Joss Whedon

If I had to put down money on it, I would say that Alex Sanchez was the definite stand-out artist of Dark Horse Comics’ Tales of the Vampires mini-series. A relative newcomer to the industry, the Kubert School graduate was responsible for illustrating, with inker Derek Fridolfs, the framing sequence of the 5-issue series and managed to surpass all my expectations with a superb sense of design, strorytelling, and a wonderfully fine, but jagged, line which brought a nice texture to the whole piece.

Alex has since gone on to snag some work from Marvel, getting his toes even wetter on books like X-Men Unlimited and Marvel Age Hulk, which will be coming out in November and December, so watch out for those.

Derek Fridolfs has been inking just about everything for everyone going on five years now. I first ran across his work on Tellos and Angel, but his inks have graced the pages of Iron Man, The Authority, and Star Trek, to name just a few. He also has a creator owned project that he is developing called Kidd Bonzai & The Bot which you can find more about by clicking on the link.

In the following interview, Alex, Derek and myself discuss their work on the Tales of the Vampires mini-series, and their thoughts and comments on Buffy and her universe.

MIKE JOZIC: How did the two of you originally get involved in drawing the framing sequence for Tales of the Vampires?

ALEX SANCHEZ: Well, the ball started rolling for me when I met editor Scott Allie at the previous Wizard World Chicago convention. I showed him my portfolio and we exchanged info. When I returned home I kept in contact with him and he asked me if I liked the horror genre. A few conversations later he told me about the Tales book and offered me the framing sequence. Needless to say I was ecstatic about the whole gig.

DEREK FRIDOLFS: I had previously worked for Scott on Angel, Willow & Tara, and KISS, so I think it was a matter of continuing the working relationship when the new project became available.

JOZIC: What was your experience working with Joss like?

SANCHEZ: Working with Joss was great. An artist couldn’t ask for more than working with such a talented creator who cares so deeply about the work he puts out.

FRIDOLFS: Fun and relaxed, which isn’t always the case for an inker working on a project.

JOZIC: What made it fun and relaxed?

FRIDOLFS: Sometimes on projects - especially for inkers - one might be brought in at the last second to pitch in to meet an already late deadline, which can lead to a rush job. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case with Tales. And since the opening sequence for each issue was a short segment - and it was an anthology with lots of people involved on different story parts - there was more than enough time to work on it.

JOZIC: When you were initially offered the framing sequences, did you know at the time that Joss would be writing your portion of the book?

SANCHEZ: Yup.

JOZIC: Alex, did you do any work prior to Tales, or was it your first professional gig?

SANCHEZ: It was my first credited, comic book gig. After graduating from the Joe Kubert school of cartooning I did some background inks for an inventory issue of Robin and some background layouts - nothing too big. After that I did a whole bunch of storyboards for a videogame developing company called Hypnotix, on a game called Repoman.

JOZIC: Was the issue of Robin you worked on a published story, or is it still sitting in inventory?

SANCHEZ: I’m not too sure, but I think it is still collecting dust on the shelves.

JOZIC: How hands-on was Joss’ involvement, and is it primarily with you, the artists, or does most of it filter though Scott Allie, the editor?

SANCHEZ: Well Joss was involved in every aspect of the story - from initial character designs to page layouts. He wanted to make sure that the messages and emotions he was getting across to the reader weren’t misunderstood.

FRIDOLFS: I’d say it usually had the stamp of approval. Very rarely did it get into my hands where I might have to change anything.

JOZIC: Can you give an example where Joss’ input changed the way something was being done?

FRIDOLFS: That hasn’t been anything I’ve experienced, but for Alex that might be different.

SANCHEZ: One example that I can think of was during character designs. I really had my mind set on drawing this particular character how I envisioned it in my head, based on the script. I e-mailed the sketches to get them approved and Joss approved them all except for this one, so he asked if I could draw another sketch of this character. I sketched out another design and sent that one out but. Joss still didn’t think it worked. So, I drew up another design and sent that one back to [editor] Matt Dryer.

Meanwhile I’m thinking to myself "Why is he so obsessed over this one person"? Joss still didn’t agree with the design, so he sent me a picture to help me out. And he mentions that that this one character is actually the big surprise in the story, so when I looked back on the original designs, I totally agreed with him. My original designs kind of made it obvious what the punch line was going to be.

JOZIC: Derek, traditionally horror stories have not been your stock in trade. Did you have to alter your approach at all for this series?

