Bob Almond Interview!
Inker: Bob Almond
How did you get involved in the inking of the Captain Gravity title?
In my third year of BLACK PANTHER for Marvel I was contacted by former-employers Penny-Farthing Press to work on (unbeknownst to me at the time) this series inking over an artist but I had to decline. Time passed, the BP run came to an end, and the inker that PFP had subsequently hired for CG went his own way and left them inkless so I was contacted again and I jumped on. But soon thereafter PFP removed the original pencil artist from the series and sought out a new pencil artist. I highly suggested my pal Sal to fill the spot and thus we were reunited again.
The process of inking comics is very fascinating to some readers and some do not realize the intricate process for inkers. Could you explain the procedures of inking and the techniques involved?
It’s all about editing and elaborating in order to play up or enhance the aspects of space, weights, textures, contrast, definition, and composition & design. My job is to capture & enhance the intentions of the pencil artist by what’s laid out in the pencil art. This is done by redrawing the art in ink by clarifying shapes and using line weight s, often with the use of lightsources. I try to be somewhat faithful but I also try to bring something to the table. Besides the tools I use to do this (see below) some techniques applied to the inking may include dry brush, ruling lines with a quill and with curves or a straight-edge, and textural things like smudging and spattering with ink, using found objects, scraping razor blades through inked areas, etc.
What type of instruments do you use to ink boards?
I presently use a Windsor-Newton series 7 size 1 brush (although I used a Raphael Kolinsky 8408 before that), a Hunt 102 nib for ruling lines, Sakura micron markers,
Faber-Castell Pitt markers, straight-edges, french & flexi curves, templates for circles & ellipses, Pro White correction fluid, zip-a-tone, tooth brushes, erasers and much more….a literal bag of inking tricks.
Readers recognize the Black Panther series, which you and Sal Velluto worked on, as the premiere run of this title. How special is it to work with Sal on the Captain Gravity title?
Well, some of my most memorable projects have been those where I was teamed up with Sal and after ten years many fans look forward to more Sal & Bob gigs. Like a successful marriage we communicate a lot and we know what’s in the other’s head and what we’ll each bring to the project and this kind of synergy often develops into some cool, magical stuff.
Do you think the Captain Gravity series surprised and received the acclaim it has from readers who knew about the series or new readers?
Probably both. There was another CG series before ours, plus a one-shot, so some readers had followed the character to each project. But at the same time, some of those Sal & Bob fans who enjoyed us on BLOODSHOT, or BLACK PANTHER, or JSA followed us to PFP to this character that they knew nothing about. And then there’s always the indie readers who simply like period or genre sagas who probably tried it out.
Who were some of the inkers that influenced you to start inking comics?
My original intent had been to be a penciller. Until the last few years very few artists entered the biz coveting to be an inker/ embellisher. But my pencil samples didn’t get me in the door of any publishers so I tried inking samples and that did the trick but it was a lot of the ‘right place, right time’ stuff. As a childhood reader & fan, I had always appreciated the work of many Marvel inkers from the bronze to modern-ages like Joe Rubenstein, Terry Austin, Klaus Janson, Mark Farmer, Tom Palmer, and Bob Layton among others so I knew who’s work to reference when I hesitantly got started and needed some ideas and help.
While inking the title Captain Gravity what were some of the most memorable panels for you in the story?
I enjoyed handling the historical figures like Adolf Hitler, Ian Fleming, JFK, etc. because I have rarely had an opportunity to do that before and I enjoy well-done period stories like that as much as the next guy. That and handling anything with Nazis, skull-headed villains, ancient relics, exotic locales and beautiful women.
Would you like to work on Captain Gravity series for the fans?
Yes. Especially with Joshua & Sal.
The release of this trade paperback containing new material is exciting. What would like fans to come away with reading Captain Gravity, and what are your feelings towards this amazing accomplishment? For what I feel is the greatest comic book novel series I have ever read.
It’s a fun quasi-historic jaunt that, as many have said, plays out like Indiana Jones meets the Rocketeer so it’s filled with action, mystery, intrigue, and a whole lot of fun. But at the same time one experiences the racism & hateful backdrop of the war-frought era in contrast to the themes of love, faith, sacrifice, hope, and the human condition. So in many ways it’s an epic period piece with a timeless aura to it when one looks at where the world is today.
