Creator Profiles: Chris Nye

I'm going to start this series with the artist who, in many ways, is responsible for the entire Flashback Universe, Chris Nye, creator of Brother Destiny (Mecca Comics).

What Flashback Universe comic did you work on, or are you currently scheduled to work on?
Prometheus (also featuring Amanita)

What comics from the 70's did you like when you were growing up?
Primarily Marvel: All of Marvel's horror titles (Werewolf by Night, Tomb of Dracula, Ghost Rider, Frankenstein, Creatures on the Loose, Supernatural Thrillers etc.); Spider-Man, FF, Iron Man, Sub-Mariner and Marvel Team-Up were mainstays.

Occasionally bought The Avengers, The Invaders, Thor or Marvel Two-In-One. Came to appreciate Warlock and The Defenders later.

Also loved Marvel's reprint titles...particularly those that reprinted 50s and 60s horror, such as Monsters On The Prowl, Where Monsters Dwell, Crypt of Shadows, Vault of Evil, etc.

What writers/artists do you think you are most influenced by?
John and Sal Buscema, Gil Kane, John Romita Sr., Jack Kirby and Neal Adams.

Do you have a blog or portfolio site?

http://theeternalblog.blogspot.com/

Current trend in comics you hate now?
Bleed format pages, overblown Photoshop coloring, the lack of descriptive captions, poor layouts and storytelling.

Current trend in comics you like now?
Seems to be a growing appreciation for the classic material (Masterworks, Archives, Essentials, Showcase) which hopefully will have a trickle-down effect and teach newcomers some much-needed lessons on how to entertain and tell a good story.

NOTE: Now I said that Chris was responsible for the Flashback Universe, but you'll notice he's not yet drawn anything for FBU. I'll back up and explain.

Back at Heroescon 2005, I saw some sketches of Chris' comic Brother Destiny and was just flat out blown away by the way he manage to capture the early Marvel House style, while bringing his own touches to it. I realized then and there how much I'd missed comics like that. A few months later, I posted a note on Digital Webbing looking for artists who might be interested in working on such a retro project and was floored by the responses I got. It seems a LOT of people miss the old Marvel style.

Now might be a good time to ask me why I didn't just ask Chris to help me with Flashback Universe then? Well, as it turns out, I heard he was busy with Chad Bowers working on Dr. Impossible, so I decided to look for someone who might not be busy. That's how I found Pierre.

Anyway, come Heroescon 2007, Chad (who was at the Flashback Universe Booth) introduced me to Chris, and I think we hit it off well. After the con, everyone from the booth (plus friends) went to have dinner, during which Chris and I discussed our love for The Invaders, 70's Avengers and the great Golden Age artists!

To say I'm excited about having Chris onboard to illustrate a Flashback Universe story is really an understatement. :)

Welcome to the Flashback Universe Chris!