of Utopia Comics Magazine (Italy)
January 1998
(Note: All questions were left in their original form)
Utopia Comics:
Hello Mike, I am Francesco Argento of Utopia Comics Magazine from Italy. These are the questions for the interview. (Excuse me for my english...)
What was your first and your last (...until now) professional work?
Michael Wm. Kaluta:
My very first published professional Comic Book work came out through Charlton Comics. I did three very short stories for them in 1969: Off the Beach, a romance (love) story; The Amazons of Reed’s Crossing (a western) and The Great Battles of History: Shiraz (a historical story).
My most recent Comic Book Work is the covers for the new mini-series called Witchcraft, from DC Comics (Le Terruer), summer of 1998, plus the on-going Books Of Magic covers for DC's Vertigo Imprint.
UC:
I remember your works for House of Secrets and House of the Mystery. What do you remember about that experience?
MWK:
The most palpable memory of those days drawing covers and stories for House of Mystery/Secrets was the “battle” that Berni Wrightson and I waged over who could do the better cover, around 1971-73. I think Berni won! During that time, we’d try to outdo each other drawing either a cover or interior title page for one or another of the Mystery comic books... it was fun, and amazing to see the new work we both turned out.
The other memory I have is of the day in 1970 when Carmine Infantino, then publisher of DC Comics, tracked me down at the DC Comics’ office. As he watched me draw, he asked if I would consider drawing covers for Batman and Detective Comics, and possibly covers for House of Mystery/Secrets and the Sinister House of Secret Love, Ghosts, Forbidden Tales and so on. I took him up on the offer and have never regretted it.
UC:
The Shadow. Your DC series is a cult for the collectors. Why, for you, the character does not has success now ? Maybe for the "no-blockbuster" recent movie ?
MWK:
I know for certain if the recent Shadow Movie HAD been a blockbuster, I’d be drawing a lot more Shadow Stuff today. The people who’ve always been intrigued by The Shadow still hold on to their enjoyment, ignoring the Shadow movie like the Doc Savage fans ignore the Doc Savage movie.
Yes... although I worked some on the Shadow Movie, and the Universal Studios art team used a lot of my comic work to define the look, the movie didn’t have a real Shadow flavor. I had told both the producer and the director the script was not good enough, that it centered on the villian. It was a Shiwan Khan story, not a Shadow Story... they listened and they ignored my comments, and the comments of many of the Big Fans of The Shadow... too bad.
With only a little concentration on the Shadow’s Character, there would have been two sequels by now! Someday someone else will take on the task of developing The Shadow for the Big Screen... let’s hope that those people have the insight to keep The Shadow as the mysterious force against evil he was in the Pulps, on radio, and in most of the comics.
To blow my own horn, if one reads the Comic Book adaptation that Joel Goss and I did of The Shadow Movie for Dark Horse, they’ll find the same story, but with The Shadow as the character he perhaps should have been in the movie.
UC:
The director Sam Raimi, some years ago, told us that his Darkman is the real movie about the Shadow. Are you agree ?
MWK:
I agree somewhat, tho I think Sam Raimi eventually concentrated a little too much on the UGH APPEAL of The Darkman’s tragic deformities, and his madness. I think Sam Raimi would have been one of the Best writer/directors to DO a Shadow Movie, as would Joel and Ethan Coen.
UC:
I have the Batman book with the guest appereance of the Shadow. Great Cover!
MWK:
Do you mean the cover with The Shadow, guns out, leaning over a railroad siding with the Batman reacting to his presence? That cover might be everyone’s all-around favorite. I get many requests to sign it. My one regret about that cover is I didn’t do too good a job drawing the correct kind of wheels on the rail cars. One must admit, whoever colored that cover gave it a lot of its appeal.
UC:
What do you think about the Batman? Do you like the actual rendition of the Dark Knight?
MWK:
I always enjoyed thinking about and drawing Batman, tho I did almost all my cover drawing in the years way before The Dark Knight years... let’s call them The Neal Adams’ Years. It was impossible to top Neal’s rendition, but it was SOOOOoooo much fun to try!
UC:
What heroe did you like to revamp?
