Shrewsbury Comic Artist Mike Perkins, with his latest releases.

Shropshire Star

We chat to Shrewsbury Comic Artist Mike Perkins as he releases three recent projects including one for all the Batman fans out there.

Transcript

00:00So we're here in the bowels of Shrewsbury Market Hall, and Mike Perkins, hello sir.

00:06Hello, how are you?

00:07I'm good, thank you boss. So, if anyone doesn't know you, comic book artist.

00:12What do we call you, comic book artist, illustrator?

00:15Comic book artist, sequential illustrator.

00:17What's that? Say that again.

00:19Sequential illustrator.

00:20I can't spell that one.

00:23So you've been a busy man, just fill us in a little bit, when did you start doing your drawings?

00:28Oh man, I started when I was two years old, I wasn't getting paid for it.

00:34But it was, 94 was the first stuff I did for 2008, and Judd Shred.

00:44How do you get that first book in? I mean that's the hardest part I should imagine.

00:48It is, it is. I actually got an agent down in London, and he looked through my stuff and told me what to do

00:56and things to improve, and he took my portfolio to the offices, and next day he came back with the first script.

01:06Wow, okay. And that must be kind of terrifying though, because it's like all of a sudden...

01:11The first script wasn't terrifying, but the second script, which was the Judd Shred one, was absolutely terrifying.

01:16Because of the stature of the figure, like it's Judd Shred.

01:19Because I've always loved Judd Shred.

01:21It was one of those things where I was like, I'm supposed to build up to this.

01:26Well a lot of artists, it's that kind of thing about always tinkering, never quite knowing when it's finished.

01:32So when you're working on a piece, are you kind of like, yeah this is it now, I've got it, I've nailed it?

01:38I'm very disciplined in the respect that because I'm doing monthly comics, a comic usually has 20 pages.

01:45And so really you have to do a page per day, just so that the comic will come out on time.

01:54And I'm pretty fast that I can do a page per day, it's not really a problem.

01:58I guess you have to learn to be fast though, I guess, yeah?

02:01Yeah, I think so. I think I've always been able to do it at that speed, so it hasn't really been a concern for me.

02:11But you do have to be very disciplined, sit down and do the work, don't get distracted.

02:17I mean you'll hear musicians and they'll say, oh well I just wasn't feeling creative so that's why I've had six years off.

02:23So you've got that commitment, you've got to get that work out.

02:27Is it just always there when you pick up pen in hand?

02:31Yeah, I mean mostly because you get the script from a writer anyway, you kind of know the beats of what you're doing.

02:41And then it's up to the artist to be the storyteller, to convey that to another readership.

02:48So that's the bit where you're really thinking, in a way how can I manipulate the reader to follow the story correctly.

03:02So that's the deep thinking part of it.

03:07And we're here in Shrewsbury, you're originally a black country lad, heart of the black country.

03:12And you spent some time in Florida.

03:15Isn't it funny how Shrewsbury you've ended up, but perhaps it's not unusual really.

03:21You were saying there's about ten comic artists who have died up there.

03:26And I guess, what is it that drew you to Shrewsbury?

03:30We lived here twenty odd years back for about six months and loved it.

03:35And then we were always coming over to England every other summer when we were in Florida.

03:44And we met certain friends in Shrewsbury, a few of the comic guys.

03:51And we thought, one summer when we came back we thought, okay this is the place to come back to.

03:57And we looked into it, scores were great.

04:00There's a vibrant art scene which is fantastic.

04:05I mean if you wanted to go to an opening every week you probably could.

04:10Yeah I mean it's just very, there is an artistic soul to the place I think.

04:15And if you see one of the other guys, you know Charlie Adlard or one of the others and they've done a piece and it looks fantastic.

04:22Is it straight away, are you thinking, wow, fair play, that looks amazing?

04:27Or is there a little bit of you thinking, oh I'm done.

04:30Is there a bit of healthy competition like that?

04:32Well there's always healthy competition.

04:35But I think the majority of the guys who live here, they're so tapped into their ego.

04:42I wouldn't say they have no ego but they're tapped into their ego.

04:45So you kind of appreciate what they've achieved.

04:49And of course if you see something really nice showing you, it forces you onwards to do even better.

04:54It spurs you on.

04:55Yeah.

04:56Well let's talk about a few projects that you've had come out then.

04:58So what have we got in your hands here then Mike?

05:00Okay, this is the latest project.

05:02This issue actually comes out next week.

05:06This is a Justice League project which I'm doing at the moment.

05:11Will you do pretty much all the illustrations?

05:15Yeah, 20 pages in this one.

05:18So it's proper graft isn't it really?

05:20Oh yeah, yeah.

05:22Page per day.

05:30So that's Justice League and what's the other ones we've got going on?

05:33And then we've got Freddy the Fix.

05:35Now this is your little baby isn't it?

05:37Yeah, this is a creator owned book with great reference from Stephen King there.

05:44It was by Garth Ennis who did The Boys, I was on Prime.

05:49And Preacher, that came out a few years back.

05:52One of my favourite writers and it was a joy to work on.

05:56Just a one shot, but it's kind of like a proof of concept kind of thing.

06:02And then we've got the hardback of the Batman book which came out in, when was it?

06:10December, November?

06:11Yeah.

06:13So that one is still available everywhere.

06:16Awesome, well we were saying Batman's just so appealing.

06:18That kind of whole dark side to him and works well on paper I should imagine for an artist.

06:24Well Mike, thanks for letting us come into your world briefly.

06:29If people want to find out a bit more, you'll be on the socials and stuff yeah?

06:33Yeah, yeah.

06:34My website is mikeperkinsart.com.

06:37And yeah, I'm on Facebook, Instagram and Blue Sky.

06:42Great stuff, well all the best with future work Mike, thank you.

06:44Cheers.

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