Michael: Where are you from?

Anthony: I’m from Baltimore, Maryland.

Michael: What influences do you have?

Anthony: I started drawing because I liked Saturday morning cartoons. My style is cartooney because of that. I like Batman, Disney; DreamWorks' “Prince of Egypt” and “Road to El Dorado”.

Michael: What comics did you read as a kid?

Anthony: As a kid I read X-Men and the New Mutants. I liked Batman because of the movie. I also worked in a comic book store and read all the Image stuff, and then from Image I moved onto "Stray Bullets" and "Strangers in Paradise". After that I got into the black and white stuff. Frank Miller’s “Sin City” got me into it.

Michael: How about now?

Anthony: My favorite book every month is Powers. I read pretty much everything Brian Michael Bendis writes. Brian K. Vaughan, I like Joss Whedon’s Buffy and Angel. Warren Ellis I dig him a lot.

Michael: Who are some of your favorite writers?

Anthony: I like Brian Michael Bendis a lot, and old Frank Miller.

Michael: Artists?

Anthony: I like Arthur Adams, Bruce Timm, Billsien Kevich.  I like Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, and Al Hirchfeld.

Michael: What materials do you use to draw your comics? Pencil? Ink?

Anthony: I use blue line paper, professional size 11x17. Maurado Black Warrior, it’s like a black pencil, the eraser’s really good and it’s cheap. For ink I use a brush pen mostly. I make all my panel borders in the computer, and I use Photoshop for all the greyscales in my books.

Michael: I love the humor from your comic “In My Lifetime”.

Anthony: Thank You!

Michael: Can you tell me where you derive some of this from?

Anthony: I don’t take anything too seriously, and the comic is a true autobiographical story.   It’s about stuff that happens to me, and the way I perceive it, it’s funny.

Michael: How long did "In My Lifetime" take you to finish?

Anthony: It took me about a year altogether. Anyone who’s made a comic understands that it’s hard to find time in between to work on one.

Michael: I can definitely see that your storytelling and presentation throughout “In My Lifetime” is very well thought out and put together, did you learn a lot of these skills in art school?

Anthony: No, we didn’t have comics. Art school wasn’t really geared for comics, it was more towards animation. My storytelling is about trying to be as clear as possible without being boring.

Michael: Personally I see a little bit of Bruce Timm style in your art, which in turn was influenced by Jack Kirby, would you agree when I say that I see a Jack Kirby influence in your style?

Anthony: Yeah! I dig Jack Kirby. I like the Fantastic Four, and the first appearance of the Black Panther. I do a lot of Jack Kirby influenced commissions. I like the energy he has in his drawings, and I like the Kirby Krackle.

Michael: What’s the Kirby Krackle?

Anthony: It’s where he draws black dots around the fist or when he draws outer space. It’s all Kirby Krackly!

Michael: What are you working on right now and when can we expect to see it?

Anthony: Right now I’m working on the “Postcards” graphic novel. www.allyouleave.com

It’ll be coming out next year.

On “Superhero Happy Hour” I just finished 3 pages.

Michael: What’s it about?

Anthony: It’s about a bar where Superheroes hang out.

Michael: Is it funny?

Anthony: Yeah, it’s a comedy!

I’m also doing a book. It’s called “Unhappy White Girls” by Silent Devil. They published my other book, “In My Lifetime”, the writer is Christian Beranek.

I have a short horror story coming out that I did with Josh Fialkev, and that’s going to be in an anthology called Hellbroth and Hexes. After all that I’m still working on “In My Lifetime #2”

Michael: Cool! What else do you enjoy other that comics?

Anthony: I like movies a lot. I enjoy books and autobiographies. I like to see how somebody thinks of their own life. It’s all pretty normal stuff, nothing crazy. I don’t parachute or anything…

(Michael laughs)

Michael: Is there any advice you can give to aspiring cartoonists/artists out there?

Anthony: If you want to make comics, then make them! If you think you’re doing something good, then go forward! Press on with it! I don’t pretend to have any excellent advice I’m still new myself.

Michael: Lastly, I would love to tell you it’s been great interviewing you and I hope to read more of your comics in the near future.

Michael: It was a pleasure!

Go to www.SilentDevil.com and pick up “In My Lifetime #1”

And for more Anthony Fleecs check out his website www.FleecsDesign.com

More about Michael… http://www.comicbookbin.com/michaelstewart.html

Feedback? Comments? Michael@comicbookbin.com