JOHNSON & GIRON: ERTH & BEYOND

In an exclusive interview, Vicky Charvill chats to James Johnson and Leonardo M. Giron about Erth Chronicles and a number of exciting projects that have developed through their partnership over the past 2 years.

How did the Johnson and Giron partnership begin?

LG - Our collaborations started with Erth Chronicles. James asked if I’d like to do interpretations of characters from his novel The Enemy’s Son to be featured on his website. He’s got a growing online community of artists at work there and I though it would be cool to try it out, so I did a few rough sketches which were followed by many more conceptual designs under his meticulous direction. We gradually made that creative connection and we’ve been working together ever since.

What have you two worked on together so far?

LG - Aside from design work on Erth Chronicles, I’ve illustrated a number of James’ short stories which have all been featured in Murky Depths. Namely - Warped which appears in issue # 4, Final Cut in issue # 5, The Factory in issue # 6, and the latest, A Brief History of Dogfighting in issue # 7. There’s also The Devil Road - a zombie samurai tale soon to be featured in Insomnia Publications' Layer Zero: Choices.

Tell us both a little about your background.

LG - I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember and I’ve always loved reading comic books and enjoying artworks. After high school, I took a four year Fine arts course majoring in advertising where I learned the basics. Then I went on to work as a textbook illustrator in a small book design studio here in Manila. My employer/mentor, Leo Cultura is a senior book illustrator whose works I have come across as a student happens to be a big comic book enthusiast himself. He is a great friend and teacher. The skills and know-how I owe to more than twelve years of experience working in his company.

JJ - I graduated in 1998 and after winning one of the top British design awards you can achieve, I landed my first Graphic Design job. Working full time in this field for five years, I then broke in to freelance, where I moved towards illustration and writing in my spare time. During that period I was pulled in to Lecturing, which I’m still involved in. I currently lead the first year of a degree course, which I find a rewarding process - in fact it’s a crucial part of what feeds in to my own creative projects. There is an energy you tend to harness when engaged with others and guiding them in the right direction - I guess some would call it creative karma. I began writing Erth Chronicles about 4 years ago, a huge undertaking, but one of which has lead to many other projects, most notably the comics Leonardo and I produce.

James, you're an artist yourself - do you find this influences how you write the script? If so, do you find that you are more exact with details for the artist to follow?

JJ - Definitely. I think as an artist and designer, which tends to make my writing both visual and often symbolic. The design sense is why I am a stickler for details. On the Sci-fi series we have in the works, Leonardo and I took the luxury of really concentrating on the alien race and main ship design. I had crude sketches, reference imagery and detailed notes on both to help perfect the concepts further. My vision of these worlds and stories are intensely realised in my own head and always comes across in Leonardo’s concept designs.

I also like a good pace to the story and with comics I get to explore all kinds of ideas. I know from our shorts and working on Erth Chronicles together that there really is nothing Leonardo can’t draw. Being in tune is one thing, but getting my vision across so accurately is incredibly exciting and always pushes my writing further. With most of my artists I'll always art direct - but with Leonardo, there is far less than other artists due to how in tune we are. I’ve never had to scrap anything he’s worked on, it really is just the odd tweak or a panel added which is flagged up in the quality of his own ability to deliver the story.

Leonardo, you're in the Philippines and James, you're in the UK. How does this affect how you work together?

LG - The distance has very little effect on our work. Every collaboration we’ve ever worked on has been done through email alone. I suppose everything is being done the same way nowadays, it’s a real powerful tool, the Internet. It makes the world a whole lot smaller.

JJ - I agree. Without the Internet there would be no Johnson & Giron. For me it always comes back to attitude and communication. Leonardo is one of the most professional and reliable people I have ever worked with. Perhaps the most professional, considering it’s all via email. Not once have we disagreed on an idea - we share the same ethos, the same taste in film, music and art, so right away we are eating off the same plate. Leonardo brings the story to life visually and injects that little bit extra. There is a real buzz and enthusiasm centred around our projects - one of which I feel elevates our work even further.

