Joss Whedon

Warren Ellis has referred to John Cassaday as an illustration god and I think I would be hard pressed to argue that point. The quality of artistry and design in John’s body of work is unflinching, and his tendency to repeatedly hook up with the industry’s best writers and projects puts him in a constant position to let his talents shine.

John’s current activities include bringing the X-Men back to life with the able assistance of Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator, Joss Whedon, as well as his more-or-less regular gig with the aforementioned Warren Ellis on Planetary, the mind-tripping, time-spanning, universe-bending series from DC’s Wildstorm imprint.

And if you’re not reading either book, you really should give them a go. You won’t be disappointed!

While I still have your attention, I should also qualify that, due to some scheduling issues, the bulk of this interview was conducted a few months ago - shortly before the debut of Astonishing X-Men - with the last few bits added on a week or so ago. So, although this week marks the North American release of his Humanoids collaboration with writer Fabien Nury, I Am Legion, there is not a single question regarding that book in this interview. A little embarrassing, sure, but the existing interview material already out there on the topic, including Humanoids own website, is more than enough to whet any appetites not quite satisfied by the following.

FORM OVER FUNCTION

MIKE JOZIC: How did you come to be involved with Astonishing X-Men? Did Joss specifically ask for you, or did Marvel editorial hunt you down?

JOHN CASSADAY: Ah, serendipity. Joe Quesada was pitching me something - something I had to say no to. Before the conversation was over, I made a vague mention that at some point I’d probably want to give X-Men a shot. I didn’t mean this year or any time soon, just at some point. That same day at the convention, Joe had mentioned X-Men to Joss. Joe was also aware that Joss and I already knew each other and had talked about getting a project together. So he ran with the ball and we met up a couple of weeks later.

He pitched me the idea, Joss was involved, other details came around and POOF! Here we are.

JOZIC: Considering how many mutant books there are on the shelves these days, what do you think differentiates it, and the first storyline - "Gifted" - from the other ’reloaded’ books in the X-Universe?

CASSADAY: If you’ve never read an X-Men comic, you can pick this up and enjoy it. We’re using the continuity to our advantage, but not sub-referencing the past so much so that the reader has no fucking clue what’s going on. We’re trying to boil it down to the essence of what everyone loves so much about these characters.

JOZIC: From an art standpoint, are you approaching the book any differently than you would any of your other projects?

CASSADAY: I try to approach every project a little differently. Some allow more of a chance to experiment than others. This is the first time I’ve really done a big team book, so I’m looking at it in a more epic sense of scale.

JOZIC: Is that in reference to the number of characters that will become involved or the type of story you and Joss are hoping to tell?

CASSADAY: Both. The stories get bigger as we go, which you’ll soon see.

JOZIC: There were, and probably still are, a lot of people in the online community that bemoan the change back to the spandex uniforms. Why go for the more “super-heroey” look to the team and away from the more functional suits?

CASSADAY: They don’t need functional outfits. They have powers. Joss’ story deals with the "why?" of the costume argument. The team has very specific reasons for suiting up in costumes - costumes, not uniforms. I like the leather look of the movies and Grant’s run, but for the comic, it’s time to shake things up. My designs deal with the costumes looking less like painted-on spandex, and looking more realistic. I’m keeping it as simple as possible.

Early on, certain parties at Marvel were looking at having the characters loaded up with all sorts of pouches and extra belts and...stuff - pointless stuff, in my mind. I did away with practically all of that and streamlined the outfits. These people are about what they can do, themselves. They don’t need pouches and five armbands and headbands and six buckles on their head. You get the idea. All along I wanted to bring the designs back to what they were in the first place. I think we’ve gotten too far away from the simplistic beauty of the original designs.

JOZIC: In the past Joss has been a pretty hands-on guy when it comes to translating his words to images. Have you been working closely with him on Astonishing, or do you actually have quite a bit of freedom to let loose and do what you do best?

CASSADAY: We talk, but I’ve got lots of freedom on the book. Joss is mostly hands off, but if he’s got a concern, we talk it over and vice versa. I think because of his years of working in television with so many writers and crews, he understands the collaboration process very well.

JOZIC: I noticed that in the Marvel Previews book, your Cyclops sketch is dated 11-17-03. How long were you actively working on developing Astonishing before the books release?

CASSADAY: Marvel approached me last summer and while I toyed with ideas, I didn’t start putting them on paper until I agreed to do the book. The Cyclops sketch was one of the first.

FREEDOM TO REACH

JOZIC: I wanted to talk about Captain America for a bit. I know he was something of a dream character for you to work on, but was there anything else that drew you to that project?

