EXTRA INTERVIEW:
RYAN SOOK [PART II]
BY JASON D. CROWE

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RYAN SOOK's dense, shadowy artwork has illustrated Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, and Challengers of the Unknown. Currently, the 24-year-old artist is teamed with J.M. DeMatteis on DC's Spectre. A sample of his fine artwork is found here.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled interview.

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JC: In the past, you've worked with inkers, and you've inked yourself. Do you have a preference?

RS: I prefer to ink my own stuff. Because I use a lot of high-contrast images. When I'm inking my own work, I'll black a lot of stuff out and I'll white a lot of stuff out. When I'm penciling, I try to be as precise as I possibly can. But no inker--no inker, aside from maybe Kevin Nowlan or Mark Farmer, or somebody who can really go in there and change stuff and still make it look really good--no inker's going to feel comfortable changing stuff. Blacking stuff out and going, "Oh, he really didn't mean that cape to be that light, so I'm just going to black it out." Nobody does that. So I do that myself, when I'm inking my own stuff. So I prefer to do it that way. But I've worked with some really good inkers.

JC: And what's your relationship like when you're [not] inking? Do you leave notes in the margins for the inkers, or do you just kind of let their own judgment take over?

RS: I just try to pencil the stuff as tight as I possibly can, so that if they just traced it, it would look good. If they add their own special flair, style or whatever to it, then hopefully it'll work also. Like I said, I prefer to ink it myself, because I know what I want the finished product to look like exactly. And it's easier for me to figure it out when I'm inking it. But if someone else is inking the stuff, then I just try to pencil it as tight as possible, so they can trace it.

JC: Have you considered doing your own colors on a book? Or have you done that already?

RS: I do colors--color guides--for all the covers on the Spectre. Just color guides. I do them on a computer. And usually those color guides are what you'll see on the Direct Currents boards on [the] DC [website] and in Previews; those are my colors that I did on the computer. And then James Sinclair will color the covers for the actual cover. As far as coloring my own book? I would love to do it. But it's something that would require a lot of time; there's no way I could do it on a monthly schedule.

JC: Have you used the computer for anything else?

RS: Yeah. I use it in the black-and-white art, too. I use it to--not often, but every once in a while--I'll try to get some kind of special effect, that hand-drawn, would take me ages to do. And on a monthly schedule I can't do [it]. I'll do a rough sketch in black and white, scan it in the computer and distort it in some way, then lightbox it in pencil onto the page. So that I have some special effect that if I had drawn it by hand, would have taken me a week to do it.

JC: Yeah. There was one panel in Spectre #3, where Batman and Superman were remembering that Hal Jordan was the Spectre. Did you do that? The computer blur?

RS: Yeah. That was--I actually inked that first panel. And it was four panels. It was actually written that way. DeMatteis wrote it as four panels that were all the same. I wanted something to convey this weird, hypnotic trance that Superman and Batman were going into and the connection between them, so I thought something distorted and weird kind of worked out like that would look really cool. So I pencilled that first panel, inked it, scanned it into the computer, then cut and pasted those panels onto the page.

JC: What kind of stuff has influenced you aside from comic artists? Like what non-comics art or non-comics composition have you seen that you've liked and tried to imitate or learn from?

RS: It's weird. Because right now-- I actually in the past, probably five years, just about anything but comic art influences me. TV, movies, fine artists, writing. Reading books. Reading normal books gets my imagination going, thinking about that kind of stuff. And I love it.

JC: So what specific books have caught your interest lately?

RS: I like Stephen King. I know he gets lots of flak. But I just like his descriptive sense. That's the stuff that gets me thinking. Because I visualize--I think about storytelling and things visually. That's just the way my mind works. So when I read something that's got some really beautiful description in it--and that guy kind of tends to overdo it with description--it gets me thinking about it. And how to draw that. And then I can kind of bring that into my work. And it's the same thing with, you know, even TV; I watch stupid shows, like Law & Order, or Murder She Wrote...

JC: Well, I don't know how stupid that is...

