Matthieu-David:
Who influenced you the most? And what are your
influences in general?
BL:
Dick Giordano would be my most prominent comics influence.
Dickie has been mentoring me for the last thirty years—that’s a
significant contribution to my general neurosis.
(laugh)
Wally
Wood was the other major contributor to my craft.
As a writer, it would be David Michelinie and Archie Goodwin.
Arthur
C. Clarke, Julia Child, Stanley Kubrick and Rod Serling are my biggest general
influences.
M-D:
If you hadn't worked in comics, what would you have done for a living?
BL: A
Chef—without a doubt. I love to
cook and take great pride in creating artistic cuisine.
M-D: Could you
describe your typical day?
BL: I get up at 7:00 a.m. every morning. My office is located in my home,
so I generally work in my sweats. (very cozy) Matt and Barbara (my staff)
usually arrive at 9:00-9:30 Monday thru Friday. Then, we get to work dealing with the usual administrative
business of the day. After lunch,
our associates in Hollywood are starting their day, so we spend a lot of the
afternoon on the phone and answering their e-mail inquiries. After 5 p.m. is
when I start writing or working on my art for the day (at least—until the
missus gets home.) I usually hit the sheets by 2 a.m.
Then
we start the whole process all over again.
And—yes…I’m
aware that I don’t sleep enough.
M-D:
What material do you use for your art?
BL: Do you mean what tools? I ink primarily with a Hunt #107
crow quill point. (actually, I use two points—one filed down to create a more
blunt line and a fine point.
M-D:
If you were a comic book character, who would you be? And why?
BL: Perry White—because I could smoke cigars all day and no
one can yell at me.
M-D:
What's your favorite song?
BL: “Fight the
Power” by the Isley Brothers.
M-D: do you listen to
music when you draw?
BL: No, actually I listen to XM radio—mostly XM150 XL
–the Comedy Channel.
M-D: What's your
favorite type of scripts? Very detailed or not?
BL: I HATE working from full scripts—I find them way too
confining. And let’s face it—a lot of comic writers are about as visual as
Stevie Wonder. I prefer to work
“Marvel Style”—drawing the story from a moderately-detailed plot synopsis.
M-D: Did you have some
hard times in your career? Which ones and how did
you deal with those?
BL:
Breaking in was tough. This was back in the 70’s—when you usually had to
wait for someone to die to inherit a series. J
Giordano always admonished me to learn every aspect of the business—that would
insure me continuing to get work when times are tough. I have to say that he was
correct. For the majority of my
career, I’ve been able to function as an editor, writer, penciller, or
inker—depending on what’s available at the time. Fortunately, thanks to
Dickie’s sage wisdom, I’ve been able to keep busy while so many of my peers
are unemployed.
M-D:
What is your best achievement so far?
BL:
If you ask others, they’d probably say Iron Man. I’m grateful that my time
on Iron Man helped to open new doors for me. However, I personally believe that
my achievements at Valiant and Future are the things that best define my career
to date. Creating business entities and intellectual properties is NOT an easy
proposition. However, I’ve
succeeded in creating almost as many characters as Stan Lee did.
M-D:
how do you look back at your past work? Do you criticise your work a lot?
BL:
Fondly. I appreciate every single
opportunity that I’ve been blessed with.
It hasn’t been easy—but it’s been very rewarding.
I’d do it all over again—gladly.
But, keep in mind—I’m far from done yet.
I’m simply pursuing other avenues of storytelling by moving my
attention to Hollywood. You’ll be seeing a variety of Future properties on the
Big Screen in the next few years. I’ve always been critical of my own work. Dickie always told me that: “On
the day you do the perfect page—that’s the day you’re probably finished as
an artist.”