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Posted April 6, 2014 by Antonio Lukban in Comics
 
 

INTO ATLANTIS Interview with LAN MEDINA

To infinity and–  no, not beyond. But, to Atlantis! 2003 Eisner Award Winner Lan Medina got to be interviewed by Flipgeeks for the second time (first interview – HERE). Lan had a signing event in Comic Odyssey last Saturday. There he shared his stories to Flipgeeks on illustrating for the new ongoing series  – Aquaman and the Others and the different experiences of drawing  a digital comic in Marvel’s Iron Man: Fatal Frontier Infinite Comics.

FLIPGEEKS:  It has been quite some time since we last saw you working on printed comics. How long can we expect you to be working  on Aquaman and the Others?

Lan Medina: Yes, it has been quite long since I had a chance to have printed comic. I have been working on digital comics (Iron Man: Fatal Frontier) prior to Aquaman. Expect 5 issues illustrated by me for Aquaman and the Others.

FG: How was it working with Dan Jurgens? Since he resides in the US, did you spend time chatting with him over the internet?
LM: I didn’t actually get to talk with Dan Jurgens. Our communication happened through an art director. The script was sent through the art director. I drew it and sent it back to the art director. If Dan had any comments or changes that had to be made, it had to relay back to the art director.

FG: Did you actually give input to the story?
LM: I preferred not to. I really liked to concentrate on my art more.

FG: If you were to add a member to Aquaman and the Others, who would it be?
LM: Anne Curtis as Dyesebel [laughs]. Maybe she and Aquaman could become a couple [laughs]. That’s just a joke.

Mera and Aquaman seems fit for each other. Maybe I would add Sub-Mariner but he is from Marvel though. It will be easy for him to fit in because he is already from the ocean. It will be nice to see him face-off with Aquaman at some time.

FG: About your work on Iron Man: Fatal Frontier, was the illustration process different?
LM: The illustration process was different in a way that when I drew for the digital comic, I had to drew it on a panel to panel basis. Printed comics, you draw it per page. The outcome is very different too. Digital comics has movement when you open it. I saw it on the computer, and there are sequences that it is as if you are watching cartoons already. It looks good.

FG: What comic did you enjoy most doing?
LM: I have a few in mind, Punisher and Fables to name a few.

FG: Among your works, which comic book would you like to re-illustrate and why?
LM: My work on Silver Surfer. I wish I had done more on it. It’s as if there was something missing.

FG: Which comic book character would you like to work on next if you had the choice?
LM: For Marvel (Comics) – it would have to be Wolverine. He is liked by a lot of Filipinos. Also, maybe draw Marvel heroines like Spider-Woman, Elektra or Black Widow. For DC (Comics) – Batman! I like drawing pieces that have dark settings.

FG: If you were to choose a write, artist and colorist to collaborate with, who would they be and why?
LM: I would like to work with Garth Ennis from Punisher again. Then maybe Frank Miller on a Batman comic. It would have been nice if they would asked me to draw Batman: Year One. I like Olivier Coipel’s work so it will be nice to collaborate with him. As for the colorist, I would like to work with Laura Martin.

FG: In the local scene, with a lot of young artists coming up, who’s work do you most notice?
LM: Hmmm… that’s a hard one because there are so many. I see a lot of work of Jimbo Salgado online and I like his grey scale work.

FG: Stan Lee had cameo appearances in the Marvel movies. If you were to do one, on what movie would it be and what would be your role?
LM: Another hard question. I think it would have to be on a Punisher movie. I would like to be someone who will put a skull emblem on Punisher’s chest using a hot iron.

FG: You have been in the comic industry for more than 30 years now. How do you keep your work consistently good and improve?
LM: I just love what I’m doing and that’s why I keep doing it.

(Interview was conducted in casual Filipino and translated into English and flow was arranged for reading purposes)


Antonio Lukban