The Dark Tower Companion: A Guide to Stephen King’s Epic Fantasy (43 page)

A:   I had a four-hour playlist of Ennio Morricone Western movie soundtrack music that I listened to the entire time. That stuff is cool anyway. I listened to a lot of soundtrack music while I was working on it. I ended up listening to some action movie soundtracks while I was working on the last issue.

A:   They should hire me to do all the storyboards! I think it will be cool. I'm looking forward to seeing it. It will be interesting to see how somebody else does a film version of these sets that I've drawn. Robin told me that they'd shown some of the work I did on Sheb's honky-tonk to Ron Howard, so we'll see what they end up doing.

A:   The inker is usually either an artist or an apprentice, somebody who, instead of penciling—drawing a whole book from a script or writing and drawing his own book—is assisting another artist to finish the drawings. Originally it was a necessary step for printing because the technology was such that you couldn't reproduce pencil work. Everything had to be done in clean lines that could be reproduced through metal engravings. Inking was developed to
turn sketches into something very clean and crisp that the printer could reproduce.

A:   I used to get physical pencil sketches, but ever since I started working with Michael I've been working from just JPGs. I turn them into blue lines and print them out. Then I ink in black and when I scan them, the blue disappears and we're just left with the black lines. It's a great system because it allows me to make little changes that I need to make and it saves me time erasing and cleaning up the pages. After I've scanned the inks, I send them to Marvel and Richard Isanove colors them and they get lettered and that's a book.

A:   No, I wasn't. I was of course aware of Stephen King's work but haven't read a lot of his work. I wasn't familiar at all with the Dark
Tower series, so I got
The Gunslinger
book that the episode we illustrated was taken from and read that, but that was the extent of my awareness of it.

A:   I love the whole part of the first book that shows Roland approaching Tull. It's got a great spaghetti Western feel, going through the desert. It's a great atmosphere. I was listening to Sergio Leone movie soundtracks while I was working on the books. Michael did a great job cinematically introducing the sets.

A:   Marvel approached me about drawing an arc of the Dark Tower as I was finishing
Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine
. I was very excited about this as I had a paperback copy of
The Gunslinger
from years ago and the opportunity to work on the Stephen King graphic novels was something I was very much interested in. I can still remember picking up the book and being very excited by the idea of a cowboy in a fantasy setting. I remember the cover pulling me in. I also remember my friend basing his Dungeons & Dragons character on the gunslinger! I now own all the graphic novels and have really enjoyed them. I've not read any of King's other books, though the TV adaptation of
'Salem's Lot
scared the hell out of me when I was a kid and I still get a chill when I hear tapping on the window.

A:   I'm doing pencils, covers and inks. I'm very excited to be working with Richard. I think his coloring is amazing. In my opinion, he is an essential part of the book. Before starting my arc on The Way Station, I was looking at the other artists who I was going to follow and felt that Sean Phillips and Michael Lark brought a real cowboy essence to the book while Jae Lee, I felt, brought a more fantasy iconic look to the book. I have tried to find a balance between the two styles. It is very flattering to be part of a project with such established artists. I'm loving the way the story has been planned out and am really enjoying the art. It really is a great package.

A:   Ralph Macchio (the editor of the Dark Tower series) was my editor for
Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine
. I was offered the opportunity to draw the arc as I was coming to the end of my previous strip. I pretty much jumped at the chance.

A:   I bought all the trade paperbacks and then researched and found reference to get the feel of the story right. Obviously you have to respect how other artists have drawn the characters. Generally, though, I am just drawing what I feel is right for the story. I think a lot of credit goes to the editors who have picked all of the artists, as I think there is a line of similarity between all of us.

A:   When I first read the script, I found Jake Chambers's backstory very touching. I felt that while I wanted to read it, a part of me didn't want to, as it gets pretty dark. I've just tried to make Jake an innocent-looking boy. At this moment I am drawing the point where Jake first appears.

A:   The script I've been given is not a full script, more of an old “Marvel style” script, which just gives directions. At first I found this a surprise and a challenge. But now I really enjoy it as I get the chance to pace the book for myself. Because the story is adapted from a book, it does give you the opportunity to be a little bit experimental with page layouts but not to the detriment of the storytelling—that must always come first.

A:   When I send him the pages, I send him my thoughts of how I see the scene and possible color ideas. However, the final product is down to Richard and I have total faith in him. I purposely made the artwork more spacious on The Dark Tower because I think this works to Richard's strengths.

A:   I have e-mail contact with Robin and send the artwork to her to be approved. She always has a great knowledge of the Dark Tower, and when I have any questions, she's been incredibly helpful.

A:   There is a certain mood and presence that
The Punisher
has that I guess can be seen in Roland, though maybe not as dark. Just to add, I'm really excited about drawing the strip. It's an honor to be part of the team.