Puckering Up For the Polar Bears: A Matt Busch Interview
“Matt Busch is an amazing artist and he needs to get interviewed”. That’s pretty much how I decided to do this. On top of being one of the better artists out there, Matt is an incredibly nice guy. You may recognise his art from various Star Wars posters or the book covers and music covers he’s done. He has quite an impressive resume. I really cannot do all the work he’s done justice with a mere intro here. I’ll let read what Matt has to say about what he’s involved with currently. Though not an epic interview by any means, we go over his new projects, aspirations, why he prefers polar bears and his public feud with writer Steve Niles.
Originally, this was to be a much smaller piece for my first All The Rage column (which the Niles/Busch Feud part of this interview appears in ATR this week). Good times got the best of us, however, so Matt and I yapped it up something fierce. This could be longer, but keep in mind that I was thinking of doing a short interview. Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking, really. As you can no doubt see below, I probably had no actual intention of keeping it short. 
Steven G. Saunders: Matt, thanks for doing this! First off, could you please go into a bit what you're working on these days?
Matt Busch: Sure. At this very moment, I'm illustrating a poster for the 30th Anniversary of STAR WARS, which is next year. I'll be quite busy with STAR WARS in '07. For one, the You Can Draw Star Wars book will be released by DK Books on Jan. 17th.
SGS: Nice!
MB: But also, I'm filming a series of You Can Draw Star Wars video tutorials for StarWars.com and DK.com. They'll expand upon what you learn in the book, which is cool.
SGS: That's pretty awesome.
MB: In terms of comics, I've just started on six more covers for various Night Of The Living Dead comics from Avatar.
SGS: That was my next question. Hey, you're pretty good at this!
MB: I'm also tinkering back and forth between possible projects for Avatar to do a fully painted book, or series, which is nice. While it’s cool doing covers, I don't want to be one of those guys who just does covers because he/she can. My love for comics is the visual storytelling, so I don't want to lose that.
SGS: Right.
MB: It's a lot more work, when you are doing fully painted interiors, but the reward is worth it with the final product. I also recently finished Spike covers for IDW, which are coming out right now.
SGS: Okay, so, let's take a few moments to discuss your art style. I notice it's painted and very realistic. Do you use live models for a lot of your work?
MB: Yeah. The majority of the work that I do is reference-based. Not all, but a lot of it. I can draw and paint fine without using photos, but I think, at least for me, when I go the extra mile to get reference, it adds to the final product. It makes it 'larger than life', if you will.
SGS: How long does it take you to do a piece?
MB: That depends. I can do a quick painting of a single character with a simple background in a day if I need to. However, the Star Wars poster I'm painting right now will take weeks. But that's because it's this crazy montage poster with dozens of characters, dozens of ships, and crazy backgrounds.
SGS: Who and what are the biggest influence on your art? And do emotions play a large role in what you create?
MB: Technique-wise, I'm always inspired by other artists, although I'm trying to break away from just looking at others and doing what's already been done. My influence in general, no matter what I'm creating really comes from visual storytelling at its best. And that comes in the form of comic books, movies, animation... I love telling stories and my passion is to captivate an audience. So that's what I'm always trying to do, whether I make a painting, write a book, make a movie, or even just tell some friends at the bar this crazy thing that happened to me earlier in the week! *laughs*SGS: Do you like to stick to one particular style or form, or do you like to experiment with new things?
MB: Because I'm mostly known for the Drew Struzan-esque style that broke me into do all the Star Wars stuff, that seems to be what most people hire me for, and it's what they want to get out of me. I actually would love to push my work more evocative, like Bill Sienkiewicz, David Mack, and Dave McKean. I'm so rooted in my narrative style that I doubt I would ever get as loose as they get, but that's a direction I would love to explore. Ha! That's also a reason I was really excited about the Godless project with Steve Niles, as I was given liberties to explore more of a dark, moody style.
