An Exclusive Interview With 'Supergirl' Artist Jamal Igle
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 12:46AM 
This image is from the cover of Jamal Igle's sketchbook, "Omelettes and Broken Eggs," available for purchase at http://tinyurl.com/JamalYIgle.Among the recent changes to the Superman comic books has been a return to a tighter continuity between the different series.
Included was the reappearance of the numbered shield system, making it easier to read "Superman," "Action Comics," "Superman: World of New Krypton" and "Supergirl" in the proper order.
The numbering system has turned "Supergirl" into a
must-buy book each month for those who collect the "Super" books. However, there is another reason "Supergirl" has become a monthly must for comic book readers: the art of Jamal Igle.
Since taking over the monthly drawing duties as of issue No. 34, Igle has earned plaudits for his work on the book.
He has been praised for bringing a "real world" look to "Supergirl."
"I think, more than anything else, what I'm proudest of is the look I brought to the book," Igle said in a recent phone interview. "I think I'm bringing a grounded feel to the book."
He is particularly proud of the backgrounds of his pages.
"Whenever I draw a book, you'll see that almost every panel has a fully realized background," Igle noted. "I think that's the European influence from when I worked for Les Humanoïdes Associés from 2003 to 2005."
As for the book's title character, Igle said while he doesn't use a live model, he does keep a certain actress in mind.
"I base her a little on Elisha Cuthbert," he said. "But I tend to try not to do photo tracing."
Igle said he also bases his version of the Man of Steel on an actor.
"Superman is my approximation of Christopher Reeve," he said. "When I got on the book, I was trying to get things in line with what Gary Frank was doing on 'Action [Comics].' Gary and Pete Woods and Renato Guedes have been using a thin-line drawing style, so I wanted to not mimic what they were doing, but to get in line with what they were doing, so that the books had a uniformed look."
And while Superman and Supergirl headline the "Super" books, neither character came up when Igle answered who he has the most fun drawing.
So far, the most fun character is a toss-up between Cat Grant and Reactron," he said. "Cat Grant is such a bitch, but she is a great character to draw. She's so over the top. I like finding the slinkiest outfits to put her in."
To draw Cat Grant, a reporter at the Daily Planet, Igle said he thinks of "Sex and the City" actress Kim Cattrall.
"But I try not to be too blatant about it, because you can get in a rut," he said. "I just try to draw my interpretation of the person I have in mind. I don't want to get stuck always needing a photo reference for that character."
Igle said his other favorite, the radioactive villain Reactron, has turned into a surprisingly fun character to draw.
"With a character like Reactron, he's kind of sleazy. He's the kind of guy who's in the back of the bar and he just checked out the owner's daughter, who is 14 [years old]," Igle noted. "Reactron never got the notoriety of the other characters, so there is a little bit that we can play with. He's trying to make his name as a supervillain."
When asked which character he would be happy to never draw again, Igle immediately chose "the entire G.I. Joe team."
"I did two issues and I realized I never want to do G.I. Joe again," he said. "I left G.I. Joe behind a long time ago, when I was a kid."
A CAREER IN COMICS
In addition to "Supergirl," Igle has penciled books such as "Firestorm," "Nightwing," "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass," "New Warriors," "Iron Fist/Wolverine," "Race Against Time," "Venture" and fill-in issues of titles such as "Green Lantern" and "Martian Manhunter."
During his career, Igle has worked with "a lot of writers," but there still are a few writers with whom he hopes to collaborate in the future. Those writers include Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Rick Remender, Andy Diggle, Andy Lanning, Dan Abnett, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray.
"I'm trying to think of more people I haven't worked with," he said, "but I have been doing this so long that I have worked with so many guys."
As for his current collaborator, "Supergirl" writer Sterling Gates, Igle said the two make a great team.
"I'm having a great time working with Sterling," he said. "He's going to be the next big name as far as writers go."
And in regards to writing his own books, Igle said he currently is too busy drawing.
"I used to do more writing, but as I have gotten more prolific as an artist, I have been writing less," he said. "But, I do have some ideas on things I'd like to do when I get the time."
GETTING THE WORK DONE
As a comic book artist, Igle said, the best part of the job is when he finishes penciling an issue.
"That's the pure part of it -- that feeling that I have accomplished something," he said. "The worst part, though, is always the first page of each issue. I always get a little anxiety before I start because I want to do a good job. The first page you do sets the tone for the whole issue."
Igle said he typically draws each issue in order, starting from the top.
"Most of the time, I work linearly, from Page 1 to Page 22," he said. "But my one rule is that I don't go for the splash page first, because I feel like those are my little treats. I do the story-telling first, and then I do the splash pages."
But the most important thing, Igle said, is making sure the work gets done on time.
"I haven't missed a deadline in 10 years. It's something I've worked very hard to maintain," he said. "As a reader, it's a pet peeve of mine when books are late."
Igle said he also feels a sense of responsibility toward those who will work on the book after him, such as inkers and colorists.
"As a penciler, I keep in mind that there are people who are waiting to work after me," he said. "If I don't get done on time, they can't work. If they can't work, they can't get paid."
STAYING IN TOUCH
Despite his busy schedule, Igle makes sure to take the time to interact with his fellow comic book fans.
The artist, who often can be seen chatting on message boards under his own name, said he posts for a combination of his own entertainment and as a way to promote himself.
"It's in the middle," Igle said. "And it's a distraction, but not always a healthy one. But I can only draw for so long."
And while he has fun interacting with readers, Igle noted he does make an effort to watch what he writes.
