An Interview With The Creators Of Comics, Art & Illustration Podcast: Sidebar

Anyone following zero2illo for a while will have noticed me singing the praises of the Sidebar podcast on more than a few occasions. If you’re a fan of art, illustration, comics and great interviews with the giants in those fields, you (like me) will more than likely already be an avid listener. If not, what are you waiting for?

The podcast is the creation of Swain Hunt and Dwight Clark, along with Adrian Johnson who recently joined the team. The three hosts are brilliant at putting their guests at ease and getting the best out of their interview subjects. It’s clear that all three hosts are passionate about art and this shines through in the intelligent, eloquent and super informative conversations they strike up with their guests.

I thought it was about time we got to know a little more about the hosts of the show, so here goes…

Could you each introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about where your love of comics, art and illustration came from?

Swain: Sure. My name is Swain Hunt. I grew up in Chicago, Illinois and after my parents split up, I moved to Atlanta with my mom and my sister. I’ve pretty much been in Georgia ever since. I was always drawing as a kid and in the months before we left Chi, my father would give me these huge bags of comics that he got from this guy up the street. Ricky was the guy’s name. Not real sure what Ricky’s deal was (ha), but once I put the drawing and comics together—boom, it was true love! Years later, your N.C. Wyeths, Gustav Klimts and Al Parkers all came into the picture.

Dwight: Hello, my name is Dwight Clark and I’m an art addict. My first comics were given to me by my father when I was 7 years old in Chicago. He managed a store that sold them in plastic bags for 4 for $1.00. That’s right, .25 a piece! Needless to say, whatever allowance I would get would be spent on comics. All of my buddies in Chicago read, collected and traded them.

My first experience with the creation of comics was watching my uncle sketch an awesome THOR. It was in a turned foreshortened upshot so that the hammer and hands where the focal point. I don’t have that picture anymore, but it’s still very vivid in my memory! From that point on I started drawing my own little versions of every comic character I liked at that time. Mostly Marvel characters and some early Japanese animation (Speed Racer).

My first exposure to illustration had to be Bob Peak, though I had no idea who was doing those incredible TV Guide covers back then. And I think RollerBall was the first time I ever wanted to see a movie based on seeing the ad or poster in a newspaper. Syd Mead and Ralph McQuarrie were also an awakening for me. Their interpretation and speculations on realistic future-scapes still loom in my consciousness to this day.

Adrian: My name is Adrian Johnson. Growing up, I wanted to be a writer. By the time I got to 7th Grade, I discovered I could draw a little. And though my mom was buying me comics every so often from the grocery store as a child, I got into comics proper at age 13 and with my own money from summer jobs.

My huge passion for comics and wanting to learn how to draw led me to the Art Institute of Atlanta. There, I soaked up the fact that there were other people just like me there. But the bigger tipping point was finding out about classic artists through the library at the Art Institute. Discovering the works of Mucha, Klimt and so many others lit a fire inside me that burns to this day…

What made you guys decide to start the Sidebar podcast and how did it all come together?

Swain: Okay, Dwight and I have been friends since we were probably 17 and 18 years old. He hates when I say that. We actually met on the bus coming from a comic shop, so we’ve been having geeky conversations literally all of our lives. Not just about comics either. Back in 2007, we both got iPods, discovered podcasts and then of course, comics podcasts. Surprisingly, some of them were not so awesome. So we dove in and gave it a shot ourselves.

Surprisingly, our first effort was not so awesome! But after time, it got a little better. And it didn’t take long before we realized, “Hey, we don’t wanna buy 800 comics a week and just talk about that. We love art. Let’s interview artists and talk about something we can go on and on about.” And honestly, at this point, I feel like SiDEBAR is way more connected to the art community at large, and not just our love of comics.

We asked Adrian to join the show shortly after we met him through our now defunct message board. He was a listener and in between his brilliant points on the boards, he let it be known that he was local and had been an employee at a comic shop Dwight and I had both frequented. We were like, “Cool.”

Once Adrian sat in on a few of our roundtable shows, we felt a kinship with him. It seemed like home. So we asked him to sign up and he said, “Maybe. Lemme think about it.”

