"Spotlight on Phil Jimenez" at San Diego Comic-Con 2005

Spotlight on Phil Jimenez--DC editor Eddie Berganza sits down with the detail-oriented, fan-favorite creator Phil Jimenez (Infinite Crisis, DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy) in this revealing Q&A.

Phil Jimenez at the Spotlight Panel
Phil Jimenez at the DC Booth

The atmosphere was casual as Phil opened up the floor to questions and discussion about his career in comics. Frequent Editor-collaborator Eddie Berganza moderated the conversation.

Phil talked about his satisfying comics career as the spotlight maintained a low-key breezy tone. He mentioned that he feels a responsibility to the reader; They are paying $3.00 or so to be entertained for 15-20 minutes. And he feels they should get 'something' from that time. "They should be able to go back to it over and over." It's a trust with the reader that he takes very seriously.

Phil talked about his upbringing in Southern California. "As a kid, I created fantasy worlds," he explained. He grew up on Star Wars and Wonder Woman and "recreated those worlds. Thinking about them. Drawing them." His first comic, as he recalled, was Wonder Woman #226 - which featured Earth 1 and Earth 2. And he mentioned, "Even at about 6 years old, I had no problems understanding the multiple earths."

Phil elaborated on the sense of ownership he feels for characters. But he's learned the lesson that he does not own them. "That's a lesson I learned on Wonder Woman," he explained. There are some times when 'your' vision of a character may not match what the company plans for that same character. But that's OK. It is, after all, their characters. A fan asked who was responsible for Hippolyta's death in Wonder Woman. Phil said that was something that was established by editorial. But he tried to give her death some emotional weight. "That death scene was very important to me." He sees Wonder Woman, in part as a love story between Diana and her mother. "Not all love stories are romantic," Phil noted.

Phil was asked about his similarities to George Pérez. He noted that he wouldn't have a career without the inspiration of George Pérez! He's not at all bitter about comparisons, but he does feel his style has evolved significantly since his early days as a comic book artist. He did speak about the different 'schools' of comic book illustration. The detail-oriented Pérez 'school' is something that he falls under - along with artists such as Ethan Van Skiver. He also mentioned that he was tremendously influenced by Brian Bolland and Adam Hughes. And he challenged himself to keep up with new, eciting talents like Ed McGuiness and Ivan Reis.

He talked a bit about trying to get caught up with some Infinite Crisis pages while at the show. He is enjoying the project - and the chance to collaborate with Geoff Johns. He mentioned how he and artist Patrick Gleason were going over some Green Lantern Corps designs and Geoff was sitting there "just glowing" at the collaborative atmosphere. Phil also mentioned that the new Crisis isn't a redo of an old story. "We don't want to just retread the old Crisis," he mentioned. "[Infinite Crisis won't be] what the last one was."

A Donna Troy Sketch by Phil Jimenez

He also mentioned some of the challenges with a project like Infinite Crisis, which is so large in scope. "It's hard not to go for the splash pages." There's so many big moments and it all has to fit in a certain number of pages! So there is a certain amount of restraint. He also wants to nail all the scenes with icons like Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman. Phil mentioned how he's been working on 'bulking up' Superman - since he usually draws men with more 'normal' builds.

Phil also talked about how he likes to install some emotion into his work. "I think you can always tell what [my characters are] feeling by looking at their faces."

Phil also spoke about Donna Troy and his love for the character. He is always surprised how many people are confused by her history. "It's really not THAT confusing," he noted. "It's all linear." He was very proud they he was able to distill her history into 3 panels in the Donna Troy mini series.

He also told the audience that he was not removing Donna from the Wonder Woman mythos. "People were troubled that we were removing Donna from the Wonder Woman mythos. Not so." Although the Titans of Myth is an important part of Donna's history, there is no intention of undoing Donna's connections to Wonder Woman. Phil also had this to say, "I hope we never, ever, ever have to see another "Who Is" story" concerning Donna. Amen to that!

Phil also chatted a bit about his original Vertigo series, "Otherworld" - which has been brewing since his college days. He praised the coloring by Jeremy Cox on that book and really strived for a cinematic feel. He also credited Andy Lanning for accepting the job as inker because of the extra work involved in inking a project like Otherworld. He said he also has a "Book Two" in mind if Otherworld is a success.

A fan asked about Phil's dream job. After some thought, Phil answered, "Wow! I think I've done everything I've wanted to do!" Upon realizing that, he felt lucky and fortunate to have reached that point. Phil mentioned working with Alan Moore - because he's curious what that would be like. He did say he would like to work with Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns on anything. And he mentioned that he would love to work with Neil Gaiman on a "Desire [the Sandman character] project."

What's next for Mr. Jimenez after Crisis? Perhaps some travel. Phil mentions that would love to go to Spain for awhile. Just as long as he returns to the DC Universe eventually!