Eclectic Micks Sketchbook Launch

Eclectic Micks

Sketchbook Launch

You don't put guys like that in a room together. Who knows what can happen?

I attended Forbidden Planet this Saturday for the launch of a new sketchbook called Eclectic Micks. Six of the seven Irish (hence the Micks title) comic book artists responsible for the publication were in attendance signing, drawing and generally slagging each other off. I sat down with the collective to talk influences, superhero movies and jowly actors.

What prompted your involvement in this sketchbook?

Declan Shalvey: We all met at a comic convention about a year ago and decided to do something together, so we started the Eclectic Micks blog.

Bob Byrne: Each of us posts a picture and some text once a week. The ideas are things we come up with or that the other guys suggest. The sketchbook is basically the best of the blog.

When did you realise you wanted to become involved in comics?

Bob Byrne: When I was twelve I produced my own comic, and gave copies to my friends. Of course, I never kept any of them for myself, which is a shame as they might be worth something now [laughs]. Although, a guy did contact me on Facebook the other day to say that he had kept one. The quality of the artwork was terrible.

Stephen Mooney: I remember that Image Comics became big when I was growing up and I was all over that; I loved it. I think that was when I developed a love of comics. I also did art for leaving cert, so that helped. It's funny, because my art teacher was always trying to get me out of comics.

How did you begin working on your current publication?

Stephen Mooney: I was working on a book called Freakshow 4 or 5 years ago. Chris Ryall, the editor of IDW comics, loves having Irish guys working for him; he's fourth or fifth generation Irish himself. He hired me for a CSI book called Dying in the Gutters. It's weird working on books like that because you have to get approval to use a person's likeness. I got an email of approval from Stan Lee that I still have. The only problem was the guy who plays Grissom in the series (William Petersen), who thought I made his jowls too big.

Stephen Thompson: I had to be vetted before I could work on Die Hard: Year One, so I don't really need to get each picture vetted before it goes out. I was originally going to work on the Farscape comic (Will Sliney's current publication), but then I moved to Die Hard. I was a fan of the films going in. John McClane deals with smaller time bad guys in the comics, because it's set before the first film, when he's just a rookie, but we also try to include big events like the New York blackouts and the Bicentennial.

Bob Byrne: When I created Mr. Amperduke [a book dealing with racism among tiny people who resemble Lego-men], the short answer was that I wanted to tell a story without words. I came up with the concept, and the idea for the characters came later.

Nick Roche: I always wanted to draw Transformers [the book on which Roche now works]. I have an inside contact at IDW comics who mentioned this to them and I got an interview and got in. I was always just interested in drawing the comics, but then one of the writers pulled out of doing some issues and I said 'Um, can I give them a go?' My first series was called Last Stand of the Wreckers. It's essentially I Am Legend with Transformers, so the plot was quite easy to construct. I would like to do something anti-Transformers next. I've thought about drawing a kid's comic with mummies and vampires as fairytale characters, or a comic about World War II, with dinosaurs.

Do you like the current crop of superhero movies?

Will Sliney: I think the industry is very healthy, and superhero movies are a big part of that, so yeah, in general I like them.

Nick Roche: Some I do, some I don't. I don't like the Spiderman movies; I think Sam Raimi is a great director and the special effects are great, but I don't really like the actors or the plot. The Incredibles was excellent. That took all the best bits from different superhero books. I also liked X-Men 2 because Hugh Jackman is hot [laughs].

And like that – I was gone.

The Eclectic Micks blog is online at www.eclecticmicks.blogspot.com.

Forbidden Planet is located at 5-6 Crampton Quay.