Interviews

An interview with Green Lantern Corps penciller Patrick Gleason

By Patrick Bérubé
January 11, 2010 - 05:00

Comic Book Bin: Before talking about your involvement in the Green Lantern universe, can you tell us a bit about your past work and how it influenced the way you draw now?

Patrick Gleason: Sure, I guess that depends on how far in the past you want to go back. My school teachers could tell you about a lot of it since they confiscated a bunch of my earliest masterpieces. Really there was no unusual influences that I can think of, I really just had a pretty basic upbringing and I guess in there somewhere I first got the drawing bug. Basically when I was a kid I really wanted to draw comic strips. You know like Garfield or whatever. Farside was my favorite. So I guess I just started to teach myself to draw in a very simple way, maximizing the little space that I had to get across the punchline. I did have some comic books, just ones my parents or somebody would pick up for me, I remember an old worn out Captain Carrot, some Spider-Man, MAD magazine and a few read along Transformer books and stuff like that. But I never really had any money so I would watch a lot of free cartoons. Well that was me and my friends. Sometime in junior high I was shown a "real" comic book and I was amazed at the level of artwork and depth of emotion that could be produced. My best friend and I started immediately tracing, copying and basically just teaching ourselves how to draw in a stylized way by imitating our favorite artists. When I started getting pro work I just continued on my journey as a growing artist. Trying new things, experimenting, using whatever came to mind to try and get something cool looking on the page.

CBB: Along with Geoff Johns, you are one of the pillar of the Green Lantern universe right now. In fact, you have been the artist on Green Lantern Corps since it's relaunch in 2006 and you are now the only one left of the original team. How have you lived through all the creative changes that have happened since? Was it hard for you?

P.G.: So I'm the last man standing? Do I win a prize? Seriously, I have had other offers along the way but when it came down to it, Well, I can tell you I just was having too much fun. Green Lantern Corps has had everything I have wanted to draw in a comic book. It really has limitless potential and I like that. It has been perfect for me. And it really doesn't hurt to have been relentlessly plagued by awesome writers. Dave Gibbons, Geoff Johns, Keith Champagne and now Peter Tomasi have all left their distinct and substantial marks on the title. I can honestly say I loved each and every opportunity to work with all of them. The transitions between writers was pretty painless for me. Everyone got along and it has been a very collaborative book and that always keeps it fun.

CBB: When DC Comics first assigned you to Green Lantern Corps, did you think the title would become ongoing and that you would end up penciling it for more than three years?

P.G.: Ongoing? Well, it seemed pretty obvious after the first couple issues of Recharge hit that this book was only getting started. As for being the penciler for three years I just took it as it came. One day at a time.

CBB: As I mentioned above, you are one of the pillar of the Green Lantern universe. How does it feel to be part of one of the best selling lines of DC Comic books? Do you feel any pressure because of that?

P.G.: Well, there's always pressure to keep the bar at least as high as the last issue, and we've been doing a lot of bar raising, so yeah, there's pressure. But really I'm just glad people are enjoying the books and all the work that we all have put into making them something memorable.

CCB: The current storyline, Blackest Night, is huge in scope and needed a lot of newer characters. How much were you involved with the new designs, the new Corps members, etc.?

P.G.: I love to design stuff. People, aliens, planets you name it. So yeah I get to do a lot. I was asked to tweek Kryb and make her as terrifying as I could, I designed Miri and the Star Sapphires home world, Daxam, I felt like we did a lot of heavy lifting during the lead in to Blackest night. You could read GL or Blackest night by themselves but if you hadn't read corps you would miss a lot. Mogul is the biggest example. He was our major focus for the better part of a year. He wrought a lot of carnage before showing up in GL to be defeated by Sinestro.

In GLC we also revealed Soranik Natu as Sinestro's daughter, we had a lot of development with the Star Sapphires and their home world, Kryb and the Gardians and Scar.

CBB: If I'm right you are sharing your studio with Doug Mahnke penciler of the “regular” Green Lantern title. Does it help create a synergy when you work every day with an artist on the same corner of the DC Universe?

P.G.: I don't know about "Synergy" Chaos is more accurate. But the good kind. We like to bounce Ideas, or ask opinions on a page or layout. But I think at times it can get competitive for me too.

CBB: I know that most artists do not like to be asked what are their plans but would you like to stay on Green Lantern Corps after Blackest Night wraps up or would you rather do something else entirely? Any creator-owned projects?

P.G.: There's a LOT more things out there that I'd like to do. Sometimes I have to stop myself from just day dreaming of all the possibilities. Things I want to draw, write, design. I have a lot of cool stuff I can't wait to try out when the time is right. It's just a matter of when and where. 'One day at a time' I guess would be my answer. It's worked well so far.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12