The Art of Mike Powell

So after some delay I finally got this one ready.


1.) Who has influenced you over the years and are there any that hold your interest over time more than others?

In the beginning, Todd McFarlane and Jim Lee. But over the years I've broadened my horizons to include many others. Jack Kirby, John Byrne, Frank Frazetta, Gene Colan, Sal Buscema, John Buscema, John Romita,John Romita Jr, Frank Miller, Erik Larsen, Norm Breyfogle, Mark Bagley, Ryan Ottley, Mahmud A. Asrar, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard, Chris Samnee, Ivan Reis and Mike Norton. I know I'm forgetting someone. That's not to exclude the writers who have inspired me. I'm a huge fan of Robert Kirkman, Jay Faerber, and Geoff Johns.



2.) I notice you like to do a lot of Golden Age characters? Is it that they are out of copyright or just to do something different?

In the last few years I've been fascinated with the concept of the public domain, properties and works that have lapsed in copyright over the years and are availabe for anyone to re-imagine in their own style. In the near future some characters with heavy basis in the public domain will make appearances in my stories. I have plans for several figures from world mythology to appear as well.

Lately I've been sketching a public domain Golden Age character every night for my sketchblog (http://michaelpowellsketchblog.blogspot.com). I always post a panel or cover from the old days for comparison. Most of the time I don't make any changes to the design, but there have been times when I have.



3.) What tools do you use to work on your art? Paper stock ? Pencil's , Pen's , Brushes?

I'm pretty low tech, actually. For sketching I use regular white copy paper. For commissions and sequentials I use card stock. My inking tools are a regular pencil and kneaded eraser, PITT artist's pens, a bottle of black ink, and a brush.

5.) You have created some original characters,any plans for some stories about them?

My principal characters are Sovereign (the "Superman" analogue in my universe) and Ominus (my "dark knight" analogue). Sovereign is featured bi-monthly in the Arcadia Comics Anthology, now available from Indyplanet . The second issue is wrapping up in the next two weeks, and it should be available in March.



Ominus won't make his official first appearance until that issue, but earlier in his career he was known as Revenger. I've started a weekly webstrip featuring those adventures. You can read it from page one at http://www.drunkduck.com/Revenger/index.php?p=654185 .

6.) Can you tell us about any of these ideas?

Sure. Let's talk about Sovereign, since he's the heaviest hitter.

A while back I wrote a summary of exactly who he is and what he's about.

It goes...

"Imagine the archetype of the mighty superhero, the other worldly savior of humankind, faster than a speeding bullet and able to soar higher than any plane."



Now imagine his female counterpart, the immortal warrior princess from a far away land of myth.

In a bygone era they represent justice, and on many occasions they join together to protect the planet against unimaginable threats.

Now imagine what goes on behind the scenes.

A passionate love affair ensues, and unbeknown to the the mighty superhero, a child is conceived.

The princess disappears, determined to raise her child in secret, away from the violence and injustice of mortal man's world.

The child is named Aleksandr. He is raised by his mother in an island paradise, ignorant of his lineage, or the real reason he is so powerful.

In a moment of tragedy he learns the truth.

And so Aleksandr, now a man, ventures to the outside world in search of the father he never knew existed.



But he soon discovers another disturbing truth...
His father, the savior of humankind, once known the world over as Sovereign...is dead.
Lost forever to his mother's land and people, how does he find his place in a strange new world?

What does he do with himself? How does he honor his father's memory?

The answer...He continues the fight where his father left off."

So in a nutshell, "what would happen if Superman and Wonder Woman had a love child?" I wanted to tell a story like that to play with those archetypes. And I'm really looking forward to getting it off the ground.

Mike Powell



Thanks to Mike for giving his time! Check out his links below!

www.michaelpowellart.blogspot.com
www.powguero.deviantart.com
www.twitter.com/Mpowelljr
www.facebook.com/Mpowelljr