5 Quick Questions with Phil Hester

Phil Hester is a writer and artist that has worked for several comic companies. He has created Mia Dearden, was the artist on the Irredeemable Ant-man, & is currently writing the new Darkness series.

This Eisner Award-nominated artist was born in eastern Iowa, where he went on to study at the University of Iowa. His pencilling credits include Swamp Thing, Brave New World, Flinch, Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Clerks: The Lost Scene, The Crow: Waking Nightmares, The Wretch (nominated for the 1997 Eisner Award for Best New Series), Aliens: Purge, and Green Arrow.



He agreed to answer 5 Quick Questions

1) What would you say is your greatest achievement in comics?

Making a living at it for over twenty years- since I was a college kid, basically. I guess artistically I'm always striving for the next project to be my best effort. My creator owned series The Wretch was nominated for an Eisner Award and that seems about as close as I'll get to funnybook immortality.

2) Who was your favorite writer or artist that you worked with & why?

Tough question. You want us to alienate all of our past collaborators, eh? My favorite artists are probably Mike Huddleston (The Coffin) and Andy Kuhn (Firebreather) because we created books that we're all still proud of today. As for work for hire, definitely Michael Broussard. It's awesome to walk on to a property like The Darkness and be presented with a partner who is well on his way to superstardom.

As for writers I think I was most excited to work with Grant Morrison and Mark Millar when they tag teamed the first arc of Swamp Thing we did together. That said, the stuff I did on Green Arrow with Kevin Smith, Brad Meltzer, and Judd Winick has a special place in my memory.

3) What character you have never worked .., would you like to do & why?

I love Ragman. I have a Dark Knight level Ragman story in me I'd love to write and draw. I'd love to write Fantastic Four. I'd love to draw The Question.

4) Who are your influences?

Kirby, Miller, Eisner, Toth, Krigstein, Wrightson, Staton, Steranko, Kurtzman, Moore, Stan Lee, Ditko, Byrne, Mignola, Wood, Rude, Ostrander, Truman, Wolverton, Timm, Claremont, Burns, Kojima, Shirow, Breccia, Munoz, Mattotti, Mazzucchelli... Oh, look- this list never ends.

5) What hero or villain would you like to change if you could and why?

I hate the Punisher. I only thinks he works as a villain, so I'd like to write him as the nut he is. How many undercover DEA agents has he killed?

I'd love to write the Silver Surfer as the noble, but tormented alien he was once. Make him truly strange.

You can check out Phil currently writing The Darkness for Top Cow


Brian Isaacs
Story Editor