Back in the early 1990s when I was doing comic books, Image Comics was making a big splash. Upstart artists challenging the old guard, creators’ rights and all that. I was really excited. For I too had big dreams. The way I planned it, by the year 2000 I was gonna be more famous than Todd McFarlane. Plus, I was gonna buy out Marvel, kill off all their characters in an epic five-year crossover miniseries, then hand over the copyrights to their original creators, and relaunch the company as a creator-owned publishing house.Things didn’t quite turn out as I had planned.
My comic book career sort of fizzled out. I penciled a few Dark Horse titles, and I even scored a Marvel gig—a backup story in X-Men Unlimited, I think it was. But by then I was burned out. I remember calling up my editor at Marvel and telling him, “I can’t draw anymore. My heart’s not in it.” He was so upset. I’d just left him without a penciler with only days to deadline. He was all, “Do you realize what kind of opportunity you’re passing up?” But it was no use. The fire was gone.
On another occasion, I actually got caught for plagiarism. I had to draw a jet for a G.I. Joe comic, but I wasn’t very good at drawing vehicles. So I lifted a drawing of an aircraft from a Gen-13 comic, and made minor alterations. I figured, hey, who’d notice? My editor at Dark Horse later called me, and he sounded more embarrassed than I was. He was like, “I’m looking at your jet here . . . and . . . uh . . . It’s pretty obvious you . . . Well, I mean, we have to change it.”
Oh, and one of the great thrills of my comic book experience was working with Arthur Adams. He thumbnailed all the pages for the Godzilla series, and he sent me a bunch of Godzilla reference material—a sculpted model, magazines, toys—all of which I still have somewhere. That was pretty awesome. Of course, if I was supposed to return them, that would make me a thief and a plagiarist.
So I made a hash of my time in the industry. Clearly I was a nightmare for editors. Even now, working on the Sinfest books, I’ve already run through two editors at Dark Horse. I fear I’ve exasperated them beyond tolerable limits. Prima-donna tantrums, diva demands, the whole bit.
So I’m turning over a new leaf. I’m a new man. When I have to draw something I’m not very good at, I’m going to suck it up and learn how to draw the damned thing. When legendary comic book luminaries send me cool freebies, I’m gonna check and make sure they were gifts before keeping them. And when I feel like I’m about to burn out, I’ll have the courtesy to give my editor two weeks’ notice.
My criminal days are behind me.
It’s a new day, people.
Viva la Resistance!
-Tatsuya Ishida
Sinfest: Viva La Resistance is in stores on 1/5/11! Swing by your local comic or book store and pick up a copy of your very own!