Mark Bagley: Feeling The Pulse

By Sylvain Lebleu and Mike Jozic

Originally breaking into the business through the Marvel Try-Out Book, Mark Bagley took over the art chores on the flagship Spidey title, Amazing Spider-Man, after other guys like Todd McFarlane and Erik Larsen decided to move on to greener pastures. With long-time Spidey writer David Michelinie, Mark managed to create some memorable characters and stories, and carved out for himself a nice little corner of the Spider-Man canon.

Although he moved on briefly to chronicle the adventures of the Thunderbolts with writer Kurt Busiek – a book showcasing Marvel’s Brotherhood of Evil disguised as heroes - Bagley eventually returned to his roots and the character of Spider-Man, helping to launch Marvel’s sales-winning and critically acclaimed Ultimate line of books.

Ultimate Spider-Man has been both a return as well as an all new journey with the character for Bagley and he couldn’t be happier to be working on the book with series writer, Brian Michael Bendis. He’d have to be since he’s also pushing his issue-and-a-half a month limit to do a five part arc on another of Bendis’ many projects, The Pulse while continuing to plug away at the sometimes more-than-monthly Ultimate adventures of your friendly neighborhood you-know-who.



SYLVAIN LEBLEU: How different is it for you working on The Pulse compared to a book like Ultimate Spider-Man?

MARK BAGLEY: I really feel Ultimate Spidey is my book visually. I owe nothing to anyone on that book artistically, so I can really be myself, with no pressure to live up to anyone else’s expectations.

With The Pulse, I really feel the presence of Mike Gaydos and what he brought to Alias. I’m really trying to be true to that feeling, but still have it be me. I don’t know how well it’s working, but I think I’m doing some good work, and I think the story will really carry it.

LEBLEU: Since The Pulse is not a straightforward super-hero action series, will you to try a more artistic and inventive approach on panel layouts, use of shadows or any other technique you wouldn’t normally use on Ultimate Spider-Man?

BAGLEY: I’m really trying to do a darker, grittier style on this book, and Scott Hanna is taking a different approach in his inking of my work. But honestly, I’m not sure I’m being as successful as I would like to be.

It really is difficult to alter what you do, unless you are really trying to ape somebody else’s style. You know Jim Lee had his Sin City phase. That was such a clear intentional riff of Miller’s black and white stuff. This is not criticism, I really think Jim was intentionally doing that, and I’m sure he learned a lot from that time - I just don’t want to do that. I don’t want to fracture what I do at such a fundamental level, so I’m kinda sticking my big toe in the pool of change. We’ll see how it comes out.

LEBLEU: Did you use any kind of reference for the character of Jessica Jones other than the Alias series, and how do you think your version differs from Michael Gaydos'?

BAGLEY: I’ve heard that Jessica is based on Michael’s wife. I’m just trying to do a credible job. I do tend to idealize characters, and Jessica is in a better emotional space now, so my approach to drawing her is different than what has been done before.

Maybe I’ve “Ultimized” her.

MIKE JOZIC: It looks like The Pulse is being reviewed quite well by the critical community. Did you have any anxiety about how the series would be received considering the Alias tie-in and you essentially being the “new guy” following in Gaydos’ footsteps?

BAGLEY: No, I don’t really worry about that. I’m aware of the previous series, and Mike’s work, and I respect it. But I can only be me. I can try and darken what I do, but I can’t turn on a dime and be someone else. I didn’t worry about taking over from Erik Larsen and Toddy, I just sit at my desk and do what I do.

LEBLEU: There’s a persisting rumor saying that Gaydos will be the next penciler after the first story arc. Are those rumors true and what’s your commitment on this series?

BAGLEY: I ‘m committed to the first 5-issue story arc. After that, as far as I know, it’s Brian’s and Mike’s.

JOZIC: You once said that you tended to stay on one project for a long time because you were worried that there may not be any work available if you moved on prematurely. Has that attitude changed since working on Ultimate?

