Off the Record...

Georges Jeanty, a former comic book shop manager, is now the hot up-and-coming artist on Marvel's new X-Men book: WEAPON X! We had lunch with Georges recently and talked about his new title, what might be happening in upcoming issues, and what he has in common with a former Wham! singer.

CBEtc: Okay, we saw the re-emergence of "Weapon X" in the pages of Deadpool. Then, with a series of one-shots, we were reacquainted or introduced to some of the core characters of the team. Now, a year later, the new series is finally here… Are you excited to finally see it come out?

GJ: Very excited! Some might say "what is the necessity of having another X book," but it’s kind of a team book with more of a darker edge to it. I wouldn’t say "evil mutants," but more of a, uh… unsavory mutants. And I’m really excited to see it finally come out.

CBEtc: For those that may not be familiar with the premise behind the book, can you describe what it is about?

GJ: It’s kind of a "black ops" set-up. There is a core team but, not every member will be needed necessarily for each mission. So there might be a time that Sauron and Wildchild will have to go out on their own. And that, to me, seemed interesting because it eliminated having to draw the same characters all the time, every issue. This is giving me a really good chance to switch around who I get to draw.

CBEtc: What is the difference between this group and what Marvel did 5 to 7 years ago with Freedom Force – where the former Brotherhood of Evil Mutants worked for the government doing secret missions?

GJ: Really? I wasn’t familiar with Freedom Force. Probably the difference is this group is under the watch of the Weapon X project.

CBEtc: Is it based out of Canada still?

GJ: Actually, I’m still learning about this but, the Weapon X program was part of a larger company. The bigger company is not known as Weapon X – it’s more of a clandestine thing. We don’t know who the larger company is yet, or where they are from.

The Canadian facility is where the Weapon X project took place. If you have been reading Wolverine, that is no longer the case. It’s been abandoned for several years. I think the new facility is somewhere in the Rockies.

CBEtc: Now, how does this series play into the story that Grant Morrison revealed over in New X-Men? Does Weapon X actually stand for the tenth weapon – and that there have been more made after that?

GJ: I was reading that and wondering the same question myself! The four issues that I have penciled (and read) have not touched on that. I assume at some point we’re going to address it.

CBEtc: What’s the first story arc about?

GJ: The first story deals with the retrieval of Matt Jeffries. Which was a character in the original Alpha Flight series. He was the guy who could control machines.

CBEtc: Wasn’t he the guy who created "Box?"

GJ: Yeah! And I’ve heard that he joined the Zodiac group from the second Alpha Flight series. Anyway, he is supposed to be retrieved. We don’t know why, but I can say it will lay the ground work for a huge storyline – certainly in this book, as well as some of the other X-books.

CBEtc: Any short, hairy, Canadian mutants making a visit in the near future (and I don’t mean "Puck" from Alpha Flight)?

GJ: [Laughs] Ohhhh… NOT Puck? Well, Wolverine is going to be in the first issue, but I’d rather not say to what end. I know Marvel wants to stay away from having Wolverine appear too often, because this is going to be a stand alone book. Other X-Men will be making appearances, I can’t say specifically, but they will be coming in and out. Not so much to be a part of the team, but maybe to stop it.

CBEtc: Are Aurora (formerly of Alpha Flight) and Marrow (formerly of X-Men) the only female characters in the series? Or, are you getting more babes? The fan-boys like their bad-girls, you know!

GJ: Oh, I know! Well, no new females yet. But, the sub-mission of Weapon X is too recruit more mutants, so there could be!

CBEtc: Was Weapon X something that was planned before or after the "Agent of Weapon X" storyline in Deadpool last year?

GJ: It was always planned to be it’s own title. I think, originally, it was supposed to be a mini-series. Then writer Frank (Tierri) had so many ideas that they made it an on-going. Because the events that will be going on in this series have been going on in Wolverine for the last year (where Tierri has been writing). So, it’s been planned for a while.

CBEtc: Deadpool #57, which was the first part of the "Agent of Weapon X" storyline – was that your first Deadpool?

GJ: Actually, no. Number 54 was my first. That was the two-parter of him and the Punisher.

CBEtc: Have you had a consistent inker working with you over the years?

GJ: It was a very big coup to get inker Dexter Vines over to Weapon X. He has a good reputation in the business. He’s a great inker, as well as a great guy. He’s done Wolverine and Superman recently. We’ve been wanting to work together for some time.

I was supposed to take over Superman: Man of Steel, but that didn’t work out. Dexter still got the inking chores. So when I was starting Weapon X, I asked the editors if he could come work with me. And for the foreseeable future, Dexter and I will be on Weapon X together. And that was one of the things that convinced me to do this series – having an inker that I just loved.

And I would like to add, that I told Marvel that I am committed for at least, the very least, 12 issues.

