| As
originally posted at OzComics.com, archived here
INTERVIEW WITH IMPURE STUDIOS
CLAYTON CRAIN, KEVIN CONRAD AND JONATHAN GLAPION
By Darren Close 11.10.00
Impure Studios is situated in [insert city & location here]
and is the workplace of three comic artists, Clayton Crain, Jonathan
Glapion and Kevin Conrad. They've been together for the best part
of 4 years, working primarily for Todd McFarlane Productions on
books such as KISS: The Psycho Circus, Curse of the Spawn, Sam &
Twitch and Spawn: The Dark Ages. More recently they have worked
on the Darkness for Top Cow, as well as an upcoming mini-series
entitled "No Honor".
LEGEND: I will label each question with a moniker to indicate who
I'm asking the question, however if someone else would like to add
their comments as well on that particular question, feel free; I'm
trying to make it as ad lib as possible.
CC: Clayton Crain
JG: Jonathan Glapion
KC: Kevin Conrad
ALL: Question to all of you, however not everyone needs to answer
the question unless they want to.
Please use this legend with each of your responses to help me determine
who's saying what :)
ALL: Guys, thanks for your time!
CRCRAIN: No problem and thank you for being so patient with us
KC: Absolutely! It’s our pleasure!
ALL: First of all, how did Impure Studios form? Do you all live
nearby and needed some studio space and decided to join together
in your efforts? Or did you know one another for years before forming
the Studio? Or is there no actual physical studio, and Impure is
just an imprint that you all refer to?
CRCAIN: I had an Idea for a while to create a website where myself
and others artist could have work displayed and available 24/7.
March of this year I brought the idea of having a website up to
Jonathan and Kevin and it that is when the ball started rolling
on the studio. Keeping the ball rolling was due to Jonathan’s
enthusiasm and consistent interest. Which soon turned from ‘my’
project to ‘our’. We don’t live very close unless
2000 miles is close, but we’ve known each other for about
a year and a half. It would be ideal if we lived closer but unfortunately
it is not an ideal world.
KC: Yeah, there is no ‘central’ studio, but it’s
cool to have it perceived that way. We all help each other out though,
kind of like we’re all together in one big room…FedEx
and Ma Bell makes it all happen.
JG:I liked the idea of having a website. Clayton had the name Impure
tucked away in his pocket since high school. We thought it was perfect,
it's short and to the point. For me the attraction to doing a website
stemmed from the lack of attention given to the artist at TMP. The
website would also give people a rare look at the process of a page
from start to finish. It is still a work in progress, however I
feel it's one of the best comic related site out there. I guess
what I'm saying is the designers kick ass.
ALL: Do you have any plans for creator-owned stuff, or are you happy
for the moment doing work for hire?
CRCRAIN: Of course and of course, but the difference lies in ‘making
a movie’ and ‘playing in a movie’ and to switch
from the latter to the former are steps I’m not ready for.
KC: I know exactly what you’re talking about, It’s a
bit scary taking on something that you’re wholly responsible
for with nobody but yourself to blame if it bombs. I think we all
have concepts we would like to see come to fruition, I know I do.
JG: It's something we talk about. I have much to learn about this
business and now wouldn't be the best time to jump into a creator-owned
situation. Crain's answer was cooler than mine. What's up with that?
ALL: What sort of music is on high rotation on the studio stereo?
CC: Pearl Jam and Janis Joplin are on the top at the moment but
public Radio seems to creep in more and more often. Classical music
is more of an escape. The harder music of Def Tones, Rage Against
the Machine and Ministry demand more of my attention.
KC: I love just about all of it…from swing to metal to thrash.
JG: We do have three different locations so I don't know about
those other two chumps. In my studio however, you will hear Backstreet
Boys, Brittany Spears and then a loud bang from the gun I shot myself
with. Seriously I range from Wu Tang to Limp Bizkit. Lately I've
been into motion picture score (i.e. The Insider & Gladiator).
ALL: Who has the most annoying habit?
JG: Crain has a habit of leaving message on my machine that a dog
couldn't hear. Sorry Crain.
CRCRAIN: Across the board it would be safe to say our friend ‘Procrastination’.
But in it’s defense, due to a stigma; the drive for creation
is necessity.
KC: Huh?
ALL: Is it true that comic artists get all the babes?
CRCRAIN: Like a curse it is.
JG: Yeah but it's costing me a fortune.
KC: pssst…don’t tell our wives!
CC: Clayton, I was so blown away by your Spider-man pic, I emailed
Joe Quesada and demanded that he hire you for that book! Would you
do it if he asked you? Dumb question I know, I was mainly asking
whether you've always wanted to do a run on Spider-Man, or was that
just a one-off?
