article by MattBrady
coutesy of http://www.newsarama.com
posted May 14, 2003 09:26 AM
As Newsarama has reported, the three-issue Graduation Day miniseries,
the first weekly issue of which, is in stores today, serves many purposes:
dismantling the Titans and Young Justice, setting up Outsiders and Teen
Titans, and one more – giving artist Alé Garza a turn in the spotlight.
While Garza has been exclusive to DC for some time now, the miniseries
is perhaps his highest profile gig to date for the publisher –
and one that he didn't approach lightly. "Basically, I was asking
[Wildstorm Group Editor] Scott Dunbier if there was anything in the
pipeline from DC, and he suggested this," Garza said. "It
just seemed like a natural fit. I was pretty excited to have a shot
at drawing these characters."
Graduation Day isn't Garza's first encounter with the characters of
Young Justice, but even though he'd been there before, he had minor
reservations after hearing about it. "I must say I was interested
to see who wrote it before I completely jumped on, but I was happy to
find out it was Judd. Once I learned that, I was just about ready to
start, but was still a little leery, especially when I found out characters
were dying. But once I read Judd's script, I felt it was great - I was
impressed by the way he handled it all. There's a great mix of action
and drama. I love to draw characters showing emotion, and with this
it was a blast. I got to take it from here to there, to be both loud
and quiet, it was a great test."
According to the artist, the script wasn't a closed book at all.
"I had some input on the story – you'll see in issue
#2, I got to play with some characters in my own way. It was really
cool."
Like Winick, Garza is totally mum on the miniseries death(s?), but
said that in his opinion, they'll leave a deep impact on readers,
as they did with him – and he was only reading the words. "They
were just laid out perfectly," Garza said. "The death in issue
#3 especially. Going into it, I was nervous. I knew that i would be
drawing what could become ‘classic' shots of well-loved characters
kicking the bucket. I gave the art a lot of attention, and went for
drama, that was key with this series. I killed myself trying to convey
the feelings Judd was giving me in the script, and hopefully in the
end it will have worked out."
"That said, I think Judd handled everything in a way that the
fans will accept the changes. I got the feeling that everyone working
on the mini had a ton of respect for the characters, and that was important,
going into this. I knew that both the Titans, and Young Justice had
some of the most devoted fans, and if it's up to me, I want them
to be happy."
Serious issues aside, Garza said he did have a geekout moment or two
in the three months it took to draw the miniseries. "I found that
I really dug drawing Superman," Garza said. "I never would've
thought that I would've enjoyed drawing him so much, seeing that
I'm not especially known for drawing the buff dudes.
"I also really enjoyed drawing Nightwing – he's just
a great character. Superboy was another favorite, I got to make him
look like a cross between Ashton Kutcher, and Lee Bermejo, ‘cause
for me, Lee Bermejo is Superboy."
For Garza, Graduation Day is something of a mini-wave of his work hitting
in the next couple of months, as his Ninja Boy trade comes out in June,
and he still is the regular artist on Gen13 - the three issue Graduation
Day was done in and around his Gen13 schedule.
For those who missed it, and, Garza admitted, there are more of those
than did pick it up, the creator gave a quick rundown of the story.
"Ninja Boy is my baby - notice I didn't say ‘was,'"
Garza said. "It's a coming of age story about Nakio, the Ninja
Boy, and his foul-mouthed partner, Sake. Ninja Boy is a different take
on the genre, we infused themes from hip hop, and took it more of comedy/drama
route. Most ninja/samurai stories are all about honor and stuff like
that, our goal was to keep the reader as surprised as the lead character
about as to what would come next. For those of you who did pick up the
series you'll be happy to see an all-new epilogue at the end. It
serves to cap the first story arc."
And yes, notice he did say first. To paraphrase the final credit of
the James Bond films, Ninja Boy will return.
While not committing to an exact number, Garza said that he's
on Gen13 "for a bit" longer. A fan of both Gen13 writer Chris
Claremont and the original incarnation of the book itself, jumping on
the title was a no-brainer. Since the launch though, often the most
that is said about the new Gen13 series in any given comic shop is "they're
still publishing that?" It's a mild seller, but "hit"
status hasn't been bestowed upon it yet. To answer the question
about creators that goes with that, yes, a book's performance does
have an effect.
"I get kind of mixed emotions about Gen13, one day I'm like,
‘why am I doing this? No one cares.' And then I'm on
the other side completely, and figure that I've got to make this
book kick ass, and make people take notice. It definitely messes with
you, but I think if people just gave it a try they might be pleasantly
surprised.
"I think the characters themselves are great. They have way more
‘layers' than the first ones. I'm not bad mouthing the
first cast at all though - I love those characters, they were iconic,
and classic. But as for the new series, its just about kids, these kids
have to really deal with the real crap that kids have to deal with.
Also big surprises are around the bend, and…let's just say
that I may get the shot draw some ‘iconic'/ ‘classic'
characters."
With a move away from Gen13 in the future, Garza acknowledges that
he's earned the reputation of a traveler – a creator who's
yet to land on a project for an extended period. He's game for
doing a long run, it's just that…well, there has to be something
more to it at the end of the day than a paycheck.
"I definitely can handle the rigors of a monthly schedule, it's
just finding a book that's available and that I can feel. As for
my past work and career to date, I have no regrets; I've loved
every project I've worked on. I've had the opportunity to
work with some great people, and for that I'm very grateful."
All things being equal, Garza said that he can play favorites, and
if the opportunity arises, he's game for a number of different
projects. "If I got a shot at Ninja Boy again, I would take it
to the house. I'd also love to draw the Justice League - I just
love the power of that cast. Also, I wouldn't mind taking a crack
at the Flash, since Geoff Johns, has made me a huge fan of that book.
I think there are some cool things that can be done with effects to
show how fast he is. And if we're talking about DC's competition,
I'd love to get a shot at the regular Spider-Man, or maybe the
Ultimate version. I grew up on that character, and have some things
I would love to do with that character."
Talk about Marvel is for the future though – Garza is exclusive
to DC, and quite happy with his current situation, despite a low-selling
book. "I love DC, it's an exciting place to be. Dan Didio
is a great guy, and I can't wait to see how the DC universe grows
with him in charge. Also, I get to work with this guy that I don't
know if many people have heard of - Jim Lee? He's all right. He's
pretty good at drawing; I think he might go somewhere someday, if he
keeps working at it. Seriously, Jim is a great person to work with,
he keeps me inline, gives good direction - something I definitely benefit
from having."
