Made in SA: Mike Fisher

Mike Fisher attempts a Vulcan mind meld on a photographer.

MIKE FISHER is a San Antonio-based illustrator, animator and writer who has released a spate of comics and – most recently – short films through his own GOOFA MAN PRODUCTIONS imprint. His comics take an irreverent look at classic sf movies and fandom, and they’ve appeared in ANIMATION MAGAZINE, COMIC BUYER’S GUIDE, STRANGE HORIZONS and STARLOG, among other publications. Meanwhile, his animated shorts have racked up prizes at film festivals and cons around the country. Mike’s managed all this while working a day job as a designer and illustrator at the SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS and raising a family. His latest release, “3-D Pete’s Star Babe Invasion Special,” takes a cheeky look at the voluptuous ladies of classic sf. He’ll be selling and signing that comic and others at ECKMAN’S CARD, COMIC AND TOY SHOW this Saturday. Just look for him at the table with the real-live Star Babe.

You’ve been doing sf and comic art long before you arrived in San Antonio. Can you tell us a little bit about your background, how you got involved in art and how you ended up in the Alamo City?

I have been interested in comics and animation since I was a kid. I went into newspaper information graphics and illustration after college, and I worked in Washington, DC, for 7 years at News in Motion, creating animations that explained the day’s news. The idea behind that company was a great. But, in the end, it was costing more to produce the product than it was bringing in, despite having about 100 subscriber television stations across the country. Hopefully, someone will attempt this “deadline daily news animation” idea again and make it cost effective. After News in Motion was shut down, I was fortunate enough to snag a job here in San Antonio at the Express-News, where I create graphics and illustrations as well as animations for its website. The whole time I was working in news graphics, I tried to keep up a small freelance business creating cartoons and animations with a decidedly sci-fi feel to them.

A lot of your work references classic sf movies and TV, from the original Day the Earth Stood Still to the old Star Trek series. Do you worry that generations of new fans raised on big-budget special effects pictures have no idea how cool the classics are?

YES! I think the first TRANSFORMERS movie is a perfect example of what can go wrong with a film! I realize that it was a huge hit, but all of the quick-cut editing creates a lot of visual confusion that just seems to get in the way of the story. I prefer longer camera shots that let you dwell on the actions of the character. Stanley Kubrick’s work in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, for instance, used this effect a lot. The simplicity of Kubrick’s opening shot in A Clockwork Orange — the camera doing a slow zoomout from Alex and his droogs to a longshot of the Korova Milk Bar —is really shocking and effective.

Lately, you’ve been entering short animated films in film festivals and drawing some rave reviews. How did your expansion into film come about?

Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to create animations. I took animation classes in college, but I didn’t pursue it when I graduated. I went with newspaper information graphics, which — at the time — wasn’t too bad a decision! The second that Apple produced a computer that I could afford, I snapped it up. I can still remember animating 3-D wireframe cubes and cones and on my Mac IIsi. WOW! COOL! Then I took the job in DC, where I was immersed in news animation for 7 years.

You’re a veteran of the sf convention scene. How have they changed over the years? Have the changes been for the better or worse?

I guess the biggest change is that there are a lot more of them, which is a good thing for sf fans.

You seem to be influenced stylistically by the bold lines and vibrant action of the Golden Age comic artists, but I’m guessing your list of influences is probably greater than just that. Who do you count among your artistic inspirations?

I am partial to the bold, deliberate lines of comic book illustrators such as JACK KIRBY (hated his work as a kid, but now I get what he was doing), AL WILLIAMSON, WALLY WOOD and DAVE STEVENS. More current illustrators such as FRANK CHO and MARK SCHULTZ have a great style, too. WILLIAM STOUT has done very little comic work, but his design work is great. I think he’s doing a lot of set and character design for movies these days.

You’ve also got a love for old B movies. Any overlooked favorites that you think the world should know more about?

