IDW Publishing’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ongoing series has been firing on all cylinders and is a must read for any Turtles fan. Tom Waltz and Kevin Eastman are doing a great job of drawing from every Turtles universe to develop a rich, new timeline. One of the key elements to their early success was the amazing art that accompanied their work. Despite the amount of work he had on his plate at the time, Dan managed to pull it off and outdo himself. I recently had the opportunity to ask Dan Duncan, the artist on first 12 issues of the ongoing, some questions about his experience.
Crossover Comics: Thank you for taking the time away from Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. to answer a few questions. Can you tell us a little bit about what the Turtles meant to you throughout your childhood? And how they have influenced the direction your career has taken?
Dan Duncan: I started drawing because of the Turtles. In a very real way that property changed my life, so being able to work on it was an actual dream that came true. And it’s influence is something I still feel today in the kind of stories I like. I love the darker action packed stories, not gratuitous, but grown up and edgy. Which is kind of weird considering I’m in animation now and I have to work with Standards and Practices, a whole department devoted to making sure what I do isn’t too grown up and edgy haha.
Crossover Comics: To give our readers an idea of what kind of TMNT fan you are, please list your following favorites. I will give you mine.
Favorite Turtle: Donatello
Favorite non-Turtle character: Casey Jones
Favorite comic book series: Mirage (Return to New York, City at War, Gang Wars in particular) but IDW is catching up quickly
Favorite animated series: 4Kids 2K3 TV series (first 2 seasons in particular)
Favorite movie: First live action movie (Turtles Forever was pretty amazing for different reasons)
Dan Duncan:
Favorite Turtle: Donatello as well!
Favorite non-Turtle character: Shredder
Favorite comic book series: I’m crazy biased but it would have to be IDW
Favorite animated series: The original series is the one that got me hooked, I’ll always love it. But I’m honestly a fan of the Nick series as well, I think it’s a lot of fun
Favorite movie: The first one as well I just have to try not to look at the hair styles
Crossover Comics: Your style felt very natural when reading a TMNT book and is one of the reasons I first picked it up. Where did you draw your inspiration from when coming up with your version of the Turtles?
Dan Duncan: I think my version mainly came from trying to remember the look for that original cartoon series and that first Eastman and Laird run. Those were the two things that really make up the turtles for me. But I do have to admit artist LeSean Thomas did some preliminary sketches before he started working on the book when it was at Dreamwave. The book ended up looking radically different but those sketches and ideas he put down were definitely inspirational.
Crossover Comics: You had a pretty hectic schedule while working on the Turtles, storyboarding the Ultimate Spider-Man or Kaijudo during the day, and drawing TMNT at night and on the weekends. How did you manage to get through all that and produce such great work?
Dan Duncan: Looking back I honestly don’t know. There was a manga artist’s schedule that went around on facebook for awhile. It was just a chart of this impossible lifestyle. I looked at that as sort of a challenge and a goal. Also at the time I knew what I needed to do and how much time I had to get it done and somehow I made it. There was definitely a sense of urgency in everything I did and a strong desire to prove myself to my colleagues and also just to myself. I guess it’s that stubbornness and the fun I was having that helped me through the long nights.
Crossover Comics: Getting to work with a legend like Kevin Eastman must have been intimidating. Now that your run on TMNT is over, how was it working with him? And what is your relationship like with him now?
Dan Duncan: We never got as close as I would’ve liked, but that’s not saying much. I would’ve loved to have worked on the floor in his studio! We met a few times which was amazing and we emailed back and forth. But sadly as the schedule got crazier the emails got more and more infrequent. But I will always be a fan of his and I like to think he liked my work and would still answer my emails... I should check hahaha.
Crossover Comics: Have you been following the comic since you left? And if so, what do you think of the direction they are taking with the story and of Andy Kuhn’s and Ben Bates’ art?
Dan Duncan: I am still following the book, I had a good idea of where it was going and was pumped to see it all happen and I’m a huge fan of Andy’s and loved Ben’s stuff as well. And I have it on pretty good authority that things are gonna get even more awesome real soon!!
Crossover Comics: Would you be up to returning to the Turtles to do a cover or a micro-series issue if IDW asked you to?
Dan Duncan: Definitely! I always had intentions to do more, although I had to accept it might be on a slightly smaller scale. Covers or a micro or even potentially fill in for an issue or some pages. And that possibility is still very much alive. It’s just a matter of time and patience.
