Humberto Ramos, the artist of Marvel Comics' recently relaunched "Amazing Spider-Man," visited the CBR Yacht at Comic-Con International in San Diego to rap with Jonah Weiland about how he got to the party, the obstacles he faced along the way and why he's the world's luckiest fan. Ramos explains his longtime love of Spider-Man, what it's like to work with series writer Dan Slott and why he doesn't feel any pressure when creating major new characters and adding to the Spider-Man mythos.
On the first book he remembers collecting as a kid: The first book that I collected, that I remember going to the newsstand to buy the next episode was "Spider-Man." That was the one book that hooked me on being a collector and being a comic book fan. My older brother, he used to read the books as I did, but he never got into being a fan, it was like something else to do after school. But I kept being a comic book fan because of Spider-Man.
SPIDER-MANDATE: Nick Lowe Web-Swings with "Amazing Spider-Man"
On whether his parents supported his pursuit of a career in comics: My dad always thought I was going to grow up to be an architect or something like that because I liked drawing, but when I told [my parents] -- not even comic books at the time -- but this career that was called graphic design, he was like, "What the hell is that?" He had never heard of things like that [don't] have to do with numbers or equations or science or something like that. When I explained what the career was all about he was like, "And it's gonna give you money to live off of? How are you gonna support your family when you grow up to have one? Because I don't see a real job there. After a lot of struggling, sometimes arguing, fighting sometimes, he let me go to school and study graphic design.
So I finally got him to the idea of being a graphic designer, but I have a secret agenda. So when I told him, "Dad, there's this thing called San Diego and I need some money. If you can lend me or give me some money to buy a plane ticket, a hotel, blah blah blah to go to San Diego and try out for a work interview." He was like, "Really? Do people actually live off comic books?" "Yeah, and it's a good job. That's what I would like to do because I love comic books." Again, there was some struggling because he was getting used to the idea there were different career options besides the ones he grew up with. He was good enough to lend me some money and I came here to the show back in '92 and I had my first job interview at that time.
On having a backup plan for your career: It's always good to have a backup plan. You have to realize that I come from a different country where my first trip out of Mexico was to the San Diego Comic-Con, and beside that it was my first trip alone. Meaning, I was going on trips with my family, like vacations and that, but it was my very first time that I was alone. I didn't know what to expect here. I had this idea like everybody's gonna be like a genius -- like every other guy is a Jack Kirby, a Stan Lee. I had to be sure that if I didn't make it and do comics, I needed to have a backup plan. That's why I have my career. Luckily, I never had to use [that backup plan].
On working with Dan Slott and the unique energy he brings to any project: It's pretty cool because first, I'm like the luckiest fan ever. I was actually talking with some friends about it earlier today, you have to picture me -- one day I'm a fan of... you name every other guy in the industry, and the next day I'm sitting with them having dinner. And they, surprisingly, like my work, so I'm the luckiest fan ever. In those terms, talking with Dan is knowing what's gonna happen with Spider-Man ahead of time. Any time we Skype like, "Dan, I have a little question about the plot" or some panel that I would like to do this way but I want to ask you your ideas, get your input on this -- it's always like a three-hour chat. Something like that, that I think is gonna take like, I don't know, five minutes tops, ten tops, and no. He ends up going all the way down to what's going to happen in the Spider-Man Universe like three years from now.
It's so cool because he knows all these corners of the character that fans like, regular fans like me, I don't realize that they existed in the first place. And he knows stories and characters and he's like, "Yeah, then it's gonna happen like this and this guy -- but you need to know this is gonna happen because we've building this from years ago," and blah blah blah. And it's so exciting like now, with the upcoming "Spider-Verse," I knew about it like about a year ago. And I was like, "I wanna do that" because having all these Spider-Men from all these different universes, it's like... I don't know, like the golden toy you want to have, being the Spider-Man artist, and a Spider-Man fan. And he's like, "You can't have it... but I'm gonna tell you still!" So it's like kind of a sweet and sour thing because I kind of knew what was happening and it's gonna be like a big, like a huge story, and I've been able to read as well as everybody else, but also it's like, "Aw, gee, I really would have like to draw it." But Olivier [Coipel's] doing an amazing job.
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On the pressure of creating a major new character like Silk: It is a big character. She's gonna be a main character in the Spider-Man Universe from now on. Strangely, I never feel pressure when I get to do stuff with Spider-Man. I remember people asking me about how did I feel when we "killed" Peter Parker in ["Amazing Spider-Man"] #700, I was like, "I don't know..." It was a great book, I knew it was going to make people talk about it, but I never felt any pressure doing it or "killing" him. I feel joy. I feel really, let's say pride, when my editor asked me to redesign or create a character for a book because that makes me feel like they trust me. To me, it's all about my job. I care a lot about my job so if the guys behind the desk trust me I feel okay, and I feel no pressure. Of course, I gotta go back and forth with sketches and ideas, what I would like [Silk] to be. Actually, in this sketchbook that you guys might see already, "My Marvels 2," there's a bunch of sketches I did to design the character. At the end, we came up with this idea that fulfilled all our expectations -- and I mean it's Dan's and Nick [Lowe]'s and Ellie [Pyle]'s and my visions of what the character should look like. And I think she's -- this is the first step on how she's gonna look, so expect more.
