Interview with Cal Slayton, Artist for Shades of Blue Posted 04/29/03 by Greg Thompson Shades of Blue is one of the big up and comers in the independent comic scene this year. After being featured in Wizard and Wizard's Edge, Comic Shop News picked Shades of Blue #1, new from Digital Webbing Presents, as one of the top 24 comics for April. Mycomicshop.com's Greg Thompson talked with Shades' artist Cal Slayton about the move to DWB, his art, and what fans can expect from this new series. Mycomicshop: Why don't you tell everyone what Shades of Blue is all about? Cal Slayton: “Shades of Blue" is about an average teenage girl named Heidi Paige, who wakes up one morning to discover that not only has her hair turned blue, but she has the power to control electricity. Her best friends convince her to become a superhero when villains start threatening their town. She takes on opponents like the substitute teacher, the local figure skating champ and even the popular hunk she has a crush on. She is also relies on the help of her Physics teacher, Mr. McMurtry. It’s an all-ages book that has fun with the whole super hero genre. I think it appeals to so many readers because it’s not too indy but it’s not quite mainstream. MCS: What were the reasons behind the move from Amp Comics to Digital Webbing? CS: Moving to Digital Webbing gives the book a higher profile and promotion support. It’s nice to be a part of a publisher that carries a lot of great titles and is starting to make its mark in the comic book industry. That name again is... Digital Webbing, everyone check ‘em out! MCS: You started pencilling the original series at issue 2 and have been going strong ever since. How has your art changed over that time? CS: Well, to put it simply: it’s better. I think you can see a steady improvement throughout the series, at least I hope you can. I can for sure. In the first couple of issues, I was still figuring out how I wanted to draw the characters, so it was bit wheels-off. Now I’ve got a handle on how I draw them. I’m still not completely satisfied with my work, I never will be. I’ll always want to improve. I’m very fortunate to be able to be a part of an independent book that has lasted so long. I don’t think indy artists often get a chance to draw this many issues of a book because so many of them don’t have the sales numbers to support continued publication. MCS: Which character (s) do you really enjoy drawing and are there any that still give you trouble? CS: K.T. is probably my favorite, not necessarily design-wise, but she’s just a lot of fun as a character. She says the things that others are thinking. So I get a kick outta drawing her because she cracks me up. Most people point to Marcus when asked to pick their favorite. I think a lot of readers relate to him. Silence might be the hardest to draw, just because of all the inking, a lot of black, she takes a while. MCS: Is there any 1 issue, page, or panel that really sticks out in your mind; that you are really proud of? CS: I really like pages 18 and 19 of issue #9, when the Ice Princess finally stands up for herself. Jim wrote this great scene and I came up with the idea of breaking it down into all those panels to really establish the beat of her “father’s" rage building as Ilsa finally reaches a breaking point. I think it came out great. I’m also fond of the final scene of issue #10, when Marcus let’s all his problems out on Heidi. It’s weird that I picked more emotional scenes rather than big actions sequences. As a kid all I thought about growing up was drawing the Hulk smashing the Thing across the street or some other big battle. But now I really enjoy the challenge of conveying people’s emotions and thoughts on the page. MCS: Could you take us through the page creation process, from when you receive the script until you send the finished page back? CS: Jim emails me the script, I print it out and read the entire thing to get the “big picture", I actually enjoy that part because I don’t always know what’s going to happen in the next issue and I get to find out. Then I thumbnail the entire book, usually in one setting. I do 8 thumbnails on one sheet of typing paper, very loose and sketchy, nothing too concrete. This is also a fun step because I get excited about the different scenes I get to draw. Then the actual grunt work begins...drawing the pages. I usually do rough breakdowns in non-repro blue pencils and then clean them up in the inking stage. Once a page is complete I scan it and do the grayscaling in Photoshop. Then I add any