BREITWEISER: DRUMMING DRAX THE DESTROYER

[Al Harahap]

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/0905/DRAX001.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/0905/DRAX001_T.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Drax the Destroyer #1"></a><i>By Remy Minnick, Comixfan Staff Writer</i>

After the prospect of drawing Phantom Jack with writer Mike San Giacomo for Marvel Comics' short-lived Epic line, artist Mitch Breitweiser found a home for his most prominent project at Image Comics, and more recently at the quickly growing line of Speakeasy Comics. But now he finds himself also returning to Marvel to join writer Keith Giffen for cosmic green guardian Drax the Destroyer's first series. Comixfan speaks to Breitweiser about the character, the book, and the art of comic book illustration.

<b>Comixfan:</b> Some fans may not be familiar with your previous work, so bring us up to date. How did you get started in the comic book industry and what titles have you worked on in the past?

<b>Mitch Breitweiser:</b> Well at 21 I started to seriously pursue comics as a career. I Just turned 27, so it has been a toiling 5 1/2 year journey with lots of ups and downs. I get asked often on what I did to break in, and I usually just give them the three major things I did: Move to the New York City area, go to as many big conventions as possible, and most importantly... draw your butt off.

Most people know me from my work on Image's Phantom Jack or from my painted sketches that I do at conventions. While Phantom Jack really didn't sell wildly, it sort of marked a turn for me artisticly. I began inking my own work, and began to trade my micron pens in for my trusty Windsor & Newton series 7, #4 brush (I use brushes exclusively now). I learned a lot from that series about design and storytelling. Even though I still feel that the art was a bit rough around the edges, I still regard it as a milestone for me. While the artwork on Drax is definitely of a MUCH higher caliber, I would recommend that anyone looking for a sample of my past work, to pick up the Phantom Jack graphic novel from Speakeasy.

Just before I was offered the Drax job, I finished a short Decoy story for Penny Farthing Press, that is available in their new Decoy anthology.

<b>Comixfan:</b> You got your first break at Marvel with the ill-fated Epic line. The title you were working on, Phantom Jack, eventually was published by Image Comics, and more recently moved on to Speakeasy Comics. How does it feel to finally have a book being made by Marvel?

<b>Breitweiser:</b> Well, It feels like home. The reception from Marvel staff and editors has been very positive. It feels good to be with a company who is really been a creative pioneer in recent years. I was down in the bar after the Wizard World Philly show with Joe Q, other Marvel guys, and the normal collection of seedy artists, writers, and comic people. Joe probably doesn't remember this, but he introduced me to a couple of people as "their next big artist." It was definatly a moment I will never forget, and I have every intention of proving myself as a top tier artist to fans.

<b>Comixfan:</b> How familiar were you with the characters of Drax, Thanos, Moondragon, et al, before working on this limited series? Did you have much interest in him beforehand?

<b>Breitweiser:</b> Andy [Schmidt, Marvel Comics editor] calls me up and says "Mitch, would you be interested in working on Drax the Destroyer?" My response was, "Darx the huh?" I had no idea who Drax was, and I feel like a bit of a tool for it. I had just never read any of the old Starlin stuff. I got educated pretty fast, though, and I hope that Starlin fans won't hold that against me.

<b>Comixfan:</b> What makes Drax a character worth working on?

<b>Breitweiser:</b> Hopefully getting a cameo appearance in the upcoming Drax movie. *laughs*

Seriously. Drax is just as worthy a character to work on as anyone else in the Marvel Universe. It is our job to make Drax a character worth reading about, and I think we have done that.

<center><a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/heroes/drax2_4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/heroes/drax2_4t.jpg" hspace=10 alt="Drax the Destroyer #2"></a><a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/heroes/drax2_6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/heroes/drax2_6t.jpg" hspace=10 alt="Drax the Destroyer #2"></a><a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/heroes/drax2_7.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/heroes/drax2_7t.jpg" hspace=10 alt="Drax the Destroyer #2"></a></center>

<b>Comixfan:</b> From the preview art we have seen, it seems as though Drax is getting a "new look" for this mini. What thought processes went into the changes, cosmetic and otherwise? How much room did you have to work with since Drax is an established name in the Marvel Universe?

<b>Breitweiser:</b> I just wanted to make Drax look like a viable character. His old look was pretty dated, and in all frankness, a bit silly. It is my hope that people will have a positive response to the character that they would like to see him play a more important role in the Marvel Universe. I really wasn't sure how much leeway I had with the character. I just started working on designs that I thought looked cool and that conveyed the "new" Drax that Keith and Andy had described. Having not really known Drax beforehand helped me to think outside of the design box a bit. I took them down to the Marvel offices for approval, and Andy had me do a bit of retooling. Within a couple hours of sketching and going over ideas we reached a design that we are both pretty proud of.

Honestly, I think Andy had as much fun working on the designs as I did.

<b>Comixfan:</b> For the Drax mini-series you're be working with Keith Giffen, veteran, many would say legendary, comic book writer and artist. Was there much collaboration between the two of you on the title? Did you two have much in the way of common ground?

