Interview with: Giovanni P. Timpano
Job: artist
Comic book: Tribute: Michael Jackson, King of Pop
Company: Bluewater Productions
Interviewed by: Allen Klingelhoets
www.jazmaonline.com
Allen: Let’s dive right into interview. Tell me some personal things about yourself Giovanni. Where do you live?
How old are you? How long have you been drawing art?
Giovanni: I’m Italian, I live in a Tuscany city named Rosignano. I’m thirty and I think I draw by always, you know,
you start as a child drawing the TMNT or G.I.Joe watching them in television and at last, after 30 years, you
realize that draw is the only thing that you are able to do, not the best, just the only one…
Allen: How long have you been reading comic books? What types do you like to read?
Giovanni: I have start with an Italian famous character “Dylan Dog” when I was 11 years old, and after a couple of
month I have started all the possible Marvel series which in that years were published in Italy.
Now I read less and in a different way, I mean that I prefer to follow the writer than the series itself (or at last a
particular event of it) like Bendis or Millar, Ellis, Ennis, Morrison, Moore, Brubaker, etc. you know, the usual bad
guys of our industry.
I love also Joe Sacco’s work or Guy Delisle and as series I read Buffy season 8, Fables, The Walking Dead and
Scalped, this last is absolutely one of my favorite.
Allen: Who are some of your comic book artist influences?
Giovanni: Well, I have start following artist like Mark Bagley in his first Spiderman’s run, Rob Liefeld, Arthur
Adams, Joe Quesada and Jason Pearson.
I can say that I have “learn” to draw by they, now I prefer artist a little different from they like Ron Garney, Brian
Hitch, John Cassaday, Sergio Toppi, Alex Maleev or Danijel Zezelj.
But about this last I’m too old and lazy to learn from they, now I watch their works in their totality, than study the
single panel and say “wow, I love how he have done this leg, I want to do it in the same way”.
Allen: What kind of professional training helped you break into comic book industry as artist?
Giovanni: More than a professional training is a mind training, sometimes I say that I want to do this work more
than I really deserve to do it, it think that more than my hand is my head that help me in go forward.
Allen: Tell me about some of your past work for Bluewater Productions. How did you become associated with this
company?
Giovanni: It was very simple, I have sent an email to Darren with my portfolio and after a couple of days I have
started to work on Vincent Price Presents #2.
It was incredible for me to pass from sending portfolios in search for work to draw a book like that .
After issue #2 I have started immediately to work on issue #4, and then was the turn of Plan 9 !
They was all three Written by Chad Helder, and I have really enjoyed working with him.
Personally I think that VC Presents #4 is the best of the three books done by we two together.
Allen: How did you go from Vincent Price Present and Plan 9 from Outer Space Strikes Again!, stories to Michael
Jackson: Tribute comic?
Giovanni: It was good that from the last page of Plan 9 and the first of Tribute were passed ten months where I
have done other works for others publishers increasing the realistic factor of my style, so a perfect thing for do a
realistic book as the Tribute one.
Allen: How much of an influence was Michael Jackson to your life? When did you first become aware of Michael
Jackson?
Giovanni: As a thirty years old one I loved Michael Jackson, I have started when I was twelve buying “Dangerous”,
my first CD of him, but I still remember the vinyl record of Bad and Thriller of my brothers, I have passed hours
hearing him.
And I think if you consider yourself an “artist” you will always have to compare your life with the MJ’s one, ‘cause
the way he have lived his passion is unique and have no equal, and be and do the 1% of what he have been and
done is just a good start.
Allen: Whose viewpoint are you showing Michael Jackson’s biography through?
Giovanni: More than on him, on his figure, I’m working on creating differences in the layout of the page:
Sometimes in the book we show a fact of his life in a third person like you are watching a documentary, and
sometimes we show something that is happening on himself in that moment, maybe bad, and we are next to him,
and how you see the things are not the same as the previous example.
Allen: What are some of things you miss about Michael Jackson?
Giovanni: We have to admit that we have lost him more than some months ago, but I can say that more than what
he have done I’ll miss how he have done it, the enthusiasm, the force, the determination, the love for his passion.
