WEBS & WONDER: MARK BAGLEY (Part 1)

By: JENNIFER M. CONTINO
Date: Monday, September 18, 2006
Source: Cinescape

With their work on Ultimate Spider-Man, which is nearing its 100th issue, Mark Bagley and Brian Michael Bendis are about to break the record for the creative team who have worked on the most consecutive issues of any given comicbook series. And to think, artist Mark Bagley had to be "forced" by his local comic shop to even enter the "Marvel Try Out Contest" years ago. Who would have believed when he drew that Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock story then that he'd become one of the most well-known Spider-Man artists in the industry! It's been a wild ride for Bagley and he sits down with Mania to spin a web about his life in and out of the comicbook industry.

Cinescape: We first met shortly after you entered the business full time. You told me you had won the Marvel Try Out Contest at the urging of your comics retailer for you to enter the competition. Who was that retailer and do you still keep in contact with him?

MARK BAGLEY: Sure! It was Cliff Biggers, the retailers who also does Comic Shop News. He's my friend who I've known for 25 years now. He's the one who said that I would hate myself if I didn't do it, and he gave me the book.

Cinescape: Were you intimidated about the thought of entering this competition? Is that why your retailer kind of had to force the book in your hand and say "do it!"?

BAGLEY: It wasn't intimidating, but I thought the Try Out Book was a gimmick. I was 27 and burnt out trying to get into comics. I had a pretty good job working at Lockheed at the time, doing technical illustrations. I was determined if I wasn't in the comic book business by 30 to give up.

At the time, Jim Shooter was in charge of Marvel. He was getting bad press then, and I thought the Try Out Book was gimmick to take money away from kids. Once I decided to do it though, I thought "ok, let's do it!" It was a pretty big challenge. The script I got to do the Try Out part was easy, but the script to finish was rough.

Cinescape: Do you remember what that story was about? Which characters it featured?

BAGLEY: It was a Spider-Man and Doc Ock story. The way the Try Out Book was set up was each section of the comic was there for a specific job in comics: colorist, letterer, inker, etc. It would begin then drop away with a part for you to complete. I got blank pages and a plot of Spider-Man versus Doc Ock. I think I redrew it entirely.

I sent it in, and out of 19,000, entrants I won first place. I think probably 15,000 entries were from twelve-year-olds, so I had an advantage. I went to New York and met all the editors, who proceeded to throw me out of their offices, because they didn't know I was coming. The last editor I met at Marvel told me, "I guess you'd like something to do?" And he gave me a fill in issue for a New Universe story.

From there for about a year, I did some freelance work at Marvel and worked part time at Lockheed.

Cinescape: It's funny how it all worked out. I just want to ask one more question about that small comic show - about something else that stuck out in my mind. The legendary Murphy Anderson was also a guest at the show, and I remember most of the younger "pros" were spending more time talking to him, and hearing what he had to say about the industry, than paying any attention to the "fans" who were trying to get signed books and autographs. Were you one of those guys who was awed by Anderson? What do you remember about that day?

BAGLEY: I talked to him for a little bit. I don't know if I was awed. I was never a huge Anderson fan. I was such a marvel guy growing up that Murphy Anderson didn't do it for me. It was more along the lines of Gil Kane and Jack Kirby. When I met Kirby I couldn't put two words together. I was like "uh, uh, uh Mr. K-k-k-irby." I was sort of like just dumbfounded.

But I do remember that I talked to Anderson. He was a nice guy. But so many of the Golden Agers are the nicest guys and truest professionals. He is definitely old school cool.

Cinescape: Do you have a chance to go to a lot of conventions now, and, when you're at shows, do you get a lot of wannabe pros or newer comic creators asking you a lot of questions about the business?

BAGLEY: I don't do many conventions anymore. I am way too busy, and life has intruded, and they are a lot of work. Conventions were easier back then. Now, for a guy doing a character who is really well known, it's a grind. You are sitting there all day long, and I always feel like I have to sketch or sign autographs, because I'm an artist. So I'm there just drawing or just signing all day long and I'm exhausted at the end of the day. So, I keep them down to the bare minimum now.

If there is some place I want to go, or my family wants to go, then I go. Don't get me wrong, I love meeting the fans and signing autographs, but it really is draining.

Cinescape: And there are some people who might be more of a drain than the typical fan ...

BAGLEY: Right, like if you get the tool who comes up to you with 50 books and wants to have you sign them all, and you tell him, "how about I sign just ten." Then he whines and moans that he lugged all the books over here for you to sign, and you tell him, "well, you probably need the exercise." But they still moan about carrying all of them all the way there, but I'm really thinking, "you probably rolled them all here on your cart." But you don't say things like that. And I've never told a fan he or she probably needs the exercise.

