Freeze Frame: Clark Bint

Clark Bint is easily one of the most exciting and skilled emerging talents of the decade, with his phenomenal work on Dave Cook’s Killtopia and Titan Comics’ Rebel Moon making waves in the British comics scene. Today we sat down to talk about everything from his artistic process to his go to snacks.

Me: How did you get the job illustrating Killtopia?

Clark: After Craig Paton stepped down as the artist after issue 2, Dave put out a call for artists and I just messaged him about it. Dave and I met at a Thought bubble a year or so before, and being a 2000 AD fan I really wanted to be a part of Killtopia's anarchy sci-fi world. After I got some test pages done, Dave liked what I was bringing to the table and I joined the team.

Me: What’s the hardest part of illustrating Killtopia?

Clark: Since Dave and I share a lot of the same influences and inspirations, what Killtopia offered was pretty easy for me to draw - broken cyberpunk streets, robots, punk rock characters etc. And the action was a lot of fun to design. The hardest parts came from the many different hordes of rebels, ninjas, set pieces and individual outfits. I find it takes more energy for me to draw a lot of the same thing over and over (like ninjas), and also eccentric characters and settings that only appear for one or two scenes. But I'm glad I got to draw them, as facing these challenges makes you a better artist.

Me: When illustrating Titan’s Rebel Moon, how did you make it your own whilst keeping it true to the films?

Clark: Rebel Moon was an interesting project to work on, because it's of course a bigger IP and I'm coming on to help extend the story into a different context from a Netflix film. I got a lot of visual material of the ships and costumes, plus paperwork involving all the extended lore that was really helpful. However, making a comic is much more different from making a film. The note I got from Zack Snyder was basically to make it my own - he's of course a huge fan of Heavy Metal magazine and Frank Miller, so I had a pretty good idea of where to take the story, and Mags Visaggio's script was perfect in its structure and pacing for me. I really enjoyed staging the "performances" of the Bloodaxe family and trying to capture the high intensity of the films.

Me: Shifting towards your more recent work. What are you most excited for people to see in Terra Squad?

Clark: Etienne and I have created a great little indie superhero book about three kids who are destined to step up to the role of hero. It was a lot of fun to design because there are four distinct worlds effectively colliding here - the three worlds that the kids are from (the U.S, Japan and the Congo) and the foundational alien technology wherein lies their fate. So I'm looking forward for readers to feel the difference in each of the kids' worlds as expressed by colour and movement. It's all drawn and coloured by me so I had a lot of control on that aspect.

Me: What was the main visual inspiration for Terra Squad?

Clark: It's a little hard to pin down as I have so many inspirations for all of my work. I guess there was a process of thought that led to brainstorming a certain way: I knew I always wanted to have each kid being background characters in a bigger world, and in a "every person has their own story" kind of way, we focus on them and follow their story. So I looked at street and portrait photography to create a more naturalistic tone for their environments, and the more we get to know what makes these characters special, we get more expressive and theatrical in colour and dynamism. There are a couple of montage pages in the book that exemplify this pretty well I think.

© Clark Bint

Me: On a similar note, which comics inspire you the most as an illustrator?

Clark: My favourite comics are usually on the weirdo side: sixties underground comix, seventies sci fi comics, and anything with a dynamic narrative but big personality or heart. So the books that have inspired me the most are the likes of We3, Halo Jones, Krazy Kat, Battle Angel Alita, and New Gods. Also I love stuff like Soft City, and  the works of underground artists like Aline and Robert Crumb, and Victor Moscoso.

Me: Who's your favourite artist?

Clark: It's constantly changing, but some of the usuals are Van Gogh, Will Eisner and Kim Jung Gi.

Me: Is there a dream comic to illustrate?

Clark: When I was younger there were more dreams to draw specific titles- Spider-Man and his rogues gallery, 2000 AD, various superhero titles really. I'd still love to of course, but as I've gotten older and explored a greater artistic range in terms of my practice, I've found myself open to all kinds of genre. A couple of years ago, before Killtopia, I got a portfolio review from the DC editor at the time and he reckoned I'd be suited to a MAD magazine-type book or something. I've never drawn a totally comedic or romantic title before so that would be fun. Aside from that - the dream comic is my own!

Me: What does your artistic process look like?

Clark: For comics, first I read the script while making small doodles and notes of recurring themes, potential visual motives and anything that comes to mind. Then I re-read it so I can break down each scene into thumbnails, focusing on the mood and performance of characters. I'll also separately draw setting and costume ideas, and key moments. While I'm in this process, I'm looking for inspiration in research via libraries, books and films I've collected, walks, and things like that. This will all come together while the page layouts are being thumbnailed for the writer to greenlight, and I'll continue to research while I'm pencilling and inking.

Me: Weird question but what's your go to snack during a long session of illustrating?

Clark: Tea and as many milk chocolate digestives as humanly possible.

Me: What advice do you have to aspiring illustrators?

Clark: The basic advice I have is learn from the masters and apply it practically. For instance, knowing how anatomy looks and works is important, but so is drawing how it feels, and this applies to perspective and other elements, too. Additionally, always  be curious and look for the beauty in all things, because you will never finish "learning how to draw", so keep learning always. How you perceive things changes with experience so allow yourself to be loose with lines and allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from those. For all of this, always keep a cheap sketchbook with you where you can make all the mistakes and messes you want.

Me: What's your favourite comic con and why?

Clark: Thought Bubble. It's so welcoming and full of talent. It's my favourite to table at too.

Me: What song can't you get out of your head at the moment?

Clark: Okay, so you know when you're starting a project and you hear songs at the exact same time you brainstorm, and those songs are now associated with that project forever? Right now I'm brainstorming a secret, futuristic swashbuckling adventure with a writer, and Conflict by Mike Oldfield is now intertwined with my sketches. It's making me want to swing on a rope, pull out a musketeer sword and challenge one to a duel.

Me: What comics should everyone be reading?

Clark: I would be happy if everyone read one or more of We3, Maus, Halo Jones and Will Eisner's New York.

Me: What's the next big thing for you?

Clark: Right now I'm focused on getting Phantoms and Terra Squad wrapped, and planning this secret project. But I'll also be planning to get my own comic off the ground in some form or another - it's a story I've been itching to write, draw colour and share to the world for years. So I think the next big thing will be self-publishing.

Well now I can’t wait to check out Terra Squad and Clark’s own ‘secret project’ in the near future. Regardless of what the final product is, what I do know is it’ll be simply incredible and I can’t wait to read it.