Shon let us have some insights into his way of working here and here and now it is up to his artists to speak! First up is Gabriel Guzman, artist on Cable.

BROKEN FRONTIER: When did you first get interested in comics?

GABRIEL GUZMAN: Since I was a boy. An aunt of mine had a magazine and newspaper store, and every time we visited her I used to pick up some comic books and read them on the way back home. Batman used to be my first choice. Jim Aparo was the first artist that caught my attention and the first whose name I could remember, and then Norm Breyfogle.

BF: How did you know you wanted to become an artist?

GG: When I was a teenager I tried to sketch my first comic stories, but I would get tired after the first panel and I couldn’t figure out how someone would be able to do such an effort in each and every panel on all the pages that make up a comic book. I was sure there had to be a well-kept secret, a trick I didn't know yet. But I kept on drawing unrelated sketches in notebooks, lots and lots of them. Later I had hepatitis and I had to stay in bed for some 20 days, so during that time a friend of mine brought me aeromodelling airplanes for me to build and kill time.

So when I was 15 I tried to get into an army high school to study Aeronautics. Thank god I didn’t make it. Then I would realize that I was only interested in drawing airplanes, and that I could do just that without having to endure a military education. Then I studied Arts and did some exhibitions, but soon I learned that I wasn’t suited for the artistic-academic environment. I found there was a lot of hypocrisy, mediocrity and lots of arrogance. I started to draw some illustrations for various magazines in my country and I set up an art studio with Javier Tartaglia. I had more time in those days so we would spend hours and hours concocting sci-fi stories, one of which ended up turning into a fully fledged comic. We started having the idea of making a living out of comics.

BF: Who are your artistic influences?

GG: There is a neverending list, but I'll just mention some of them:  Joe Quesada, Carlos Pacheco, Brian Hitch, Mike Mignola, Dave Finch, Greg Capullo, some other European artists such as Enki Bilal, Eleuteri Serpieri, Alfonso Asipiri and Argentinian artists such as Horacio Altuna, Alberto Breccia, Jorge Zafino, Garcia Seijas, Chichoni, Eduardo Risso, Carlos Meglia and many many more.

BF: Is there a specific piece, issue or run you’re most proud of? Like, if you want fans to go check out your work, what should they pick up?

GG: Cable #18. Usually, an artist works with the deadline, the references, the editor demands and loads of other things in mind. With Cable I mean to enjoy what I'm doing, the process of drawing each and every page, without worrying about what happens after that of about what people say in forums. Besides, Cable and Bishop were the characters I've been wanting to start with at Marvel. I'm going through a terrific time drawing these episodes, so I guess this has to show in the end product.

BF: How has having Shon Bury as your talent agent helped your career?

GG: Well, an artist has to do a lot of things besides just drawing, and sometimes it can get tedious and hinder the artist’s work. I’ve been working in comic books for several years now, I did Lady Death a couple of years, a graphic novel called Alius Rex and the miniseries Amory Wars by the band Coheed and Cambria, and luckily I've always worked with very good people that were able to help me a lot. But I came to a point where I needed a steady person to handle the cumbersome part of the job. I mean, after drawing, I no longer felt like spending hours in front of the PC screen, sending e-mails to editors, looking for new contacts, thinking what I was going to do when I finished a project. So that’s when Shon comes in.

BF: How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since you first started working in comics?

GG: I think that in an artist’s career everything is a process. I don’t think you can ever say “ok, I’ve made it, this is the top”. Bearing this in mind, I consider myself a much better artist now than when I began. And I definitely think I have a long way to go. I guess now I'm being myself more than ever. This is one of the things I value the most. I mean, I want people to be able to identify my work, to recognize it as unique and not as a mere imitation of someone else’s work. Of course there’s always the influence of the artists that you grew up looking up to. Nobody is born with a style of its own. But I think it's important to reach a point where you’re able to blend all influences and express them in a language of your own. It's difficult, but, like I said, it's part of the process.

BF: How did you first started working in comics?

GG: Currently, I’m drawing Cable. If you like my work you can see me there. The story by  Duane Swierczynski is great, full of action and suspense, it’s a real pleasure to be able to work on Cable, and I hope the reader feels the same way about it. What the future will bring, I don't know. I guess people's opinions will determine my future to some extent. But right now, I'm only focused on Cable (#22-23).

Space Goat Productions is currently searching for more pencilers to represent. If you think you have what it takes to work for Marvel and DC and are willing to work under exclusive representation, please contact Space Goat Productions.

