Interview: Comics Artist Scott Godlewski Chats with Mashed Report

By  Mike Vert

3 Online Discussions

We were lucky enough to score an interview with up-and-coming amazing comic artist Scott Godlewski.

What follows is the transcript of that conversation.

Mike Vert: Hi Scott, Thanks for being here.

First off, tell us a little about yourself.

Scott Godlewski: Well, I am a freelance illustrator currently working on the Boom! Studios title Dracula: The Company of Monsters, created by Kurt Busiek and written by Daryl Gregory. I also self-publish a pulp anthology with Matt Bennett called Mysterious Adventure Magazine.

How did you first get interested in drawing comics?

SG: I was really big into the trading cards of the early 90's and when I discovered that they were based on comics that were essentially a hundred cards for the same price, I became a fan. And when I learned that the Ninja Turtles started as a comic, I knew that's what I was born to do.

Do you remember the first comic you ever read? What are some of your current favorites?

SG: First comic I ever read was the Batman movie adaptation by Dennis O'Neil and Jerry Ordway. But the book that really sucked me in was X-Men #16. It had this badass Andy Kubert cover that just blew me away. I must have drawn that thing a hundred times.

I'm ashamed to admit that I don't read a whole lot. I have almost no free time, but when I do sit down with a book right now, the first thing I pick up is Joe the Barbarian, by Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy. Sean is on a completely different level than everyone else right now. He has completely changed the way I look at the art form. Hellboy, even though Mike Mignola isn't on art anymore, is still a great read. The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard, may be the best book month-to-month. Yeah, zombies are tired, but this is a riveting story of survival after the end. And, of course, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by my good buddy Tony Parker.

You've got a really interesting style, it's cinematic, and in some instances very noir. Who are your inspirations behind your style?

SG: I credit a lot of filmmakers as influences, along with comic guys. A couple of directors I really admire are M. Night Shyamalan and David Fincher. And I'll defend Shyamalan to my last breath, even if he did go crazy after The Village. My comic influences are guys like Sean Murphy, Art Adams, Kevin Nowlan, Frank Quitely, Mike Mignola, Guy Davis and Eric Powell, to name a few.

You're currently working with BOOM! Studios, and have recently finished work on the well-reviewed CODEBREAKERS. What can you tell us of your upcoming project?

SG: Yeah, Codebreakers was a lot of fun and was surprisingly well received. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised since Carey Malloy turned out a killer script. I wasn't sure there was a comic audience for a book about math nerds, but I'm sure glad there was. And the trade will be out in September for everyone who passed the first time around. I'm inking the first page of Dracula: The Company of Monsters #2. That'll be out August 25.

And that's a monthly series?

SG: It is. I'll be doing 3 issues at a time, with every fourth issue being illustrated by another artist.

Having seen some early work on Dracula, I have to say it looks really interesting, and very dynamic. Is the art design all yours, or have Kurt or Daryl sent you photography or requested anything specific that they wanted shown style-wise?

SG: I wouldn't say anything has been requested style-wise, but Daryl is very good about including reference with his scripts. When he's got something in mind, he'll attach an image link in the script. It saves me the time of going through a Google image search. Everything else is basically up to me. There are character descriptions, and I was given the first cover by the great Dan Brereton, which featured a few of the characters, as reference, but was I free to really do what I liked as long as it was cool with everyone else.

It's been rumored that the source of your talent is your sweet beard. Is there any truth to the rumor?

SG: I've heard this rumor and am going to set the record straight here. I actually busted off a chunk of graphite in my hand when I was 5, so now I'm literally one with the pencil. That, and practice. Don't go stabbing yourself, kids! Just work hard.

Thanks for sitting down with me. I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.

SG: Thank you, Mike.

Thanks again, Scott, for the great interview.

To check out some of Scott's amazing work, visit: scottgodlewski.com