I'm just the opposite at comic conventions. You have to be the nicest guy possible - otherwise don't go, because you risk pissing off a fan, who liked you and your work, and now won't buy your books anymore and will trash you on the Internet. Actually even if you're nice to someone, they still could trash you on the Internet.

I've really only been to one comic con as a fan. I was in my early '20s and, by the end of the day, I was beat. I can't imagine standing in line that long to get an autograph or meet someone.

I was at a convention in Germany and the one thing Germans will do is drink beer and stand in line. They might not even know who the comic creator is, but if they see a big line, they join it. It's unbelievable. And, I'm part German, so I can talk like that.

Cinescape: So what are some of the questions you get asked by those looking to break into the industry or those with just a few toes in the door? Do you mind getting asked questions by other creators?

BAGLEY: I get a lot of guys who ask me for suggestions or tips, and I'm more than happy to give them what little benefit I can from my expertise. I do portfolio reviews, but I don't do it often enough, because so much of it comes from the inside. It's tough to explain how I do what I do sometimes, but I try to be as helpful as I can.

There are some guys in the business now, who I met five or six years ago when they were young and starting out. I think they all have good things to say about me, because I try not to be a dick to anyone - even if you see a portfolio that is really awful - you never say that!

Cinescape: Never?

BAGLEY: The only time I get a little short is if a person in the late '20s shows me a portfolio and has no clue about the actual page sizes or materials or perspective or anatomy or .... I get short with that, because this is a job and a profession. If you won't learn the bare minimum about the industry - about what kind of pencil or paper to use, then WHY are you doing this?

I see guys with 8 ½ by 11 paper, saying "this is my comic." It's wrong. He should go out and buy a book and invest a little time in learning the proper way to do this. He needs to invest some time, energy and practice into this.

Again, this is a job AND a profession.

I was talking to someone the other day, we were looking at the preview stuff for Rob Liefeld's upcoming Marvel Comics project and there were three pages with the Thing from the Fantastic Four on them. On one page he had a four-fingered hand. On the next he had five fingers. Now everyone is bound to make a mistake now and then, but to be that consistently careless aggravates the hell out of me.

Cinescape: I don't blame you. Speaking of aggravating, do you get tired of being asked the same questions by newer folks in the industry or those trying to break in? Do you get asked a variety of questions or is there any one topic people focus on?

BAGLEY: It's a pretty good variety. The things people want to know the most about are storytelling tips. A lot of people can draw, but the storytelling aspect is a whole different skill. There are people who can draw rings around me, but can't tell a visually engaging story to save their lives. I get a lot of questions about that.

From looking at a set of pages from an amateur or person just starting in the business, I key in on the drawing and tell them to practice the storytelling and to make good choices about what they are doing on the page. You have to think about what you're drawing. You have to think about how to make the drawing better and expand upon your basic drawing skills.

There are certain rules to drawing comics and, before you break them, you should learn what they are. There are certain things that make sense when reading from left to right or cropping or bringing in the camera angle or bringing the camera angle out of the page. Those aspects are what I try to focus on.

Another common question I seem to get asked is "Dude, how are you so fast?".

To which I usually answer, "I'm not fast. I work a lot and I'm disciplined." I spend hours at my desk. I love what I do most of the day - it's fun. But the last few hours at the desk is work. I worked on framing houses for a living. I know what it's like to sweat for a living. I cut my leg open with a saw once. I know what real work is like. This is fun.

Cinescape: So you did some carpentry?

BAGLEY: Yes! When I got out of art school, I supported my family by doing framing with houses. Right about the time that my back was in bad shape, because I walked off a few roofs by accident; I got my job at Lockheed. I think every kid should spend a summer in Georgia banging nails on a concrete slab to learn what it means to work. I think it's a good object lesson.

Cinescape: Were there any lessons you learned doing that job that helped you when "framing" a comic sequence?

BAGLEY: Not really. I mean it taught me how things are built so if I'm drawing a house, I know how it goes together. I know how the steps should look going up into a house or how an iron railing should set. But if I'm drawing anything I get the right reference material. If I were drawing a battleship, I would get reference materials on battleships to make sure I have a fundamental knowledge of how it looks and how it's put together.

The lessons that helped me the best in terms of making comicbooks weren't from building houses, but from the drafting and technical work I did at Lockheed drawing engines and electronic parts. It was the first time I used a drafting arm and the first time I had done that sort of work.

That's all for today. Part two of this interview will be posted on Friday so be sure to check back then and every day in between!

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Ultimate Spider-Man is in stores monthly. Bagley's only sticking to that until issue # 110. But, after 100 or so issues, anyone would want a change. You can learn more about his work at Marvel Comics on their official website: http://www.marvelcomics.com, and we'd love to know what series or Marvel character you'd like to see the artist tackle next.

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Jennifer M. Contino is a lifelong comic book fan who writes every weekday about the medium at THE PULSE.