BAGLEY: I don’t know if I felt that way precisely. What I have said is, “Why leave a project if you’re really having a good time on it?” I love who I’m working with and still look forward to every script I get. I don’t stay with books out of fear, I stay on them for enjoyment, and because I think it’s important to the fans to have that sense of stability. There are some top-selling books out there that I think would be selling a whole lot more if the fans had a real sense that the people behind the scenes had a real commitment to the books.

LEBLEU: Since Brian is known for his wordy dialogue, does it ever bother you having to accommodate all those words splashed all over you art?

BAGLEY: You know, I don’t find him wordy at all. When I was working straight from a plot, I would sometimes be amazed at the amount of dialogue some writers would add. Brian’s scripts are really visually structured, and I know when I have to plan for lots of dialogue and when I can just jam a panel with art.

Look back at my first 4 or 5 issues and see that sometimes I left just tons of extra space at the top of a panel that was only going to have a few words. It was because of all my years of working from rough plots and needing to leave lots of room, not knowing what the writer would require. That is one of the few advantages - from a storyteller’s point of view - to a full script. On the one hand it sort of dumbs down what I do a little, but on the other, I know pretty much how much room I have to play with.

It’s an interesting trade off.

LEBLEU: It’s probably safe to say that Spider-Man is the character you’ve drawn the most over the course of your career. How do you keep yourself from getting bored with drawing Peter and the gang month-in and month-out while, at the same time, maintaining a high level of quality issue after issue?

BAGLEY: Boredom is really not much of a factor for me. I still love what I do, and I’ve had jobs that I hated. Does it become a challenge to keep it fresh, and to come up with new and creative ways to re-present sometimes very similar things? Oh yeah. That’s why I try to stay up on what’s going on in the business, and to try and incorporate the things I find that work into my work.

JOZIC: Can you give an example incorporating something into a project keep things fresh for you artistically?

BAGLEY: I don’t know if I can answer that satisfactorily. It really is a gut thing with me. I look at what other artists are doing out there, and I try to see what works and what doesn’t with what I do. Whether it’s noodley detail or graphic areas of black, I try to balance my work with all the influences around me and learn from it.

The toughest challenge I find myself with right now is coming up with new ways for Spidey to clock someone. I’m really struggling with how to present a blow in new and creative way. Aw, who am I kidding? Everyday I get up and go to my desk, it’s a challenge. But it sure beats the alternative.

JOZIC: After releases like John Byrne’s Spider-Man: Chapter One having been received so poorly by the readership, were you initially reluctant to take on Ultimate and do yet another retelling of Spider-Man’s origin?

BAGLEY: Oh yeah. That is one of the main reasons I turned the job down three times, initially. After Chapter One, I just knew that the fans would hate another relaunch of a character that really just needed a team of talented, focused people to make him as accessible as he used to be.

I think the reason Ultimate Spider-Man has been so successful is that we are not pretending to revamp Spidey yet again. Our Spidey is a different character, to be taken on his own merits. The stories we’re doing are meant to stand on their own and not be wedged into Spider-Man’s established world, whereas Chapter One was a big slap to all the years of Spider-man continuity. Our book is meant to be a compliment to a character we love.

JOZIC: You have said in other interviews that early on you were quite ambivalent to working on the book. What was the turning point for you where you really embraced being on Ultimate Spider-Man?

BAGLEY: The sales.

No, not really, I just started getting what Brian was doing, and the fans really seemed to enjoy it. I’m serious when I say I thought the long-term fans were going to hate this book. That they’ve embraced it is a testament to Brian’s talent, the guys at Marvel being behind it, and the fan’s good taste.

JOZIC: Did Brian’s background as an artist as well as a writer allow for a shorthand to develop quickly between the two of you?

BAGLEY: I don’t really think so. We both think very differently visually and storytelling-wise. He comes from such an alternative and indy background, and I from such mainstream background, that our sensibilities are very different.

Having said that, it did not take long for me to appreciate his talent and skill. There are still times that I read a scene in a script and think “OOOkay, I don’t know if this is gonna work, but what the Hell.” Every now and then I’ll just put my ‘lil foot down and say, “nah, this aint gonna work,” [but] I still usually do it Brian’s way, and it usually does work.

