Humberto Ramos: Delivering Beyond Expectation

By Mike Jozic

Since working on the Flash spinoff series, Impulse, Humberto Ramos has become something of a staple in the comic book industry. He spent a few years toiling away on various projects before finally settling in over at Cliffhanger, the creator-owned imprint for Wildstorm Entertainment. With co-collaborator, Brian Augustyn, he produced the vampire tale, Crimson, which ran approximately 24 issues and was, if I am not mistaken, the only series from said imprint to actually ship on-time and run more than a handful of issues (apologies to the Madureira fans out there, but half an issue of Battle Chasers on any timetable doesn’t rate in my book).

His latest creator-owned effort, Out There, has been running strong for 16 issues and last year Ramos saw a turn from his usual cover duties on Peter Parker: Spider-Man when he temporarily took over the pencilling duties on the book for the critically acclaimed “Return of the Goblin” storyline. The story was penned by long-time Spidey writer, Paul Jenkins, and Ramos recieved both criticism and accolades for his work, and redesign of one of Spider-Man's oldest foes.

This interview was originally initiated before the aforementioned story first hit the stands and was dragged out, by both parties (in their own ways), well beyond the trade paperback's release last Hallowe’en. While the conversation revolves around events and stories that have already run their course, I thought that this glimpse at a talent not usually seen in the fan press was worth showcasing, regardless.

So, finally, without further ado, is SBC’s interview with Humberto Ramos...


MIKE JOZIC: You have been doing the covers on Peter Parker: Spider-Man for a while, and now you are doing the interiors as well with this latest Green Goblin storyline. How did you manage to get Bucky's job for a few issues?

HUMBERTO RAMOS: Well they asked me and I said, “thanks!” That’s how difficult I am.

JOZIC: Are there any plans to do any Spider-Man interiors beyond the four-issue arc?

RAMOS: Maybe.

JOZIC: So, #47 will be the last interior work on Peter Parker we'll see from you for the foreseeable future?

RAMOS: Hopefully not. We are working hard to make it truth to me

JOZIC: The storyline is actually pretty dark, kind of paralleling the "Last Kraven Story" that DeMatteiss did several years ago. Do you approach your pages differently when the subject matter is this serious, or is your style consistent from project to project?

RAMOS: Actually, my style changes from issue to issue (I’m saying this as a good thing). But yeah, the atmosphere of the story influences my work a lot, just look at the difference between Crimson and Out There for example.

JOZIC: Did you communicate much with the writer, Paul Jenkins, or did you work solely from scripts?

RAMOS: Well, we talked a couple of times, but hell, he doesn’t speak any English. He has a strange accent. Besides that, well, I speak English like Penelope Cruz, so there is not too much to do about it.

But now we know both of our countries have a deep love for soccer, so we do talk a lot more.

JOZIC: Was there anything you really wanted to do in this story that you never got a chance to?

RAMOS: Rest a complete weekend?

JOZIC: This Goblin design for this story is an interesting departure from the norm. Is it your design?

RAMOS: Blame it on me. They (Marvel) wanted a different approach to the character for his return, so they let me go with it, and they liked it. What can I say? To me the most important addition to the costume is the three bags. Think about it…you are flying away up between skyscrapers and you want to cover your escape with a smoke screen. You have 1.2 seconds to figure that out before clashing with your enemy right behind you. Well, you can’t find the correct gadget on time and get away with it, right? So I gave him that many bags so he doesn’t have to worry about that crap anymore.

Am I smart or what?

JOZIC: What sort of a look were you going for when drawing/designing the Goblin?

RAMOS: I wanted him to look as whacko as I could, and go a little bit further with his facial expressions, it’s as simple as that. I love giving him different iris shapes to show his craziness. I hope it worked.

JOZIC: Is the Goblin the one big Spidey villain that you’ve always wanted a crack at, or is there another that you would like to handle someday?

RAMOS: Well, the Goblin is pretty much the big cheese, but there is always Venom.

JOZIC: How closely do you work with your colourist?

RAMOS: We have a really close communication, but I let them do their stuff. They should have won that Eisner, they really should have. Laura (Allred) is soooo good too, though, so what the hell.

