The Power of Storytelling
Turned Me On

Dean Haspiel

by Karon Flage karon@sequentialtart.com

Dean Haspiel is one of my favorites. He has assisted industry greats like Bill Sienkiewicz, Howard Chaykin and Walter Simonson, illustrated stories for Harvey Pekar and created his own "last romantic anti-hero" with his Billy Dogma character. I flip to his stories first in anthologies and hunt for issues of Keyhole in back issue bins. Jane Legit, the main female character of his Billy Dogma comics is one of the most believable and fun female characters in comics. Plus his cover art for our December issues rocks!

Sequential Tart: What was the first comic you read?

Dean Haspiel: The first comic book I remember reading (and having any kind of resonating impact) was Shazam #1, published by DC Comics. It was a relaunch of C.C. Beck’s Captain Marvel character, as re-written by Dennis O’Neil and re-drawn by C.C. Beck. The fact that a young boy reporter could shout a magic word and a flash of lightening could transform him into a superhero, blew my mind. I remember picking up a sci-fi series drawn by Howard Chaykin, called Star Wars—I couldn’t wait to see the movie! The first comic book series that I started following on a regular basis was Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four. I really dug the family aspect of the comic and the conflicts between friends, lovers, and enemies. It wasn’t until later that I read Chester Brown’s Yummy Fur, and Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor, that I discovered that comix could exist outside of the superhero genre.

ST: What made you want to work in comics?

DH: What made me want to work in comix was the basic narrative tools and devices that a cartoonist employs in drawing comix, and the very fact that you could run the whole show by yourself without having to answer to a higher authority (besides the publisher and the reader). Although, I did enjoy talking shoppe, reading, and drawing comix with old school buddies (Mike, Eric, Sean, Delmo, Phil, Todd, and Josh Neufeld), making comix has become a very personal process for me.

ST: What did you do to break into comics?

DH: The way I first broke into comics was by accident when I befriended a high school classmate named Larry O’Neil, whose father happened to be mainstream comics writer/editor Denny O’Neil. Denny knew everybody in the industry, and would know when an artist needed an assistant. I wound up getting an assistant job with Bill Sienkiewicz, who was working on New Mutants, and Elektra: Assassin. Bill shared a studio with Denys Cowan, and Michael Davis. Down the hall was, the now notorious, Upstart Studios. In its heyday, Upstart housed the talents of Howard Chaykin, Walter Simonson, James Sherman, Frank Miller, Jim Starlin, and I’m sure a few others. Larry had gotten a gig assisting Chaykin, and Howard needed a second assistant. So, I quit working with Sienkiewicz, and took the gig with Chaykin, drawing backgrounds for American Flagg!. I got chummy with Simonson, and occasionally assisted him on Thor. Anyway, I learned more about the mechanics of making comix and thinking about the different approaches to storytelling, then I would ever learn at Music & Art high school (in my senior year, M&A merged with Performing Arts and became La Guardia). During my tenure as an assistant, I co-created The Verdict with writer Martin Powell, and it was published by Brian Marshall at Eternity Comics. This would launch my professional comix career.

ST: Who was the most important teacher you’ve had in your career as an artist/writer?

DH: The two most important teachers that influenced my craft are cartoonist Howard Chaykin, and film theorist Tom Gunning. Chaykin’s storytelling techniques and timing still affects my drawing tools to this day. Gunning was one of my film teachers at SUNY Purchase, and his study of film editing and montage tropes opened up my mind to the dramatic possibilities of visual narrative.

ST: What influences have shaped your work?

DH: I am constantly absorbing my cultural environment, so it’s hard to answer what my influences are. But, if I had to take a quick guess, my list would be broken down into four sections:

Cartoonists/comic book writers:
Jack Kirby, C.C. Beck, Bob Montana, Howard Chaykin, Walter Simonson, Johnny Craig, Chester Gould, Dick Sprang, Bill Watterson, Basil Wolverton, Jack Cole, Harvey Kurtzman, Chester Brown, Baru, Alex Toth, Frank Miller, Roy Crane, David Mazzucchelli, Mike Mignola, Dan Clowes, Alan Moore, Stan Lee, Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Grant Morrison, and Peter Milligan.

Fiction/Play Writers:
Raymond Carver, William Goldman, Charles Bukowski, James Ellroy, Richard Price, David Mamet, Harold Pinter, Joe R. Lansdale, Judy Blume, Jim Thompson, Mickey Spillane, and Piers Anthony.

Filmmakers:
Martin Scorsese, The Coen Brothers, Sergio Leone, Alex Cox, Stanley Kubrick, John Woo, Alan Arkin, Sam Peckinpah, Orson Welles, Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson, Todd Solondz, and Neil LaBute.

