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Weston Interview Part 1
 PART
1 |
4th
March 03 |
Chris Weston
is a prime example of an ex-2000AD artist who's "done good" in the States.
Best known for the intricate artwork of Indigo Prime and Canon Fodder
in 2000AD, he found fame across the ocean with one of the longest runs in the
Invisibles, and more recently in Ministry of Space with Warren Ellis and
The Filth with Grant Morrison.
We caught up with
the man to grab some pearls of wisdom...
What's your
background in drawing, and have you had any specific training?
 I
was born to military stock and subsequently raised in a variety of army bases
in foreign lands ...without a television! So, comics were my primary source of
entertainment. One of my early favourites was the VULCAN weekly which featured
the amazing, full-colour, painted artwork of Don Lawrence.
In a bizarre twist
of fate, I discovered that Don lived in my home town. I'm ashamed to admit that
I practically stalked the old fellow, pestering him for advice and guidance on
becoming a comic-strip artist. Eventually he took pity on me and offered me personal
tuition, for a year, in the ways of the Force ... er, I mean comic-strip illustrating.
How did you
get your first job on 2000AD?
 After
a year's apprenticeship with Don, I had a portfolio strong enough to approach
an Art Agent, Pat Kellegher at Temple-Rogers. He got me my first ever professional
commission. Nothing too daunting: only Judge Dredd in 2000AD! Talk about
jumping straight in the deep end! I soon discovered that having a good portfolio,
and being a good comic-strip artist are two entirely different things ... and
looking at those early Dredds that I produced, it doesn't take an expert to see
I was way out of my depth!
What does an
average working day comprise of?
Sobbing. Laughing.
Yawning. Drawing. Staring out the window. Net-surfing. Screaming. Time-wasting.
The usual.
 2000AD
is seen by many as a staging platform for writers and artist trying to break into
America. Would you agree with this, and how did you get your first US job?
The attractions
of the US comic industry are many and varied, but mostly involve larger pay-cheques.
If you wanted to have your work presented where the American editors might see
it, 2000AD used to be the ideal publication. That's no longer the case, unfortunately.
If it were, we'd have seen talents like John M. Burns, Richard Elson, Steve Yeowell,
Henry Flint, Simon Fraser and Cliff Robinson make that trans-Atlantic leap to
comic stardom.
Jock and Fraser
Irving are about the only artists on 2000AD I can think of who have flown Stateside
recently, and I believe they did it the same way I did: on the shirt-tails of
writers. In my case it was Mark MIllar who introduced my artwork to Stuart Moore,
who was an editor at Vertigo at the time. To his eternal credit, Mark insisted
I drew one of his Swamp Thing issues, and luckily for me, DC seemed to like the
results. They've kept me in work ever since.
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