RS: ...and Columbo re-runs and stuff. But I love looking at that stuff, because you can look at some old re-run from the '70s, and the color in the film itself is so bad that all the blacks run together, and all the light colors are bleached out. And I can look at it and go, "Man, that would look great in a comic!" So those kind of things influence me. And fine artists like Gustav Klimt and René Gruau and John Register and these kind of guys. They're huge influences on me. Because I love looking at their work and trying to pull whatever life they have in their art into the comics.

JC: Conversely, if somebody studied a Ryan Sook comic book--some aspiring comic artist--what do you think they'd learn from it? What do you think they'd get out of it?

RS: Wow. [laughs] I don't know. Hopefully something good. I think--I really do work hard to try and have an interesting storytelling sense. And to try and design a page that has a nice flow to it. So I think...mostly, what a young artist might get out of looking at these comics is just, hopefully, an understanding of how to tell a story from panel-to-panel. And make it interesting to look at. That's really the only thing I feel really comfortable about, is telling a story. I don't think my drawing is as good as most guys, and I don't think my...well, definitely, my pure drawing is just not as good as most artists. But I try and design the pages in a way that whatever I do have to draw is going to look pretty good. I hope.

JC: Your father was a graphic designer. Do you think that really influenced you? I mean, is that a really big part of your influence is his design sense, or...

RS: I think so. I don't think it did early on because, really, when I say graphic designer, I mean exactly that. He did lettering, and he did backdrops for news TV sets and stuff like that. He never did figure drawing, fine art, oil painting or anything like that. But he always had this really good, strong sense of composition and contrast and light and dark, and how to really make an impact with whatever singular image you were looking at. And so, I think in that way, I think he definitely really imparted something on me. As far as the design sense goes, I try and compose each panel to look like its own piece of art. I think I got that from him, probably.

JC: I read in the Spectre--one of the Spectre bio blurbs--that your dad was a horror TV show host. So who is Dr. Deadtime, exactly?

RS: That's him right there. That picture on the wall. He was...he used to host the old horror shows late at night on Channel 36. And he dressed up like a vampire, [laughs] and he had big sideburns, and he drove around in this big convertible black Cadillac. And did signings at malls and stuff like that. He was totally cool, man. He was just...he was totally cool. The unfortunate thing about it is, I remember really very little about it when I was a kid. But that's really the only way I remember it in these few photos and stuff I have of him and him talking about it. I don't think I ever saw the show.

JC: Did that spark your interest in horror, or was that just part of your normal evolution as a reader?

RS: I don't know. It's strange, because I think of... Because my style, art-wise, has a lot of black in it and is related to Mignola, who does a lot of horror-type stuff. I think people really think that's... I kind of get pigeonholed into that. That's not really what I want to do, I don't think. I do like horror movies and I like horror comics, usually because the art is so beautiful. Then as far as I'm concerned, the high contrast and the light and the dark and I like the good versus evil stuff. It seems to be really clear in horror movies. But my dad being Dracula...maybe it did. I don't know. [laughs] Maybe that sparked something. I never really thought about that.

JC: Do you still read comics regularly, or has that dropped off since you started working on them?

RS: You know, it's weird. Once I started working on them, I read [fewer] comics than I ever did before. Yeah. I don't read comics regularly, really. I did all growing up, until my early teens, and then I left comics behind altogether. And art, for that matter. For about five years, I didn't do any. And then I got back into it around 17. I started working--really having a lot of fun at it. And then I decided to I wanted to make a career out of it. So...

JC: Does your wife read comics at all, or is it all just work to her?

RS: She actually got me back into comics.

JC: Oh, really?

RS: In my late teens. Because she started working in a comic shop. And so she started reading Death, Sandman and Hate and a few other titles. You know, floating around. And so she started collecting comics and she got me really back into the whole--the art of it. I started looking at them again. And I was just like "Oh yeah! I forgot how great comics are, for a while." She doesn't read--I don't think she reads any currently, aside from usually what I'm working on. But other than that, no, not really.

JC: Wow. That's really hopeful. You met your future wife in a comic store. That's really...

RS: Actually, I met her in high school.

JC: Oh.

