BY JENNIFER M. CONTINOArtist
Aaron Lopresti told THE PULSE he views Wonder Woman " ... in some ways she is like America's mom. Beautiful, strong, morally grounded, noble and courageous." Don't know about your mom, but mine never looked so good in a bathing suit or was able to bust as many heads with her little finger! Guess that's just one of the reasons Wonder Woman is so special! Besides sharing his view on what defines the character, the artist shared some of the trials and tribulations of getting comics most famous Amazon ready for the masses every month.
THE PULSE: A lot of people have drawn Wonder Woman. When you were originally working on the series, who inspired you the most as to how you were going to make these characters come to life?
AARON LOPRESTI: I really just tried to keep close to Terry Dodson's approach to the characters to maintain some continuity. I also looked at Adam Hughes covers and borrowed a few tidbits here and there. Overall, style-wise I do what I do. I don't really try to emulate what someone else has done before.
THE PULSE: What is it about Wonder Woman that is the biggest challenge to draw? I know a lot of people who struggled with the hair, some making it look crazy alive. I've also seen a lot of images where the artists seemed to struggle with getting the "W" just right or the tiara ....
LOPRESTI: The eagle "W" chest plate was and is very tough. I think finally after about six issues I got it figured out. Maybe.....
THE PULSE: Who, if anyone, is your "model" Wonder Woman? How influenced were you by how Lynda Carter brought her to life? Are there other actresses or famous women who played a part in how you realized your version of the Amazon?
LOPRESTI: Although I watched the show growing up it didn't leave a lasting impression artistically. I think if you come on to a series like this early in your career you might search out other approaches to the character to formulate your own. Having been around as long as I have, you just read the script and go. Plus I was pretty much a Marvel zombie growing up so my exposure to Wonder Woman has been very limited.
THE PULSE: What aspects do you think embody this hero?
LOPRESTI: I think she is different than any other female superhero character. I feel she should be above exploitation. In some ways she is like America's mom. Beautiful, strong, morally grounded, noble and courageous. Really a lot like Superman or how Captain America was originally. Although, I would never categorize her as naive or blindly patriotic.
THE PULSE: A lot has happened to Wonder Woman since you began drawing this series, what scenes have you enjoyed bringing to life the most?
LOPRESTI: I really enjoyed that first story arc. I love all that medieval/ barbarian stuff. Plus I am a big fan of the original Claw, Stalker, and Beowulf series. Those are some of the few DC books I bought when I was a kid.
THE PULSE: Which scenes have been the biggest challenge to capture on the page exactly as you envisioned?
LOPRESTI: The normal stuff. Terry does such a good job with buildings and tech backgrounds, I felt a little intimidated trying to match what he did with the DMA building and things of that nature.
THE PULSE: How are you trying to push the envelope with what you're doing in these pages? With each new assignment, is that important for you?
LOPRESTI: It is to a certain degree. I am trying to do some interesting things with the layouts and transitions from scene to scene but if you do too much it begins to be predictable and trite. I am always looking for a spot where it makes sense to do something unusual.
THE PULSE: Who are some of the artists you think are really pushing the envelope right now?
LOPRESTI: I don't know if any mainstream artists are "pushing the envelope" in the way that Jim Steranko or Neal Adams did. But I will tell you who I think is interesting. I like looking at Olivier Coipel, Jimmy Cheung, Lenil Yu, Travis Charest, and what Karl Kerschl is doing on Teen Titans recently caught me eye. Of course, I think Adam Hughes is the best illustrator working in comics and maybe the best all-time. There are others but those are the ones that came immediately to mind.
THE PULSE: How do you find time to work on other projects like your Fantastical Creatures Guide when you've got such a tight schedule with Wonder Woman?
LOPRESTI: What I try to do is finish a page a day with my comic work and then after the kids go to bed, spend a couple of hours working on something else. It doesn't always work out that way, but that is the general approach I take. I have just recently recovered from burn-out from finishing Fantastical Creatures, so I haven't been quite as productive in recent months.
THE PULSE: How has the collaboration with Gail Simone been so far? How open is she to your ideas and thoughts about Wonder Woman?
LOPRESTI: Gail has been awesome. We communicate very well and get along great. I very rarely have anything to add to or change concerning her scripts, but when I do she is always open to it.
THE PULSE: How well do you think Gail's handling comics most famous Amazon?
LOPRESTI: I would agree with just about everyone else. She is doing the best job on the character in long time.
THE PULSE: What's coming up in the series?
LOPRESTI: New villains and characters. And lots of carnage. It should be a lot of fun for the readers and me!
THE PULSE: What other projects are you working on?
LOPRESTI: I am putting together a children's book and I am trying to get a new mini-series together for DC. I am waiting on final approval on that even as I sit here. Obviously, I can't say anything about it now. But once it is green lit, I will share freely!
Wonder Woman is in stores monthly.
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