Interviews

  Catching -Up With Gentleman Gene Colan

Interview By Tim Lasiuta

You can contact Tim at tlasiuta@telusplanet.net

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Gene Colan is truly a gentleman. His work has appeared in Captain America, Captain Marvel, Daredevil, Howard the Duck, Batman, The Avengers, Hopalong Cassidy, Nathaniel Dusk, Tomb of Dracula, Silverblade, Wonder Woman, and so many more. Recently, I had the privilege of speaking to him about his work, his life, and his future.

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Tim: How did you get your start in the comic book industry?

Gene: I got my start before I entered the service. I tried DC Comics, and they were very encouraging. They told me to go to art school and study anatomy. I didnxt want to go to any school, I thought I was ready, then. But I wasnxt. So I took their advice, and went to the Art Students League for a while. I got a- summer job with Fiction House in Manhattan. I met Murphy Anderson who was also working there at the same time. I was around 18 or 19 at the time. Right after that, I went into the air force. I got posted in Manilla, with the Occupation Forces. I did a lot of artwork for the officers club, and stuff like that. Nothing of any consequence really. I did some other work for the Manilla Times, my impressions of army life and what I thought of Manilla, that sort of thing. Right after I got out of the service, the first thing I did was try to get work out of Marvel Comics. They gave me my first real professional position. Thatxs when I met Stan Lee.

Tim: What kind of work did you do at Fiction House?

Gene: I did all kinds of stuff. From war stories, even jungle stories, they really threw a lot of stuff at me that I didnxt know the first thing about. pictures, I had to learn. I met George Tuska, and many others I forget right now. I would always compare my work with theirs, and I could see how much I really had to learn.

Tim : In the industry today, you have the giants, the people who have the respect, and the backlog of material that other artists imitate. Look at Neal Adams, this work is being redone on a daily basis. Jim Steranko, Gil Kane. Who influenced you?

Gene: Syd Shore certainly did. On the outside, Milton Canuff (Terry and the Pirates), Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon), and Hal Foster (Tarzan). These people were illustrators. Reed Crandall as well was one of my influences. He was a wonderful artist, and he wound up leaving the industry.

Tim: If you were to look back, what would be the highlight of your life or one of the highlights?

Gene: When I started out, the process was there would be pencillers, then inkers. I always wondered why the artists couldnxt have their work reproduced from the pencils. I didnxt like inking, I was slow. They didnxt have the printing abilities they have now. The turning point for me was when publishers were willing to reproduce from pencil, and take that risk. They knew they could get the detail from the pencil, it was amatter of effort. I had good success with that. I did all the Nathaniel Dusk stories that way.

Tim: Don McGregor had said that you were the only artist he could think of to do the artwork other than you.

Gene: I have been fortunate over the years to have built a following. I get commissions to do work from fans. I donxt do stories anymore, but on occasion I will work for Darkhorse. I have done quite a bit of work for them. The rest are commissions, and I am doing well with them.

Tim: Many of the older artists are doing that.

Gene: They have to. I am trying to get into fine arts. I am trying to switch. I think Ixll do well with it. I am trying to get into a gallery, and paint what I want to paint and see if people will like it. I really donxt want to be told what to do anymore. I want to get beyond that.

Tim: Thanks for your time.

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