Cartoon Machine Men (Part 2) - George Broderick Jr. on CLI, Working Yambar, etc. (WizardWorld.com 2001).

Cartoon Machine Men (Part 2) - George Broderick Jr. on CLI, Working Yambar, etc. (WizardWorld.com 2001). 5 Minutes with George Broderick on COMICS LIBRARY INTERNATIONAL, Working with Chris Yambar, and Just About Everything Else "Are we a team, or are we a machine?" When George Broderick answered that question -- which had been posed by his frequent collaborator, Chris Yambar -- with a hearty "We're a Cartoon Machine!" he could hardly have realized what that simple reaffirmation of their partnership and goals would have upon their lives. Since that moment, these two cartooning juggernauts -- who had previously produced a literal landslide of cartoon strips and series, both individually and together -- have experienced a literal explosion of creativity. And what's even more amazing is the simple fact that, while their production has dramatically increased both individually and collectively, the quality of that work has only gotten better. And, when one sits back to consider the sheer excellence of their previous output, this is a thing that is very, very good. In this second half of our feature on this dynamic duo the spotlight falls on the life and work of George Broderick. A well established comic book artist with two decades of professional work to his credit, Broderick is clearly someone who lives and breathes comics. This fact is not only evident in his own strips, which range from the whacky nostalgia of Captain Courageous to the silent hilarity of Stardust & Thor, but is also readily apparent in the high quality production and contents of his ongoing Comics Library International series of anthologies and collections. Whether he's presenting his own creations, or that of his peers, it's obvious that Broderick is doing his level best to offer readers exceptional comic book entertainment. WizardWorld.com: Let's start by talking about your work with that Chris Yambar guy. How'd the two of you meet, when did you start working together, and what, exactly, about his brand of demented humor and approach to cartooning appeals to you? George Broderick: I first met Chris in 1995 at the Pittsburgh leg of Dave Sim's infamous "Spirits of Independence" tour. I also met Scott "Patty Cake" Roberts there, but that's a story for a different time. Anyway, Chris was cruising the room as he does, checking out what everyone was doing and spreading encouragement in his wake ... kinda like a big, cuddly iceberg ... but my wife, Denise, was the one who actually started talking to him first, I was busy sketching something for someone. There was some connection there on a spiritual level -- we were all "Jesus guys", as Chris puts it -- anyway, we started a dialogue and Chris sent us some Mr. Beat comics. Denise loved Platt and I was floored by a little feature in the first issue about "popsickle stick puppet ministry" [and] it was all downhill from there. I like Chris's writing because it challenges me and makes me think ... and, I only get about 80% of the jokes. I'll probably keep working with him till I'm up to a comfortable 97-98%! [General laughter] WW.com: Well, how do you two typically work together? Let's start by examining the creation of a new series or character; does one of you bring the new concept to the other, or do you two sit down and co-create in a brainstorming session, or is it all even wilder and weirder than that? Broderick: Usually, one or the other of us will say something along the lines of, "I'm thinking about a big, sweaty wrestler..." or, "wouldn't it be cool if Courageous Man met the Fire-Breathing Pope" or, "I had this idea in the shower..." (But it should be mentioned that the first statement and the last are never, never uttered at the same time!) Then the other guy generally says something lewd or smarmy and we're off to the races! The ideas and brainstorming flow like water, and we're not afraid to tell the other guy, "That's stupid" or, "You're on drugs!" All this most frequently takes place in the serving line at fine Oriental buffets across the tri-state Pittsburgh/Youngstown area. Chris will then draw a sketch of the character ... then, I'll draw it correctly [General laughter]. If some story or concept cracks both of us up, we have a winner. WW.com: As far as creating the individual strips themselves it seems, at least lately, that he's doing the scripting and you're drawing; is that typical, and does it really break down that simply, or is there more to the process than would meet the eye by just glancing at the credits? Broderick: It varies from strip to strip. We both have written and drawn many hundreds of pages in our careers, so ego is a very