Chris Weston, Artist Currently working on: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. Web site: www.chrisweston.com All-time favourite SF comic character? Dan Dare What’s your favourite SF comic strip that you’ve worked on? Indigo Prime: Killing Time, written by John Smith. It originally appeared in 2000AD way back in 1991. Why? This strip represents the moment I finally developed my very own style, one that hopefully distinguishes my work from other comic strip creators. Also, it’s a ripping yarn full of blood and gore, thrills and spills... and has a truly moving ending. Which comics artist best known for their SF strip do you most admire? Probably Alex Raymond for Flash Gordon. Exquisite work indeed. Frank Hampson and Don Lawrence probably rate a joint close second, though. Which comics writer best known for their SF strip do you most admire? John Wagner for Strontium Dog. Do you read science fiction or fantasy? If so, who’s your favourite author? When would I find time to read... I’ve got two kids! If you could work on a comic strip based on just one sf television series or film, which would it be? I don’t approve of comic strip adaptations... I think it belittles the comic strip medium. That’s not to say some great work hasn’t been produced in this manner... Frank Bellamy’s Thunderbirds is terrific. But I’d have preferred to see Frank to have come up with something original. I love comics too much to want them constrained by the corporate demands of other properties. The return of Doctor Who – a good or bad idea?A tenuous thumbs up... if it’s handled carefully. Is Star Trek dead or just resting? Deceased, cremated and its ashes scattered to the winds, hopefully.
Kev F. Sutherland, Artist and Writer Currently working on: Bash St Kids and other stories in The Beano Web site: www.comicfestival.co.uk All-time favourite SF comic character? Howard The Duck What’s your favourite SF comic strip that you’ve worked on? Either Red Dwarf, for which I drew Androids and wrote Ace Rimmer, or my own creation, the little-seen Fractal Force. It ran as a syndicated strip in a couple of regional papers and never got the big break it deserved. Why? They were a group of scientists who had their brains mapped and fed into a computer then died. So they were only alive in the computer, having adventures in the fractal universe, and no-one wanted to tell them why they couldn’t come out. Genius, though I say so myself. Which comics artist best known for their SF strip do you most admire? I loved Frank Bellamy’s Thunderbirds, but the love of my childhood years was John M Burns Tomorrow People in Look-In. Which comics writer best known for their SF strip do you most admire? Alan Moore for Halo Jones, his slightly-neglected classic. Do you read science fiction or fantasy? If so, who’s your favourite author? I actually prefer comedy to any of the above. Many SF fans are amazed at the number of genre shows I’ve never seen. If you could work on a comic strip based on just one sf television series or film, which would it be? I’d rather produce a comic strip that was then adapted into film or TV. The tail shouldn’t wag the dog. Why? Movie adaptations are almost always poor. Exceptions include the 1960s Thunderbirds, Marvel’s 1970s Planet Of The Apes and the 1980s Doctor Who strips. The exceptions that prove the rule.Two words that chill my blood: Graphic Novelisation. The return of Doctor Who – a good or bad idea?A brilliant idea. As was cancelling it in 1989, by the way. Is Star Trek dead or just resting? It died in 1969. Like I said, I prefer comedy.
Which comics artist best known for their SF strip do you most admire? That would have to be Jean Moebius Giraud for his very singular imagination. A once and future genious! Which comics writer best known for their SF strip do you most admire? John Wagner/Alan Grant. Do you read science fiction or fantasy? If so, who’s your favourite author? Moorcock. If you could work on a comic strip based on just one sf television series or film, which would it be? Captain Scarlet. Why? It was the first TV show that really pulled me into the world on screen. I love all of the design work that went into making the world a believable place. The music was great too and as for the Ron Embleton paintings on the end credits....Wow!!! The return of Doctor Who – a good or bad idea? Good. He’s one of the UK’s greatest heroes and good luck to him! Is Star Trek dead or just resting? I hope resting. If the universe is as big as they say it is surely there must be room for more boldly goings on!
Steve White, Artist, Editor, Writer Currently working on: At Titan, I edit the Official RAF Magazine, Best of the Simpsons, Bart Simpson, SpongeBob SquarePants and Wallace & Gromit. Honest. For myself, I’m working on a book looking at the deep history of Jaws (part cinema, part history, part natural history book); no publisher, just for myself really. Also still doing bits of artwork for publication and a new fine art piece. Web site: http://thunderlizard.gn.apc.org All-time favourite SF comic character? Hellboy What’s your favourite SF comic strip that you’ve worked on? Black Light (for 2000AD) Why? Well, it was the one time in my creative comics career that everything worked out the way I wanted it to. I co-wrote it with Dan Abnett, and we had a great time doing it. We had some great artists for the strip (John Burns, Steve Yeowell) and I real-
Dave Taylor, Artist Currently working on: Judge Anderson All-time favourite SF comic character? Dredd or John Difool What’s your favourite SF comic strip that you’ve worked on? Dredd Why? I did a Dredd sample page back in 1987ish that was so bad I was told it was too American(so I went and worked for Marvel and DC!) but still always wanted to draw him. I recently confronted this old ambition and the outcome was very satisfying, if not very scary! Raptor Battle by Steve White. Check out his web site for more stunning dinosaur art.
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