Oz Comic-Con: Interview with Iconic Artist, Nicola Scott

I must apologise for anyone awaiting the next instalment in this series, but I had a small problem with my car, a truck and some cracked ribs. It made sitting at my desk a little painful. If you’ve missed the first interview with BossLogic, you can check that out here 

First thing Sunday morning, I nervously made my way over to the amazingly talented, Nicola Scott.

Of all the artists I organised interviews with over the Oz Comic Con Melbourne weekend. I was most nervous about interviewing this person. I can’t really explain why, but she was an artist whose work I admire. Not to mention, she has drawn almost all of the strongest and most iconic DC female superheros.

I was met by a red-haired woman with a blunt fringe, with this awesome retro style glasses and massive black acrylic star earrings. Nicola Scott was right there and I was freaking out, as I arrived, she smiled and greeted me, then complimented me on the fluffiness of my microphone (my Rodes mic wind sock). With that nervous giggle I calmed down a bit.

I was a massive fan of your work prior to these covers, what was it like being asked to do the Action Comic 1000^th issue covers?

Nicola Scott: It was pretty exciting to be asked to be a part of such a landmark event for a character whose legacy has been 80 years. For American comics that is one of the longest and for action comics to reach 1000 issues that is a huge deal. To be one of the artists to participate is a real honour and I was talking about it with George from Kings Comic, as it was an exclusive for his store and he came up with the idea of doing a class photo of Superman through the decades. I was like a little like this (showing him a rough proof) and he said ‘yep, we love it.’

Doing the research for it was a lot of fun and when it was released it, it was really successful and a lot of people loved it. They wanted to do the same thing for Detective when it turned 1000 last month and even through Wonder Woman’s 80^th is a couple of years off yet, I can’t do the boys and do Wonder Woman as well. So, I did her just for fun.

Well, it would be rude not too. You’ve done one of my favourite superhero teams, The Birds of Prey. I’m a massive Huntress fan, what was it like doing that?

Nicola Scott: Oh Yeah! She’s a fantastic character. Well Birds of Prey was actually my first DC Book. The fact I was finally working on a DC book, let alone a monthly DC Book was very exciting. The fact that it was Birds of Prey, which was a team I felt very attuned to and it was working with Gale Simone. Who I already knew I liked and we got along really well with. It was really serendipitous and lucky turn of events that that was my first book. Coz I felt like, exactly the right place for me to enter into the mainstream superhero books and it such a great line up of women their all interesting, complicated, badass women in their own way. I kind of love being able to draw that dynamic.

I’m frustrated with your art styling. A lot of comic book artists are quite heavy handed with their line work, but you’re not. You seem to utilize your colour palette beautifully to add a softness and grace to your female characters without taking away from their strength and power. Why did you decide to vary from a more traditional comic book style of hard lines and flatter colours?

Nicola Scott: I will try to curb not so much my style but more my finishing to whatever book I’m working on. So when I’m working on a book that is full of women or a book full of kids, I tend to be lighter with my touch. The times I’ve worked on more testosteroney, action packed man books like Earth 2. Where there is loads of devastation, and carnage and quite a lot of violence; I put in a lot more shadow, a lot more etching and more texture because I feel like it suits the tone of the book. But I don’t feel like it is always super appropriate.

(We were interrupted at this point in the interview by the amazing Kid Phantom writer, Andrew Constant.) Yes, yes, We are interviewing, go away. (Nicola said before turning to me and said) he’s my husband!

Wow, the dibits you learn at these events. You and Andrew Constant are married, Chewie’s Auntie was married to Yul Brynner.

Nicola Scott: Yeah, I know that’s right, you hear that and you’re like WHAT?!

So you probably get asked this in every interview, but what has been the highlight of your career or your favourite book or favourite thing you’ve been asked to do?

Throughout my whole career a question that we are always asked in must interviews is what is your dream project. And it has always been, from the very beginning, since the day I decided I was going to draw comic. My dream project has been Wonder Woman and the further into the industry I got and the more experienced I became, and the more people I got to know. That dream of just working of Wonder Woman defined itself to working on an origin story preferable with writer, Greg Rucka.

Then a couple of years ago, that happened.

I was about to say, ‘didn’t that already happen a few years ago?’

Nicola Scott: Yeah, so my dream project has happened. So that is probably the thing I’m most proud of as an accomplishment. Well, that along with doing our own create alone series, also with Greg, Black Magick.

As that has kind of facilitated a lot of my interest outside of Superheros. But we are still able to tell an interesting, complicated story. It’s been satisfying artistically because instead pencilling or inking, I’ve been painting it as well. I’ve been able to invest a lot more of my training and my interest into something where we set our own schedule, or we can take as much time as we want to on it. And I can do pretty much what I feel is appropriate and give myself the time to do it.

What’s it like having that amount of freedom and is it very refreshing as an artist?

Nicola Scott: It is very refreshing and I understand that it is a really privileged position to me in. And I feel very lucky that my career has got to a point that will support that kind of privilege

And a question that is more something I want to know. What was it like working with George Perez?

Oh, look George is an icon for pretty much everybody. He was certainly an icon for me because of his Wonder Woman run. His run on Wonder Woman was a big part of my decision and understanding of what Wonder Woman was in the comics and what I wanted to do. So when I first met him, it was a huge honour. I was already working at DC for quite a while and he was very kind and lovely and said it was lovely to met me as well, which was nice.

So, he is as sweet and nice as they all so he is?

Nicola Scott: He is 100% as sweet and lovely as everyone say he is.

Then when we got to work together, it came out of nowhere. It was on the new 52 Superman he was writing. Everyone got a little slammed by the Earth 2 deadline, and a lot of the original artists needed some support and I ended up doing half the first arc, 3 of the first 6 issues.

The first issue, George was writing like you would draw it. You know loads of panels on each page and then after that, he like I trust your story telling. Should I just write this Marvel style? Where it is just the outline rather than the panel descriptions and you just work from there. And I’m like, if that is what you want to do, absolutely hit me with it.

So having that relationship where he just trusted me to interpret his intention as a writer, through my own artistic filter. It was really exciting! Not to mention, it was really great working on what felt like a really retro Superman story storytelling idea.

That series blow my mind! When I heard you were coming to Oz Comic Con, I was like, I need to meet this woman. Anyone that can hold their own, let alone excel against George Perez, I need to met her!

Nicola Scott: Thank you, Thank you. Well I’ve kind of found myself by the company grouped in with one of those George Perez school legacy creators like Phil Jimenez and such.

The Crisis on Infinite Earth series is being repackaged in a huge hard pack 17 volume deluxe edition that is coming out later this year.

Ok, need to go and check my credit card balance, give me a second! Ha ha

Nicola Scott: Yeah it is going to be really expensive, but worth it. It is going to include not only the main story but all of the support stories that feed into it and came out of it. It is 17 volumes of hard backs and I did the box art for it. Which is amazing, as the only new original piece of artwork for it will be the box and I got to do the box art for it.

Oh, and Jerry Ordway is doing the inking on it and WOW what a trill! He has been emailing me all week and I’m like ‘Oh my God I’m emailing with Jerry Ordway.’

I’m very flattered that’s that how the company see me and treats me.

Nicola, thank you so much for taking the time to catch with me, it has been my absolute pleasure and one of my career highlights! Thank you again.

This interview has to be one of my most memorable of my career. As Nicola Scott is an amazing artist, but not just that. She an articulate, kind heart, strong and highly intelligent women that should be as revived and admired as much as the iconic characters she has made her own.