CRCRAIN: Spiderman is on my top three books I’d like to curse
with my talents
ALL: The bulk of your work seems to be for Todd McFarlane Productions,
what's it like working for Todd? What sort of relationship do you
have with him, have you met with him often? What's your thoughts
on the company and its direction in relation to the industry?
CRCRAIN: Todd is an interesting fella’ and I’ve enjoyed
our conversations. Being a huge fan of his amazing spider-man work
back in the 80’s. As far as TMP, my view maybe distorted,
their like a good friend you find hard to put any stock into.
JG: I broke into comics at TMP. Up until I learned my days were
numbered on Sam and Twitch I never went out side of TMP. Whether
you like Todd or hate him he has succeeded were many have failed.
I don't agree with all of his decisions. The funny thing is that
I literally lived five minutes away from Todd (even before I worked
for him). Todd has always taken the time to give me those valuable
lessons. That's a big deal. Remember Todd is on the phone about
85% of his day.
KC: From my first stint with Todd back in the Blood Feud and Spawn
days, I know from experience that if you hear too much from him,
your in trouble. I got a lot of direction from him back then and
I couldn’t grasp what he was trying to teach me, so I ultimately
failed and lost my gig. I came back on board three years ago this
past June and I have talked to him twice in that time; I like it
that way. As far as his direction, I think he’s doing the
right thing by expanding his business. I also think that he’s
ignoring what got him there in the first place. The tree will die
if the roots can’t get to water.
ALL: There seems to be quite a turmoil at TMP lately, with books
being cancelled left right and center, writers leaving, creative
teams switching... has any of these executive decisions affected
any of you guys and work that you thought you were doing for them?
Has that led you to the recent Top Cow stuff?
KC: Yeah, our book (Kiss-Psycho Circus) got cancelled!
CRCRAIN: I was aware that my time with TMP was short
JG: I was told Sam & Twitch could be a revolving artist book,
so it was just a matter of time. I still think the best issue was
the one Crain did.
ALL: How did you feel about your work on Curse of the Spawn, did
you enjoy working on that book? Was it cancelled out from under
you, or did you know it was being cancelled beforehand?
CRCRAIN: The stories were liner but I enjoyed the book very much.
JG: It was fun working over Turner and Crain, but the writing was
on the wall.
ALL: Was a lot of this TMP work hopefully going to get you a short
gig on the big one, the Spawn book? Were you contacted as possible
replacements for Capullo, or did Angel Medina have his foot in that
door too far ahead of you guys? :)
CRCRAIN: The hope was there. Beau Smith called me on the hush-hush
and asked for a pin-up of Spawn and who ever the better man in Todd’s
eyes gets the job.
JG: I actually have the original pin-up Crain did inked by Conrad.
I think the best guy lost, but that’s my opinion. You be the
judge when it debuts on www.impurestudios.com underground section.
KC: Amen, Brother!
ALL: Do you get along well with Angel? You've worked with him so
often in the past he'd probably be a natural addition to your little
studio, assuming he lived nearby.
JG: Does he even like inkers?
KC: If stabbing someone in the back is getting along with them,
then we got along fine. That aside, he’s a nice guy, go figure.
About midway through Angel's stint on KPC, he started to grind his
pencil into the pages, creating ‘gullies' in the paper making
it very difficult to get a spontaneous inked line. We always had
friendly banter about it; with me knowing full well that he didn't
want me to change one line of his pencils. I was 'taught' by two
industry heavy weights (Todd & Greg), to 'do what ever it takes
to make the page work'. I can honestly say Angel was the only penciler
that I've worked with (to my knowledge) that had a problem with
me doing so. To Angel's credit, he is very talented and has stated
that I was probably the best inker he's had (before Danny Miki,
that is!) When Angel left KPC and was still doing covers, he called
me to tell me he was going to ink
certain parts of the covers. I told him it was not his book, it
was mine and the inking was my job and my job alone. He proceeded
to tell me that he had been telling Todd since issue #2 of KPC that
I was not the right inker for him; keep in mind that he told me
this after 17 issues have gone by. I told him if Todd thought the
same, I would not have stayed on the book for 17 issues (and finally
31). For 17 issues this guy was trying
to get me off the book while pretending he's my friend; I poured
my heart and soul into that book from the first issue to the last.
That book was my livelyhood, my job, it paid my mortgage and fed
my family and he tried to pull that out from underneath me. Angel
has a way of insulting you while smiling to your face and feigning
ignorance while doing it to get his point across. I defy anyone
to compare his pencils to my inks and tell me the
page sucks. I don't have anything against Angel personally, he is
a great talent, but he continually tried to stifle mine. If he wants
someone to trace his inks (and I've told him this), he needs to
do his own project where he has complete control over the whole
thing. Todd's studio is every bit an inker driven studio as well
as pencils, and if he doesn't understand this he’s working
for the wrong guy. If we ever were teamed up again, nothing would
change on my part. I would do whatever I needed
to to express my own creativity, i.e.; in the past I've redrawn
and light boxed his pencils so I wouldn't have to deal with the
ruts he would intentionally leave in the pages. And you can print
this.
