Bright-Raven: Congratulations on the completion of your first miniseries with Arcane Comics, Patrick. A lot of small press companies these days don't even make it out of the starting gate.

Patrick Blaine: Thanks! We are very proud of how the miniseries turned out. Like any new company, there were a lot of kinks that needed ironing out along the way, but the group of talented guys that I have been privileged to work with has made it a lot of fun!

BR: Can you tell us how you became involved with Arcane Comics?

PB: Sure! I was aware of the work they were doing through a buddy of mine, Andy Owens, who was inking the (original) first issue of Soul Sorcerer at the time. When the position of penciler opened up, Andy encouraged me to show Eric Seaton (Publisher / Writer for Arcane Comics) some of my work. So I did a two page pinup which Andy inked, and submitted it to Eric. He seemed to like it, and had me do four pages from the script for issue #4 as sort of a "tryout". From there, I took over as regular penciler as of issue #2.

BR: While to many comics readers you would be considered a newcomer in this business, you've been working in the industry for a number of years. Though SOUL SORCERER is perhaps your first hi - profile project, could you tell us a little bit about your history as a comics professional?

PB: Actually, like a lot of industry pros, I started out as an assistant to Chance Wolf (snickers- Inside joke...hehehe)! Jason Gorder and I would help out Chance from time to time, as we all lived in the same general area. Chance was inking Image Comics' ShadowHawk then, right at the height of Image Mania! I would do some pencil assists, and Jason would do ink assists. We all became good friends, and when Jim Valentino started to look for a new penciler / inker team for a ShadowHawk spinoff called "The Others", Chanced helped present samples of my pencils and Jason's inks to Jim. When I got a phone call from Jim saying we got the job, I could barely speak! Those Image founders were like movie stars to us back then, and I felt I had just gotten cast in the lead role of the next Steven Spielberg movie!

I did a fill-in issue on ShadowHawk #15, which spun off into four issues of "The Others". After that, I did some odds and ends for various companies, including some Pitt Trading Cards for Full Bleed, a Spawn Pinup (issue #36) for Todd McFarlane, a little bit of movie prop art, and a spot of animation character design work. I also did some work for Antarctic Press (Warrior Nun: Black & White), Avatar Press (Threshold), and Bolt Entertainment (some toy design work), before coming to Arcane.

BR: As you worked for Jim Valentino early on in your career, I would presume he is one of your influences on some level. Who are some of your other influences, both creatively and professionally?

PB: Boy, this list could go on forever! My initial influences were the guys I grew up reading: John Byrne, Neal Adams, George Perez, Michael Golden, & Art Adams. When I first started to try and break in, I was primarily influenced by the Image founders and Dale Keown. Then came the second wave of huge Image talent in the form of Travis Charest, J. Scott Campbell, Aaron Weisenfeld, Scott Clark, Matt Broome, Greg Capullo and the Top Cow explosion of Dave Finch, Michael Turner, Billy Tan and Joe Benitez. I also love works by Joe Quesada, Bryan Hitch, Alex Ross, JG Jones, Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons & Joe Maduriera. There's also Chinese comic artists Khoo Fuk Lung & Tony Wong; Europeans like Claudio Castellini, Freazzato, Moebius, Bilal and Manara; Filipino artists like Nestor Redondo and Rudy Nebres; Japanese artists Katsuhiro Otomo, Masamune Shirow and Masame Obari. OK, I'd better stop before I name every comic artist who ever lived! (Laughs)

BR: What, in your mind, is the "draw" to SOUL SORCERER as a concept? What made you decide to become the penciler for the series?

PB: Well, from the outset, I could tell that Soul Sorcerer was a labor of love for Eric Seaton. He is determined to make it a book he can be proud of, and puts a lot of time and energy into making sure the production values stay consistent with top industry standards. It is very rare to see a brand new company with this much on the ball right from the start.

BR: You're committed to SOUL SORCERER for at least twelve more issues. Are there any characters in the mainstream you'd like a crack at? Or are you more interested in working on creator-owned concepts in the future?

