Return to the Phantom ...Alex Saviuk

Defenders of the Earth artist, Alex Saviuk revisits the Ghost Who Walks.

 Alex Saviuk has an impressive list of credits from his DC COMICS days with included work on Green Lantern---Flash---Superman---Hawkman---Aquaman---Atom---Air Wave---Superboy---Jimmy Olsen---Lois Lane---Dial H for Hero---Green Arrow---Vigilante---DC Presents to his work with Marvel which included Spider-Man (Amazing, Web of, Adventures of, Sunday and Daily newspaper comic strip, Parallel Lives: graphic novel)---Iron Man----Starbrand----Nightmask---SledgeHammer. He’s also done The X-FILES collector cards for TOPPS.
His work on the Marvel Defenders of the Earth portrayed a stylish sleek Phantom with a costume without stripes, but his skills and style are classical which makes him perfect for Fantomen.
Friendly, enthusiastic and articulate, Alex has been a long time Phantom fan.
The following is an excerpt from an interview Alex did for Friends of the Phantom.

.
You did a nice job on Defenders of the Earth...what ever happened to the last comic?
DOTE was very short-lived; only 4 issues were published but I also got to pencil a 5th one (which I almost plotted totally by myself--Michael Higgins, the writer had plotted the first 6 pages, and then had a brief synopsis outlined for me which he asked me to develop into a plot for the remaining 17 pages). The pencil art was completed and I believe that inker Fred Fredericks may have finished the first 6 pages, but I have never seen any of it. Hopefully, Marvel still has the complete story filed away in some closet. I have made inquiries about the art, but have not been satisfied with any results. Fortunately, I did manage to make xerox copies of the entire story.

How familiar are you with the character?
I started reading The Phantom's adventures in a NY newspaper called The Journal American back in the early 60's when Sy Barry took over the strip. I loved the crisp, clean linework and no one else had a purple costume that was so simple but so captivating at the same time. I used to wait for those Sunday pages every week--The Phantom was my favorite strip, because I was always intrigued by masks and secret identities--the jungle was an excellent backdrop (I also was a big Tarzan fan) with the animals, the Skull Cave and throne, the library, the treasure room, Guran, Diana Palmer, the Jungle Patrol, the entire legend of The Ghost Who Walks and his "immortality"--what was there not to like? Plus the fact that even though I did enjoy characters with super-powers, The Phantom was so reality-based, it all seemed very plausible--it was easier to relate to his adventures. I managed to collect all the Gold Key comics followed by the King Features line (both drawn by the underrated Bill Lignante)--I also enjoyed the Jim Aparo and Don Newton Charlton books--Luke McDonnell's (DC) take on the character was unique and very interesting--I liked the dark, mysterious look. Currently, I enjoy the Phantom's Sunday adventures in my local newspaper--I have all the paperbacks from the 70's--and recently I have managed to get a number of the FREW issues on eBay.


What were your thoughts on the Phantom film? the current trend of comics to the big screen? What directions would like to see the new Phantom film take?

The Phantom film was a lot of fun, but I was a bit disappointed in some of the casting and characterizations as well as the action sequences. I would have liked to have seen a better Diana Palmer--at least dark hair would have been an improvement. I had also seen the HBO special a week before the movie opened and I was expecting a lot more from a few of the key scenes, notably the one when the Phantom was "racing" across traffic to get to the other side of the street. Somehow it lost its intensity (from all the hype) when the cars were only going about 5 miles an hour. Also, I would liked to have seen more of the Phantom in action at the end with the Sengh Brotherhood. There is a scene on the box cover of the DVD and VHS where we see The Phantom on the Skull Throne (not in the movie)--I know you have already done a fascinating (and consequently disappointing for us filmgoers) article on what might have been. I would hope to someday see a director's cut--but I don't think that will happen anytime soon. I missed the striped trunks--I have seen a few FREW covers where the stripes are also purple--I could have lived with that. And although we see The Phantom's eyes (ala Ray Moore's earliest version) I hope that in the next movie they take a cue from a recent fan-made Batman movie where the actor wore white contact lenses along with the lamp-black--it made for a very formidable look. I would like to see a flashback sequence that brings the Phantom back to the pirate seas with Kate Somerset, as well as a more mysterious Phantom. In general, I think the current crop of producers and directors are comic book fans and are doing a fine job bringing our heroes to celluloid life.


Any advice for aspiring comic artists?

Be aware of all the current trends that are prevalent today as far as style is concerned--but never let style override good drawing and good storytelling--the story should always be your main focus. However many panels it takes to be effective--that's what you need. Think of every panel as a "money shot" --each one moves the story along. If you need to help yourself along there are great books out there by Will Eisner, Joe Kubert and others that will help you with storytelling. Draw what you see around you --any element in our environment --past , present and future--organic and inorganic--- could be used as a tool to make an interesting picture but more so, to help advance the flow of a well-told story.
With the editors looking for more realism, take life drawing classes or ask your family and friends to pose for you so that your drawings will have a more natural feel. Literally study the figure--and keep drawing it. Watch movies by good directors and cinematographers to help you see what makes a story flow well visually--films are a great source for inspiration and ideas and with so many producers and directors being comic book fans today the editors are trying to gear the looks of some there books to cater to a director's eye. Read books of any kind to fuel and charge your imagination and let you escape into a world of your own personal visions--and then just keep on drawing!! We can never be perfect--but we can keep on practicing!