Q+A: Vasilis Lolos

March 18, 2008 on 9:36 pm | In Cartoonists, Interviews

Greek native Vasilis Lolos broke into American comics working with Rick Spears (Teenagers From Mars) on Pirates Of Coney Island at Image. Along with various mini comics like his own Hats and 2007’s 5 with Becky Cloonan, Gabriel Ba, Fabio Moon and Rafael Grampa, Vasilis has started his own graphic novel series at Oni Press called The Last Call.

How did you get into comics and illustration?

I got to a late start when it came to drawing. I was reading a lot of comics as a kid but other then Mighty Mouse and K.I.T.T. I didn’t draw much until I was 16 or something when I was preparing for architecture school (I ended up in graphic design). I drew a lot of short stories in that time and went into self-publishing with groups of friends. I got my first publishing deal in a weekly magazine called “9″ and since then I’ve been drawing comics full-time.

How has your style of drawing evolved since you first started? Were there any comic artists that inspired you?

I started off with a very European style, but after taking some heat from a friend I dove headfirst into the depths of “manga,” that was around 1998. Since then I’ve been looking at more alternative artists including Taiyo Matsumoto, Max Anderson, Guy Davis, Mike Mignola and Frank Miller. Of course my style has changed a lot over the years, switching mediums and techniques, but that’s all a part of growing up. Katsuhiro Otomo is an everlasting influence to me, as well as Moebius, however the last few years I’ve been drawing inspiration more from outside of comics.

What kind of inspiration do you draw from outside of comics?

I really like the Art Deco period, and I’ve been into Dore’s engravings. I also draw a lot of inspiration from the German exspressionist film movement. I buy a lot of magazines that are related to Space exploration and mechanical design. Really I pick up things from here and there, trying to make sense of it in a sort of mental-to-visual Tetris fashion. Of course there are themes and visual styles that I’ve always liked, but sometimes something unexpected will capture my attention and I throw it into the mix.

What was it like going from the Greek/Euro comics scene/industry to the American? How would you say they differ?

I was working in Greece as a professional for five years, I published a graphic novel and was getting consistent work in various magazines and newspapers, and my friends and I had self published several anthologies, mini comics and cd-rom comic zines. Not to pat myself on the back but I thought my work was well recieved, so leaving that industry and starting work in the US was like going from Hero to Zero. Nobody knew who I was and it felt like the five years I’d already been working didn’t count for anything. But I’m working hard to regain my Hero status, and I’ve learned a lot and met so many great people in the US who have been nothing but encouraging. I mean, if you had told me five years ago that Geoff Darrow and I would trade comics at Comic Con I would never have believed it.

There is no real way to compare the Greek and American comic scene, there are a lot of comics that are translated into Greek but there aren’t many professional venues who publish Greek creators. The majority of Greek comic artists are independently published or political cartoonists, but the number of creators are on the rise and in the past few years the industry has grown a lot. There are a lot of cool people in the comic scene here, but I gotta be honest, there are a lot of haters too. But what can you do? Hate the game, not the playa.

Tell me about your latest book, The Last Call. How did you come up with the concept?

I’ve always wanted to do a coming-of-age story about friendship and what it means to grow up, and I’ve always wanted to draw a murder mystery (keeping in mind that I’m a fan of the paranormal), so when the opportunity arose to do a short graphic novel series with Oni Press The Last Call was born fairly painlessly. It’s an adventure story of two boys, Sam and Alec, who get caught up in a murder case on a ghost train. I’m working on the second book right now, I hope to have it out for New York Comic Con in April 08. The story is really inspired by the feeling I get from Miyazaki movies and Agatha Christie books.

What else in on the horizon in your immediate future – Last Call and Pirates of Coney Island?

When Pirates of Coney Island wraps up I’d like to tackle another monthly mini series in between Last Call GN’s. I have a few stories in mind that I’ve been toying with, we’ll see which one is the lucky winner. I’m also working on a comic with Becky Cloonan that she’ll be writing and I’ll be drawing, but I can’t say much about it yet. I’ve been keeping myself busy.

I love telling stories and making art, and comics combines both of these perfectly. I also love going to comic conventions, meeting other artists and creators. Actually, I love the whole comic industry: from the pencil to the page to the printer to the shelf.

-DP