With the release of The Avengers in The Veracity Trap this week from Abrams ComicArts, we are delighted to be joined by cartoonist and illustrator Michael Cho. Michael is known for his graphic novel Shoplifter and his comic covers and illustrations.
Hi Michael, it’s so wonderful to have you here with us. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Sure. Hello, I’m Michael Cho, illustrator and cartoonist. You may know me from such things as various covers for your favourite superhero comics, my graphic novel Shoplifter from Pantheon books, my illustrations for book covers, magazines, and a whole bunch of licensed t-shirts, phone cases, posters, Hotwheels cars and even dinner plates from Marvel and DC comics.
Can you tell us about the origins of The Avengers in The Veracity Trap?
My friend Chip Kidd was asked by Charlie Kochman at Abrams if he wanted to write a book for their new Abrams Marvelarts line and he contacted me to see if I was interested. Of course, I said yes as I love working with Chip. We then spit-balled some ideas and eventually realized we both wanted to work on a silver-age Avengers tale featuring the OG Avengers team. Chip’s original treatment featured a whole lot of other Marvel characters but Charlie wrangled it down to a more focused story about the Avengers vs Loki.
For me, the book is really a love letter to Jack Kirby and the early Marvel age and was created in that spirit.
You created all of the art for The Avengers in The Veracity Trap. What part of that process did you enjoy the most?
Hmmm…that’s tough. For me, the most rewarding part is the layouts, when I take the script and turn it into something tangible on paper. However, it’s also the hardest part, where all the heaviest lifting takes place. Honestly, layouts and breakdowns are half the battle.
The most enjoyable part is the pencilling though, when the layouts are done and I can just enjoy the act of drawing. I love drawing these characters and I was trying to please the inner 12 year old in me that was thrilled to draw the adventures of the Avengers. There were many days when I was intimidated during the layout stage, but many more days where I was smiling and excited during the pencilling stage.
When you read the script from Chip Kidd, what did you think?
My first thought was “This is BONKERS!” Chip really wrote a story where I had no idea what would happen next. I cackled with glee at times and was wide-eyed in surprise at other times. And of course, after reading it, I was daunted by some of it, wondering “so how am I gonna DRAW this?!”
What has it been like working with Chip Kidd and Abrams ComicArts?
It’s been a thrill. I’ve been friends with Chip for a while since we first worked together on a Batman: Black and White story ages ago. He was my editor at Pantheon for my first graphic novel, Shoplifter. We have a good rapport and I immediately got what he was aiming for, even when others didn’t.
Abrams was also wonderful. I’m more used to the working process at comic book publishers like DC and Marvel where I get an assignment and just fulfill my end of it before handing it back to the editors to send to the next person in the process. However, at Abrams, I was given control and input into every step of the book from picking the letterer, to the design of the book jacket, to even picking the paper stock. That was a level of control I wasn’t used to and one that made me appreciate how thoughtful and committed to the creators’ vision editor Charlie Kochman was.
How would you describe The Avengers in The Veracity Trap?
The Avengers in the Veracity Trap is a love letter to Jack Kirby and the early Marvel Age. It’s our attempt to channel the joy and wonder of those early Marvel stories with a whole lot of laughs and unpredictable moments. The Avengers go on an adventure to discover their true nature and fight Loki and all the best Marvel monsters along the way.
And Chip takes a hammer to the face from Thor.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
Thanks for your support and I hope you enjoy our book, The Avengers in the Veracity Trap! It was a labour of love.
We would like to say a big thank you to Michael for chatting with us, and wish him and the whole of The Avengers in The Veracity Trap team the best of luck with the release.
