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Old School Bromance For Power Man and Iron Fist

by Vince Brusio

Sweet Christmas. He’s back. That’s right. Luke Cage, baby. If you watched Jessica Jones, you saw him in the flesh. But if you pick up the new Power Man and Iron Fist #1 (DEC150732) from Marvel Comics, you’ll see Luke’s back with his main man, Danny Rand, and the two of them are once again ready to settle some scores on the mean streets. In this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview with writer David Walker and artist Sanford Greene, we get the goods on street justice that’s about to be delivered by the fan-favorite heroes for hire.

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Article Image 9686PREVIEWSworld: What’s the genesis for Power Man and Iron Fist #1 (DEC150732)? How did you first conceive of this project? Are you a long-time fan of the old school series?

David Walker: In the broadest scheme of things, I first conceived of this project when I was about ten years-old, and Power Man and Iron Fist first teamed up. The pairing of these characters captured my imagination, and became something of an obsession. I loved that series, especially the stuff by Mary Jo Duffy and Kerry Gammill — it really was one of my favorite books of that time period. Power Man was the first Marvel character I was developing stories for back when I was a kid, that’s how much I loved him. So, it’s not an exaggeration when I say that writing this book is essentially the culmination of my childhood dreams coming true.

Sanford Greene: I’m similar to David. When I was a kid I loved the PM&IF books. They captured my imagination with how much fun the issues were. Being an artist, I naturally gravitated to the art style. Billy Graham was inspirational. I later learned he was an artist of color and that made me even more excited. 

Article Image d4e8PREVIEWSworld: How well did Sanford Greene do in nailing down your vision for this series? What is it about his style of drawing that appeals to you?

David Walker: Sanford has managed to capture my vision in a way that exceeds my wildest expectations. I’m a failed comic book artist—that’s what I wanted to do when I grew up. I made the transition to writing when it became clear that I lacked the discipline or the talent to draw more than one mediocre panel per book. Sanford is very much the artist I wish I’d had the talent and discipline to become. I’ve heard people refer to Sanford’s style as “cartoony,” which I don’t understand. All I know is that I love what he does—there is a sense of emotion and action that comes through in his work, which reminds me of what I’ve always loved about this medium.

Sanford Greene: I embrace the word “cartoony” being a cartoonist is an absolute pleasure.

PREVIEWSworld: Sanford, who were the artists you grew up admiring, and did any of them influence your own style?

Sanford Greene: I grew up being influenced honestly by cartoons more so than comics. I grew up loving action-impacting animation. Shows like G.I. Joe and Thundercats were on the top of the list. I also loved Disney and how they created these characters that displayed variety. I really gravitated towards the push proportions. Tall, short, fat, skinny. I loved to do drawings that showed those proportions. That’s where my earliest drawing influences came from. Shortly after that, I discovered comics. My first books were Avengers and Spider-Man. John Buscema and John Byrne were the first influences but then came along this guy named Michael Golden that blew my mind! His illustrations resembled some of the pushed proportions I saw in animation but with more detailed light and shadow. To this day he’s still one of my favorites!

Article Image 66abPREVIEWSworld: How does your perspective in the panels of this book show the chemistry between Luke and Danny? How do you give life to the “bromance” factor?

Sanford Greene: I’m taking some cues from some of my favorite action films growing up like Lethal Weapon, Rush Hour, Beverly Hills Cop, and even Bad Boys! Take those sensibilities and add super-powered humans in the mix and that’s the formula for the most part.

PREVIEWSworld: How were your sketches first received? What revisions were suggested, if any?

Sanford Greene: They were received with tremendous favor.

However, I am making sure that Danny is and will look more like a young Brad Pitt and less like an old Owen Wilson.

I’m also going to continue to push proportions to try and give each character some individuality.

PREVIEWSworld: If you had to psychoanalyze Luke Cage and Danny Rand, what observations would you be scratching into your note pad?  How would you profile these individuals? What’s in their heads these days?

David Walker: Danny is very much in search of a family, yet he has abandonment issues, and a general fear of commitment.

Article Image c2dcThis manifests itself in what can appear to be a carefree attitude that is easily mistaken for immaturity. By comparison, Luke is a man trying to constantly be better than he is in the moment, and trying to distance himself from his past, without fully understanding that who he is within the present was shaped by who he was in the past. Luke and Danny are more than crime-fighting partners, they are best friends and brothers — they love each other as much as any two humans can love one another in a non-romantic way. Despite that, Danny will always be part of Luke’s past, which is something that Luke tries to move away from; and Danny has a certain amount of jealousy because Luke has a family that he feels doesn’t include him. Their friendship is very complex, and that’s a huge part of what the series is about.  

PREVIEWSworld: What was the most challenging thing about writing this series?

David Walker: The challenge with any series is writing something entertaining and engaging that keeps the reader coming back issue after issue. For me, with this particular series, part of the challenge is being true to the characters, especially in terms of who they are now. Both Luke and Danny have gone through a tremendous amount of change and growth over the decades — perhaps none more so than Luke. And these changes have been evolutionary, as opposed to gimmicks. Luke Cage having a wife and a child is not like the time Spider-Man grew those extra arms — Jessica and Danielle are part of his life now, and that has to inform his character.

Article Image bda3The moment the Jessica Jones series debuted on Netflix, I was flooded with people asking me how that was going to influence my vision of Luke Cage. The answer is: not much at all. There are 40-plus years of great Luke Cage stories to draw from, as opposed to a few hours of television. There’s nearly the same amount of great Iron Fist stories to draw from. I am writing a comic series starring two characters that have been around for a long time, and the challenge is making sure that longtime fans have a great story to read, and that new fans are equally engaged.

PREVIEWSworld: Imagine you’re doing a signing at a comic shop. What would you say to the attending fans that would convince them to stay with this book for the long haul? What would you say to them that would keep Power Man and Iron Fist on their pull list?

Article Image 66cbDavid Walker:  My grandmother told me that it wasn’t bragging if it was true, so with that in mind…I’d tell them that Power Man and Iron Fist is going to be a great book, full of surprises and pick-your-jaw-off-the-ground awesomeness.

You’re gonna laugh!

You’re gonna cry!

You’re gonna become tingly with excitement! Most important, you will remember what it is you love about comic books — issue after issue will be a reminder of why comics are great, and why Power Man and Iron Fist are the best crime-fighting duo in the history of ever!   

Sanford Greene: Those are my sentiments exactly! This book should and will cross all genres.

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