John Paul Leon: Rebirth

By Jason Brice

Jason Brice goes head-to-head with acclaimed Milestone and Earth X artist, John Paul Leon. John talks about his return to the characters of the Milestone universe in the relaunch of one of the imprints founding titles, Static, as well as his past and present projects in the industry.


Jason Brice: Can you please tell us something about who you are and how you got to be where you are today? Maybe something about the role art played in your formal education?

John Paul Leon: Well, let's see. My name is John Paul Leon and I've been working professionally in comics for about 8 years. I live in Miami, Florida; the city where I grew up. I was born in New York City in 1972. My parents had settled in NY in the late 50's, early 60's. They, and their families, had immigrated to the US from Cuba. I guess I consider myself a Cuban-American, whatever that means. We moved from New York to Miami when I was very young: about 4. I grew up in FL, went to high school down here, but eventually moved back up to NY in 1990 to go to college at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, where I majored in illustration.

I started reading comics when I was about 11 years old, but I always loved to draw and I always loved making pictures that told some kind of a story... cowboys running, witches flying around on broomsticks, and, of course, superheroes - Superman, Batman, [and] Aquaman, among others. [These influences] probably got to me more from the Super Friends cartoon than from comics, [so] maybe this accounts for my instinctual reaction to Alex Toth's work.

I got into comics at a great time, 92/93. I was at SVA, in my second year and I was so into being an "illustrator", studying a lot of the great illustrators of the twentieth century Wyeth, Leyendecker, Rockwell, and Parrish, plus more contemporary guys like Bernie Fuchs, Bob Peak, Austin Briggs). Particularly these more contemporary guys really got to me, and still do, because their pictures not only seemed to evoke a story but they were so graphically exciting to me. Guys like Fuchs did a lot of magazine illustration in the 60's. Their compositions really move your eye around and the characters are always wonderfully animated. Storytelling with one image; I love it.

I always had this interest in comics. I love Walter Simonson's Thor run from the mid eighties. Bill Sienkiewicz is another guy that really gets me going. By the time I hit SVA and was exposed to all this other illustration stuff I really had a strong feeling for the kind of work I wanted to do. I was filling up sketchbooks with all these 'Sienkievwiczy' style superhero drawings. About this time I had also picked up Comics & Sequential Art by Will Eisner. This sold me on comics, really! Wow! I think I realized in looking at that book that there was an incredible potential in comics besides making cool drawings. The communication [aspect] of it is what got to me, I think.

A couple of guys in some of my classes were also into comics and they asked if I wanted to come to this private class out in Jersey City by this illustrator/ comics artist Michael Davis. Apparently Michael had been giving this private class out of his home/ studio to a group of about ten to fifteen aspiring illustrator/ comics artists for a few years now. Each week there was an assignment. Around October of 1991 I started a fifteen page Superman story for Michael's class with the hope of showing it around at the upcoming January NY comic con and maybe getting work. It was a silent story with Superman and a bunch of firemen going up against the Joker. Davis' assignment was: DO a 15 pg story with a hero and a villain, with the aim of showing it around the con and getting work, so pick some recognizable characters. It was the first comic book convention I'd ever been to. Michael introduced me and a few other guys from the class to some people at DC, Tundra, Marvel. Everyone reacted very positively to my Superman story. I remember showing it to Adam Hughes and he really liked it. I remember Bill Sienkiewicz looking at it briefly and saying, "You're 85% there."

JB: What was the first work of yours to be professionally published?

JPL: Actually, I did get my first comics work at that con. It was Robocop: Prime suspect, a Dark Horse mini-series.

Bob Schreck was at the Dark Horse table looking at portfolios and I showed him my story. He really liked it. He gave me some flack over a few drawing mishaps, but I think he liked my storytelling. I left some copies with him and about a month later I got a call from Jerry Prosser to do three 8pg Robocop stories for Dark Horse Presents, their anthology. I'm not sure if they asked me off the bat to do the 4 issues or not but I'm pretty sure that the understanding was that if they liked what I did on the 8 pagers then I'd be offered the mini-series. Everything worked out and I got my first comics work! I'd really rather forget my work on that stuff now, though. Really whacky stuff!

JB: You mean it is "whacky" in terms of unconventional, or in terms of being unpolished, perhaps?

JPL: Unpolished in every way imaginable. I think the storytelling was there, but I was just very comfortable with drawing completely out of my head on that Robocop stuff and the result I think was like these strange hybrid drawings where everything I had ever assimilated (subconsciously I think) about drawing was coming out. I haven't looked at that stuff in a long time, about 3 years, but I remember looking at it and cringing because all I saw was "Oh, that was my version of a Frank Miller face or a Simonson hand, or Sienkiewicz eye or whatever. Not that I was deliberately swiping or even looking at the work of those guys, I just think it was just how I drew back then. Now it looks whacky to me because I think my eye has matured since. I'm sure most people saw it as whacky then.

JB: Describe what the working environment was like setting up the Milestone universe.