Thank you for asking that question! I would like to recommend the 1970s remake of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS.  This is the one with Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy and Jeff Goldblum. Creepy! Cool special effects, and not one of ‘em done with a computer. Another great one from the 1970s was Bruce Dern (Laura Dern’s dad) as a “space hippie” in SILENT RUNNING. It‘s about the last Earth greenery in an enormous, domed spaceship. Great special effects and three cool robots: Huey, Dewey and Louie.

Talk to us about 3-D Pete, the sort of “everyfan” narrator who appears in a lot of your comics. What was your inspiration for creating him, and why has he lasted so long?

I wanted to do a strip for the Comic Buyer’s Guide many years ago and needed a character. Don‘t tell anyone, but I almost named him 3-D Petey. Gross. The strip ran for several years, and I tried to use him to make comments on the comic industry and pop culture in general. Now, Animation Magazine is the home for more-or-less regular 3-D Pete appearances. Lately, I have been using Pete in toons for online sites as well. I’m currently working on some Web-only 3-D Pete stories. Not enough hours in the day, though!

You just released a new comic focused on the babes of classic sf. Is this an experiment to see if sex sells, or have you secretly been harboring a desire to be a pinup artist?

For decades, I have been living with this embarrassing secret: I can’t draw women.  I couldn’t draw the beautiful, voluptuous ladies that are so much fun to look at. A year or two ago, I decided to do something about that. I had recently created a few “Star Babe” drawings that I didn’t immediately burn after completing, so I started putting together “3-D Pete’s Star Babe Invasion Special” as more of a vanity hobby than a brilliant business venture. But, nevertheless, let’s see if sex sells, shall we?

You’ve obviously seen the sf media market evolve from fanzines and magazines to websites and blogs. How will it continue to evolve, and how does Mike Fisher’s art fit into that?

I am doing what I can to keep up with technology. I have created several animations since 2000 that have done moderately well at film festivals around the country. Next, I have some online projects in mind. One idea that I have been working on is “Shortoons” or “Nanotoons.” These are brief, 10-20-second animations that are the online equivalent of the single-panel gag cartoons you would find in a magazine. I am trying to find an online home for these now. I‘ve completed three of them.

Do you ever see your sf art becoming the main means of financial support for the Fisher family? Or has that ever been a concern of yours?

Haha! Well, that would be nice. But, realistically, I guess that might not happen. No, I’m shrewdly putting all of my eggs in the basket labeled “newspaper industry.” Uh…. Hmmm. Maybe that’s not too smart these days. I do enjoy creating explanatory graphics and animations, for others, though.

FISHER’S FAVES

Top movies

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
3. Alien/Aliens
4. Planet of the Apes (The original, with Charlton Heston)
5. Children of Men

 Top books

1. Animal Farm by George Orwell
2. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (which I understand Ridley Scott is attempting to bring to the big screen)
3. Dune by Frank Herbert
4. Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling,
5. Expedition: Being an Account in Words and Artwork of the 2358 A.D. Voyage to Darwin IV by Wayne Douglas Barlowe (This is a really cool illustrated book showing — with complete believability —how the animals and plants of a totally alien environment might look and interact. No Earth females in bikinis on this planet!) 

Top Comics

1. Fantastic Four, issues 1-100 (Lee and Kirby built a company and defined a comic book universe with this work.)
2. Xenozoic Tales (I think there were only about 16 issues, but Mark Schultz’line work paid respect to Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta and Wally Wood… Awesome!)
3. Anything that featured the Rocketeer, a retro character by late comic illustrator Dave Stevens. ( His line work was awesome and, boy, could he draw pretty ladies!)
4. TIE: Sub-Mariner 19 and Thor 177. (These are the first 2 Marvel comics I ever owned. The Thor issue has a Kirby cover with a blurb that shouts, “God vs. God in the greatest battle of all time.”  Who’s not going to pick up THAT issue?!)