One of the major plot points revealed in “Brother’s Keeper” is the true motivation behind Samuel Sullivan and his carnival. Jumping nine weeks back in time, we learn that Mohinder Suresh had uncovered a 50-year-old film reel in his father’s research. Labeled “Samuel” (you can tell where this is going), the film shows a terrified Chandra Suresh describing a boy born at Coyote Sands, whose destructive ability is amplified in the presence of other super-powered people. This is bad. But, fortunately for the rest of the world, Samuel’s brother Joseph—who is dead in the present-day—kept this information from him to prevent him from abusing this power. This revelation is actually pretty cool, and establishes Samuel as a greater threat than we previously thought.

Two episodes back, in “Once Upon a Time in Texas,” Samuel kidnapped Hiro Nakamura’s beloved waitress Charlie to force the time-traveler into helping him correct a mistake in his own past. Initially, it seemed as though Samuel wanted Hiro to stop him from killing Mohinder. Instead, we learn this week that Samuel recruited Hiro to prevent Mohinder from destroying that film reel. If not for Hiro’s intervention, Mohinder would still be dead. To keep him hidden from Samuel for a few weeks, Hiro has him institutionalized. After all, if Samuel were to find out that Hiro had saved Mohinder, he’d never get to see Charlie again.

Last week’s episode, “Shadowboxing,” featured one of the most surprising Heroes moments in recent history when Matt attempted to sacrifice himself to destroy Sylar. But, as expected, that act of bravery was all for naught, as Sylar’s mind and body are reunited this week. With the help of his healing ability, Peter Petrelli—with his brother Nathan in tow—rushes to Matt’s rescue and saves him from certain death, not knowing that he is also saving his arch nemesis.

Now, keep in mind, the real Nathan is dead, and “Nathan” is actually Sylar separated from his villainous psyche, which is now taking residence in Matt’s head (still with me?).

When Nathan inadvertently brushes against Matt in the hospital, Sylar enters his old body. He hasn’t resumed control just yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Seeing Nathan grapple with the idea of being dead and living a lie is powerful stuff, and it’s a shame that actor Nathan Pasdar has been mostly sidelined this season. But, in all fairness, he’s been sort of dead for the past few weeks.

This episode also catches us up with Tracy Strauss, who is still having trouble controlling her freezing/water abilities. She seeks out Noah Bennet for guidance, but instead she finds Claire in his apartment. Following some bizarre antics between the two—including Tracy accidentally freezing Claire and breaking off her foot—they have a heart to heart.

Their discussion eventually turns to Samuel and the carnival. Claire convinces Tracy that joining Samuel might be a good idea, giving her the chance to find acceptance among other people like her. While this decision is troubling for Tracy—especially since we now know how dangerous Samuel is—it’s also worrying how open Claire is to the idea of running away with the carnival herself. Will she be swayed too?

“Brother’s Keeper” is certainly well executed, but the sheer number of storylines advanced in it can be a bit disorienting when compared to the more straightforward narratives we’ve seen thus far this season.

BROKEN FRONTIER: Let’s start with the question on everyone’s minds; what is Realm of Kings?

DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING: It’s a state of mind! Okay, literally, it’s the Kree and Shi’ar Empires and The Fault, and how those three vast areas interact in the post-War of Kings universe. It’s about the period of aftermath and repair, a time of possibilities and great endeavour, a chance to make huge gains and improvements while things are still confused. And it’s about a huge and looming threat... from outside and from within. Damn, now I wish we’d said that in our best  ...‘in a world of fire and ice...’ voices.

BF: Realm of Kings follows on the fallout of Black Bolt detonating a “Terrigen-Bomb”, thus winning the war for the Kree over the Shi'ar (and creating The Fault in the process). Was it deliberate choice to echo this as a reversal of the outcome of Operation: Galactic Storm, where the Shi'ar defeated the Kree by detonating the Nega-Bomb? And among the Inhumans, are there any negative feelings towards their now-departed leader for using the sacred Terrigen mists as a weapon?

DnA: Yes, it was. We like a little symmetry with our cosmic. And yes, there is likely to be some lingering resentment in the House of Attilan.

BF: Does The Fault appear to observers to be just a general area of space where reality is warped, or is it more like a “hole”?

DnA: It’s a gigantic slice of damaged time and space. Things are clearly tumbling through it from other universes (check out Nova, especially), but the real question is... does it lead anywhere in particular? So, it’s a hole that might also be a tunnel.

BF: Why is it considered such a threat, when the Guardians of the Galaxy in particular have dealt with rips in the space/time continuum before?

DnA: Yes, the Guardians have dealt with rips in space time before, but they’ve always been bad news (both in terms of the damage they do to the continuum and what they let ‘in’). This is the biggest yet, and if they hadn’t contained it, it would have swallowed and destroyed everything, everywhere. It could still do that, if someone sets it off again.

BF: Given that the Shi'ar (and Vulcan particularly) are generally considered part of the X-Men's world, did you have to do a lot of coordination with the X-Men office in making such radical changes to the status quo for these characters?

