My love for comics started at age 8 when all I wanted to do was draw John Romita Sr.’s Spiderman and Neal Adams’ Batman. I would go to the local 7-Eleven to read comic books (when they sold comic books) and to drink Slurpee’s out of the Superhero cups. I had many a good brain freezes while staring at the art and reading very cool stories.
During the making of COMIX, I got the chance to interview creator, writer, artist, and film director Frank Miller, known for his dark comic book stories and graphic novels such as The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, and 300. Frank kept mentioning Neal Adams, and it struck me…how cool it would be to interview Neal, have him talk about Frank, and share stories about himself and his contributions to the comic book world.
After a few attempts, I found myself interviewing the man whose comic book art I idolized as a kid. I went to his studio for the interview. Neal, his wife Marilyn, and their sons were so gracious of their time. They fed my crew and me, and were patient while we set up, did the interview, and struck the set. I was so fortunate to talk to him for over two hours. We talked about everything and I gained insight into his life and legacy. He was brutally honest, didn’t hold back, and just told it like it is. It was awesome!