Jeff Johnson: Speaking for the Work

By Mike Jozic

He’s done a lot of work since his debut on Marvel’s much liked, but often maligned, Wonder Man series with Gerard Jones, but I still remember when Jeff Johnson was very much the “new guy” on the block. His style was expressive, dynamic and his sense of storytelling was pretty well developed even then. It was easy to like Jeff’s characters because they didn’t live in a world of idle threats and hackneyed plot contrivances. Okay, maybe they did, but he still managed to pull it off so that it felt grounded in a simpler reality than the traditional Marvel Universe we all knew and loved.

After leaving the series, Jeff went on to work for just about every company in the business, filling in on various titles and drawing some of the biggest characters in the industry. In no particular order, he illustrated a Supreme mini-series for Rob Liefeld, Jonny Quest for Dark Horse, Spidey and the Fantastic Four for Marvel, Solitaire for Malibu, and the Justice League for DC, to name a few. For the last year, however, Jeff has abandoned his freelancing ways and dedicated himself to producing for just one company, and one monthly: CrossGen’s Way of the Rat.

With writer Chuck Dixon, Jeff has created a rich and many-textured world full of Eastern design motifs and philosophy. Distilling the very best from kung-fu movies and Asian mythology, Way of the Rat delivers the goods when it comes to adventure, drama, fun and talking monkeys.

I had the chance to interview Jeff via e-mail, adding to the very small pool of press material on the man who prefers to let his work do all his talking. As someone who has followed his career for some years, I found it a bit if a treat to have Jeff speaking for himself, for a change. For the next 1500 words or so, that’s exactly what he does.

MIKE JOZIC: You're coming up on the end of your first year on Way of the Rat. How would you describe the "ride" so far?

JEFF JOHNSON: Like any good "ride", this first year has been equal parts exciting, nauseating, and scary. It went by so fast that I can't believe it’s already been a year. The book is a joy to work on and I think it just keeps getting better. My team is fantastic and I look forward to creating with these guys for many years to come.

JOZIC: I had a lot of trouble finding any interviews with you prior to conducting this one. Do you, as a habit, shy away from the spotlight?

JOHNSON: In general I like to keep a low profile. If I do my job well, the work should speak for itself and besides, I'm not that interesting.

JOZIC: There's a Way of the Rat collection coming out this March. Anything special we can expect from it, or will it just be a straight on reprint of the first 6 issues?

JOHNSON: I believe it's a straight reprint. Because of the long first issue there was no room for anything extra. The next collection should have something added though.

JOZIC: What sort of material could have gone in this collection had there
been room?

JOHNSON: I have tons of sketches, abandoned layouts and page roughs. Not to
mentions some of Tom's poetry. He's so much more than just an inker.

JOZIC: Do you guys have any say over what goes into the collections, or is
that up to another department?

JOHNSON: The team has some say in what happens, but there is a whole design
department that really does the work on the trades.

JOZIC: You've worked primarily in super-hero comics throughout your career, but now you're attached to a martial arts period series. What kind of an adjustment did that mean to you as an artist when you first came onto the book?

JOHNSON: To be honest, this book is far more my kind of thing than any of the super-hero books I've worked on. Don't get me wrong, I love drawing super-heroes and I've enjoyed everything I've worked on but I've always tried to sneak some martial arts into those stories.

JOZIC: Your settings and costumes in the series look absolutely wonderful and feel very real, adding to the overall atmosphere of the story. What sort of reference material do you use, if any?

JOHNSON: I use anything and everything I can get my hands on. Books, magazines and movies. There is so much to know it's not even funny.

JOZIC: How do you find working with Chuck Dixon?

JOHNSON: He's the best! He's incredibly easy and fun to work with. He's a riot.

JOZIC: How much input do you have on the stories and the direction the series takes?

JOHNSON: I'll ask for certain things that I would like to draw, such as a fight scene on a rope bridge, or scary ghosts or a bunch of dragons and Chuck will find a place for it in his story. But other than that I let him do the hard work of writing. It's amazing how he can weave my nonsensical artistic desires into the plot so seamlessly. He's the best.

JOZIC: Did you have anything to do with the choice of Tom Ryder as your inker on the book?

JOHNSON: As a matter of fact I did. I knew that he wanted to get back into comics after working in animation for a while. So we called him and he agreed to move all the way out here. I didn't even have to beg.

JOZIC: You've actually worked with Tom Ryder before, haven't you?

JOHNSON: We were in the circus together before we both broke into comics.

JOZIC: What does Tom bring to your pencils, and the overall look of the book?

JOHNSON: Quite simply, he saves the pencils and makes the book pretty.

JOZIC: With Way of the Rat and The Path taking place on the same world in the CrossGen universe, will we see any blatant crossovers between the two books in the future, or does the "no crossover" rule there still stand?

JOHNSON: Both books share some characters so I assume there will be some connections but I doubt they will be blatant.

JOZIC: Basically any interaction between the two books will grow organically
from their respective storylines?