DnA: Of course, but the X-office was extremely lovely and cooperative. It’s good, once in a while, to reinforce the sense that it’s one big universe. After two Annihilation events, wouldn’t there started to have been a feeling of “where the heck have the Shi’Ar been in all this?”

BF: Is Gladiator now essentially subservient to the Inhumans/Kree? Does he have a problem with accepting the Shi'ar's defeat, or has his longtime role of serving whoever's in charge allowed him to adapt?

DnA: It has allowed him to adapt, and he is a huge pragmatist. He - and the Shi’ar mindset in general - understands the concept of endurance. You evolve and endure. There is always the long game and the next time. Now the job of Majestor has been dumped on him, he’s anxious to fulfill the role properly. Can he be a regent answering to Medusa and the Kree?
 
BF: You've said that you see the Imperial Guard more as a military unit than a group of superheroes. What are some of the fundamental differences between these approaches, and how they would they play out in terms of how the Guard deals with situations?

DnA: It’s tougher and it’s significantly more lethal - on both sides. We see the Guard as finding military applications for their powers, and operating along highly drilled, squad level lines of dynamic. It’s a Roman legion as a superhero team. And they’re soldiers of a sovereign culture: they have no qualms about killing during legitimate operations.
 
BF: We've seen some promotional art teasing the return of Wendell Vaughn, aka Quasar. What prompted the decision for his taking back the mantle of Quasar, while Phyla became Martyr? And do you enjoy the reaction from fans when you bring back underused or lower-profile characters like Quasar, Darkhawk, and Jack Flag?

DnA: It was an organic process, actually. We had things we wanted to do with Phyla, and it seemed appropriate to bring Wendell back in Nova the way we did. And yes, it’s a crowd pleaser too. Quasar, Darkhawk and Jack Flag all have roles to play in the upcoming stories, and people really seem to enjoy seeing them in the cosmic frontline.
 
BF: Has your method of collaboration evolved at all since first taking on Marvel's cosmic universe? And does most of it take place over email or phone, or do you hang out at each other's places and brainstorm?

DnA: We work the same way, pretty much, that we have for the last twenty years: we talk a lot on the phone, we throw ideas to and fro, and then we get together, usually once a week, for a day of serious brainstorming to move the next job or job along. The actual physical writing chores get divided between us. We can do more damage that way.
 
BF: Do you have an interest in tackling any of Marvel's non-cosmic characters in particular?

DnA: Are you kidding? We love the Marvel Universe. Given our taste for all things otherworldly, I suppose we particularly like Doctor Strange, Thor, The FF and the Avengers. And Man-Thing, Ka-Zar, Deathlok....
 
BF: What else are you guys working on?

DnA: Plenty! Andy, wearing his other hat as inker, is busy with Astonishing X-Men and Spider-Man. Dan is writing his latest novel, a Horus Heresy book called Prospero Burns. Together, they’ve got all sorts of secret goodies up their sleeves...

Realm of Kings #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics priced $3.99

The critically-acclaimed sleeper hit of 2008 returns. Sky Pirates, Fascists, MacGuffins and Dragons, twice as drunkerer and extra nudity! It's not just another day... it's Labor Days Volume 2: Just Another Damn Day.

Rick Lacy and Phil Gelatt gave Broken Frontier this exclusive creator's commentary on the book.

The Splash Page

Phil Gelatt: So this is the page where excitement begins. And also I always viewed this page, and that single line, as a metaphor for the book at large. Not only is that ship crashing, this whole book is crashing, falling off the path and into stranger territory.

Rick Lacy: Strange adventurous territory! Wrought with peril and comic intrigue! We both knew that going into Volume 2 we should have a splash page. Something grand and page shattering. The first volume, we noticed after all was said and done, never touched upon the splash page realm. So we figured, if we're going to do it, we might as well do it right. Crashing fantasy airship! From that point on we set the tone of the book. It's going to sample the weird and absurd, but without, we hope, flying so far off the rails of the story.

Page 30

Phil: I wanted to point this page out because I love the idea that Stryker has seen a crap rain before and all he's doing is acknowledging that fact. Like "Oh my god, I know what that is! It's-"

Rick: "A crap rain!" There I said it and it still cracks me up.

Page 37

Phil: So here's a fun little argument about what is cooler: riding bulls into battle or flying airships across the sky. One of the things I think we handled best in doing this book was the plethora of bizarre side characters, most of whom we only meet once or twice. My favorite character in the first volume is still Gunblade Gary, a character with only two lines. But to me, he's like the Boba Fett of Labor Days.

So the little argument that takes place on this page is a case where two of those lesser characters really get to come forward and argue about something that probably nobody has ever argued about before or will again.

