Bill Koeb

by John Painz

The first piece I ever saw of Bill Koeb's was in the Hellraiser series by Epic. The Hellraiser series was one of the true stepping stones for painters in comic books. John Van Fleet, Jon Muth, Scott Hampton, George Pratt, Kent Williams, Simon Bisley, Alex Ross... all of them had work published in the Hellraiser series.

He's also done work on some other popular comics, including Sandman, X-Files, Tales from the Edge and Kabuki.

Koeb's work could be misconstrued as heavily influenced by painter/mac artist Dave Mckean. This would have to be ruled a mute point, in my eyes, since both artists were heavily influenced by another artist, Barron Storey.

Koeb studied under Storey at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. I had been in junior college for about three years. On a visit to my friend Kelly's school, I saw Barron Storey's work for the first time. Seeing it was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. Paintings, illustrations; work that was truthful and full of heart. His work was raw with personal experience, much the same way Francis Bacon's work reveals as much about Bacon as it does the subject he painted. I studied illustration under Barron at the Academy of Art, San Francisco. I had some really good teachers, but Barron was really the main influence on me and the way I approach picture making. As with most students, I began by mimicking the surface aspects of his work, but later moved into more of my own thing, with the heart of it coming from what Barron taught as the most important aspect of illustration: seeing. (from an article on the Graphic Artists Guild and Koeb's involvement, found here.

Where as Mckean is now overly focused on digital work (where in it all looks the same), Koeb has stuck with a more painterly approach, very loose, very fresh... as he said, his own thing... but keeping his options open when it comes to digital work, which he continues to do.

He has a fantastic site with original work for sale, along with recently finished paintings for advertising. He has an enormous client list, and continues to paint with abandon... which you can find here.

I was able to ask Bill Koeb some questions about his work and his personal life... here goes:

John Painz (J.P.): Could you tell me who or what influenced you the most, to decide to get into comics?

Bill Koeb (B.K.): When I was five years old I read Batman #237 and it blew my mind. It may have been the first comic book I read, it is the first I remember reading. The pictures seemed to be like a movie to me and for years the panels stayed in my mind as a strong memory of this world that existed off center from my waking world. Most of the memorable comic books I read and liked, stayed with me like a dream half remembered. I liked the work of Neal Adams, Jack Kirby, John Romita Sr., and many others. It was this glimpse into another world that pulled me in. It was also a mysterious world because of the difficulty in finding consecutive issues. This was in the early 70's, before I knew of comic shops. My grandfather often took my brother and I to Thrifty Drugstore for ice cream, and there was this magazine rack filled with comics, but we frequently missed issues, or saw a single issue of a book, never to see another.

J.P: How would you describe the direction of the industry (comic industry), as of today, and where it might be heading in the future?

B.K.: I really have no idea where the industry is right now. From the glimpses I take into most recent comic books, it seems driven my demographics and money instead of by a love of stories. I think that the people creating comics, want to tell stories, but the companies seem in it primarily for the money. Most of what I see is a rehash of what someone else did that was popular and successful. Part of marketing seems to be to take a poll, find out what people want, IE what sells, and repeat it until it is dried up. I haven't done any comics in over two years. I hear from people at conventions that they like my work, and that I should go to Vertigo or whomever, but when I do approach editors, they seem not very interested. So, as for the future of comics, who knows? Most of the work that is in Previews or is advertised, looks as bad as what is out there today. Unless there is a shift in thinking toward buying really personal and original work , and publishing it, then the future of comics is going to be dim.

J.P: Are there comic books at the moment that you're particularly fond of?

B.K.: I recently read and enjoyed George Pratt's Harvest Breed graphic novel, I like Walt Simonson's Orion. Recently I saw some beautiful pages to a graphic novel called Kokoro that Kent Williams has been working on for a couple of years. I liked Dear Julia by Brian Biggs, a Matrix story by John Van Fleet, and a recent Sentry/Hulk by Paul Jenkins and Bill Sienkiewicz.

J.P: Who are your personal heroes? (unrelated to the comic industry)

B.K.: I don't know if I really have any heroes. I read something that inspired me recently by Bucky Fuller about remaining silent for a year because of the power, the danger in words, until he really understood how to use words. Hospital volunteers and the Child Life specialists at UCSF hospital are way up there on the list of people who I admire. Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter and all the people building homes for the homeless, anyone who I see acting unselfishly, inspires me to be a better person and do more for others. People who try and people who follow through on their ideas. People who take jobs that they don't want to do in order to take care of themselves and their families. My fiancé, Julie, my mom.

J.P: Villains?

B.K.: Aren't we all in someone's eyes? Rudeness.

J.P: What do you do when you're stuck on an idea?

B.K.: Write it down, or save it until I can sit down and write it down.

J.P: What would you say to a young'un if they were interested in entering this industry?

B.K.: Learn to draw from life. Start writing about your life and the lives of others. The best stories and most innovative works will come from your own life experiences. Learn from the approaches of your mentors, not from the surface aspects of their work. Also, don't let your fears stop you. I have spent a lot of time not doing the things I love because of my fears and my struggles with depression. An editor or publisher might not want to hire you, but no one can prevent you from making the works that you have a passion for making. Write that story, draw that picture, publish that book and then be open to criticism and feedback. Too often we criticize ourselves in the creative stage. This is the one of biggest mistakes that a lot of creators make.

J.P: Have you ever 'sold out', and if you did, do you regret it?

B.K.: What does "sold out" mean? I think that this is a question which needs defining or retirement.

J.P: Name the last 5 CD's you've purchased.

B.K.: A Django Reinhardt box set.

J.P: Name the last 5 movies you saw.

B.K.: Snatch, 'Meet the Parents', 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', 'Charlie's Angels', 'Traffic'. (sorry for the datedness of this interview, my fault entirely, j.p.)

J.P: I wonder, was it easy for you to find help in artists? Were their egos not so blown up?

B.K.: Most people were and are very helpful. I think that a lot of people who come off as egotistical and distant are either shy or socially anxious.

J.P: What are your future projects?

B.K.: I am working on some paintings right now. I have two or three stories rolling around in my head that I'd like to work on. One is called 'Lost Angels in Mississippi' and is about two angels who travel to Mississippi in 1964 and become involved in events in a small town right after witnessing several lynchings.

J.P: Thanks so much, Bill, for your time.