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Philip Moy draws for both Marvel and DC, working on the Legionnaires
64 and Men in Black series. He spoke to an Anime Expo panel on the American
and Japanese worlds of comics. Comics adaptations of movies share the film's
style, of course, but Moy said he looks to movies for other cues to use
in his drawings. Moy admits to borrowing a few items from Star
Trek for his comics, such as the design of the series' control panels.
Also, he enjoys the work of futurist Syd Mead. But the artist who really
gets Moy's attention is Hayao Miyazaki. "That sort of stuff only comes
out of your head," said Hoy. "Miyazaki must have some really weird dreams." |
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The wave of the future might be online comics and stories told through
computer screens, but Moy doubts it. There have been experiments with computer
comics on CD-ROM, such as a few semi-animated issues of Ninja High School,
and some art collections have been released on computer disk. However,
those attempts have been short-lived. "Right now it's easier to go out
and pick up a book and flip through it," Moy said. "The computer has to
break through that tactile interface." |
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Anime Expo fans wanted to know how to get started in the comics industry
as an artist. For Yasuhiro Naito, creator of the Trigun manga, it started
at Comik Market in Japan, the massive gathering of doujinshi enthusiasts.
Japanese manga publishers scout the "Comiket" shows for new talent, and
that's where Naito was discovered by a publisher. "Smaller publishers tend
to be more present at Comik Market, but among the big publishers, Kodansha
has been scouting there," Naito said. |
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Moy tried the American version of Naito's strategy. He showed his drawings
at U.S. comics conventions, but never got a bite. rather, Moy took advantage
of the industry grapevine. When someone he knew asked for help with a project,
Moy had a job - which grew into his busy position inside the industry.
Moy said the American comics industry may be harder to enter than manga
in Japan, since there are fewer major comics companies in the U.S. than
in Japan. |