Also, just for the record, we all know that airships are cooler than battle bulls.

Rick: I think airships are going to be cooler than "battle anything." When the first script came in for this chapter of Volume 2 we had a lengthy discussion, that spanned the breadth of a few months, on whether we should elongate the airship sequence. We were both falling in love with the freedom and pure adventure that this vessel offered us both creatively. Much the same way Victoria wished she were still flying aloft the fantasy ship. But we knew, in the end, that it wouldn't deliver us the proper plot outcome, so we had to wreck her and get on with the story. A sad, gloriously exciting day.

Page 53

Rick: Do you see those minions behind the gun totting doctor? Those are the Broken Hearts Cyclopses. They're a group of ragamuffin villains, sad-faced and dangerous. They're peppered throughout the series.

Phil: This page is the pulsing, ridiculous heart of the world of Labor Days. The book for me has always been about throwing together as many absurd elements as possible and seeing what churns up.

So when describing this page to Rick I was rather vague and basically just said "the Face of History conspiracy is going to be visualized here. Make it nice and crazy." And then wrote the voice-over elements of it.

Then Rick just went away and did it. And did it damn well, I might add. The only thing I remember specifically asking is "Can you be sure that you have Oliver North shaking hands with a man in a horse skull mask?" I leave it to you, dear reader, to interpret that as you will.

And yep. There it is.

Rick: That's Boris from volume one punching out FDR too, by the way.

Pages 60-61

Phil: Before I was a writer myself, I'd always read interviews with writers who would say things like "sometimes a character will just speak for himself and you just have to step aside and let it happen." And I always thought that was complete bull crap.

And then I started writing Rick Stryker and he said to me "Phil. buddy, listen. I have this thing inside me that I need to express." So I stepped aside and this speech about flaming knives and torn britches is what he had to say. In a book that is fairly full of speeches, monologues and silly opinions, this one is my absolute favorite.

And now here I am, saying the same thing: sometimes a character just has something they want to express and you just have to let them do it.

Rick: This was actually one of my most favorite scenes to draw. I normally enjoy drawing and composing a scene of a few men sitting about conspiring, scheming and generally having a lark over a few drinks in dim light. A similar scene is in chapter 3 of volume 1. With this one scene in particular I wanted Styker's speech to be center stage. So I kept the panel compositions simple and direct. The essence of Stryker is the legendary unseen man he claims to be. So there is no flashback/-forward of stalwart adventure-isms. There's just this one, over the top fellow with an itch to scratch.

Page 80

Phil: I don't remember if I wrote the knife to be a knife with breasts. I suspect that Rick and I came up with that idea after I had scripted this scene and it was just so perfect and tantalizingly immature that we had to use it.

Rick: Yeah, that's almost exactly how it happened. That's pretty much how a lot of this book happened. The dream sequences of volume 2 rapidly became weirder and full of nudity, so when the idea of this talking dagger of fate showed up I immediately went to "set of tits." I can't recall a set of hooters being put on a talking sword of belligerent fate anywhere. Can you? You can't. Now you can. In Labor Days.

Page 91

Phil: This is actually a page from the script and that is the exact panel description I gave to Rick.

This is a lot how Labor Days as a collaborative process works. Rick and I discuss story in broad strokes, I scurry away and do a script. Then he starts drawing it and comes back at me with ideas and it becomes a very productive back and forth. But also a bit like a game of chicken.

Rick: Who's gonna steer clear first! Turns out no one did. And we just collided head on, smashed and flipped over each others machine wrecks, e-bracked a street flaming U-turn and did it all over again. "OMGeezus." That's the exclamation of the book.

Pages 106-108

Phil: As scripted this was a much larger fight scene. And it ended with the Face of History's air force swooping in and obliterating his foes (which is setup by Leon's mentioning of an air force). It was gonna be huge. Like Spartacus style epic.

But then the mathematical realities of drawing and time stepped in and we had to get a bit creative about how all this plays out.

Rick: I blame myself for the lack of Spartacunism in this scene. As Phil stated, the original script called for, in a dramatic one liner, "battle. Oh so much battle." But unfortunately the book was taking me far too much time to draw in the allotted schedule. We had already pushed the deadline back from SDCC 2009 to SPX and any further setbacks would result in releasing the second book more than a year after the first. Something we both knew we didn't want to do. Also, because, we both realized there wouldn't be a better place to release it other than SPX, where we both could attend. This scene really wanted to go on for a few pages. Incorporating all manner of mechanized military and outlining better the fate of our hero squad at the hands of the Face of History. When we realized we couldn't get it all done in the scheduled time we pitched around a few ideas to help alleviate the situation. Leave it blank pages as a gag for the reader to fill in? Finish the scene, but release the final chapter as a longer, self-contained issue? Pretend the book doesn't exist and return to regular life? Leave the planet? Fortunately I think we were able to compose the excitement in a few simple pages and hopefully the reader doesn't hate us for it.

