Clock in with BRUCE ZICK over CAPTAIN HENRY AND THE GRAVEYARD OF TIME
- Andrew Irvin
- 5 hours ago
- 7 min read
Interviews Editor, Andrew Irvin, is joined by industry veteran, Bruce Zick, bringing Captain Henry and the Graveyard of Time to the Hellboy universe, out through Dark Horse now!
COMIC BOOK YETI: Welcome to the Yeti Cave, Bruce! I’ve been enjoying your work since my earliest remembered Saturday morning cartoons (long before I knew who was responsible for creating them) so it’s an honor to finally have a chance to speak about your body of work. How’s everything going up in the Pacific Northwest?
BRUCE ZICK: Everything is quite good over here, dry as a bone and looking forward to some rain. Thanks so much for inviting me into the cave and making me feel welcome.
CBY: We try to keep things cozy here. Before we get into discussing Captain Henry and the Graveyard of Time, prepping for this interview gave me the chance to dive into your body of work; both deep and broad, I was very taken with the Northwest Dreamscape series you started a few years back. Some of the pieces were evocative of Eyvind Earle’s forestscapes, I thought, and I think they put your extensive experience as a background artist in the spotlight without cel-shaded characters traipsing in front of them. What artists, new and old, have inspired you most in your creative process?
BZ: I’m so glad you like those Dreamscapes. They are a new direction for me as I attempt to crash the fine art print market. Still haven’t quite figured it out yet and I think my next pieces will start to get closer to what I want. I have for sure been influenced by Eyvind Earle for my background design approach, along with Thomas Hart Benton, Grant Wood, Ken Adams, and a host of others. Jack Kirby, Jim Steranko, Mike Mignola, Wally Wood, Jack Davis, Milt Caniff, Frank Miller and many more have been strong influences on my comic art.
CBY: An ensemble of legends whom I hope our readers take the opportunity to familiarize themselves with further. Turning to your latest Dark Horse title, teaming up with Mike Mignola for an entry into the Hellboy universe, when did the two of you first discuss the story, and what sort of collaborative development process came together to make Captain Henry and the Graveyard of Time a reality?
BZ: We first started talking about a year and a half ago, having met through a social media platform. We kicked about story ideas we’ve kept on the back burner and when Mike told me about Captain Henry, a soldier of fortune in Victorian times who ends up in a bizarre dimension of dead Time Machines, ancient clock towers, monsters, demons and a Time King–well, I was totally hooked. We jammed a little bit more on ideas and then Mike started writing the plot for the four books and I started sketching character and setting ideas. I was a bit intimidated in the beginning, but once Mike approved some of my ideas, I loosened up and plowed ahead.
CBY: It is humbling to know even someone with your experience in the medium can still feel intimidated by a project until you find your footing and pace in a collaboration like this. Unmitigated confidence with a new collaborator would probably be imprudent in any instance, I gather. Co-writing with Mike, the team behind this title also includes Clem Robins on lettering and Katii O’Brien as editor. Is there anyone else you’d like to make mention of involved in helping this comic see the light of day?
BZ: I would have to give a shout out to Mike Richardson, the head of Dark Horse, who signed off on this weird project.
CBY: The buck has to stop somewhere, right? Since the art was entirely your responsibility (and from what I’ve seen of the comic, it’s as detailed and engaging as anything I’ve seen from you before), can you share a bit about your creative process in terms of technique and tools for this run? What did you employ to complete the art for these issues, and how have your methods and materials changed over the decades of your career?
