Matt : First of all, why did you choose to become a penciler?
Paul : Number one, it beat working in a steel mill in my hometown. Also, working in pencil is the most fundamental way of doing artwork.
It's an archaic tool that is as old as the beard of Moses.It's the first in line in the production of a comic after the script, and
everything is built on top of the penciller's groundwork. I've painted, I worked in advertising and so on. But I get most satisfaction,
challenge and fun in graphic storytelling. Also, you appeal to a much broader audience.
Matt : How do you get involved in penciling a comic book? I mean, do Dark Horse, Marvel or Acclaim approach you to work for them?
Or do you ask them for works?
Paul : Both. In the case of the Star Wars project, that I'm currently working on for Dark horse, my contract was up at Acclaim comics,
and I originally approached Mike Richardson with a Sci-Fi project that Doug Moench and I developed. If that didn't work I told him (Mike
Richardson) that I would like to take a crack at "Time Cop" as a continued comic series. When all was said and done, Mike handed me the
Crimson Empire series. You can't predict anything in this business.
Matt : All right let's move on. Do you finish a pencilled page the same way as if you were to do the inking yourself?
Paul : When it's going to an inker, the pencils are much tighter than if I were to do it.
Matt : Do you have a basic way of working? And how long does it take?
Paul : The way I've always worked is that when I read a scene I go instinctively on what some call the " first flash ". In other words you
instantly see it in your mind and you just know how you have to play it. It's a pure gut-feeling. Not to say that you don't re-design and
tweak things here and there. Some of my best ideas come in the sub-conscience ; like when I'm driving my car or hear a particular song. I
work about six hours a day which is how long it takes me to crank out a page.
Matt : What's your favorite comic of your own?
Paul : In every comics I try to give the readers something. Even the ones (comics) that stink. There's usually something of interest in
there, evenif its only a couple of panels. To get everything right is a real shot in the dark. The one that comes to (my) mind that did
work is probably the James Bond Serpent's Tooth series. I felt that everything came together nicely on that book. The storyline, the
colors, etc.. In fact, the Fleming Estate considered it not only the best graphic novel ever done, but one of the best James Bond stories
ever written.
Matt : Who are your influences as a penciller?
Paul : The guys that inspired me the most are Joe Kubert, Jack kirby, (Jim) Steranko and Richard Corben.
Matt : About Jim Steranko, I hear a lot of people on the internet who told me that you were just "a guy who try to pencil as Jim
Steranko do". In fact that your style is just a copy of Jim's own! What do you think of this remarks?
Paul : Nah . I don't see it. It's like saying the Beatles were just copying Elvis, Chuck Berry and the Everly Brothers. And anyone who
thinks differently, well, they suck.
Matt : If we forget your runs on Batman, you don't draw super heroes comic books. Why?
Paul : I loved what Kirby did with super heroes. He was the Grand Master of that genre. It's almost like the buck stops there for me. I
personally couldn't add anything more. There's a specific style one needs for super heroes and I never developed one. And I never had the
passion you need to truely make it work.
Matt : Shang-Chi, Batman, Kir Kanos, or even your version of James Bond are not talkative characters . Do you think it's just an
accident, or do you like telling stories with such characters?
Paul : I thought Bond was fairly talkative. But you're right, most of the characters I draw are these grim, quiet, mysterious strangers
who somehow get entangled with dangerous men and deadly women. I love it. I love the Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western, and Eastwood's Dirty
Harry character. Clint personified the whole thing which he lifted from Gary Cooper. It's no accident ; It's done because the formula
works.
Matt : So I really like to see you do a Grendel comic series. Do you think this character is the one you'd like to draw?
Paul : It's a good little character. That may happen one day. We'll see.
Matt : Will you ever do a sequel to " The Grackle " series?
Paul : I'd love to. I thought that was a good comic, it's too bad that it was so overlooked. It was great to work with Mike Baron. He
added some off beat humor to it that really worked. For some reason it got a lot of attention from female readers.
I'd say if you appreciate my work and Mike Baron's, track down the Grackle. It delivers.
Matt : Do you know why female readers like this comic so much?
Paul : I can't really put my finger on it. But of all the books that I sign at shows, the girls always have the Grackle series.
Matt : What do you like and dislike in the comic world today?
