Interview with Bob McLeod (english version)

All of that, just in the first question?? How long is this interview?

I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. I began drawing cartoons at age 5.


I was always the school 'artist', and never really considered doing anything
else for a career. I'm mostly self-taught in regards to comic books, though
I did take some art classes in college and art school. I moved to New York to
begin my career at age 23, but I now live in Pennsylvania with my wife and three
children. You can read about how I got started in comics on my web site at this
link:

www.bobmcleod.com/start.html

My only hobby is tennis, which I'm quite passionate about. I play doubles 2-3
times per week. I must admit I'd rather play tennis than draw.

I started my career wanting to do movie satires for Mad magazine, but I felt
my style was too similar to Mort Drucker's. I did a lot of work for Marvel's
Crazy magazine, then began inking and then pencilling other comic books for
Marvel and DC. I'm best known for co-creating the New Mutants. My favorite series
was the Superman work I pencilled for Action Comics, and the Star Wars issues
I pencilled for Marvel. Lately, I've begun moving out of comic books. Last year,
I wrote and did full-color art for a children's book called SuperHero ABC, to
be published by HarperCollins next winter.

2: How did you get in touch with Egmont?

I was looking for a new series to work on, and my friend, Paul Ryan, had recently
begun working for Egmont and he suggested I do some Phantom samples, and I emailed
them to Egmont.

3: How is it to work with the Phantom for Egmont?

It's a pleasure to work with Ulf Granberg, my editor. He gives me decent deadlines,
and I like to pencil and ink my own work, which is difficult to do in American
comics because of the monthly deadlines. In American comics I usually had to
choose between pencilling or inking.

4: What is the most difficult when drawing the Phantom?

I'm not much interested in guns, and it's always difficult for me to find reference
for all the various weapons and vehicles required in the Phantom. Also, the
writers keep asking for multiple figures in each panel, which is time-consuming
and difficult to compose well. In my latest job, I had to draw a six-member
motorcyle gang, four Singh pirates, a waitress, a cook and the Phantom, all
inside a diner in one panel, while leaving room for several more panels on the
same page! In an American comic, that one panel probably would've taken up a
whole page.

5: Can you tell us a bit about your next work with the Phantom?

I've just begun a new issue, called The Redeemer, God's Army, about religious
militants. The second panel asked for a crowd of 30 figures surrounded by armed
guards, plus two figures on a stage! Here we go!

6: Did you read the Phantom as a child?

Yes, it was one of my favorite newspaper strips, and one of the ones I copied
for fun. I liked the jungles, the Phantom's costume, the skull cave, all of
it.

7: Have Egmont ever mentioned anything about working with the 22nd Phantom
to you?

No. I'm afraid I'm not very knowledgeable about all the Phantom lore.

8: What are the differences between Egmont and the American comic industry?
For example, what is the difference when it comes to cooperation between author
and artist?

Not very different. I've seldom had any contact with the authors of my jobs.
The big difference is that in American comics I usually draw from a plot, with
the freedom to make as many or as few panels per page as I like to tell the
story, and the writer writes the dialogue after I've drawn the job. Plots allow
the artist to make a bigger contribution to the visual storytelling. I've almost
never worked from a full script, as I do for Egmont.

9: How would you say the Phantom differs from other American comics,
and what similarities are there?

The Phantom doesn't appear in costume as often as most American heroes, but
is not much different otherwise. There are so many American comics, it's difficult
to generalize.

10: The Phantom is not as popular in USA as in Scandinavia and Australia.
What do you think is the reason for that?

I think he just hasn't been presented in the right way. I think if Marvel published
him with a good writer and good artists he could be very popular. The American
comic market has become a tiger eating it's own tail, in a sense. The publishers
cater to an ever-dwindling market of superhero fans. Other genres struggle to
find an audience because the direct mail distribution system makes it difficult
for people to get comics in many areas.

11: In American comics, revenge seems to be a very important ingredient.
Why is it so, do you think?

I guess we have a history of vigilante heroes. Our system of law is so complex,
justice can take years to be achieved, and often the guilty seem to escape punishment
due to a technicality. Maybe it's a pleasant fantasy to think of being able
to take matters into your own hands and right a wrong. In reality, people often
feel helpless to do anything about crime.

12: In Scandinavian Phantom comics there are often historical adventures.
As I understand, that is not so popular in American comics in general. How come?

I think it has mainly to do with our distribution system as I said before.
Marvel and DC, our two biggest publishers, market and sell to fewer than 1%
of our population.

13: What is the funniest, strangest or most bizarre drawing assignment
you have ever done?

I did about a dozen cartoon spider drawings for a traveling museum exhibit
about spiders, co-sponsored by Marvel and the Smithsonian, tying in Spider-Man
with spiders to attract young people to the exhibit. It was difficult because
I got very little art direction with regard to what they wanted me to draw.
I was working with scientists who were mainly concerned that the spiders were
anatomically correct. You can see them on my site at this link:

www.bobmcleod.com/spiders.html

I also recently did several illustrations for a book on business ethics, featuring
funny animals dressed in business clothes:

www.bobmcleod.com/cartoons.html

14: Do you have anything in particular to say to the Norwegian readers
of the Phantom?

Just that I hope they enjoy my work, and I welcome their comments. They can
contact me through my web site. Thank you for the interview.

Thank for answering these questions, Bob. Have a nice day and we look forward
to your next work.

Steffen Hope