Creator Profiles: Deigo Tripodi

I found Diego while looking for artists for the Butterfly Backstory. He responded to my post on Digital Webbing with a link to his Deviant art portfolio. After reviewing his portfolio, I was sure that while he wasn't what I was looking for for the Butterfly story, he WAS someone I wanted to work with on another story.

But what character would work for his style? That was the problem. For you see, Diego is not only a very gifted artist/storyteller, he is also an amazing stylist. The b/w work on his site is just incredible, reminding me in many ways of Alex Toth.

So, after much thought, I decided I would design a story around Diego's style. I presented Diego with 3 plot ideas, where his style would shine the best and let him pick his favorite. The end result is the Terrorsaur Rex Backstory with Catfish Jenkins. In many ways, it's one of the Flashback Universe stories I'm most proud of because it's a tribute to another artist I used to know.

Currently Diego is studying at Film School in Argentina. Another funny thing - despite the fact that he's from Argentina, Diego has an amazing grasp of the English language, making correspondence with him a joy! Diego is also one of those amazingly rare artists who is not only fast, professional and enjoyable to work with, but also an amazingly intuitive designer. His panel layouts are filled with extra touches that add a neat dynamic to the scenes.

Like the Trex story, I'm currently trying to figure out what to put Diego on next. :)

Diego's Answers to my Creator Survey:

What Flashback Universe comic did you work on, or are you currently scheduled to work on?

I worked on the Terrorsaur Rex BackStory.

Do you have a link to a blog/portfolio you would like me to include?

http://www.diegotripodi.deviantart.com/

What comics from the 70's did you like when you were growing up?

I was born in 1983.

What writers/artists do you think you are most influenced by?

Some of my favourite artists are: Frank Miller, Tony Harris, Mike Mignola, Neal Adams, Mike Allred, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dave Gibbons, Mark Schultz, Dave Stevens, Renée French, Matt Wagner and many, many more, but I don't really know if their influence shows in my work. I hope so, though.

Current trend in comics you like now?

Most of the comics I've been reading these last few years were published many years ago, so I don't really know what are the current trends in comics... maybe I'll be able to answer to these questions a few years from now, when I get to read what's being published today :)