Hanging 10: Ben 10 cartoon artist Eric Canete talks life in animation, comics ... and visiting Boston
Marvel Comics' solicitation for Amazing Spider-Man #611 included a familiar name.
Familiar to cartoon fans, especially.
Eric Canete is best known for his work on such animated series as Ben 10 and Justice League Unlimited.
Eric will be appearing at the Boston Comic Con, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24-25 at Boston's Back Bay Events Center, 180 Berkeley St.
Admission is $10 each day. Children 10 and under are free. For more information, visit www.bostoncomiccon.com.
Eric recently reflected on his animation career, drawing Spider-Man ... and how this is his first Boston Con.
MIKE: Marvel recently solicited Amazing Spider-Man # 611, which co-stars Deadpool. The story sounds fun. Was it fun to draw?
ERIC: It was a fantastic and challenging opportunity to draw both Spider-Man and Deadpool in the same issue. "Fantastic" in that it's not every day a guy can draw two of Marvel's landmark characters and "challenging" in that both characters are very similar in design and I had to come up with a visual dialogue in order to make them separate from each other -- unique in their own way.
MIKE: Every artist's rendition of Spider-Man is unique. What is yours like, and why?
ERIC: Considering that this was the first time I've drawn Spider-Man, I wanted to make sure I left a lasting visual impression with my take on him. I hope that the fans of the book don't dislike it too much.
I imagine Spidey to be double jointed - sometimes even ridiculously triple jointed - and moving in a very limber way. I liked Todd McFarlane's take on him from his run on the series. He contorted and twisted Spiderman's pose to the point of inhuman, but it made it so intriguing to look it.
MIKE: You've worked both in animation and comics. Which do you prefer, as an artist? How has one medium influenced your work in the other?
ERIC: Animation and comic books go hand in hand for me. I can't say that I have a preference.
It's better to say that I follow my instincts as to which projects I'll enjoy most. If it happens to be in animation (or comic books), then that's the project I'll tackle. But it is fair to say that my first love is comic books.
Animation has influenced my comic book work in regards to my discipline of deadlines and schedules, my overall storytelling approach and my appreciation of the medium. Comics has affected my work in animation when it comes to design, having a distinct voice and appreciating the diverse styles that are out in the industry.
MIKE: Which career came first professionally, cartoons or comics?
ERIC: Cartoons. I tried my hand at comics first, but my first work came from animation.
MIKE: What's it like, working on Ben10? Is there an episode this season you're especially proud of?
ERIC: Ben10 was a great experience on both personal and professional fronts.
Personally, I had (at that point in my career) to put aside animation for a while because I had become tired from all the work I had done previous.
Glen Murakami (the producer of the series) managed to convince me to come back and design for his show, and it was a breath of fresh air. Outside of the fact that he's a creator with a strong vision and voice, he managed to keep all the day-to-day distractions out of my office. That in turn, affected my work professionally as it allowed to to just create and run wild with ideas - some made it into the show and others may make an appearance someday. But there's nothing better for an artist that to be given carte blanche and the full support of his superiors. I had that on Ben10. It was a wonderful experience.
I think the first two episodes of the Ben10: Alien Force season premiere were my favorites. They may have looked a bit rough around the edges, but I think those were the first full episodes that showed the fruits of our crews' design labor. It was months and months of conceptual design work and they finally culminated in those two episodes. It was a high water mark for all of us in the studio.
MIKE: What was the best part of working on Justice League Unlimited? Which story that you worked on is your favorite?
ERIC: Working on JLU was like getting to draw all the super heroes that I grew with as a child. A dream come true for anyone who has had Superman and Batman on the brain for as long as he can remember.
I worked on an episode called "For The Man Who Has Everything," adapted from and Alan Moore script. It was fun, it payed homage to a great story in a Superman Annual, and I got to draw the Justice League's top three: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.
MIKE: Marvel and DC have released a lot of self-contained animated movies the past year or so. What does this mean for the future of super-heroes in animation? Will they someday be limited to the movie format, collected like trade paperbacks collect arcs?
ERIC: I can't predict the long-term impact of doing direct to video animated movies. That's not my place.
I can say that I enjoy the recent movies that have been released. The quality and audience appreciation of each video has increased significantly every time one comes out, and I can only hope that this means there will more along the way. It will keep me working in the industry that I really like.
MIKE: You mention the Lightbox collective on your blog. For those who are unfamiliar with it, what is it about?
ERIC: Lightbox is an artist collective consisting of designers and writers who are creating and developing their own IPs. We work within the studio system for a few allotted months out of a year in order to garner the contacts, revenue and reputation. Then we close our doors (metaphorically speaking) and we focus our energies on the production and promotion our own ventures into publishing and video game design and development.
We are in the business of getting our work the obvious, mainstream exposure, but we try to keep things as small and manageable as possible while exploring the next evolution of entertainment distribution and how to take advantage of being at the forefront of those opportunities.
MIKE: Is this your first Boston con? What are you hoping that fans get from it?
ERIC: Yes, this is my first appearance at this show.
I want to get an opportunity to meet people and fans who I wouldn't normally get a chance to say "Thank you!" to because I primarily do appearances on the West Coast. If a handful of fans drop by with books for me to sign or I can have a conversation with, then I'd consider my appearance at the Boston Comic Con a successful one.
MIKE: Besides ASM #611 and Ben10, what other projects are on your drawing board?
ERIC: I'm going on hiatus for the remainder of the year in order to get some rest and perspective.
I can't speak on what I've got lined up next because it hasn't been announced by the company I'm working for, but I would like to shamelessly promote my blog and ask fans and appreciators of my work to visit there. I am consistently updating it with new images and commentary and I would hope I get more visitors in order to garner more attention for my work. The address is www.ericcanete.com. Thanks!