JOHNSON: That's one of the nice things about all working in the same building.
Since Ron [Marz] and Chuck see each other everyday, I'm sure whatever overlap will
be seamless.

JOZIC: Does your knowledge of Aikido benefit your work on Way of the Rat at all, or are they two completely separate things?

JOHNSON: My knowledge of Aikido, though limited, benefits every aspect of my life especially my work on Way of the Rat. Thanks Sensei.

JOZIC: What do you enjoy drawing the most on Way of the Rat?

JOHNSON: Po-Po.

JOZIC: You described your approach to drawing a story as first visualising the script as a motion picture. Can you describe this process in a bit more detail?

JOHNSON: I try to see it as clearly as I can while reading the script. Which is easy to do with a Chuck plot. I'll usually spend a fair amount of time thinking about, editing, and refining the action in my head. Then I try to pick the moments that most clearly convey my mental movie. Next I'll thumbnail the scene and make sure all my compositions are sound. Finally I draw a tight layout, blow it up, and trace it off on the light table. It's a long process but I'm not good enough to do it any other way yet.

JOZIC: Po Po seems like he would be an interesting, and possibly difficult, character to pull off visually and still have believable. Did you have any trouble with that initially, because you do it remarkably well?

JOHNSON: Po Po is one of those great characters that practically draws himself.
He is so real to me that I can always see what he's doing. His movements and facial expressions are always clear in my head.

JOZIC: For a few years now, you've sort of been the "fill-in guy" for just about every company in the industry. Was that a matter of choice, or necessity, and how do you feel now that you have a steady monthly at CrossGen?

JOHNSON: I liked the schedule and lifestyle that not having a monthly book allows but there is nothing like having your own book. The grind is hard but it's worth it.

JOZIC: How many issues ahead do you usually work in relation to the one that we see on the racks?

JOHNSON: Two to four, depending on when the relief issue happens.

JOZIC: What's your average page rate, time-wise?

JOHNSON: Anywhere between seven to 14 hours per page. It all depends on what's on the page, what I'm wearing, the alignment of the planets and how much coffee I've had to drink. It's not an exact science.

JOZIC: You cited your Wonder Man experience as one of the most rewarding experiences of your career. Now, I was a big fan of the series myself, but why does it stand out so much for you, even after all these years?

JOHNSON: I've always loved that character and Fabian was a great editor and friend. He helped me become a better artist and let me try almost anything I wanted on the book. He let me do a whole sideways issue just because it fit the story. Most other editors would never have gone for that. It was just a wonderful time in comics.

JOZIC: You mention Fabian Nicieza from your time on WM but not Gerard Jones. Did you not have a lot of contact with Gerard while working on the series?

JOZIC: Gerard and I talked all the time. We both lived in the same area so we would get together and talk about the book over pizza. We went on to do Solitaire together after Wonderman. Gerard was great to work with. I learned a ton from him and Fabian.

JOZIC: Why did you leave the series after only a couple of years? It seemed to die pretty quickly after you left.

JOHNSON: Unfortunately, sales had dropped enough that Marvel decided to cancel
the book shortly after issue #25. I would have stayed on Wondy forever but alas it was not meant to be.

JOZIC: I remember reading somewhere that you were Jim Lee's assistant prior to your work on Wonder Man, is that correct?

JOHNSON: Yes, though I wasn't his assistant for long. He just needed some help on those last couple of issues of Punisher. I drew some backgrounds and motorcycles and stuff.

JOZIC: Who has had the greatest impact on your craft inside, or out, of the comics industry?

JOHNSON: Jim Lee helped me a lot, and I am heavily influenced by Kevin Maguire. The list is actually very long, from Alan Davis to Rockwell. Oh yeah, and my
mom. I can't forget her.

JOZIC: I know a lot of creators don't really have the time, but do you read any comics yourself?

JOHNSON: I love comics. It's true that I don't have as much time as I would like but I still read my favorites.

JOZIC: If you weren't working on Way of the Rat, which CrossGen book would you most like to illustrate?

JOHNSON: Any of them really. They are all fun books.

JOZIC: If you could work on any project for any company, what would you chose, and who would be the creative team?

JOHNSON: Not to sound lame but I'd actually have to say Way of the Rat. It's the book I was born to draw [and] the team I have now can't be improved on.

JOZIC: What do you think you bring that is uniquely yours to the CrossGen line?

JOHNSON: I'm the only guy here that can juggle bowling pins. Sure they can all juggle balls but I'm the only guy that does knives and pins.

JOZIC: What has been the most difficult part of working on Way of the Rat?

JOHNSON: Not being able to take naps in the middle of the day. I miss naps.

The following pieces (in the order they appear) are the cover for Way of the Rat #11, pages 1, 8 & 9 from Way of the Rat #11, as well as the cover for #13. Enjoy!

	Mike Jozic has spent the last several years interviewing comic book creators and other entertainment related personalities for various publications. He has been published both online and in print, with his work appearing in The Comics Journal, FearsMag.com and Silver Bullet Comicbooks. He maintains his own website at www.meanwhile.net and currently serves as the Features Editor for SBC.

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