The Big Bad Wolf: Hey Gene! First of all I wanted to say as a big fan of yours I am happy that younger generations can see the work you have done in Tomb of Dracula. I am so happy to hear Marvel has released the essential ToD #1 and #2 is on its way. What's your thoughts on this?

Gene Colan: They are coming out with a second installment soon of that and Daredevil where people can see my work.

The Big Bad Wolf: Lets go back to the beginning of Tomb of Dracula. I hear that Stan Lee was first going to pick Bill Everett as the artist. How did you change his mind?

Gene Colan: I told Stan he is making a big mistake. This is something that was made to order for me. What I did was work up some samples at home. Page samples of Dracula in different positions and moods and everything. I sent the work in. The very next day I got a call from Stan Lee and he said "You've got it, it's yours."

The Big Bad Wolf: What was it about Dracula that appealed to you?

Gene Colan: It's a horror story. Horror stories always interested me in film. It had to start with my first exposure to anything that was horror, which was Frankenstein. My father had taken me to a theatre in the Bronx when I was only 5 years old, which was a big mistake. (laughs) I was traumatized by it.(laughs) It had such a long lasting effect on me. From that point on anything that was horror intrigued me. I could never bring myself to go to a Frankenstein film by myself. (laughs) My interest in horror started at that point.

The Big Bad Wolf: While doing Tomb of Dracula did you ever think 'Wow this book is going to be special'?

Gene Colan: I hoped it would be special because I enjoyed doing it so much. I didn't want to just start doing it and have them drop the book. I got so immersed in it, the book and I became one. We were just together on the book. The book and I were one in the same. I got into it and never stopped to think about the sales or anything, I just enjoyed it. I think that is the secret in everything. If you enjoy what you are doing than it will be successful.

The Big Bad Wolf: I have heard that you enjoy listening to music or doing things that get you in the mood to draw whatever book you are working on. When drawing ToD what used to get you in the mood?

Gene Colan: I listened to classical music. Tchaikovsky. Stravinsky was a modern composer. Prokofiev. Aaron Copland. Eventually as time went on all the films that were made there was always a running soundtrack. It all started with classical music and it became easier because all of the horror films had the appropriate music. Also radio programs.

The Big Bad Wolf: It is known you used to bring your camera to places such as Times Square to take a picture and then draw it so that people would recognize that certain spot in the city when they see their favorite hero walking by it. Did you ever do any of that type of thing for Dracula?

Gene Colan: Fans always related to the realism of a story. Although I can make up buildings like any artist could, it was nothing like the real place. Dracula was in Boston so Adrienne and I went on a trip there. They have very classic looking older homes which aided me in the gothic type of look.

The Big Bad Wolf: The third installment of the Blade franchise is coming out. Another character you drew, Hannibal King will be in it. This is great news. What's your thoughts on the Blade series?

Gene Colan: It was a good character that Marv Wolfman had invented and I am glad I had a part in it. We always discussed it, I think it will make a great film. Hollywood is going in the directions of comics. They almost forgot to write good material of their own. Comics are a big thing now and they are going to make money out of it.

The Big Bad Wolf: In a recent interview with David Goyer, director of Blade said that back when the first Blade movie came out marvel had no plans to credit you and Marv Wolfman on creating the character. David had to get on the phone with New Line to make sure both you and marv wolfman got credit for creating blade. As short time later David Goyer got a message from Marv Wolfman's people saying that "just HE should get the credit." Goyer aid and I quote "Come on! I was surprised by that, so I said, 'F**k that!' He's going to get credit too." What was Marv Wolfman thinking on that?

Gene Colan: I don't know. I think he wanted to take full credit. I don't know what he was thinking. I played a small part in it. I had to go to Albany with my lawyer to meet with Marv Wolfman's lawyer and Marvel's lawyer. Marvel tried to get me to say Marv really didn't have any rights to any of it. Probably technically he didn't but truthfully he did.He had all the rights to it because he created the character. I stood up for him and for myself as well because I played a part in it also. He came up with the idea of the character and I came up with the visuals. Marvel didn't buy that. In this case Marvel wanted the whole thing for themselves. There wasn't much we can do. Marv hired a lawyer and tried to fight it but he lost. We should have got more than just recognition on screen, You need a lot of money to fight these people. I guess Marv thought he was entitled to all of it. Why? I don't know. I think if it ever came down to it he would have shared some of it with me.

The Big Bad Wolf: Why isn't Marvel using these characters now? No Dracula, Werewolf by Night, no sign of Blade, or King or Drake.... what's your thoughts on that?

Gene Colan: I don't know why. Some are more popular than others. Whatever they think they can make the biggest dent financially with they are interested in.

The Big Bad Wolf: A question I always wondered. You and Mike Ploog were without a doubt the horror artists for Marvel in the 70s. What is your thoughts on Ploog?

Gene Colan: I have never met him. We just never came together on anything. It was never an idea. I was doing pretty well on my own.

The Big Bad Wolf: Who is your favorite inker was to work with?

Gene Colan: I got in with Tom Palmer. He was a fine inker, an upright guy. He really is a terrific fellow.

The Big Bad Wolf: Have you ever had to change your penciling to accommodate an inker?

Gene Colan: No. I never would do that. They either could ink it or they couldn't. A lot of inkers complained that they couldn't follow my work. I have to admit it wasn't easy but that's the way I work.

The Big Bad Wolf: Who was your favorite writer to work with?