RS: Yeah. I met her in high school; she didn't know I ever used to look at comics. It wasn't ever a discussion, and then all of a sudden she got this job in a comic shop, and I was like, "Hey, did you happen to know I have a huge collection in my closet?"

JC: [laughs] Now the secret's out, right? What about interaction with the fans? Do you get fan letters or anything like that?

RS: Yeah, I've gotten some fan letters. Mostly up at Dark Horse on the Buffy stuff, and they're always really cool. And a couple of guys in particular that I've started internet--made internet connections with. One guy named Matt Dunn, from Australia, who's a fantastic artist. He'll probably be working in comics one of these days soon. He's become a really good friend just over the internet. That was purely because he sent some fan letter to my editor, who forwarded it to me. And we just kind of started talking ever since. I really respect those guys' opinion. I think it's really important to--because they--the good thing about fans is that they're always real honest with you. If they like something, they really like it. And if they don't like something, they'll tell you flat out, "That sucks!" And I like that. Because it's more important to me to get the criticism than the praise, because... If someone says, "Oh, this is the best thing ever," well, I already know it's not my best thing ever, but it's nice to hear. But if someone says, "This is really great, but it would have been better if you did [that]." And then I can go, "That's what's missing out of this!" Or, "That's what's wrong with this!" And I couldn't see it before. I love interacting with the fans of the book, because usually they're more in tune with the story and the characters, even sometimes than I am.

JC: And what about interacting with fans at conventions? I know you've done a couple [of] conventions. What do you like about conventions? What do you not like?

RS: It's weird, because I'll go down to San Diego, and I'll do signings at the Dark Horse booth for the Buffy stuff. And I hate that. It's really nice to meet all the fans. And they come up and shake your hand and you say "Hi." And they're great people; in that kind of situation, it's kind of crappy. Because you don't get to meet any of them or talk to any of them, it's moving so fast...

JC: Like an assembly line.

RS: Yeah. And you're just sitting there and you sign a poster that [you] didn't even draw and hand it back to them. And you're just like, "There you go. Thanks for buying my comic." And that stuff I hate. But when I--the couple of times that I've been in artist's alley--and I've sat there and I get to do sketches and talk to people. That's cool. Because then, it feels like when people really take notice of what you're doing in the work, that's the gratification. That feels really good, you know? When people come up and say, "Hey, I was looking at this, and I liked what you did on that, or this was pretty cool." When you get that from people you've never met before, it's really strange but it makes you really happy, and it makes you feel like it's worth trying to put all the effort into making a good comic.

JC: Have you been selling your original art at cons?

RS: I've sold a few things, yeah. But...unfortunately, most of the originals I had up until now are gone. And I haven't gotten anything from the Spectre back yet. So...DC still has my originals. [both laugh] As soon as I get them back, I'll probably start selling them.

JC: What kind of concerns do you have about comic books as a business? Do you follow what's going on in the industry business-wise at all?

RS: Yeah. I have lots of concerns about it. It's strange, because everybody has a different take on it. And I'm talking administratively. Some of the editors at Dark Horse feel monthly comics are totally dead and pointless. No reason to get them going, no reason to try and keep them going. Some people feel the only way to go now is mini-series or graphic novels. Some people think we ought to make them hardback. Some people think we ought to cut out all this crap with the computer colors--go back to four colors and make them 99 cents again. Everybody has their two cents about it. So it's hard to really know what really is going on. The only thing you can look at is the sales, and they continue to decline. So I am worried about the state of comics. I want it to boom. I want it to be a thriving industry. Because it's good! It's a good thing. When I was growing up as a kid, that's what I got into was the comics. It was fun. Not only that, but it's a good medium for... introducing kids to things that they might not get introduced to through video games and TV. Literature and stuff like that. When a kid has to sit down and read a comic, and they see words they don't understand, and they want to figure out what that means, that's a good thing. When you're watching TV, and somebody says something that--you still get the gist of what's going on, and so you don't really care.

JC: Right.

RS: At least that's the way it is for me. I hope the business starts to boom soon. I hope something happens.

JC: If you did have the power to make some change in the industry, what would you change?

RS: I would put comic books in full force on a big fat rack in every 7-11 in the country. And for that matter, every small time liquor store, like that Quickie-Mart type thing.