Stjepan Šejić has finished it - poster for la mole comic con done
GWEN STACY: SPIDER-WOMAN!
• In one universe, it wasn’t Peter Parker bitten by the radioactive Spider, but Gwen Stacy!
• She’s smart, charming and can lift a car-- Just don’t tell her Police Chief father!
• How is she involved in Spider-Verse? Seeds of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #9 are planted here!
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When Peter Parker accepted the great responsibility that came with his great power, a beacon of hope was lit not just in the Marvel Universe, but on the numerous other parallel worlds that make up the Marvel Multiverse. Though the circumstances that turned Peter into a spider-powered hero played out in different ways and in different times on these parallel earths, the end result was almost always the same: An individual, sometimes a version of Peter, sometimes not, finds themselves endowed with super powers and decides to walk the path of a hero as Spider-Man.
RELATED: Dennis Hopeless Sends "Spider-Woman" to the Front Lines of "Spider-Verse"
Now, returning villain Morlun -- "part of an even bigger thing," according to "Amazing Spider-Man" writer Dan Slott -- is making his way across these realities in an attempt to snuff out every single character to wield spider-powers. "Spider-Verse," the Slott-helmed event, is where every version of Spider-Man will fight an interdimensional war for survival, but before the war begins, readers will meet some of the combatants. This October, Spidey fans will meet a diverse quintet of these alternate reality Wall-Crawlers in the five-issue "Edge of Spider-Verse" miniseries, including an all-new Spider-Woman, an alternate reality incarnation of Peter Parker's murdered girlfriend, Gwen Stacy. She makes her debut in "Edge of Spider-Verse" #2 and we spoke with the creators of that issue -- writer Jason Latour, artist Robbi Rodriguez, and colorist Rico Renzi -- about what they have planned for her.
CBR News: When I did my initial "Edge of Spider-Verse" interview, the character that got one of the biggest reactions and people seemed really excited about was Gwen Stacy as Spider-Woman. Why do you think that is? What is it about Gwen and a world where she became Spider-Woman that has readers excited?
Jason Latour: Well, first I think it's just a great looking character. The bulk of the credit for that goes to Robbi for just nailing it. But it was really important to me, personally and story-wise, that she be as mysterious as Spider-Man was when he first appeared. The gender stuff was secondary. I think that's got a lot to do with the reaction. People are just starved for something even-handed.
Beyond that, there's possibly a bit of catharsis at play. The original Gwen Stacy's death is a thing that many older readers just take for granted as a keystone of who Peter has become. But it happened so long ago that Gwen seems to, at times, almost become faceless, or voiceless. But now that she's re-surfaced in other media and has kind of been given a second life, it's a lot more difficult for folks to swallow. Maybe it should have always been. That's not my case to mount either way. I think people are just genuinely excited about a world where that tragedy played out differently and a character they've grown to love gets a second gasp of air.
Robbi Rodriguez: I'm thinking the take we are going with our Gwen and the outfit helped to seal the deal. With the way Gwen has been handled as of late, I think the audience really really wants a Gwen that's not just a plot point and something more respectable to the origins of the character. Which I think ours is, but with a modern take, examining her under the lens of that eternal struggle -- where do you compromise who you are as a person in order to fit in the mold of what others want out of you? And where do you break from the mold?
Rico Renzi: The response to the book in general and Robbi's costume design has been overwhelming. In the world of online comic fandom, it's always refreshing when people seem genuinely excited about something you're working on. Even people who had their heart broken by her death in the original comics seem excited for this new spin on the character.
Peter Parker was transformed into Spider-Man while he was in high school -- is that be the case for Gwen? In our last interview, you said she was in a band, so her experiences and world view might be very different from Peter's at that age. Does this mean she might not be learning the same lessons about power and responsibility as Peter?
Latour: Our Gwen is in college at Empire State, but the implication is that she's been Spider-Woman for a short while leading up to this story. In that time, there was a traumatic event that has totally re-shaped her life.
A lot of her struggle has to do with the freedom or lack thereof that being an artist or wearing a mask gives her. As a member of her band, she's got to be open and trusting of her collaborators. It's not too dissimilar from the trust of a family. Wearing her mask has opened up her life to use this amazing gift that is her powers freely, but that secret has started to really put pressure on her relationship with both her band and her father.
Robbi, who is Gwen to you, as an artist? Which elements of her character do you really want to capture and bring froward in your depictions of her?
Rodriguez: It took me a bit of time to get grasp on this book. One, because it's a superhero book and it has never been one of my top genres to read, but it also really took examining Gwen and getting in her head to get it. Off the top, she is more based in terms of looks to Debbie Harry, but underneath she's really based on all of my female friends and all our conversations about living under terms that were not set by them. So I guess I'm trying to capture the rebel grrl shell, but also trying to capture the deep thought and philosophy filling.
What inspired the look of her costume?
Renzi: Robbi came up with the costume, colors and all.
