Interviews

Behind the Scenes of the Super Friends

[Date: February 2010]

By Adam Dechanel.

Super Friends

Super Friends So with everything going on in comics the last few years, you'll perhaps have noticed that comics aren't as safe and wholesome as they used to be... sex crimes, dismemberment, manslaughter, murder... it's all there and there isn't one mainstream DCU book that hasn't featured things perhaps you would want to see. Then amongst the more adult world came a book that decided it wanted to entertain children, specifically there were a few that launched at the end of the DCUA (DC Universe Animation) demise. Billy Batson, Supergirl Cosmic Adventures, Tiny Titans and for our focus: DC Super Friends.

Many moons ago there was a cartoon show of the same name that is fondly remembered by its now adult viewers... Mattel & DC had decided to resurrect that idealism with this new version. I know, I know - its based on a toy line... that would have many a parent's alarm bells ringing and I'm no different. To begin with I hated this book, one because it heralded the end of the much adored DCUA and two because it was, as He-Man and many other were in years past, perceived as a commercial to sell toys.

Month after month I reviewed the books, ranting and raving at the preaching and adverts and the super deformed Super Friends. Somewhere along the line though my viewpoint changed... was it when Wonder Woman assassinated a man? When Superboy-Prime ripped Risk's arms off? When Supergirl almost murdered Batgirl? When Batman ripped out a villain's intestines? When Flash was beaten to death? When Superman decided to abandon us? Perhaps it was when zombies laid waste to the DCU... No, it was none of them.

A little girl asked me why I liked comics so much and what was going on in them... I explained - obviously editing out some of the above, and she looked a little disgusted... I was saddened - how can a child despise the very heroes many of us grew up with? So I fished out the latest issue of Super Friends and well... she loved it! We did the activities, we read the comics and we played with the Super Friends code.

I was more than a little disappointing in myself for my judgment of the book, but in a bizarre twist of fate, the series' artists, J. Bone & Stewart McKenny contacted me and through their insight I began to realize what a gem this book really is...

And so this 'behind the scenes' was born... "Part one: Stewart McKenny".

So Stewart... we have a book called Super Friends, an education based comic for the younger readers. First off - who are you? Give us a little biography.

Truth be told I'm a bit of a fanboy. I'm an Aussie, living in Brisbane, Queensland. When I'm not working, I can usually be found wandering down the dark and grimy corridors that seem to lead to every comic store I know, or poring over the newest toys at my local toy store (that's if my girlfriend hasn't dragged me off to see friends and be sociable!). I like to think I'm a pretty ordinary guy - One cat (Has anyone else noticed that all comic people seem to have cats?), one girlfriend (that might not be so common in the comic world... :), and one house (with a lawn that seems to constantly need mowing) - all pretty standard... I just work two jobs. I'm a graphic designer by trade - but draw comics when I get the chance.

So far I've been really blessed with my career in comics - from working with and learning from Eddie Campbell (of From Hell fame) on 'Captain America', to Dark Horse gigs drawing various 'Star Wars' titles, namely 'Star Wars Tales' and 'Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures'. As a massive fan of all things comics, and a serious 'Star Wars' buff - I couldn't have dreamed of a better introduction to 'the biz'. For the last few years I have been lucky enough to be part of the awesome art squad working on 'DC Super Friends' - part of the Johnny DC line for kids. This has given me the opportunity to draw some of the coolest characters in the comic industry - as well as iconic in the wider arena of popular culture! (Did I mention I get to draw Superman???)

The book has grown a lot since its humble beginnings with continuity being introduced into its newer story lines but can you explain the book to newbies?

'DC Super Friends' is a great story aimed at younger readers (and their parents). It takes the Super Friends (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern) and pits them against a variety of tricky foes. They always save the day, in the best way possible - having some fun along the way. For a younger reader it's an introduction to the DC Universe and some of its more well known characters, as well as a variety of oldies but goodies! Every issue has some educational aspect to it that helps children learn whilst having fun. (I have to admit to learning a few things along the way too!).