small part of the equation. [There's] none of this "I'm the writer" or "I'm the artist" crapola, we get beyond that and into the "what's best for this strip?" If I write it, fine. If I'm co-plotter or just the penciller, fine. For El Mucho Grande, Chris created it whole cloth, including the look of El Mucho, but I came in and designed the look for El Chupacabre. When I first drew the two characters last May at Motor City, the art had Levi (Levi's World) Krause and Mike (Burgerbomb) Churchill doubled over in fits of laughter. Chris and I just looked at one another [and said,] "Bingo!" On the other hand, Chris came to me with the concept of Suicide Blonde in his head and I created the whole visual look for that strip and threw in some plot ideas and suggestions for the direction. Plus, this seems to be one of those strips where the characters write themselves and we're just caretakers of the legacy, if you know what I mean. WW.com: What are some of the highlights of the projects you guys have coming out? Broderick: First and foremost, I'm excited about Comic Library International. This project was my baby from the get-go. I think we've done some fine work with the first year's worth of the self-titled anthology and it proved my point that the market is ready for a more upscale read ... a change from the 32 page pamphlet. It's been very successful for us and helped launch some new careers and/or jump-started some flagging ones. The second year's "themed anthology" concept is very exciting to me creatively and lets us explore some sadly overlooked genre choices -- like kid's comics, sci-fi, westerns, fantasy and romance comics. The "Solovisions" are the gold, though! I've got a Stardust & Thor book out [now,] and a Courageous Man trade coming out in time for San Diego. Chris has a Fire-Breathing Pope [collection] out and will have three Mr. Beat [collections] by year's end ... very cool! The El Santo strip is fun, as well. And we're doing some Atomic Mouse for Shada Fantasy Arts ... it's all about the icons, man! WW.com: You're quite a prolific creator in your own right; when will we be seeing some comprehensive trade collections of all of your strips? Broderick: Well, as I just mentioned, I've done a Stardust & Thor trade, and a complete Courageous man trade will be out in early July ... with a foreword by my pal Bill "Will Robinson" Mumy! Also, Shanda is releasing a 48 page Courageous Man book of all-new material in June/July. My online strip, Chase Villens, Boy Hero (for World Famous Comics at www.wfcomics.com/chase) has just hit it's 100th weekly episode, and my first, full length Chase Villens comic book story will finally see print this October in CLI's "Monsters On Parade" [theme issue]. I've done a story for Brian Clopper's second Brainbomb project. It's called "The Family Joules" and is my whacked-out "Courageous Man Universe" take on teams like the Fantastic Four and the Challengers of the Unknown. More Atomic Mouse, three issues of El Santo, some talk of developing my "Fearless Frog" strip (from CLI #6, Giant Size Itsy Bitsy Comics) into a newspaper strip, a Courageous Man team-up story with Wes Alexander's "Stormfield" kids, and a new romance strip called "The Torrid Loves of Taffy Poole" for CLI's Red Hot Romance book due out February 2002. Whew! I need a nap! Chris is right! I am a machine! WW.com: So what's your own approach to creating comics, for yourself and others? Could you take us from rough idea to finished concept of a character or strip, and from the blank page to finished strip, with details on your scripting, layout and finishing methods? Broderick: When I write for myself, it stays in my head then just goes straight to layouts (usually in non-photo blue pencil) and I ink from my layouts. Mostly I envision situations and, as I'm drawing, little snippets of dialogue will come to me and I'll write them in the margins. When the art is done, I'll script and dialogue ... sort of an internalized "Marvel style". When I write for others it's either full script or thumbnail layouts. Art for other inkers is always full pencils. I was taught early on (and I forget by whom), always assume your inker is a total idiot and try to "idiot-proof" your pencils. This works for me and most of my inkers have been really great, consummate professionals, but it's a peace of mind thing with me. As far as the idea stage, my strips tend to be throwbacks to the Fifties and early Sixties, when I was growing up, and the kind of comics I read and loved. [For example,] if I'm in a Stanley and his Monster mood, I might create "Timmy and the Homunculus" or Mighty Mouse becomes "Fearless Frog" in my world or some such like that. Most of my Courageous Man scripts come when I sit down