Tim Sale, the comic artist behind Heroes
He’s the “hands” that sketched Isaac Mendez’s prophetic paintings and comic books the 9th Wonders! that lead the heroes in helping them save the world. He’s Tim Sale, a master artist in the comic book world.
Tim got involved in the Heroes through Jeph Loeb, whom he’s worked with in many other projects including Batman’s The Long Halloween. Newasama.com recently interviewed the artist, and says Tim of the Heroes’ plot:
In reading the script for the pilot, I distinctly remember feeling how much fun I was having, how much it was telling the kinds of stories that I enjoyed, and how cool a comic book it would make. I thought it was terrific. It’s the nature of these things for there to be a lot of changes from script to film, but Tim’s tone and interest and talent remained constant throughout.
Tim’s most challenging pieces so far have been of the Train Wreck and the Shadow Chasing the Cheerleader, and his least favorite is of Peter flying, because it was” kind of a sissy drawing” but admitted that Peter was easy to caricature “because he’s got that silly hair and that kind of knife-like face”. More from Newsarama:
Newsarama: Staring with your Heroes work, how many pieces have you done so far?
Tim Sale: I’ve done maybe 20 paintings for the show and 30 comic book panels, not counting the comic that was given away as a promotion in San Diego. I should say right away, that the “paintings” are not actually paintings, they are wash drawings on comic book paper, about 11″x17″, that are then colored by the amazing Dave Stewart on a computer, and then blown up and transferred to canvas — except for the canvas part, just like Catwoman: When In Rome was produced.
NRAMA: Your work’s getting a lot of exposure through this show. How does it feel to have that kind of audience?
TS: Well, the people who recognize that it’s me are the people that I already have as fans. It’s not that the show promotes me as an artist; I don’t get an upfront headline or anything like that. So it’s not like I suddenly have 12 million new people who know my name. I would venture to say that 99 percent of the people who watch the show have no idea. So it doesn’t translate that way
NRAMA: Do you have a lot of people asking, “Can I have a reproduction of this particular painting from the show?”
TS: Some people want the paintings…most people are interested in buying what they call “the artwork on the show.” Those are not paintings; those are props created by NBC from original art I do, the same way you wouldn’t buy a comic and think it’s original artwork. But it’s a hard concept for people to get around, and that’s understandable.
NRAMA: What happens to the prop paintings after they’re used on the show?
TS: I have no idea! (laughs) Hopefully, they’re being saved somewhere. I would imagine that there’s a market for that, and at some point NBC will realize that there’s a market for a coffee table book, for merchandising, all that kind of stuff, and I’ll be a part of that, but I don’t know how big a part.
Tim Sale is best known for drawing “Batman: The Long Halloween” with writer Jeph Loeb. His other works include Superman For All Seasons, Catwoman: When in Rome, and
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayers, among others. And a trivia? The artist suffers from color blindness!
Tags: Heroes, Tim Sale, Jeph Loeb, comic book artist, comic books, comic book writer
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