Though Juan Doe may be ever mysterious with his pseudonym and cartoon avatar, the quality of his artwork is undeniable. Now, he’s bringing his cosmic touch as new lead artist of The Nine: When Worlds Divide, starting with issue #1, available Sept. 21 on InterPop Comics! After a long and storied arc on The Nine by original artist Steve Ellis, find out what Juan brings to the table and which Emergents he most likes to draw.
InterPop: How are you feeling taking over The Nine from artist Steve Ellis? How has it been going so far?
Juan: Everything has been amazing! It’s been an honor and a pleasure to be working on The Nine, especially after the incredible work Steve Ellis has done. He set the bar very high for the quality of this series and as far as I’m concerned he’s the guy that established the visual excellence I hope to follow. My goal is to continue that legacy and make sure this book is the best it could possibly be.
InterPop: A lot of the character designs have been previously established for many months now, but are you getting the chance to design some new characters of your own?
Juan: I haven’t been tasked with designing any new characters yet but I’m sure that will come up at some point and I very much look forward to that. In the short amount of time that InterPop has been putting out these stories there have been a bevy of fantastic designs that already feel iconic. With the continued emphasis on quality stories, I hope to add to the already growing library of great characters coming out of this universe.
InterPop: Describe the collaborative process with continuing series writer Will Pfeifer.
Juan: Will is a gem. We just wrapped up the first issue and everything went as smooth as it could be. Will has a great handle on storytelling, so I just follow what he puts in the script because it’s all pretty much pitch perfect. As we move along with the stories, hopefully we continue to play off each other’s strength in service to the characters and all the cool narrative threads being laid out.
InterPop: What are some of your favorite Emergents to draw so far?
Juan: I love drawing all of them as each has their own unique, visual flair but I do tend to gravitate towards Devastatrix, Coax and Phaeton. With these characters they all seem to draw themselves when I’m sketching, so I just channel that and it makes drawing all the other characters a lot more fun since they play off each other really well.
InterPop: How has your experience with InterPop been this whole time?
Juan: I’ve been doing some work with InterPop for about a year now, it started with a few covers, then I did an eight-page short story starring Bantam, and working with them has been stellar. From communication, the editorial staff, the quality of the books, everything has been top notch. When they offered me the opportunity to work on their flagship title, The Nine, I was floored, I was not expecting that and it took a few moments to realize how incredible this experience could be. I loved the format, the stories, the characters and knew it would be a tremendous opportunity to grow as an artist and storyteller and for that I couldn’t be more excited.
InterPop: Don’t miss The Nine: When Worlds Divide #1, out September 21.
