Interview with Anthony D. Lee colorist of the Marshal Tyme backup stories.

Q. How did you get involved with coloring Marshal Tyme?

You know, I honestly don’t remember… I think I answered a want ad on Ronin Studios website. Either that, or you saw some of my caveman daubings on the site and got in touch. Oh, wait… I seem to recall answering the call for a colorist to do a pin-up. It was a manga style piece of Adam Zero holding a huge gun. That’s when you asked if I was free to do Marshal Tyme.

 Q. Who are some of your art influences (comics or otherwise)?

In comics, that would be the Romitas, the Buscemas, Adam Hughes, Terry Moore, Frank Cho.

Outside of the comic realm, I’m really inspired by Alphonse Mucha and art nouveaux in general, movie poster artist Drew Struzan, the paintings of Waterhouse… there’s a whole lot of stuff that can spark inspiration.

 Q. We understand that you almost worked with the artist of the first short JC Grande on another project. What happened with that?

Yeah, that was a vampire book called Tourniquet. We got about 6 pages done and then nothing ever happened with the project. It just disappeared.

Over the years I’ve done little bits with JC, but it was great to finally finish a story with him.

Q. The colors in Marshal Tyme give off a very old fashioned feel, how did you accomplish that?

Well, I am an old bugger… heh.

Here’s where I break the colorist’s code and reveal my secrets. I didn’t do anything different to any other book, except when the pages were done, I overlaid an orange tint. I wanted it to feel like the sepia photos you see from the Wild West days.

Q. You also worked on some pin-ups of Adam Zero correct?

Indeed. The afore mentioned huge gun pin-up, and another where I did go a bit mad with the background and added some fully rendered planets. They were great fun to do.

 Q. You also worked on the forthcoming second issue, how would you compare the two shorts and which was your favorite?

They were both fun because of the villains. The first one had a gang of robot outlaws, and the second had bloody great dinosaurs. How could you not love stories like that?

The second was easier, because I’d already worked out the color scheme, and it looks just the same, even though it’s a different artist.

Q. You also do work on the web comic Brat-Halla how is that going?

That’s going great. The weird thing is I stepped in to help out on the colors for 3 weeks when the regular colorist was away. I started on episode #87 and, just this week, turned in episode #261. So I don’t think he’s coming back…

It’s one of the funniest things I’ve worked on, to see the Norse Gods as school kids. I mean, Thor’s a pipsqueak, Loki plays with dolls, and Tyr the god of war is a pacifist. Everyone should rush over to www.graphicsmash.com and check it out! Now… RIGHT NOW!!

Q. Are you currently working on anything new?

I sure am! I’ve just finished a 5 issue series called “House at the Edge of Nowhere” which is a really spooky story from Hardway Studios, and published by Bloodfire comics.

Also, I’m doing an 80 page graphic novel called “Shelter”. It’s a zombie story, featuring zombies like you’ve never seen before. That’s also by Hardway, for Alterna comics. Check previews for a release date on that.

There’s a short story for “Vanquish” that should be out soon from Dial R publishing, and I drew a rather pretty pin-up for the Fablewood pin-up book.

And I got some pages for another book come through today.

Plus I’m doing commissions and portfolio stuff constantly.

So, not much, really…

 Q. Besides being a colorist. You also ink and write. Are you working on anything in those venues?

I’ve just done a short story for Alterna’s “Morbid Myths”, again through Hardway studios. I also wrote, drew, inked and colored a one pager for a comic called “Monkeypoo!” It’s called “The Simian Standup” about a cheeky little chimp who has delusions of being a standup comedian. I’m hoping that will become a regular feature.

And I did a strip for a British indie comic called “Tales of the Wonder Kind” which should be out soon from Krypton comics.

Also, I’m currently writing a novel called “Project: Dreamtime” and a comic series called “The Corps”.

I don’t know why everyone thinks I’m always so busy…

 Q. Are you reading any comics now? If so which ones?

Let’s see… Amazing Spider-man, Wonder Woman, PVP, I don’t get nearly as many comics as I used to.

And did anyone read the “Amazons Attack” crossover thing..?  Oboy… that was painful…

Q. Any plans on working on the main title, Adam Zero?

I sure hope so. I was hoping to ink an issue, but just couldn’t shoehorn it into my schedule. But I’ll happily sling some pretty colors into the empty spaces!

Q. We also hear besides being one of the busiest men in comics you have plans for world domination, care to comment?

Ah, yes… the world domination thing.

I was going to run for the American presidency, with a surefire platform of “Cake… or Death”, but too many people chose cake, and I ran out. You’d be surprised how quickly it all goes wrong when your only campaign promise is death. People simply don’t go for it. Not even the stupid ones.

Well, the world will know when the time comes for my rise to power, but in the meantime if you see a giant robot duck, or a kamikaze squirrel holding what appears to be some sort of soft cheese, then fear not… you haven’t gone mad,  it’s just my minions ensuring my inevitable triumph..! BWA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAARRGH!

Quick hits

 Marvel or DC?

Marvel

Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Wars

Doctor Who or Torchwood?

Doctor Who. Torchwood should be renamed “Captain Jack Shags the Universe!”

 Spider-Man or Batman?

Spider-man. My all time favorite character.

Aliens or Alien?

Alien

Kirby Surfer or Mobius Surfer?

Everybody who reads comic books knows that the Kirby Silver Surfer is the only true Silver Surfer. Now am I right or wrong?