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Two Nightmask pieces from Sandy's files. For more of the story, view this previous post. The first image is the initial rough sketch of the cover. The second image is Sandy's original color guide for Marvel.   With a series of questions (below), Jim invites Sandy to review his work on Nightmask #11 (1986)
Sandy: I was living at the ironically named Belleclaire (Beautiful Light) Hotel on upper Broadway [in NY] at the time I was doing most of my covers for Marvel. Ironic, because it was in reality as grim welfare hotel (technically called a Single Room Occupancy). Not the place you'd choose to entertain girlfriends. My sister refused to step inside the place, so I'd have to meet her on the corner when she visited. Three murders while I lived there, all prostitutes. Shared bathroom down the hall, sink often strewn with used needles. That being said, I kinda like the place. Unpretentious. I rarely kept track of how long work took me, simply because when I did, the knowledge depressed me. I'd have to face the fact that I was working for about 50 cents/per hour, if I did the math. Maybe it took about five days from coming up with the rough for approval to the finished pencils. (It was inked by Alan Weiss.) Not sure anyone "offered" me the job. Nightmask changed editorial hands from Mike Higgins (a fellow Dead Head at the time) to Bob Harras and Bobbie Chase (asst. ed.) at some point and I just kinda went along with the character, having started working on it for Mike. (Work on the New Universe books was fairly easy to get because the books were such bad sellers and weren't generating any royalties.) A notable point about that specific project was Bob and Bobbie's demeanor the morning I strolled into their office to check out the proof on the coloring. I had done a very detailed coloring guide for the separators and they had completely blotched it (turning his blue costume green, among other things.) The editors tried to soften the mess-up ("it doesn't really look THAT bad") but eventually we ended up laughing about it. The design just sort of arouse in the process of trying to come up with a good image. I liked the flow of the line of Nightmask's figure, a nice gentel curve from armpit through to left foot. For me, that was the focus of the cover.  Nightmask #11  |
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Sandy Plunkett--comic book artist living in Athens, Ohio
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