Ian Sharman of Orang Utan Comics Studio
1)So who are you, and what do you do?
I’m Ian Sharman and I do... well... lots! Writing, inking, colouring, lettering and even a bit of editing here and there. I also run Orang Utan Comics Studio with my good friend Peter Rogers.
2)What have you done that we might recognize?
I’ve done a ton of colouring for AAM/Markosia, most notably The Flying Friar and the Neil Edwards/Tony Lee sections of the current Starship Troopers arc, and I’ve just finished colouring a five page Dynamo 5 short for Image.
3)What have you done that we might not know about?
I guess people are less likely to know that I inked the Contraband OGN for Slave Labor, and that I did the pre-press work on Iraq: Operation Corporate Takeover by Sean Michael Wilson and Lee O’Conner for the charity War On Want. Then, of course, there’s Eleventh Hour, the anthology that I both write for and edit. Originally published by Orang Utan Comics it’s now being published by AAM/Markosia and we received an Eagle Award nomination for it earlier this year.
4)What are you working on now that we should look out for?
I’m hoping to launch my superhero/sci fi series,Young Gods, later this year. I’ve been working on that for a while and we’ve got a great team on the art now. Argentinian artist Ezequiel Pineda is handling the pencils and ink while Mauro Barbosa handles the colours. Look out for some more news on this soon, as I may be releasing it in quite an interesting and radically new way. There’s also The Intergalactic Adventures of Slam Ridley, a sci-f adventure romp which is heavily influenced by all my favourite sci-fi movies and TV shows, most notably Star Wars and Firefly. The book’s plotted by me and scripted by Peter Rogers, with art by... well... we’ll be making an exciting announcement about that soon.
5)What piece of work are you most proud of and why?
I’m very proud of some of my writing on Young Gods, but that’s not actually out there yet, so I’d probably have to point to Eleventh Hour Vol 1 from AAM/Markosia. The sheer amount of work that went into that, from writing about half of the stories in there, to putting together the creative teams, coordinating them all to get everything done in time, stepping in and inking and greyscaling parts of it myself at the last minute, lettering it all... all of which added up to many very, very late nights and long phone calls. To hold in my hands such an amazingly high quality book at the end of all that work was very satisfying.
6)If I could buy only one thing you have worked on, what should it be?
Eleventh Hour Vol 1. Oh, and you don’t even have to buy it now, you can read it for free on WOWIO!
7)What book would you have been proud to have worked on and why?
Probably early Generation X. I think those early Lobdell/Bachalo issues are pretty much perfect.
8)If you could work on any book / character in comics, what would it be and why?
Uncanny X-Men. I’ve always regarded working on Uncanny as being the highest point that you can reach in the comics business. Plus, I’ve read more X-Men comics than is probably healthy.
9)Who would you most like to collaborate with on an original story with and why?
Chris Bachalo, because I know he’d take my script and make it beautiful.
10)If you were allowed only five comics (does not have to be single issues; a run counts as one) on a desert island (like Lost) what would they be?
Uncanny X-Men, Excalibur, Iron Man, Generation X and New Mutants. Yes, I am a Marvel Zombie.
11)Do you have a website / blog where we can find out more?
is the best place to find out what I’m doing with Orang Utan Comics Studio, but people can also check out my deviantArt page at http://crazyenglishguy.deviantart.com/ to see some of my non-OUC work and keep up to date with what I’m doing. Also, look me up on Facebook, say “Hi!”
12)If you were a sandwich, what would your filling be?
I’d probably be a different filling every day of the week, considering all of the different comic jobs I do!
13)Chocolate or Chips?
Right now, chocolate, but it would usually be chips.
14)Judge Dredd or Batman?
Neither. But if I had to choose then I guess it would be Judge Dredd. I did enjoy some of the early Dredd stuff.
15)What word do you think is underused?
Thanks. (Editors Note) Nice One :)
16)If you could be granted one superpower, which would you chose?
Invisibility. I don’t think I need to spell out why. (Ah an Man after my own heart)
17)Save the world or rule the galaxy?
Rule the galaxy!!!! Mwahahahahahahahahaahahhahahahahhaaaaaa!!!!!!!!
18)What is your ultimate “who’d win” in comics?
Galactus vs Kitty Pryde. Think about it... he couldn’t touch her. What’s he going to do?
19)If you could be involved in telling a story featuring any two characters, who would they be?
Pete Wisdom and Magik (Illyana Rasputin) as they’re the two people who’ve been closest to Kitty Pryde and I think that gives them a connection that would be interesting to explore.
20)What is the best and worst thing about working in comics?
The best thing is when complete strangers come up to you and tell you how much they like your work. That’s simply mindblowing and makes the worst thing... which is that sometimes you have to work sixteen to eighteen hour days, seven days a week for little or no reward, just to get your name out there... worth it.
21)Will you forward this to someone you know who works in comics? If so, who is it likely to be?
I think I’ll send it on to my collaborator on Starship Troopers and Dynamo 5, Neil Edwards.
22)Any words of wisdom before you go?
Be kind to people on your way up... else they’ll kill you in your sleep.
