Comic Book Conversations

Art by Sophie Campbell Writing, illustrating, coloring, and lettering - Sophie Campbell does it all. For the eighth edition of Comic Book Conversations, comics creator Sophie Campbell goes into detail about reading reviews of her work, offers advice to aspiring creators, talks about her career, and so much more. Now, let’s get to know Sophie a little better! GREGG KATZMAN: What jobs did you have before you broke into the comics industry? Art by Sophie Campbell SOPHIE CAMPBELL: My first ever job was at a gardening place, I had to tag flowers and move saplings and things like that, although on my first day they made me clean the bathroom which was a horrible nightmare. I was eventually fired, which remains one of the best days of my life. After that I worked at a small fabric shop which I loved, then I moved on to a screenprinting place for years which was also cool but eventually left me feeling kind of useless because I wasn't very good at it, but they kept me empl...

It’s possible that we’re living in the best timeline because comic book movies have taken over pop culture and most of them are legitimately good – the bar for these movies has definitely been raised. This year, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is taking ginormous steps forward as it finally unleashes Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and shines the spotlight on Hope van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp. The studio also had massive success with director Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther – the world finally got to explore Wakanda on the big screen. Meanwhile, 20 th Century Fox is releasing the hugely anticipated sequel to Deadpool – it still blows my mind that Wade Wilson has become a household name – and giving the Dark Phoenix storyline another shot in a new X-Men film. Over at Columbia Pictures, Miles Morales will star in his own animated movie and the studio is attempting to build its a new live-action universe with Venom – or maybe they’ll surprise us by connecting it to the MCU, but that’...

One of my fanboy dreams has come true: James Howlett, aka Old Man Logan, will face Sergei Kravinoff, aka Kraven the Hunter. The showdown was revealed in Marvel’s solicitations for June 2018 and “Kraven’s Hunt for Logan” will go down in Old Man Logan #41 and #42. Kraven’s my favorite villain and it has always baffled me that the Spider-Man foe has never set his sights on the adamantium-clawed X-Man. Wolverine’s the best there is at what he does, and Kraven sure does love a challenge, so shouldn’t Sergei go after this formidable hero? Totally seems like a no-brainer, right? I figured this encounter may never happen, so I even wrote a very brief and brutal fan-fiction about it – don’t set your expectations too high if you check it out… OLD MAN LOGAN #41 ED BRISSON (W) FRANCESCO MANNA (A) Cover by MIKE DEODATO JR. KRAVEN’S HUNT FOR LOGAN! It’s a showdown in the Savage Land! Will Logan be able to outwit Kraven, Marvel’s greatest hunter? And what’s behind K...

Artwork by Dexter Soy and Veronica Gandini. Lettering in all images are by Taylor, of course. T aylor Esposito has spent years making words jump off the pages of comic books and come to life in your mind. For the seventh edition of Comic Book Conversations, Taylor offers insight into the incredibly busy world of lettering, explains why it’s such a rewarding challenge, and says why Red Hood’s his favorite member of the Batman family. Now, let’s get to know Taylor a little better! Art by Mirko Colak, Tom Derenick, and Veronica Gandini GREGG KATZMAN: What did you do for work before becoming a letterer? TAYLOR ESPOSITO: Before I was a letterer, I was a production artist for Marvel for about five years. It’s where I figured out I wanted to do lettering and work in comics. GK: How’d you break into the industry? TE: I broke in almost immediately after college. I was offered a week long temp job at Marvel that eventually became a full-time position. GK: What'...

Back in 2008, I remember getting goosebumps as Tony Stark stepped into his advanced armor during Jon Favreau’s Iron Man and later having my mind explode when Nick Fury made a surprise appearance about the Avengers Initiative. Fury’s cameo made it clear that the superhero movie was part of something much bigger and I couldn’t wait for more. Later that year, I remember being awe-struck as the Green Goliath and Abomination had an absolutely savage slugfest in director Louis Leterrier’s The Incredible Hulk. In 2010, I loved seeing Black Widow effortlessly take down enemies and Iron Man work with War Machine in combat. In 2011, I couldn’t believe I was looking at Asgard in a movie theater and I thought it was so cool that Hawkeye made his big screen debut. Later that year, it was surreal seeing Steve Rogers become a super-soldier and “punch Hitler.” In 2012, Marvel Studios finally brought all these iconic characters together for a movie that was full of amusing banter, exciting action,...

Gerry Duggan (writer) Matteo Lolli (artist) Ruth Redmond (colorist) VC’s Joe Sabino (letterer) Artwork by Mike Hawthorne & Nathan Fairbairn The Despicable Deadpool #296 is all about Captain America attempting to capture Deadpool. That premise alone – the Sentinel of Liberty versus the Merc with a Mouth – is more than enough to create an entertaining issue that’s packed with fun fighting and solid comedy. Duggan, Lolli, Redmond, and Sabino absolutely deliver on that front – the action has some slick choreography and there’s some funny banter and scenarios from Deadpool - but the creative team went above and beyond by delivering a story that’s also emotional . Even though this issue takes place after the Marvel event Secret Empire and Deadpool’s tie-in issues, it’s technically new reader-friendly – there’s an adequate and adorable intro page, as well as some pretty organic exposition sprinkled throughout the story. Your connection to the clash won’t be as strong if...

Art by Mike Hawthorne & Nathan Fairbairn Artist Mike Hawthorne has spent years bringing Deadpool’s adventures to life and he’s had the opportunity to illustrate Amazing Spider-Man, All-New Guardians of the Galaxy, Conan, and many more. In the sixth edition of Comic Book Conversations, Mike talks about his career as an artist, what it was like crafting a fight between the King of Wakanda and the Merc with a Mouth, and gives some advice to aspiring artists. Now, let’s get to know Mike a little better! Art by Mike Hawthorne & Val Staples GREGG KATZMAN: What did you do for work before becoming an artist? MIKE HAWTHORNE: Ha! Yeah, I did all kinds of stuff. I worked as a cook for a while, after college, then began taking work as a designer and advertising illustrator. I used to do work for the 76ers, back when Iverson was on the team. Coloring books, print ads, TV stuff, etc. I used to do storyboards for commercials and film, but always with an eye towards comics. ...

What would happen if there was a clash between DC’s accurate assassin and Marvel’s Fist of Khonshu? Would you side with Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, because he has uncanny aim and he doesn’t hold back? Or would you bet on Marc Spector, aka Moon Knight, because he’s a brutal and highly skilled vigilante? Let’s cast aside personal preference and take a close look at the pros and cons that both of these fictional fighters are bringing to the battle. Let’s pretend this brawl between Deadshot and Moon Knight goes down in a standard city setting. It’ll take place during night, the area is unpopulated, and they’ve spotted each other from a pretty decent distance – let’s say 50 feet or so. This is a totally random encounter, meaning neither character knows anything about their opponent – they are from different worlds, after all. Seeing as Moon Knight has gone through several changes over the years, let’s imagine Moon Knight has his “classic” gear, meaning the equipment he had in hi...