Jim Lee

This weekend’s Baltimore Comic-Con will draw plenty of purists and fanboys — more than 10,000 people are expected — but their heroes have transcended the page to conquer movies, TV and video games. Since 2000’s “X-Men” — and particularly since 2002’s “Spider-Man” — superhero franchises have become predictable blockbusters. This summer was no exception, with “The Dark Knight” grossing $522 million in the U.S. alone and “Iron Man” helping to resuscitate Robert Downey Jr.’s career. Jim Lee, a renowned comic book artist and publisher, has exerted his visual influence throughout the Marvel and DC Comics universes. In an e-mail exchange this week, he weighed in on the future of comic-book films and gave us a glimpse into some of his upcoming projects.
QUESTION: How does it feel knowing that you’ve helped shape the look and feel of some of the most popular comic book franchises across publisher lines, most notably with your work on the “X-men” series and your DC Comics work on “Superman” and “Batman” projects?
LEE SAYS: Oh I’m just out there having fun, drawing the characters I loved most as a kid and as a fan. Not really doing it on a conscious level trying to leave “a mark” as it were, though looking back on it, following my heart and my passions has in retrospect added up to a fair bit of accumulated work on some of the greatest characters in the world. That said, it’s very humbling knowing your work is out there, rubbing shoulders with all the amazing stories created by the greatest creators from the ’40s, the ’50s, etc., on up. Trying to measure up is one of the driving motivations of my career.

QUESTION: How do you feel about the boom in comic book influence in Hollywood? Do you feel that Hollywood, as a whole, has done justice to the genre and medium?
LEE SAYS: Well, I think with the widespread use of CGI special effects in movies, Hollywood has been able to capture what comics readers and fans the world over have always known — the world of comics, specifically the world of superheroes, is full of magic and wonder and adventure and that this collective body of work is in essence, our modern mythology. Stories about heroism, tragedy, great love are universal and the aspirational elements of the superhero’s story make for good cinema. So I welcome it because it’s our way of sharing all the decades of amazing comics stories with the rest of the “civilian” world.

QUESTION: What kind of future do you see for comic book movies? After burning through “The Watchmen” and “The Spirit” at the end of this year, what do you think will be the next heavy hitter?
LEE SAYS: Well, I think Marvel has announced a slew of movies based on their “Avengers” and “X-men” franchises, but I’m looking forward to the recently announced reboot of “Superman” by Warner Bros. He’s the ultimate classic archetypical superhero, and he deserves the same fanfare shown recently to characters like “Batman” and “Iron Man.”

QUESTION: Do you think the public could grow tired of comic-book movies? How do you keep them fresh?
LEE SAYS: Well, I think the genre is so broad and chock full of brilliant stories. In a way, not having CGI allowed the world of comics to just create so much before one image made it onto the silver screen. Which, in retrospect, is a great thing because so many creators made comics for comics’ sake, which is why the art form is so vibrant and alive and healthy today. And I’m not just talking about superheroes … there’s “300,” “Sin City,” “The Mask,” “Hellboy,” “Wanted,” “V for Vendetta,” even “Men in Black,” etc., etc. The sky’s been the limit in comics for so long, and as CGI in movies gets better and better at capturing some of the sheer imagination depicted by some of the comic book greats, well, the more incredible, mind-blowing movies, we, the fans, will get out of it in the long run. Hopefully!

QUESTION: What would be your dream project to work on?
LEE SAYS: It’s funny you mentioned how many characters I worked on, but it’s crazy how many of them I haven’t! The rest of the “Justice League,” the “Legion of Super Heroes,” but, more importantly than the characters, I’m jazzed by the prospect of working with some writers I’ve always been a fan of but never had the chance to collaborate with on a professional level. Writers like Neil Gaiman [“The Sandman”], Geoff Johns [“The Flash,” “Green Lantern”], the list goes on and on.

QUESTION: DC Universe Online looks like an exciting project for online gamers looking for something familiar (in terms of characters) and yet different from what’s currently available as far as MMORPGs go. Can you describe your involvement with the project?
LEE SAYS: Yes, I am the executive creative director on the game for DC comics. In a nutshell, I’m the eyes and ears for DC on the game, and it’s my directive to make sure the MMO looks and feels and sounds like the DC universe. And while being an artist gives me direct input into how the game looks, it’s my years of gaming experience and passion for that industry which has helped me immensely, as I have had to interface with all aspects of the game from story lines to character customizations to secret identities. It’s a massive project, and I’m honored to be a small part of the Herculean task in bringing the DC Universe to life.

QUESTION: What’s next?
LEE SAYS: Well, the game takes up a lot of time. After “All Star Batman and Robin,” I would love to finish up several commitments to existing projects like “Wildcats” [a team of heroes he launched in 1992] before I move onto anything else. I’ve been lucky in getting to work with the most amazing collaborators. I hate always moving on from the projects I’m on.

QUESTION: What advice do you have for aspiring artists and writers looking to break their way into the industry?
LEE SAYS: Man, the most important thing is you gotta be committed. No one is going to hand you a career on a silver plate. You have to make it happen, and like all things worth having, it’s a hella lot of work. So practice, practice and practice til your body gives out and then keep working on past that. Some luck plays a role, but at the end of the day, the cream does eventually rise to the top.

Tim Wong is b’s art director. You can reach him at tim@bthesite.com. Jordan Bartel is the assistant editor at b. You can reach him at jordan@bthesite.com

If you go
What: Baltimore Comic-Con 2008
When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St., Downtown
For more information go to www.comicon.com/baltimore

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