How did you get involved in the inking of the Captain Gravity title?
In my third year of BLACK PANTHER for Marvel I was contacted by former-employers Penny-Farthing Press to work on (unbeknownst to me at the time) this series inking over an artist but I had to decline. Time passed, the BP run came to an end, and the inker that PFP had subsequently hired for CG went his own way and left them inkless so I was contacted again and I jumped on. But soon thereafter PFP removed the original pencil artist from the series and sought out a new pencil artist. I highly suggested my pal Sal to fill the spot and thus we were reunited again.
The process of inking comics is very fascinating to some readers and some do not realize the intricate process for inkers. Could you explain the procedures of inking and the techniques involved?
It’s all about editing and elaborating in order to play up or enhance the aspects of space, weights, textures, contrast, definition, and composition & design. My job is to capture & enhance the intentions of the pencil artist by what’s laid out in the pencil art. This is done by redrawing the art in ink by clarifying shapes and using line weight s, often with the use of lightsources. I try to be somewhat faithful but I also try to bring something to the table. Besides the tools I use to do this (see below) some techniques applied to the inking may include dry brush, ruling lines with a quill and with curves or a straight-edge, and textural things like smudging and spattering with ink, using found objects, scraping razor blades through inked areas, etc.
What type of instruments do you use to ink boards?
I presently use a Windsor-Newton series 7 size 1 brush (although I used a Raphael Kolinsky 8408 before that), a Hunt 102 nib for ruling lines, Sakura micron markers,
Faber-Castell Pitt markers, straight-edges, french & flexi curves, templates for circles & ellipses, Pro White correction fluid, zip-a-tone, tooth brushes, erasers and much more….a literal bag of inking tricks.
Readers recognize the Black Panther series, which you and Sal Velluto worked on, as the premiere run of this title. How special is it to work with Sal on the Captain Gravity title?
Well, some of my most memorable projects have been those where I was teamed up with Sal and after ten years many fans look forward to more Sal & Bob gigs. Like a successful marriage we communicate a lot and we know what’s in the other’s head and what we’ll each bring to the project and this kind of synergy often develops into some cool, magical stuff.
Do you think the Captain Gravity series surprised and received the acclaim it has from readers who knew about the series or new readers?
Probably both. There was another CG series before ours, plus a one-shot, so some readers had followed the character to each project. But at the same time, some of those Sal & Bob fans who enjoyed us on BLOODSHOT, or BLACK PANTHER, or JSA followed us to PFP to this character that they knew nothing about. And then there’s always the indie readers who simply like period or genre sagas who probably tried it out.
Who were some of the inkers that influenced you to start inking comics?
My original intent had been to be a penciller. Until the last few years very few artists entered the biz coveting to be an inker/ embellisher. But my pencil samples didn’t get me in the door of any publishers so I tried inking samples and that did the trick but it was a lot of the ‘right place, right time’ stuff. As a childhood reader & fan, I had always appreciated the work of many Marvel inkers from the bronze to modern-ages like Joe Rubenstein, Terry Austin, Klaus Janson, Mark Farmer, Tom Palmer, and Bob Layton among others so I knew who’s work to reference when I hesitantly got started and needed some ideas and help.
While inking the title Captain Gravity what were some of the most memorable panels for you in the story?
I enjoyed handling the historical figures like Adolf Hitler, Ian Fleming, JFK, etc. because I have rarely had an opportunity to do that before and I enjoy well-done period stories like that as much as the next guy. That and handling anything with Nazis, skull-headed villains, ancient relics, exotic locales and beautiful women.
Would you like to work on Captain Gravity series for the fans?
Yes. Especially with Joshua & Sal.
The release of this trade paperback containing new material is exciting. What would like fans to come away with reading Captain Gravity, and what are your feelings towards this amazing accomplishment? For what I feel is the greatest comic book novel series I have ever read.
It’s a fun quasi-historic jaunt that, as many have said, plays out like Indiana Jones meets the Rocketeer so it’s filled with action, mystery, intrigue, and a whole lot of fun. But at the same time one experiences the racism & hateful backdrop of the war-frought era in contrast to the themes of love, faith, sacrifice, hope, and the human condition. So in many ways it’s an epic period piece with a timeless aura to it when one looks at where the world is today.
posted by THE INQUISITIVE CRITIQUER | 10:45 AM
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