Rodriguez: Well, I hated every Spider-Woman costume I've seen so far, and when I was given the opportunity to redesign it, I jumped at the chance. Being a [Alex] Toth disciple, I wanted to make it as simple as possible, but I added more streetwear elements so it doesn't look so ridiculous. The cosplay and fashion communities were a big help in that when it came to researching what works and what doesn't. The hoodie element and everything came together in the final package.
What can you tell us about the supporting cast? What kind of danger is Gwen up against in this tale?
Latour: The real danger, as it turns out, comes from her own father, who is helming the manhunt for Spider-Woman, for a crime she didn't commit -- at least, one she didn't commit directly. But lumbering straight towards them both is a second threat, who's decided that Captain Stacy has to go. Gwen's very strange situation is only going to get stranger when she's forced to defend the man who wants her in jail.
How important is Gwen's father, Captain Stacy, in this story? Does his role as a police officer create some conflict for his daughter, a costumed vigilante? And what kind of cop is he in the world that this Gwen hails from?
Latour: It's not really necessary to know much, if anything, about the 616 Captain Stacy. What matters here is how he's raised Gwen and the expectations he's placed upon her. He's a man who maybe shares some of the same qualities as the Parkers, but at the end of the day, he's actively put it upon himself to do what he feels it takes to protect his community.
What would he do if he realized he had it all wrong? That his daughter's the one in the mask, and that in some strange way he's lead her down this path? That's kind of at the core of this. Great power and great responsibility isn't just a line authority figures can throw around. They have to live it too.
What can you tell us about the look and feel of Gwen's world? Is it pretty similar to the 616, or does the world that Gwen lives and operates in have a decidedly different feel?
Rodriguez: It's far different from the NYC of the regular Marvel Universe. That's what we are going for if we are dealing with alternate worlds; more colorful, more streamlined. Even the inhabitants that readers know have a new take on them.
Renzi: Jason turned in a really fun script, so I tried to keep the colors in that vein. Robbi's artwork is so energetic and lively, I can't help but get swept up in that energy.
What's it like, being part of the "Edge of Spider-Verse," team? Jason, Which aspects of Robbi and Rico's work do you find most enjoyable as a writer? Robbi and Rico, how does it feel to being working with your "FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics" collaborator on a big Marvel project?
Latour: There's a lot of great qualities about Robbi's work, but what really transcends is his excitement. When he's fired up, it really leaps out of the page at you. But unlike most big moment artists, he also really excels at finding the inner life of the characters. That's a really underrated skill, almost a lost art. It's a joy to write for someone who makes that kind of effort to get into the skin of what he's doing.
As for Rico, he just has the type of brain that really attacks a story in terms of what's interesting and compelling. I love working with him, especially as a writer. It's just invaluable to have a colorist on board who understands what makes comic books work and isn't putting himself in front of that.
Rodriguez: It's a new challenge, which what I am always looking for. I didn't think it was such a big deal 'til all the buzz about Spider-Gwen started showing up. But I keep that out of my mind in order make the best project I can and treat it as a personal project and not just a paycheck. Bringing Rico with me was an added bonus, because we have an unspoken understanding on the look and feel of the project. If you'd enjoyed his "FBP" work, then this issue will blow you away .
Renzi: Jason and Robbi are like family to me, and Nick Lowe giving us so much freedom to put our spin on some beloved Marvel characters has been a blast.
EXCLUSIVE ART: Latour, Rodriguez and Renzi are all game to return for more adventures starring Gwen, should reader demand call for it
"Spider-Verse" is essentially a war story, so there's no guarantee Gwen Stacy will survive. But if she does, would you be interested in telling more stories with her?
Renzi: Of course! I'd love to do more Gwen stories with Jason and Robbi!
Latour: Absolutely. I'm not involved in the grander strokes of "Spider-Verse," so I don't know what the big plans are, but I do know she'll be making a couple of appearances in Dennis Hopeless' new "Spider-Woman" book, and I'm thrilled by that. Dennis is going to do fun things with her. If she's around after all the dust clears, and everyone seems to want it, I think there's probably more that could be said. So long as it's natural and in keeping with the tone we're trying to establish.
Rodriguez: I think we all would, deep down. I think we all have a bit more to say with her, but I guess that's really up to the readers to make this issue a hit, and the powers that be. I hope we gave the reading audience a Spider-Woman that's more than just background filler, or just a character whose sole existence was to fill in a copyright hole.
• Witness another secret chapter from the first days of Spider-Man!
• What started off as fun-and-games for new villain Clash turns deadly serious.
• As if that weren't enough, a classic Spider-Man villain joins in on the fun!
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Bendis posted this preview of MM: Ultimate Spider-Man #5 on his tumbler.
Superior Spider-Man isn't only back, he's leading a team of spiders from across the multiverse! Check out this exclusive first look as Otto tries to show why he's superior!
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #33
CHRISTOS N. GAGE & DAN SLOTT (W)
GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI (A/C)
VAriant cover by Mike Del mundo
EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE
• The Superior Spider-Man takes the fight to Karn, the man working his way through the multiverse, leaving a trail of dead spiders in his wake, but finds himself hopefully over-powered.
• Can Sup’ Spidey find enough allies to make a dent in Karn?
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