I believe its origins come from a discussion by a number of DC staff who wanted to be able to give comics to their young children and relatives, but struggled to find anything that could be considered even vaguely appropriate for a younger audience.

I just love that it's a story about Super Heroes who use their brains to solve problems, rather than just fists and brawn, providing a good role model for young children at the same time. Comics always used to be about fun and kids - and this title really makes that a reality again.

Why did it deviate from the successful 'Timmverse' and 'Batman Brave and the Bold' art styles?

Well, as it said on the early covers, it was based on the Mattel toy line which is aimed at a younger audience. To make these more 'kid friendly' the toys are sturdy and pretty well indestructible - believe me, I've seen them take a hammering at the hands of my nephews on more than one occasion! For the book to tie in with the toys, the style had to deviate from the more streamlined art styles aimed at the slightly older readers.

Were you involved in character designs, how much freedom were you given with them?

The designs for the Super Friends themselves are determined by the toy line, but other than that, I'm pretty lucky that my awesome editor, Rachel Gluckstern, lets me have fun with the rest of the characters in the stories.

I've been able to design a heap of characters - modernizing some, and creating others from scratch. I particularly enjoyed coming up with new looks for Queen Bee, Queen of Fables, Scarecrow, Faust... well, all of them really. I work from the original concepts but try and put a cool spin on them where I can. The best thing about working on 'DC Super Friends' is the capacity for making it fun. I want to see a younger generation getting back into comics, and really think this book is a good place to start. I also like popping in the occasional bit of entertainment for the adults...

In your experience how much input does Mattel have on the book?

I'm not aware of their level of input on an editorial level, if any at all, but I don't believe they have any on a creative level beyond the initial character designs.

The book has the innovative step of including family activities and even code breaking, how involved are you in the activities?

The talented Sholly Fisch, who writes 'Super Friends', creates and comes up with the activity ideas, generally I just get to work out how to make them visually appealing for a younger audience, whilst having a bit of fun with the page design. (This is where my graphic design experience comes in handy!) I especially enjoyed putting the Superfriends in wigs for issue #17 and what's not to love about the finger puppets that appeared in issue #3!? The number of kids I've seen still playing with those finger puppets and genuinely having a blast is pretty cool - though as a comic collector myself I almost cry when I see them cutting up the pages...

The story and interior art are usually very different from the covers how much collaboration goes on between the art and writing team?

'Super Friends' is a little different from most comic books as we have a team of different artists working on the different issues. We come from all over the globe - from Canada, Brazil, Australia, and of course, New York! Meeting and talking together regularly is pretty well impossible, although e-mail and Facebook has begun to make that a little more feasible.

I've been lucky enough to have actually met Dario Brizuela in San Diego last year - he is a really top guy, and his art is great as well! Jason Bone has a strong online presence, so we talk a bit through Facebook - the guy has a brilliant art style, and a totally wicked sense of humor! And I met Sholly and his lovely family in New York last year, so we talk occasionally via e-mail. But to be honest, our conversations about work are few and far between, it's more about the chance to connect with fellow creators - it can be a very isolating job at times.

Each of us does our own take on the stories, which seems to mostly work for us. We're not the same as each other, but diversity can be a strength. Our editor, Rachel, tends to match us each up with stories that play to our strengths, rather than just randomly allocating them - so hopefully we get the best possible outcome for every story.

Can you explain how you deliver a book/cover from beginning to end?

It's a pretty basic process, generally I get an e-mail from Rachel asking whether I'm free. Then she mails out the boards and the finished script with any relevant reference from Sholly. I plan using thumbnails (small page layouts), then mock up my pages on the computer from that. I'm pretty finicky - I use a light table for my rough layouts and draw each page lightly on the board, then go back and do it again, cleaner and darker.

I send through those pages for checking by Rachel, then make any changes before sending them off to be inked by Dan Davis. I'm incredibly lucky to work with an inker who makes the effort to be true to my vision for the pages, Dan is a legend. From there it goes again to Rachel, before being colored, then lettered and finally printed.

Who is your favorite character?

