The Big Question with Jimmy Palmiotti, Part 2: 9-14-00
The Big Question with Jimmy Palmiotti
Part 2
Interview with: Troy Brownfield
Welcome again to the Big Question! This is the second installment of our two-part interview with Jimmy Palmiotti. Our guest has distinguished himself in several facets of the comics business. As an inker on too many projects to count without an abacus, he’s indelibly contributed to the evolution of comic art in the last decade. Not to be content with this, he co-produced the Marvel Knights project, acting as an editor to spearhead the revival of characters like Daredevil and The Punisher. He’s recently begun a stint as writer as well, taking on Deadpool for Marvel.
Take a look at what he’s got going on RIGHT NOW: “The two part, JLA: Secret Society of Super Heroes book written by Howard Chaykin and penciled by Mike Mckone, a 5-part Legends of the Dark Knight series by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy, writing a load of issues of Deadpool and working with Paul Chadwick on the first three have been a gas. Also, (we’re) always pushing gatecrasher which I co-plot with Mark Waid and get to work over Amanda Conner, as well as writing for the animated series with Mark.”
What else can I say? It’s Jimmy Palmiotti!
THE BIG Q&A
Q5. As one of the Marvel Knights engineers, you obviously have great ideas on how to refresh characters. What characters, DC or Marvel, might you like to take a crack at in terms of an overhaul?
A5. Let’s see, as far as Marvel goes, I’m really enjoying Deadpool at the moment, but would one day like to take a shot at the Fantastic Four. At DC, I’d like to take a shot at doing something Superman related, or maybe create something new for the Vertigo Line. Another cool thing would be to have a shot at illustrating an Alan Moore story for the Wildstorm guys.
Q6. It was noted in “Chasing Amy” that inkers often get little respect. How hard is being a “tracer”? :)
A6. Like anything else, all it takes is a lot of practice, a lot of patience and a little splash of talent. This could be said for most jobs.
Q7. Barely two weeks ago, it was announced that your Marvel Knights partner Joe Quesada was appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief of Marvel. If you don’t mind, what are some of your thoughts on the move in total?
A7. I think it’s a great move on Marvel’s part, and I know Joe will continue the standards we set when we created Marvel Knights together. It should be real interesting and exciting.
Q8. Will there be more of Ash?
A8. As far as I can tell, not in the near future.
Q9. How do you feel about online comics and the future of the small press?
A9. I think on-line is a great venue for small press because on-line doesn’t have the budget restrictions it takes to publish print and distribute comic books. There’s a lot of great stuff out there that doesn’t get seen because of the narrow mindedness of big time publishing. I personally think that Top Shelf comics publishes some of the best stuff out there these days.
Q10. What’s the single best piece of advice that you can give to young people who want to enter the field?
A10. My best piece of advice is to keep a positive attitude about your work, play nice with others and try not to badmouth people. This may all sound easy to you but you have no idea how much restraint it really takes.
We’d like to thank Mr. Palmiotti for taking the time to visit us and The Big Question! We urge you to seek out ALL of his projects. He honestly is one of the most creative guys in the field today. Reward yourself with some of his work.
Troy Brownfield is the Editor-In-Chief of Shotgun Reviews. Despite what James Brown says, we seem to think that Mr. Palmiotti might be the hardest working man in show business. Email Troy at psikotyk@aol.com.
