Bullock & Lawrence: Lion Tamers
Released today, Lions, Tigers and Bears by Mike Bullock and Jack Lawrence, is the comic that will finally interest both adults and youngsters. You could easily show this to your children or younger siblings -- its simple to understand, yet has some smart adult humour and the art is amazing. Bullock and Lawrence described the title in their solicitation information: “A child’s instinctual need for the comfort of a stuffed animal is rooted in a reality long forgotten by the adult world. The hidden truth is that these companions have been defending children since the dawn of time. Follow young Joey on the adventure of a lifetime as he travels through the Stuffed Animal Kingdom, a journey that puts the fate of all the world's children in his hands and brings him face to face with his destiny.” I recently had the opportunity and pleasure to interview creator/writer Mike Bullock and artist Jack Lawrence, and asked some questions regarding the project and themselves!
James Redington: How did you get into comics?
Mike Bullock: I learned to read with comic books and it’s been a life long love ever since.
Jack Lawrence: I used to read stuff like Star Wars and Transformers when I was a little kid. They were some of the (mostly US reprint) stuff we got over here in the UK on the newsstand. Then, when I was excruciatingly bored on a family holiday someplace hot (ugh!) I happened to pick up Daredevil #252, the Fall of the Mutants tie-in, drawn by John Romita Jr. I didn’t know who Daredevil was until then, didn’t know what mutants where, but from then on I knew I wanted to draw comics!
JR: How did you meet?
MB: Jack and I met when I went hunting for new small press publishers to showcase in my weekly column over on http://www.brokenfrontier.com. I interviewed him and the rest is history.
JL: Mike interviewed me on Darkham Vale for Broken Frontier. We just kinda hit it off.
JR: What was the first comic you read?
MB: I don’t remember the first one, as I said before I learned to read with comics, but I do remember it was a DC 80 Page Giant my older brother had and I seem to remember it having Batman in it, as my brother and I are both big Batman fans.
JL: Probably some kind of UK reprint Batman I should think. I was, and still am, a Batman nut.
JR: What made you decide to go for a career in comics?
MB: I love the medium, I love story telling, and I love great artwork. What better career could anyone ask for?
JL: Well, as I’ve mentioned, Daredevil #252 started it. I knew I wanted to be a part of it, and the more I collected and read, the more I wanted it.
JR: What inspired you to write Lions, Tigers, and Bears?
MB: Most of my inspiration for Lions, Tigers, and Bears came from my childhood and the lives of the children in my life. Many children have imaginary friends and give personalities to their stuffed animals. It seemed a given that maybe these children aren’t dreaming up the personalities of these friends, but maybe children can sense and experience something adults can’t.
JR: Jack, how much of your work is done on computers?
JL: I do pencils and inks on paper, then scan it for colouring. Technically, I guess that’s a third.
JR: What is your target audience for Lions, Tigers, and Bears? And who do you hope reads it?
MB: I really hope Lions, Tigers, and Bears is enjoyed by the young and young at heart. Since I learned to read with comics, I’d love to hear that a parent or grandparent taught a child to read with Lions, Tigers, and Bears. That would make my work seem complete.
JL: Everyone. I think everyone will be able to get something from it. I’m hoping that everyone who picks it up will enjoy it, or at least some aspect of it, even if it’s the gross scary monsters!
JR: What comics are you reading at the moment?
MB: When I actually have time to read, I enjoy Ultimate Spider-Man, Birds of Prey, Owly and many others. My wife and I buy an unreal amount of comics, but finding the time to read them all becomes more daunting by the day.
JL: All of the Batman family, all of the Transformers books. I’ve been picking up a few manga books from Tokyopop; I love Et Cetera and Gravitation. Nothing too highbrow or challenging, I know, but there ya go!
JR: What are your favourite things that you cannot live without?
MB: My wife, our cats and the rest of my family and friends. Everything else is just details.
JL: Well, I couldn’t possibly live without the ability to draw, but in terms of material things, I wouldn’t like to say I couldn’t live without them, but I am very, very attached to my comics and my twenty-plus years worth of toys. Oh, and double chocolate chip cookies are EXTREMELY hard to live without, although I’m really trying.
JR: If you could work with any person in the comics industry who would it be, alive or dead? And why?
MB: Jack Lawrence. His work inspires me, his attitude enlightens me and his zest for life compels me to enjoy my own that much more.
JL: Cheesy as it sounds, I’m really happy working with Mike. Our ideas really gel, and so far the ride has been a very smooth one in terms of the creation of this book. If I’m honest, I’d like to get back to doing what I did with Darkham Vale, and be the sole creator on something of my own. For right now, though, I’m loving Lions, Tigers, and Bears and working with Mike.
JR: If you could work on any character in the comic world who would it be and why?
MB: There are a lot of existing characters I’d love to take a shot at. From DC, I’d love to do something with Huntress because I think she has a very compelling history and persona that hasn’t been explored enough. From Marvel, hands down it would be Moon Knight. That’s a character that just began to come into his own during the Sienkiewicz/Mantlo days and has never really been explored to the degree he should have since.
JL: I’d have to say Robin or Nightwing. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Batman, and as I’ve grown, that obsession hasn’t really gone away. But as much as I love him, part of what makes him great is that he very rarely lets anyone in, be that his family or the reader. I think Robin and Nightwing are both so much more personal and emotional as characters. That really appeals to me as a reader and a creator.
JR: Do you have any advice for someone wanting to work in comics – as a writer? As an artist?
MB: Make sure you love it with all your heart, otherwise this business will steam roll you and you’ll end up wasting time that you could be putting towards something you do really love. Life’s too short not to pursue your dreams, but make sure you keep your feet on the ground.
JL: The only advice I can offer is to be careful. Thing is, when you want to be in comics, you REALLY want to be in comics, and where there’s a desire, there’s someone who wants to take advantage of it. Be careful who you do business with. Most people are on the level in this wonderful industry; the odd one or two aren’t. Other than that, don’t stop drawing or writing. Practice and study are the only ways you’ll get there.
JR: Why should people buy Lions, Tigers, and Bears?
MB: I hope people buy it for the escapism, the return to innocence and wonder and maybe just to remind them of the magic childhood holds for us all.
JL: Talking tigers, Haunted Forests, Gross monsters?! C’mon, who wouldn’t want to read it?!
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