Comic Pro Spotlight - Terry Beatty
by Bill Nichols
What was your first work in comics? What do you remember about that first assignment?
Terry: That's a hard one to answer, as it depends on whether you mean first work for a major comic book publisher, or simply first comics work published - or published and paid for. There was the dreadful chiropractic-themed give-away comic, Backman, I was hired to draw, and never saw a dime in return. Then the self-syndicated weekly "Comics Page" with Max Collins, from which Mike Mist sprang. Eclipse published a comic book format collection of those Mike Mist strips - and I never got paid for that, either! About this time, I started doing covers for Alan Light's The Buyers Guide for Comics Fandom (Alan did pay me for those - I think I was the only artist who did get a paycheck for TBG covers) - and then along came "Ms. Tree" for Eclipse magazine. I think my first color comics work was a Mike Mist Hostess ad spoof in an early issue of First Comics' E-Man. Not long after, I did some art for DC's Who's Who series - and then a "Slam Bradley" story in an anniversary issue of Detective. I'm not sure which of those counts as my official first work.
How long ago was that, if you don't mind saying?
Terry: Early 1980's.
At a guess, how much work have you produced over the years in comics, in terms of pages or book?
Terry: I sat down to figure that out recently, and stopped counting at 4500 pages, as it was just making me feel tired!
What are you best known for?
Terry: That's probably a tie between Ms. Tree and my long run as inker on various "animated-style" Batman titles at DC.
What are some of your best moments in comics?
Terry: I think both my Ms. Tree and Batman runs are major achievements -- 11 years on both.
The graphic novel adaptation of the the Superman/Batman World's Finest cartoon won an Eisner Award for Paul Dini, Joe Staton and me -- so that has to go on the list.
Getting to introduce classic Batman artists Jim Aparo and Dick Sprang to each other at a ChicagoCon was a pretty sweet moment.
And recently -- Return to Perdition. Drawing the final chapter in the Perdition Saga after being nixed as the artist of the first one by a (now long-gone) DC editor helped make up for that lost opportunity just a little.
Your worst, something you have regrets about?
Terry: Oh, I've been stuck inking a very few badly drawn comics -- and that's a miserable experience -- though, thankfully, a rare one. I wouldn't mind wiping those off my resume. And Backman, of course!
What are best examples of your work that sum of your work or your "style"?
Terry: That's a tough question, as I adapt my style to whatever project I'm doing.
What have been some of your best collaborations, and that can mean best work produced or other creators with whom you've worked?
Terry: I'm very pleased with all my comic book collaborations with Max -- and I've gotten to ink some remarkably talented pencilers over the years -- too many to list.
Why do you think you aren't working in comics? Or working as much as you once did?
Terry: I do have projects coming out (the Perdition book from Vertigo Crime) and in the works (Ms. Tree graphic novel and book collections from the new First Comics) -- but I can't seem to get inking assignments to fill in between those sort of gigs anymore. That's tremendously frustrating, as I spent nearly two decades inking for various publishes, on a variety of pencilers -- always making deadline, doing good work and being easy to work with.
Part of this, I think, has to do with the editors I'd worked with having moved on -- and the new guard not knowing my work -- or seeing me as one of the "old guys." There's also a lot of material being printed from pencils or digitally inked by the penciler -- and not as much that I'd be appropriate for. I've never done much work for Marvel -- and despite doing thousands of pages for DC, I don't think I fit in to the "New 52" mold. When The Batman Strikes ended, I lobbied for getting the penciling job (or full art job) on the new Batman: The Brave and the Bold series -- but my messages to the new editor went unanswered. It seems a little harsh to get the cold shoulder after eleven years of reliable, monthly work -- but that's the comics biz for you. Eventually, I was tossed a few issues to ink, but found it frustrating that the book was being drawn in a style that didn't match the TV cartoon. They've revamped that book since, under new editorship, and Rick Burchett and Dan Davis are doing a great job on it -- but the lost opportunity on those earlier issues still irks me.
I'm hoping that once people see "Return to Perdition," they'll see that I'm not just a guy who inks the "kids' books." It's a sad fact that having worked on the cartoon titles actually hurts your reputation in the "mainstream" comics. Despite eleven years of work on the cartoon Batman books -- plenty of folks -- on the fan and editorial levels -- still wouldn't consider that having worked on the "real" Batman comics. Ridiculous, of course, but true.
What do you think of comics today?
Terry: Like always, it's a mix of great and awful. Despite some really talented folks working for them, I don't see much from the majors that thrills me. Then again, I don't think I'm their intended audience, anymore -- but I'm not sure who that audience IS. Seeing things like the recent Batman/Catwoman splash page with them "doing it" it on a rooftop, in a drawing style that looks like unauthorized fan fetish art, makes me shake my head -- wondering who, exactly, is that for.
I think the best work is coming from smaller publishers on the indy/alternative level -- and I think the real future is in artists doing their own work and delivering it to their audiences directly via the internet and print on demand. Wally Wood's dream of a truly alternative, direct-to-the-readers comics market is here -- and growing. Kickstarter is a big part of that -- and something I intend to explore soon for a personal project or two.
Is there a project, character or title you would want to re-visit to continue or re-boot?
Terry: Max and I are revisiting Ms. Tree, as I noted previously. I'd like another shot at Johnny Dynamite -- and I know we have fans who'd love to see Wild Dog return. Any time I open my schedule to commissions, I'm drawing Wild Dog for people again. But I don't see DC wanting to revive that series any time soon. It's a shame Max and I didn't do that just a couple years later, so we could have retained ownership of the character.
That said -- I'd also love a chance at drawing a traditional Dick Tracy or Popeye project.
How are you keeping your hand in? The occasional project? Commissions? Convention appearances?
Terry: While prepping for the restart of Ms. Tree, I'm doing whatever commissions and commercial work I can round up -- that does include my five times a year cover gig for Scary Monsters magazine -- which I've been at for eighteen years of the magazine's twenty year history.
It's a bit of a challenge, after being spoiled by having a regular monthly book (and sometimes two) to ink for eleven years. The ongoing hustle for the next gig is something I'd not had to do for a great while. I must admit I'm rusty at that.
But on the other hand, I'm at the top of my game as far as my drawing skills are concerned. I draw better than ever (same is true for painting and sculpting). I'm working digitally in Manga Studio and Photoshop -- so I haven't let myself become a dinosaur in terms of working methods. My time as a comics instructor at MCAD (MInneapolis College of Art and Design) made me step up my game, so I could push my students to do their best work. It frustrates me that there seems to be no place for me at the "majors" for me to show this -- so it seems I'm going to have to do my own thing and connect with the fans directly.
Do you have new projects you'd like to pursue?
Terry: Many. It's just a matter of figuring out how, when and where to make them happen. The aforementioned Kickstarter will likely play a part.
blog comments powered by Disqus