BZ: I’m still a bit in the stone age of art, relying first on analog pencil and paper and ink to create the art. I have a very large inclined drafstman table that I work at which allows me to pin up inspirational art to the sides of the central workspace. I also have pinup boards to the side to display more inspirational reference material so I can immerse myself into the project. I scribble out storyboard roughs for each page using an HB Staedtler pencils with arrowhead eraser tips on plain paper. Then I use Strathmore Bristol Board for the actual art page. Using the same HB pencil, I work very lightly to layout the panels and art, but not too detailed as I like the inking process to be full of discovery so it's not too mechanical of a process. Then I use Pigma Sensei ink pens for the inking process. This all then gets scanned into Photoshop for the color painting using a large Wacom Cintiq tablet. I’ve been working this way for a long time and I can’t imagine going all digital and not first creating art on paper. There is a real pleasure in the tactile art process and I love holding and looking at the final art page. Plus I like to work large and have room to stretch out.
CBY: Your work definitely delivers a texture digital art can only emulate. Speaking to your extensive experience, you’ve been working on various Dark Horse titles since the 1990s, and while you’ve worked with every major animation studio and comic publisher, you’ve returned for this title. It makes sense given its home for Hellboy, but can you share a bit about how Dark Horse stands apart from other publishers?
BZ: I have a long and friendly relationship with Mike Richardson. He’s always been willing to take a chance on my projects, more than anyone else. Being that I live in the same city, we can occasionally meet and eat and yak it up like Heckle and Jeckle. Dark Horse is great at supporting alternative ideas to the mainstream of comics and over the years they have stood out as innovators who give talent a home for their crazy ideas. I’ve been less interested in film and TV design, because so few people actually see the art and then it gets stored away for eternity. Comics is just the opposite–your work is seen in its entirety by anyone who picks it up. That means a lot.
CBY: Waiting on an art book to potentially include your work on any film or television project seems like an uncertain prospect, indeed. The immediacy of comics is a wonderful aspect of the medium. Speaking of the wide array of projects you’ve handled over the decades, were there any standout projects that had phenomenal energy, or fictional worlds you would enjoy revisiting if opportunity arose to pick things up? After the experience of working with Mike on these four issues, what projects are you looking forward to next?
BZ: Among the works I’ve created, I’m dying to get back to The Zone Continuum and Primordial to explore new stories. They both take place in a special world of their own and I’ve barely scratched the surface of story possibilities. The Atomic Legion was also an amazing story idea, written by Mike Richardson, and it is so much fun, so wonderful, there just have to be more books done. I’ve also got at least five other concepts that haven’t been published yet that need to get out. Years ago I illustrated a big graphic novel called Mandala which needs to be reprinted and new stories need to get out into the world. Nothing, nothing would make me happier than to work with Mike again on more adventures of Captain Henry.
CBY: I'd certainly like to pick up a copy of Mandala on its next run, and I look forward to seeing your bounty of work in the years to come. Regarding your partnership with Mike for your first exploration of the Hellboy universe, the story focuses on Sir Edward Grey and the Whittier family. What do readers need to know about how this story fits within the greater world of Hellboy, and what are you most excited to share about this limited series (without giving up any spoilers)?
BZ: Sir Edward Grey and the Whittiers get the story started, but shortly after that it becomes Captain Henry’s story the rest of the way. What’s cool about the series is that while this is a unique story that has no real overlap to other Hellboy books, it is still firmly in the Hellboy Mythos. You will see many references to other Hellboy books, and other characters you’ve seen appear in various ways; even the big red guy himself. So this is clearly a totally new world to explore, but at the same time there is a familiarity that keeps it grounded in the past. I am most excited about the surprise twists and turns of the story, keeping you guessing all the way to the very end.
CBY: It will be a delight to watch how it unfolds. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to have you stop by to chat today, Bruce. If there are any portfolio, publication, and social media links you’d like our readers to check out, feel free to share them!
BZ: Folks can always learn more about me at my website: www.pigdogproductions.com. It’s really a crazy trip through the rabbit hole where you can see past works and announcements for new projects. Always happy to have people join me on Facebook or Instagram too. As long as I’m plugging away, I highly recommend my books: The Zone Continuum, Terminal Point, Mandala, Atomic Legion, and Primordial. Thanks again for all your support.
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