Follow

    Phil Hester

    Person » Phil Hester is credited in 866 issues.

    Phil Hester is a writer and artist that has worked for several comic companies. He created the character The Wretch, published by Caliber Comics and Slave Labor Graphics; he also co-created Firebreather, published independently and co-created Mia Dearden in Green Arrow by DC Comics. He was the artist on the Irredeemable Ant-man, & wrote parts of the 3rd volume of the Darkness series.

    Short summary describing this person.

    No recent wiki edits to this page.

    Phil lives in rural Iowa with his wife and two children. He began working in comics while attending The University of Iowa. He graduated with a BFA in drawing with minors in sculpture and painting. He has worked for nearly every comic book publisher in his career.

    Phil’s past work includes: Swamp Thing, The Crow: Waking Nightmares, The Coffin, The Wretch (‘96 Eisner Nominee), The Creeper, Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Brave Old World, Fringe, Rust, Taboo, The Picture Taker, Attitude Lad, Deadline USA, Negative Burn, Clerks: The Lost Scene, Deep Sleeper, Green Arrow, Nightwing, El Diablo, Gen 13, The Irredeemable Ant-Man, Marvel Team-Up, Black Terror, The Anchor, Golly!, Wonder Woman, The Darkness, Green Hornet, Seraph, Firebreather, The Bionic Man and lots, lots more.

    He is nice and likes nice people.

    G-Man interviews Phil Hester

    December 2007

    G-Man: Let's start with The Darkness #1. We find Jackie in Central America

    in a place called Sierra Muñoz. Why the change of scenery? A way to

    get away from the events of First Born? Is this a way for Jackie to be

    "free" to be on his own?

    Phil Hester: All of the above. Jackie's dual lives come to a head at the same time

    and it's clear to him that the events of First Born make for a natural

    breaking away moment. It's an interesting choice, because on the

    surface it looks like he's just running away from himself again, and

    maybe he is, but once you get a look at what he's up to in Sierra Munoz

    you might come away with the impression that he's actually starting to

    take his criminal ambitions and his supernatural powers more seriously.

    G-Man: Interesting. How much time passes between First Born and #1?

    About six months.

    Phil: How much time passes between First Born and #1?

    About six months.

    G-Man: Will we see any crossovers with Sara Pezzini, Witchblade, the baby, or

    Angelus?

    Phil: Someday, but the first arc (1-6) will be self-contained. I think our

    first guest star will actually be Aphrodite IX.

    G-Man: How many issues (or story arcs) do you have planned out?

    Phil: The first year and a half or so. The first arc is a hard six, and the

    next arc has a little more wiggle room as it's composed of one or two

    issue arcs that all tie together.

    G-Man: Darkness Levels (mini-series) seemed to slightly change Jackie's

    origin. I think I read Marc Silvestri saying that both histories were

    true. Is that the case with you? Can we go with Levels as his origin

    or does that take place in an "alternate" universe for the video game?

    Phil: I think The Darkness has actually been around long enough that his

    origin is almost Batman-like, meaning as long as you stay true to the

    core concepts of the character's origin you can tweak it here and there

    as the years pass and not really mess things up.

    G-Man: With the popularity of the video game, any new word on a Darkness

    movie? (Think it was first announced in 2004. Does Dimension Films

    still own the rights?) Would you be a consultant?

    Phil: I'm clueless on this one, so I wouldn't count on me being any sort of

    consultant regarding a film. I think Marc would have that role.

    G-Man: What's it like working with new superstar, Michael Broussard?

    Phil: You nailed it. He's a budding superstar. What can I say? It's a joy to

    watch the new pages roll in. His work is absolutely dazzling.

    G-Man: What kind of script/direction do you give him? Detailed? Panel by

    panel, "this is what I want," or description of what should happen on

    each page and then you fill in the script?

    Phil: I actually do a tiny, rudimentary thumbnail layout of each page with

    balloon placements and panel descriptions in the margin. I'll attach a

    dialogue script to that so Michael actually knows what's going in the

    balloons. That said, I respect Michael's skills and he has total

    freedom to disregard my layout. It's just that, as an artist, it's

    easier for me to understand the rhythms of a page when I can see it, so

    I work Kutzman-style.

    G-Man: Which do you prefer as an artist? When you give your direction, do

    you separate yourself as a writer and artist or do they come together?

    Phil: That's very hard to say. To date, excepting The Wretch, almost

    everything I've written I've felt was probably best drawn by someone

    else. When I'm working from another writer's script I have no

    preference as long as I can sense a devotion to the integrity of the

    storytelling in the script. The format itself, be it Alan Moore

    encyclopedias or Stan Lee cocktail napkins, isn't that important.

