
Yes,
mostly the camera angles and use of light and
shadow. The
penciler is very much like the director in motion
pictures. We
have to move characters around within an
environment in an interesting way that moves the
story to its ultimate climax or resolution.
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M-D:
What do you think about the translation from
comics to films ? ( which do you think succeeded
in terms of visual ideas and story telling?)
P.R.:
Superman
the Movie-Very Good.
The three succeeding Superman movies
declined in quality with each attempt.
Batman-Very Good.
The same fate occurred with the sequels as
did with the Superman franchise.
Spider-Man- Very, very good.
I hope they do as well with the next film.
X-Men and X-Men 2 Very, very good.
They got it right two out of two. Excelsior!! Incredible
Hulk was disappointing.
Too much back story, confusing
cinematography and an unsatisfying conclusion.
The only good parts to the film was getting
to see Jennifer Connelly and seeing the Hulk bust
loose against the military.
Those scenes could have been storyboarded
by Jack Kirby.
I enjoyed Daredevil but I thought it was a
little too dark.
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M-D:
Is there an artist you would you love to work with ?
(writer, inker or colourist )
P.R.:
I
have been blessed with the opportunity to work
with many fine writers over the years.
One of the high points in my career was
working with Stan Lee on the Spider-Man Sunday
strip. I would like to work with Kurt Busiek again.
We collaborated on my first assignment for
DC. A
Superman Annual.
Peter David, Mark Evanier and Harlan
Ellison come to mind.
Harlan had asked me to illustrate a story
for his DREAMSCAPE project.
Unfortunately it was put on hold
indefinitely.
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M-D: On which comic book would you like to work or is there a specific
character that you would like to work on (
can even be a dream project )?
P.R.:
Now
that’s a tough one.
There are several characters I would like
to tackle at least once.
Conan, Prince Valiant, Flash Gordon, John
Carter of Mars, Wonder Woman and the Alan Scott
Green Lantern.
I have a treatment for a plot involving
Tarzan and The Phantom but nowhere to shop it
around. I don’t think Dark Horse is still doing Tarzan and
Moonstone has the corner on the American market
for The Phantom.
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The Phantom by Paul Ryan
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M-D: If you hadn’t worked in comics, what would you have done for a
living ?
P.R.:
Now that’s a tough one to
answer.
I honestly don’t know.
I worked as a Graphic Designer for an engineering
firm for eleven years before I broke into comics.
I was not happy in that job.
I always wanted to draw stories whether for the comic
books or comic strips.
It was a dream that took a long time to achieve.
I was thirty-five when I finally broke into comics.
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M-D:
Could you describe your typical day ?
P.R.:
Up
until a year ago I would be awake around 6:am, walk two
miles, do some stretching excersises and work out with
weights for 45 minutes.
Total workout ran two hours followed by breakfast
and then on to the drawing board.
Depending on the deadline involved I could be at
the drawing board until 9:00 or 10:00pm.
About a year ago we took in a stray cat and her
kittens. Now
I get up in the morning, clean the litter boxes, feed the
cats, fix a breakfast and lunch (to go) for my wife,
Linda. Once
Linda is off to work I answer email and then on to the
drawing board.
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M-D:
If you were a comic book character, who would you be ?
and why ?
P.R.:
I
would be Superman. I would want the most powerto to the
greatest good for the most people.
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Superman by Paul Ryan
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M-D: What’s your favourite song ?
P.R.:
“Follow
Me” by John Denver, “Music of the Night” by Andrew
Lloyd Webber and “The Planets” by Gustaf Holtz.
Sorry I just can’t play favorites.
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M-D:
Do you listen to music
or radio when you draw ?
P.R.:
Yes,
the radio or CD player is constantly on when I work.
Classic radio helps me stay calm when I ink.
Country or Rock helps me get jazzed when I pencil.
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M-D: What’s your favourite book ?
P.R.:
I
have been a voracious reader for years.
It would be difficult to select one out of all the books
I have read. I will,
instead, mention two books I have read recently that I just
couldn’t put down. The
DaVinci Code by Dan Brown and Trapped by Greg Iles.
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M-D: Is there a comic book character that you really can’t stand ?
which one and why ?
P.R.:
That
question presupposes that these characters are real people
and unchanging. Whether
a character is good or bad is dependent on the writer.
I will say that there are incarnations of a character
that I don’t like. DC
Comics turning Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) into a homicidal
maniac was definitely a mistake in my humble opinion.
Marvel’s retcon of the Rawhide Kid into a
homosexual was wrong. Anytime
a writer or a company alters the basic personality we have
come to accept about a given character it does a disservice
to the character and to the reader.
I agree with the sentiment that there are no bad
characters only bad writers.