JOZIC: I noticed that Bendis gets a lot of the credit or attention for the success of Ultimate Spidey and, now, The Pulse, while you remain almost a “silent partner” as far as the press is concerned. It made me think of how the music press usually wants to talk to the lead singer and not the rest of the band – which they often don’t mind. Seeing as how the writing doesn’t carry the entire book, I wondered if that was a blessing in disguise for you, freeing you up from pesky interviewers like us, or if you wished people would take more notice of the work you’re putting into it?

BAGLEY: Pesky? Nah, I like interviews.

Brian spent the first ten years of his carreer self-promoting, and he’s a machine when it comes to publicity. I am real comfortable with the acclaim he’s received. It is well earned and deserved. I do get my fair share of credit, and I know Brian and Marvel appreciate my contribution to this book.

LEBLEU: With Ultimate Spider-Man you had to update a lot of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery, giving new looks to characters like The Green Goblin, Venom, Rhino and Doctor Octopus. Who came up with all those designs and what are Marvels expectations/limitations when creating the new looks?

BAGLEY: That would pretty much all be me. I basically get Brian’s scripts and take it from there. He’ll sometimes give me some visual cues to work from, but it’s mostly me coming up with the image. I do submit them to the office, and to Brian for input, but usually they leave me alone.

The Black Cat was the one I had the biggest struggle with, to date. I really was trying to play up the cat aspect and down the cleavage aspect, but the guys at Marvel really pushed me to vamp her up. I’m actually pretty pleased with how she turned out. I’m still a little uncomfortable redesigning all these great old characters and calling them mine. I just got done redesigning Carnage and it was really great being able to Ultimize one of my own designs.

LEBLEU: Speaking of the Black Cat, some people might say that there are striking similarities between your design and Catwoman’s current look. What would be your response to that?

BAGLEY: Well, they are both women with a catlike motif. I think the goggles and ears are similar, but I’m comfortable that I didn’t cross any line.

LEBLEU: While other characters have gotten the Ultimate treatment you decided to stay faithful to John Romita’s original design for the Kingpin. Is there something especially compelling about it that told you doing an update would be redundant?

BAGLEY: The Kingpin is a huge, fat bald man with an affection for tuxedoes. There really wasn’t much I could do better than John Romita did. I did look at Frank Miller and J.R. Jr.’s work with the Kingpin for inspiration. I do tend to see Fisk as sort of a freak of nature, and I tend to draw him as such - I mean his hands are the size of car tires. It may be over the top, but I can’t break away from that visual.

LEBLEU: Without telling us who Carnage will be can you give us any details about his Ultimate incarnation?

BAGLEY: No. I’ll leave that to Brian. I don’t want to give away more than I should. I will say that the story Brian wrote is really creepy, moving, and relevant. It deals with medical ethics, morals and responsibility. It is so great to be illustrating stories of this quality.

And on another note, I do think the new design is a great improvement, I mean he is scary looking.

LEBLEU: Where do you go to get the inspiration for the Ultimatized character designs? Do you have an established process you go trough with every character?

BAGLEY: Nope, I just wail away at a piece of paper and see what pops up. Brian will sometimes have some suggestions, and of course the design must reflect the character, but it usually is a very organic process.

JOZIC: Do you feel any pressure when creating new Spidey villains? As in, this could be the next Vulture or Venom or, on the flipside, the next Typeface?

BAGLEY: Haven’t really had that concern yet, which is actually a point of frustration for me. We’ve really only created one new “villain”, Geldoff, and he really wasn’t a villain. I think we are past due to do a real new villain story arc. We are doing terrific stories, but I’m chomping at the bit to do a new villain.

LEBLEU: For most of your career you’ve drawn Super-heroes. Is that by choice or is it just what the industry seems to demand of you?

BAGLEY: A combination. I love super-hero comics. After all, they are what I grew up reading, and having worked mainly for Marvel it seems the most available genre to work in.

Super-heroes or not, it’s the story and the people I’m working with that make the project work for me. I have as much, or more fun now doing the character interaction in Ultimate Spidey, as I do the super hero stuff.

LEBLEU: Are you interested in creating your own material?