Page 125

Phil: If you haven't seen ZARDOZ, then see it. It's the very soul of Labor Days. nay the entire world. And once you've seen it then you may return to this page and feel the Zardozian rage that Bags is experiencing here.

Rick: I still haven't seen it. Sue. Me.

P.S. Zardoz 4 life.

The Bio Page

Phil: It was always really important to me to fill this book with as much bizarre and off-kilter humor as possible. And traditional bio pages bore the crap out of me. I always want to turn to them and find out something really fascinating about the people who made the book and I rarely do.

So we decided to up the ante here and make our bio page into its own little fantasy-sci-fi-poetic mini-story. It might actually be my favorite page in the book, it feels self-contained to me and ripe with narrative possibility.

And it's also a warning: beware my withering hand.

Rick: The fate of the robot warriors rests now in the conquering words and steel of its two bravest and boldest heroes; the man of fire borne metal and the wizard of wither-hand, art of the foul skull magix. Feast upon their visage and weary be thee who so thrive on oil, glass and artificial ways.

Labor Days Volume 2: Just Another Damn Day is available now from Oni Press priced $11.95. And check out the Labor Days blogspot here.

SPOILER WARNING: Read no further if you’ve not had the chance to dig into your most recent Blackest Night titles…

Alexander Luthor’s origins stem firmly from one of the infinite multiversal realities that existed prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths.  He was born an Earth-Three, a reality overrun by the evil counterparts of the Justice League of America – the Crime Syndicate of America.  During a visit to this world by the Pre-Crisis/Silver Age Superman (Kal-El) and the Golden Age Superman (Kal-L), the duo inspired the Lex Luthor of that world to become Earth-Three’s first superhero (DC Comics Presents Annual #1 (1982).

When the Anti-Monitor began his campaign to destroy the myriad of multiple realities, Earth-Three was one of the first attacked.  In a desperate gambit, Luthor and his wife (Lois Lane-Luthor), placed their young son (Alexander Jr.) into an experimental transportation craft, and rocketed him from their doomed reality (Crisis on Infinite Earths #1, April 1985).  Traversing the dimensional barriers as Earth-Three was consumed by anti-matter, the infant Luthor was granted the ability to manipulate both matter and anti-matter, as well as open dimensional portals.  The child arrived safely on Earth-One and was taken in by the Anti-Monitor’s rival, The Monitor, and his herald, Harbinger.  Realizing the child may hold the key to defeating the Anti-Monitor, the pair hid Luthor away, watching as over the course of a week he rapidly aged from infant to a young man. 

Following the death of the Monitor, Alexander joined Harbinger and Pariah in assembling the surviving heroes of the DC multiverse into a resistance against the Anti-Monitor (Crisis on Infinite Earths #5, August 1985).  At the conclusion of the Crisis, Luthor, along with Kal-L and the parallel universe hero known as Superboy-Prime made a valiant last stand to save the sole remaining Earth reality (which borrowed elements from all the previous infinite realities).  Having successfully defeated the Anti-Monitor in the anti-matter universe, both Kal-L and Superboy-Prime waited for their deaths from the impending explosion.  At this point, Luthor revealed that he had managed to save Kal-L’s wife (Lois Lane from Earth-Two) and that the four of them could escape to a “paradise dimension.”  Explaining that this would burn-out his powers, stranding them there, the quartet elected to leap into the unknown (Crisis on Infinite Earths #12, March 1986).

The four survived for years in a nether dimension, perfectly safe, but only able to watch what occurred on the new one DC Earth – never actually affect it.  Luthor’s rapid aging slowed, settling in as a man in his 30s, while the non-powered Lois Lane began showing signs of aging (both her and Kal-L were in their 60s at the time of Crisis on Infinite Earths).  Becoming bitter and detached from humanity, Luthor began hatching a plan to escape the “paradise dimension” and restore the multiverse – in his own image.  Keeping the secret that his dimensional hopping powers were returning, Alexander began making excursions to Earth, posing as Lex Luthor.  In between bringing most of Earth's villains together in a Secret Society of Super-Villains (Villains United #1, July 2005), Alexander began manipulating Superboy-Prime for his own needs (Infinite Crisis Secret Files and Origins, April 2006).  With Kal-L distracted by his ailing wife, the pair set into motion a series of events that would enable the return of the DC multiverse.

