Meet Dan Hipp!

1.- First than anything, tell us about who are you and what you devote yourself.

Well, I'm Dan Hipp and I tell stories. That's one way of saying that I draw and write comic books, but I like to look at it as telling stories. Each comic I make is like my own little movie, where every little piece and design help to tell the story.

2.-In your web site you seem to indicate that you are both illustrator and comic-artist. Which of these activities do you believe defines you better?

I think that "comic-artist" defines me a bit more. The term "illustrator" is appropriate and it seems to be the title that everybody automatically understands, but "comic-artist" is more appropriate, because (as I mentioned in the last response), I see what I do as a way of telling stories, whether I'm literally writing the story first, or if I'm just responsible for telling the story through a series of pictures. "Comic artist" sort of covers all that. If I had gone down a different path, I may have ended up making movies, so I don't see being a comic artist as being much different.

3.-The most of people who know your work relate you immediately to Amazing Joy Buzzards. How has this cómic concerned your professional career? Do you like that people relate you to this one?

The Amazing Joy Buzzards has been a wonderful book to work on and a literal joy (excuse the pun) to have as my first book. So much of my personality and humor went directly into that. While the book took a great deal of work, it felt very natural. That said, since I started on that book, I came out with a series from Tokyopop called GYAKUSHU!, which let me flex my dramatic action chops a bit. That's been a lot of fun too, as I seem to be a sucker for drawing violence in stories (where appropriate).

4.- Are you working in another projects lately?

OH, I TOTALLY just answered that question, HOORAY! So yes, I'm finishing up GYAKUSHU! now (working on book three), and as I had just mentioned, it's been a lot of fun to work on, from the writing stage, to the thumbnailing, to the finished pages, it's been a blast! I miss Joy Buzzards a bit, because GYAKUSHU! is a serious book about revenge, but it's fun none the less. What's that? What does GYAKUSHU mean? Well, it's a japanese word, which means revenge. The book is a revenge tale, set on a world of ice (think Hoth from The Empire Strikes back), where you're very likely to get your head chopped off with a sword. I've always wanted to tell a revenge tale, and Tokyopop gave me my chance. The series is set up as a trilogy, and as I mentioned, I'm working on the last book now. It will be a huge relief to finish, but I know I will miss it once I'm done.

5.-Which do you think are the major difficulties that comic-artists must face when they are working over scripts made by other person? Does the comic-artist enjoy some freedoms at the moment of interpreting it?

That's an interesting question and I know that every case is different. With respect to working on The Amazing Joy Buzzards, it ended up being a largely collaborative effort, where Mark Smith (the writer) had a vision that he tossed to me, which I worked my own magic on, and it came out as it's own beast. I know that most collaborations do not entirely work this way, but for Mark and I, it worked well, with a lot of bouncing ideas back and forth to get the best take on the story. So to answer the last part of that question, I personally enjoyed a great deal of freedom in interpreting the story, as Mark and I sort of fuse our minds together to get the story told, so you never really know where any specific idea is coming from. Since working on that book, I've written entirely for myself, so my experience has been unique to my given situation.

6.-A question that many young people who want to begin in these arts always ask me: It's possible to live thanks to the comic? Is it a profitable work to be a draftsman(or a draftswoman)?

Absolutely yes and absolutely no. HA! It's tough, because starting out, there is not much money, unless you are working for a big company, which hey, let's face it, rarely happens. So you've got to cut your teeth on a new book, or online, or wherever, then hopefully you can find a way to turn that into a better deal down the line. It can be a tough existence, but extremely rewarding when you pull it together and find a way to swing it. I'm living my dream right now, so can it happen? Absolutely.

7.-About the previous question: what requirements must artist fulfill to assure a successful career?

I feel like I'm still just starting, so I'm not the best person to ask (ask again in five years). But I'll give it a shot anyway. Being able to tell a story effectively is key to success. So many people worry about developing the perfect style, or drawing the perfect splash page, that they miss out on telling the story. If you can move someone's eye across a page in the way that you intend, then you're a success. I'll take storytelling and design any day over detail and style.

8.- Tell us a little about Gyakushu.

Aww crumbs, I kind of answered this already, but here's a better explanation... GYAKUSHU! follows the story of the world's greatest thief, who stole an object of power from a man of power. The consequences of these actions leave the man crippled, without a family, and left for dead. It sounds like your standard revenge story, and in many ways it is, but hopefully it's told from a fresh perspective, in a way that you are not expecting. Having the whole thing set on a world of ice, with lots of swords and blood helps. It's basically a samurai western revenge story, HOORAY!!!

9.- ¿Have you ever had some contact with latin-american comics? What do you think about them?

My exposure to latin-american comics has been minimal, but what I've seen has been fantastic! Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba are incredible! Eduardo Risso is god-like in his illustration, so from what I've seen of the artists to come from down south, I'm in awe.

10.- Do you have any formal studies on art? are they a requirement to be able to devote to this?

I studied art at the university level, but I don't think it's a neccesity to survive in the art world. To be an artist, I think you need to be a bit of a rebel on some level, so who am I to tell anyone what they can or cannot do. Go and make your art! Grab a pencil, a pen, your paints, a crayon, a piece of poo, WHATEVER! Just make your art! HIGH FIVES!!!

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