Trevor Hogg chats with Sid Kotian about encountering a chicken library, superheroes and a smoking hot redhead known as Allison Carter…
“My uncle was interested in art,” recalls Sid Kotian who is an illustrator from Mumbai, India. “There were always books lying around; they focused on works by the old masters like Goya and Turner so I was exposed to art at an early age. Also I used to steal his watercolours to paint stuff.” Kotian delved into the world of comic books. “Archie comics, Tintin and Asterix were always available plenty so that was what I thought comics were. I became aware of superhero comics in school and completely by accident. Back then we didn’t have the Internet or chain book stores. But there were a few lending libraries around the neighbourhood. This particular one was right behind the school I used to go to. I called it the chicken library because aside from selling books the guy also sold chicken eggs. The birds were in coups next to the signing desk. The library is a misnomer because it was a little space beneath the stairs between where the stairs end and the rows of electric meters; in that space were unceremoniously dumped a whole pile of books. Looking back at it it was a hell of fire hazard. It was there that I innocently stumbled across my first superhero comic, Batman: Year One. For someone whom thought all comics were Archie reading that book was a kick in the mind….groin? I’m no writer.”
Whether comic book publishers are considering the movie potential in their decisions to accept new titles, Sid Kotian remarks, “No, I don’t think that’s the norm. I hope that’s not the norm. All the highest grossing comic book films were successful comics first and at the time they were written I don’t think anyone thought superhero movies would get so big or made at all. If you are going to go about the other way round its just trouble. Movies are constrained, by budgets, committees, and decisions. Comics can be anything you want. Secondly, there are thousands of scripts churned out on spec in Hollywood. Even if a script is green lit doesn’t mean it’ll get made. To me at least it doesn’t make sense to make comics that way. It’s a lot more labour intensive to do and frankly, the thought of being told ‘don’t draw that we have no budget for it’ is appalling.” Kotian states, “I’d have to say Silent Dragon published by Wildstorm is a perfect comic. Good art, good story, and good colours. It’s dark, sci-fi with a twist ending. Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire is a close second but only because there are no giant mechs in that. My favourite comic book movie is The Dark Knight [2008] because you can take the costumes out and it’s still a fantastic movie.”
“Prior to Apocalypse Al I worked on a local comic which was a very violent, dark martial arts book; it was lots of fun to draw but the complete opposite,” states Sid Kotian who was recruited to be the illustrator for a four-part miniseries revolving around a paranormal private investigator named Allison Carter with the task of preventing the end of the world. “Tom [Akel] emailed me through Phil [Smith]. At the time I was about to yet again embark on a creator owned project. I do that a lot. Then I quietly hide those comics saying ill do better next time. I jumped at the chance to work with JMS [J. Michael Straczynski]; he’s one of my favourite writers. Mostly the script has it all. There’s the usual back and forth at the start of the book. Getting the designs nailed down. Going through changes to get it right but mostly it was a smooth process from then on out.”
“Most of the research was locally based,” states Sid Kotian. “There were some specific locations in Los Angeles so I used Google Images and Street View to scout out Mulholland Drive and Watt Towers. God bless Google. I don’t know how artists worked without it. But I read that editors used to send reference pics along with the scripts in the old pre email days. I also found a movie called Ricochet [1991] that had the Watt Towers in the climax. It’s not supposed to be a comedy but if you are ever bored I recommend watching it. The dialogues are hilarious.” Kotian notes, I wasn’t really looking to ground Al in reality. It was a fun, noir comedy. I tried to hit the beats as they came up and keep the story telling clear.”
Traditional tools are preferred by the illustrator. “I avoid digital as much as possible. I use Photoshop to scan and adjust the pages and some white outs here and there. It’s mostly all traditional.” When it comes to devising the page layouts, Sid Kotian explains, “My usual method is to see how the dialogue will fit. Make sure the important panel gets enough space and make sure the eye goes where it’s supposed to go. I mostly hate doing layouts and I end up fiddling with panel arrangements right up till drawing the final page.” A particular scene stands out. “There is a page early on in the book where Al falls into the dreamscape. The background was done differently in that. I used pencil shading and ink washes. Did not know how it would print but it turned out pretty well.”
As for what makes for an effective comic book cover, Sid Kotian reveals, “Getting Adam Hughes [Wonder Woman] to draw it. There was some talk about it but it didn’t happen. It would’ve been so cool!” Other members of the creative team for Apocalypse Al were Bill Farmer and Troy Peteri. Troy’s lettering is of course always spot on. Bill brings some lovely colour choices and the rendering really helps flesh out the look of the book. I was pleased with the way the book turned out. It was decided early on that Al would have a bright colour pallet. This being a comedy we wanted the pages to pop.” The relationship between Walt Disney and his iconic creation Mickey Mouse gets spoofed. “Haha! That was a fun sequence. The whole book was really fun to draw.”
Apocalypse Al images courtesy of Sid Kotian and Phil Smith
Many thanks to Sid Kotian for taking the time for this interview.
To learn more about Apocalypse Al visit the official websites for Image Comics, Joe’s Comics, Sid Kotian and Amazon.
Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada.
Originally published July 16, 2014. Updated November 29, 2022.