Musicians:
Prince, Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix, Public Enemy, Run-DMC, Dinah Washington, Johnny Hartman, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Jimmy Cliff, Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Al Green, Ben Webster, Marvin Gaye, Gregory Isaacs, Eric. B & Rakim, Nirvana, Led Zepplin, and Wu Tang Clan.

ST: What was your first exposure to art?

DH: I don’t know what my first exposure to "art" was. I lived near the Museum of Natural History, and used to play tag with my school buddies (we called ourselves the "spy club"). I was exposed to a lot of the nature exhibits, and the backgrounds of the displays were painted environments. I remember looking passed the models and foliage and staring at the distant huts and mountains. Wondering "how did they do that?" I could see the paint brush marks and it fascinated me. I may have gone to a few art museums, but I was never impressed by anything I saw until I read comix. The power of storytelling turned me on. I guess that’s why I like movies so much. Even though movies and comix are very different narrative animals, they share some basic narrative theories. I remember drawing battleships and clowns when I was a child. I remember how important it was for me to play with my dolls (Action Jackson, GI Joe, Star Trek, The Adventure People, The Six Million Dollar Man, Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, etc.) and create physical environments/adventures with my brother Michael. We would play for hours. Later on, I would learn to love the work of Picasso and Edward Hopper. What this has to do with Boba Fett kicking Cornelius’s ass, much less my first encounter with "art," I’ll never know.

ST: Do you think that there are certain kinds of stories which are better told in one medium than in another?

DH: Each medium carries its own set of narrative tools and it depends on the storyteller to make an idea/story work within the medium chosen. It is the onus of the craftsman to make an idea/story succeed or fail, not the medium.

ST: What does the comics medium offer you that other media does not?

DH: Comix are the equal marriage of text and image, whether it is equally drawn and written depends on the needs of the subtext.

ST: How do you create a comic page? IE layouts, sketching, etc.

DH: The way I often create a comix page is to write the full script first, and then break it down visually on notebook paper. I block the action and the text of the visual narrative until I get the direction that works best. I then transfer the layout ideas onto 2-ply bristol board and pencil the images in non-repro-blue. I then letter all the text and make whatever adjustments that need be. Finally I ink the images (mostly with a brush). I then erase the entire page and fill in the larger black areas. Voila! A finished page.

ST: What appeals to you about the visual aspects of comic books?

DH: The thing that appeals to me most about the visual aspects of comix is the static images. The comix page represents a visual puzzle and as the storyteller, it is your job to guide the readers eye and make a narrative impact. The constant struggle to design a successful story with truncated images and iconography is a perpetual challenge.

ST: What are your goals in the comics field?

DH: My goals in the comix field are to become a successful auteur and make a living telling stories. If I am able to bring new readers to the medium and maybe even raise the respect level a notch, then I will die a happier man. Otherwise, I am just creating a testament of life with my comix.

ST: What projects do you have coming up in the near future?

DH: I just finished a 12-page Billy Dogma story called "The Y2-401-Special-K Problem" for the x-mas release of Top Shelf Under the Big Top (Top Shelf). I’m currently drawing a 5-page "Kung Fu" story for DC Comics’ The Big Book of the 70s, and I’m also drawing a Harvey Pekar story for American Splendor (Dark Horse Comics). Then, I’m supposed to write & draw a 5-page story for Eric Reynolds’ Dirty Stories #2 (Fantagraphics). After that, my plate will be clean and I’m going to work on a 100-page Billy Dogma graphic novel called Boy In My Pocket (Top Shelf) to debut at SPX (The Expo) 2000. I have other projects in development.

ST: Will we see a collection of the Keyhole issues from you and Josh Neufeld? Any new Keyhole issues on the horizon?

DH: I plan to have a Keyhole collection sometime in the next year or so. I’m waiting to fatten up the book with more semi-auto-bio stories that I have in development. Josh Neufeld is planning a collection of his travel adventure stories. Josh and I want to relaunch Keyhole, and we’re looking for an indy publisher that aggressively markets the pamphlet format.

ST: How do you describe Billy Dogma to someone that has never seen the title?

DH: It’s very difficult to describe Billy Dogma. The concept has been labeled "the last romantic anti-hero," which is fairly accurate, but I truly see it as a hyper-kinetic romance comic with socio-psychedelic overtones. There is a lot of social commentary and relationship melodrama in every story. Billy Dogma is not an easy read, and I make you work at it. Billy Dogma is my "umbrella" character to tell any kind of story that I want. Not to say that the series is a random hodge-podge of ideas, I have a definitive direction for the characters. I have the most fun with my Billy Dogma stories than anything I else that I create.

ST: What is the major theme you’re trying to explore?

DH: The themes I’m exploring with the Billy Dogma experience is the art of romance between two, inherently different people and their struggle to survive within a difficult community that they have no power in controlling.

ST: What was the inspiration behind Billy Dogma?

