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Marínez Bueno evolved from his superhero origins to become a prominent horror artist. Here we discuss that transformation, inspirations, and the meaning of DC Comic's Vertigo imprint.
"Hi friends, I'm at the San Diego Comic-Con in Málaga.
This is the second day and it's very convenient because, you know, the Eisner Awards are delivered at the San Diego Comic-Con in San Diego."
"And we have a winner with us, so it's a real pleasure.
You guys won the award for The Nice House on the Lake.
But first, I wanted to ask you about your panel yesterday, because you were talking about contemporary horror."
"So which would you say was the main takeaway?
That you would share from that panel?
That it's making horror change for the new generations.
I mean, it was a quite interesting panel because I shared with three other creators that all of us have worked with James Tynion IV, which is probably the most important horror writer nowadays in comics."
"And I think James, in a way, and with our help, are reshaping what horror and fear is in comics by exploring his inner fears and also the fears of our society nowadays, like exploring isolation, exploring the anxiety of these times."
"It's not about jump scares or monsters or blood or gore, but instead of that, it's about exploring human fears nowadays.
What do we fear as a society?
So I think that was the main idea that flowed on the panel."
"And that takes me to the next one, which is, you just mentioned it, you explore these emotions and actually this specific work, The Nice House on the Lake, it's very character-driven.
So how did you approach this artistically?
Because I guess it's not as usual."
"In this case, you were very, very focused on the characters and their expressions.
Yeah, correct. To me, it's probably the biggest challenge I ever faced.
Maybe breaking into comics was the first one, then this one, because we created something from scratch."
"Like, we have to create a whole world.
And it was quite a particular world, because whenever you create a comic, usually you have a main character, they have a costume or props.
So I got used to that, doing superheroes."
"But instead of that, this time it's 12 people in a house, wearing regular clothes.
Most of them are from the same age, social status.
So they had to look not the same, but quite similar in a way.
So I had to make them distinct."
"And they have to be recognizable to the reader.
And they have to be alive, because, like you said, this is a very character-driven series.
And it's the emotions that carry you through what we are telling, what the story we're telling."
"And they spend most of the time trapped inside the house.
So, it's the house, and it's the people.
Mostly all the time they are talking in rooms.
So I have to up my game in expressions, and the body language, and the camera shoots, and making the environment interesting to the reader."
"In the end, they are reading, I don't know, 200 pages of people talking, talking, talking.
It can be a little bit too much for the reader.
Many people talking.
So it's my task to deliver something visually appealing, and also that narrative flows properly."
"And on top of that, trying to manage that huge cast, so the reader won't get lost.
I did my best.
I wish I did a better job now that I look at it in retrospect."
"But I did what I could.
Another thing I wanted to ask you about, San Diego Comic Con is no longer about comics.
It is also about movies, and manga, and video games, and animation."
"And you actually started as a storyboard artist way before you were a comic artist.
So what can you tell me about that transition?
Or what you brought from your experience with movies, perhaps there is something you learned that is different to other artists who started elsewhere."
"Yeah.
Actually, back in 2013, when I was just breaking into comics, I just worked in The Impossible with Juan Antonio Bayona, you know, the movies about the tsunami and stuff."
"He's around. I think he's around.
And there was a chance to keep on working with him in Penny Dreadful, a series that he did back in the day, and start a career, a more important career in storyboarding in films."
"But I had to choose.
So I chose comics.
And I miss it a little bit, because it was really interesting working on a film for a creator, but just by being able to appreciate the work of the rest of the team, like the director of art, the people doing the props, that was fascinating for me as a creator, being inside the beast of a film."
"But what I think I learned from doing storyboards was, first, delivering the work on time.
That's really important for comics.
The deadlines and stuff in a movie, so it was like a boot camp for comics."
"And then, I think my narrative is stronger, because I did a lot of storyboarding before.
If I just focus on maybe illustration, which I did a lot, just regular illustration or comics, I would have a... I don't know how my narrative could be, but I think it's stronger because of that."
"So, I mean, everything is...
You learn in every step.
Those were the steps that took me here, so I'm glad I took them.
It's a fantastic approach, and with these new traits that you acquired with the last few works, and with all that you've done in the past, how would you say your personal style has evolved?
How would you define your imprint style right now?
To me, The Nice House on the Lake was the project that changed everything in my artistic approach, because I switched from traditional pen and ink to digital."
"I've been working with digital for years, but this was the first time that I did a full comic.
I inked it myself digitally.
