Words with Waiting: Sean Phillips, Artist

Sean Phillips, who's most recent smash "Marvel Zombies" sold out multiple times with various different covers, graced Waiting for Wednesday by allowing an interview with us, the following is the flow of awesomeness that eminated from Sean's head.

Anthony: You have a new book available, Half Life, which is a collection of drawings of the human form, how did the ideas for these images come about?

Sean Phillips: Half Life is a collection of twenty years of life drawings,since I was at art college until today. I've always kept sketchbooks and I try to attend a regular life class. The human body is a constant challenge to draw and I feel like I've still got a lot to learn. Instead of just
having these sketchbooks gathering dust, I thought I'd compile the best of them into a book, mostly for my own pleasure but also to make it available to anyone else who'd want a copy.

Anthony: Do you prefer the more real-life free-form use of pencils and paint of Half Life, or the more structured and scripted work in comics?

Sean Phillips: Life drawing stretches totally different creative muscles to drawing comics although hopefully each informs the other. The fun of comics for me is the figuring out how best to tell the story, Any skills I learn about how to draw people from life drawing can only help me get the story across better. I like the challenge of following a script and hopefully making it into a better comic with the addition of my drawings. Comics should be more than the sum of the words and art.
Anthony: How did you get into the comic book industry?

Sean Phillips: Along with a couple of friends we started making comics for our own amusement when we were children. One of our stories was published weekly in the local newspaper when I was twelve. It was then I realized drawing comics could be a real job. About a year later I met someone who drew for the British girls comics around at the time and he trained me up and by the time I was fifteen I was pencilling for him. Before
meeting him I was only interested in drawing barbarians and super-heroes. The stuff I did for him was soap-opera type stories aimed at teenage girls. I had to learn to draw real life things not
super-heros punching each other. It was good practice for all those years I worked for Vertigo.

Anthony: Your work in Sleeper with Ed Brubaker is amazing. It's really one of the most underrated books of all-time. How was it working with Ed and conveying such a great story through your art?

Sean Phillips: Well thanks for the kind words, Sleeper is the book I'm most proud of. Ed wrote a great story and I tried my hardest to do it justice. It was the most difficult book I've worked on but it was definitely worth the effort.

Anthony: What would you say is the book you had the most fun on?

Sean Phillips: Marvel Zombies! It was the dumbest script ever had, and I mean that in a good way.


Anthony: The least fun?

Sean Phillips: Whatever I'm currently drawing always the least fun. I can't wait for it to be finished and to get onto the next book. Then the next book is the least fun and so it goes on. The best part for me is always thumbnailing the story, after that the actual drawing seems like a hard slog.

Anthony: Your work on Marvel Zombies has really gotten your art out to more readers, how is it drawing your childhood heroes as undead monsters?

Sean Phillips: It's been a blast. I've purposely drawn the characters as they were when I was really into Marvel books back in the '70's or with my favourite versions of their outfits. I've always loved that Iron Man armour with the pointy face plate.

Anthony: Is there any book out there now that you'd like to do in the near future?

Sean Phillips: Well, I'm getting to ink the whole JLA on a book pencilled by one of my favourite artists, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, which has been great. I'm also inking the great Rick Leonardi on a currently unscheduled JLA book which is cool too. I've hardly inked anyone else before, so to get to work with two amazing artists is extremely daunting but also a lot of
fun.

Anthony: Besides Marvel Zombies, what kind of plans do you have for yourself in the near future? Anything with you and Ed teaming up again?

Sean Phillips: Ed and I do have a new series starting in a few months. I can't say anything until it's officially announced, but I'm really excited about it. I've already started work on it, and it will hopefully be my main project for the next few years. Apart from that, Duncan Fegredo and I have got a book of new paintings and drawings out from Image in the Fall. Please visit my updated website, www.seanphillips.co.uk for a sneak peak...


Anthony: Any hints you can give as to anyone else we might see pop up in Marvel Zombies?

Sean Phillips: As I took too long to answer your questions, the first Marvel Zombies mini-series has finished. Please be on the lookout for news of more Marvel Zombies soon...