Familiar to cartoon fans, especially.
Eric Canete is best known for his work on such animated series as Ben 10 and Justice League Unlimited.
Eric will be appearing at the Boston Comic Con, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24-25 at Boston's Back Bay Events Center, 180 Berkeley St.
Admission is $10 each day. Children 10 and under are free. For more information, visit www.bostoncomiccon.com.
Eric recently reflected on his animation career, drawing Spider-Man ... and how this is his first Boston Con.
MIKE: Marvel recently solicited Amazing Spider-Man # 611, which co-stars Deadpool. The story sounds fun. Was it fun to draw?
ERIC: It was a fantastic and challenging opportunity to draw both Spider-Man and Deadpool in the same issue. "Fantastic" in that it's not every day a guy can draw two of Marvel's landmark characters and "challenging" in that both characters are very similar in design and I had to come up with a visual dialogue in order to make them separate from each other -- unique in their own way.
MIKE: Every artist's rendition of Spider-Man is unique. What is yours like, and why?
ERIC: Considering that this was the first time I've drawn Spider-Man, I wanted to make sure I left a lasting visual impression with my take on him. I hope that the fans of the book don't dislike it too much.
I imagine Spidey to be double jointed - sometimes even ridiculously triple jointed - and moving in a very limber way. I liked Todd McFarlane's take on him from his run on the series. He contorted and twisted Spiderman's pose to the point of inhuman, but it made it so intriguing to look it.
MIKE: You've worked both in animation and comics. Which do you prefer, as an artist? How has one medium influenced your work in the other?
ERIC: Animation and comic books go hand in hand for me. I can't say that I have a preference.
It's better to say that I follow my instincts as to which projects I'll enjoy most. If it happens to be in animation (or comic books), then that's the project I'll tackle. But it is fair to say that my first love is comic books.
Animation has influenced my comic book work in regards to my discipline of deadlines and schedules, my overall storytelling approach and my appreciation of the medium. Comics has affected my work in animation when it comes to design, having a distinct voice and appreciating the diverse styles that are out in the industry.
MIKE: Which career came first professionally, cartoons or comics?
ERIC: Cartoons. I tried my hand at comics first, but my first work came from animation.
MIKE: What's it like, working on Ben10? Is there an episode this season you're especially proud of?
ERIC: Ben10 was a great experience on both personal and professional fronts.
Personally, I had (at that point in my career) to put aside animation for a while because I had become tired from all the work I had done previous.
Glen Murakami (the producer of the series) managed to convince me to come back and design for his show, and it was a breath of fresh air. Outside of the fact that he's a creator with a strong vision and voice, he managed to keep all the day-to-day distractions out of my office. That in turn, affected my work professionally as it allowed to to just create and run wild with ideas - some made it into the show and others may make an appearance someday. But there's nothing better for an artist that to be given carte blanche and the full support of his superiors. I had that on Ben10. It was a wonderful experience.
I think the first two episodes of the Ben10: Alien Force season premiere were my favorites. They may have looked a bit rough around the edges, but I think those were the first full episodes that showed the fruits of our crews' design labor. It was months and months of conceptual design work and they finally culminated in those two episodes. It was a high water mark for all of us in the studio.
MIKE: What was the best part of working on Justice League Unlimited? Which story that you worked on is your favorite?
ERIC: Working on JLU was like getting to draw all the super heroes that I grew with as a child. A dream come true for anyone who has had Superman and Batman on the brain for as long as he can remember.
I worked on an episode called "For The Man Who Has Everything," adapted from and Alan Moore script. It was fun, it payed homage to a great story in a Superman Annual, and I got to draw the Justice League's top three: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.
MIKE: Marvel and DC have released a lot of self-contained animated movies the past year or so. What does this mean for the future of super-heroes in animation? Will they someday be limited to the movie format, collected like trade paperbacks collect arcs?
ERIC: I can't predict the long-term impact of doing direct to video animated movies. That's not my place.
I can say that I enjoy the recent movies that have been released. The quality and audience appreciation of each video has increased significantly every time one comes out, and I can only hope that this means there will more along the way. It will keep me working in the industry that I really like.
MIKE: You mention the Lightbox collective on your blog. For those who are unfamiliar with it, what is it about?
ERIC: Lightbox is an artist collective consisting of designers and writers who are creating and developing their own IPs. We work within the studio system for a few allotted months out of a year in order to garner the contacts, revenue and reputation. Then we close our doors (metaphorically speaking) and we focus our energies on the production and promotion our own ventures into publishing and video game design and development.
We are in the business of getting our work the obvious, mainstream exposure, but we try to keep things as small and manageable as possible while exploring the next evolution of entertainment distribution and how to take advantage of being at the forefront of those opportunities.
MIKE: Is this your first Boston con? What are you hoping that fans get from it?
ERIC: Yes, this is my first appearance at this show.
I want to get an opportunity to meet people and fans who I wouldn't normally get a chance to say "Thank you!" to because I primarily do appearances on the West Coast. If a handful of fans drop by with books for me to sign or I can have a conversation with, then I'd consider my appearance at the Boston Comic Con a successful one.
MIKE: Besides ASM #611 and Ben10, what other projects are on your drawing board?
ERIC: I'm going on hiatus for the remainder of the year in order to get some rest and perspective.
I can't speak on what I've got lined up next because it hasn't been announced by the company I'm working for, but I would like to shamelessly promote my blog and ask fans and appreciators of my work to visit there. I am consistently updating it with new images and commentary and I would hope I get more visitors in order to garner more attention for my work. The address is www.ericcanete.com. Thanks!
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