Tales of the Persian wild ass
By Jimmy Palmiotti (COMBO #27) – I’d met Howard Porter a couple of times at busy conventions but did not have the chance to really speak to him mano a mano until I got assigned to ink a JLA cover—for some other comics mag—over his pencils. What impressed me about the cover was how tight and confident Howard’s linework was on that piece and how well it was done. I had a ball working on it, and got to do that “penciler/inker” bonding thing over the phone that day, which made doing this interview a little easier.
Howard’s not a new guy—he’s paid his dues on a number of books, such as Showcase, Darkstars, Guy Gardner, and assorted Disney titles. But it was really his run on The Ray which put his work out there. It’s a new year and a new book, and Howard’s best work in my opinion comes with each new issue of JLA. Teamed up with the writer Grant Morrison and the dynamic inks of John Dell, this book has to be a hit! As far as Howard’s personality, I think this interview says it all!
JIMMY PALMIOTTI: How’s it feel to be working on one of the hottest comic books out there?
HOWARD PORTER: Unbelievable! There isn’t a day that goes by when I’m drawing that it doesn’t suddenly dawn on me what I’m drawing, and I can’t believe it’s me drawing this book. And then I keep drawing, and drawing, and drawing…
JP: Who are your artistic influences?
HP: Michael Golden, Mother Goose, and Tiny Tim (the young Tiny Tim).
JP: What is the worst smell in the world?
HP: Green.
JP: What do you have in common with Snow White? (I know about the Marvel/Disney comic.)
HP: I live with Happy, Sleepy, Grumpy, Bashful, and Sneezy (my wife, Heather).
JP: What comics are you currently reading?
HP: Hellboy, Ash, Generation X, Silver Surfer, and more DC books than you can shake a stick at.
JP: Do you speak any Ebonics at home?
HP: Only in my sleep.
JP: What was your New Year’s resolution?
HP: My New Year’s resolution this year is to stop sleeping.
JP: Letterman or Leno?
HP: In a street fight, Letterman. In a wrestling match, my money’s on Leno.
JP: What’s more annoying, Star Wars or KISS?
HP: Annoying? What are you talking about?! Star Wars and KISS rule!
JP: What sports do you play?
HP: PlayStation’s NASCAR Racing.
JP: What’s your highest bowling score?
HP: Dwarf or Candlepin? Dwarf 180; Candlepin 195.
JP: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever been caught doing?
HP: Alone, it involved a finger and a nose. With someone else, driving my truck and using someone’s front yard as a racetrack.
JP: What do you want, more sex or more violence?
HP: More sex…please?
JP: Marvel files Chapter 11. What would you do to this company if you owned it?
HP: Two words: Free Comics For Everyone. Whoops—that’s four words.
JP: You took over drawing The Ray after Joe Quesada’s mini-series. What was that like?
HP: He had very large shoes to fill. Unfortunately, I had small feet and they kept falling off.
JP: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
HP: Don’t put your tongue on the cat. My grandmother told me this. She was very old and kinda losing it, but it still meant a lot to me.
JP: What would be your dream project?
HP: Fantastic Four/JLA. If that couldn’t happen, then I’d settle for a creator-owned book called The Untold Tales of Bass Fishing. [Cool! Crank bait or rubber worm?—ed.]
JP: Beavis and Butt-head was the worst movie I’ve seen all year. Name one stinker you lost two hours of your life for.
HP: The Captain America movie…youch!
JP: Tell me an unusual-but-true fact.
HP: The onager, or Persian wild ass, is one of the most horselike of the donkeys. It breeds once every other year.
JP: What would you rather receive as a gift, a hair-eating Cabbage Patch doll, or a Smack-Me-Silly Elmo?
HP: Seeing as I already have the Cabbage Patch, I’d have to say the Smack-Me-Silly Elmo.
JP: What’s the worst trouble you’ve ever been in?
HP: Eleven shots of vodka and 14 shots of tequila.
JP: Did you have bad acne as a child?
HP: Only on the bottom of my feet.
JP: Ever cow tip?
HP: Only if their service was good and prompt.
JP: Steven Spielberg paid $600,000 for Clark Gable’s Oscar for Gone With The Wind. What would you pay $600,000 for?
HP: Eternal life and all-encompassing power.
You May Also Like
