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Interview:
Sal Velluto
Interview with Sal Velluto
By John L. Daniels, Jr.
Published: 2007-02-27
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An interview with Sal Velluto, artist and member of the lauded
Captain Gravity creative team. You'll also want to read
the companion interviews with team members
Joshua Dysart
and
Bob Almond!
John Daniels: Did you design the current Captain Gravity?
Sal Velluto: Not completely. I was inspired by some
unpublished pages done by fellow artist Mike Lilly. I’ve pushed his
concept a little further by adding some more definite art deco
elements. For some reason, I vaguely remember an old Rocketeer VHS
tape being involved in the process, but I can’t remember why.
JD: Did you base your design on the previous by the original
series by Steven Vrattos, Keith Martin, and Rober Quijano?
SV: Sure. Why not? I wish those guys could produce more
stuff, especially Rober who I remember for his talent and enthusiasm,
even before he got into the business.
JD: Do you feel Captain Gravity is a memorable series such
as the Black Panther run for which both you and Bob Almond won
accolades?
SV: Not yet. But it can be. Like the success with
Marvel’s Black Panther came mainly because of “word
of mouth” Captain Gravity is coming to the attention of
more and more readers. Both the character and his story environment
have potential for a greater fruition, and have even sparked the
interest of a few executives in the larger entertainment business.
JD: Who were some of the artists that influenced you in the
comic book industry?
SV: Hal Foster, Alex Raymond, Stan Drake, Neal Adams, John
Buscema, Austin Briggs, Sy Barry… Can you see a trend there, beside
the fact that most of them have passed on to Cartoonists’ Heaven?
“Both Captain Gravity and his story
environment have potential for a greater fruition, and have even
sparked the interest of a few executives in the larger entertainment
business.”
—Sal Velluto
JD: What was your first assignment?
SV: My first published comic book in the US was Marvel’s
Power Pack #37 (June 1988). It was inked by the late Stan Drake
(Blondie, The Heart of Juliet Jones), one of my idols.
JD: The spread pages for the Captain Gravity series title
popped with action and realism, how do you define your art style?
SV: I would call it… “Popping Art” since
the term “Pop Art” is already taken. Would you like extra
butter with it?
JD: How important is it to have a nucleus with the inker and
the writer?
SV: I categorically deny any “nuclear”
involvement with those guys. However, I’m proud of my 10-year
collaboration with (inker extraordinaire) Bob Almond and am pleased to
have worked with Joshua Dysart on one of his early scripts. After
CG, Joshua has produced very good stuff for high profile titles
like Swamp Thing and Conan. However, in the
“Power of the Vril” story you can see the seeds of his
successful writing career.
JD: Would you like to work on another Captain Gravity series
for the fans?
SV: There have been plenty of talks. There have been
proposals for another graphic novel and beyond. The good intentions
are there, but as the saying goes, “you know what” is paved with good
intentions.
JD: The release of this trade paperback containing new
material is exciting. What would like fans to come away with after reading
Captain Gravity? What are your feelings towards this amazing
accomplishment, on what I feel is the greatest comic book novel
series I have ever read?
SV: My question is: “Why don’t you like it?” Joking aside, I
think readers will get their money’s worth. There’s enough
entertainment value in the book to capture the interest of a wide
audience of readers. Some of them might even get so involved in the
story that they’ll be able to hear the soundtrack we have subliminally
inserted in the book.
—CCdC— Images are often used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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