SGS: Can you talk about some of the stuff you want to work on comics-wise? Or is it all hush-hush at this point?
MB: Um... I am also in talks with IDW to do some stuff at some point... But probably best if I only mention what's official. Heck, Mike Richardson has been talking to me about doing stuff for Dark Horse for about ten years now! I'm glad I never announced them! *laughs*SGS: Ha! Probably a good thing. Would you ever do a Star Wars comic/project for Dark Horse in the future?
MB: I would LOVE to! And Mike Richardson has talked to me about it. I did about ten sample pages… George Lucas saw them and bought them ALL. They are now framed and hanging in various offices at Skywalker Ranch.
SGS: I'd love to see you do something, too... That'd be pretty damned cool.
MB: But the last time I showed them to an editor at Dark Horse, they said, “these are really amazing, but no one is doing fully painted books right now”. Of course this was said to me when Kingdom Come was the number one selling book of the year. And you look at what's out there now...
SGS: But of course... And actually, if I may be so blunt to say so, I feel the time is nigh for a new fully pained Star Wars title, if just a limited series.MB: It was a strange time at Dark Horse when the editors that were handling Star Wars were trying to mold their decisions after what Marvel or DC was doing. Like, they'd quickly hire someone who used to be a penciler for Aquaman over someone like me who KNOWS Star Wars.
SGS: Ahhh... I see. It sounds like Dark Horse has certainly found their own path in recent years, if any of the excellent new things coming out from them says anything about it.
MB: But, I'd love to do Star Wars... Indiana Jones... There's actually a ton of properties that I'd love to take on that HAVEN'T been made into comics yet that I think would work great.
SGS: Like what?
MB: Lost, The Fifth Element…
SGS: Lost is sorta-kinda done... You have X-Isle out on Boom!. It’s like Lost meets Land of the… uh… Lost. With giant trilobites, I think. MB: Ha ha!
SGS: But it’s pretty good. I can see what you’re talking about, my tangenting aside... Like a spin-off of Lost… And oh, man, The Fifth Element, now you're talkin'!
MB: Did they do anything with Crouching Tiger yet?
SGS: Maybe. I don't think so, though. That would be neat, however. A good setting.
MB: Well... Anyway... I find myself enjoying doing the licensed stuff as an extension of existing movies and/or TV.
SGS: Right! I do, as well... Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica... I eat that stuff upMB: I think that comic books are this awesome media that really hasn't been explored as much as it should be.
SGS: True. I think it's getting there, though.
MB: I'm really fascinated by guys like David Mack, who really push the boundaries of what we all know and perceive as comic book storytelling.
SGS: David Mack! Great stuff.
MB: I like the idea of looking at other ways to tell stories through words and images, rather than just the usual panel layouts and word balloons. It works well, but there is so much more we could be doing on these pages.
SGS: I'm in full agreement with you there.MB: I explored that a little with the Crisis graphic novel I wrote and illustrated. My aim was to make a complete movie in a book, so it has the actual screenplay, character designs, and over 150 storyboards. For better or worse, it reads like a movie.
SGS: You know, I haven't read it. I'd like to check it out, though.
MB: It's been in and out of development to become a big Hollywood movie over the last few years.
SGS: Nice... Well, here's to hoping it gets into development.
MB: With any luck, we'll see some movement in 2007.
SGS: Excellent.MB: Development is easy- it's getting it officially into production that's the tricky part! *laughs*
SGS: Ha! No doubt! Okay, Matt, you're definitely a busy and respected guy in your chosen field of work. It seems that you also made some news last year concerning a public feud between you and writer Steve Niles. Now, what happened with all that? I mean, no need for the gory details if you don't want to get into it, but what's the gist of the whole situation... and why do you think it made "comics news"?
MB: *Laughs* Yeah, sadly I became the Jennifer Aniston of the comic book industry. It's a little pathetic. Well, my story was my own. And while it may have been the truth, there are always two sides to every coin.
