3 Questions

There are so many comic book people in our state that we couldn't even begin to include everyone we had hoped in our cover story. As such, Albuquerque's Andy Kuhn winds up here in the 3 Questions section. Kuhn is a 20-year veteran who has worked on innumerable projects such as TMNT and Mars Attacks: Occupation. He is also the co-creator of Firebreather, a story that was adapted into an animated film by Cartoon Network and directed by Peter Chung of Aeon Flux (the cartoon, not the terrible movie) fame. Kuhn is pretty much the coolest.

What is it you love about comics?
Ever since I was a little kid, I was fascinated by cartoons and cartooning. I remember being in grade school and cutting out this strip called The Phantom all the time. … I have no idea what I thought I'd do with them, but I did that. When I was in high school, I met this guy who was really into comics and comic fan-dom and zines, and he kind of got me into them, and I realized: This is what I was born to do. One of the most awesome things about comics, and honestly, it's such a small world, weird medium … if you make something good, you can blow up. There are a million great stories out there, especially now. I think that in 40 years from now, this will be known as a golden age for comics.

You weren't drawing before high school?
I really hadn't drawn that much, but then somehow I did it. I got into it fairly quickly, and I became one of the two dudes who were known as the "artist guys." I'd try to draw superheroes. … I liked Barry Smith, who did Conan, and after he left Marvel, he started doing these fine art prints, along the lines of Conan, like, kind of fantasy. My dream was to become Barry Smith Jr. He has this delicate, intricate style that was very complex.

What are you working on now?
I'm working on some creator-owned stuff that I can't announce just yet, but I was aching for creator-owned. I wish I could tell you, but I can't yet. I'm working with this method where I can pencil, ink and color all in about a month or five weeks. It's tough; just penciling a book in five weeks is very hard, so my pencils are very loose. One of the things I definitely believe is that not all the best ideas come up at once, and sometimes, you may be too far into something to change it. This way, if I come up with a better idea, I can implement that.

Santa Fe Reporter