I have to pick just one? Do I be politically correct here and say Superman? Or honest and say I really like drawing women, so I'd probably go with Wonder Woman - but honestly, they are all appealing in their own way - especially the way we get to depict them in 'Super Friends'.

Who is the villain you'd most like to appear?

I'm still hanging out for Catwoman - I reckon she'd rock!

Marvel has a line called the Superhero Squad that followed similar lines as the Super Friends - do you think we'll be seeing and cartoon show or video game in the future?

I'd like to see it - fingers crossed. I'd like to make it clear here and now that I'm not a total nerd who just collects comics and toys - I'm a well rounded person who also plays video games as well! :)

Will there be any spin offs?

Not that I'm aware of... again - fingers crossed!

What other projects are you currently involved in?

Right now I'm usually pretty busy between Super Friends, my graphic design job and private commissions - but I'm hoping to start freeing up some time and getting a few pitches out there to branch out a little - I'd certainly like to do more comic work...

Any sneaky info on what the future holds for Super Friends?

Look out for Super Friends at ComicCon... that's all I'm saying!



Super Friends

Super Friends In Part 1 you saw me eat my words... If you missed it one of the series artists; Stewart McKenny gave us a little insight into the world of the Super Friends. In Part 2, he's kindly allowed us into his sketchbook and given us a slew of images to feast over - some of which have never been seen before!

McKenny Artwork McKenny Artwork McKenny Artwork McKenny Artwork
McKenny Artwork McKenny Artwork McKenny Artwork McKenny Artwork
McKenny Artwork McKenny Artwork McKenny Artwork McKenny Artwork

For more on Stewart and his artwork check out StewartMcKenny.com



Super Friends

Super Friends Over the past two parts of this article we met Stuart McKenny and to continue we're going to chat to J. Bone, cover and sometimes interior artist on DC Super Friends.

I first came across J. via his blog, as I didn't mention it previously, I'd decided to track down feedback on my reviews and the DC Super Friends title.

I'll be honest I took a beating, but I believe deservedly so - critics and reviewers often get so caught up in their reviews they begin to think they are as big a celebrity as the people they are writing about. For that reason I HAD to find out more about DC Super Friends, the meat and potatoes of it, the book has grown so much in its 20+ issues I owed it to myself and the readers to learn more so I could give a fair and just review. So getting back on topic we have J. Bone a unique artist with a great love for his work and a desire to open up our eyes to the magic of the Super Friends book...

Who are you Mr J?

I'm a Canadian. I've been working in the comic book industry for ten years now. I started in '99 with a black and white book called SOLAR STELLA which I wrote and drew. I teamed up with J.Torres for my next step towards stardom on the book Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures. Along the way I worked with Mike Allred on a Mr. Gum one-shot, and inked him on the X-Statix infamous Lady Di/Not-Lady Di storyline. Around the beginning of my career I also met the guy who is without a doubt the most influential artist on my career - Darwyn Cooke. I inked him on a Tangled Web Spider-Man story, which we reversed for our next Spidey team-up with me on pencils and Cooke saving me with his inks. I assisted on his mammoth project THE NEW FRONTIER and then drew a Wonder Woman story for the New Frontier One-Shot (which came out to coincide with the Animated New Frontier DVD release)... Most recently I drew an issue Batman Brave and the Bold, something I'd love to do again! And for two years I've been the artist on the covers to the Super Friends drawing the occasional interior.

The book has grown a lot since its humble beginnings with continuity being introduced into its newer story lines but can you explain the book to newbies?

My feeling is that the book is a successful throwback to the adventures of DC's WORLD'S FINEST stories where crazy stuff happened all the time. It's most definitely a book you can, and should, give to children!

Why did it deviate from the successful 'Timmverse' and 'Batman Brave and the Bold' art styles?

Well, first of all his book is its own entity in much the same way the TINY TITANS is its own thing. It isn't so much a deviation as it is the creation of a new Universe/style in this case based on a toy line. I try as much as possible to give the world of the Super Friends its own identity within the restrictions dictated by the character model sheets. There is an expected child-friendliness I keep in mind when drawing villains, vehicles or even the situations the Super Friends find themselves in each issue.