SGS: Correct, but let's hear your side for now, if that's okay.MB: Long story short: Steve and I started working on a project professionally together. It was a project (Godless) that also involved my girlfriend at the time, Sarah Wilkinson. Again, long story short: Over time, Sarah left me for Steve.
SGS: Okay.
MB: I was obviously hurt.
SGS: Of course.
MB: So, in an effort to get help from friends, sympathy or whatever, I posted what had happened online, and a lot of friends did give me wonderful words of encouragement to help me get through it. But a lot of people also said mean things about Steve, and mean things about Sarah.SGS: Right.
MB: I'm sure that people were mostly just trying to make me feel better through a difficult time. Anyway, a lot of time had passed. Here I am nine months later, and the whole situation seems silly. I can laugh about it now, whereas I certainly couldn't then.
SGS: Yeah, in retrospect, it does seem silly, as you say... But at the time it was "news".
MB: And I realize that the story isn’t just about me losing Sarah to Steve.SGS: What did you realise the story is about?
MB: That Steve and Sarah are people, too. They had their own lives that led them to the decisions they have made. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision for either of them to go through. But here we are nine months later, and all of us are happy.
SGS: That’s good to hear.
MB: Yeah, I feel really bad. While I never set out to 'hurt' Steve or Sarah, they both really took a lot of heat. I wish I could repair that more than a public apology.
SGS: You know what they say about "time" and "all wounds". As long as you learned something from it and so forth...MB: For Sure. Every one of my friends is ecstatic to hear that I have patched things up with Steve. It sucks going to conventions having to play sides or keep certain artists away from other artists, you know?
SGS: Oh, yeah. That's always uncomfortable.
MB: I was really excited about the Godless project I was doing with Steve, too. I realize it would be awkward now, but perhaps in time we can still do it.
SGS: Aw, man… Too bad the Godless project fell through! Love the work you did do for it though, before it was canned. Hey, that would be neat. It's a lot like a TV/comics story in of itself. *Movie preview voice* "Friends then enemies then friends once more go on to produce an artistic tour de force for the entire world to enjoy.." I can dig that.
MB: Ha ha! Stranger things have happened in this industry... Anyway, I in fact just conversed with Steve today. He's doing well, and wow, 2007 will be an exciting year for him. I'm really excited for the 30 Days Of Night movie and City Of Others with Bernie Wrightson!SGS: I'm glad this story has a happy ending. It’s much too often that grudges go on for years, unresolved.
MB: Yeah. I feel so much better about it, and I know he does, too.
SGS: You guys patching things up just goes to show that the world doesn't always have to be bleak or ugly-- Wow. I sound really depressing there! Ha!
MB: Yeah. Once I got over the initial heartache, if it was meant to be, so be it. If I truly cared about Sarah, then I should be concerned with her happiness. And Steve treats her well. She's happy. I couldn't ask for more.
SGS: That, as I like to say, is awesome.
MB: *laughs* Agreed.
SGS: So, is there anything else we should know about, Matt? I mean projects-wise... Aren't you a film-maker?MB: Well, my first indie movie Conjure came out last March. For a low budget, first film, it's doing incredibly well. I admit that you can find it in the bargain bins at K-Mart for five bucks, but hey, you can get my movie at K-Mart!
laughterSGS: Tell us a little about Conjure and how it came about…
MB: For over a decade, in addition to doing stuff for the comic industry, I've also been doing a lot of illustration work for movies and television. From concept design and storyboarding, to marketing and advertising, I've done it all. With all this behind the scenes work on film, it was really just a matter of time before I got behind a camera myself. Conjure started as an ass-backwards experiment really just to see what I could do. Initially, the movie was just going to be this cute little DVD that folks could get on my website. But as I found with technology, I was really able to do a lot with a little, and as the project progressed, so did the scope of where I was going to be able to take it. Right now it's only available in North America, but is getting world-wide release at some point in 2007. However, for the rest of the world, the Conjure title will be changed to Dark Manifestation. Apparently one-word titles don't do well in Europe or something. *laughs*
For a small independent movie from a guy that most people who frequent video stores have never heard of, it's doing surprisingly well. It's the highest pre-selling movie of all time at HorrorMovies.com. The response has been great. Reviews range from "5 stars / Best Movie I've seen this Year" to "This movie was so bad it made my eyeballs scab over." *laughs* For better or worse, I'm leaving an impression, so I couldn't be happier!