FRIDOLFS: Not especially, other than [Alex]’s use of spotting heavy blacks on his pages. It was my job to basically take what he drew and compliment it - as it is with any project, horror related or not.

JOZIC: This was the first time you guys worked with each other. Did the two of you communicate much throughout the process?

FRIDOLFS: Alex has a very detail heavy style, which is always a treat - or torture - for the inker. I’ve made it known to the editors that I’d like to continue on future projects with him, so hopefully [Tales] will not be the last.

SANCHEZ: Derek and I didn’t communicate all that much. Once he told me about some of his previous work and showed me the inked pages for the first issue I knew he was a total professional.

FRIDOLFS: Alex was always good about putting notes on the pages for specific things to pay attention to, and I could always drop him an email if I needed further clarification.

SANCHEZ: Every once in a while I left him a little note with some suggestions but that’s all.

JOZIC: Were either of you a fan of the Buffy television show before working on Tales?

SANCHEZ: Yeah, I was a big fan of the movie in particular. When I left home for the Kubert school I lost my television privileges and contact with the outside world, so the only way I could stay up to date was through friends and the comic books. I remember during my first year of school is when Buffy really started to turn into this big cult thing that all the kids were talking about.

FRIDOLFS: I admit I’ve only seen a handful of episodes. But the thing that’s great about working on projects like these is that one can be introduced to the subject as a relative newcomer, and then grow to become a fan of it.

JOZIC: It’s unusual for someone to be more of a fan for the movie than the television series. What draws you so strongly to the feature film version of Buffy?

SANCHEZ: There are a few reasons. I really believe that nothing beats an original. Except for The Empire Strikes Back, but that’s another story. I also watched the movie in theatres, which makes it more entertaining because of crowd reactions and stuff like that. There’s nothing better than watching a scary movie in the theatre. During that time I was also in high school, so I could relate more to the cast of characters.

And another reason is Kristy Swanson. "WHOOO", she’s hot.

JOZIC: With both the television and comic book series’ over, did you feel any pressure to produce extra-top-notch stuff since Buffy fans would be looking for a Buffyverse fix, or was all that pressure on the writers?

SANCHEZ: Well, I always pride myself in producing the best artwork I can, no matter what I’m doing. But any kind of pressure to produce more Buffy material will definitely be on Joss and the writers. My job is to translate what’s in their heads and in the scripts to the best of my abilities.

FRIDOLFS: I think it’s something that the entire creative team knows going in on something like Tales. And it makes it that much more special to do our best for the fans that continue to support the property long after the show has ended.

JOZIC: Was it an interesting experience doing a Buffy story from the Vampire’s viewpoint?

SANCHEZ: Definitely, I’m such a huge horror genre mark that when Scott told me about Tales I couldn’t wait to get started. I watched all my vampire movies so I could get into the right state of mind for the project. I really believe that Joss and the writers have come across a fresh, new way of telling a story through a vampire’s eyes while still keeping with the traditional aspects that Buffy fans have come to know and love.

FRIDOLFS: Heroes are only as great as the villains they go up against, so it’s fun to see stories from the other point of view.

JOZIC: What would you say are your favorite episodes of Buffy?

SANCHEZ: The silent episode. The Gentlemen look really awesome.

FRIDOLFS: Other than the original movie, and scattered episodes, it’s tough to pick out one specifically. I do remember seeing the one where Buffy’s mom passed away, and I thought the shock and sadness of it was handled real well.

JOZIC: There’s that movie again. How about your favorite Buffy/Angel character(s) and why?

SANCHEZ: The Gentlemen. They creeped me out and that’s no easy task.

FRIDOLFS: Hmm...I feel like such a newbie to this stuff, that I like the ensemble cast more than any specific character - although Faith was an interesting addition to the show.

JOZIC: Is it kind of a bonus that you didn’t have to wrestle with doing likenesses, or do you wish you had the opportunity to illustrate one or more of the characters from the series?

FRIDOLFS: It’s probably easier on the artist not to have to worry about having a lot of photo reference for any specific actor/actress likeness.

SANCHEZ: I’m just happy to have worked on a project that has such a large following, but I would definitely like to draw some of the other core characters as well.

JOZIC: Are you guys hoping to do more Buffy work in the future or was this a one-shot gig for you?

FRIDOLFS: Dark Horse always knows I’m available and interested.

SANCHEZ: I would definitely jump at the chance to do another Buffy book, but I leave that in the hands of higher powers.