So a lot of things changed."
"I had a huge anxiety attack when I was...
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But I got nothing but support from the rest of the creative team, my editors and James, so I became more and more confident in myself."
"So from that really low starting point, because I was feeling the anxiety of that, when I was doing superhero comics, I was trying to fit into the US market."
"I was trying to do really in-house style for DC Comics.
I mean, I'm a DC artist.
This is how DC Comics should look like.
But in this project, I freed myself by using all kinds of tools, digital tools, all kinds of pencils, all kinds of brushes, and it was my..."
"I became more myself with this project.
And apparently the readers connected with it more than my previous work.
So I'm glad I did it."
"It's like a new tear, a new step, a new version of you that's never gonna look back.
Yeah, yeah, probably.
It's something like that."
"But nowadays I'm starting to feel that I'm feeling more comfortable with this new style, and I'm craving trying another thing.
Because the moment I feel more comfortable, the moment I get bored, the moment my work will look boring."
"So I will try to change things if I can.
Where? What's coming up next?
No, I can't really...
I catch you there.
No, no, I'm still working on the sequel of The Nice House on the Lake, which is called The Nice House by the Sea, which is currently being published by DC Comics, and it's gonna be ending this..."
"Under Vertigo?
Yes.
It is the first Vertigo book.
Vertigo, the imprint, is coming back next year, and this is the flagship of the imprint."
"So it's coming back early next year, and we will end this season, and then...
Who knows?
Who knows.
Can you tell me about that transition?
Did it affect you in any way, the transition from Black Label to Vertigo?
Or is it just naming and branding?
Emotionally, a lot."
"Because Vertigo means a lot to me, means a lot to a lot of readers worldwide.
So at first, it was like I was in New York for the presentation of the imprint."
"It was announced that Vertigo was coming back, and it was the excitement all around the panel and in the floor, it was overwhelming.
But in the end, I'm working with the same people, with the same editors, same..."
"So whenever I sit in my desk, I do my job as I did when I was Black Label.
I have a lot of creative freedom with this series.
That hasn't changed, and that's the thing that matters to me the most."
"So nothing's changed in the things that I...
And from your superhero past that you mentioned briefly, can you share a memory that you hold on to as of late?
This is a new Alvaro, so from that time, can you share a little bit of memories?
Memories? I mean, I have a lot."
"Because superhero is my genre.
It was my genre growing up, so it's very cherished to me.
So first comic I did for superheroes was really, really strong emotions."
"At that, that really strong emotions.
Then it was first time I did the X-Men.
Ultimate X-Men was really first time doing a Marvel comic.
But to me, probably the highlight of my career was Detective Comics 1000, because it was a milestone issue with a lot of impressive creators that I worship very much, and I was there too."
"So to me, I mean, I got goosebumps.
But remember, it was really, really, really special.
Really, really special.
That's beautiful."
"Okay, closing one.
What do you, Spanish artists, have that we see you, we've been seeing you more and more in the past decade with both DC and Marvel and American labels?
Yeah, that's interesting, because I question that myself many times."
"At first, I thought, okay, we are cheap.
But some of us, we are not cheap anymore.
No longer.
Try to hire Jorge Jimenez or Pepe Larraz."
"I have them today.
Later today, I will ask them about this.
No, no, no.
Well, to be honest, I think we deliver something else to the table, because Spain has a lot of..."
"Many people will say that.
Probably my colleagues share this opinion with me.
We have influence from the US market, from the French market, from the Japanese market, also our own heritage."
"Artistic.
Artistic heritage in Spain, which is strong for centuries.
For centuries.
So, we have no..."
"We feel no restraint about delivering...
I mean, if you look at Jorge Jimenez's work, it's perfect superheroes, distilled to the perfect shape."
"But if you scratch a little bit, there's a lot of manga there, there's a lot of European artists as well there.
And then, if you look at Pepe's work, it's the same."
"Pepe's influenced by many, many, many French artists.
Pepe has a degree in history of art.
He knows a lot about art.
So, you can see that it brings something else to the table."
"And it's really curious, because there's a couple of thousand artists, Spanish artists working in the US market, and nobody looks the same."
"So, we bring a lot of personality.
In schools as well.
I don't know why, but if you look at Gabriel Balta's work, or Jorge Fornés, or Pepe Larraz, it has nothing to do with..."
"So, I think we bring that personality.
I think that's a nice way to wrap this up.
So, thank you so much for your time, Álvaro.
Enjoy the Comic-Con."