Dwight: Yes, it’s true. Swain and I have known each other for a super long time. And we did meet on a bus ride, but it was going to, not coming from the local comic shop here in Atlanta (ha, ha). We’ve been having these conversations for years and after getting introduced to iPods and podcasts, I think the idea of doing one started to germinate for both of us.

We listened around to a lot of different shows and tried to think about what would be our approach. We found a lot of exuberance, but also a lot of repetition, so we felt right at home. I kid (mostly). We tried to be comics reviewers, making fun little games that people would want to chime in on, but it just wasn’t interesting to us. Plus, other shows were further along with hundreds of episodes filled with that stuff. We couldn’t keep that afloat very long, so naturally, we gravitated towards our center. Which has always been the art and those who create it.

When we decided to upgrade to SiDEBAR 2.0, as it were, we presented Adrian with an offer he couldn’t refuse. Like long hours doing research (and not getting paid), traveling to exotic locals (and not getting paid), and generally hanging out with us while we’re not getting paid. He accepted and it’s been vanglorious ever since! But all kidding aside, he brings top notch and fluidic insights to our pitiful little band. Adrian has so much to offer. We’ve barely scratched the surface of his abilities. Wait till you see…

You’ve had so many great guests so far. If I may put you on the spot, which ones have stood out for you?

Swain: Drew Struzan stands out to me because the guy is a friggin’ giant in the world of illustration. Dwight and I are such big fans. And Drew had no business accepting a phone call from two art nerds with only 1 and 1/2 episodes under their belts. We were as green as green could be.

Another would be the Toth tribute. Super fun because Alex Toth is a hands down fav of mine and also because we got a chance to chat with so many different creators. He was a hero of theirs just like he was a hero of mine.

Dwight: I agree with Swain. Drew Struzan was probably the most incredible and freakish highlight of our short-lived show at the time. After him, Bernie Wrightson and then, Rudy Gutierrez, Phil LaMarr, Iain McCaig.

Adrian: George Pratt (+ part 2), Ho Che Anderson and Rudy Gutierrez

Who is on each of your top 3 hit list for future guests and why?

Swain:

For me, David Mazzucchelli—hands down. After much Internet stalking, and I mean much (restraining order style), I got his email address back in ’07 and started writing and asking him to come on with us. He politely said no, but was flattered that I asked. So I asked again the next year. Still said no. And the year after that. Nope. Asterios Polyp was announced. I’m thinking, “Surely Dave will wanna promote his new project. A perfect opportunity, right?” Negatory. Not even a, “Lemme think about it” like Adrian gave us. It’s been a tough pill to swallow since I love the guy’s work so much, but I think eventually it’ll happen. Probably after the restraining order is lifted. **fingers crossed**

Dwight:

I would love to have Ralph McQuarrie on! His list of artistic achievements are legendary. I’ve written him several times through his website, but never received a response of any kind. We’ve had guests on that are acquaintances of his that have lead us to believe it probably won’t happen for several reasons. Not the least of which being his age.

I also have high hopes for us interviewing Richard Corben one day and Chris Achilleos…we’ll see.

Adrian:

Howard Chaykin - Instead of asking the man about American Flagg for the one millionth time, I would love to inquire about his time as a young turk in the 1970s working with the likes of Neal Adams, Gil Kane, and Wally Wood. While he may come across as very bracing, I find him very fascinating.

Rob Liefeld - It probably will not happen, but I personally feel that Liefeld has a story to tell. Look past the ‘Rob’ persona and all the jokes on the merits of his artwork, and realize that this guy was a multi-millionaire by the age of 21 and remains so based solely on his comic book creations. Liefeld was the poster child for an entire era of comics history that I think people give short shrift.

The Hernandez Brothers - I know that they are 3 guests (counting Mario), but Gilberto and Jaime are perhaps the godfathers of contemporary independent comics with Love and Rockets. Though they are universally acclaimed for L&R, I do tend to feel that they are under-appreciated for their ongoing contributions to the medium. Plus it would be interesting find out what other interests Los Hernandez Brothers have outside of L&R.