BAGLEY: Nah, I really don’t have that jones. I enjoy visually telling a story - any well-written story - but I’m not a writer. To have to come up with stories month after month is something I just couldn’t do. When I’m away from my drawing board my mind is on other things.

JOZIC: I noticed the other day that the leaping Spider-Man image on my two-year old’s pajamas is actually your work – something from Ultimate Spider-Man, I’d wager. Does licensing stuff like that give you a bit of a buzz knowing it’s everywhere like that, or does it actually freak you out a little bit?

BAGLEY: Man, if I had half a penny for all the stuff my drawings are on…well, I’d be too rich to talk to you!

It really is a nice compliment that Marvel uses so much of my Spidey art on their licensed products. I mean J.R. Jr. is twice the artist I’ll ever be, but I think my style may be a bit more approachable to the people buying all this Spidey merchandise.

LEBLEU: You drew Ultimate Spider-Man twice a month for a while. How do you keep up with a schedule like that?

BAGLEY: By not doing too many interviews that I have to type - I type like a stroke victim on a bad day.

Really, I’m good for about a book and a half a month. If I really push it I can do 2, but I’m not often happy with the quality over the long run. Two books a month leave me with no outside life, and that gets old. I really am pushing right now, but I think I’ll be out of the woods in a few months.

LEBLEU: So, what does a typical workday in the life of Mark Bagley look like these days?

BAGLEY: Beer and strippers.

I’m usually at my desk by 7:00 am and work really steady till about five or six, and then I often come back to my desk and work in the evening. Roughly 6 to 6 and a half days a week. Like I said, I’m pushing too hard right now.

LEBLEU: Ultimate Spider-Man is really one of my favorite books right now but the covers have been bugging me for a while. Why are they all so generic and, most times, look so much alike?

BAGLEY: They’ve been bugging me for a while also. At first, the idea was to use a Spidey figure incorporated with a photo background. Very soon though, that became unwieldy and we started doing the poster shots. For quite a while I didn’t trust the cover colorist to do much more than a single figure and a simple background, but now that Richard Isanove has come aboard - he is really something special - I’m really trying to add more elements to the coves and to make them more reflective of the book’s contents.

LEBLEU: How would you say your art has evolved over the last decade?

BAGLEY: I think I’ve improved! I hope so anyway. I really try and just figure out new and better ways to do things. I know my faces and anatomy have gotten better. And I think my story telling is more fluid. I don’t analyze too much, I just continue to draw and see what happens.

That being said, I am trying to incorporate more dramatic usage of negative space and light sources in my work.

JOZIC: Where do you think you would be right now if you hadn’t taken the Ultimate Spider-Man gig?

BAGLEY: That’s a good question. With Ultimate Spidey came a renewed commitment to me from Marvel and the guys buying the book. I had a few years at Marvel where I had some negative energy coming my way from upstairs, but a lot of things have changed, and I’m still here, happier and more grateful to be doing this for a living than ever.

LEBLEU: With the upcoming release of the Avengers/Thunderbolt mini-series is there any chance of you returning to the Thunderbolts in the near future, or is this your last hurrah with the characters?

BAGLEY: I think I’ve had my last hurrah with the T-bolts. I wanted to work with Fabe and Kurt on this, but my Ultimate Spidey schedule really didn’t permit me.

LEBLEU: Which character from the Marvel universe haven’t you drawn that you would really like to take a shot at and why?

BAGLEY: I’ve drawn almost everyone at one time or another, but not enough to get comfortable with many of them. That’s one of the drawbacks to having such long runs on projects. It limits the amount of opportunities you have to work with many different characters and creators.

That being said, The Hulk or The Avengers would be cool.

LEBLEU: In closing, what is the weirdest request somebody ever asked you to draw?

BAGLEY: I don’t know, probably a nekkid Mary Jane Watson. I politely refused - she’s like 15 for God’s sake.

	Sylvain Lebleu is a recent addition to the stable of SBC writers hailing from the icy wastes of Canada. When not interviewing comic book creators or writing the What Looks Good complement for the site, he operates in his secret identity as a mild mannered computer programmer. 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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