I've been drawn to Erik Larsen's work for a number of reasons, some of them deeper than others. I've seen him as a transplanted Minnesotan in California, about my age, just as bald, and almost the same height. But his body and mind are filled with far more talent.
More so, I thought that the angle of his story of Savage Dragon was rather brilliant, rather than super teams, a hero joins the police to fight crime. It is parts Jack Kirby wild ride, and nonetheless intelligently written and solid art. Jack Kirby is as great a name as there is to evoke quality and fun as any in the field of comic books. As he is a founder of Image Comics, and former publisher, he has many things to say about the world of creativity, writing comic books, drawing them and art, and publishing
I am grateful for his time and thoughtful answers to my questions.
Alex: To what extent do you have a talent inside and you let it flourish, versus learn to control it, act upon inspiration but by daily use develop that talent? I've known people who can't sleep when in a creative phase of their mind, whereas I've known some people who use dreams to inform their creative product. (Rick Veitch even published his dream related works.) Do you let the fire burn however it will, or do you try to tame it to obey your will?
ERIK LARSEN: I don't think of it in any of those terms. As a youngster I had a compulsion to write and draw and spent years doing just that. With practice there was improvement and that ultimately led to me being able to get work. I don't look at talent as something a person is born with but rather something they develop. The art I drew as a child was no better than any other kid. The only difference is that I pursued it and other kids didn't.
In regard to inspiration--if you're waiting around for that--you're sunk. You need to be able to continue producing regardless. You can't wait around to be inspired. When it's a job you need to find a way to create even if you don't feel like creating. That's the job. The number of days I felt truly inspired is few and if I depended on those I'd get nothing done.
Alex: Comics like any other creative media are both fantasy and reality based. To what extent does a world event like Covid or Global Warming affect what stories are told, is it necessary to find those events or issues within stories for comics to be important or relevant?
ERIK LARSEN: My book is set in real time so events like Covid are a way of setting events in a real world and tying events to a real time. If I was writing a book like Batman or Spider-Man, I'd be more likely to avoid those events because it would date the material.
Alex: To that extent, I've seen numerous adaptations of comics to television or film, where there is a change in a character's race from one to another. Is that a way to really deal with racism, or, in the end, would it not be better to make a comprehensive effort to be inclusive?
ERIK LARSEN: Most of these comic books were created at a time when inclusivity was not even considered. These movie makers aren't making films in 1962--they're making them now set in our modern world and they're bound to be updated to some extent. The comic book reading audience is comparatively minuscule and caving to their demands is not recommended. If there isn't enough diversity in the comics--that's on comic book creators. None of this would be happening if they did their job right in the first place. Comic book creators should be proactive and be inclusive.
Alex: I've seen it argued that such efforts fail because businesses must follow a profit motive. Is that a real obstacle in racial representation in the comic book medium?
ERIK LARSEN: The only limitation is creativity and desire. If creators made an effort--this wouldn't be an issue. There's no reason that creators can't create racially diverse characters. That their efforts are lame or unsuccessful is on them. Write better characters. Create better characters. Tell better stories.
Alex: In your personal secret origins, as a younger person you had written and drawn your own comics, leading to your adult career. Why do you think your talents led you to create comics, if you hadn't developed skills and talents in that realm, where would you have applied them, or would you have? Why or why not? What life experiences influenced your being chosen by the comic gods to create comics?
ERIK LARSEN: I grew up with my Dad's comic book collection and that likely led me in that direction. The rest is anybody's guess. Would I have been driven to tell stories in comic book form had I not had that exposure? It's hard to say. I might be scrubbing toilets now or bagging groceries today if my parents didn't just let me draw all day long as a child and keep myself entertained.
Alex: As a publisher at Image I thought you and also Jim Valentino did really good work. The comics that came out during your run were new, fresh, different, if ultimately they were profitable the readers were able to read some fine work. To what extent that your time as publisher took away time from your own work, or was it the case that you created more intensively when you had the opportunity so that it all balanced out? Did you consider your publisher hat wearing days to be, ultimately, creative or were they purely as a business labor? Would you do the publisher stint again if asked, or elected?
ERIK LARSEN: From my vantage point it seemed like the company was in rocky shape and needed to be headed off in another direction. I made the most of it and tried to help the books which we had and expand our line but it took a huge toll on my productivity. My output took a tremendous hit. It was a great time and I got to work with some amazing people. It was a lot of fun going into the office and spending time with the people who worked there but my output was pathetic during that period and being an administrator was not why I got into comics in the first place. While I enjoyed my time in that position it's not something I'd want to do again.
Alex: What is the future for comic books? Is there a way for them to thrive, or will comic books always be a less appreciated medium or format? Do online and digital options provide an avenue to higher revenue, or is it closer to a means to sap financial cash from the publishers and creatives? Is there a way to make it work to the benefit of a publisher in a world that seems deliriously willing to take whatever it finds for its own benefit or pleasure?
ERIK LARSEN:There's a lot to unpack there and I don't have a crystal ball.
I don't think digital is the long-term answer, although it is a factor. People who get digital books want everything to be digital and dirt cheap but the problem with digital is that the material is so easily replicated--pirate sites are copying the digital files or making screen caps and posting comics immediately. They're sharing essentially the same product and the same reading experience at no cost.
With physical comic books there's the collectability aspect as well as the aesthetic tactile experience. With digital, any site can pirate this material and give it out for free. There's really nothing that legit sites have to offer in that regard. I can get the same material at the same time on multiple sites for no money and free is a tough price point to compete with.
Physical comic books are like vinyl records--there'll always be a niche market that eats that stuff up. It's gotten more expensive and it's gotten harder to find but it endures.
I could see Marvel or DC giving up the ghost, shutting down production of new comics and letting various other companies license their properties at some point but I would think that's still a ways off. I don't expect there to be anything drastic to happen any time soon.
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