Paul : I don't like the lack of committment to the artform itself by the so-called big name artists. It seems like they're only in it to
cash in. Their purpose is only to merchandise the hell out of everything they create, and line their pockets. They talk out of both sides
of their mouth. It's pathetic.
To create comics solely to pitch them to Hollywood and leave your readership dangling is disgraceful. No wonder the fans walk away. What
you end up with is a publishing house of cards and it won't last my friends. And when it looks like it's going to collapse, you pack up
your goodies and you book for the door and leave your partners and pals behind. However, on the upside there are still people in the biz
committed to the medium who love comics for being what they are. People who will keep the business going even if the readers are a bunch
of folks who publish comics. You know what I'm saying?
Matt : So you're saying to do a good comic, the creative team shouldn't be thinking about the money?
Paul : Not necessarily. However, historically the best comics through the ages for the most part have been labored over. My best work,
personally, were projects where I didn't care about the Jack whatsoever and just wanted the applause from my peers and the audience.
Steranko's best work is the result of being notoriously late. He and Stan Lee had bitter fueds over deadlines. When you're in it for the
long haul like me, these good comics are rare gems along the way. What I'm saying in regard to your previous question is that a lot (of)
artists today don't give a shit about the art or the medium and are just looking for a way to launch their vehicle towards their own
financial gain. A good example of this is Garth Brooks, one of the biggest hoaxes in the music industry. This is a man who routinely makes
fools out of his audience by putting CDs out with two different cover jackets, sneak in different song on another, throw in a little
trading card in another. If you listen to him, he obviously doesn't care about music. He's got a degree in marketing and knows just how to
make suckers out his fans and I'm seeing too much of this kind of mentality in comics today.
Matt : What do you think of Craig Russell's work on Crimson Empire?
Paul : I have nothing but admiration for Craig, but our styles definitaly didn't mesh. I myself, and others at Dark Horse aren't sure if a
lot of the inking was actually done by Craig. In the next series, we have Randy Emberlin on board and you'll see a bid difference. He's a
real pro who doesn't monkey around.
Matt : Do you know why Marvel has canceled the miniseries you worked on with Doug Moench : Shang-Shi Master Of Martial Arts?
Paul : It's not really cancelled. It's on hold for the time being along with a lot of other projects at Marvel while the Toy Biz people
are shaking things up. Time will tell if it ever becomes a reality, but I'm not going to hold my breath. As you know, work has already
begun on it. To hit the brakes now is definnatley not fresh. In the meantime while we're taking a break from (the) Star Wars stuff, I
just finished a ten-page story for DC's Vertigo Line called Flinch. Flinch is the book title not the stroy title. Bruce Jones wrote it and
I inked the job myself. Immediaely after that, Doug moench and I will begin working on a six-issue Batman mini-series. The story is about
a hight-tech group of assasins out to whack Batman, Robin, the Huntress and Batgirl. This should be good, because a lot of my stored-up
creative energy I had for (Master Of) Kung-Fu will now be put into this job.
Matt : Does anything go in the comic you draw or do you find you have to censor yourself because of your readers?
That's a gamble everyone has to take including the publisher ; what passes as good taste and what doesn't. My volume of work for the most
part is filled with nothing but gratuitous sex and violence. Do I have and excuse or justification? No it is what it is. As far as I'm
concerned if you want moral and redeeming valves, don't look for them in comics.
Matt : I just re-read Slash Maraud, and I wonder if you think that Humanity is still as you described it then? Because in S.M., you described Humanity in a bad, really bad way.
Paul : I can't remember how we portrayed humanity in that series. I haven't read it in ages. If I recall, humankind all joined together
for a common cause to ward off the invading aliens. And that pretty much reflects what I believe deep inside, when push becomes to shove,
we'll always band together and put a stop to evil. You know, we'll put aside our differences.
Matt : Ok. But if you look at the way you show people acting in Vegas. The folks have become crazy in this town. So do you think
that we all can become as crazy, under special circuntances, or it was just a way to show how crazy you must be today to live in Vegas?
Paul : Well, look at World War II and Hitler. The humans were under the control of the aliens plus you have to assure that Vegas being
what Vegas is, turned even more bizarre in the future. Aliens or not.
Matt : If you look back, do you have any regrets concerning your career as a comic penciller?