Crossover Comics: I heard you were working on your own comic. Are you still working on it and can you speak a little bit about it?
Dan Duncan: I had started working on a couple books before TMNT. A Sci fi/Fantasy story and even a more down to earth book about relationships. But now I’m so slow that I’m hesitant to talk too much about it until I get a little closer to finishing. I also have some talented writer friends I want to work with and I do still want to try writing and illustrating a story or two. Right now I’m just very fortunate to be buried in the work I have, but once I have more to share you can bet I will.
Crossover Comics: How are you enjoying working in a team environment on Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.? And do you miss working on comics?
Dan Duncan: I do miss seeing my work on the stands every month but I’ll always do comics so I wouldn’t say I miss it yet. As for the animation work, It really is awesome and humbling. Looking over artists shoulders and seeing this outrageous work is unbelievable for my inner fan. For me it’s just a really great experience. I get to collaborate and be creative in the storytelling medium and there isn’t the same kind of pressure that there is in comics. In animation, it’s a different pressure, it’s a team sport and there’s a sense of safety there that allows me to try new things. With comics you definitely have a team (I had an amazing one that saved my butt a few times) but a lot more rests on your shoulders. I’m always shocked that people are a fan of my work, it’s incredible, but just not something I was expecting. And I always feel like I can never really express my appreciation and gratitude.
Crossover Comics: Before we end the interview, I do not think we could talk TMNT without getting your opinion on the following.
Michael Bay’s original comment: "When you see this movie, kids will believe one day that these turtles do exist. These turtles are from an alien race, and they're going to be tough, edgy, funny, and completely lovable."
I was not worried at first because the ooze is of Utrom origin; maybe he misspoke. I was completely fine with his comment; then this happened.
Possible movie synopsis: “After their planet’s destruction, four turtle-like alien warriors and their master come to Earth, where they join forces with reporter April O’Neil to prevent the extradimensional conqueror Krang from enslaving the human race.”
And recently at Comic-Con, Kevin Eastman reassured us a little bit with this comments.
Kevin Eastman’s comments at Comic-Con: “From what I've seen, it's easily the best 'Turtle' movie yet. We're talking 'Raid: Redemption'-style fight scenes; we're talking about epic 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' sort of effects. A lot of people are worried we pushed the release date from December to May, but the 30th anniversary of the 'Turtles' is in May, so it worked out perfectly. Every person that's grown up inspired by that material wants to put their stamp on it a little bit. It just keeps getting better and better, and to have that opportunity is pretty awesome. I know that Michael [Bay] and his group really like that and that Paramount was supportive of that, so I think that it's great. I grew up reading 'Captain America' and 'The Avengers' and all that stuff, and over the course of the comic book history, since 'Avengers' has been around, how many times has it been reinvented, reformatted, restructured, replatformed?”
Where do you stand on the new Ninja Turtles movie? Have you read the “leaked” script?
Dan Duncan: Haha yeah when all that started circulating my phone almost exploded. But my intention is to check it out and see what I think then. It’s never going to be exactly what you or I want because we aren’t making it. But that’s not to say it won’t be entertaining. They changed a lot for the Hellblazer movie but I think Francis Lawrence did a good job and in the end I find Constantine to a be crazy entertaining story in it’s own right. Whereas Sin City was meticulously true to the source material. So much so, that during the movie I just felt bored because I had literally already seen it in the books. I know that a movie can’t ruin my comics, and it can never take away anything more than maybe a couple hours and a little bit of cash. So I’m just gonna be cool and keep my fingers crossed until I can see it.
Crossover Comics: I want to thank you again for taking the time to answer these questions. Anything you want to plug?
Dan Duncan: Thank you! For your patience and for putting this together. It’s a little weird, but it really means a lot that people care what I think. I can’t plug too much now but I’m going to be trying to update and improve my web presence in the coming months so if you want to keep up with what I’m doing I have a deviantart (http://dan-duncan.deviantart.com/) or a blog (http://dan-duncan.blogspot.com/) you can put in your reader.
Be sure to go back and check out Dan Duncan's 12 Turtles issues. And if you are interested in what's been keeping Dan busy, be sure to tune in to Disney XD this summer and catch Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.. If you liked this interview, be sure to go back and read our other TMNT interviews.