With the stage set on Earth, Alexander began twisting Kal-L towards his own needs.  Convincing Kal-L that the darker mood of the current DC Universe was proof that Earth’s heroes had squandered the sacrifice the quartet made, Alexander promised that he could save Earth-Two Lois and restore their universe (Infinite Crisis #1, December 2005).  With the aid of his various pawns, Alexander constructed a giant device from the remains of the Anti-Monitor’s armor, powered by various superhumans who had connections to the former multiverse.  With the device activated and the multiverse returned, Alex used his abilities to begin crafting a perfect reality in his own image – keeping and discarding what he saw fit.  Although a team of heroes delayed Alexander (costing him a finger in the process), it was ultimately Kon-El (the Superboy of the current Earth) who destroyed the device at the cost of his own life.  The infinite realities collapsed once again into a single Earth, although several changes were retroactively applied thanks to Alexander’s meddling (Infinite Crisis #6, May 2006).

With his scheme in tatters and Kal-L realizing the deception played upon him, Alexander and Superboy-Prime moved to a secondary plan.  Leading an army of super-villains on Metropolis, Alexander decided to take the existing Earth by force, and impose his will upon it.  During the ensuing battle, Alexander faced off against Batman’s protégé, Nightwing (the original Robin), and seemingly killed the hero.  Grief stricken, Batman beat down Alexander, turning a gun on the refugee from Earth-Three.  Only through the calming influence of Wonder Woman did Batman yield, affording Alexander the opportunity to slip away (Infinite Crisis #7, June 2006).

With his army defeated and Superboy-Prime captured, Alexander retreated to the alleyways of Gotham City.  Already concocting a new scheme, Alexander was forcefully interrupted by Lex Luthor.  Seeking to punish his doppelganger for having the audacity to impersonate him, Luthor unleashed the Joker on Alexander (The Joker was the only major DC villain Alexander excluded from the Society, due to his unpredictable nature).  Angered at not being allowed to “play,” the Joker disfigured Alexander, before executing him with a single gunshot to the head (Infinite Crisis #7, June 2006).  Altering Alexander’s body both physically and genetically to closer resemble himself, Lex allowed the corpse to be found by Gotham City police.  In a public display, Lex explained that Alexander was an invader from a parallel reality who had impersonated him (52 Week 3, June 2008).  As such, Lex Luthor was exonerated of all his crimes and the corpse of Alexander Luthor was interred beneath the Justice League’s Hall of Justice…

…until he was raised by a Black Lantern ring during the Blackest Night (Blackest Night #3, September 2009)…

Shon let us have some insights to his way of working here and here and now it is up to his artists to speak! Next up is Javier Tartaglia, colorist on Spider-Man: The Clone Saga.

BROKEN FRONTIER: When did you first get interested in comics?

JAVIER TARTAGLIA: I think it’s since I was a kid, when my father used to buy me comics from our country. And you know we, as kids, watched the superhero TV shows like SuperFriends by Hanna-Barbera, Transformers, Robotech, Maziger Z, G.I. Joe and lots of other cartoons. However I became a more interested comic reader as an adult. I found out lots of other stuff like manga, French comics and Italian comics.

BF: How did you know you wanted to become an artist?

JT: Actually it wasn’t in my plans. Although I always liked to paint, something I did since I was 7 years old, I studied to be a graphic designer. But there were so many things I didn’t like in that subject that I always suspected I wasn’t finally going to work in that business. And it was to come true the day a friend of mine (Gabriel Guzman) came looking for me to work in an artistic project for our country. If there was something that the design career gave me, that was the possibility to learn about Photoshop, which I have handled for a long time. The guy who contracted me let me experiment with colors and stuff. He loved the shocking images; you know, the ones that have impact, lots of special FX, and stuff... This is how I felt I wanted to become an artist. To work with it, to live of it. Those were my early days as a professional.

BF: Who are your artistic influences?

JT: Mainly the guys who colored Battlechasers by Madureira. It was a studio called Liquid. They have done lots of work but the only one I like it’s definitely Battlechasers. After that I acquired tips from other artists, and I took the things that seemed cool. I couldn’t mention the mountains of differents comics I studied to get my own style. I can mention the way this guy, Marte Gracia, colors. I love his work. His style - it’s very personal. When I look at a page colored by him, it seems so complete, so full of life; and at first sight so complex, but it’s not. And that’s what I love from this guy. He makes the page look shocking with the right amount of stuff. That’s something that inspired me.

BF: Is there a specific piece, issue or run you’re most proud of? Like, if you want fans to go check out your work, what should they pick up?

JT: Hum, I actually have several comics I’m proud of, here are some of them: David & Goliath by L. Castellani (published by Image), Alius Rex by G. Guzmán

BF: How has having Shon Bury as your talent agent helped your career?

JT: He gave me the chance to show my work at Marvel, which is one of the companies I was most interested to work for. I know he was after that for a long time. I did several tests that he got to Chris Allo again and again until I had a chance to show how I had grown as an artist. I appreciate a lot all the effort he does.

