Talking with Tim

Andy Schmidt is a former Marvel Comics editor who I found consistently brought an engaging vibe to the books that bore his name. When I learned last year that he was going freelance (for a number of positive reasons, most importantly to care for his newborn child) , I was eager to see where his professional path went next. Soon enough, I found that path included tapping into his teaching and editorial skills in one spot, Comics Experience. As detailed at the website, Comics Experience is where “…you can learn to be be a comic book writer; be a comic book artist; self-publish your own comic book; [and/or] learn how to break into comics…”. The latest round of classes started last week (January 7). Schmidt and I discussed what’s coming up in the short-term as well as the long-term.

Tim O’Shea: At present, the main classes are Introduction to Comics Writing, Introduction to Comic Book Art, as well as advance versions of both classes. Based on response and interest, are there any other classes you might consider offering down the road?

Andy Schmidt: Oh, definitely, I’ve been talking about doing an inking class and a coloring class and even more recently a Manga class. The response to what I’m offering has been incredibly positive from students and creators alike. So, I’m hoping to grow this out a bit.

My hurdles with inking and coloring are more logistical than anything else. That and finding the right person to teach them who is both at the top of their craft and a great teacher, but I’ve got my eye on a a couple of talented people.

O’Shea: While I know there’s currently a round of classes already under way, can you give me a timeframe for when the next round of classes will be held?

Schmidt: We’re starting up the Introduction to Art and Introduction to Writing for Comics courses in the beginning of May–mark your calendars!

O’Shea: What’s your cutoff in terms of class size?

Schmidt: It’s different for each class. The writing course I can take a few more people than the art course, but I do keep them both pretty small, just to make sure each student is getting his or her money’s worth.

O’Shea: Who have you been able to garner as class lecturers in the immediate term?

Schmidt: Peter David and Walter Simonson just spoke. Marvel X-MEN editor Nick Lowe is coming in this week, I’ve got Klaus Janson, Sean Chen, and Fabian Nicieza lined up for a couple weeks from now and finally Dan Slott, Jae Lee, and Chris Sotomayor (Color Artist) are all lined up for the Advanced courses. They’re all a great bunch of guys and have been tremendous so far.

O’Shea: In terms of enrolling for the class, do interested students have to submit writing or art samples before applying?

Schmidt: Not at all. The Introduction classes are exactly that. They’re for anyone who is interested in comics. Not everyone who wants to take the class wants to make comics for a living, that’s part of the reason that I broke the courses into Intro and Advanced. Not everyone’s going to want to take the advanced class.

So, really, the Intro classes are designed for people with little or no experience all the way up to people who are currently working in the industry. I’ve had all kinds of creators and fans come into the class, and everyone seems to get their money’s worth.

O’Shea: I was curious if there are any examples (without using names or characters) of personal consulting jobs you’ve been able to do.

Schmidt: I just recently started the personal consulting, so that ball is just getting rolling. Right now, I’m helping a few independent creators figure out how to better market their characters and books and I’m helping a few younger artists and pencilers get out their and meet the right people. Breaking into comics is a slow process for most of us. It took me five years to get hired at Marvel, so results will vary.

O’Shea: During your time as an editor (given your previous experience as a teacher), did you ever find yourself in the situation of teaching an established writer of certain writing “no-nos” that he did not realize he or she was committing?

Schmidt: Certainly, but not usually because the writer had never heard of the “rule.” Every once in a while, we’re all going to slip up. Part of an editor’s job is to be there when you do and help you catch it. It’s extremely difficult to see flaws in your own work. Most people get too close to what they’ve done and can’t see the big picture. An editor can do exactly that. It’s a really great relationship to have with someone. But it’s also kind of intimate. When you create something, it’s usually personal to you in some way. So to have an editor knock it around without at least being polite, can be painful.

But many editors, myself included, do a lot of mentoring in the sense of guiding artists and writers on what needs improving and how to tell their story better. It’s very common.

O’Shea: As an editor, you were proud of your ability to help establish a successful title with a female lead (Ms. Marvel). You have no control over who signs up for your class, but I was curious, given that the comics field have more male than female storytellers–are you seeing more men or women signing up for the classes?

Schmidt: More men, for now. But I suspect that will begin to change. I’ve held classes where up to a quarter of the attendees have been women, but never more than that. But I’m hoping that will change. There’s no good reason that comics are dominated by male readers and creators. I think that’s begining to shift in the industry.

O’Shea: You were a Marvel editor, so I was surprised to see a (mostly in recent years) DC creator, Walter Simonson, be listed as a potential lecturer in your class. How did you get Walt on board?

Schmidt: Walt and I have been friends for several years. i think the only Marvel work he’s done in years was in a week he had between his DC Exclusive contracts in which he did a cover for me (Captain Marvel #7, I think it was). That cover led to many an email, some follow up phone calls as I would periodically beg him to do just a limited series for me, and finally we started meeting for lunches every now and again.

He is a perfect choice for these courses because he’s not only a phenomenal creator, but he’s also a teacher, having taught at the School for Visual Arts for several years. Beyond that, he’s just a great guy.

O’Shea: It seems that there are a slew of “how to” books on comic book storytelling, but you narrow down the books to read as being Will Eisner’s Comics & Sequential Art and Writing for Comics with Peter David. What made those two books rise above the rest in your mind?

Schmidt: Well, I’ll be adding more books to that list in the future including my own book on penciling for comics (that’s due out at the end of 2008), but I figured that no one does it better and teaches it as well as Eisner. Hands down, he’s the best. And the book communicates so well, that I doubt there will ever be another book on comics storytelling that is as easy to digest and as informative at the same time.

Peter’s book is on writing, which Eisner’s doesn’t cover in detail and is a bit out of date on in terms of how the industry operates. Peter also writes with a very digestible style and he covers everything. DC Comics did a series of books, one on writing, one on penciling and inking, and one on coloring and lettering. I haven’t read the last one, but the first two were both very good and more super hero oriented.

And honestly, if you want to pencil super hero comics, Marvel’s How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by John Buscema is probably STILL the best book on super hero comics.

O’Shea: Given the endorsements you have (from students) the class attracts folks from all walks of life. Can you give a sampling of the variety of folks that have enrolled–and are all of them hoping to break into the industry–or are some just taking the class to improve their storytelling skills with no other particular goals in mind per se?

Schmidt: Sure, the students vary quite a bit. For the writers class, I’ve had TV writers, producers, novelists, playwrights, musical theater writers and composers. Comic fans are everywhere. And some people just want to learn in my class and then take something they hadn’t thought about and apply it elsewhere, which is great, and others may want to make a career change later down the road and work only in comics.

I’ve seen the same thing in my art students. Not everyone who comes in is a huge comics fan, or maybe they love Manga but not American comics as much. The courses are flexible enough to accommodate all kinds of artists and writers.

It’s really fun to watch a class full of different kinds of people with very different perspectives start to come together for a common goal. It’s really fantastic to watch and be a part of.

O’Shea: If the writers strike continues for much longer, do you expect you might see more TV writers wanting to take your class?

Schmidt: It wouldn’t surprise me, but I’m not counting on it. I hope the strike is resolved soon. I’ve got a lot of friends who work in the TV and film business and this strike, while vital to their continued career, is really painful in the short-term. I hope they come to a mutually acceptable agreement soon so that my friends are working again.

*****
IDs for photos in this article:
Peter David
Walter Simonson
*****

Tags: art, comics, interviews, teaching, writing

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