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| Michael Golden after one of the appearances, this one in Australia. |
This past October, Michael Golden sat down with reporter Jimmie Tramel of the "Tulsa World" for a brief
interview before the Tulsa convention. Here are "10 Questions with Michael
Golden."
1.) Tell us about your cover illustration for
the Wizard World Tulsa convention and what you wanted to achieve with it.
MG: I wanted to cover all the bases. I wanted to give the audience a glance in one
image of all that's going on-- Halloween , Octoberfest, The Wizard World Con--
all in town, and that everyone--man women, child and beer drinker--can find
something to be a part of this weekend.
2.) Those buildings in your Wizard
World Tulsa illustration are “real” buildings in
downtown Tulsa. Can we assume
you went online for photo references?
It's a photo montage indeed, but not
really. It's one where I redrew images, and then manipulated them, then reined
them, and then designed them to make it look like a scary Gothic castle rising
as the skyline.
3.) You could have gone a different routes with the
illustration, but you opted to
“monster it up” because Halloween is around the
corner. Why do we love
monsters?
Because it taps a primal fear, and because
it's also paradoxically, fun. It scares us and we enjoy it.
4.) You are slated for a 12:30 p.m. Saturday panel on storytelling.
You can’t be an artist
in the comic industry without also knowing how to tell a
story, correct? (Note that you can attend this class in storytelling at many of
Michael Golden's appearances.)
For ME, personally, I consider it THE priority of my job, to be a storyteller, not
an artist, not a writer, but a storyteller. Artist draws pictures, writers write
words, but if you do it all well, you are a storyteller.
5.) You co-created Rogue of the X-Men. Why do you think the
character has staying power?
For those that don't know, Rogue is a character that can take your life force by
touching you. But behind that is a great vulnerability. A great and scary
power-- the ability to rob people of their very essence of who they are, what
they are and even what they could become. It scares her. It's something we can
all identify with in every relationship we've ever had or started to enter, in
that we cannot control being part of someone else and what it will do to either
them or us. It's the unknown. And that's scary. It's why initially she was such
a great villain, but adversely to that, it's what makes her such vulnerable
character. By virtue of dealing or not dealing with this, she can never have a
true relationship, because being part of someone makes her even more vulnerable
and destroys the person she is having the relationship with as well. Fear is
paralyzing. Something everyone can relate to. She taps into what love is all
about. Rogue taps into that psychological and emotional relationship and the
responsibility there in. But then again, she IS just a comic book
character
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| Rogue as she looked in her first appearance. |
6.) Is there any character or title you would
like one more crack
at?
No, I'm in the position to do what I want . Every character or property
I've been privileged to be part of has been a challenge and a test of my
abilities to do my job. I'd like to think I did it successfully and in a
satisfactory way every time I've done it. I've always wanted to break barriers,
try new things, test new waters and challenge my abilities in a new way. I
approach every job the same.
7.) If you were responsible for writing your
own bio, what would you list first and why?
That I'm a storyteller. It is my Number One Priority. It is the be all and end all
of what I do and what I choose to do in
life, and what will hopefully live beyond me. I don't want to be remembered as an
artist. A storyteller, yes.
8.) What should the people of
Oklahoma know about Michael Golden that can’t be found in a professional
bio?
We'll leave that for my unauthorized auto-biography. LOL
9.) Which artists are in your Mount Rushmore of comic book
illustrators?
First and foremost I'd probably put Alex Toth. He is in
my opinion what this art form is all about. He is the one who purposely and
effectively blends all of the disciplines that we exercise. Jack Kirby who
understood the dynamics necessary to make the two dimensional storytelling
medium come alive. After that I would segue into artistic appreciation of the
disciplines such as Charles Dickens as a writer and storyteller who could make
the time and character of that time and place come alive to any reader. I add
him because it's about storytellers. Beyond that, Stan Lee, who understands how
to meld those classic storytelling principles into the modern super hero
context. He was Shakespeare all over the place. He's part of my storytelling
class in that context. He took Shakespeare's melodrama straight out of the
book--among other sources-- and turned it into Marvel Comics.
10.) For you, what’s the best part of the convention
experience?
Meeting the fans. Just that simple. The fans that have known my work over the years,
that they have passed on to the younger fans--always a pleasure to see them and interact,
that's always rewarding. As is meeting the new people discovering comics and MY
work for the first time-- something that conventions give an outlet
for--creating this whole new experience for them and for us as the creators.
That's what the conventions are all about.
+++++++++
For more information on
Michael Golden, contact evaink@aol.com
About Michael Golden:
One of THE storytellers in the industry, influencing generations of comics fans and
professionals, Michael Golden boasts creations that are some of the most
licensed and enduring in the industry
Co-Creator of Rogue, Bucky O'Hare, Micronauts and "The 'Nam," among much more,
Golden is known as one of THE artists on such characters as Batman, Doctor Strange,
G.I. Joe and the Punisher. Golden's recent covers can be seen on everything from "Spawn" to
the "Walking Dead," to World Wrestling work. Recent covers include works on
"The Walking Dead," "Deadpool," and "DareDevil," to name a
few.
In short, no history of comics is complete without
touching on the influence that this legendary artist has had on this industry.
Recent books on the colorful life and vibrant art of Golden include "Michael
Golden: Alchemy" "Modern Masters: Michael Golden" and "Excess: The Art of
Michael Golden," and "Michael Golden: Dangerous
Curves."
In addition, having served as both Senior Art
Director at Marvel Comics and Senior Editor at DC Comics, Golden's lectures and
classes in storytelling are sought after world wide, with recent venues
including places as diverse as Spain, France, Russia, Norway, Brazil, Chile and
China. With recent gallery shows mounted in New York City, Maryland, Spain and
Russia.
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| This year's cover of the Tulsa magazine. |
