We chat to Shrewsbury Comic Artist Mike Perkins as he releases three recent projects including one for all the Batman fans out there.
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00:00So we're here in the bowels of Shrewsbury Market Hall, and Mike Perkins, hello sir.
00:06Hello, how are you?
00:07I'm good, thank you boss. So, if anyone doesn't know you, comic book artist.
00:12What do we call you, comic book artist, illustrator?
00:15Comic book artist, sequential illustrator.
00:17What's that? Say that again.
00:19Sequential illustrator.
00:20I can't spell that one.
00:23So you've been a busy man, just fill us in a little bit, when did you start doing your drawings?
00:28Oh man, I started when I was two years old, I wasn't getting paid for it.
00:34But it was, 94 was the first stuff I did for 2008, and Judd Shred.
00:44How do you get that first book in? I mean that's the hardest part I should imagine.
00:48It is, it is. I actually got an agent down in London, and he looked through my stuff and told me what to do
00:56and things to improve, and he took my portfolio to the offices, and next day he came back with the first script.
01:06Wow, okay. And that must be kind of terrifying though, because it's like all of a sudden...
01:11The first script wasn't terrifying, but the second script, which was the Judd Shred one, was absolutely terrifying.
01:16Because of the stature of the figure, like it's Judd Shred.
01:19Because I've always loved Judd Shred.
01:21It was one of those things where I was like, I'm supposed to build up to this.
01:26Well a lot of artists, it's that kind of thing about always tinkering, never quite knowing when it's finished.
01:32So when you're working on a piece, are you kind of like, yeah this is it now, I've got it, I've nailed it?
01:38I'm very disciplined in the respect that because I'm doing monthly comics, a comic usually has 20 pages.
01:45And so really you have to do a page per day, just so that the comic will come out on time.
01:54And I'm pretty fast that I can do a page per day, it's not really a problem.
01:58I guess you have to learn to be fast though, I guess, yeah?
02:01Yeah, I think so. I think I've always been able to do it at that speed, so it hasn't really been a concern for me.
02:11But you do have to be very disciplined, sit down and do the work, don't get distracted.
02:17I mean you'll hear musicians and they'll say, oh well I just wasn't feeling creative so that's why I've had six years off.
02:23So you've got that commitment, you've got to get that work out.
02:27Is it just always there when you pick up pen in hand?
02:31Yeah, I mean mostly because you get the script from a writer anyway, you kind of know the beats of what you're doing.
02:41And then it's up to the artist to be the storyteller, to convey that to another readership.
02:48So that's the bit where you're really thinking, in a way how can I manipulate the reader to follow the story correctly.
03:02So that's the deep thinking part of it.
03:07And we're here in Shrewsbury, you're originally a black country lad, heart of the black country.
03:12And you spent some time in Florida.
03:15Isn't it funny how Shrewsbury you've ended up, but perhaps it's not unusual really.
03:21You were saying there's about ten comic artists who have died up there.
03:26And I guess, what is it that drew you to Shrewsbury?
03:30We lived here twenty odd years back for about six months and loved it.
03:35And then we were always coming over to England every other summer when we were in Florida.
03:44And we met certain friends in Shrewsbury, a few of the comic guys.
03:51And we thought, one summer when we came back we thought, okay this is the place to come back to.
03:57And we looked into it, scores were great.
04:00There's a vibrant art scene which is fantastic.
04:05I mean if you wanted to go to an opening every week you probably could.
04:10Yeah I mean it's just very, there is an artistic soul to the place I think.
04:15And if you see one of the other guys, you know Charlie Adlard or one of the others and they've done a piece and it looks fantastic.
04:22Is it straight away, are you thinking, wow, fair play, that looks amazing?
04:27Or is there a little bit of you thinking, oh I'm done.
04:30Is there a bit of healthy competition like that?
04:32Well there's always healthy competition.
04:35But I think the majority of the guys who live here, they're so tapped into their ego.
04:42I wouldn't say they have no ego but they're tapped into their ego.
04:45So you kind of appreciate what they've achieved.
04:49And of course if you see something really nice showing you, it forces you onwards to do even better.
04:54It spurs you on.
04:55Yeah.
04:56Well let's talk about a few projects that you've had come out then.
04:58So what have we got in your hands here then Mike?
05:00Okay, this is the latest project.
05:02This issue actually comes out next week.
05:06This is a Justice League project which I'm doing at the moment.
05:11Will you do pretty much all the illustrations?
05:15Yeah, 20 pages in this one.
05:18So it's proper graft isn't it really?
05:20Oh yeah, yeah.
05:22Page per day.
05:30So that's Justice League and what's the other ones we've got going on?
05:33And then we've got Freddy the Fix.
05:35Now this is your little baby isn't it?
05:37Yeah, this is a creator owned book with great reference from Stephen King there.
05:44It was by Garth Ennis who did The Boys, I was on Prime.
05:49And Preacher, that came out a few years back.
05:52One of my favourite writers and it was a joy to work on.
05:56Just a one shot, but it's kind of like a proof of concept kind of thing.
06:02And then we've got the hardback of the Batman book which came out in, when was it?
06:10December, November?
06:11Yeah.
06:13So that one is still available everywhere.
06:16Awesome, well we were saying Batman's just so appealing.
06:18That kind of whole dark side to him and works well on paper I should imagine for an artist.
06:24Well Mike, thanks for letting us come into your world briefly.
06:29If people want to find out a bit more, you'll be on the socials and stuff yeah?
06:33Yeah, yeah.
06:34My website is mikeperkinsart.com.
06:37And yeah, I'm on Facebook, Instagram and Blue Sky.
06:42Great stuff, well all the best with future work Mike, thank you.
06:44Cheers.