MWK:
None, really. I always seemed to like the original characters best. Many of my friends in the American Comics business couldn’t WAIT to change a character from the old one they loved as a kid... I was happy to be able to re-evoke my original feelings of the old charcters and the mood of the stories as I remembered them.
UC:
You're the great illustrator. What are your preferred works of your career?
MWK:
In the Comic Book Area: it has to be Starstruck, Carson of Venus and The Shadow.
In the Poster area: Why He Doesn’t Sleep At Night, The Sentry, The Sacrifice and The Fate of Dollies Lost In Dreams.
In Illustrating: The Swords of Shahrazar by Robert E. Howard, and Metropolis by Thea Von Harbou.
UC:
Tell us about your actual and future project...
MWK:
These days I am painting the covers for DC Comics’ Vertigo title: Books of Magic. I’ve painted these covers since issue 26 with only two gaps. I plan to continue to paint these covers for as long as my editors will allow. Just now I have the cover for issue #50 on my drawing board.
As I type this, DC Comics has just released a poster announcing the second Witchcraft mini-series. The Poster is a triptych of images that will be cut into three covers. I’ve painted another poster for Books Of Magic, due out this summer.
In the realm of Illustrating, I am just starting to sketch out about 16 illustrations for a small, previously unpublished book by Edgar Rice Burroughs, called: Minidoka, 937th Earl of One Mile, Series M, an historical fairy tale. This book is to be released through Dark Horse Comics, and will have as a cover an Unpublished J.Allen St. John painting. I’m very excited by this project!!!
Also, if everything works out, there will be a CD ROM Adventure Game out for Christmas 1998 called: The Secret Of The Black Onyx... I am working on the characters, interiors, weapons, costumes and incidental furniture, waggons, barrels etc, designing all this material for my boss: Roger Dean (Cover Artist for the Recording Group Yes). Roger is handling the Over All Look of the project and has designed the buildings and landscapes. The Story, a sort of 10th Century Russian/Viking Fantasy, has been written by Elaine Lee, my partner from the Starstruck Comic book.
UC:
Do you read and/or collect comics ?
MWK:
I do read comics, but very few, as there is little time to do so. I’ve been a fan of Love and Rockets from the first, and now also read anything the Bros Hernandez publish. I ALWAYS read whatever Charles Vess is having published. I read The Books Of Magic to keep up with the writer <--- a little joke. And I read other comics as they are suggested to me or I find them by accident. I do read a LOT of Manga.
My Comics Collection includes work by Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Roy Krenkel, Berni Wrightson, Neal Adams, Barry Windsor-Smith and so on... I have a small collection of Planet Comics and a small collection of Plastic Man. I also have a small collection of Will Eisner’s Spirit sections, and, of course, many many european artists, such as Jean Giraud, Beb Deum, Ted Benoit, Calvo, Joost Swarte, Chaland, Daniel Torres and many more.
UC:
Many collectors are searchin for the 70's titles ("bronze age comics"). Do you think is just a speculative interest or that comics are better of the actual books...
MWK:
I really have no idea about the “market” for the comic books... I try to buy the stories I like... that keeps me very busy!!!
UC:
The 90's are the "Bad girls" years in the comics...What do you think about?
MWK:
There are SOME Bad Girl Comics I like, but they are mostly from the 1940’s, and the girls were “bad” only because they did what they wanted to, not what they were told to. Many of the modern comics with Hot Women in them, while some are drawn very well, don’t really appeal to me. As I mentioned above, I DO read The Bros Hernandez... their work never seems to demean the women as a symbol for ALL WOMEN. Their Characters are seperate individuals who live their lives as best they can.
I notice, going to some conventions, there are many comics with just hot pictures of naked, full-chested women in them... I have no Idea what these comics are about.
There are OTHER comics with women characters in them: Girl Talk, Action Girl, much of the Japanese Manga... these I buy and read.
UC:
Do you like tha manga style?
MWK:
Mostly, yes, but I will have to add, I like Otomo’s style, and that of Hayao Miyazaki much more than some, but over all, yes, I do. I’m a big fan of the work by Shirow and am ALWAYS looking at Adamo’s drawings and paintings.