Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, dawn, dynamite, entertainment, Joseph Michael Linsner, vampirella

"I Think Both Ladies Are Strong Characters…" – Joseph Michael Linsner Talks Dawn / Vampirella

Published Mon, 22 Sep 2014 07:00:54 -0500

As we hit the third issue of Dawn / Vampirella from Dynamite Entertainment, Byron Brewer check in with series writer and artist Joseph Michael Linsner to talk about bring two iconic female characters together for the first time.

BYRON BREWER: So, we are halfway through this unique mini-series teaming your gal Dawn with Vampirella in Dawn's first-ever crossover. Has it been a fun ride?

JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER: You bet. After 25 years of drawing Dawn it's nice getting to draw her interacting with another intelligent, beautiful lady. It's been a nice challenge as well. In order to give them separate visual identities, I've had to get a better handle on Dawn's body language. You should be able to tell them apart just from simple stick figures, beyond all of the fine details that come later. This has all been great fun and it's keeping me on my toes.

BB: Like Jim Starlin and a few others, you are a one-man creative band here on this mini. Does that make creating comics easier or harder?

JML: When you have something particular in mind, writing and drawing the whole thing makes it easier. I've had some great collaborators (like Jeff Eckelberry) over the years, but nothing is worse than butting heads with a creative collaborator. In the end the work always suffers and it shows in the sales. The ideas fall in the middle and don't reach their potential. Doing the whole thing myself, writing, drawing, inking and creating color guides, is more work but ultimately more satisfying.

BB: Have you had any difficulties jibing the world of Vampirella with that of Dawn?

JML: Not at all. Dawn has the ability to dance between worlds — she can go to Heaven, Hell and beyond. Overlapping her mythos with Vampi's has been as easy as pie. I think both ladies are strong characters, which makes it easier. You can take them and stick them into any scenario and they'll write themselves out of it easily.

BB: Give us your impression of each character: differences, similarities, etc.

JML: Dawn is more reserved and calculating. She is a chess player who doesn't like to get her hands dirty. Vampirella is carnal, she craves her righteous blood. Actions first, consequences later. I never would have envisioned a Goddess and a Vampire matching up so well, but they do play nicely off of each other.

BB: Both characters are good "storytellers," and November's issue has two wonderful tales. Do you like this method of storytelling?

JML: I started off doing short stories in my first series, "Cry For Dawn". I love short stories — they give you the chance to introduce a concept, develop it and then wrap it up all in a few pages. An ongoing adventure is easy to do, like a soap opera, but a good short story is hard work. It needs to have some meat on it's bones as well as a good payoff in the end, otherwise it feels like a waste of time for everyone.

BB: Can you give us your impression of Masodik as a villain?

JML: He's greedy. Being a demon, greed comes naturally. Part of him can't believe that he's actually pulling this storyline off, kidnapping Dawn and Vampirella, but somehow he is. He has the full attention of two smart and beautiful women, and he's loving every second of it because he's convinced that he's going to get everything he wants in the end. Will he? We'll have to see.

BB: Does Joseph the Writer ever get frustrated at Joseph the Artist, or vice versa?

JML: Yes. I actually draw pretty fast, but not fast enough for Joe the Writer. I've got 10 million story ideas! So many graphic novels I want to get in print, but drawing them properly takes so long. And Joe The Artist gets frustrated because comics are such hard work. You have to draw everything to flesh out a scene fully. Lame details are essential to create the reality of a setting — chairs, tables, light sockets, doorknobs. I hate drawing that stuff. Joe the Artist just wants to paint girls, that's the fun part. Luckily, Kristina Deak- Linsner is an artist as well, and an excellent Editor. She's been instrumental in helping the artist and the writer maintain balance and keep the series on track.