While Warren Worthington III aka Archangel was highlighted in
X-Men: Messiah CompleX crossover event, and is playing a role in the current
Uncanny X-Men storyline, Marvel Comics is bringing the mutant high-flier back to the days when he was the rich kid on the block, a star athlete and the most popular boy in school.
If this story sounds familiar, well, it is. Last June, we brought you news from the Marvel Mondo Panel at WizardWorld: Philadelphia that writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and former
X-Force artist Adam Pollina were working on
Angel: Revelations, a five-issue mini-series which was supposed to kick off in November. With the release date of the first issue now slated for May 08, we caught up with the artist to check on the latest developments.
Newsarama: Okay, Adam, since we last
spoke, lets hope that you're now (hopefully) settled in nicely for you.
Adam Pollina: Thank you again, for both asking and showing interest in the steps I've taken that have lead me to where I am now.
NRAMA: How has your very own "awakening" been? Is it good to be back?
AP: No. Actually, it's
great to be back at Marvel.
NRAMA: Has Marvel always been like a second home to you?
AP: Marvel has meant many different things to me.
As a child, it was my home to imagination.
As a teenager, struggling with his identity and confidence, Marvel was an escape.
In my early twenties, it was the promised oasis for a young comic book artist.
In my late twenties, it was a wondrous platform that allowed my art to take me away.
And now, in my late thirties, I am back once more, to my home of imagination.
NRAMA: Who actually reached out to you? Or did you always intend to come back to doing more comics? Were you scouting around, looking for projects? Were you pitching ideas to Marvel ? Or did the House of Ideas came knocking at your doorsteps after seeing your other works outside the industry?
AP: Simpler than that. It was just time to come back. But I also attribute my long-term friendship with digital artist Tom Chu, to having played a significant role in guiding me back. Back to comics, back to being an artist for art's sake.
NRAMA: So, once again, welcome back to the light. After so long, working on
Angel: Revelations with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa mustve been a piece of cake for you then?
AP: I can say in all honesty, there could have been absolutely no other book for me to illustrate other than
Angel. Roberto is a true storyteller. He sets up beautiful moments, one right after the other, but with always enough space to breathe and enjoy them.
NRAMA: In our last conversation, you said that getting back to the world of the X-Men was like rediscovering a lost friend
AP:
Yes! Drawing all day is one thing. I am no stranger to that. But comics involve much more than just drawing art. Storytelling, sequential art is what it's about. Narrative design, visual layout, and connections from panel to panel and page to page... now that took me by surprise.
NRAMA: How did you research for the project? Looking through Stan and Jack's early
X-Men adventures?
AP: Actually, my inspiration came from angels. Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Renaissance, Cherubs, St. Michael, St. and the Dragon... religion and mythology are heavily interwoven with men that can fly. Angels are metaphors, and ours is no different.
NRAMA: What characteristics about Warren Worthington III struck you the most when you started working on the character?
AP: I must admit, that it was Warren's strong sense of false/misplaced arrogance, that I relate most with. Like myself, his bold attitude was a defense, a disguise to mask the fear he tried to conceal.
NRAMA: Did he come across as a rich, spoilt kid who suddenly inherited the "powers" of an "angel"?
AP: He is conflicted as we are all, to varying degrees. And we believe that our own crises are always the worst. But we must lose everything we think defines us, so that we may discover who we truly are. That is my story, and it is Warren's too.
NRAMA: Like you, some of your peers like Joe Madureira, Andy Park, and others had spent time outside the industry. For you, how are you bringing a fresh look to your comic book work now with the
Angel five-parter?
AP: I am a perpetual student of the arts. All arts. I aspire to incorporate as much of my life, my experience, and personal aesthetics into the art I create, regardless of the medium. Angel is drawn with the most confidence my hands have ever known. And with the Universe's Blessing, it will continue to get better. I have enjoyed creating each consecutive issue of
Angel with even greater passion than the one before.
NRAMA: We asked you this at the early stage of development. But now that youre a few issues in, what is it about your art that you think would appeal to todays readers?
AP: It is more me. Not entirely sure what that means, but it is true.
NRAMA: Since it's a tale set in Warren's past, how do you approach the designs of the characters? Will we be seeing men with Afro and mop-top hairstyles, women in mini-skirts and culottes sporting beehive hairdos and very short styles popularized by Twiggy? What else is there? Bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye, batik and paisley prints, Nehru jackets? Or will the characters be in the latest fads and trends as seen in such popular teen dramas as
Veronica Mars,
One Tree Hill and
Smallville?
AP: I try hard to avoid 'dating' any story I render too severely. In my humble opinion, comics and comic book art should aspire to be timeless, not timely.
NRAMA: So, who're some of the other main characters in the mini?
AP: Lemme just say, everyone's a character. And they're all a bit left of center, like myself.
NRAMA: Looks like this is a highly personal project for you. Finally wrapping things up for now, what else are you working on that you could reveal to our readers at this point in time?
AP: I can only say, that step by step, brick by brick, I have been laying a foundation on which to build my dreams. It has taken years in the making, and when it comes time to share, I most certainly will. Please stick around, it's the work I hold most precious. Take care.