DH: I created an existential motorcycle "hero" called Tommy Rocket for my college newspaper (at SUNY Purchase). With Tommy Rocket (and with some help from my writer/buddy Chris Cliadakis), I was able to flex some of my feelings about society and relationships. But, because I employed a narrative device that resulted in the same exact outcome (inspired by Road Runner and the Coyote), I found that I needed a bigger playing field. So, I created a "cousin" for Tommy Rocket when I decided to write Billy Dogma. Billy Dogma also came from a screenplay that I had written called "Once and for all." I took scenes from that defunct screenplay and turned them into small comix strips. But, when all is said and done, Billy Dogma is a pumped up version of myself, thrown into an array of impossible conflicts. It’s always a struggle to get Billy/myself out of these situations and I have a blast trying to figure it out.

ST: What do you say when people at parties ask you what you do for a living?

DH: At parties, I tell people that don’t know me that I am a cartoonist who writes & draws independent comix. Most people have a general idea of what indy comix are via the popularity of a few graphic novels, so I don’t delve any deeper unless they want a further explanation of what it is I do.

ST: Do you do other artistic endeavors outside of the comic book industry?

DH: I am currently a part-time website designer and freelance illustrator. I seek work with magazines and have created a few business logo’s. I have been hired by DC Comics to illustrate a few things, and I am going to take a more aggressive approach with mainstream work in the near future, so that I can make a living in the comix industry while telling my stories, too! The www.thecomicstore.com runs a weekly installment of Billy Dogma, which is a great deal.

ST: Do you get creative blocks? What do you do to get past them?

DH: I get creative blocks all the time. What I usually do to get past them is to read books & comix, watch movies and tv, and listen to music. I like to digest other artist's work and get influenced. Sometimes, I hang out with friends for a week to get away from the art table and computer. When I have a severe deadline and I’m blocked, I punish myself by mopping the floors or washing the dishes until I have the impetus to draw & write.

ST: One of the things I like about your work are your wonderful female characters. When you look at female characters in comics today, what is your impression?

DH: Most of the female characters written in mainstream comix today are (like most of the men written in mainstream comix today...) serviceable towards the plot of the story. Unfortunately, a lot of the female characters in today's mainstream comix are tougher then they have to be and come off as tad bitchy. If they’re not bitchy, then they’re overtly tragic. Why is that? I like how the Los Bros. Hernandez handle their female characters. I loved that two-part Grendel story (Devil’s Child) that Diana Schutz wrote. It was harrowing. I like the observations that Jessica Abel makes in her Artbabe series. Jason Lutes writes very believable and warm female characters. Garth Ennis writes kick-ass female characters that are well-rounded. I like how Peter Milligan handles female characterization. Bob Fingerman knows how to write the women! Debbie Dreschler writes deep, introspective stories about female childhood. The list could go on. I guess I would look towards the indy press for more diverse and realistic female characterization.

ST: How would you go about increasing the number of women who read comic books?

DH: I would draw a comic book about shoes. No, I’m kidding. Since I approach my work with everyone in mind (adults rather than children), I don’t think I would do anything different when it comes to increasing the number of women who read comix. A lot of women are hip to the indy comix scene, and are involved in making comix happen—I wouldn’t know what to do except to endorse good comix. I’m clueless when it comes to the marketing/business aspect of the industry, so maybe a savvy publisher with some experience may be better suited to answer this question. As far as I’m concerned, my work is primed and available to both genders equally.

ST: What sort of work/projects would you ideally like to be involved with?

DH: There are a few DC and Marvel characters that I would like to take a short crack at. I’d love to do a Fantastic Four story with Dr. Doom and Galactus. I love Tony Stark: Iron Man! A team-up with Shazam and Plastic Man would be neat. I have a dark World’s Finest idea for Superman and Batman. I dig the golden and silver age of superhero comix, so, some of my dreams lie within those arenas. I’d like to collaborate with Ed Brubaker, James Sturm, and a bunch of other writer/cartoonists. Nowadays I get together with some of my closer comix pals: Bob Fingerman, Jason Little, Nick Bertozzi, Sam Henderson, and a bunch of others, and we get to jam on ridiculous things once in awhile. I’m always meeting new cartoonists; Olivia Schanzer, who did the Xeric Award winning Fragile Honeymoon, is a very interesting cartoonist. John Kerschbaum, who does The Wiggly Reader is a fascinating humourist. I wish I had the visual vocabulary that Gregory (Hummingbird) Benton flexes. That guy kills me.

ST: If there is one thing about the industry that you could change, what would it be?