Do you find you influence each others work? James, do you find you write scripts with Leonardo in mind?

LG - Absolutely, James provides me with stimulating ideas and concepts I would otherwise not have thought of tackling on my own.

JJ - Without a doubt. In fact, A Brief History of Dogfighting was a tale written especially for Leonardo as I was aware how much he loves aircraft. Every short story we have worked on, and continue to work on, helps us cut our teeth very quickly at a number of different genres. These have helped hone both our skills in preparation for the bigger projects we are working on at the moment. It’s rare I write a script and not have Leonardo in mind, but I have to be realistic and make sure I manage my other projects and forge relationships with other artists, in the same way Leonardo works with other writers. It improves your work and also gives you a fresh perspective. I have been let down by artists in the past and often Leonardo has picked up the reins, which only proves further how professional he is and what our collaborations mean to him.

Also, James, do you find you are inspired to change your script once you receive Leonardo’s artwork?

JJ - Yes. As mentioned, often Leonardo’s work is that strong that it can flag things up in the writing. If it means me losing text or adding an extra panel or two, then so be it. It’s about the story - that is what matters most. Not once has Leonardo complained, as he knows how much we are both learning from all of this. To go from shorts to a graphic novel is a big leap, especially with pacing. Suddenly you are given the luxury of the pause, the quiet moments. Even adding those little details of extreme close ups and character tics.

Leonardo, you seem to be able to put your hand to any style, from A Brief History of Dog Fighting to The Devil Road. Do you find this a challenge?

LG - The flexibility in style I owe to experience working as a textbook illustrator. I handle a variety of different art styles unique to every client, which is a big challenge. But I find James’ stories very challenging and exciting at the same time.

What has been your favourite to work on?

LG - Which one? Hard to say, each one has its own special quality about them. But the one I had the most fun working on would be A Brief History of Dogfighting as I have always been fascinated with airplanes and aerial combat. I’m sure this is a very special piece for James as well.

JJ - A Brief History of Dogfighting was a fantastic achievement and has already influenced other writers to submit comic scripts due to a feature Murky Depths wrote on the making of ABHOD. I’ve read in reviews that it’s more an idea than a story, but I think whoever reviewed it lost the point entirely. My writing remained behind the scenes on this one. Every time I see Leonardo’s artwork I see my original vision, right down to the camera angles, the nuances and technical flourishes I describe. Yes, it's credit to the writing, but even then details can be lost. Leonardo nails it all and ramps it right up to eleven. Every time I write a new short, I try and tackle a different way of telling the story because I want to learn something new about this process. One may be prose led through captions, another dialogue and narration, stand alone dialogue or purely imagery. As Leonardo said, they all have their own quality, so I really can’t chose, even though Leonardo seems to out do his self each time.

Leonardo, you’ve brought some of Erth's inhabitants to life. Did you find drawing from The Enemy's Son quite different to the comic strips you've worked on with James?

LG - Yes indeed The Enemy’s Son is very different. Our comic book works, so far, have usually been five to ten pages long, which is relatively easy compared to the scope of Erth Chronicles, which deals with an entire universe spanning long periods of time. The characters are richer and so much more developed. It’s a real challenge, but I did manage to get some of the characters right, and I got hooked. I wish to get back to work on this again at some point and pick up where I left off. I do believe all our work is in preparation for the big one - the Erth graphic novel!

James is quite the perfectionist. Do you find this helps you improve your technique?

LG - James is all about details and that is what attracts me to his work. I have great respect for him as a fellow artist and his brilliant writing ability. He has helped me become more sensitive to small details, new ideas and enhances my overall preference steering me in the right direction.

What can we expect from your collaborative efforts in the future? Any more projects lined up?

LG - There are a couple of graphic novels in the works. There’s a sci-fi space adventure and a zombie western, plus a few more short stories to look forward to. So always keep an eye out!

JJ - Yes, watch this ‘space’. We’re hopefully here for the long haul and have plenty of work lined up together.

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