Luckily this week I was able to get a hold of Bob Richardson(Producer and supervising Director Ultimate Avengers I&II) and get an exclusive interview with him. He discusses comics, life, imparts some wisdom, and he answers questions concerning his involvment in his two latest projects, and some of the projects he has worked on in the past.

Here's the exclusive interview...

1. How did you feel about comic books and cartoons before you started working in the business?

As a kid I loved comic books, which were probably responsible for getting me interested in reading all kinds of books in general, but I’ve continued to enjoy comics and comic books (or graphic novels) all through my career.

I believe, from the age of about five years old, I wanted to be an animator, based on having seen Warner Brothers’ short cartoons and Disney animated features, coupled with my desire to draw. Because of that, and the fact that I lived in Burbank, one day at the age of about ten, I walked up to the Disney studio gate and asked if I could work there. The guard was very nice and told me that if I came back after I went to art school, they would interview me for a job. I did come back after going to California Institute of the Arts (or Chouinard, as it was referred to then) and got a job as an in-betweener and then ultimately worked as an assistant animator on projects like “Jungle Book.”

When I was younger, I was a huge fan of the Carl Barks’ “Donald Duck” and “Scrooge” comics. I also loved the work of John Stanley in the “Little Lulu” comic books, but as I got older (the teen years) I gravitated toward “Mad” magazine, “EC” comics, Marvel and DC. There were many great comic book artists working back then, but one early find for me, was an artist named Bernie Krigstein, who’s mature comics work was much more filmic than a lot of what was being done at the time and I had developed a keen interest in film of all types, not just animation.

I think Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch are one of the finest writer/artist teams working in comics today, which made it my great pleasure to use their work for inspiration in bringing the two Avengers films to the screen.

I worked for a company called DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and they started doing projects for Marvel in the late seventies, so that was my first experience working for Marvel. Then, about 1980, I went to work for Marvel Productions, when they opened their doors for business and worked for them on numerous projects for about ten years.

If they actually do an Ultimate Avengers 3, I would love to see Hawkeye in the mix. He’s a very cool character, which we tried to have in the earlier Avengers movies, but didn’t have the screen time for. He also had a previous relationship with Black Widow and that might be an interesting combination in the midst of her developing relationship with Captain America.

You have to understand that many of the Marvel characters are not available to use in animated features, because of their successful use in live action franchises (such as Spider-Man and The X-Men). Given that, however, another character that would be interesting in the mix would be Hulk’s cousin She-Hulk, who might potentially be Hulk’s lawyer, if he were put on trial for crimes against humanity.

I would love to bring back Spider-Woman (who I worked on before) or Scarlet Witch, who is a very interesting villain turned ally that would add to the blend of characters in the Avengers. Also, it would be great to see Doctor Doom as a villain against the Avengers. He’s always been a favorite of mine.

I’m sorry, but that’s a no.

I think at the moment, you’re more likely to see an Avengers live action movie over an animated Spider-Man movie. The live action Spider-Man movies are too important and a hugely successful franchise to Marvel and Sony and they’re not likely to risk that with an animated version any time soon.

7. What kinds of exicting things can we expect from these/this projects?

Your guess is as good as mine.

8. How does it feel to be working for Marvel and playing such an important role in the production of these great films?

I love working on the Marvel characters and my experience working with executives like Avi Arad, Eric Rollman and Craig Kyle were very good. They were always supportive, helpful and constructive and allowed me to do what I do best, which is to try to deliver the best quality film possible under the normal limitations of budget and schedule.

9. What other things interest you other than comics and movies?

First and foremost I have family: a wife, children and grandchildren who are what make my life the best in the world. Beyond that I have interests in almost everything: music, art, photography, astronomy, sports and gardening, just to name a few. I find that the older I get, there is rarely anything that doesn’t have something of interest about it, which I can absorb to enrich my life and work.

I hope I can keep bringing characters to life in interesting stories until they find me slumped over my desk, lifeless, with animation pegs buried in my forehead (hopefully not too soon).  And for those who’ve enjoyed what I’ve done in the past I hope they can continue to enjoy whatever I do in the future.

11. I am pretty fresh in this business like so many others, what advice can you give to all those stary eyed youngins' who want to work in the industry of film or comics?

First of all, get the best formal education you can: art, film, music and literature as well as a general course of studies including math, history, English and geography. You need as much knowledge about life and the human experience as possible, in order to give your work the best chance of resonating with the public. You have the power to make people laugh and cry and everything in between with the medium of storytelling, but you need to maximize the way you connect with your audience to be successful.

Since employment in any business is about making money and generating profits, it is wise to get a closer view of the actual business you think you want to enter by getting an internship in that business and seeing what it’s really like to work in that particular environment. As you find exactly the kind of work that appeals to you, continue to educate yourself for the rest of your life by exposing yourself to new things, so your outlook on everything remains fresh.

12. Concluding this interview I would like to say it's been an honor to speak with you and myself and everyone here at Comic Book Bin wishes you continued success in the future.

Thanks for your interest in my work and me and I wish you the best in your future endeavors.

-Fin

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