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It's Good To Be The President – Mike Perkins

'It's important to get out there and meet the fans' – Mike Perkins on his Presidency of Contern

By Olly MacNamee

With his artwork on Carnage hitting it out of the park and now the announcement of his presidency at next year's Contern International Comics' Festival Florida based UK artist, Mike Perkins, took time out of his holiday in Europe to speak about this honour and what it means.

Olly MacNamee: What an honour, Mike, to be given the presidency of next year's Contern Comics Festival. How did that come about?

Mike Perkins: It's a massive honour – especially when you consider I'll be the first, primarily, English speaking President in its 23 years of operation…and – due to the Brexit vote – the first non-European! I'd attended the festival 3/4 years ago through the auspices of Panini Germany (as they're the publisher of Marvel comics in Germany) and, I guess, they enjoyed my company, my open personality and my sparkling wit so much that they asked me to illustrate the poster for 2017 – thus making me the de-facto President for next year having been elevated to the post during the festival this year. I also think that they're looking to embrace the whole world of comics and inducting a president who has worked throughout the field enforces that outlook.

OM: You've certainly got some big shoes to fill, following on from Marcel Uredzo?

MP: Enormous shoes! The roll call of former presidents can look fairly intimidating. I try to concentrate on what I can bring to the festival through my own abilities.

OM: There are a lot of comic cons, but not many festivals. What makes Contern so special?

MP: As an artist I tend to see conventions from a business stand point. It's important to get out there and meet the fans, to provide sketches, sell artwork and prints and sign a few comics. To give to your fans a little bit of understanding of who you are as a person. In a way it's a self-promotion exercise. These are also considerations for the festival but it's also a promotion of community.  Contern is cut off from traffic for the weekend and the town itself becomes the festival. Stalls wind around the streets selling all sorts of comics and collectables as well as local product. There are kids activities, street performers and bands playing.  This year in the sports hall, where the artists have their tables, the brass band entered, plumes and all, and circled the hall playing the cantina tune from Star Wars. The Contern festival is a weekend for the whole family and you can see that reflected in the  attendance. The smiles speak for themselves.

OM: After all, you were a guest here this year? How as it for you?

MP: It can get incredibly busy and the set up is totally different from the American conventions. The way it's organized is that the convention itself buys books by it's guests. The attendee can buy those books and when they do they receive a ticket in order to get a sketch from the artist of that book. They bring this ticket to the artist and…voila…a quick sketch is produced. The artist is treated like royalty with travel, accomodation, meals and drinks provided throughout the weekend. A rather wonderful beer is specifically produced for that year's festival!

OM: The continent has always been more appreciative of comic book artists. Why do you think that is?

MP: Comics are primarily seen as an art form more openly on the continent and this is reflected in the diversity of genre. I truly believe that the American and British markets are making in roads into this, and in the last 10 years you can see this reflected in the diversity of attendees at the conventions, but there's still a long way to go.

OM: What will you hope to achieve in your presidency? Will you be building walls or bridges?

MP: Hah! I actually joked in my presidential acceptance speech that, depending on the outcome of the American presidential election, I may find myself living in Luxembourg rather than Tampa next year!

One of your roles as president is to invite 4-6 other guests. I'm using that opportunity to consider guests that will bring in a wider audience without disregarding the attendees who have supported the festival from the outset. Something for everyone….that's my self- imposed intention.

OM: And, while we've got you here to ourselves, what next for you? More Carnage, more Rowans Ruin?

MP: I'm on issue #12 of Carnage at the moment and enjoying every crazy, horrific, symbiote slithering, blood splattered moment of it. So, yes…more Carnage. I'd love to get back to more Rowans Ruin and any chance Mike Carey and I get to converge our insane schedules then we're always up for more collaborations together. Suitably, Rowans Ruin will be published in French just in time for next year's Contern Festival (July 15 &16th 2017). I'm sure President Perkins will be sketching in a lot of copies of those!

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