PB: Although a creator-owned book is definitely already in the works, I would love to leave my thumbprint on some of my favorite heroes. As a boy, I dreamt of the day I could draw the Hulk, and have somebody actually PAY me to do it! I would also have a blast with the Fantastic Four, as well. And I think that everyone would like their chance to influence the "lives" of the icons like Superman and Batman.

BR: How about creators?

PB: I would love to work with Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Neil Gaiman.... any of those wacky British / European types.

BR: You and everyone else, Pat. <Grin>

PB: (Laughs) Hey, why not?

ON WORK PRACTICES

BR: What is your daily work schedule like?

PB: I tend to work weird hours. It fluctuates, but I try to do 5 pages a week or a page a day when I can. One page can take anywhere from 5 to 15 hours, depending on what's on the page.

BR: Those are pretty long hours. How do you balance a home / social life with that kind of schedule?

PB: What are those? (Laughs)

BR: Describe the process you go through when drawing a page.

PB: I get the script, read through the page carefully and pick out the dramatic "high points". Then I do a small "thumbnail" sketch to layout the panels, figures, and space for word balloons. When I am happy with the layout, I take the Bristol board and rough in the panels and the figures. Sometimes it will completely change at this point, as I think of ways to improve the layout and storytelling. Once it is laid out, then the fun begins. I crank up the tunes and start drawing!

BR: You've had a number of inkers who have worked on SOUL SORCERER in various capacity, from covers to interior art. Does that affect how you pencil the book? Will the regular series have a regular inker?

PB: I am a pretty tight penciler, so I haven't changed my pencils too much. But once I get to know an inker's strengths, I can be a little looser on some things like textures, and just let them have fun. I have been fortunate enough to have worked with many incredible inkers.

The upcoming regular series will be inked by a good friend of mine, Mark Stegbauer, who shared the work in the miniseries alongside another friend of mine, Pierre-Andre Dery.

BR: What tools / materials do you work with? Are you one of those artists who needs quiet while they work, or do you play music in the background or have the television running while drawing?

PB: I use a lead holder with 4H lead on Strathmore 400-500 Series 2 or 3-ply Bristol Board, which I cut and blue-line myself. When I am reading the script and doing thumbnail layouts, I like quiet. But after that I love music while I draw. Different music helps for drawing different things. Movie musical scores are the best! I recently had to draw some giant cathedrals, so I popped in the Batman movie soundtrack and I felt like I was in (Tim Burton's) Gotham City. If I am drawing big monsters bashing about, I like hard stuff like Tool and Rammstein. TV is too distracting.

ON THE COMICS SCENE

BR: What comics are you reading, Patrick?

PB: I'm mostly getting my brains blown out by the majesty that is Ellis/Hitch/Neary/Depuy on AUTHORITY. Anything Alan Moore does. Some Top Cow books, some Marvel Knights books and the Cliffhanger books.

BR: The 1990s have been a decade of turmoil for the comics industry. As we enter the new millennium, what changes do you think will come about?

PB: That is a tough one. I can already see guys making an attempt to marry comics and the Internet. But for me, comics are about owning art on paper. I think we will see a lot more cross-pollination between comics and film. Hopefully there will be another good comic related movie franchise that might reawaken interest in comics not only in children, but adults as well. America still views comics and animation as stuff for kids, while the rest of the world see them as true art forms. Hopefully, the new millennium will see American attitudes come closer to the rest of the world's.

BR: What is the best piece of advice anyone ever gave to you in this business? What would be the best advice you would give to an aspiring creator?

PB: Never, EVER give up. Find what you like to do, then find a way to get someone to PAY you to do it. Draw from life, and don't let any amount of rejection slow you down.

Oh yeah - - and try to become Chance Wolf's assistant. (Laughs)

BR: Thanks for spending some time with us, Patrick. For more information about Arcane Comics and their title PROPHECY OF THE SOUL SORCERER, visit the Arcane Comics website at www.soulsorcerer.com.