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JLS
John: As a career or just in general?
Q: Both.
John: Well, we had read comics in our youth just like other kids, but it was no big deal to us. We weren't collectors. We didn't follow any particular artist, or writer, or company. We just thought they were neat stories with neat art.
Q: Did you have a favorite title or character?
Jason: We liked the old Superman stories of the early 70s.
Q: When did you consider comics as a career?
John: Well, we've always been able to draw; maybe it's a natural talent, maybe we just started early. We've been drawing since we were three years old, so we would like to think we're pretty good at it by now. We love to draw, so we tried to think of how we could make some money at it. It's great to be able to make a living from something you love.
Jason: We didn't always consider comics as a possible job market. It was one of several career choices. We tried illustrating book covers and some animation, but they're both very hard to break into. You have to be really, really good. I suppose we chose comics because we felt opportunities would come along easier in that field and our style of artwork always seemed to be in demand, but we didn't consider comics as a career until after we entered college.
John: We had stopped reading comics when we went into high school. I guess we just concentrated on school work and other things. We kept drawing, but we didn't think about comics. But when we got to college, we were reintroduced to comics by some very good friends of ours.
Q: When did you become interested in anime comics?
Jason: We first became interested in anime cartoons. Of course, we were always interested in cartoons or animation of any kind. Our first real exposure to anime was Star Blazers and Battle of the Planets. Then came Robotech. We never really saw any of the Robotech episodes on telelvision because they were aired in such a ridiculous timeslot, 6:30 a.m. But we had seen Robotech material at conventions, and we had all the novels and Robotech Art books--so I think we're qualified to draw the Sentinels comic book.
Q: How did you get the Sentinels job?
Jason: When we were in college, we did some artwork for a friend who had an idea for a comic book. He wrote it, and we supplied the pencils and inks. He sent the work to Eternity comics. They didn't pick up the title, but they did like the artwork. They wanted us to do the art for a new book they would be publishing soon. They couldn't tell us the name of the comic because they hadn't acquired the rights yet. They said to wait. We waited. The suspense was awful. There we were, waiting to be hired to do a comic book they didn't even have. Sounds promising, doesn't it? What if they didn't get the rights? Would they have us do something else? We hadn't even been signed to any contracts yet.
John: Eventually, they got the rights, and told us it was Robotech II: The Sentinels. Robotech? Was this the same Robotech that had a cartoon series on television, we asked Chris. The same Robotech with a line of models and toys? The same Robotech loved by millions across the country and the world? We were shocked, amazed, and overjoyed. Being Robotech fans ourselves, it was a dream come true. Now we had the chance to draw the famous characters and mecha we'd watched and admired for years. Now it would be our privilege and honor to continue the Robotech saga. And if that wasn't enough, now we had regular work.
Q: How is work, anyway?
John: It's great, although it's not as regular as we'd like it. We really enjoy doing Sentinels, and the readers seem to like what we're doing. That's reassuring considering this is our first comic.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
Jason: To continue doing Sentinels. We'd like to do the entire story, all the way to the end, so when people think of Sentinels, they'll think of us. We'd also like to do a few ideas of our own. We think the Sentinels readers will like them, since they're mostly anime inspired. One idea is called Metal Bikini. It's about girls, spies, and mecha. What more could an anime fan ask? It's funny and has lots of action.
Q: I'm sure everyone is looking forward to seeing more of your work. Is there anything else you'd like to say before closing?
Jason: Yes. We'd like to thank Chris Ulm, Tom Mason, Dave Olbrich, and all the other fine people at Eternity who saw promise in our work and gave us a chance.
John: And thanks to all the fans who have given us such positive feedback and tremendous support. We couldn't have done any of this without you. Thank you.