<b>Breitweiser:</b> Working with Keith has been great. He has such a loyal fan base, and a lot of momentum behind his career right now. Initially there was some collaboration between Andy, Keith, and myself regarding character design and covers. Once we got the basics out of the way, I pretty much took over. I have a lot of respect for Keith as an artist and a writer, and approched him a few times early on for advice on working out certain scenes.

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/1005/DRAX002.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/1005/DRAX002_T.jpg" align=right hspace=10 alt="Drax the Destroyer #2"></a><b>Comixfan:</b> What has been your best and worst experiences with working on this Drax series?

<b>Breitweiser:</b> The best: Doing my own covers. I was really shocked when Andy offered me the covers, because I was still a pretty untested artist. I am very proud of them and I am anxious to see them on the shelves.

The worst: Giving up my Saturdays.

<b>Comixfan:</b> How long does it typically take you to complete an entire issue?

<b>Breitweiser:</b> I think I am a six-week guy, Andy may tell you differently. I got off to a bit of a slow start due to an illness and some things out of my control. I am inking my own work, and that slows the process down a bit, although I use a lot of expressive brushwork and experimental inking techniques that are impossible for me to convey with pencils.

I am hopeful that the fans will appreciate the extra time spent on the artwork.

<b>Comixfan:</b> Is there a moment in the upcoming Drax mini-series that you are so proud of you can't wait for fans to see?

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/1105/DRAX003_COV.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/1105/DRAX003_COV_t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Drax the Destroyer #3"></a><b>Breitweiser:</b> It definately has to be the "rebirth" of Drax in issue #3. I was given the opportunity to really revise the character's look. It is a very drastic change in the character, but Andy, Keith, and myself are all quite proud of it. I am anxious though, to see how the fans respond. I think it will be really positive, but comic book fans can be really unforgiving when it comes to altering some of their characters.

<b>Comixfan:</b> You mentioned how you've moved over from the standard tools of the trade, like micron pens, to doing all your art with brushes now. How do you go about creating a page of comic book art now and, for those who might not be familiar with the process, how is it different compared to the standard way artists draw a title?

<b>Breitweiser:</b> Well, the standard would be to have an artist begin with roughing out the page in pencil, and then finishing the page by tightening up his pencils. He then passes it on to the inker, who then interprets what the penciler had drawn on the page.

What I do is take out the finished pencils stage. That stage never made sense to me, because you lose so much of the spontaneity and energy of the sketch. When I started inking right over my rough pencils I sort of found a way to capture some of the energy that is so often lost between the sketch and the finished page. I am actually a trained painter, and by working this way, I feel less like I am drawing comics, and more like I am painting a comic.

<b>Comixfan:</b> Is there anything about working with brushes that you prefer over the standard tools, like a pen and pencil? What does that style bring to the page over the traditional method?

<b>Breitweiser:</b> I would actually argue that the brush is the traditional method. It has been time tested and used in comics since their conception.

Making the switch to brush took a long time, and using the tool made me feel very clumsy at first. I think that is what turns a lot of artists off to using brushes. Once I began to gain control I found that my lines had so much more energy in them, and I began to discover how many different kinds of textures and strokes I could get out of one #4 brush. I am still finding new ways to utilize the tool. I began to give up linework , and focus more contrast, texture, and atmospheric effects.

I think its a bit of a reaction to the extreme linework style that was made popular in the 90s and continues to this day in a lot of Top-Cow-ish type of books. I actually call myself an anti-line comic book artist, and I would put guys like Mike Lark, Michael Gaydos, Greg Land, and to some extent John Cassaday in the same camp. (I am by no means comparing myself to all of those talents, but my work is in the same vein.) I actually just gave up using pens completely in Drax #3. I am doing all my straightedge line work by guiding the tip of the brush gently along the edge of a ruler or french curve. All in all, I feel like the brush has given my art more life, and, I hope, more of a timeless classical quality. I guess we'll see.

<b>Comixfan:</b> What other projects do you have planned for the coming year?

<b>Breitweiser:</b> Well, That is up to the editors over at Marvel. I recently signed a two-year exclusive with Marvel, so you are sure to see my work on the shelves for a while. They have not approached me with any definite ideas on what I will be doing next, though. To be honest, I really don't care. I am just happy to be doing this as a career. Seriously, I feel very blessed.

(If you really want to know, I would love to work on Black Widow, Cap, or Spidey. And I would love to do some painted work in the future.)

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Drax the Destroyer #1 is scheduled for release on September 28, and monthly thereafter.

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[Clay Olsen]

very nice artwork...
I'm really waiting to see where they are taking Drax now...
Seeing Thanos there at least gives me hope that they are paying attention at least to where the character came from... Hopefully with Giffen writing Thanos won't end up being the bad guy... and the changes he went through in his breif series will last. And I'm wondering if Drax would beleive such changes possible...
The Blood Brothers look pretty good too...