I think the similarities to keep in mind that the Timmverse, Batman Brave and the Bold and the Super Friends all exist to keep the DC characters in front of the public eye. In each case the toys, magazines and books are made in the style of their own Universe. The Super Friends, being aimed at a very young audience, has a much rounder, cuddly style. You won't be seeing the Joker perform a disappearing pencil trick in the Super Friends!.

Were you involved in character designs, how much freedom were you given with them?

I feel like, as we go into year three of the book, that we have a great deal of freedom within the confines of a book aimed at children. In the recent storybook issue (#21) I saw that Stewart had added a lot of little jokes and extra characters in the margins of the pages. I plan on riffing on that myself when I can in upcoming issues because I think it adds an element of fun for the readers.

As for the initial character designs there is most definitely a desire to adhere to the shapes of the toy line. There's an established template there and in those first issues you'll see it's strictly upheld. As the book continues I've noticed a greater expression of individual characters from each of the artists. Again, we're not moving drastically away from the template, but within that silhouette we're seeing a cartoonier approach. I know I've made a concerted effort to give Wonder Woman a curvy, more feminine physique compared to the solidly built male heroes. What keeps her in line with the template is the thickness of her limbs and those giant feet!

I'll tell you that there wasn't initially a design for Wonder Woman (I've heard Mattel, sadly, has no plans to make a Wonder Woman figure). I drew up a quick turn-around because I would be drawing her on the cover. A model sheet was eventually drawn up around the same time the art was being drawn for the first issue.

In your experience how much input does Mattel have on the book?

None that I know of. I use their color guides for the characters on each and every cover, but even in that the heroes aren't "Hero" colors for the campfire (#20) cover.

The book has the innovative step of including family activities and even code breaking, how involved are you in the activities?

Sholly writes them as part of the script (they've generally tended to have something to do with or reflect some aspect of the story) and the interior artist draws 'em up. The freedom there is in how we, the interior artists, choose to lay out the page or activity. Adding in other fun elements and such. One of my favorite activities to draw was the Bizarro "Find the Wrong Things" puzzle. Sholly listed a few things I could do but I was also free to add anything that came to mind while drawing the page. I provided a list of what I had done for the Answer section at the back - but really, this is a Bizarro world. Aren't the so-called Wrong things actually Right to the Bizarros?

The story and interior art are usually very different from the covers how much collaboration goes on between the art and writing team?

Here's my thinking behind the covers - they are posters for the adventure taking place within. Some of the covers tell an element of the story, or suggest the villain/situation. But what I want more than anything is to catch the eye of a young reader with a fun aspect of the story they're going to see. To say that the interior art is "very different" from the covers is simply the nature of book publishing. The cover artist has to grab the reader immediately! An iconic image, metaphor or artistic representation of the interior is one of the strongest ways to achieve that goal.

I tend to look at a lot of movie poster art from the 50's and paperback covers from 50's and 60's for inspiration. I also look at the fun covers produced at DC in the 60's. In those days the cover was most definitely drawn first with the art and story written around that image. In many cases the story was incredibly different from the initial concept. We, the artists on the Super Friends, are lucky with Sholly as writer the script is done well beforehand. As the cover guy, I read the full script in order to pluck out some key scene or conflict. Most likely the interior guy is starting work shortly after or around the same time as me.

Can you explain how you deliver a book/cover from beginning to end?

No.

Just kidding. Sure. I read the script looking for a nice iconic scene or story element to draw. Sometimes I'm not sure what to do so I'll sketch out a few rough cover ideas and run them past my editor Rachel Gluckstern (who also shows the sketch to DC art director Mark Chiarello for input). She's been terrific at picking out the best cover or suggesting something for me to riff on as a cover idea. There are those rare times (like with the Super Villains cover) where the cover idea comes to me in a dream and it falls together like making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

If there's anything unusual about the cover, as in when the Super Friends aren't in their usual costumes I'll spend some time designing their new look. I've done a few covers like that. The Bat-squad (#11), the fairy tale issue (#21) and the space-suits (#23) definitely took extra sketching time before the art was finalized.