DH: If there was once thing about the industry that I could change, it would be the ugly stigma in America that comic books are only superhero fare for 12-year old boys. I’m lucky to be signed on by a few indy publishers that ignore the grip that the direct market holds, and instead, are aggressively publishing alternative stories of varying genres, and getting distributed outside of the comic book shoppe, so as to expand the collective conscience in the book store/coffee shoppe chains. And since, I play on both sides of the fence with my semi-auto-bio stories (Keyhole, Non, Minimum Wage, Top Shelf, etc.) and my "last romantic anti-hero"/mainstream freelance work (Billy Dogma/DC comix/etc.), I hope to make a small dent with my work and help change the way that the general public thinks about the comix form.

ST: Have you always wanted to be in comics? If not, what had you wanted to do?

DH: Since I was twelve, I decided I was going to be a cartoonist. I’ve dabbled in the film industry and hated the politics and networking. I’d still like to make a movie, but that is a huge undertaking that I’m not quite sure I have the stamina for. If I hadn’t crippled my legs 11-years ago, I may have become a fireman or a paramedic. I got bit by the adventure bug and it comes out on a Friday night after a few shots of Jim Beam. This may seem like a boring declaration, but my ultimate goal is to become a great husband and father who dances with his wife, plays with his kids, and makes good comix for a living.

ST: What is your favorite experience in the comic industry?

DH: I’d have to say that the 72-hour hug that I embrace every year at SPX (the Expo), is by far the most gratifying experience I can get in comix. It’s not about competition, it’s not about money, it’s all about slapping each other a high-five while taking a break from the art table to share a few laughs and tears with your peers. You get to meet folks who actually "read" comix and as a cartoonist, you get to be a fan yourself. I look forward to it every year.

ST: What do you like most about comics?

DH: The best thing that I like about comix is the fact that it’s still a young, untapped art form and that you can create narrative gems for a small, financial risk. Plus, you can read comix anywhere you want!

ST: What do you like least about comics?

DH: The thing I like least about comix is that it’s stuck in an old, cliched niche of being quick & easy entertainment. Yes, it can be that and often it is, but it disappoints me when comix are, in general, taken for granted.

ST: What are you currently reading and why?

DH: Most of the comix I’m reading today are being published by the independent press. Almost anything and everything published by Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, Top Shelf, Highwater, Westhampton House, Slab-O-Concrete, Fort Thunder, and Red Ink Press. I love what the Xeric Grant often yields. I pick up some books from Dark Horse—especially the new creator-owned driven Maverick line. Slave Labor is heading into interesting directions. I dug the latest issue of Dork. Paradox Press publishes some important stuff (Gon is incredible). I still pick and choose from the Vertigo line up (Preacher is a great soap opera, Paul Pope is kicking butt with Heavy Liquid, and Axel Alonso edits nifty anthologies). I buy the occasional superhero comic book from DC and Marvel. Looking forward to Walter Simonson’s take on Orion, next year. I’m still a huge anthology buff, so I’m always looking out for that kind of thing. If I can afford it and I don’t mind staring at French text, I’ll pick up an issue of L’association’s Lapin, or anything else they publish. Also, the same goes for the folks at Amok. Shannon Wheeler’s Too Much Coffee Man is better than it has to be. My favorite stuff is the mini-comix I find at SPX and APE. It’s like finding a diamond in the rough when something excellent comes along. I just picked up Emily Ryan Lerner’s Nice Catch #2, which is neat. I recently discovered Lauren Weinstein's wonderful work online at www.word.com. Her series "Robot Quest For Love" is out of sight and makes me think.

ST: What effect do you think the Internet has on the comic industry?

DH: The internet serves as an immediate and visual "yellow pages" for hyping the comix form. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to "reading" comix online (especially with where animation will go in the future online), so I don’t think that the internet will harm the comic book experience. At best, the internet will tease the senses and make folks want to own these little paper tomes. Also, the internet serves as a great online press package, distribution system, and store for our industry and it can only help spread the gospel. I’ve done business and met great people over the internet. I’ve been corresponding over at comix@ [editor's note note - comix@ is an alternative comics mailing list] for over three years now.

ST: Do you see the Internet as another market for comics?

DH: Like television, the internet is a visual medium and it constantly begs for eye candy and optical stimulation. The internet serves as a great place for cartoonists to make money doing freelance work while developing and publishing personal projects. Now that there are fancy animated applications like Flash, the internet will be a lot of fun to translate certain comix properties into other mediums for fans to enjoy. The internet and the comix industry are slowly but surely scratching each other’s back.

ST: What is your favorite comic of all time?

DH: If I had to boil it down to what I got the most out of a comic book series, I’d have to pick the Stan Lee & Jack Kirby run of The Fantastic Four. The FF informed me so much as a child about relationships, dreams, and conflicts, that I owe a lot of what I do as an artist today to those very comix.

If you can't find Billy Dogma at your local comic store, it is available from the Top Shelf Productions website.   More information about the new Top Shelf antholgy, Top Shelf: Under the Big Top, is available in Features.

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