ALL: Were you big-time KISS fans before you started working on The
Psycho Circus? And if you weren't before, are you now? Have you
met the band, and if so what was that like?
CRCRAIN: NO.
JG: Nope
KC: OH YEAH! HUGE, ABSOLUTELY HUGE FAN! Read my interview in issues
8-10 of the comic and #5 of the mag for more on that, I won’t
bore these guys with my fan-boy rantings! I will say that KISS-PSYCHO
CIRCUS has been and will probably remain the high point of my career
until I’m able to do my own project.
ALL: In issues #23 and #24 of KISS, many fans have long wondered
if it was Kismet that handed tickets to Iris and Ivy to the club.
Do you know if this was the case?
CRCRAIN: It was one of Kismets hottest moments.
KC: WOO HOO!
ALL: Do you have a favorite issue of KISS that you worked on?
CRCRAIN: 24 and 25 were two of my favorites. There was something
about working on an issue that didn’t take place in a city
with cars and other modern crap of the world.
KC: I definitely agree, especially 24. Clayton and I sort of added
a bit to the story through the middle of it and it really worked.
It reads like an old Hammer horror film. The last issue (31) is
very special to me also. I got my cover that I penciled and Clayton
inked on that one. I’d say it’s more of a jam piece,
Crain busted hump on that one. I memorialized my mom in my signature…finished
penciling it on the morning of her wake.
JG: Issue 28. The only one I worked on. Hehehe!
KC: Thanks for the much needed help, bud.
ALL: And what's going on with KISS: The Psycho Circus? There hasn't
been any official announcement from TMP on the status of the book,
and many fans are wondering what's going on. Is it cancelled?
KC: It went to the big circus tent in the sky.
CRCRAIN: I heard a rumor of a Spawn/Demon Crossover.
ALL: Does the recent shift to Top Cow indicate a change of direction
for Impure Studios in the future? Do you have any other projects
in the pipeline for them, or is there more TMP stuff on the horizon?
KC: They moved me right over to Spawn-The Dark Ages and left Clayton
swinging in the breeze. I have helped out on a couple of the Darkness
issues that Clayton did. TMP has been my home for some time now,
but if anyone knows me, they know I do a bit of work on the side
for Top Cow and DC.
CRCRAIN: Jonathan and I are currently working on NO HONOR with top
cow. As far as TMP I see no future.
JG: I'm happy to be with Top Cow and No Honor looks to be a fun
book. As for TMP, I never say never but it's kind of like going
back to the girl friend that ignored you. Who needs that bitch?
KC: Never, never burn your bridges.
ALL: There seems to be a very identifiable 'style' or look to most
work produced by TMP. Is this something you're encouraged to perpetuate,
or is the fact that Kevin has been working for them for so long
actually been attributed to that?
KC: Yes, yes, I am the God of all that I survey! Seriously, there
is a ‘freestyle’ approach to inking at TMP that really
allows inkers to grow and be a creative force on the books instead
of becoming just some kind of inking drone.
CRCRAIN: I was influenced by Todd’s 80’s/early 90’s
style but I hope to find myself someday soon and break away from
others shadows.
JG: That's the case for every studio. Todd gives the freedom to
explore, so I think it's just an influence thing and of course being
professional you want to have some continuity.
KC: You've worked with TMP the longest, were you responsible for
bringing Clayton and Jonathan into the fold, or did you meet them
through TMP?
KC: They just throw me whoever is closest and hope we get along.
JG: So that makes you the old goat Kevin.
KC: Old is a state of mind…and don’t talk back to your
elders!
KC: For a while there your name was synonymous with Tony Daniel,
with X-Force and even on your first Spawn stuff, the Blood feud
mini-series. It seemed like where he went, you went. Do you still
get along with Tony these days or did you have a bit of a falling
out?
KC: Being an inker leaves you at a bit of a disadvantage in this
industry. You need to ‘attach’ yourself to a penciler
for as long as possible for job security. I thought I had my grubby
little ink hooks in deep with Clayton, but alas, fate has dealt
me a shattering blow! Tony and I are friends, and I do help him
out occasionally, we just started growing apart creatively. I also
hooked him up with my former assistant, Rich Bonk, who has done
quite a bit of work for Tony lately.
ALL: All (Tony) Daniel's books these days seem to be desperately
trying to keep pushing the T&A mentality in comics, what's your
views on the whole T&A issue?
CRCRAIN: It’s crude and easy like toilet humor & cursing.