JC: Where kids are going to buy their slushies and their candy.

RS: Exactly. And they're not there any anymore. And as soon as they weren't there, that's when that whole… Right after Image had its big boom, and comics started their decline, at least for the past decade here, that's where it was. It seems to me. Real obvious, and real easy to spot. That if they put them back in there where kids go in there on their way to school with mom and dad, who wants to get a cup of coffee before work. And they're in there and they look at the comic rack, and they say, "Dad, I gotta have this Daredevil comic!" Or, "Dad, I gotta get this Batman thing!" All of a sudden, parents are buying their kids comics again, and they gotta have the next issue, and the next issue... And that's the way that I got into comics, and everybody I know got into comics. Because that's where the kids are at. If you're a kid, and you've got video games and toys and TV and movies and everything else, and you don't know there's a comic book store tucked away at the back of a mall four miles away from your house, you're never gonna look for it.

JC: In the future, hoping that the comics industry survives, what kind of goals or projects would you like to do as a career option? If you could pick anything you want; you've got a wide-open slate.

RS: I would like to do some creator-owned stuff. I would like to do some stuff where I wrote and drew and colored and did all myself. I would also like to write and draw a monthly book of my own. I think monthly books are really important to the business. I've always liked them. That's what I always got when I was a kid, so...I would like to do my own. I would like to write stories. I think--it seems to me there's so much stuff--there's so many stories that could be told and should be told in comics that haven't been told yet. And there's so many that are being rehashed and redone, that it surprises the hell out of me. It seems like there's such a wide-open slate to do something new, and no one's really doing it yet. So, I want to do that. [laughs] That's my goal. To do something new.

JC: Blaze a trail, right?

RS: Blaze a trail, man. Look out! Here comes another Jack Kirby, or [someone] like that. Because when Jack Kirby came on to the scene, he was doing stuff... I mean, look at his stuff now! I look at his stuff, and I'm just going, "That is the weirdest thing I've ever seen! Ever! I can't believe he drew that!" And people loved it. People loved it. And now, there's this whole thing going on in comics that there's a mainstream and then there's a "not mainstream." I think that sucks! I think it really sucks. I think the only reason that there's mainstream and "not mainstream" is because guys that draw...weird stuff, like Jack Kirby, aren't getting the big books anymore. That's the only reason.

JC: They're still out there, they're just on the margins.

RS: Exactly.

JC: Where only the hardcore people will see them.

RS: Exactly. I think that's a drag. I mean, I think it sucks that you only see certain artists working for Vertigo because they can't--they'll never be allowed to draw a Superman book or an X-Men comic. I think that's horrible. I think they should have the chance to do that. Because I think until fans can even see it, it's hard to even imagine it. When you first look at Mike Mignola's stuff, and you think... Or, actually, when I was a kid, I didn't like the way Mike drew stuff--I didn't like the way he drew!

JC: Yeah. I was the same way about Kirby. It's something you can't quite get into right away. But once you get in there, your just looking around, and there's cool stuff everywhere.

RS: Right! And I think the reason is because once Mike started doing Hellboy--and all the other side projects he's doing now--and even Dracula, Ironwolf, stuff like that. Stuff that he really wanted to do. That's when you're seeing the great stuff that he can do. And there are guys that are doing stuff that's on the fringe--stuff at Vertigo--who really want to draw superhero comics, but no one will let them. And as soon as you let them do it, you'd be blown away. You'd look at their drawings and go, "Wow! This is how Superman should always look." I think it's a bad thing that there's a mainstream and a "not-so-mainstream" in comics.

JC: Right. So if there's one last thing that you wanted people to know about Ryan Sook, what would it be?

RS: Hmm...

JC: It's chiseled on your tombstone at the end of the interview.

RS: [sighs] Whether you like or you don't like what I'm doing in comics, I'm trying my damned hardest to make good comics. And I think that if you have looked at my stuff in the past and not liked it, then maybe take a second look at it. Because I'm trying to constantly outdo what ever I've done in the last issue.

JC: OK! Thanks a lot, Ryan.

RS: Sure thing.

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