BF: How did you first started working in comics?

JT: Well, I think it’s quite different. This is what I love, my passion. I do what I love and I’m paid for it. 

BF: What are you working on now, and where can people see your work next?

JT: Right now I’m working in a six issue series of Spider-Man: The Clone Saga.

Space Goat Productions is currently searching for more pencilers to represent. If you think you have what it takes to work for Marvel and DC and are willing to work under exclusive representation, please contact Space Goat Productions.

At the beginning of the episode, Ahsoka is holding a briefing on the factory assault, but Anakin interrupts her repeatedly in front of the troops. Understandably, Ahsoka is none too pleased by her master’s lack of faith in her leadership ability and calls him out on it. He claims he is only trying to help—which he is—but his apparent distrust in her seems to stem from the same attachment issues that will instigate his turn to the dark side of the Force. This is a bad sign.

Later on in the episode, when Ahsoka and Barriss blow up the factory’s main reactor—burying themselves in rubble in the process—Anakin refuses to believe that his Padawan might be dead. Luminara, on the other hand, is willing to accept that Barriss may have met her noble end. “It’s not that I gave up, Skywalker, but unlike you, when the time comes, I am prepared to let my student go,” Luminara says. “Can you say the same?”

In the end, Anakin’s unwavering faith in his Padawan’s survival proves that he does indeed trust in Ahsoka’s abilities, but it also highlights how this student-teacher relationship could prove hazardous later on. Smartly, Dave Filoni and the rest of the Clone Wars team have paired Anakin with a character that has no predetermined fate. Will Anakin’s destructive influence lead to her downfall?  Will Ahsoka survive the Clone Wars despite being absent in Revenge of the Sith? If so, what happens to her? Episodes such as this one force us to ask these questions without beating us over the head with foreshadowing.

While not as action-packed as “Landing at Point Rain,” “Weapons Factory” is an exciting continuation of the Republic’s Geonosis campaign. But, more importantly, it sheds new and necessary light on the emerging strengths and weaknesses of Anakin and Ahsoka’s partnership.

Shon let us have some insights in his way of working here and here and now it is up to his artists to speak! Next up is Rafa Sandoval, artist on Avengers: The Initiative and Ultimate Enemy!

BROKEN FRONTIER: When did you first get interested in comics?

RAFA SANDOVAL: As a child, around the age of 10 my parents bought me my first comic. Ever since then I have been interested in comics.

BF: How did you know you wanted to become an artist?

RS: After a time collecting comics I knew that I wanted to draw my own stories and then I decided to become an artist.

BF: Who are your artistic influences?

RS: Among others, Neal Adams, Alan Davis, Joe Quesada, Carlos Pacheco and Pascual Ferry...

BF: Is there a specific piece, issue or run you’re most proud of? Like, if you want fans to go check out your work, what should they pick up?

RS: I'm proud of all my work but especially Incredible Hercules and Avengers: The Initiative.

BF: How has having Shon Bury as your talent agent helped your career?

RS: Shon has been a great help for me, he works hard for me and to get me at Marvel. He is a great manager.

 BF: How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since you first started working in comics?

RS: I learned so much and every day more. This is one of many good things about this job and I hope to continue to grow as an artist.

BF: What are you working on now,  and where can people see your work next?

RS: Right now I'm in the TPB-collection Avengers: The Initiative, in particular Avengers: The Initiative #31. After that…a fantastic Bendis project awaits! Namely Marvel's Ultimate Enemy, where Roger Bonet (see first Space Goat Artist interview) is inking over my pencils!

Space Goat Productions is currently searching for more pencilers to represent. If you think you have what it takes to work for Marvel and DC and are willing to work under exclusive representation, please contact Space Goat Productions.

Presided over by the Chicago Reader’s Michael Miner, the panel consisted of Chris Ware (Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth; Acme Novelty Library), Jules Feiffer (Sick Sick Sick; The Great Comic Book Heroes), Matt Groening (The Simpsons; Life in Hell), and Lynda Barry (What It Is; Ernie Pook’s Comeek). Groening and Barry were last minute additions, scheduled to appear at another panel but anxious to hang out with their fellow cartoonists. With many publications saying no to unknown artists or dropping comics entirely, Miner asked the group how artists should respond and what the future for alternative comics might be.

Feiffer stressed that if you’re committed to your art, the last thing you should be worried about is being realistic (a dreaded "grown-up word," the 80-year-old veteran of the Village Voice insisted). Do what you have to in order to pay the bills but don’t listen to naysayers who tell you comics are dying or not worth creating.