So I have no problem with it.
KC: T&A? In comics? Nah, it will never sell!
JG: It's a sure shot, so go with what you know right. Sometimes
it gets old though. Who the hell said that?
KC: There he goes again…talkin’ about us old folks!
CC: Clayton, your surname seems to be spelled differently depending
on which book you're working on! Even I wasn't sure at first. Does
this bug you a lot? I know for sure it bugs Eric Larson, oops, make
that Erik Larsen!
CRCRANE: What do you mean?
CC: There's been a lot of criticism by the hardcore Darkness fans
that your recent renditions show Jackie as a "short-haired
dweeb" to name a few. Do you see that as the natural stigma
of a "fill-in artist", or was the script for the book
calling for a different physical description of the character?
CRCRAIN: it was written, “short or pulled back tight”,
short sounded different. He’s in witness protection program
and looking unlike the high profile GQ kind of guy he is was intentional.
I wouldn’t worry his hair will grow back, he’ll shower,
shave and be back to normal by issue 37.
CC: On the other hand, many of these same people are really looking
forward to your upcoming Top Cow mini-series "No Honor",
penned by Fiona Avery. Can you give us some more details on this
project, have you been involved in the story or character development
much? Is Kevin or Jonathan going to ink this book? Can you send
us any preview art or sketches for this book? :)
CRCRAIN: The writing is all Fiona. I drew characters until she
was pleased. When Jonathan and I are closer to finished (and get
the “Okay”) we’ll send you clips.
JG: I saw in your online portfolio that you've done some penciling
work yourself, is this something you'd like to pursue further, or
are you happy to keep inking? What about you Kevin?
JG: Absolutely. Then Play station 2 came out, damn. My wife has
been bugging me to do some paintings (water color) for the house.
Did I mention I also have two Dreamcast systems?
KC: You should see some of my work on the site when it’s updated.
I would love to pencil full time, only my full time job doesn’t
allow me too! I have penciled a few things in comics that made it
to print; a Spawn pin-up in #31, a cover for Samson Comics’
Blood Bath #1, and OvertKill trading card for the first series,
a cover for a Kiss fan mag, and finally Kiss, Psycho Circus #31
cover. In addition, I just finished a CD cover for a band out of
LA that is searching for a record label. With my luck, they won’t
get signed.
ALL: You have a pretty awesome website for your studio (www.impurestudios.com),
where do you see the future of comics and the Internet? Will they
eventually become one, or will the world of printed books always
remain? With the rising production costs, surely the Internet can
provide a more cost-effective solution to comics entertainment?
(once the logistics of "How does it make money" are figured
out)
CRCRAIN: Thanks but it’s due to the impure web designers.
I believe comic books will be eaten alive by the Internet and video
games and forty years down the road the collecting of comics will
strive once again.
KC: Forty Years?!!! I can’t wait forty years! Do you know
how old I’ll be in forty years?
JG: I think it would be a sad day if print were killed by the Internet.
I don't see it happening. People will always have the need to have
something they can hold and pick up later. Besides, if you're stranded
and run out of toilet paper, how useful is that computer now?
KC: We must put our heads together and find a way to link the printed
book and the Internet.
ALL: Well, thanks for your time guys! Be sure to keep me informed
on what’s happening there at Impure, and good luck for the
successes of the future!
JG: Thank you for giving us the attention.
KC: Thank you for letting us ramble.
ALL: Here I have compiled a short checklist of your work in the
industry. Please amend with anything I've missed:
Clayton Crain
Shadowman Vol.2 Issues 16-20 (pencils) Acclaim
KISS: The Psycho Circus Issues 18-31 (pencils) TMP
Curse of the Spawn Issues 24-29 (pencils) TMP
The Darkness Issues 34-36 (pencils) TOP COW
No Honor (upcoming) Issues 1-4 (pencils) TOP COW
Sam & Twitch Issues 15 (pencils)
Jonathan Glapion
KISS: The Psycho Circus Issue 28 (inks) TMP
Curse of the Spawn Issues 22-29 (inks) TMP
Spawn: The Dark Ages Issues 12, 16, 18 (inks) TMP
Sam & Twitch Issues 1-8, 10-15 (inks) TMP
Violent Messiahs Issues 4 (inks)
No Honor (upcoming) Issues 1-4 (inks) TOP
The Darkness Issues 34-36 (inks) TOP
Objective Five Issues 5 (inks)
Kevin Conrad
X-Force Issues ?? (inks) MARVEL
Spawn: Bloodfeud Issues 1-4 (inks) TMP
KISS: Psycho Circus Issues 1-31 (inks) TMP
Spawn: The Dark Ages Issues 15, 16 (inks) TMP
Too many to list, see my fan site at kevinconradart.com for a complete
list of my books.
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