Dave Hunt has worked on many titles, including Superman, Legion of Superheroes and Daredevil. Here he talks about his career and how his focus on artwork has changed over the years.

Kuljit Mithra: Was your DD issue (#247) a stock fill-in issue?

Dave Hunt: Don't remember.

Mithra: Do you remember much about the issue, like how you got the inking job for it, or what the story was like, etc.?

Hunt: Yes, I do remember [the issue]. Keith [Giffen] was hitting his stride and I was just beginning to really enjoy inking him. There were lots of moody shots and I had fun with different kinds of Zipatone.

Mithra: What was it like working with Giffen?

Hunt: I did a great deal of work with Keith. Legion, Dr Fate, Video Jack-- I thought his pencils were brilliant.

Mithra: How about Ann Nocenti? Or was the issue such a blur, you really didn't pay much attention to the story? :)

Hunt: Don't know her. "Blur" is a good word for most things in this business. I've forgotten whole series I've worked on.

Mithra: Any particular creators on DD that have impressed you?

Hunt: Gene Colan, of course.

Mithra: Have you ever had the chance to ink over any of his pencils?

Hunt: I inked his "Little Shop of Horrors" for DC.

Mithra: From your bio on your site, you started in the early 70's at Marvel and then concentrated on inking. What has always been the key for you to ink a perfect page? Is it the tools? A certain type of penciled drawing?

Hunt: The tools, the paper, and the penciler are probably equally important.

Mithra: At the start of your career, was Daredevil a big seller? Did you get any idea on how Marvel perceived the title and character?

Hunt: I got the impression that he was a second banana, but he had big fans even up at the office.

Mithra: Who were some of the creators who were big fans? What about you?

Hunt: I knew surprisingly little about the Marvel characters when I started working there. I seem to remember that John Romita and Stan [Lee] were fond of DD.

Mithra: You had taken a break from comics to devote to painting. What does painting do for you that other kinds of artwork cannot? Is there more of a sense of accomplishment? Do you feel like you are constantly learning on each piece?

Hunt: Yup, constantly learning. And it's entirely my work, my thoughts, my expression.

Mithra: You've worked for both major comic companies, and you had a long stint on Superman. Characters are constantly revamped and remade to cater to different audiences as the years go by. What is your opinion on character revisions and what did you think of John Byrne's Man of Steel and the 'Electrc Blue' Superman?

Hunt: MY Superman is the Wayne Boring Superman as MY Batman is the Sprang/Finger Batman. Revisions happen. Not to say that working with Swan, Schaffenberger, and others wasn't a great experience.

Mithra: What was your experience like with Tekno Comics? What do you think could have kept them afloat? What do you think any new company should do to build and sustain an audience?

Hunt: I think those making the decisions were a bunch of self-indulgent amateurs. The writing was bad and the production values were so over the top that the books were unreadable. I believe a new company should hire the best writers and create an inventory of complete (beginning-middle-end) one-issue stories. Then they should hire me. :-)

Mithra: And finally, what kind of work are you currently doing for Disney & DC and does it interest you more than superhero books?

Hunt: This past year I'm back at DC where I'm doing Scooby Doo. However I'm presently inking a Space Ghost story which they want me to make look as much like Swan as possible. It got me to thinking that a superhero book once in a while might be fun again.

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(c) Kuljit Mithra 2000
Daredevil:The Man Without Fear
http://www.manwithoutfear.com
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