Sailing the Ship of Fools.

Mike Avon Oeming should be someone to watch out for in the future. He’s already had some success when he pencilled two Ice stories in the classic KABUKI: CIRCLE OF BLOOD, last years excellent BULLET PROOF MONK, and his fantastic creator owned SHIP OF FOOLS. You’ll next see his strange and exciting pencilling duties in February in POWERS, the new book from crime comic guru Brian Michael Bendis, and you can be sure that this is going to be a series to watch out for. Mike was kind enough to answer some of our questions recently and here’s what he had to say.

What was your first job in comics?

Inking a book for INNOVATION back in 87-88 called NESTRALIA, a creation of Tim Truman. I was a sophomore in high school. God it sucked!!!!!!!!!! About two years later, I started inking CHUCKY, MAZE AGENCY and NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET for INNOVATION... Then I penciled and inked Porn Comics for awhile! Hey, I was like 18 and 19 at the time..;)

Why did you choose comics as a profession? Did you always know you wanted to draw comics?

Actually, it was a lack of interest in anything else. I started reading and then tracing comics when I moved from Jersey to Texas in the 6th grade. Culture shock and depression locked me in my room with little to do. I quickly became obsessed. I kind of painted myself into a corner career wise, seeing as how I had no other interests outside of art and comics. I didn’t even finish high school. I cut so many days to stay home and draw that I got kicked out at the end of junior year! So, I didn’t leave any options for myself. Not too smart, but it seems to have worked out.

Do you still have the first comic that you read?

No, but I remember it. When I was really young, like third grade, I read an issue of UNKNOWN SOLDIER with a ghost story in it. Later, when I officially got hooked, it was on the Rich Buckler run of PETER PARKER. My first favorite, mind-blowing, life-changing comic was Art Adams X-MEN ANNUAL #9. I wanted to be Art for a long time!

As a kid, what comic creators did you draw inspiration from?

Art Adams and Steve Rude mostly. NEXUS is still the greatest set of comics I’ve ever read.

How did you get the job working with David Mack on KABUKI?

I met Dave at a small show in NJ. He and Bendis were there, and I just thought of breaking into creator owned stuff when we met. I broke the ice with a sketch for Dave of Snapdragon [Ed: A character from KABUKI], which can be seen in the CALIBER pin up book. We kept in touch, Dave, Bendis and I clicked right away and things just went from there.

Where did SHIP OF FOOLS come from? How did it come together?

From a combination of STAR WARS, a role-playing game, and TANK GIRL. It was the first time I really tried to create something special. I learned lots from it! An ELO song largely inspired it!

When you involved Bryan Glass in the project, how did it change from your original vision to what it became?

I called on Bryan (who ran the role playing game that my character Shiro came from) when the stories I wanted to do got too complicated for me. I was no writer, and planed on doing small, violent short stories, but my ideas quickly surpassed my ability. So I called on Bryan, a real writer, filmmaker and pal, to bring it all together.

What did you have to go through to get SHIP OF FOOLS published?

Not much. Thanks to meeting Dave and Bendis, I just sent the proposal into CALIBER and they said yes, while everyone else said no!

Do you ever have any intentions of revisiting the characters from SHIP OF FOOLS?

Love to, but not for some time. SOF was really self indulgent and hard to follow. It made sense, but you really had to get into it. Then the IMAGE issues were a bit of a misstep. We'd have to approach it very different if when we do. I’m talking like 8-10 years or so. I want to do it right next time. We originally had a 100-issue story line that all tied together, very BABYLON 5, but sales never allowed it. But that’s fine, we needed to do SHIP OF FOOLS to make mistakes, grow and learn.

Tell me a little bit about your new project with Brian Michael Bendis, POWERS?

I’m no pitchman, so bare with me. Check out the site... POWERS. Its basically NYPD BLUE or HOMICIDE with superheroes lurking in the background and plot. It’s a crime book, with strong characters. Its the first work I’m really proud of and actually confident in it. It's completely different from anything on the market (especially TOP 10) and it looks like nothing I’ve ever done before. My best stuff, by far. I’m having too much fun. No matter where the sales go, this will be a benchmark in my career.

How did you hook up with Bendis?

It was an S+M bar....
Actually it was the at the same time I met Mack, at Clauds Comics in Jersey. I was doing FOOT SOLDIERS, he just started AKA GOLDFISH, and it was like love at first site! Really.

Of your own work, what do you think is your best?

Now I'll sound like a pitchman! POWERS, by far. But as far as printed work, Id say BULLET PROOF MONK from FLYPAPER is my best to date. Lots of fun on that.

Why do you think it is that some of the best comics ever published are being published right now, but the readership is drying up faster and faster all the time?

Because for every Bendis and Mack there are fifty crappy writers and artists out there who think because they grew up with comics, they can create them. I grew up listening to songs all my life, but that doesn’t mean I can write one! Waaaay too much of the same old cliched crap. It scares them away. Plus, there are just too many things that are more exciting to folks than reading comics, even good ones. Besides, to read 5 comics, I’m spending almost as much as a DVD costs. Think about it. Costs are also way too high.

What would you do to change some of these problems?

Quality of product would help, but I really think only the human psyche can save it. No matter how good silent movies were shot, or radio shows recorded, why spend time with those when you can go see and hear movies? Who knows, comics may be going the way of the Horse and Buggy, around, but only as momento, or enjoyed by the few. Plus accessibility, price, distribution blah blah blah would help, but I think we're just slowly fading away.

What kind of music do you listen to while you draw?

All kinds of crap! From obscure stuff like Esquivelle, Artie Shaw, Shadowy Men from a Shadowy Planet, to 60's classics like DOORS, and Beatles. 70's stuff I love (reminds me of my earliest memories) like STYX, Pink Floyd, Kansas, Queen, ELO, and Blondie. New stuff like Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, Sting, Sade, Pearl Jam, Prodigy, Rage, Live, Foo Fighters etc. I love ambient techno stuff like Kraftwork, Art of Noise, Fatboy Slim, and Brian Eno.

My fave by far is Led Zeppelin. In fact, one of their songs inspired one of my next projects called HAMMER OF THE GOD’S, due out in Spring, right after POWERS. Here’s the link... HOGheaven3. An ELO song from the album TIME inspired SHIP OF FOOLS.