I learned a lot with CONJURE, and will definitely be doing more independent movies. I'm continuing pursuits to write and sell properties to be made into bigger screen productions, as well, which is a whole different kind of monster.
SGS: It’s great to hear it’s doing well! I haven’t seen it yet, but I plan on seeing it pretty soon… It better not suck! *laughs* I must say: You sure like to keep yourself busy! What else are you going to be throwing at us soon?
MB: Ha! I also have an art book called PUCKER that just came out, and I have the “quintessential” art book called The Worlds Of Matt Busch that's being published in July! I guess 2007 will be a pretty sweet year for me, too!SGS: You get to be whichever TV character you want to be for a week... Who is it?
MB: Sawyer from Lost. I need the week’s vacation somewhere tropical. Oh, and with Kate, no less. *smiles*
SGS: Great answer. Next-- You are given an unlimited budget to do whatever cartoon you want. What would it be like?
MB: I've often had dreams of doing my own cartoon that is the quality and look of my painting style. Obviously it would take forever to do, but an unlimited budget would certainly help to make it a reality! *grins*
SGS: And next up-- You can pick 5 people to make up your Super-Awesome Music super group... Who would they be and what would they play?
MB: Oh boy... Eddie Van Halen: Guitar, Mike Portinay: Drums, Getty Lee: Bass, James Newton Howard: Keyboards, Marilyn Manson: Vocals. It would be crazy. *laughs*
SGS: That's a great line-up! Nice job…
MB: *laughs*
SGS: Annnd-- Which artists, living or dead, would you most want to go have a few drinks with?
MB: Drew Struzan and Adam Hughes are my heroes, but I already know them... And at least have had drinks with Adam! *grins*
SGS: *laughs*
MB: But I would love to pick the brains of George Lucas, Travis Charest, Alphonse Mucha, Frank Miller, and countless others.
SGS: Yeah, when you start thinking about it, you could probably populate a small town.
MB: For sure. I'm definitely a fan boy myself!
SGS: Now for THE really important question-- Polar bears with rocket packs with rail-guns vs. penguins with phase-technology and shoulder mounted ion cannons; plus an assortment of small arms. What happens? Who wins? And why? Oh, and it can be assumed that both sides have average human intelligence or better.
MB: While I love to root for the little guy, the polar bears with rocket packs kick ass. That would be awesome! And they are so white and would blend in with their surroundings like the G.I.Joe Ninja, Storm Shadow!
SGS: *chuckles with approval*
MB: Penguins stick out like a sore thumb! Black with bright orange beaks?! Easy targets.
SGS: Good thinking.
MB: In the snow, anyway! Plus, good polar bears, get an afterlife vacation on the LOST island, from what I'm told... *smiles*
SGS: Very nice, Matt, *laughs* I’m dyin’ here! Well, that’s all the time we have for now. Matt, I’d like to thank you again for taking the time to talk to me.
MB: No, Thank You! I look forward to meeting friends old and new at shows this year. I can't wait to show everyone what I have in store for 2007! Thanks for your support!
This was a very delightful interview to conduct! The Force is strong in this Matt fella! I certainly hope you’ve enjoyed reading it. Would you like to know more about Matt Busch and the things he does? Then check out these sites:
Matt Busch Official Website:
http://www.MattBusch.com
Matt Busch MySpace Page:
http://www.MySpace.com/planetmatt
Matt Busch Blog:
http://planetmatt.livejournal.com
Discuss this interview on the Feature Fiends Forum!