Because, as a comic fan myself, I liked when I could pick up a title and know the same creative team is going to be there. You form a relationship, not only with the characters, but with the artist and writer, I think. So, if they take off for more than one issue, you feel a little slighted. Like, "Hey – I care enough to come back every month and you should, too!" So, it’s a very firm goal of mine to be here for the long haul.

CBEtc: From what we’ve seen of the artwork so far, this is your best stuff yet.

GJ: Thanks! Like I said, a good inker can do wonders.

CBEtc: Speaking of which, your Sabretooth is pretty cool looking. Did you have much say in the design when you first penciled him back in Deadpool?

GJ: Unfortunately, no. Marvel already designed him that way because they knew he was going to be involved in Weapon X. I tweaked him up a little bit, but I can’t take credit for his redesign.

CBEtc: So, you didn’t design his new hair-do?

GJ: [Laughs] No. But I think it’s more functional this way. This guy is really stealthy and long hair would just get in the way.

CBEtc: [Looking at some of the artwork from upcoming issues] I like what Marrow is doing with the bone. Kinda risqué, though, isn’t it? [Marrow is laying on her stomach holding a 12 inch bone to her lips].

GJ: [Laughs] Well, it’s her bone. [Laughing] If it was someone else’s bone, I could understand it being… um… [Laughs again].

CBEtc: Okay, here’s an important question: With Agent X, Soldier X and now Weapon X coming out, is there any truth to the rumor that Marvel is turning ALL their titles into X-Books?

GJ: Yeah, everybody’s a mutant now. [Laughs] Actually, I’m still wary of Cloak and Dagger being mutants…

CBEtc: What about "Falcon X?" Ya know, he is a mutant?

GJ: I thought he got his powers from the Cosmic Cube?

CBEtc: Well, in the Falcon mini-series about 12-15 years ago, it was revealed he had a "small mutant" power to talk with his bird – which is why the Sentinels came after him.

GJ: That’s right! I forgot about that.

CBEtc: You were a member of Gaijin Studios with Brian Stellfreeze, Adam Hughes, Cully Hamner and Karl Story for a little while. How come you’re no longer there?

GJ: I was there almost four years and just left this past month. There were some family issues, but I also think it was just time to move on.

CBEtc: Did it come as a surprise to the studio?

GJ: No. I mentioned it to some of the guys at the beginning of the year actually. We just sort of set a date and went on from there.

CBEtc: So, was there any sort of animosity between you and the group?

GJ: No, not to my knowledge. I’m still welcome to go over there and hang out.

CBEtc: You are the first Georges I’ve ever met (pronounced GEORG-ez). That’s a pretty unique name.

GJ: It’s actually French. So if you went to France or Canada you’d see it there all over the place. It’s technically pronounced Jee-orge, but I go by Georg-es.

CBEtc: What did the kids call you growing up?

GJ: Everyone just said George. I guess kids just go with what they know.

CBEtc: Any nicknames?

GJ: Hmmm…. Well, my middle name is Michael and, oddly enough, I never got any flack for it.

CBEtc: So, your name is George Michael?

GJ: Never got any flack for it.

CBEtc: Ever hang out in any bathrooms?

GJ: [Laughs] None that I will admit to!

CBEtc: What did you do before you broke into the comics industry?

GJ: I once managed a comic book shop. I also thought I wanted to be an actor before drawing comics. So I did a lot in theatre, managing different stuff in the arts. But, I realized I was a better artist than an actor, so I switched gears a few years ago.
Which, kinda hurts. Adam Hughes and I are roughly the same age. And you look at how good he is…

CBEtc: Is Adam Hughes really that good of an actor?

GJ: [Laughs] It depends on when you catch him!

But, he was also someone I watched as an artist closely when I was "coming up." I used to think "this is how I would like to draw comics."

When I submitted stuff, I remember people telling me that my characters looked too normal – they needed to be more heroic. And I looked at Adam’s stuff – which was popular at the time ( and still is) – and thought his people looked average, too. So I never thought my characters had to be more heroic at all.

CBEtc: So what do you think stands out in your style? Who do people tell you that your work looks influenced by?

GJ: I don’t think I really have a style. You look at Terry Dodson and you see Adam Hughes. You look at Phil Jimenez and you see George Perez. And I will freely admit that I sometimes open anything by Alan Davis and just draw whatever I need to and not feel ashamed about it! [Laughs] But, still, I don’t see his influence in my work.

When I was coming up, I knew my anatomy wasn’t going to take on the world. So, I thought I needed an edge to break into comics. So, I concentrated closely on backgrounds, perspective, etc. So, if I was going to say anything on how my work would stand out, it would probably be the perspective.