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M-D:
Did you have some hard times in your career ? which ones
and how did you deal with those ?
P.R.:
Yes, I have had some hard times.
Generally they were of a personal nature.
Drawing comics allowed me to shut out, for a time,
the stresses I was enduring in real life.
When I draw a story I feel as though I “enter”
the world I am illustrating.
For a brief time it becomes real for me.
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M-D: What's your
favourite type of scripts ? very detailled or not ?
P.R.:
I have worked from a loose plot, Marvel style, and I have worked from
very detailed scripts on The Phantom.
I like to have some room to breathe, which the plot
allows. I can
sometimes choreograph a fight scene better than the writer.
I studied the Martial Arts for two years, learned
the basics of fencing and am proficient with firearms.
On several occasions, though, I worked from very
sparse plots and had to create much more than a fight
sequence. I
was once given a plot, typewritten on two sheets of paper,
that I had to turn into a 64 page Graphic Novel.
I don’t mind scripts if I am allowed some
discretionary editing in the penciling stage.
Generally I will speak with the writer or editor if
I think a particular scene would work better a different
way.
M-D: What material
do you use for your art ? what type of pencils do you
use ?
P.R.:
The paper is Strathmore two-ply Bristol board with a medium finish.
I prefer a slightly rough texture for penciling.
I use whatever pencil is readily available.
I do my layouts in blue pencil and finish up with a
mechanical pencil with an HB lead.
The softness of the lead depends on the humidity
and how it is affecting the surface texture of the paper.
M-D:
how
do you look back at your past work ? Are you still happy
with your past pages ? Or do you critizise your work a
lot ?
P.R.:
I am not very kind to my past incarnations. Occasionally I will see a page or a panel that I like and
hope that I can duplicate that feeling in my current
work. Most of the time I look at my past work and wonder how I
could have allowed that page out of the house.
I used to play a game when I was very young. I had several large sketchbooks that I filled on a daily
basis. As
years passed I would go back to the sketchbooks and draw
the same character or scene right next to one I have
done a few years prior.
I would then denigrate the previous artist (Me)
as though he was a separate, distinct person.
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M-D: What’s the weirdest drawing a fan asked you ?
P.R.:
Quasar
vs. Gumby
M-D: Gum.. who ?
who is that ? P.R.:
Gumby is a claymation character that has been around for
years in the U.S
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M-D: Have
you ever been to Paris ? and if so what surprised you the most
when you arrived ?
P.R.:
Sorry
to say I have never been to the City of Lights.
I have a niece who recently
spent
a few months in Paris as part of her schools exchange
program. She
absolutely fell in love with the City and its people. My
only trip to Europe to date was to Aviles, Spain as a guest
of that City’s Comic Convention.
That was very enjoyable.
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M-D: What is your best achievement so far ?
P.R.:
You saved the most difficult question for last.
Actually I don’t feel as though I have achieved
anything of note thus far in my life.
I am working at a job that I love.
That is not an achievement it is good fortune. I am married to a wonderful woman. This is not an acheivement it is a Blessing.
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M-D: Is there a question no one ever asked you in interview
and what would be the answer ?
P.R.:
Yes.
Do I prefer Blondes, Brunettes or Redheads?
I married a redhead.
I think that should sufficiently answer that
question.
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M-D:
And since My website is on Dr Doom mainly, and that you drew
him quiet a few times :) , How would you describe the
character ?
P.R.:
I
see Victor Von Doom as a tortured individual.
So much that happened in his early life was beyond
his control. His
mother died when he was very young.
His father died while fleeing, with his son, from an
injustice. Also he was a Gypsy. In
Europe the Gypsies had no power.
They were outcasts of society, scorned, mistrusted
and at the mercy of the ruling class.
Because of this he has an overpowering need to
control the world around him. He is brilliant but flawed.
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M-D:
Who do you think wrote Dr Doom the best ?
P.R.:
Stan
with John Byrne a close second.
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M-D:
What
is the trickiest thing to draw about him ?
P.R.:
Trying
to show emotion through that damned mask.
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M-D
: To draw Dr Doom, did you get influenced by other
artist’s visions of the character or not ?
P.R.:
Generally
I would look at Kirby and Byrne.
Interesting how each artist approached the character.
As I said trying to show emotion was tricky.
The man is wearing a full face mask. Byrne
came up with these eyebrow pieces that moved to give the
impression of a frown or a scowl.
Kirby just threw physics out the window and drew
facial expressions on the mask as if it were organic.
I suppose if anyone had an “Artistic Liscence” it
would have been Jack Kirby.
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Thanks a lot Paul !!!
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Check Paul
Ryan website here: www.secondstargraphics.com
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