5
MINUTES WITH. JOHN CASSADAY
It's
hard to write an introduction for this week's guest. After
all, the man himself says on his site:
"Talking about yourself is like staring at a carnival mirror.
You never quite get the true image. Perhaps a more well-rounded
rendition is that painted by others...." and then proceeds
to list compliment after compliment from the best and brightest
of his peers and contemporaries. So, let's cut the history
lesson short, click that link above to see what better men
than we have had to say about John and let's get into his
5 minutes with us here, shall we?
DF:
How is it working with Joss Whedon [on Astonishing X-Men]?
Were you a fan of his work prior to this new series?
CASSADAY: Joss has been a big fan and supporter of
Planetary, so I started watching more of his shows. The first
Buffy I ever saw was the musical episode that Joss wrote and
directed. I thought it was fantastic and could see how people
get so caught up in it...
DF:
Fans are just about at the halfway point with issue #6 of
Astonishing due in a few weeks; what's your take on the success
of the project?
CASSADAY: We're as happy as we could be. It's honestly
turned out better than I could have imagined. And in every
way.
DF:
You helped bring Colossus back from the dead -- any thoughts
on the import of that move? What classic X-artists, if any,
did you look to for inspiration for your rendition of the
armored Russian mutant?
CASSADAY: Not really any specific influences. Pete's mostly
been a background character in a sense. I think we're getting
a shot at putting something deeper into his personality...
DF:
Aside from Joss, who's your favorite X-writer? Artist? Story?
CASSADAY: Writers: Well, obviously Claremont, but I also
liked what I read from Morrison.
Artist-wise:
Byrne, then Paul Smith. Any time Windsor-Smith checked in,
he put them all to shame...
Story:
Dark Phoenix, the Alpha Flight appearances and the Kulan Gath
bit around #190 because it was the first monthly X-Men comic
I bought from the comic rack... I'm a little afraid to go
back and reread them all though... I hear they don't hold
up very well. I'd prefer to remember how good I thought they
were...
DF:
What's the status of Planetary?
CASSADAY: It's quarterly and has been coming out more
often since Astonishing X-Men started than it has in years!
And I mean years. Crazy, yes?
DF: Yes, CRAZY!
DF:
After Astonishing X-Men, what's next on your drawing table?
CASSADAY: Hopefully finishing up Planetary. And a few
unmentionables that will be very exciting that I can't mention
as of yet...
We
highly recommend you check out Planetary, which can be ordered
from DF here
as well as checking out the first I am Legion, available here.
Oh, and don't forget about Astonishing
X-Men!
See you next week, when we spend another
5 minutes with one of today's best comic creators.
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