Terry Moore: On Echo, Marvel
Monday, March 17th, 2008
Writer/artist Terry Moore is on a very short list of successful, long-term self-publishers. Last year, Moore wrapped up Strangers in Paradise, after a 14-year run. This month, he launched a brand new series, Echo, a bimonthly ongoing series about (at its core) “Julie Martin, a photographer taking pictures in the desert [who]… finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.” As if that is not enough, he is also writing two series for Marvel, Runaways and Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane. The bulk of this email interview focuses on Echo, understandably.
Tim O’Shea: More than a decade and a half ago was that last time you started self-publishing a comic book. On this go-round (in albeit a vastly different market) what are you doing different to make the book a better product (both for retailers and readers)? What logistical challenges are you dodging on this round?
Terry Moore: I’ve found I can’t work faster or slower anymore. Whether it’s a con sketch or a cover for the comic, I only have one speed because every drawing now has to be good. I’ve lived with deadlines so long they no longer scare me, I’m more interested in the final product, so the book will always be the best I can make it. I think that showed in the last couple of years of SiP and it shows in Echo. That’s the best thing I can do for my retailer partners, is make the best book I can and then go out and promote the hell out of it.