and re-read my old collection of Batman 80 Page Giants. Sometimes, I'll do stuff just for the change. I created Stardust & Thor (a pantomime strip) in direct response to Courageous Man (which is caption and dialogue intensive). Sometimes I'll create strips based on road signs or street names I see while in the car (Yambar hates when I do that on road trips to various cons) ... or, as was the case with "Family Joules", you just can't underestimate the value of a really atrocious pun for getting the old creative juices flowing! WW.com: What lead you to create the Comic Library International series, and what do you hope to accomplish with it ... aside from becoming even richer than that Matt Groening guy everyone envies? Broderick: CLI was started as my attempt to think "outside the box" in regards to format. European comics and, most especially, Manga come in these big volumes or albums and the comic market in Europe and Japan is really healthy ,,, they're accepted into everyday society ... and I thought, "Y'no, when I was in college, I used to feel ashamed of reading a comic on the bus, but had no problems cracking open one of those Warren magazine format Spirit or Creepy or The Rook comics." It's [common] public perception that a 32 page disposable comic is somehow worth less than something with a spine. People will look at you funny if you're reading a copy of Superman, but won't give you a second glance if you're reading a Barbara Cartland trashy romance novel. So, I latched on to this idea [of] "comics as literature" and how they deserved a spine and an ISBN number and a $10-15 price point ... but a price that reflected content and gave you a good value for your dollar. [The simple fact is that,] in today's comic market, ten bucks will get you three comics and a Snickers bar ... but that same $10 can get you a CLI, with about five to seven comics worth of content ... such a deal! I had to talk Chris into the idea, but once I layed out the math (the effort to sell 2 comics at a show is the same as the effort to sell 2 CLI's ... but you're talking the difference between $6 and $20!), he latched onto the concept like a remora on a shark's belly. WW.com: So, how does a new artist or writer-artist team get their stuff into CLI -- aside from those hefty bribes, that is? Broderick: Anyone can get into CLI, but it's mostly by invitation. [The invites typical go to] people whose work we (Chris and I) like or admire, or pros who have been doing it for awhile and have fallen on hard times in this dwindling market. [But it must be noted that] we are not anyone's "golden parachute" or [a] "ticket to the Bigs". CLI is not a way for some hot, young turk to circumvent paying his dues. Jeez, I've been in this industry for twenty years and I'm still paying my dues! [The thing is that,] every once in a great while, we get to do something cool. We recently had the opportunity to run an episode of Bill Morrison's Roswell, Little Green Man [which was] pencilled by Dan DeCarlo! Dan Freakin' DeCarlo! And this was at a time where Archie had just unceremoniously fired the architect of their success. Dan got a lot of verbal support from the industry, but only Bongo (and us) would publish him! Now, that's a statement of solidarity! Since then, other publishers have (wonderfully) jumped on the DeCarlo bandwagon ... this is so cool! That man's a giant! Anyway, CLI is available through your comic shop, Diamond and FM (some volumes are even available through Diamond's Star system), from Chris and I at shows (usually discounted), or direct from the publisher through single orders or subscriptions ... ads are in all CLI's, or you can e-mail me at gbstudios@msn.com for details [on how to get these books]. WW.com: Is there a method to your cartooning madness? Is there an agenda behind your work, aside from just trying to entertain your readers, or is it all about fluffy fun and belly laughs? Broderick: Fluffy fun and belly laughs ... and discounts at many fine restaurants nationwide. [All that,] and, of course, my ongoing crusade to become one of the most beloved characters of American folklore. WW.com: What do you and your various projects offer readers that they aren't necessarily going to get elsewhere? Broderick: All ages fun that doesn't insult your intelligence, lock you into one genre over the other and [that] parents don't have to be afraid to show the young'uns. And sophistication ... lots of sophistication. You can't swing a dead cat over your head around our books without smacking it up alongside a sophisticated bit of humor or a sparkling bon mot of cartooning delight. Hmm, maybe I should start including those discount restaurant coupons ... y'think? --Bill Baker Click below to go back to