DARK HORSE: ARTISTS WHO WRITE – THE ART AND CRAFT OF COMICS (Friday – 23ABC) – Immediately following Image Comics’ artist panel, Dark Horse hosted a panel discussion with artist/creators Joelle Jones (Lady Killer), Larry Marder (Beanworld), and Adam Warren (Empowered). As with the Image panel, this panel highlighted the current works and techniques of these great creators.
Joelle’s testimony was among the most interesting, as she recalled finding herself stuck in a creative rut. “It was the same kind of jobs over and over and over. I realized I’m going to write the job and works I want to do.” She also found herself surprised by the positive response and reception to Lady Killer, a story about a 1950s housewife who is also a, you guessed it, serial killer.
It was a treat listening to Warren and Marder recall their time (just barely years apart) at the Kubert School, back when the cost of going to art school was more manageable. Ultimately, while discussing the modern comic storytelling paradigm, stated, “Screw your world building; just get it on the page and get the story out.” It’s about the important things first and foremost for this group.
Finally, each in turn spoke fondly of their time working for Dark Horse, one of the medium’s more respectful titles in relation to their creators. To finish off with the words of Warren, paraphrashing Dark Horse CEO Mike Richards; “It’s your work, your thing; we’re not going to do anything with it until you’re happy.”
This free-form, train-of-thought panel was interesting for someone like me, but often stalled and strayed from its rather ambiguous purpose; thus, this felt more suited for fellow creators or those interested in the history of the industry. 3/5 Beanworld Panels.
-J.l. Caraballo