BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO
ChrisCross will make you .... OK, wrong ChrisCross, but it does seem appropriate that this artist is bringing Joe Casey's Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance limited series to life. This isn't the first time the two have collaborated on a comic's project, ChrisCross said Casey is one of his favorite writers to work with. The artist also said he's having a great time showing how Japan dealt with life after Darkseid and showcasing the SuperYoung Team.

THE PULSE: For those who don't know a lot about it, what is Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance?

CHRISCROSS: Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance is the tale of the SuperYoung Team after the destruction of the Darkseid phenomena. Everyone in the DCU was affected and Joe Casey and I are dealing with how that incident pertained to Japan. So far we see a lot of shenanigans going on. Promises of fame and fortune and a lot of flimflam underneath. Really corporate with a touch of some comedy and as the issues go on, more sadistic and real. Just the way Casey likes to write his books.

THE PULSE: So what was it that interested you in drawing something like this?

CHRISCROSS: Purely Joe Casey. We've always wanted to work with one another and we tried a couple of times in the past with Earth's Mightiest Heroes 1 and 2, and when we finally got the chance to do so working with Top Cow's Velocity, we had a great time gelling and putting his prose to pictures. We think the same in a lot of ways when it comes to story structure and content. Especially outdoing one another. It provides a push on each other that I think will benefit the fans ultimately. He feels comfortable giving me anything to draw because he has the confidence that I'll work to match or surpass his ideas without stepping on his intent or the spirit of the script he gives me. That pushes me and I like that.

THE PULSE: How did you decide the look of the SuperYoung Team?

CHRISCROSS: I didn't. You would have to thank J.G. Jones for that. And I would like to thank him for Superbat. I want to choke J.G. for making that costume. Imagine redrawing all those broken esses every panel? But I do have to say that the designs are ingenious in their own way. I like the look of each of the characters and I love Ultimon Alpha a ton. Reminds of Ultraman from manga and anime, which is what I'm sure was the ultimate inspiration. The easiest to draw is Lantern Boy. I, on the other hand, have to draw the various locales that Casey presents to me on every script, and the backgrounds have to breathe as much as the characters do. They add to the look of the concept. As a friend of mine said, DC has a great manga title on their hands and I would love to see if and when they collect this, that they make black and white versions that read right to left and back to front like the actual manga. Have a cool color version and a B&W version for the manga-heads.


THE PULSE: Sounds like a plan, but it probably will never happen! What else do you enjoy about creating a new adventures of this team?

CHRISCROSS: The characters are young which forces Casey and I both as well as the colorist, SnakeBite, to be relevant. The interaction that Casey brings to the team are off-beat in a great way, the way the story is told is kinda complicated, but bold enough to make people take notice, and there are a lot of things he puts into these stories that make people question what he's doing. I like that too. That means they're into the story enough to stick around to find out just what that is.

How do you like the adventures so far?

THE PULSE: I'm anxious to see how it turns out and I'd like to see more of this team in the DCU. Are there talks in place for what happens next after Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance?

CHRISCROSS: I haven't heard anything yet. I guess I'll find out soon enough. But Casey and I have other plans for DC... to work together on other projects if they'll have us.

THE PULSE: What have been some of the biggest challenges -- aside from costumes -- to getting these sequentials done by deadline?


CHRISCROSS: Locales, structures ... that double splash I did for the first issue took me 3 days just getting it done. I had fun with the satellite though. I wouldn't mind doing that again. Oh.... and the crowd scenes. Casey is killing me in that respect. And I joke about that to him all the time. The club scene on that satellite had to have a certain behavior. It's not enough to just draw a crowd, they have to be relevant also. Everything matters in a story. What they call the intangibles. The eye had to not only believe what's going on but has to accept it immediately as gospel and also make people believe that they are in the experience. Otherwise, it falls flat. And with what's going on, you can't afford to do that. People want a great experience DANCE-ing. And I'm the visual DJ.

Stop booing, dude.

THE PULSE: What are the challenges of making sure each character, not just the ones you like drawing the most, get equal stage time?

CHRISCROSS: Well, it depends on the situation and how what someone did on one panel may continue to show itself in the others. Casey may have one idea for the whole team and when he focuses on one or two, I may make the decision to have the others do something that will complete the cue to another act somewhere in the book or on that page to make it seamless. It's all about telling stories. As long as it doesn't give anything away too soon or puts the smackdown on his ultimate idea in a negative way. For the most part, that's up to the writer, though.

THE PULSE: Do you do a lot of discussion with Joe about how you think something should play out? You guys talk a lot, right?

CHRISCROSS: Yup. All the time. Every artist should be talking to their writers. You have to jam. Otherwise you can't get into each other's heads and get the most of each other's talents and experience. You have a lot of fun brainstorming and that leads to great energy and inspiration. And in the end, that pushes the both of you to put out great imaginative produce that everyone will enjoy. Otherwise, why do it?

THE PULSE: You didn't do it for a while ... why did you get out of the monthly grind of comics?