Usually I like more how a person do his travel than if he have reach the destination and what is the destination
itself.
Allen: What would you like to say to Michael Jackson? Pretend you had chance to talk to Michael when he was
alive. You would not though know about his death. What part of his life would you like to meet Michael and what
would you say to Michael?
Giovanni: Considering what I have say above I would have preferred to meet him now, in the last times, to have
the chance to hear more possible things about how he is arrived so, I would like to hear from him not technical or
musical things, but the emotions that he has feel during the years in front of good and bad things, how he has
passed they.
Allen: What are some of things that make you happiest while drawing Tribute comic? How many pages will be in
Tribute story?
Giovanni: Tribute will be a 24 pages book, I have leaved behind now the Jackson 5 times and started to work on
his soloist career, I really enjoying this last part cause the previous one was more “didactic” (and full of brothers
to draw considering how much was they).
Instead his years around the 17 are more interesting to do, with more depth fact that have determined his life,
good and bad.
Allen: Will Michael’s monkey Bubbles make appearance in Tribute story?
Giovanni: No, sorry.
Allen: Do you find it more difficult to draw non-fictional characters compared to fictional characters?
Giovanni: Mmm, maybe is better to draw non-fictional characters, ‘cause you exactly know how you have to draw
him, apart from the type of your style.
Instead sometimes you loose the appearance of a fictional characters ‘cause you don’t have a so well quantity
and quality of reference as a real person have.
Allen: Tell me about your art tools used on Tribute: Michael Jackson, King of Pop issue.
Giovanni: For Tribute I’m using just pencils and inks with a little touch of Photoshop to make some lights effects.
About the Inks I use Micron Pens and a couple of brushes.
Allen: What’s the process of putting together story pages? What are you being asked to do in Tribute comic?
Are you also inker and colorist?
Giovanni: Just pencils and inks.
Allen: What does your family think about Michael Jackson project?
Giovanni: They are very happy, I have 3 brothers and a sister all more aged than me, so they have known MJ
sooner than me.
Allen: Why do you feel there will be market for this comic?
Giovanni: Because is a book well done, well written and well drawn, for me is the most important thing for a book.
Not just because is a book about MJ, but because is done well.
Allen: What audience do you feel Tribute comic is best read by?
Giovanni: To the one that like good books, to the one that like Michael Jackson and both together !
Allen: Are you on schedule for October 2009 publication of Tribute: Michael Jackson, King of Pop comic?
Giovanni: Even if I had some tendinitis issues in the last times I think yes.
Allen: What are some future projects you have in works?
Giovanni: I’m working with Moonstone on a Phantom book and on another new character, I have also finished the
first of a four issue miniseries based on the historical character of Yi Soon Shin and at last there is a personal
project written and draw by me, I’m at half of the final (of two) issue, it’s named “36: Dead Corpses” and soon you’
ll hear it !
Allen: What are some of your hobbies?
Giovanni: I’m really lazy, I like just to do watch movies, read books or comic books and obviously stay with my
girlfriend Atena.
Allen: Do you work in any other fields outside of comic book industry?
Giovanni: I have worked on storyboards for independent movies and advertising.
Allen: What are some of the best ways to see your art? What is the best way to contact you?
Giovanni: I have both ComicSpace and DeviantArt accounts:
https://www.comicspace.com/giovannitimpano/
https://giotim.deviantart.com/
A blog:
https://giovannitimpano.blogspot.com/
and my email is:
giovannitim@gmail.com
Allen: What inspires your creativity?
Giovanni: usually movies, I don’t like to take a comic book or an artist of it and capture from it or him something, I
found it as a dead end, a closed circle.
So I like to take something from a different or an upper level of reality, like the movies.
I love to study filmmakers, most of all I found the Asian ones more near my way to show the things.
Allen: Thank you so very much for diving right into this interview. I think time to get out of pool. What final
thoughts would you like to say to readers that might want to Tribute: Michael Jackson, King of Pop comic?
Giovanni:I call you all to buy this book, because even if you think that is done just because of what is happened I
assure you that is done with the heart and the head….and a lot of my hand (damn tendinitis).
