Broken Frontier

When the time came to find a new penciller for “Skaar: Son of Hulk,” the first name that popped into my head was Ron Lim, whose legendary run on “Silver Surfer” made him the perfect candidate to tackle Skaar’s current confrontation with everyone’s favorite Herald of Galactus.  Ron was already drawing a monthly comic book at the time, which would take a mere mortal out of consideration. 

But Ron is one of those rare comic book superstars who can actually draw two books at once, and within a week, insanely gorgeous pages for “Skaar” #8 were winging their way to my email box.  Read on for my interview with Ron, check out the lettered preview pages, and be sure to pick up “Skaar” #8 on February 25 at your local comic book store!

Greg Pak: You're revered as one of the classic Silver Surfer artists.  How did you come to draw the Silver Surfer for the first time and at what point did you realize there might be something special going on there?

Ron Lim: I grew up reading the Fantastic Four, and way back then, I was a huge fan of the Surfer. I would read anything that he appeared in, even if it was just a little guest spot. A year or so after I did my first regular work at Marvel, on a book called “Psi-Force,” my editor told me that they were looking for a new artist on the Surfer series. I did a try-out for it and never in a million years thought I would get the assignment.

I was jazzed just to be able to try out for it! But then I got the call and the book was mine! Yikes! That was my first regular series with a major Marvel character, so I was a bit nervous, to say the least. But it went really smoothly and I was having a blast. I enjoyed my entire run on the book, but I felt that something special was happening when Jim Starlin came on as the writer, with Thanos in tow.

GP: What do you particularly love about drawing the Silver Surfer and other cosmic characters?

RL: I love science fiction, so the cosmic thing was right up my alley. I read a lot of sci fi novels growing up and I particularly enjoyed the space opera stuff. I dig ALL the cosmic characters, from Mar-Vell to the Inhumans to Star-Lord, and on and on.

For Surfer, in particular, I just love the simplicity of his design, and also how he carries himself. Also, the surfing sequences are always a blast. Oh, and I like to draw shiny objects.

       

GP: You're one of a tiny handful of great artists who are able to draw more than one monthly book at the same time.  To what do you attribute your incredible speed?

RL: I think it really just comes down to discipline. That is the hardest thing, especially if you work from home. Way too many distractions! But once I sit down, I know exactly how many pages I need to do to hit the deadline, and I make sure I keep working until the pages are finished. Plus, I still just love to draw, so if I have a great story to work on (like your “Skaar”!), I'm good to go.

GP: Ah, flattery.  You’ve discovered the true path to my heart. 

So what's your dream project?

RL: Man, I don't know. I don't think I have any one single dream project, but there are tons of stories I'd love to draw and people I'd love to work with.

GP: Okay, then how about telling us three characters you'd love to draw and three writers you'd love to work with?

RL: Sure! The three characters that I'd love to draw would be: Thor (who I've drawn before, but not as the main character), Iron Fist (a character I've dug forever!), and Namor the SAVAGE Sub-Mariner (who doesn't love the most arrogant guy in comics! And has wings on his feet!).

As for writers, these guys just happen to be currently writing these same characters, for the most part. J. Michael Straczynski, Ed Brubaker, and Duane Swierczynski (I'm totally digging his current Iron Fist run).

   

GP: Tell us a bit about your background and training as an artist.  What's the best thing you learned in school and the most important thing you've learned on the job?

RL: I got a BA in graphic arts at the California State University of Sacramento and that's where I was headed until I got my first break in comics. In school, I think the best thing I learned was to draw everything I could and not just focus on cartooning. Up until that point, I just drew comics and cartoon related stuff and didn't realize how important it would be to be able to draw everything else in the world.

On the job, I think the most important thing I learned was how to be professional when it comes to the work. Meeting my deadlines while still having a great time drawing.

GP: Can you name three individual comic book issues that you've drawn that you're particularly proud of and why?

RL: This is a hard one.

One would be “Thanos Quest” #1. This was one of my favorite projects and it featured one of my favorite villains, Thanos, doing what he does best. It was a crazy trippy story and it let me cut loose and draw some wild stuff. Jim's story rocked!

Next, “Infinity Gauntlet” #6. This was my first big cross-over, and it was a bit scary following George Perez. But I really loved working on the book and I thought this last issue was a fantastic ending to the series.

And finally, “Dragonlines” #1. This was the first book I co-created, with my good friend Peter Quinones. I have been obsessed the Monkey King since I was a little kid, so being able to play around with this legendary character and put our own little spin on it was a blast. Not many people know about this one!

   

GP: I’m totally going to have to dig up that “Dragonlines” series.  You had a fantastic image from that on your website -- when I saw that I knew you were going to rock the sword-wielding, fantasy elements of “Skaar.”

So as an artist, what do you most like to see in a comic book script?  Any particular format or style or way of writing that's particular helpful for you?

RL: I enjoy all types of scripts. I think that the story is the most important thing, so if the story is well told, I'm going to enjoy drawing it. As far as what I love to draw in a script, in particular, I LOVE me some cool action sequences. Nothing makes me a happy camper like a good old-fashioned super-hero beatdown. Although I must admit, I really dig drawing a good meaty dramatic sequence as well.

As for the style of writing, I appreciate both the plot style and the script style. As long as the script or plot leaves me enough room to play around with the visuals, I am happy.

GP: Any pet peeves or things you hate to see in a comic book script?

RL: Hmmm, the only thing that I would consider a little pet peeve is if a script is overly jammed packed with minute details and I am forced to use a twelve panel grid layout and it STILL doesn't fit, haha!

GP: You've been drawing comics professionally for two decades now.  Any thoughts about trends in the industry?  Things we're doing better or worse as a medium now than we were twenty years ago?

RL: I think storytelling today is a bit different from back then. Not necessarily better or worse, just different. Many books today seem geared for older readers and I think that that is a good thing, as it allows for more complex storylines. I just hope we don't forget the younger readers as we go.

GP: And any advice for folks regarding maintaining a long-term career in the business?

RL: I guess my advice would be to be as professional as you can in the business. Meet your deadlines and do the best work you can. And try to enjoy it, as I think it comes through in your work.

GP: That’s awesome -- as your first “Skaar” pages started rolling in, I kept calling up our fearless editor Mark Paniccia and telling him it looked like you were having a blast!

So I'm finishing up the script for "Skaar" #10 even as we speak.  What do you most hope I write for you to draw?

RL: Well, no spoilers, but I hope you continue right from the last shot of issue #9. Now THAT's a cliffhanger! You have me on the edge of my drawing seat. I can't wait to read it!

Thanks for reading -- we’ll be back soon with another thrilling installment of “Pak Talks Comics.”  Submit your questions for our Reader Q&A section here and see you next time!

© 2009 Greg Pak.  All rights reserved.  For more about Greg Pak’s comics and films, visit http://www.pakbuzz.com.