Comicbookinterviews.com is pleased to present a multi-part interview series with the creators of the new Smith’s anthology Unite and Take Over. Creator Joshua Green discusses his contribution to Unite and Take Over…
Assignment: Artist
Song: Panic
JMH: What do The Smiths mean to you personally?
JOSHUA: My family and I listened to a lot of Joy Division, Depeche Mode, The Eurythmics and the 80s was just one of those time periods that had great band after great band; The Smiths being one of them.
JMH: How did you get involved in this project?
JOSHUA: I met Matt Burke (the writer) at a convention back in 2009 where he was working for Shawn’s then comic shop, Spaz Dog Comics and we’d been friends ever since. I had been lurking around Phoenix Comic Con 2011 and caught Matt talking to Shawn about the project and Matt was saying that he had his script but still needed an artist. Even though I’d be gone all summer working, I volunteered my services and here I am now.
JMH: Have you worked with publisher Shawn Demumbrum from SpazDog Press before?
JOSHUA: I’ve never worked with Shawn before on any other projects, no.
JMH: Let’s talk about your contribution to the project…Why did you choose the specific song for your contribution?
JOSHUA: Well like I said, Matt had the script and story chosen already and by his song choice “Panic”, I had a good idea of where the story was going. Matt is an accomplished writer and I really enjoy his ideas, so I knew whatever he had done, it’d be something I love working on.
JMH: Creative teams were formed for each story. Tell the readers about your team. Describe your working relationship and what is the collaborative process like?
JOSHUA: Matt already had the script done and so where we worked together most, was on the page layouts and art direction. I had volunteered my time for two months with the Southwest Conservation Corps, working disaster relief and didn’t have time to work on the story at all. When I got back, we had about a week before the deadline and we had no artwork done what so ever. In about the span of that week, we’d laid out, I had drawn, inked and toned, then my brother lettered all seven pages. Matt was really understanding with the whole thing and although the artwork isn’t as satisfactory, we are definitely happy with how the whole thing came together.
JMH: Were there other songs that you wanted to sink your teeth into?
JOSHUA: I would have loved to have done “Meat is Murder”. That song is just so eerily catchy and depressing and it’d be something rather personal for me.
JMH: Will you be at the Tucson Comicon for the launch of the book?
JOSHUA: Matt and I will have a booth at this year’s Tucson Comic Con (TCC), November 5 and 6 at The Bookman’sEntertainmentCenterinTucson,AZ.
JMH: Where can fans see samples of the artwork?
JOSHUA: I don’t have any of my artwork up online, but anyone that attends the convention will be able to view my portfolio, purchase artwork and commissions, as well as some prints that will be available through myself, ComicFanFilms.com (http://comicfanfilms.com/Comic_Fan_Films/Home.html) and possibly Arizona’s very best in comics, Drawn To Comics (http://www.drawntocomics.com/).
JMH: What other projects do you have on the horizon?
JOSHUA: I’m currently working on another project with Matt Burke that will premiere atTCCand we may very well be previewing some other stories that him and I have in mind at the convention. I’ll be doing the cover to issue #1 of “RONE” which is another story Matt wrote. I’ll also be working with ComicFanFilms.com on their next film and an exclusive Tucson Comic Con print for their last film, Phoenix Comic Con 2011 ‘Fan Favorite’, “Deadpool: Death of Wade Wilson”.
JMH: Anything else you’d like to mention that we haven’t talked about yet?
JOSHUA: If anyone reading this has the time, check out the store Drawn to Comics inGlendale,AZ:
The art work of Shelby Robertson at:
http://www.americandischord.com/
And the guys over at Evil Robo Productions at:
JMH: Josh, CBI really appreciates your time, All the best!
JOSHUA: Hey, thank you guys. Hope to see you all at the convention.
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About the interviewer –
John Michael Helmer is the Publisher and CEO of Red Leaf Media, LLC. Red Leaf Media operates: www.ComicBookInterviews.com & www.RedLeafComics.com.
John’s creator-owned properties include: The Leaf, Canada’s Greatest Hero, Sky Watcher, G.I.s versus Zombies, The Armor Guardians, The Huskie, Dune, Master Spy!, and many others.
John can be reached at: jhelmer@comicbookinterviews.com and redleafcomics@gmail.com