"It's easy to check the boards and make a few snide marks here and there," Igle said. "But I also bite my tongue a lot, because I don't want to alienate anyone. If you treat people with respect, you get that paid back to you."
Igle said he enjoys receiving feedback from readers -- "both positive and constructive."
"And a lot of the responses have been really, really good," he said.
Kevin Mellon, the artist on "Gearhead" and the upcoming books "Cupid" and "Suicide Sisters," said Igle deserves the praise he gets.
"Jamal is a consummate professional in every aspect of his life and work. From first meeting him in 1999-2000 until now, he remains as affable and kind-hearted as ever and it's hard not to catch his contagious excitement about comics in general and the books he's working on," Mellon said. "He has a keen eye for the human condition and is able to bring to life on the comic book page scenes of pure joy in one panel, and convey utter desperation in the next. His story-telling is always crystal clear and his portrayal of the super-hero ideal is one of the truest examples of modern myth-making in comics. While so much time is spent making everything grim and gritty these days, Jamal delights in making them fun. And it shows."
Mellon said Igle is the perfect artist for the Superman books.
"We all aspire to be something better, and in my mind, that's what Superman represents," Mellon said. "Superman, at his best, is a comment on the greatest and worst of the human condition through the eyes of an alien and immigrant. What Jamal does so well with Supergirl, Superman and the whole cast of characters in that colorful world is to play the elements of human and alien against each other visually in a way that is harmonious and fun. You have a ball reading something Jamal draws, because Jamal has fun making it, and there's no better fit for Jamal's unbridled enthusiasm than in the pantheon of modern Greek gods, the Superman family."
A SUPERMAN FAN
The matchup of Igle and the Superman characters is not a coincidence. Igle is a fan of the characters, both in the books and on the screen.
In fact, one of Igle's favorite topics on the message boards is the 2006 movie "Superman Returns."
"I liked 'Superman Returns.' I liked it a lot," he said. "I saw it three times in one weekend and I never see a movie three times in the theater. I think it's really well made."
It is a movie that Igle feels has been under-appreciated.
"I think Bryan Singer has gotten a bad rap," he said. "I've seen a lot of people misinterpret things that happened in the movie."
Igle also said he thought Brandon Routh did a good job as Superman.
"I would love to see the footage they cut out," he said. "I think that would have really cemented him in the role. I think that if they do a sequel and Brandon Routh is involved, I would love to see him take the role and really make it his own."
And the fact that Routh has bulked up a lot since the first movie is not something that has escaped Igle's attention.
"He was big in 'Superman Returns,' but, yeah, he's even bigger now. I think he might just know something we don't," he said. "I think they should just do a straight-up sequel."
As for the idea that Hollywood should involve more comic book creators when making superhero movies, Igle agrees -- to an extent.
"I think it would help a little. But, then again, I don't think that every character needs to be turned into a movie," he said. "People come up to me asking what a Nightwing movie would be like. I mean, what story could you tell with Nightwing that you couldn't just tell with Batman?"
On the flip side, however, there is one comic book series Igle would love see come to life.
"I would love to see them do 'Sandman Mystery Theatre,'" he said. "I think that would make a great series."
Asked which current books make the top of his reading list, Igle cited "Ultimate Spider-Man," "Green Lantern," "Fables," "Detective Comics," "Echo" and "Daredevil."
For me, a book has to have a good mesh of writing and art," he said. "It's not one over the other."
THE FUTURE
Igle, who has been working for DC Comics for almost five years now, said he isn't sure what book he would like to work on next.
"I honestly have no idea. Something challenging, though," he said. "'Supergirl' gave me the opportunity to draw multiple female characters. 'Firestorm' was the challenge of a monthly series. 'Nightwing' was because I had loved the book from the beginning and I always wanted to work on it."
In the foreseeable future, however, Igle sees himself staying on "Supergirl."
"My current contract is up at the end of the year, so we'll see what happens," he said. "But I'll do it for as long as I am happy."
***
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Reader Comments (10)
Great interview. I don't read comics anymore but I found the article very interesting. I enjoyed the comments on the Superman character and also Superman Returns. I completely agree many people just simply did not understand what the movie was showing. I too hope there is a direct sequel with Brandon Routh back as Superman/Clark Kent.
Nice interview. I really liked it.
This a cool site, too. I've never heard of it before, but I will be bookmarking it.
Great interview Sean!
awesome interview
Great story. It really makes me want to pick up this comic. I never read anything like this before where you really get to hear from the artist of a comic. I hope this is the beginning of more stories like this in the future!
Kat
Great interview. I've really come to enjoy Supergirl over the last several months. This is in no small part due to the art of Jamal Igle. No slight to the writer of course. Igle's art is very beautiful and natural looking. He gives Supergirl a fun, fresh look without making her look slutty. Very comendable!
Excellent interview. What a nice and down to earth Mr. Igle is. Wow, his art in Supergirl is so good! And it's great to hear that he liked Superman Returns so much. As a big fan of the film myself, I've got to agree with him.
Awesome interview Sean! I'm not really a fan of the Supergirl character, but this interview makes me want to check out the title! I'm more of a Superman film & animation fan. And it's good to hear more professionals are fans of SR/'Routhians' also!
I'm looking forward to more interviews & scoops on this site and on TMT.com! Keep up the SUPER work!
-Dan
Wow Sean that was really good. I'm really flattered, that's probably one of the best interviews I've read. I feel a little silly praising it, not because it's so well written, it's just... well it's about me. It seems a little self serving to like an interview about yourself but you did a great job, thank you.
Great mix of quotes and narrative, and very interesting questions and answers. I wish the interviews in Wizard were this good. I hope to see you guys do more interviews.