    G-Man: You live in Iowa and Michael lives in LA, do you guys meet up,

    talk over phone, instant message? How is your work relationship?

    Phil: We talk at cons, and like I said, he gets pretty detailed notes from me

    every issue. I guess it's a good sign that we haven't had any phone

    worthy conflicts to date. He's a great young artist and I'm lucky to

    have him saving my ass on this project.

    G-Man: I used to live in the midwest myself (Illinois), are you

    recognized in your hometown? What about conventions? Like them or

    pain in the butt?

    Phil: I live in a town of 900 people, so actually everyone is recognized by

    everyone else here, but most folks here do know what I do and follow my

    career somewhat. I actually really enjoy conventions, but by the third

    day I'm ready to get home to my family.

    G-Man: Any weird or crazy convention experiences?

    Phil: I was asked to do a sketch once while standing at a urinal. I did it

    drawing and peeing simultaneously.

    G-Man: That's impressive! Being a family man in Iowa, what is your inspiration for the dark

    world of the Darkness? Do you have a special happy place you like to

    write?

    Phil: It's strange, because a lot of my work tends to be horror-oriented, but

    I think most people who know me would describe me as dreadfully

    wholesome. I guess I get it all out this way.

    G-Man: Do you ever listen to English rock band The Darkness?

    Phil: Yeah. That video was pretty hilarious.

    G-Man: What are your thoughts on how your creation (with Kevin Smith) Mia

    Dearden is being portrayed today? Happy with her direction? (Judd

    Winick's move to having her HIV positive.) (And by the way, I loved

    the design of Onomatopoeia).

    Phil: Thanks. It's funny that I'm known for co-creating the Mia Dearden

    Speedy since I only drew her in the Speedy costume on a few pages. I

    think she's a great character and I think her HIV status is a realistic

    consequence of her former life. I trust Judd to handle it in a way that

    shows Mia as a complete human being. Her HIV status doesn't make her

    any more or less of a hero, her determination does.

    G-Man: Who's the better sidekick, Speedy (Roy Harper) or Speedy (Mia

    Dearden)?

    Phil: I'm biased.

    G-Man: You've worked with just about every comic company, do you actively

    read other titles or only ones directly involving what you're working

    on? Any current favorites?

    Phil: I'm actually pretty indiscriminate. I'll read almost anything from

    fantagraphics to Marvel and DC to manga. I tend to follow creators more

    than characters or companies. I will say that I'm about a year and half

    behind on reading my pull list.

    G-Man: The Irredeemable Ant-Man unfortunately came to an end. It felt a little weird how

    Eric's character changed a little at the end, was that done to move him

    to the next chapter in his life or was it something that was eventually

    going to happen. (It won't be the same seeing him make other

    appearances with you involved).

    Phil: I think Robert always planned on getting Eric to a little more mature

    place. Listen, not many people can live past 23 being a total dick.

    Eric was a realistic portrait of an everyman, not necessarily a bad

    guy, so his growth was something to be expected.

    G-Man: Besides Darkness, what else are you working on? Is Firebreather

    still set to come out in 2008? Is the movie still in motion?

    Phil: I've got two series set to come out from Image next year- Firebreather

    with Andy Kuhn and a supernatural horror/comedy book called Golly with

    Brook Turner. I'm also continuing the comic formerly known as The

    Atheist under the title Antoine Sharpe with Will Volley from Desperado.

    I'm writing and drawing a Daredevil/Magdalena crossover. I'm also

    drawing a three-issue Superman Confidential arc with my inking pal Ande

    Parks and writer Clay Moore. I'm also set to draw a six issue mini for

    DC this summer. I'm also currently looking for a wholesaler of

    amphetamines.

    G-Man: That's a crazy schedule. Civil War? Who was right, Iron Man or Captain America? Should

    super-powered individuals have to register?

    Phil: Head says Iron Man, heart says Cap. Outlaw super heroes are cool,

    though. I liked it better when cops shot at Spider-Man anyway.

    G-Man: What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

    Phil: Cake batter from Coldstone's.

    G-Man: What was the last good movie you saw?

    Phil: It's a few years old, but I recently saw the bull riding documentary

    Rank and was really moved by it.

    G-Man: Who would win, Darkness or Ripclaw? How long would the battle

    last?

    Phil: What time is it?

    G-Man: So what if Darkness had to fight someone with a really bright

    flashlight?

    Phil: We take care of that in this arc.

    G-Man: Alright. Can't wait. Thanks for your time.

    The Darkness Issue #1 hits the stands December 12th.

    sizepositionchange
    sizepositionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    bordersheaderpositiontable
    positionchange

    This edit will also create new pages on Comic Vine for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Comic Vine users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.