How did you first become involved with
2099?
Andrew:
My memories of SM2099 are strangely vague. At that time I
had worked on a 4 issue Black Cat mini series and a 6 issue
Spider-Man mini series. Joey Cavalieri was one of the
writers on the Black Cat series and when, in his role as a
Marvel editor, he needed someone to pencil Spider-Man 2099
he must have felt that I was the one to do it.
Did you draw anything for 2099 that was
not published (stories, alternate covers for Spider-Man 2099)?
Andrew:
Not that I recall. Time was of such a premium back then that
we had to make sure that everything drawn was used. But as I
said, my memory is a little vague around that time so it is
entirely possible. I know there was an unused cover for the
Spider-Man Arachnis Project so strange things do happen.
When taking over art chores on a book
which had already been running for a certain length of time (in
this case about 2 years) how do you prepare for it? Do you look
at back issues or were you provided with style guides for the
characters?
Andrew:
I had most of the back issues of the book. As an artist for
Marvel they tend to send you bundles of comics through the
post. SM2099 was one of the books that I liked so I kept
them. I am sure they would have sent me any copies that I
was missing. From there it is a question of reading back
issues, familiarizing yourself with the characters and then
trying to get a handle on that bizarre costume.
Do any of your issues or covers stand
out in your memory? Favorite / Least Favorite?
Andrew:
The covers to issue 38 stand out as it was a double image
split over two separate runs. One had Spider-Man on and the
other, Venom. Issues 41 and 42 are also favorites. 42
because it resonates with an old Spiderman cover from when I
was a kid reading the book and and 41 because I like that
extreme angle and the distance of the characters from the
camera. Playing with that kind of framing is always fun and
is the thing that gives the atmosphere and mood regardless
of the content.
What recollections do you have about
working with Peter David?
Andrew:
I don't think I can say that I worked closely with Peter.
The way the industry works is that sometimes you know your
fellow comic creators and sometimes not. Some writers I have
worked with are people that I have met and got to know well
and some are people who I have never met. Peter was one of
the ones I never met (as far as I recall). That said his
scripts were great. Very clear and with an incredible mood
that had them feel like a piece for the screen rather than
the page. That suited me fine and it was a pleasure to have
worked with his material.
What recollections do you have about
working with editor Joey Cavelieri?
Andrew:
Although Joey had been the writer on Black Cat I had not met
him. I think I had already done a few issues of SM2099 by
the time I went to the Marvel offices and met Joey. I found
him interesting in that he was very hospitable - took me out
for a meal, talked about the book and many other things - but
he was also very straight about what he wanted and needed
for the book. No messing about. If he didn't like it, he
would say so. That can sometimes be confronting but his
judgment was always good, clear and worked best for the
project. That is what makes an effective editor.
Did you work closely with your inker,
Stephen Baskerville? How about Bill Sienkiewicz who did 2
issues?
Andrew:
Stephen and I have been long time collaborators and know
each other well. He has inked more of my comics output than
any other inker. Joey was happy to have Stephen on the book
as it was Stephen that had inked Black Cat and Arachnis.
That said, his style was very different to the previous
inker, Al Williamson. I always liked Stephen's inks and he
has saved by bacon many times. I think Joey was less keen. I
can't remember why Bill inked two issues. Maybe he just
became available and thought it would be fun; but there is
no doubt that it was a very different result to what Stephen
had been doing and it was amazing for me to have been inked
by such an industry legend. But again, he is one of those
people that I think I have only briefly met once.
Your issues introduced two new
villains, Venom 2099 and Goblin 2099, what do you recall about
the creation of the characters? Did you have any input into
their design/look?
Andrew: I loved the 2099 take
on those characters, especially Venom. I think they were
designed by Rick Leonardi (the original artist on the book).
I can only presume that they had already been designed or
that Joey got in touch with Rick and asked him to design
them. I would have liked to have had some input but it
wasn't to be.
Given that all the characters are spun
off from pre-existing characters (Spider-Man, Green Goblin,
Venom), what is your opinion on their designs? Do they succeed
in capturing the spirit of the originals and at the same time be
unique?
Andrew:
I think they do capture the essence of the originals,
especially Venom. There are differences but the overall feel
of the character is the same. The Goblin is more different.
In many ways less 'Gobliny' and probably more like the
vulture but still works well as a villain.
Why did you leave the book?
Andrew: That's the big one eh? There were many
reasons why I left. More accurately I was asked to stand
down. This was one of those times where my memory is very
clear but also why some of my memories are very vague. All
was going well for me and my career with Marvel at that
point but for myself and many other creators it all took a
bad turn. Marvel got itself into difficulty and many books
were being cancelled. Scripts were coming in a bit late from
Peter and sometimes in bits. I always like to have the
complete script to work with so that I know whats coming up
in later pages. At that time I would maybe get the first 6
pages and the rest would follow. This was back in the day of
faxes (pre email) so it was all a bit hokey anyway. Getting
scripts in parts isn't wrong as such and sometimes deadlines
mean that writers have to work that way. I vividly remember
getting a phone call from Joey. He said "There's good news
and bad news. The good news is that the next script is on
its way. The bad news is it's your last" I was shocked.
Another example of Joey's straight talking but at least the
situation was clear. As soon as I could I got on a plane to
New York to try and solve the situation and also to see what
other work might be available. those times were hard. My
take on what happened was that the SM2099, regardless of its
consistently good sales, was becoming a casualty of the
Marvel cuts. Joey, as the 2099 editor, had the awkward task
of letting artists go or maybe reassigning them to other
books. SM2099 was due to be cancelled and he had decided
that he wanted Ron Lim to see the book out. In fact Joey
himself was being let go by Marvel so everything was up in
the air. In the end I think there were only about three
issues more before it was cancelled altogether. They were
very difficult times for people working in comics and has
become a period of my life that I have blanks about. I did
very little more work for Marvel until I moved on to other
things but one shining light at that time was FORCE WORKS.
The editor, Nel Yomtov, was an old collaborator from the
Transformers days and was and is a really lovely guy. FORCE
WORKS was being cancelled and he asked me if I would do the
final issue. One of the regrets of my time while at Marvel
was that I never got to do an Avengers book. The first
Marvel comic I ever bought as a child was an Avengers book
and this was a small opportunity to have a go with some of
those characters. I still feel that to date that that issue
of FORCE WORKS was possibly the best work I ever did for
Marvel and, in amongst those difficult times for all
concerned, I have Nel to thank for that.
