CBA Interview
Talking with Big John That loveable curmudgeon at the ’94 UK Comic Art Convention Opposite page: Enrico Savini shares this JB commission piece featuring the Thunder God and two of the Warriors Three. Bob McLeod did some revision work. Below: A poignant representation of the passing of a master comic book artist. This unfinished commission by JB featured his favorite assignments at Marvel Comics. Courtesy of Mike Arnold. Art ©2002 Estate of John Buscema. Thor, Silver Surfer ©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc. Conan ©2002 Conan Properties, Inc.
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Conducted by Alan R. Woollcombe On Oct. 2, 1994 John Buscema was in London as star guest at UKCAC (United Kingdom Comic Arts Convention). Securing John was a major coup for the organizers, who had lined him up on panels and signings throughout what must have proved a very long day. During a break, we sat in a corner and he good-naturedly granted the following interview. The artist was good-humored, sharp, and not above catching me out occasionally—in short, far from the intimidating ogre of rumor. The interview appeared originally in the March 1995 issue (#37) of the long-defunct British magazine Comic World. This is the verbatim transcript [if slightly edited by Y.E.]—ARW Alan R. Woollcombe: I read an interview with Steve
Englehart recently. He said that in the mid-1970s you and he were both hired by Jenette Kahn at DC briefly, but then Stan [Lee] came back to you with a bigger offer of money. John Buscema: That’s a fabrication. I never worked for DC in my entire life. I was approached three times: once many years ago by Carmine Infantino and twice by Jenette Kahn. (Actually, I shouldn’t say Jenette Kahn, it was one of her editors.) I did meet Jenette twice, and twice we couldn’t, err, come to any sort of, err… They couldn’t take me away from Marvel, okay? What I had at Marvel I could never get at DC. Alan: What do you have at Marvel? John: One of the things I have at Marvel is Conan, which I love. DC wanted me to work on Superman which I think is probably as dull as Spider-Man—I wouldn’t be happy working on it. Also, the benefits that I have, which is very difficult for another company to match, really. I’ve been there a long time and they’ve been very generous with me, and DC could never match what I have at Marvel. Alan: Have you ever worked for another comic company? John: Oh, before—many years ago I worked with quite a few companies, but every one of them closed up like a domino effect. This was back in the ’50s. [chuckles] Alan: Did you ever work with Joe Kubert? John: No, no, never worked with Joe Kubert. It’s a funny thing—if I’ve been in the field for 47 years, I think Joe has been in it for about 50 years or better. I met him [for the first time] about five years ago. I met [DC editor] Julie Schwartz at a convention and I mentioned that I would love to meet Joe Kubert. He told me that the next time I got up to the city [New York] to give him a call and he would make sure that Joe would be there, and we would meet. In fact we did, we had lunch together and I was very impressed with Joe. I think he’s a fabulous artist, I think he’s fantastic, and I think he’s the same thing as a man. He’s really a very interesting person, and we seemed to get along very well. I had an embarrassing situation. Joe has a school [the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art] and he asked me if I would be willing to have a graduation exercise or some-thing with the students, would I be willing to go to [New] Jersey [where the school is] and be a guest speaker? I agreed, and then I had to back out because I was so busy and that’s quite a distance—I would have had to kill an entire day and I just couldn’t have afforded that day. And he said “Well, maybe next time”—and I had to turn him down a second time because of the same situation. He never called me again! [chuckles] So I feel kind of embarrassed—I don’t want to meet him face to face! [laughter] Alan: You mentioned you were bored by Spider-Man, but you did ink some early issues of Amazing Spider-Man…. John: No, I have never inked any job except mine up at Marvel. I penciled—I forget who inked, maybe…. Alan: Mickey Demeo? John: Mickey Demeo was Frank Giacoia by the way, did you know that? Alan: I thought Frankie Ray was Frank Giacoia. John: And I think he was also… wait a minute, Mickey Demeo is Esposito. That is not a real [name]—somebody is using a double, like Frank Giacoia used Frankie Ray, and Demeo is the same situation. Alan: And Gene Colan used Adam Austin. John: Yes, I know that. And John Buscema used John Buscema! [chuckles] I don’t know why the hell they do it. Well I do know about Giacoia, I know why that happened but I won’t go into it, because it’s COMIC BOOK ARTIST 21
August 2002