Hailing all the way from Switzerland, Viktor Bogdanovic‘s pencils and inks have been hailed by critics and fans as “spectacular” and we certainly agree. I had a great little conversation with him and got a bit of insight into his world.
GeekMundo: REALITY CHECK is making a huge impact with readers and critics alike. I for one was drawn in by your artwork, which has a fun and loose style. How did you develop this particular style? What and who are your influences?
Viktor Bogdanovic: There are too many influences. I grew up with Disney, Marvel and Japanese Anime. A “cartoony realism” would be the style that appeals to me the most so that’s where I’m trying to go with my art. I love Erik Larsen, Bachalo, Ottley, Romita Jr., Capullo, Mike Zeck and Alberto Tomba who’s not a comic artist but if I could someday draw as good as he skis I’d be happy.
Cartoony realism and hilarity in REALITY CHECK – by Viktor Bogdanovic
GM: What got you started in the art world and how did you come to work with Glen Brunswick on REALITY CHECK?
VB: I started drawing at a very young age and then my interests spread to writing, music and film. The idea of working as a comic artist came out of pure desperation. I was about to become a teacher with a secure income when I realized I couldn’t do it. I was terrified to stand in front of a class and talk about stuff I didn’t really care about. In hindsight, that might have been the wrong decision considering the fact that I live in one of the most expensive countries in the world (Switzerland) but I’m quite happy with my life now. As for my collaboration with Glen: He saw my pinup for Raffaele Ienco‘s EPIC KILL series and checked out my drawings online (I spam the internet with my stuff whenever I can) so he sent me an E-mail with his idea and I said yes. Pretty easy, huh?
GM: I’ll say! Dark Hour’s equipment, costume and indeed his name seem to parody a certain ‘Dark Knight’. How much fun was it to take digs at the seriousness of that character?
VB: I really enjoyed that. I’m a big fan of Tim Burton‘s BATMAN. It’s really dark when it needs to be but doesn’t take itself too seriously. Take that one step further in the funny direction and you get Dark Hour. Glen wrote a script that gave me the chance to draw comedy, tragedy AND action sequences which was a lot of fun.
Willard ‘falls’ for Dark Hour in REALITY CHECK – by Viktor Bogdanovic
GM: You have been an extremely busy man lately, with your projects like REALITY CHECK, TRAUMA, GARTH KIRBY AND THE COOKBOOK OF THE GODS and more. How on earth do you keep up with everything?
VB: GARTH KIRBY is an older project. I only did the pencils for that so it wasn’t as much work as REALITY CHECK which is the first book I’m penciling and inking. It’s about 8-12 hours of work every day of the week which is doable if you don’t care much for food, sleep and social interaction.
GM: Ha! There are an increasing number of artists, both professional and amateur who are working solely via digital means. Why do you have a preference for digital tools?
VB: It’s a huge sandbox for artists to play in. I can only speak for myself but I like a clean work-space and it’s obviously a lot faster once you streamline your process. The biggest advantage is probably that you can try out different layouts for a page just by re-sizing and moving certain elements without having to redraw everything. It’s a comic artist’s dream. I still go back to pen and paper whenever I’m sick of staring at a monitor or when I work on commissions.
GM: Very versatile of you. Now, we always like to ask what the guys in the comics industry are reading and watching. What’s currently filling your comic and TV time slots?
VB: I’m slowly catching up on MORNING GLORIES. It’s a great mystery book and I love it. I also really enjoyed SNAPSHOT by Andy Diggle and JOCK. I don’t watch a lot of TV. BREAKING BAD was the big exception.
GeekMundo: Hear hear! Thanks ever so much for talking with us Viktor. Best of luck for the future!
Viktor Bogdanovic: Thanks, Dele. Anytime!
You can follow Viktor on Twitter @VikBogdanovic and check out his art blog: VikIllustration.com. REALITY CHECK is available now from TFAW.com!