CASSADAY: Having freedom with the character - no pun - was key. With it being under the Marvel Knights banner, we were getting a lot of room to play.

We poured ourselves into it and it’s there on paper and I’m immensely proud of it. That will always be an unforgettable time for me.

JOZIC: Was it your idea to pattern your covers after war propaganda posters?

CASSADAY: Guilty as charged. It was the right thing to do. It was the crazy controversial thing to do. I liked both reasons and ran with it. Readers were not sure what to make of it all and people were talking - that’s what you strive for.

JOZIC: Your run on Cap dealt with pretty strong thematic material rather than just being a straight-on action/adventure story. Did that alter your approach to the story from an artistic standpoint?

CASSADAY: I did what I felt was appropriate for the character and the time. Big operatic scenes mixed with heavy human emotions - sometimes dark, sometimes angry.

JOZIC: When you’re doing action sequences, you somehow manage to distill the character moments from out of the chaos and really focus on those rather than just trying to choreograph the coolest scene with the kickiest visuals. Is that something that comes to you direct from the writer and the scripts, or does that happen when you translate the ideas to the penciled page?

CASSADAY: Whether the writer indicates that or not, I feel it’s necessary. Even if it’s Superman lifting the Daily Planet building to the moon, I wanna see the emotion on his face. I’d say Captain America #6 is a good example of that.

JOZIC: Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done differently on Cap, or are you quite happy with your work on that title?

CASSADAY: I wish Rieber had been given more of a free hand near the end of our six issues, but it’s a minor thing. I’m very proud.

JOZIC: And you were only ever scheduled to do the six issues with the possibility of returning for more in the future, right?

CASSADAY: I only signed on to do the first six issues. But Joe made it clear to me that he’d like me back whenever possible. It’s open-ended.

JOZIC: With Astonishing on the go and Planetary still chugging along, do you think there is really any chance you will ever return to Cap?

CASSADAY: I definitely have a plan for Cap in the future. He’s the character closest to my heart, if I have one.

MOVING BEYOND THE 20th CENTURY

JOZIC: In regards to Planetary, I’ve heard that the series may live beyond its initially projected run of 25 issues. What prompted that decision and how much farther do you and Warren hope to go with it?

CASSADAY: Just a few extra issues. Up to 27 or 28, as of now. The simple fact is that we’re gonna need more room to end it. There’s no point in rushing the ending and cramming it all in when we’ve taken such care with pacing throughout the series.

JOZIC: How involved are you with generating the stories for Planetary? Do you have a lot of input from the get-go, or are the scripts just as fresh for you as they are for us when we get our hands on them?

CASSADAY: For the most part, they’re all Warren and very fresh to me. I enjoy getting in a new script and tearing through it. There is an upcoming issue that I sparked the idea for, though. It’ll be a western tale of sorts.

JOZIC: Can you talk a bit more about that issue? Which pop culture character will it be a riff on if any...that sort of thing?

CASSADAY: That particular issue came from a conversation Warren and I had about what genres we hadn’t tackled and I threw out the idea of the Western story. A specific Western story. That’s all you get, I’m afraid. It’s one I’m tremendously looking forward to.

JOZIC: When you get a Planetary script from Warren, what is your process for tackling the visuals? Is there a lot of research involved in re-imagining the characters from other companies or literature?

CASSADAY: It’s different from issue to issue. The best part is that I’m not recreating, I’m re-imagining. So there is loads of freedom from that standpoint, but still plenty of research to be done to make sure I’m getting it right.

JOZIC: How much time do you actually spend on research, or designing some of the trippier characters, objects and effects for the book?

CASSADAY: There’s no single answer to that question. It varies with every issue. Generally, as long as I have the basic idea in my head, I just go with it and design it mostly out of inspiration. We’re free to make it our own.

JOZIC: Because of late books in your past, I think a lot of people assume that, like Art Adams or Travis Charest, it takes a while to do what you do. Is that an accurate assumption or are you actually faster than people give you credit for?

CASSADAY: No, I’d cop to it if it were accurate, but the fact is, the vast majority of late books have had little or nothing to do with me. Without bragging, I can tell you that I’m quite fast. Fact is, I do more than 12 issues a month worth of work every year but scripts can be irregular, so I’ve had to do other projects to keep busy. Count the pages.

JOZIC: Does that affect you when you see readers or fans complain about the lateness of a book?

CASSADAY: It bothers me when I’m not to blame but y’know, the stories don’t write themselves and not all stories can be hashed out on a monthly basis by a writer. I’m fine with that.