JPL: I wasn't around for that. By the time they asked me to do Static there was already a Milestone bible with the four initial titles and some storylines and character designs in it. I think they wanted me for Static more because of that Superman story than the Robocop stuff. Besides that though, I always felt very free working at Milestone.

Nobody was standing over my shoulder and saying, "No, you're drawing Static's cap wrong," or whatever.

Although there was one time when Dwayne said to me, "You're not allowed to draw Icon anymore." This was because I had put a black shirt on Icon. I had been looking at Denys Cowan's drawing of Icon from the Milestone bible for reference on the character and Denys had used all this great textural black on Icon's torso. It looked really cool and I just interpreted it as a dark shirt. So when I got to draw the character I got carried away and just made it all black. Of course I saw Dwayne's point that it didn't look like Icon anymore but I still thought it looked cool.

I think Denys Cowan's work had a very positive affect on me in this way because his drawings always seemed so organic and spontaneous and I would think, "Man, here's the head artist and look how loose he goes. I can do whatever the hell I want!" I mean that in the sense that it was artistically liberating.

JB: That is interesting... I think Denys' work is very cool too. Is there anyone else who has been influential to your style more recently? Am I totally off base finding a hint of Mignola in your work from time to time?

JPL: I never really know about influences. Influences happen all the time but I always find it dangerous when I feel myself being deliberately influenced because I want to keep away from saying to myself, "Okay, now I'm going to do a Mignola type thing here." Well everyone has a different idea about what that might be, but what I mean to say is that I wouldn't want to find myself being too conscious about where I'm deriving something because I'm going to be influenced whether I like it or not, and I prefer to leave it to chance.

Having said that, I do think there's value in trying to define for myself what it is I like or don't like about something...Blah, blah, blah. Who cares, huh?

I love Mignola's work. I was looking at his stuff a lot more when I was drawing Shadow Cabinet. I think his style is so distinct that even a microscopic influence becomes obvious. Toth was and is a real giant influence. Simonson too. But I've been looking at their stuff for years now. [I] love Jorge Zaffino.

But it's not like I'm actually looking at any of this stuff while I'm working. It just surfaces from time to time.

JB: That is probably the best way to approach the work of other artists and their possible... are there any books you enjoy reading for either or both their art and writing?

JPL: Walter Simonson's Orion, for both art and writing.

JB: How much of your own personality did you invest into the creation of Static?

JPL: Not much, I think. Not deliberately at least. Oh, there was the University of Miami cap from issue#4, I think. I'm not really a UM fan but I thought the cap would look cool. The real personality behind Static was Robert L Washington III. Robert is a real energetic guy and I think that came across in Static.

JB: Did you enjoy working on the Worlds Collide crossover? What sort of challenges did it present for you as an artist?

JPL: That was a lot of fun. I don't recall anything especially challenging about that stuff.

Actually, no.

That stuff was especially challenging. All those characters and all that specific action. I think that was probably my first dose of what was in store for me with team books.

JB: So it was a positive experience? On the whole do you prefer doing solo or team books? Does it make a difference to you at all?

JPL: Very positive! Team books are more difficult, but in a way, more rewarding because of that. Both present different challenges. Of course one man shows give me more room, but too much room can be a problem. I don't know, I've done mostly team books. Even this current Static series I'm on has turned into a team book.

But really, it doesn't make that much of a difference in any fundamental way. Team books are just more work.

JB: Yeah, I noticed that Static is burst with super-heroes from the get-go! I was quite surprised... was that how you expected it to be when Dwayne first talked you into coming in on the relaunch project?

JPL: I expected it. Dwayne told me his story would involve the whole Dakota universe, which is cool with me! I always liked the Milestone characters and their costume designs.

JB: Outside of Milestone, what have been some of your career highlights?

JPL: I really feel like my career has been one giant highlight. Of course that's how I would feel, right? Really, I try to treat every job as if it's a life or death thing. Not a healthy attitude, but it gets me through.

JB: How did you come to be working on Challengers Of The Unknown?

JPL: One of the members of Michael Davis' class was Alisande Morales. Ali was assisting Dan Thorsland up at DC and I don't remember if she called me to have lunch or if they just grabbed me in the office one day. But basically Ali and Dan asked me to do it. It sounded cool. I was working on Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix and the thought of doing a story set in the present day with real people walking around and cars and little to no superheroes sounded cool. I could pretend to be Bernie Fuchs.

JB: Is there anything more appealing about the characters in the DC Universe to draw than those of the Marvel Universe, or vice versa, so to speak?

JPL: I've enjoyed working on projects for both Marvel and DC. I think Marvel's characters tend to be sexier, where DC's are more iconic. Not that those are two sides of the same coin. But I enjoy working for both.

JB: Earth X garnered a lot of positive critical attention. Going into the project how certain were you that it was going to be a success?

JPL: I don't know. I was pretty sure that it was going to be seen and there was a lot of pressure because of that. Self inflicted pressure, of course. The potential was immediately evident to me. I just thought this was the coolest superhero story ever! Man, am I lucky I get to draw this thing.

