A Chat With Phil

Time for a chat with one of the awesome artists contributing to the Game Over Anthology.  For this collection of comicy-goodness Phil has been working on a story about the Ragnarok...the Ragnarok and Roll that is!  Hoorah!  Let's take a look at what he has to say about creativity and his work.   

 How did you choose to interpret the idea of “The end of the world” and what made you decide upon that interpretation.

At first I wanted to go with some kind of “Mad Max” concept, but I couldn’t come up with a story at all. I started thinking of things I was familiar with that I could really draw from, and ended up settling on the Norse gods. I’ve always had an interest in them since my family is predominantly Norwegian. Then I decided to make it an end-of-the-world dance off, because I’m crazy or something. I donno.

 Can you give us a brief outline of your process? How do you create your comics, and what do you feel is the most critical step in creating your work?

Getting the concept down is, to me, the most crucial part. I rely on the pure ridiculousness of my storytelling to make my work stand out. That being said, a lot of my inspiration comes from music.

       What inspired you to study and become a Sequential Artist?

Reading Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki was a big turning point for me. That, and I really love cartoons in general. I just wanted to do anything where I could draw comics and cartoons. SCAD provided that opportunity.

  You’ve got a giant workload ahead of you. You know that you have to just sit down and draw for the next 16 hours straight, but you have time for one meal before you do this. What would you eat to power you through that stint?

Subsidiary question: Can we bend space-time? Because if so I would get burritos from Taco Bueno. It’s this Texas- only food chain that I was addicted to before I moved to Savannah. I only get it like once a year now.

  What is the first thing you remember drawing?

Zelda. Tons of Zelda fan art. That, and Pokemon. So much of my artistic career stems from these two series. I loved the art styles and the journeys that the games took you on.

         What is the last thing you remember drawing?

Umm, I drew panel 2 of page 4 of the comic for this anthology yesterday, which shows two zombies gawking at Odin doing the “boom-baby” move fromEmperor’s New Groove. 

 What was your favorite comic or cartoon growing up?

This is a ridiculously loaded question. I loved Nickelodeon’s Angry Beavers. That, and the Cartoon Network Teen Titans. Other than that, I’d say earlyPokemon, anything on Toonami, and Dexter’s Lab. And Samurai Jack. And Rocko’s Modern Life. Okay, gotta stop now.

 Would you prefer a dog or cat rolled up at your feet? (An iguana or parrot is also an acceptable substitute.)

  Dog, definitely. I have a miniature schnauzer named Luke. He’s pretty much been my best friend since I was 11. He used to sit next to my table and watch me draw, but he lives with my dad in California now.

Awesome Phil!  Thanks for letting us interview you!  Now let's take a look at some of his crazy-cool work. :)