Barry agreed. She argued that comics and art are similar to the relief of phantom limb pain. They express experiences and emotions through only imagination and there will always be a place for that. "Good art and images," she said, "will keep you from killing yourself and others." Groening also believed that cartooning and art would always have an important role. Cartoons in the newspaper are hand-drawn, un-edited images. They are "exactly what the artist meant." The form is thus very personal and at times, even draws suspicion due to being above an editor’s influence.

Groening (left) also reminded that audience that, despite being busy with his television animation work, he still draws a daily comic strip. In fact, he is the only one of the four still doing so.

Despite the financial realities, Ware took comfort in the fact that to a great extent, the world has embraced comics. Graphic novels are starting to get respect from the literary elite and comic book movies fill the box offices. Ware also praised the internet as an amazing resource for comics artists, pointing out that many artists now work solely online and have a larger readership than he could ever hope for. If and when the print outlets die, the internet is the future for alternative comics.

The panel paused at this time to show a slideshow of the artists’ work. Barry went rapid fire through a variety of images and comic strips, including one comparing her mother to the mythical Gorgon, a genie offering to free a person from a "dull, canned life," and a photo of one of her teachers who had never gotten the chance to travel while she was alive ("Miss Mitchell," the artist said, "you’re now in Chicago!").

Feiffer showed slides from a series of drawings focusing on dancers (below). He said he wanted to do something not connected to text, something airy and light that would "dance on paper." Ware showed samples of Jimmy Corrigan as well as scenes from his new graphic novel (a term, incidentally, that Ware loathes). Among the images were a guilt-ridden, insecure bee and the character Rusty Brown, who was convinced he had super-hearing due to being able to hear his parents arguing while outside.

When the artistic showcase ended, the panelists spoke about some of their influences. Feiffer mentioned that he had never had religious faith but had a deep and moving faith in film and art. Musicals and movies spoke to him like a form of "explosive therapy." He also spoke of the comics artist Irwin Hasen, who often remarked "I can’t believe it! I got away with it!" when speaking of his career. It was this effortless love of what you do that Feiffer had always strived for. Barry (below)  had a similar experience. Her friend ("actually my therapist," the artist quipped) said that Barry had made a career out of being herself. Barry responded, "I tried everything else!"

As to how cartoonists can achieve this artistic freedom in tough times, Groening remarked that the challenge is not new. Although things seem bleak for alternative comics, Groening believes that newspaper comic strips have been drying up for decades. They have been devalued and have constantly struggled. The important thing is to keep at it if you love it, whether that means publishing with struggling print newspapers, taking your work online, or doing it all yourself.

Ware felt the same way. He commented that he has often been approached by artists asking how they can become famous. To Ware and his colleagues, this is the wrong approach. Artists should always create their art for themselves first and foremost and expect nothing. If others like it, that’s great but except in rare instances, it’s not a path to fame and glory. It’s a labor of love.

All the artists felt that despite the challenges, alternative comics will not die. There will be no sudden comic apocalypse with "cartoonists wandering the streets like zombies," as Ware put it. Alternative comics will survive and find their way as long as there are people with the passion to create them.

Shon let us have some insights in his way of working here and here and now it 's up to his artists to speak! Next up is Jheremy Raapack, artist on Wildstorm's Resident Evil !

BROKEN FRONTIER: When did you first get interested in comics?

JHEREMY RAAPACK: I have read comic books since my childhood, I think I inherited this interest because of my father.

BF: How did you know you wanted to become an artist?

JR: When I started collecting comic books and upon reading interviews from famous artists in Wizard. I was very interested to know that you can work and have fun and make money with comic book (laughs).

BF: Who are your artistic influences?

JR: Many =] I really try to follow every artist, some of them are Joe Madureira, Juno Jeong, Greg Capullo, Todd McFarlane, Leinil Yu, Jim Lee and others ....

BF: Is there a specific piece, issue or run you’re most proud of? Like, if you want fans to go check out your work, what should they pick up?

JR: Ah ... I think that it will always be my next job. But I think an interesting job I give the fans would be Resident Evil (because I'm big fan of Resident Evil); I'm devoting a lot in this mini-series. Certainly the final work will be great.

BF: How has having Shon Bury as your talent agent helped your career?

JR: Shon is an excellent agent, and a great guy who is there when you need help and advice, for whatever. It helped me focus my mind on the right objectives.

BF: How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since you first started working in comics?

JR: Each artwork is a constant learning curve and a challenge. I mean this both artistically and professionally.

BF: What are you working on now, and where can people see your work next?

JR: I'm working hard on the mini-series Resident Evil (#2-6) for WildStorm / DC. I'm sure it will be something that the fans will want to see, because I'm making this as a fan to a fan. And I pray it will be a smash hit (laughs). Thanks guys  =]

Space Goat Productions is currently searching for more pencilers to represent. If you think you have what it takes to work for Marvel and DC and are willing to work under exclusive representation, please contact Space Goat Productions.