Bye,Giovanni
Job: artist
Comic book: Tribute: Michael Jackson, King of Pop
Company: Bluewater Productions
Interviewed by: Allen Klingelhoets
www.jazmaonline.com
Allen: Let’s dive right into interview. Tell me some personal things about yourself Giovanni. Where do you live?
How old are you? How long have you been drawing art?
Giovanni: I’m Italian, I live in a Tuscany city named Rosignano. I’m thirty and I think I draw by always, you know,
you start as a child drawing the TMNT or G.I.Joe watching them in television and at last, after 30 years, you
realize that draw is the only thing that you are able to do, not the best, just the only one…
Allen: How long have you been reading comic books? What types do you like to read?
Giovanni: I have start with an Italian famous character “Dylan Dog” when I was 11 years old, and after a couple of
month I have started all the possible Marvel series which in that years were published in Italy.
Now I read less and in a different way, I mean that I prefer to follow the writer than the series itself (or at last a
particular event of it) like Bendis or Millar, Ellis, Ennis, Morrison, Moore, Brubaker, etc. you know, the usual bad
guys of our industry.
I love also Joe Sacco’s work or Guy Delisle and as series I read Buffy season 8, Fables, The Walking Dead and
Scalped, this last is absolutely one of my favorite.
Allen: Who are some of your comic book artist influences?
Giovanni: Well, I have start following artist like Mark Bagley in his first Spiderman’s run, Rob Liefeld, Arthur
Adams, Joe Quesada and Jason Pearson.
I can say that I have “learn” to draw by they, now I prefer artist a little different from they like Ron Garney, Brian
Hitch, John Cassaday, Sergio Toppi, Alex Maleev or Danijel Zezelj.
But about this last I’m too old and lazy to learn from they, now I watch their works in their totality, than study the
single panel and say “wow, I love how he have done this leg, I want to do it in the same way”.
Allen: What kind of professional training helped you break into comic book industry as artist?
Giovanni: More than a professional training is a mind training, sometimes I say that I want to do this work more
than I really deserve to do it, it think that more than my hand is my head that help me in go forward.
Allen: Tell me about some of your past work for Bluewater Productions. How did you become associated with this
company?
Giovanni: It was very simple, I have sent an email to Darren with my portfolio and after a couple of days I have
started to work on Vincent Price Presents #2.
It was incredible for me to pass from sending portfolios in search for work to draw a book like that .
After issue #2 I have started immediately to work on issue #4, and then was the turn of Plan 9 !
They was all three Written by Chad Helder, and I have really enjoyed working with him.
Personally I think that VC Presents #4 is the best of the three books done by we two together.
Allen: How did you go from Vincent Price Present and Plan 9 from Outer Space Strikes Again!, stories to Michael
Jackson: Tribute comic?
Giovanni: It was good that from the last page of Plan 9 and the first of Tribute were passed ten months where I
have done other works for others publishers increasing the realistic factor of my style, so a perfect thing for do a
realistic book as the Tribute one.
Allen: How much of an influence was Michael Jackson to your life? When did you first become aware of Michael
Jackson?
Giovanni: As a thirty years old one I loved Michael Jackson, I have started when I was twelve buying “Dangerous”,
my first CD of him, but I still remember the vinyl record of Bad and Thriller of my brothers, I have passed hours
hearing him.
And I think if you consider yourself an “artist” you will always have to compare your life with the MJ’s one, ‘cause
the way he have lived his passion is unique and have no equal, and be and do the 1% of what he have been and
done is just a good start.
Allen: Whose viewpoint are you showing Michael Jackson’s biography through?
Giovanni: More than on him, on his figure, I’m working on creating differences in the layout of the page:
Sometimes in the book we show a fact of his life in a third person like you are watching a documentary, and
sometimes we show something that is happening on himself in that moment, maybe bad, and we are next to him,
and how you see the things are not the same as the previous example.
Allen: What are some of things you miss about Michael Jackson?
Giovanni: We have to admit that we have lost him more than some months ago, but I can say that more than what
he have done I’ll miss how he have done it, the enthusiasm, the force, the determination, the love for his passion.
Usually I like more how a person do his travel than if he have reach the destination and what is the destination
itself.