That enthusiasm lasted about one issue!

I really loved what Alex Ross had done with his character designs. And Alex and Jim Krueger's story was so filled with ideas and poignant character touches that I really felt an enormous responsibility in handling the material. So not only did this have to be the best thing I'd ever done because the material would demand nothing less, but everyone was going to see it and most people probably had never seen my stuff before, so more pressure!

Oh, and I almost forgot the impossible deadlines. All this sounds like whining but I'm just trying to say that it was a rough go that had it's ups and downs for me artistically. Yes, I was pretty sure that it would be commercially successful. If such a thing is possible in today's comic book market.

JB: What is it like to be returning to Static and the Milestone universe after such a long hiatus?

JPL: Very comfortable. I feel completely at home with these characters and if anything, it all feels a little too weirdly familiar. There are a lot of Milestone characters in the upcoming issues of Static and for some of them the reference I'm looking at is my own stuff 7 years ago. Strangely self-indulgent.

JB: Which of the other Milestone characters are you itching to draw in a relaunch? Or are you happy to stick with Virgil for a while yet?

JPL: Static's a lot of fun for me. And easy! I like Iron Butterfly a lot, and she shows up in this mini series. I've always liked Hardware too.

JB: Looking through your work I notice fair few different artists have inked you in your career... but on Static: The Rebirth Of Cool you have done the whole art job by yourself.

Is the trade off between trusting someone else to ink your work and the extra blood, sweat, and tears in doing all the pencils and inks yourself worth it? What do you expect out of an inker?

JPL: Absolutely worth it because I can control more of what the end result will look like. It's all about control. When I'm penciling for an inker I tend to do these very tight, precise pencils where all the blacks are filled in with graphite just so I'm sure that I have a good idea of what I'm going to see in the end. It probably drives inkers nuts. I have a tough time letting go.

I expect an inker to somehow stay faithful to my pencils while still injecting something of there own style into the stuff. Of course I think it looks best when it's not so deliberately manipulated. I prefer a natural spontaneity, but it's all planned anyway so there's usually little to no room for spontaneity, but I think some guys can really excel within that narrow margin. Drawing is the key, I think. If an inker is a good draftsman all on his own, the work will have a natural subtlety in the end. I think Bill Reinhold did an amazing job in this regard for Earth X.

JB: In my research I read that you were supposed to do a comic book based on Karl Malone, the basketball player. Did that ever come out? Are there any other unusual one-off books that JP Leon fans need to hunt down?

JPL: Oh yeah, how'd you hear about that?!

JB: I put "John Paul Leon" into a search engine and discarded all the results that mention the Beatles or the Pope!

JPL: To the best of my knowledge that job never came out. All-Star Arena, at the time and later Ultimate Sports printed some of them and I thought it just looked like crap. Real dark color. But that was one of the funnest jobs I ever worked on. I drew the whole thing with markers. I'm really proud of the black & white's.

JB: Sports comics are big in Japan, like so many other genres just not present in the US market. Makes you wonder why...

JPL: I don't know why. I think comics could stand to include other genres. They used to. Weren't there all kinds of genres in the 50's, 60's, 70's.... Westerns, Romance, War, Spy, Horror? Comics as a medium could handle whatever subjects you throw at it, although some subjects I guess are just easier to make visually interesting. Still, anything can be made interesting visually and good writing never hurt, right?

Another of the funnest job's for me was a Man of Steel annual I did about 5 years ago. I had a great time drawing all the heroes I grew up with. All the classic DC heroes, Superman, Batman, Aquaman and Green Lantern, were all in it. Louise Simonson wrote a fun story and I was really happy with what Dennis Janke did with the inks.

JB: I got that book when it first came out, so I just pulled it out now and I can tell you had a lot of fun doing it... You keen to take on one of the big guns in the DCU on an ongoing basis?

JPL: I'd love to do any of the big DC guns, Supes, Bats, and the rest! Drawing a monthly is a real killer for me though. Earth X nearly killed me.

JB: You've done a handful of different assignments on various Batman books. Is there some especially appealing about the character to you?

JPL: I like that he's just a guy in a suit. I like that you can shut out the lights and just deal with a silhouette. All the Batman villains are interesting to me too and Gotham city gives plenty of chances to draw cool architecture.

JB: How did you enjoy doing the X-Men Millennial Visions job? That had a spy element to it, right?

JPL: Actually that one pin-up provided way more anxiety than I expected. I did it immediately after Earth X and I think I must have been burnt out or something because it was just like pulling teeth.

JB: You a big fan of Bond and the spy-genre in general?

JPL: Not a big Bond fan but I enjoy the Bond films. Particularly the Connery ones. I missed the last few. The last one I caught was the first Brosnan film.

[The] spy genre is great! All those exotic locations. I'd love to do a spy comic. I'm a big admirer of Modesty Blaise by Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway. Beautiful stuff.

JB: Well, thanks for your time JP, good luck with the rest of Static: Rebirth Of Cool.

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