Gene Colan: Steve Gerber without a doubt. He was a very funny fellow. I enjoyed doing Howard the Duck. I would roar at his ideas. He is a very comical guy. He would have been great as a comedy writer.

The Big Bad Wolf: What's your thoughts on the Comics Code?

Gene Colan: I think they may go a little too far with it. In the beginning I had no objections with it. Only certain things can be shown. In filming there used to be a thing called the Hayes Office. You had to line up with them to put out a film. They would let you know what you can or can't show. It was a good thing. Some of the best things though are the things you don't see. The anticipation of seeing something terrible, yet you never get to see it is a wonderful teaser. It work's it keeps the audience or reader on the edge of their seat. There was a film called The Haunting that was just that very thing. You see nothing but you expect something. I think that too much is shown even in films. Too much gore.

The Big Bad Wolf: Working in horror comics as much as you did, did you ever have editors worried about some of your pages or panels being too graphic?

Gene Colan: No. I never had that happen. I worked with some difficult editors but never had any trouble with that.

The Big Bad Wolf: What the biggest difference you see in today's comics from the comics of 30-40 years ago?

Gene Colan: When I started an awful lot was required of an artist. I thought I could just waltz myself in the business knowing very little. I figured I had enough of a knack for it that I could get a job, but that was not the case. They told me I had to go to art school. I just wanted a job. I was 16 so I did. When I got out of the service I continued at the Art's Student League in New York. It was a necessary thing. If I wanted to get work that is what I needed to do. I needed to brush up on anatomy. I didn't know a thing about anatomy. I picked up whatever I could see from Jack Kirby's work. He was an excellent artist. He had a real great look to his work. I just adored his work. It was a good thing I went to school I did pick up some stuff. I began to get comic work after that.

The Big Bad Wolf: I hear a lot of stuff from the industry saying that horror type characters don't belong or wont work now a days, what are your thoughts on that?

Gene Colan: If its well done it would work. The bottom line is if it sells they'll print anything.

The Big Bad Wolf: Did you give writers a lot of input when you worked with them on a book for a while?

Gene Colan: Sometimes I would. I tried to please the writers if I could. If the writer was persistent in having something his way, I would do it. If there was something I didn't understand I would call the writer up. I would do the same with Stan Lee. The only thing he objected to was me getting jammed up. Stan Lee would turn the stories over to the artists in the very early 50's. I did al lot of work on the freelance level with Stan. In order to hold down the books which he wrote himself, he put all the dialog in the titles himself, that way he didn't have to hire people to do it. He would give the responsibility to the artist. Stan's idea of a story was five or six paragraphs, just a synopsis of what the story was about. We would do the best we could with it. When the film Bullet came out I was so impressed with the car chase in it. I wanted the opportunity to do it in a comic book. I took six or seven pages out of a twenty page story to do that. Stan was furious because it took up so much space and I got jammed up in the end so I had to cut the ending a little short.(laughs) Stan said "You could have told that car chase scene in one page!" It was a good thing though. A lot of people commented it in the Letter to the Editor page.

The Big Bad Wolf: Who's the one person who most helped you become a success in comics?

Gene Colan: Syd Shores.He was such a wonderful fellow. He helped me a lot in comics. He was the art director in the bullpen. When I got my job there Syd helped a lot of the newcomers who had trouble with the work. I was no exception, I had a lot of trouble with the work I remember a simple scene that he helped me out with. A very simple scene to draw, a gangster story. This very pretty girl was making herself up in a mirror. I just couldn't do it. I just couldn't get the naturalness of the pose. So I showed Syd and he sketched quickly and how beautifully it looked. He was wonderful. He did that with everybody. He was a wonderful man and in my opinion was not treated well at the end. He could not get any work and that should not have happened.

The Big Bad Wolf: Do you follow any of the newer artists?

Gene Colan: No I don't. A lot of the art I look at and some of it is very good and some of it very poor. It must have been the same way when I started. They need artist's coming in all the time and they may have to take them in sooner than they are ready for. They need to keep the books going. Some artists would get bored doing stories with the same character all the time. Personally, I wanted to get on to a character that I could live with and improve on. It would help my artwork improve. I always thought I could do the book justice by working like that. I love the Dare Devil artist Alex Maleev. He is excellent.

The Big Bad Wolf: What is your favorite horror movie?

Gene Colan: Frankenstein. That movie was unbelievable to me to see anything on the screen that looked like that. It really stunned me like I was seeing something that just doesn't exist. When you think of the make-up that went on Boris Karloff at the time it was amazing this movie came out in 1931. Jack Pierce was the make-up artist. He didn't have the sophistication of the substances they have today to make people up. He had to think of something that would look good and be convincing. They really did a wonderful job with that film. The original film The Thing with James Arness was a very good film and very believable. The Haunting as well with Julie Harris.

The Big Bad Wolf: Are you working on anything lately that you would like to promote?

Gene Colan: I just finished doing the 'The Escapist' by Michael Chabon. He had a best seller called Kavalier and Clay. He decided to try his hand at comic books. I got 21 pages out of that. I just finished it recently. It will be out in another month of two.

The Big Bad Wolf: Gene, thank you for all your time on this. This is something I will never forget. You are a Legend, Gene Colan. Thank you for all you have done in the comics world. You took the horror characters to another level. I proudly display the art work of Dracula vs Blade that you did for me in my home. I look at it with pride everyday.

Once again thank you for doing what you do best.