CHRISCROSS: I needed the break. I needed to know that I can make it out there. The risk. I believe I'm more than just a comic book artist, and I wanted to branch out and do other things. Things were weighing on me heavily around that time. Family issues, personal issues, and that combined with the way I thought things were going for me in the comic book populace ultimately made the decision for me to retool and rediscover what I was in this for. I have work published in other countries, I did work for commercials and music companies, and even did some different projects for independents. I have a plan and I needed to venture out to learn new things so that I can be ready to tackle those dreams when I'm ready. I've had some personal setbacks, but I'm back now. So let's ride this for all its worth. I'm sure the fans will have no problem telling me if what I've done really impresses them or if I need to get a day job.


THE PULSE: What was it that drew you back to comics?

CHRISCROSS: Well, I needed to take a break. I wanted to do other things that would push me to learn new ways of telling stories, and newer ways of performing my craft. It was a change or die situation. A situation that I'm still in the middle of. I had to learn a ton of computer software and hardware on the go and i needed to create a path of getting work done that achieved a "smarter not harder" approach. A way to truly pull the Mac in to the work that I've done and am doing as a true tool. Like the pen, brushes and pencils i use every day. That and i needed to take a break to remember why i wanted to get into comics for myself... and that's to do my own material. I have a ton to say for myself through my work and in conjunction with other talent that i have yet to tackle or accomplish. A way to say "thanks God" to getting me work that i can say i enjoy. A lot of people i know can't say that. They have a job, not work. There's a difference.

THE PULSE: Are you working on any of your own stuff now?

CHRISCROSS: A ton of ideas that are in production as i speak. Some with other talent, some by myself... some for comic/graphic novel driven work... some for spiritual genres. It's all a work in progress.... some closer to completion than others.

THE PULSE: How does working on someone else's project like Dance, drive you with your own properties?

CHRISCROSS: For the most part, it helps me figure a ton of artistic devices out.... and it gives me ideas how to push myself as a writer and as an artist. And it keeps in mind that i need to make sure that every property that i conceive not only has to have it's own voice, but is original, has a mission statement for what each property is supposed to raise and accomplish and that each one of them stands on its own as fun, thought provoking and creative. The great thing is that I've worked with some great writers that have taught me some great writing devices to help me group my thoughts and customized great dialogue that each target audience can appreciate and tune into. None of which is easy to do. But if i don't get this stuff out of me, I'm gonna explode.


THE PULSE: Right, I'd imagine your muse pushes you a lot! About how many hours a day are you working? Do you have to force yourself to stop at some point?

CHRISCROSS: Well... I will say this. This is where I get pretty serious here. That question raises a great point on how artists need to take care of themselves as a person, then as an artist and business person. It may be a bit late, but i was always a night person. Just one of those things that develops when you get addicted to creating and not motivated to keep yourself in shape and eating well. I've seen a disturbing thing that's happened in the past couple of years. Artists practically dying at the table. Artists getting sick, getting repetitive injuries.... It's scary. I had an episode that scared me straight around the 27th of May that made me understand that I needed to treat my work-life more like a business proper as far as time management.

Lord knows that an artists hardest word to say is "NO." I had been taking on crazy assignments and not getting enough sleep, combined with eating okay but not as well as i know to... and the caffeine and power shots and things... I woke up to the reality of the world of hypertension. I had spent a great deal of my life trying to do the right thing to take care of my body and then i got caught in some circumstances of life where pressure was all around me. And instead of asking for help and taking care of myself, I was awakened with intense vertigo and vomiting. Nothing says, "what the hell are you doing to me?" like going to the hospital to see that your blood pressure's through the roof and that through sheer God miracle, I didn't have a stroke or heart attack or didn't damage anything internally. I'm better now, and I voluntarily took myself to a great nutritionist who owns a wellness clinic in Manhattan, but I wanted to make a point that even though this isn't something that I wished on myself or planned to put myself through...

I wanted everyone that is in comics who is sedentary to start walking at least 30 minutes a day and let go of the junk food. That stuff may taste good, but is never good for you. It's comforting, but killer in the end. I myself have imposed a serious mission to not only lose weight, which i have, but to get myself off the meds and start treating myself like i matter.


So to answer the question, I do have to force myself to stop. I can get so involved in what i do that I forget that i have to sleep and eat in a healthy way, and that I need to relax and take it easy.

It's not just the muse, it's sometimes the stress of deadlines, the stress of trying to push yourself on every page, the wanting to become more than what you are. Sometimes you can be in that hole working away and you get the thought...."is this all that there is? I don't want to get older and none of what i do matters." and then you start meditating on dumb things. Things that don't make sense. You forget to pray about it, you forget God's role in things and you start fixating on negative thoughts that can bring you down. Sometimes we can be our worst enemy.

I'm sure there are many artists that have suffered physical maladies just being caught up with getting the work done, and keeping more work coming to you so that you can have the choice to turn it down. It's in all the minds of everyone who's driven to become something more and to keep food on the table.

So fellow artists, take care of yourselves....okay? We're dying and suffering way too young.

THE PULSE: Sounds like great advice! So what's on your dance card AFTER Dance?

CHRISCROSS: We'll see. Casey and I are in talks for more work together with the editors at DC. We like working with each other and we want to keep it going.

I'd like to think I've just got started!