Storytelling to me has always been important. But, what hindered me, I think, was coming up when Image first broke into the business. They had a very specific style and format for getting things done. And, frankly, they knew better, because their books were selling in the millions. But, I didn’t agree with all the big splashes that they did. And, in my opinion, it was distracting from the story. So, I concentrated more on the layout, the backgrounds, the perspective.

CBEtc: There’s a debate on who said this first, Mark Bagley or Cully Hamner, BUT… both have said to be successful as a comic book artist, you need to be two out of three things. Those three things are: a very nice guy; a really good artist; and a really fast artist. You could be a really nice guy and a really fast artist, but you don’t really have to be that good. You could be a really good artist, and a very fast one, but you don’t have to be that nice. Or you could be a really good guy and a good artist, but not be that fast. Which 2 do you think you fit the best?

GJ: Which two did Cully say he was? I know it couldn’t have been "fast." [Laughs].

CBEtc: Yeah, you got him. He said a good artist and a good guy.

GJ: You know, I’ve always tried to be a nice guy. This may sound stupid, but I look at strangers as friends I haven’t met yet. So, I’ve never had any attitude. Especially, I mean, ‘cause we’re in comics! We are the bastard children of publishing. When someone says "I’m a comics celebrity…" [Laughs] That’s a little bit above saying you were an extra on Miami Vice. So, I don’t see any need for any attitude.

As for being good, that’s subjective. Fast? I’ve had to be fast only to keep a monthly book. But, when you think about it, a monthly book is only 22 pages and you have a good 28-30 days to get it done. So, if you do a page a day, it’s no big deal. And if you look at comics like producing a movie, you have to figure out what it is you need to get done to finish 22 pages in this 28-day shooting cycle.

To me, being fast is doing two to three books a month.

CBEtc: What do you think of those guys?

GJ: Well, so far, I haven’t seen any that have impressed me. I have seen this one guy who is currently doing two books a month. Great angels, great storytelling. But, to me, if he just slowed down and concentrated on one book, his execution would be better. I don’t begrudge the guy for making more money but, as an artist, I can’t justify doing that.

But, to do one book a month should be very reasonable. However, we could get into a big debate just on that.

CBEtc: Especially coming from Gaijin Studios…

GJ: Well, they have a reputation for that. Oddly enough, coming into the studio I had to shake that reputation off. It actually hurt me. I came into Gaijin thinking I would have the clout behind me of an Adam Hughes, a Brian Stellfreeze, a Cully Hamner, a Karl Story. But, a lot of people were kind of wary of taking me on. They would say that they were impressed by the material, but were concerned about deadlines.

I hope my small contribution to Gaijin Studios was to help dispel the rumor that being at Gaijin might take three to four months to get one book out of you.

CBEtc: What do you like to listen to when you’re working?

GJ: As artists, listening to something is really all we can do. You can’t watch something, or you can’t participate in anything. Really, listening is the only thing available. That’s why I’m surprised when other artists see my huge CD collection and are amazed.

So, I listen to Pop. I love show tunes, which I get teased about…

CBEtc: Well, with a name like George Michael…

GJ: [Laughs] True… I’m a big Stevie Wonder fan, a big Prince fan. More of the R&B stuff. But I caught the books on tape bug from Karl Story.

Okay, now is the time for "2099" portion of our interview. This is where I ask you 20 questions in 99 seconds. It’s basically an "either/or" type of response, but you can answer whatever first pops into your head.

Drawing funny books or work in the theatre: God… oddly enough, I’d say theatre

Interiors or Covers: Interiors

Late night or early day: Late night

Big screen or rent: Big screen what? Ohhhh… Definitely big screen

Studio or Solo: Studio

Play with toy or keep in box: Play with the toy

Crossovers or One-shots: One-shots

Star Wars or Star Trek: I would have said Star Wars years ago, but I’m going to say Star Trek now

Fly or drive: Fly

Telepathy or Healing Factor: [Laughs] Healing Factor

First Print or TPB: First Print

Sabretooth or Snagglepuss: I have to say Sabretooth!

South Park or Simpsons: Simpsons

Cell phone or E-mail: Uhhhh… cell phone

Sleep in or make deadline: Make deadline!

Squeeze in the middle or at the end: Squeeze what? Uhhhhh…. Tooth paste?!? Oh, I guess in the middle.

World Series or Super Bowl: Super Bowl

Weapon X or Weapon XXX: [Laughs] Weapon X. I have to be PG-13

Lou Ferigno or Adam West: Adam West!

Buffy or Vampirella: Buffy – Is Vampirella even still around?

ART CREDITS (Official)

Weapon X #1-current
Weapon X Wizard 1/2
Deadpool #54-55, 57-60
Bishop: The Last X-Man #1-15
Gambit #25
Green Lantern #94, 114
Superboy #40-45
Superman #1,000,000
Team Superman #1
Wonder Woman #152