PROFILE: PHILIP AMARA, EDITOR
If you ask Philip Amara, he'll tell you that having your car booted in downtown Milwaukie, Oregon means that they care.As a child of '70s television who has spent time in the trenches at both Kitchen Sink and Dark Horse Comics, Phil has a healthy appreciation for the unorthodox and the quirky. (He can also recite the lyrics to the theme songs of some of the most ill-conceived sitcoms ever foisted on the viewing public, but please don't encourage him.)
During his tenure at Dark Horse, Phil has made it his agenda to give his projects constant infusions of new ideas, new perspectives, and new creators. The perfect example is last year's Aliens: Havoc, an eclectic roller coaster of a comic with a different artist on every page, including the likes of Gene Ha, Guy Davis, Kilian Plunkett, and Peter Bagge. Like a Zen master with a big stick, the books Phil helms tend to smack a reader upside the head when least expected, resulting in comics enlightenment. It's a strong tactic in an oversaturated market, and it goes a long way to keeping titles like Aliens and Predator fresh.
What brought him into comics? "It was that or prison," says the Massachusetts-born editor, who quickly adds "It's the snacks that keep me here." Phil's work at Kitchen Sink included editing Xenozoic Tales, Death Rattle, and From Hell, but he counts his career highlight as a tossup between interviewing Jack Kirby and interviewing television's Batman, Adam West. How does one top that? "I have a dream project," says Phil. "Dif'rent Strokes vs. Predator. This'll happen, even if I have to drain all of Mike Richardson's funds to do it!" And chances are, the creative team on it will be as surprising as getting a straight answer out of Phil.
Name: Philip Amara
Nickname: Anton Hucklebum (dubbed this by designer Amy Arendts. I don't know what it means, but I like it!)
Wife's name: Tamara (think about it)
Favorite Comics: Rom: Spaceknight
Favorite Book: Learn the Alphabet with the Denver Broncos (published by Simon and Schuster)
Favorite Film: Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo
Favorite music to edit by: Anything by ex-Monkee Mike Nesmith. Crank it!
When I'm not at work I'm probably: Tuning up my dragster or making sun tea.