Allen: What would you like to say to Michael Jackson? Pretend you had chance to talk to Michael when he was
alive. You would not though know about his death. What part of his life would you like to meet Michael and what
would you say to Michael?
Giovanni: Considering what I have say above I would have preferred to meet him now, in the last times, to have
the chance to hear more possible things about how he is arrived so, I would like to hear from him not technical or
musical things, but the emotions that he has feel during the years in front of good and bad things, how he has
passed they.
Allen: What are some of things that make you happiest while drawing Tribute comic? How many pages will be in
Tribute story?
Giovanni: Tribute will be a 24 pages book, I have leaved behind now the Jackson 5 times and started to work on
his soloist career, I really enjoying this last part cause the previous one was more “didactic” (and full of brothers
to draw considering how much was they).
Instead his years around the 17 are more interesting to do, with more depth fact that have determined his life,
good and bad.
Allen: Will Michael’s monkey Bubbles make appearance in Tribute story?
Giovanni: No, sorry.
Allen: Do you find it more difficult to draw non-fictional characters compared to fictional characters?
Giovanni: Mmm, maybe is better to draw non-fictional characters, ‘cause you exactly know how you have to draw
him, apart from the type of your style.
Instead sometimes you loose the appearance of a fictional characters ‘cause you don’t have a so well quantity
and quality of reference as a real person have.
Allen: Tell me about your art tools used on Tribute: Michael Jackson, King of Pop issue.
Giovanni: For Tribute I’m using just pencils and inks with a little touch of Photoshop to make some lights effects.
About the Inks I use Micron Pens and a couple of brushes.
Allen: What’s the process of putting together story pages? What are you being asked to do in Tribute comic?
Are you also inker and colorist?
Giovanni: Just pencils and inks.
Allen: What does your family think about Michael Jackson project?
Giovanni: They are very happy, I have 3 brothers and a sister all more aged than me, so they have known MJ
sooner than me.
Allen: Why do you feel there will be market for this comic?
Giovanni: Because is a book well done, well written and well drawn, for me is the most important thing for a book.
Not just because is a book about MJ, but because is done well.
Allen: What audience do you feel Tribute comic is best read by?
Giovanni: To the one that like good books, to the one that like Michael Jackson and both together !
Allen: Are you on schedule for October 2009 publication of Tribute: Michael Jackson, King of Pop comic?
Giovanni: Even if I had some tendinitis issues in the last times I think yes.
Allen: What are some future projects you have in works?
Giovanni: I’m working with Moonstone on a Phantom book and on another new character, I have also finished the
first of a four issue miniseries based on the historical character of Yi Soon Shin and at last there is a personal
project written and draw by me, I’m at half of the final (of two) issue, it’s named “36: Dead Corpses” and soon you’
ll hear it !
Allen: What are some of your hobbies?
Giovanni: I’m really lazy, I like just to do watch movies, read books or comic books and obviously stay with my
girlfriend Atena.
Allen: Do you work in any other fields outside of comic book industry?
Giovanni: I have worked on storyboards for independent movies and advertising.
Allen: What are some of the best ways to see your art? What is the best way to contact you?
Giovanni: I have both ComicSpace and DeviantArt accounts:
https://www.comicspace.com/giovannitimpano/
https://giotim.deviantart.com/
A blog:
https://giovannitimpano.blogspot.com/
and my email is:
giovannitim@gmail.com
Allen: What inspires your creativity?
Giovanni: usually movies, I don’t like to take a comic book or an artist of it and capture from it or him something, I
found it as a dead end, a closed circle.
So I like to take something from a different or an upper level of reality, like the movies.
I love to study filmmakers, most of all I found the Asian ones more near my way to show the things.
Allen: Thank you so very much for diving right into this interview. I think time to get out of pool. What final
thoughts would you like to say to readers that might want to Tribute: Michael Jackson, King of Pop comic?
Giovanni:I call you all to buy this book, because even if you think that is done just because of what is happened I
assure you that is done with the heart and the head….and a lot of my hand (damn tendinitis).
Bye,Giovanni
"Thriller" By Micheal Jackson- RIP
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