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Comic Pro Spotlight: Barbara Kaalberg

by Bill Nichols

What was your first work in comics? What do you remember about that first assignment?

Barbara: Oh wow, that was in . . . 1990? I was hired to do watercolor gray washes on an issue of Tiger-X from Eternity Comics. When the editor asked me if I knew how I lied through my teeth and said "sure, no problem!" I'd never watercolored in my life, although I'd spent years working in acrylics. I barely got home from the con before racing to the library to check out every book I could find on the art of watercolor. It must have worked, because they hired me to do more, and eventually gave me Planet of the Apes from Adventure Comics to ink and gray wash for 11 issues. I think I made 350.00 a book for those and they were 29 pages of inks and gray washes. I was a cheap date.

At a guess, how much work have you produced over the years in comics, in terms of pages or book?

Barbara: I've produced, to date, somewhere close to 4000 pages of work, and that is including a 10 year hiatus from comics.

What are you best known for?

Barbara: I'm not really sure! As for comics, probably Impulse or Primal Force, both by DC Comics. As far as industry insider knowledge, I would hope that it was for good, dependable inks and the fact that I never once missed a deadline in 12 years of inking.

What are some of your best moments in comics?

Barbara: Wow, there are so many! The friends I've made, definitely. One year, my hotel room in San Diego was broken into and I had money, art, music and jewelry stolen. Everything was sifted through. It was really creepy. I had my billfold on me so I still had credit cards but everyone at SDCC insisted on taking care of me for the rest of the weekend. The folks at DC, especially, made sure I got fed. The great Moebius (Jean Henri Gaston Giraud) did a portrait sketch of my face and gave it to me. I treasure it. What could have been an awful and violating experience turned into a very sweet memory.

Your worst, something you have regrets about?

Barbara: Putting aside the work in 2000. At the time, there were really good reasons but, looking back on it, I wish I would have found another way and still maintained a presence in the industry. I missed it so much that I couldn't even read or watch anything about the industry for years. But hindsight is 20/20 and there is no sense in dwelling on should haves.

What are best examples of your work that sum of your work or your "style"?

Barbara: My style is very chameleon-like. I can adapt to just about any style the editor asks for. One Marvel editor asked me to give She Hulk "Byrne" hair, after John Byrne. I thought it turned out fantastic and so did the editor. I started out doing straight brush work, very Silver Age stuff. Then adapted to the all pen look of the Image craze. Now I really like a mix of both. It really depends on what look the book is going for, from gritty to broad and cartoony. I started out in the 70's as a copy cat painter. I could copy almost any painting and that's what got me hired on at WaRP Graphics. I did a 3x3" painting of the Elfquest logo in Wendy's style for their trade show booth and that was my introduction into the comic book world. I knew that I could take my brush skills into inking.

What have been some of your best collaborations, and that can mean best work produced or other creators with whom you've worked?

Barbara: I have had so many awesome pencillers!! Craig Rousseau, Rags Morales, Dean Zachary, Rick Hoberg, Ken Hooper, Mel Rubi, Joyce Chin and Ed Benes to name just a few and I've loved them all. They all bring their own personality to the pages and that makes it fun. I think the Solitaire series over Jeff Johnson (and my all time favorite cover for Solitaire #1) and Impulse over Ethan Van Sciver may edge out the others by the tiniest margin, however.

Why do you think you aren't working in comics? Or working as much as you once did?

Barbara: Some of that is purely my own doing. I stepped away voluntarily around 2000. Some of it wasn't. The bottom had fallen out of the industry and freelance work was harder to come by. There were other factors involved as well and it just created a perfect storm that precipitated me stepping away.

What do you think of comics today?

Barbara: They have definitely moved into the mainstream consciousness. With the tremendous success of movies based on comics (Men in Black, Batman, all the Marvel movies), there is a new appreciation of them outside of the tight knit fandom that I once knew. I like that. I not sure I've made up my mind about the DC re-boot yet but you have to give 'em props for trying to mix things up and keep it fresh. I still love the indies. You get some really surprising and wonderful stuff from them. I do wish I would see more women doing mainstream comics. I know that has been a topic of conversation lately and all I can say is "here I am!".

Is there a project, character or title you would want to re-visit to continue or re-boot?

Barbara: I'd love to see Primal Force brought back by DC. I was in on that from beginning to end and I loved it. I still have all the original character studies. The Meridian character was a favorite of mine.

How are you keeping your hand in? The occasional project? Commissions? Convention appearances?

Barbara: I didn't do anything for a long time as I was working (and still am, at least right now) for a printing company and that pretty much ate up my time but I've been getting involved again. I just completed a story and a pinup for the Womanthology project that IDW will be publishing. I also contributed a "How To" article to the same book. I'm rebuilding an all new portfolio with help from some of my old pencillers, who are donating some pieces for me to work up. It's been great.

Do you have new projects you'd like to pursue?

Barbara: I'm in the process of putting together a pitch for a new series that I think is incredibly original and with tons of potential in the TV/Movie field as well. I've found a really amazing and talented writer and we are collaborating. That's all I want to say on that as I am horribly superstitious. I never talked about a inking project until it was actually sitting on my drawing board because, if I did, it would almost always fall through.
Other than that, I would give my left arm (I need my right to ink!) to do a sword & sorcery comic. Or a fantasy, ala Elfquest. I so dearly love inking organic things. That is probably my favorite. I did work for WaRP for a bit and the inks were so, so fun.

If you have links to a gallery or jpeg's with examples you want to include, be sure to include them!

Barbara: I've been building a new, online portfolio on Deviant Art that will include new and old work on it. Feel free to visit and comment! http://barbkaalberg.deviantart.com/ There is also a fairly comprehensive resume of my work (although it's still missing some stuff) over at the Comic Book Database - http://www.comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=2238