BLAMBOT COMIC FONTS, APRIL 2000

[Steve Hubbell]

STAN SAKAI: THE MAN BEHIND THE RABBIT TALKS SHOP WITH BLAMBOT
by NATE PIEKOS (BLAMBOT COMIC FONTS, APRIL 2000)

I’d like to thank Stan Sakai for graciously answering my questions, and personally for providing me with hours of entertaining, inspiring and informative comics.
- - Nate Piekos

NATE PIEK0S: Stan. I was wondering, since you’re one of great hand-letterers, what’s your opinion on the trend in recent years towards computer lettering? Have you tried it?

STAN SAKAI: I haven’t used it myself but I think it’s a good trend because now even the most mundane books can have access to good, user-friendly, legible type. In the past, many books with good story and art were marred by bad lettering. However, everyone now seems to use the same fonts giving all the books the same look. I guess that’s what makes hand—lettering unique —— that each time you write a word or even a letter it’s a little different, it has more character.

NATE PIEK0S: Your Radio Comix series, THE ART OF USASI YOJIMBO was a terrific and informative read. It had an excellent rundown on your art and lettering, is there any chance that you might write a book on comic book lettering, specifically?

STAN SAKAI: No plans on any How-to books at the present. If anyone should write a book on lettering, it should be Todd Klein. He, in my opinion, is the best letterer currently working in comics.

NATE PIEK0S: What are your primary tools when lettering a comic, and how long does it take on average to letter a typical page?

STAN SAKAI: I use a glide-liner -- a sort of T-square -- attached to my drawing table, an Aames lettering guide set at 3 1/4 or 3 1/2 and either an H or 2H mechanical pencil. I letter with Rotring Artpens (fine and bold) filled with Badger Black Opaque ink. A page takes 15 minutes to an hour, depending on complexity, amount of dialogue and special effects.

NATE PIEK0S: How can a writer / artist / editor make your life as a letterer, easier?

STAN SAKAI: Many artists underestimate the amount of space the lettering needs. Working with Sergio Aragones is great in that his pencils are so loose and flexible that I have a lot of leeway in positioning balloons. Paul Ryan with whom I had worked for years on the Spidey Sundays has the most beautiful pencils I had ever seen -- even inker Joe Sinnott had complimented Paul’s work. Anyway, Paul would pencil out the entire dialogue using a lettering guide, he was that precise. I have worked with many others who have forced me to cram words into or reduce the point size or appeal to the writer to make changes in the dialogue to fit the space allotted.

NATE PIEK0S: Being a student of Japanese history myself. I was wondering if you’ve ever studied traditional Japanese calligraphy, and has it had an impact on your lettering or art?

STAN SAKAI: I have studied Japanese since the 8th grade but not Japanese (or Chinese) calligraphy as an art form. I have taught European calligraphy -- Celtic, Gothic, Roman, etc -- before I started lettering for comics.

NATE PIEK0S: What’s your opinion on independent comics these days? Are there any indie comics that you read regularly?

STAN SAKAI: Some of the books I read regularly are: Akiko, Bone, Supernatural Law, Astro City, anything by Guy Davis or Paul Dini and there are many others that don’t come to mind at the moment.

NATE PIEK0S: Few people realize just how time consuming creating a comic can be. Since you perform all the creative steps on USAGI yourself, (much like the majority of independent creators) how do you manage to find time to relax with family, or just have time for yourself? (or is there such a thing?)

STAN SAKAI: Prioritize.

NATE PIEK0S: I asked Mark Evanier about the creative process behind Sergio Aragones’ GROO THE WANDERER. He told me he basically pencils in the dialogue on the unfinished art, and you use those as a guide. Is there an advantage to this other than the more common process of working from a script? (and which method do you use on USAGI?)

STAN SAKAI: Mark actually hasn’t penciled in dialogue for years. He gives me a script with numbered dialogue and indicates where on the art they go. I write my script on my thumbnails when working on Usagi and rough out the dialogue along with the art when penciling.

NATE PIEK0S: Do you have any recommendations for fledgling letterers? Where to look for inspiration or tips on getting work?

STAN SAKAI: I got into the lettering end of the business by accident because I wanted to work on my own comics and because I wanted to work with Sergio on his. Besides comics, I lettered for strips -- humor as well as adventure, advertising and promotions. About half of my 15 Eisner nominations have been for lettering and I even won one. But I don’t really consider myself a letterer. I’m a cartoonist who letters. Just as Sergio Aragones does not think on himself as an Artist — he’s a writer who happens to draw. It’s part of our job description.

[Blambot]

Hmmm. I would say probably 1999 or 2000.
Also, there's a misprint in this reproduction of the interview. The settings for Stan's Ames guide should be 3 1/4 or 3 1/2.

Stan was very prophetic in this interview! Todd Klein (who I now agree is probably the best letterer ever to work in comics - and a heck of a nice fella) Has recently written the DC COMICS GUIDE TO COLORING AND LETTERING with Mark Chiarello (doing the coloring section) and it is an indispensible text for those folks who are interested in the art of lettering and coloring! Stan, if you haven't gotten a copy yet, I highly recommend it. It contains all the info I had to dig for, sweat over and cajole out of people when I was getting started!

For those not in the know or interested in lettering, up until the last few years it was kind of like trying to get the recipe to turn lead into gold. There was so little information about HOW lettering was done, floating around that you really had to learn from someone who was already doing it. These days there's plenty of info online. I even have an article about how to hand letter on the Blambot site. I learned from another great letterer, Pat Brosseau - you might remember the boxy, super legible lettering on HELLBOY. That was Pat. He's since gone on to letter on staff at DC and someone else has taken over the lettering on new HELLBOY stuff.

~N

[Steve Hubbell]

Hmmm. I would say probably 1999 or 2000.
Also, there's a misprint in this reproduction of the interview. The settings for Stan's Ames guide should be 3 1/4 or 3 1/2.
~N

Misprint corrected.
Thanks again...
Abayo

[Maka]

I just checked out a copy of Toon Art: The Graphic Art of Digital Cartooning" by Steven Withrow (2003 Watson-Guptill Publications) from my local library. I was flipping through it and on Page 40 was an interview of Nate Piekos, "relative newcomer and founder of Blambot."

The interview asked the question, "Should aspiring digital letters still bother to learn hand-lettering techniques?" Piekos responded, ". . . If you don't know who Klein, <B> Sakai </B> , Rosen or Simek are . . . don't letter a book until you do. Those guys are the masters."

It was fun to see Blambot in print after reading about him on this board. As it was nice to see him plug Mr. Sakai in print as well.

Peace,

Maka