APul : No. I've done magazine illustration, I was in advertising for a few years, but I still get my kicks most of all in comics. When you
hear that people in the film industry drop into Dark Horse's Hollywood store to look for ideas, that very fresh. Star Wars is nothing but
a big, long Jack Kirby comic. Lucas, Spielberg, Cameron, they all read comics. It's still good, cheap throw away entertainment. They're
unique onto themselves. They're not video games or movies, they're comics. I'm proud to be a comic artist and I pray to God they never go
away.
If you have any comments, or perhaps a question to ask to Paul, Mail him directly : pgulacy@aol.com
And why not begining with four questions from Dave LeMieux :
Dave :According to an interview in 1989 with Paul (in Amazing Heroes # 159), he indicated that Jim Steranko inked 1 page of the 2
part Cat storyline in either issue # 38 or 39 of MOKF. At the time of the interview, he was not at home & he was unable to tell the
interviewer exactly which page Steranko inked. This would be a fascinating piece of trivia to know, if Paul still remembers. I tried to
look through those issues myself, but I had no idea. According to Paul, Steranko was visiting Dan Adkin's house & he saw the pages of
the Cat story that Dan was inking, and he sat down and inked a full page himself.
Paul : Steranko inked the middle and bottom tier of page 14 in MOKF #38
Dave : Two other points of interest, Gulacy & Moench were given the go ahead for a sequel to Slash Maraud by DC Comics, back at
that time, but it never materialized. I don't know if Doug & Paul simply got busy with other projects or if it was subsequently
canceled by DC.
Paul : For those who are unfamiliar with Slash Maraud, it was the first attempt to cross the rock and roll genre with comics. Although Jim
Lee likes to claim that Image represented comics for the MTV generation, Doug and I had it first over a decade ago. Lobo subsenquently was
a spin-off of Slash Maraud.
D.C. editors through the years asked if we wanted to do a sequel, but it never developed mostly due to other priorities. It can still
happen one day.
Dave : Also, Marvel reportedly gave Doug & Paul the go ahead for a 4 issue prestige format Coldblood miniseries, back in 1989
or 1990, as a sequel to the 10 issue run in Marvel Comics Presents #'s 26-35, although this too never materialized. It may have been
derailed by the revival of Deathlok, at about that time, although I never heard any definitive reason why the sequel never appeared.
Perhaps Paul knows the answer to this. I have to say that I was very impressed by the Coldblood series (80 pages in total) and I was
hoping Marvel would have reprinted it in a small trade paperback version, so that it could have been read altogether.
The story was good and, once again, Paul inked his own artwork. I think Marvel may have been reluctant to have 2 series about cyborgs
(Coldblood & Deathlok) at the same time.
Paul : I actually have a half finished cover painting laying around my studio somewhere that was intended for the Coldblood trade
paperback. The plug was pulled suddenly and without any known reason. I think that Doug and I felt "fine, screw 'em", and went out
seperate ways. We weren't strangers to the way Marvel operates and how they treat freelancers.
Dave : bout 4 years ago, Acclaim Comics listed a brief history of Paul's previous comics' work which included a reference for some
work for Creepy Magazine from Warren Publishing. He may have done 1 or 2 covers for Creepy, although I have not been able to find out
what issue #'s those were.
Paul : Warren printed a cover of a painting called "Seige" wich only appeared in a Spanish and German version. The out-of-print poster can
still be had by contacting me by the website address. Very few remain and it's very scarce.
And now a question from a Danish fan, Jan.
Jan :In the early period of your career, you used the faces of famous movie-actors for some of your caracters. For example in
M.O.K.F. #47 : Larner as Marlon Brando and Sarsfield as Larry Niven. In EERIE (The Trespasser Story) the main caracter is James Coburn,
and in Sabre - on page 1 - we see Clint Eastwood and later on Woody Allen. I appreciate the gimmick, but now I wonder, if there`s a story
behind it, and did I miss other celebrities?
Paul : The reason I use celebrities is strickly for a laugh and to see what I could get away with. I was told once that Bruce Lee's wife
had called Marvel and told them to knok it Off when I and others were doing Master of Kung Fu. It was always done in fun and it was sort
of a salute to those folks.
Here are some others you may have missed :
Kirk Douglas - Sabre
Marlene Dietrich - MOKF
Michael
Caine and Humphrey Bogart - Bizarre Adventures
Kurt Russell - Thing From Another World
