Mike Grell is a talented creator who, for some reason, has always intrigued me. I liked his writing, and found his art to be interesting, even when not to my particular taste. But also, while I respected Mike Grell’s talent, he represented to me a creative talent who I had no real feel for. I had some opinions regarding him, and I was always left saying I do not know. This interview came out of a nice dialogue between Mike and me following the Mike Gold interview, and is about comics in general. I am really happy to say that this creative talent is someone who, in some ways, I have become very attached to, as whatever his work, he is a decidedly honest and straight forward fellow. From the Legion of Super Heroes to Warlord to Green Arrow to Jon Sable Freelance, I have collected and read his work. Now, some 10 years since those titles, I have a perspective upon his work that is new, and allows me some insights into the philosophies of the characters he writes.
Mike Grell Interview Part One
Alex Ness: Where are you from and where do you live, are you married, children, pets?
Mike Grell: I was born in Iron Mountain, MI,, and raised in Florence, WI, a little town about 100 miles north of Green Bay. I live in Lake Stevens, WA with my wife, Lauri Lasabre-Grell, where we have a small ranch and raise Freisian horses. We perform with the Seattle Knights (see photos at www.seattleknights.com ), a show troop that has performed all across the country, doing sword-fighting and jousting (yes, I fall off my horse on purpose.) I have a son, Torrin (through marriage, but the name is intriguing, since he was born the same year I created Starslayer), a varying number of dogs and other critters.
AN: Do you recall what led you to realize that you were going to be an artist?
MG: Yup. I wanted to be a lumberjack, just like my old man... until he got me a job working in the woods when I was 16. I decided there had to be an easier way to make a living. Then I decided to be an architect, but couldn't hack the math, so I turned to commercial art (the word "commercial" indicating that you could get paid for drawing pictures) until I got caught in the draft. While in basic training for the Air Force ( I'm no fool, I enlisted), I met Bailey Phelps, an aspiring cartoonist who convinced me that cartoonists only worked 2 or 3 days a week and made a million dollars a year. (Okay, so I'm a fool after all.)
AN: What education path did you take in that regard? Beyond formal education, what training would you say you had prior to becoming a professional illustrator?
MG: I was an illustrator in the Air Force and took the famous artists school correspondence course while serving in Vietnam. Then I attended the Chicago academy of fine art, working at a commercial art studio in the evenings and assisting Dale Messick on "Brenda Starr" nights.
AN: Did where you grew up affect your art as much as other influences?
MG: Absolutely. We didn't have tv until I was 11, and drawing was a favorite pastime. My mother is a terrific artist and encouraged us to use our imagination. Comics were a big part of being a kid in the '50s and comic strips were a family ritual, with Dad reading the funnies to the kids (his Alley Oop always cracked me up). Being in a remote area of the country meant that we spent lots of time outdoors, which contributed to my lifelong interest in wildlife and hunting, all of which you can see in SABLE.
AN: You spent time in the military during the Vietnam era. How did that experience color your world view, and how did it affect you as an artist and writer?
MG: You couldn't live through that era and not be affected by it. It's made me more skeptical of our government's motivations in cases like the Iraq war, more cynical regarding politicians in general and more aware of how the actions we choose affect the world for generations to come. I don't pretend to have the answers, but I sure as hell have some questions I'd like answered. I see my job as a writer/artist as being the guy to get other people to ask those questions for themselves, to start a dialogue that might, one day, lead to answers resolutions for all of us.
AN: What comics and books were the most formative in your development as an artist and writer?
MG: As a cartoonist, GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW. No question about it. The Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano stories showed me what comics could be and changed my whole direction as an artist. The only things that had as great an influence on me were two books I purchased on the same day: "THE MAGIC PEN OF JOSEPH CLEMENT COLL" and "THE PENCIL", by Paul Calle. It was as close to an Epiphany as I'll ever come. You can see when it happened if you compare the covers of Sable #1 and #2. As a writer, I've always been a big fan of Mickey Spillane and Edgar Rice Burroughs. Spillane for the fact that he gave the reader all the clues to the mystery and still paid it off on the very last page and Burroughs for the richness of the worlds he created.
AN: You have an unique view on drawing animals as you are/were a hunter, even having hunted big game. Has there ever been any controversy from the people in the comics industry concerning his hunting ? How have your fans responded towards that, and, with your upcoming run on JON SABLE, do you intend upon revisiting that world of the hunt?
MG: The hunt is the central premise of SABLE. The hunt for revenge, the hunt for love, the hunt for death. For those who are offended by the word, please insert "quest" where it suits you.
There are a few folks in the comic industry who sincerely believe that animals are lovable Disney creatures, little people in furry suits, ignoring the fact that animals in the wild die of three causes: disease, starvation or predation. None of which is particularly nice, but hunters (being part of the predator category) generally provide a quicker death than a deer usually gets from a pack of coyotes. And while there were a few complaints about my safari accounts, not one person mentioned that I killed off about 150 people in those same issues.
My experiences as a hunter are what led me to choose Sable's background - you write what you know, but you draw what you love. Fans of Sable were drawn to the character and the subject matter because something struck a chord with them.
Thoughts about Mike Grell from a peer:
Apart from being a gifted story-teller, Mike's a big-game hunter and expert horseman. He's part of a traveling troupe of knights, knaves, and jugglers called the Seattle Knights who stage historic re-enactments, including jousting events where Mike is often knocked ass over teakettle due to his remarkable resemblance to a bale of hay. I also remember him telling me how he traveled sixty miles on foot chasing a wounded cape buffalo from Kenya to Nairobi. He was worried about bringing back the carcass without a permit. I may have some of the facts wrong, but I have the essential truth.
Mike Baron
This interview is continued at STL Comics found HERE
Final Thoughts:
Thanks to Mike Grell, Tim Truman, Mike Baron, Mike Gold, and James Jobe.
Add A Comment to this article
Email the Author of this article
