Duck Avenger Case Files : Claudio Sciarrone Interview

 

Welcome to a new mini series I am doing for DIS Kingdom to celebrate the 20th anniversary of PK: New Adventures and its upcoming release in the USA as Disney Duck Avenger which will be out in stores by the time this interview will be uploaded. The next issue will be in October, just to tell you.

I will be having interviews with key writers and artists from the USA and Italy who have worked with Papernik ( Duck Avenger) during those 20 years. So be sure to tune in throughout August and September for these interviews. 

 

CLAUDIO SCIARRONE from Disney Italia

YEARS WITH DISNEY : 1992 to Present

OCCUPATION: ARTIST

What was your inspiration as a kid to become an artist ?

It was mostly everything at that time but mostly early Japanese animation (anime) and the Spider Man animated series from the sixties and the seventies.  For comics, my first exposures were  Spider-Man and Topolino.

WRITER’S NOTE : Topolino is the weekly Italian Mickey Mouse weekly magazine in publication since 1932. Many of the stories run in the IDW comics come from this magazine.

What was your first exposure to Disney ?

My first Disney animated films were Robin Hood, Jungle Book and Fantasia in cinemas . Another of my early exposures was Topolino magazine which made me learn how to read at the age of 5 in Kindergarden.

What was your first work for Disney in terms of comics ?

My first work was for a tiny comic book issue with Topolino Magazine which was about 16 pages with the italian forest ranger and all the Disney characters from Uncle Scrooge to Horace Horse Collar where they learned with the readers how to respect nature and the forests. It was released in the early summer of 1992, I was 18 years old when I worked on it.

When did you begin your run with the Duck Avenger and any fond memories of your time with the caped duck wonder ?

My Maestro , the artist who taught me to be a Disney artist was Giovan Battista Carpi the character designer and co-creator of Paperinik (the early Duck Avenger in 1967).

The year was 1994, I was delivering a story for the regular Paperinik monthly magazine, (one new story and an anthology of the best stories from the late 60’s till present days for each issue).  I was looking up Image and Dark Horse comics from the likes of Todd Mc Farlane and Greg Capullo, Michael Turner, Frank Miller, Mike Mignola from the  U.S as inspiration for future works.

I also began studying some Manga and Anime from Japan (Ghost in the Shell and Evangelion among the others), while I was making my early steps into Disney Italia, and i’m still doing it to this day.  I’ve always tried to bring what was outside into my Disney style rather than looking ONLY at my older and experienced Disney colleagues (Very important too by the way, Walt Disney’s motto was: Innovation through tradition after all).

So that was the background, I was known for my obsession for hounding styles and tendencies and maybe that’s why I was choosen to be part of the PK team, in the very beginning, blame me for the Red Raider character designer, Lyla has been molded by me after a brief appearance in the first issue drawn by Alberto Lavoradori and many others in the following publications to come.

Have you ever faced any big challenges while working in the industry ?

The lack of time honestly, I wish I could clone myself in the not so distant future so I could  make more stories for everyone.

What have you been up to these days ?

I heard you were doing a new Disney comic featuring Basketball ?

Yes , it has already been published in Italy during the month of June (we do hope for a second issue soon) while I was preparing the new PK volume which will be another 5 issue series that is  coming out towards the end of August.

Another of my stories begins with Topolino 3171 where the main character will be Mickey Mouse.

One word describes it:Adrenaline, it will be a 5 issue mini-series where poor Mickey is on the run, through forest, and surrounding villages hounded, trying to escape from a bad guy which will seem to be taken right from a Michael Bay movie… then again it does reminds me of the atmosphere in the video game called Far Cry 3.

How do you feel about PK: New Adventures finally being released in the United States as Disney Duck Avenger ?

I am thrilled and excited but with a little bit of shame… PK New Adventures aka Duck Avenger is a never ending story which started 20 years ago, Innovation is still the main word we aim for, page after page.

Want to know my best story? The next one!

Special Thanks to Claudio for making the DISKingdom team a special drawing for this interview: