Artist Mike Oeming Discusses Davinci's Mice-Templar Code and His Artwork
You might know Mike Oeming from his powerful writing work at Marvel on such books as Thor, Stormbreaker and Ares or as artist on the insanely popular book Powers from Marvel’s Icon line. Maybe you know him from his creator owned work such as Hammer of the Gods, Parliament of Justice, 86 Volts and tons, tons more. Mike took some time out his busy schedule of writing and drawing some top notch books to chat with SBC about some of his upcoming works and more…
MIKE STORNIOLO: I’m gonna go out on a leg here and say that most people reading this love comics, and were all introduced to them in many different ways. How did comics come into your life?
MIKE OEMING: I was aware of comics before I really started reading them. I have a vivid memory of picking up a Spider-Man comic at a barber shop when I was really young - maybe during or before the first grade even, and the first comic I actually read was some DC war comic with the Unknown Soldier in it. But it was in the Sixth grade, when I was living in Texas that I really started reading comics. We just moved there from Jersey and I didn’t adjust to it well at all. That’s when I found comics again and buried myself in them, Spider-Man yet again. I started tracing the characters and slowly started to draw my own - but when I saw X-Men Annual #9 by Art Adams I knew I wanted to be a comic artist. More specific, I wanted to be Art Adams!
MS: And from those early experiences, how did you realize that being involved in the industry was something that you wanted to do?
MO: I was the X-Men Annual and the New Mutants Annual. Those books made me want to be an artist, and then I found the regular New Mutants series drawn by Bill S and Nexus. Bam! That was it for me, from age 12 on I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I’m very lucky that way.
MS: Your first experiences working in the industry, how did they turn out for you? Encouraging, disappointing, learning curves for your future work?
MO: My first experience, I was 14! I landed an inking gig for Innovation on a book called Newstralia - just one issue, but it was a gig. I really didn’t realize it at the time, that wow, I'm published - and if I followed up, I could get more work. I never did follow up. So I had my first working experience and really didn’t even know it. Sort of like the first time I had sex.
MS: It’s safe to say there’s more then a fair share of artists trying to work in comics. What do you think it takes to make it in this industry, the things that separate the boys from the men? On the same note, what about the writers? 
MO: Persistence, daily dedication to the craft; it can take over a decade from the point your skills are ready for comics to the point you have established a career. At the same time, you need to carry on with your life, and having a good job helps. If you want to be a comic artist, learn graphic design skills and take computer classes - better to work at a newspaper than Burger Crap, right? If you get lucky, you can make a great living while waiting for your career to start.
MS: Being a multi-talented creator (writing and drawing), do you find any benefits from doing both showing in your work? How so?
MO: Yea, I think my scripts are stronger for it, I also have a good balanced “eye” for the book before it hits the stands. With Red Sonja, they send me a PDF of the lettered book and I can look at it and catch anything that doesn’t work, largely I think because of my dual eye for writing and art.
MS: Is there anything you do to shake things up every once in a while with your work, to always keep interested?
MO: Yes, I often change the format of my art. I change sizes and paper all the time.
MS: Your first major writing work for Marvel, Thor, took to phenomenal success, followed up by the just as popular Stormbreaker series, and now you’re putting the treatment on Ares. Any other writing lined up at Marvel you’d like a chance at?
MO: Yea, I have several pitches in and I’m constantly working with editors on our next thing; nothing solid yet, but there’s more to come for sure.
MS: A lot of recent speculation going around plays at Ares, the god of war, to be having some kind of upcoming substantial role in the Marvel Universe. Anything on this you can comment? Aside from writing the limited series, is there any other work with the character you have? 
MO: He is joining a major group, so that means we will most likely do a follow up mini for Ares.
MS: Working with Mike Carey, you helped revive the she-devil with a sword, Red Sonja for Dynamite Entertainment and launch quite a successful book. Are you guys on the book for the long-term? What’s the future of the title looking like?
MO: Carey is finished with issue 6. We had a great time together; he turned my coal into diamonds. I’m going to be on Sonja at least for two years, issue 24 will probably be my last.
MS: How is the contrast in doing work for Marvel, and then a company like Dynamite? Any editorial, creative or industrial differences between the two that have bearing on your work?
MO: Sonja is a licensed book. Those are hard because there are now multiple levels of approval I have to go through, not just the editors and the publishers but also the Licensors of Sonja. It can really be a killer sometime, it can make the work much harder than a traditional book, but for Sonja, it’s been worth it.
MS: With Powers having made the switch over to Marvel well over a year ago, how has the Icon situation been going for you and Brian? Everything you expected, any shocks or disappointments?
MO: It’s been great, we picked up a few more readers, and it's really cool having my main work at Marvel. There is a sense of security there too. Image is still very close to me and I continue to work with them all the time.
MS: Any other creator-owned work down the line that you can talk about? 
MO: Yea, there’s quite a bit really. Cross Bronx is a book I'm writing with Ivan Bradon of NYC Mech and I'm drawing this one. Four issues, it’s a detective story that takes place in the Bronx, there’s a dark Santeria twist to it.
After that is Mice Templar!
MS: Mice Templar, there’s a little upcoming book of yours that I’m dying to know more about. From the promotions of it I’ve seen around, it’s looking great. What’s the story to it like, how’d it come about, when can we expect it?
MO: Man, it ain’t little! We plan on doing an 18 issue book, so I’ll have to draw about 5 issues before we even solicit. The story takes place in a mouse-centered world, much like Secret of Nimh or the Watership Down. Those two films had a big impact on me as a kid. Mix that with Lord of the Rings and there you go.
I'm working on it with Bryan J.L. Glass, who write Quixote and 86 Volts. On Mice, I created a basic story which he expanded on greatly and is writing the scripts from, with me looking over his shoulder.
It's odd, of all the books I’ve done, I’ve never had the reaction to any of them that Mice has had at first look, and it’s not even out yet. So, we are pretty excited about this one.
MS: Wrapping up, anything else you’d like to mention?
MO: Sure, people can join my email newsletter for sneak peaks at art and announcements by emailing me at Oeming@aol.com Thanks!
M!
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