With the release of Benjamin from Oni Press in June, we are delighted to be joined by artist Leomacs.
Hi Leomacs, it’s so lovely to have you here with us.
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Thank you for introducing me to your readers. I have been a comic book artist for as long as I can remember. Since I was a kid, this is what I wanted to do and I took it very seriously. Everything that tried to sidetrack me from my goal was just hurdles I had to jump over. In the end, I succeeded and here I am. I have been working as a comic book artist for over 30 years and after a long stint drawing comics in Italy I branched out a bit and drew some French comics, then I branched out further and worked with a number of US editors and still am, and I’m loving it.
What did you think when you first heard/read the pitch for Benjamin?
I thought it was right up my street! I love Philip K. Dick, and this story has so much to offer to both myself and readers. It has drama, comedy, it’s sci-fi done well, where the imagination takes you places without the need for big special effects. It’s a great story.
Visually, what was your aim for the series?
Well, each story I do has its own identity. Some of that is developed through prep work, some you discover, rather than create, as you draw. Obviously, the script is your main guideline, literally the tracks you cannot deviate from, but because it’s such a fun story, I am allowed to let my imagination run free. I am trying not to give spoilers, but let’s say there are loads of little inputs that I am able to develop that are like gold nuggets for an artist. My aim is to make art that does right by the script, and in doing so, I hope that the characters and their situations draw the readers in. I like to experiment with movement in the panels, for example, so here I get a chance to show time transitions, or a transition from a vision, or a dream, to the real world in ways that hopefully make for interesting art. I try not to think of the action as limited within the confines of the panel, so when I get the chance, I let the characters flow around a little.
How did you join Benjamin?
I had done a few short stories for Oni, and Sierra Hahn was very kind to ask if I’d like to read the pitch for Benjamin and I was immediately interested. Luckily, they asked me to draw it and here I am.
You created all of the art for Benjamin. What part of that process did you enjoy the most?
I loved that I had to go back and look at old 1960s and 1970s sci-fi book covers. They were such creative covers, so trippy, and you feel a freedom in the art that was so suggestive to readers. So my goal was to try and recreate a little bit of that. Trippy art freedom.
What has it been like working with Ben and Oni Press?
It’s been great! Ben is a great writer, and I’m sorry you only get to read the comic as intended, I get to read the script which is great fun.
Has it been a challenge creating the visuals for the series?
Drawing comics in general can be challenging sometimes, because inevitably, as an artist, I visualise in my head things that are beautiful, but hard to draw. And I don’t like to take shortcuts, so I draw everything, every detail, and sometimes I visualise perspectives that can be a challenge to realise, or I have to show, as I mentioned before, an action that transitions into another, and I look for visually interesting ways to do it. So I set the bar a little high and see if I can reach it. But bottom line, this job is about giving the readers a great experience, and I am a comic book reader too, so I wouldn’t want it any other way. I like challenges.
How long have you been working on Benjamin?
Roughly from around the start of 2025.
How would you describe Benjamin?
It’s a journey into the mind of someone who died some 40 years ago and mysteriously reappears today. And through this mystery, we come to see how we are the future that was dreamt of 40 years ago.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
I hope you enjoy reading Benjamin and thank you kindly for reading comics. Comics make the world go round and can do things that no other media can do.
We would like to say a big thank you to Leomacs for chatting with us, and we would like to wish him the best of luck with Benjamin.