Once the sketch is approved I pencil, ink and color the cover. I'll send Rachel a JPEG to see if there are any final changes. Once it's all approved I send in the final art and eagerly await the next script!

Who is your favorite character?

I'm going to be decisive for once and say Wonder Woman! (And Aquaman).

Who is the villain you'd most like to appear?

They've already appeared but I would love to draw a Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite story. I got to draw Bat-Mite in the Batman birthday issue (#15) and a Mxyzptlk appeared as a statue in the Superman museum (#9). But I'd LOVE to do a full issue with those magical mighty mites.

Marvel has a line called the Superhero Squad that followed similar lines as the Super Friends - do you think we'll be seeing and cartoon show or video game in the future?

What is this "Marvel" you mention? I've never heard of it.

Will there be any spin offs?

I'm not sure what could be spun off. I'd like to see more heroes added. Mattel produced a Cyborg and a Hawkman toy. Both would be cool characters to throw in the mix.

What other projects are you currently involved in?

I regularly do illustration work up here in Toronto. I have no current comic book projects, though I have plenty of ideas I'd love to work on. I'm not exaggerating at all when I say that drawing the covers to the Super Friends is absolutely my favorite gig. I'm drawing the DC's top icons for kids. Every month I read the letters pages and you can tell those kids (and their parents) just love the Super Friends.

Side note - My favorite letter ever was from Sam Lopez, age 7 from California. He asked why some guy "named J.Bone is writing his name and the year on the cover..." That's just so adorable. Stewart messaged me telling me to stop writing all over Sam's comic books! Hilarious!

Any sneaky info on what the future holds for Super Friends?

Jeez - I hope many more years of stories. Maybe more positive reviews for the book, especially for the covers! :)



Super Friends

Super Friends In Part 3 we met J. Bone, cover artist on DC Super Friends, he's been very good about us probing him (not literally!) and has given us a glimpse at some of his sketches and covers and a quick look at the brilliant cover to issue 24!

Thank you for joining me on this four part look into the vaults of DC Comics and the minds of two of its great artists. I have gained a new understanding and appreciation for the DC Super Friends title and hope you also might shrug off the misconceptions and give the book a try!

J. Bone Artwork J. Bone Artwork J. Bone Artwork J. Bone Artwork
J. Bone Artwork J. Bone Artwork J. Bone Artwork J. Bone Artwork
J. Bone Artwork J. Bone Artwork J. Bone Artwork J. Bone Artwork

For more on J. Bone why not check out his blog at gobukan.blogspot.com.



This interview is Copyright © 2010 by Steven Younis. It is not to be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.


Interviews

Introduction

The Superman Homepage has had the pleasure of interviewing various Superman Comic Book creative people about their work.

Question and Answer Interviews:

Interviews/Articles:

Krypton Club Interviews:

Lois When “Lois & Clark” started production in 1993, there was an obvious relationship between the comic book people and the Hollywood people.

A trade paperback “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”, was published, with Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher on the cover. It included reprints of comic book stories that were the inspiration for “Lois & Clark”, helping to define the characters. Comic's included are: The Story of the Century (Man of Steel miniseries #2), Tears for Titano (Superman Annual #1), Metropolis - 900 mi (in SUP #9), The Name Game (SUP #11), Lois Lane (in ACT #600), Headhunter (AOS #445), Homeless for the Holidays (AOS #462), The Limits of Power (AOS #466), and Survival (ACT #665).

A number of comic book writers and artists had roles as extras in the episode “I'm Looking Through You” (Season one, episode 4). Their presence was immortilized in the Sky Trading Card #34.

Craig Byrne, president of the online “Lois & Clark” fanclub The Krypton Club, carried out a series of interviews with comic book writers. The interviews are reprinted with permission of the Krypton Club.

Check the Television section of this website for some “Lois & Clark” Interviews conducted by The Krypton Club.