Duck Avenger Case Files : Jonathan H. Gray Interview

Recently I was able to catch up with Jonathan H. Gray to talk about his work on many great Disney comic books including the Duck Avenger.

JONATHAN H. GRAY 

IDW

YEARS WITH DISNEY: 2010 TO PRESENT

OCCUPATION: COVER ARTIST AND TRANSLATOR 

 

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

Years ago, sometime around middle school, I told my mom that I wanted to collect Nintendo cartridges as a hobby. But those games were crazy expensive at the time, and my ma — wanting to support me, but absolutely refusing to pay for THOSE — tried introducing me to a different hobby that would keep me happy and occupied. One day while we were out, she bought me four Disney comics from a drugstore rack, knowing that I liked DuckTales and Disney-related cartoons.

The four comics were Uncle Scrooge #247, Donald Duck Adventures (series II) #37 and #38, and Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #582. I fell in love with all of them instantly, but it was WDCS that had me hooked. Floyd Gottfredson’s “Sky Island,” which began in that issue, was the first of the stories that I read, and for months I begged my mom to take me to a comic store to find the 2nd part. From there I discovered hundreds of back issues, began a growing collection, and that was the end of that! Haha!

 What was your first exposure to Disney?

The DuckTales TV cartoon. It was pretty much the gateway drug to Disney Comics and cartoons for my entire generation, which is why it’s remembered so fondly (and some parts of it still hold up, IMO, unlike a lot of 1980s cartoons). I saw DuckTales on TV before I ever knew that there were comics based on it. I was fascinated by the differences between the show and the comics — for instance, the constant, consistent presence of Donald in the comics.

 

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

My very first work came in 2006, and it involved translating and dialoguing stories for David Gerstein, who was at the time the archival editor at Gemstone. I remember writing him a letter explaining who I was — I was still an undergrad at the time — and I think I might have sent him a script. Gemstone wasn’t making all-new stories, but David took a risk and tried me out as a dialogue person for the foreign stories his team was translating and Americanizing.

David assigned me a Rune Meikle story called “By Twilight’s Bite,” which was printed in Mickey Mouse Adventures (series II) #12. I guess David must have liked it, because my next translation assignment was Romano Scarpa’s classic “The Great Gawrsh-Durn Champion” in WDCS #681.

I was going to draw some covers for Gemstone sometime after that, but it never panned out until the later Boom period. I’ve been doing similar assignments, translations and new covers, ever since! Maybe someday I’ll also get to write and draw the all-new Mickey and Donald stories I’ve wanted to do. ?

David and I have been great friends for YEARS, ever since the Gemstone days, and there’s nobody I trust more in the comic industry. I always thank him for giving me my big break.

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

One time, on a trip to Canada for the Toronto Fan Expo, I stopped at a newsstand and picked up a copy of Mickey Parade Giant, one of the ongoing French Disney comics. I forget what specific stories were in it, because I’ve long since lost the issue; but I know it had a Duck Avenger tale and I was absolutely fascinated by it. I’m pretty sure it was a reprint from the Italian PKNA (“Duck Avenger New Adventures”) series, because it didn’t look like any classic Disney comic I’d ever seen — Italian, American or otherwise.

I wanted to know more, but sadly, Duck Avenger had never been introduced properly to the United States, even in shorter stories! That’s because at the time, American Disney comics — at 32 pages apiece — were not quite long enough to print many of the long-form Italian Disney stories that were done overseas; they had to be split into multiple parts.

Also, Italian Disney art that wasn’t by Romano Scarpa was a sort of rarity in the US until recently, and the first Duck Avenger story was not drawn by Scarpa.

So I did research on the net about Italian Disney creators and artists, and the characters introduced over there, and that was that! I fell in love with Paperinik/Duck Avenger in particular and kept trying to find a way to bring it here, knowing that it was super-popular overseas and something modern that modern and classic Disney comics fans, both kids and adults, would love and appreciate.

I feel like as a highly action-oriented series, PKNA is different from most Disney stories, but in a good way — so regular kids today can still appreciate it! Beyond Sonic the Hedgehog, there’s not really any other long-form funny-animal action comics over here in the US, and I think that needs to change.

At the same time, Duck Avenger has a classic fun Donald sensibility underneath, one that old-school Disney comics fans will also be able to have fun with. It’s something new for everybody.
I also always thought that PKNA was one of the most ambitious, interesting things done in any Disney comic next to Don Rosa’s “The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.” I’ve always felt that Donald’s Duck Avenger alter ego, in both PKNA and other stories, should really be brought here so others could properly read and have fun with it for themselves.

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

I’ve spent a lot time learning what to do versus what not to do concerning comics, and I think that’s helped immensely. Growth has been a big thing for me, both personally and professionally. I’ve written, drawn and been an editor, so I have a lot of different perspectives on a lot of different things. I’ve seen the industry from multiple angles which I think helps me to have a good perspective.

 What have you been up to these days aside from Disney comics?

Right now I’m working on my own web comics — all-new relaunches of my old series “Chip and Walter” and “Time Trouble” — which I hope to have launched fairly soon. I’m also teaching “Principles of Cartooning” at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, and I’m freelancing for IDW and others in my spare time. Sleep is no longer an option. ?

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

I am ECSTATIC! I hope other people enjoy and love it as much as I have enjoyed the process of helping to finally bring it here.