JOZIC: Wayne Faucher is inking you once again with this storyline. What is it about working with Wayne that you enjoy?

RAMOS: He knows my work like almost noboby else does. He and Sandra, of course. I have this idea about them that I can go crazy one day and send thumbnails to the editor and they, with no problem, will make the work look as if nothing had happened. I mean it.

JOZIC: How about the covers? I noticed on the Marvel site that Mark Buckingham had the covers for the next few issues.

RAMOS: No more covers for Peter Parker Spider-Man.

JOZIC: As a cover artist, how do you approach the design of each issue? What is your "cover technique", if you will?

RAMOS: Pretty much, I talk to the writer or the editor and they let me know what the book is all about, then we talk about what [would] be cool to do on the cover. Then I do some thumbnails, I send them to the editor, and if he likes it, I draw it. It’s as simple as that.

JOZIC: The rain in the first two issues was pretty dense. So dense, in fact, that the action was difficult to decipher, adding a bit of realism to the whole sequence. Was that just basic pencilling, or was that a combination of pencils and something else?

RAMOS: I did the whole damn book under rain (thanks Paul) and I did it all in pencils, and, of course, [with] the magnificent colouring from my compadres in Studio F. If you don’t believe me you can always buy a couple of nice pages from Graphic Collectibles (now on display), and see for yourself.

JOZIC: Have you had a chance to see the Spider-Man movie yet? What did you think of their handling of the character?

RAMOS: Let me explain it this way, my wife doesn’t like comics, but she loves the movie.

JOZIC: In a Wildstorm editorial, Brian Augustyn said "Humberto's name is a promise that always delivers beyond expectation." How do you find working with Brian?

RAMOS: He’s my mentor, my friend and my chief (as I call him). Need I say more?

JOZIC: Barring your time on Flash and Impulse, this is your second collaboration together, correct?

RAMOS: Yes. In this second era we worked on Crimson, and now Out There.

JOZIC: Do you and Brian have any intentions to return to Alex and the characters of Crimson?

RAMOS: Crimson has told his story, and we’ve moved forward.

JOZIC: Where did the idea for Out There come from?

RAMOS: I am a TV freak and love Dawson’s Creek, Roswell and Buffy. So, I wanted to do something in that flavour for comic book readers, and maybe trying to gain new readers, like girls for example.

JOZIC: This is your second project with Cliffhanger that has a Dark Fantasy element to it. Considering you have become known for your work on Flash and Impulse, is this a departure for you, or is this a genre you have always wanted to be working in?

RAMOS: I just want to do what I think could be fun. I’m not really into creating new super heroes. I can’t think [up] a super power that doesn’t exist already, so I better go for the - how to say it - “modern mythology.” You know, the unexplained, the unknown…stuff like that. I have a couple ideas in those terms, like a comic book about UFOs, or something to do with Satanism and prophecies. I can’t say any more right now, but wait for it, O.K.?

JOZIC: What sort of plans do you have for the next year of Out There?

RAMOS: The kids are moving around quickly, searching for answers and for their loved ones, so stay tuned. You will enjoy the ride, literally.

JOZIC: Has the series followed a carefully planned trajectory, or have you found it to be a constantly evolving thing?

RAMOS: I think it has always worked both ways. We planned the story in the beginning to follow a story arc, but [as] the book goes [on], the characters take on life and they ask for their own stories to be told. And it’s there [that] the story makes an unexpected turn to create situations we [never] thought of in the beginning.

JOZIC: The first six issues of Out There will be seeing the Trade Paperback treatment soon, how does that feel to have them collected? Will there be any extras included?

RAMOS: To be honest with you, we hired the best designer we could. This guy, Leonardo Olea, will rock real soon. This guy also designed the Out There logo for us, so what can I say? Go to your nearest store and ask for it!

Besides the wonderful design, you’ll see a nice sketchbook and never seen before images of the Out There crew.

	Mike Jozic has spent the last several years interviewing comic book creators and other entertainment related personalities for various publications. He has been published both online and in print, with his work appearing in The Comics Journal, FearsMag.com and Silver Bullet Comicbooks. He maintains his own website at www.meanwhile.net and currently serves as the Features Editor for SBC.

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