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How did you first become involved
with 2099?
Chris: I already had a previous working relationship with
2099 editor Joey Cavalieri, working on the Moon Knight title he also
edited, but it was actually friend Dwayne Turner that introduced me
to the 2099 Universe. Early in the planning stages ( and fresh off
our stint on “Cage”), he was asked to design the look of Hulk 2099
as well as work on the first preview Hulk 2099 story. Since I was
checking out all of Dwayne’s initial Hulk 2099 art as it was turned
in, I got particularly excited about that character, so it was an
easy ‘yes’ to answer when Joey asked if I wanted to ink Hulk 2099
over Mal.
What do you recall about working with editor Joey Cavalieri?
Chris: As I mentioned before, I had already worked years for
Joey on Moon Knight, and he was one of, if not the easiest editor
that I’ve worked for. A very easy-going personality—so the whole
experience on the 2099 titles, working for both Joey Cavalieri and
(his then assistant) Lia Pelosi was one of my best at Marvel.
When I interviewed Mal Davis, he heavily praised your work. He
said that in addition to being a good inker, you were good
illustrator. Do you think it important that an inker also be a good
illustrator?
Chris: (Thanks, Mal!) Mal’s also an incredible artist that I
hoped would see more work from Marvel & DC. Yes. As an inker, it’s
definitely an advantage to be a good illustrator in your own right.
Particularly when you work over the immense variety of pencillers
that I did. Some are strong draftsmen, like Mal, and others not so
much—so you have to integrate more of your own drawing skills into
the inking.
In addition to inking all of his Hulk 2099 issues, you also inked
over Mal Davis on the Public Enemy story for 2099 Unlimited and a
Spider-Man 2099 story for the annual. Does anything stand out in
your memory from the issues you two worked together on? Perhaps a
favorite issue, cover, or character?
Chris: I enjoyed each one of those other 2099 projects I did
with Mal, but I’ll always remember the first two issues of Hulk 2099
as my favorite over Mal, along with the cover to Hulk 2099 #6,
because that was one I also colored (my first experience coloring,
digitally.)
What recollections do you have about
working with the other artists who worked on the Hulk 2099 series
after Mal left? Joe Bennett & Mike Gustovich [who penciled the last
issue].
Chris: I did enjoy the two issues over Joe Bennet, 7 & 9, and
I could see even then with his earliest Image-inspired work, that
he’d really catch on at some point. I’m really happy he’s gotten his
chance to shine lately with Immortal Hulk. I was also glad to get a
chance to work over one of my comic artist heroes, Mike Gustovich.
I’d been a fan of his well before my freelance years, from his days
on Justice Machine.
Do you recall working on anything 2099 that was not published?
Chris: Nothing, really—though I did practice my digital
coloring on several of the initial Hulk 2099 character designs that
Dwayne Turner had done, and they never got any further than the
laptop I was using at the time.
What do you recall about the cancellation of Hulk 2099? What did
you think about how the series ended?
Of course I was disappointed, but that time in the early to mid 90’s
was a really frenetic, crazy period of record growth so, for many
freelancers like myself, there was hardly enough time to think about
the loss from one project ending because several more were offered
to you to replace them. As I recall, I ended up working on several
projects at both Marvel and DC Comics right after my time on Hulk
2099.
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