InterPop Comics Q&A: When the Talent Hits Your Eye, That’s John Amor
Maser. Pyrotechnique. The Nine. The Rejects. John Amor has illustrated them all for InterPop Comics, including interiors and covers. His latest is a sweet variant edition for The Rejects #1. This prolific and dynamic artist also finds time to draw Urban Animal over at Webtoon, with Justin Jordan. Here’s more on his artistic approach and upcoming work for us.
InterPop: You’ve illustrated characters like Maser, Pyrotechnique, and #ZoeMG for us. How do you approach such different characters from an artistic standpoint?
John: For #ZoeMG, I contributed a cover, so I didn’t necessarily get to develop a visual philosophy for the character’s unique power set, however I aimed for that cover to be as modern and culturally relevant as the character embodies, hence the phone screen motif. I did sequentials for Pyrotechnique and Maser, so that became a lot more in depth, artistically. The Maser story featured the character at a fairly developed point in his career, so I illustrated him with a superhero boldness and confidence that comes with a certain amount of experience. In contrast, the Pyrotechnique story mostly showcased his youth and his coming to terms with his powers, so it was matter of developing that heroic persona over time. If I did my job correctly, you can see the character becoming more “himself” in terms of expression and body language over the course of the story.
InterPop: How is working on our horizontal comics different than something like Webtoon, and what tools do you use?
John: Working on either pure vertical or horizontal scroll each has its strengths and challenges, for sure. I’m lucky to have enough experience under my belt to be able to tell a story using either format.
I’m a Zuda Comics veteran, so I’m no stranger to working on a screen-exclusive comic.The horizontal comic lends itself well to grander, more cinematic shots. While this can certainly be achieved on a vertical scroll, there is simply more room to breathe on a landscape format.I draw digitally, on a Wacom tablet, using a combination of Clip Studio Paint and Photoshop to achieve the finished product.
InterPop: What’s next for you in the Emergents Universe?
John: I recently finished a variant cover for The Rejects, which is a very angsty and exciting title. I’ve done a good amount of covers and interiors with InterPop at this point, and I’d be happy to keep churning them out for as long as they’ll have me. As for what’s next… I can’t really say just yet.
InterPop: You were the first to illustrate Maser’s origin, and now he’s an important part of #ZoeMG’s life. Are you surprised?
John: Alex Segura masterfully crafted a very rich and promising little corner of the Emergents Universe with Maser and his backstory, so I’m not too surprised at the character’s reach expanding into more books.
InterPop: How has your experience been working with InterPop?
John: Working with the fine folks at InterPop has been a boon for sure. I imagine Rachel Gluckstern somehow found my name on a post-it note under her fridge, on a list of Zuda alumni, so I’m grateful to her for bringing me into the fold. You guys are like a well-oiled machine, and if all up-and-coming new publishers operated as well as you guys did, comics as a whole would be better for it.
