Danny Bulanadi has worked on many titles for Marvel and other comics companies. Here we talk about his stint on DAREDEVIL when he inked William Johnson, David Mazzucchelli and Steve Ditko. Many thanks to Frank Baldevarona for his help organizing the interview. Much appreciated.

Kuljit Mithra: First off, just wanted to say thank you for this opportunity to speak with you. As a Daredevil fan since the 80's, I will always remember some of the first issues I ever read with your name listed in the credits. I know you are more well-known for your other Marvel work, but I wanted to ask you specifically how you came onboard for about 20 issues on DAREDEVIL? Was it just a case of helping out with deadlines, or had they actively wanted you to be a part of a new team on DD with issue #198?

Danny Bulanadi: You are welcome. It's always a pleasure to connect with fans of the comics I helped with creatively. I got started with Daredevil when the inker at the time was starting to miss their deadlines. I was given a trial, then was brought on on a regular basis.

Mithra: What did you think of the character? Were you a fan?

Bulanadi: I enjoyed Daredevil. The idea of a blind man with heightened senses was really appealing. Also, I liked that there was a lot of action in the book itself.

Mithra: Your first few issues were inking over William Johnson. How did you find his work? I thought he had a good style but he only did about 6 issues. Were you ever in contact with him and do you know whatever became of him after DD? I can't seem to find out more information about him.

Bulanadi: William Johnson was a good penciller. Unfortunately, I never had any direct contact with him. I'm not really sure what has happened to him since.

Mithra: At this time, what was the prevailing style of inking at Marvel that was popular?

Bulanadi: I can't really recall. At the time I was very busy with several inking projects. I was the one Marvel editors called upon when a book was late.

Mithra: You also inked over David Mazzucchelli early in his career. What did you think of his pencils and style?

Bulanadi: Like William Johnson, David Mazucchelli was a really good penciller. I had no trouble following what he wanted to do and really enjoyed inking his work.

Mithra: In a past interview with the COMICS JOURNAL, Mazzucchelli talked about wanting to ink his own work on DD. Did the two of you ever discuss the artwork? I believe by issue #214, you were not on the book any more and he was inking full-time.

Bulanadi: As with William Johnson, I really did not have direct contact with David Mazzucchelli. At the time the only person I would speak with directly was the editor. I did hear that he (David) wanted to ink his own work. I had many other projects at the time that I did not really mind.

Mithra: You were back on DAREDEVIL with issue #235, inking over Steve Ditko. How was that experience for you?

Bulanadi: Steve Ditko's pencils left a lot of room for the inker to spot blacks and render in their own style.

Mithra: Were there any differences in inking style you used for each of the three artists (Johnson, Mazzucchelli, Ditko)? Any particular reason why?

Bulanadi: With William Johnson and David Mazzucchelli, I used the same style of inking. Their pencils were very tight. With Steve Ditko, I was allowed to play around with rendering and style. His pencils were very loose.

Mithra: Switching gears here, since I'm from Canada, I wanted to ask you about the characters you created, namely Captain Canada etc. How did that come about?

Bulanadi: Scott Sterling wanted to create some comics based on some characters he created. He hired me to come up with the costumes. We did some comic strips and a Graphic Novel. Recently, I have re-colored some of my old work. I believe they have been released in the TV Guide in Newfoundland. I'm also told it will be published in a collected format.

Mithra: While checking out your website (www.bulanadiart.com) I saw that you are still interested in getting back in the comics field... what is it about comics that you enjoy the most?

Bulanadi: Comic books are great! They are like 30-minute movies. I enjoyed them when I was a kid and still occasionally go to comic shops to see what the new artists are doing.

Mithra: And finally, while you are enjoying your retirement, what is next for you in terms of artwork? What are you working on today?

Bulanadi: Currently I am drawing comics based on the stories in the Bible. The company is called Kingstone Comics out of Florida. I pencilled and inked both Samson & Jonah. My current project is King David. I am working on Volume II. I hope you check it out.

----------------------------------------------
(c) 2012 Kuljit Mithra & Danny Bulanadi
Daredevil:The Man Without Fear
http://www.manwithoutfear.com
----------------------------------------------

Read more interviews!