sound effects (done in Illustrator) I need and email the page to Jim, who letters the book. I don’t think a lot of people realize that drawing a book is actually very a physical act. I don’t mean like athletically or anything like that. But it takes discipline to set at a drawing board for long periods of time, hunched over and focusing intensely on creating a world on paper. It’s very draining at times. It’s one thing to draw the most amazing pin up in the world, but to draw everything that appears within the pages of a comic takes a lot of effort. MCS: And you color the covers as well, right? CS: Yes I do, also in Photoshop. I really like to keep my coloring and grayscaling rather simplified and clean. I don’t like black and white comics that try to emulate color comics, with a lot of gradients and blends. To me, the cleaner, the better. Look no further than “The Goon" for great grayscaling, but you know that, you’re a big supporter of Eric Powell’s stuff. Its’ amazing, that’s what grayscaling should look like. Well, it’ll be in color with Dark Horse, so grab the back issues. MCS: Have you had any formal art training, has it been a learn as you go process, or a combination of both? CS: A little of both. I’ve drawn since kindergarten, I got a lot of my enthusiasm for it from my mom and brother, who were both artistic. I also have a degree in graphic design and illustration. But it’s also been a lot of experimenting and trial and error stuff. Drawing Shades has been a great opportunity to really start developing a style, I’m still not there yet. It’s ongoing. MCS: What's in store for Heidi and the rest of the gang in this new series? CS: Just a bunch of stuff. Just kidding, actually some great twists and turns are ahead as the gang tries to unravel the mysterious origins of these strange powers. My girlfriend was looking at the pages I’m doing for issue #2 and said, “There is a lot going on here." And she was right, there is. Also, fans should keep an eye peeled for returning characters. Faithful readers will not be left out in the cold, I don’t spoil anything so I’ll keep quiet. MCS: From which artists do you take inspiration? CS: It’s no secret that I’m a Kirby freak, but every comic book artist should be. As far as people doing stuff right now...Mignola, Allred, the above mentioned Powell (makes me sick), our follow buddy Kelsey Shannon is amazing. I just want to see another book from him. Do you hear me Kelsey!? Keeeelsey!! (Shakes fist). I get a lot of inspiration from our local comic crew ... Michael Lark, excuse me, Eisner Award Nominee Michael Lark, Nick Derington, Scott Kurtz, all the gang. It’s nice to have this pool of talent to hang around with, you get pumped after kicking back and talking about creating comics. It makes you want to draw when you get home. MCS: Do you have any words of advice for aspiring comic creators? CS: Try this...when you’re talking to an editor from one of the big companies, tell them that they should hire me. No, I’m kidding, demand that they hire me. Alright, I’ll stop. Keep drawing, always look to improve. Get your stuff online, get it in front of peoples faces. I’m still aspiring myself. I mean, I am a comic book artist, but I won’t be satisfied until I’m doing it for a living. MCS: Any other projects on the horizon? CS: More and more “Shades of Blue" right now. I’m also drawing a story for an upcoming book from Ghostwerks Comics. Should be a lot of fun, a nice change of pace from Shades. MCS: Do you have a dream project on which you would like to work? CS: I if can ever draw a comic, even one issue, that featured characters that Kirby created or help form, I’d be a pretty happy cat. MCS: Who do you think Shades appeals to; who's your target audience? CS: I think it all appeals to a lot of different types of readers. If you like super hero adventure, we’ve got it. If you like character driven stories, we’ve got that too. We’ve got humor with a mix of drama. Guys and girls both enjoy the book. I especially like that girls are into the book. A lot of guys tell me that their girlfriends who aren’t into comics really love the book. Heidi isn’t the typical heroine for comic books. She’s very easy to relate for the average everyday comic book reading gal out there. MCS: One last chance to sell the book. Why should readers take a chance on Shades? CS: Do it for Jim, the writer and co-creator. He has put so much of his time, effort and money into this book and it shows. So, please give it shot. It’s fun, it’s different and it’ll add 17 months on to your life.