Tell us a bit about yourself – how did you get started in comics?
I was a massive comic book fan growing up in the 70s and 80’s and decided pretty early on I wanted to be a comic book artist. I used to travel up to london in my teens and turn up unannounced at Marvel UK and Fleetway’s offices with my somewhat underwhelming portfolio. It took a few years of getting better, badgering them regularly and a move to London but I eventually got my first work from both in the space of a couple of weeks. Once I was in the door I was lucky enough to get regular gigs and that’s when my art education really began.
I was delighted to see you back at 200AD recently as you’ve drawn some of my favourite strips there (I honestly must have read the Dredd story “Wot I Did During Necropolis” and Kola Kommandos a million times!) I know from a recent interview you did in the Megazine that you had an interesting break away from comics – can you tell us about that?
I stopped doing comics regularly around 2000 and set up my first studio creating comic themed artwork initially for advertising and marketing and latterly for the licensing and entertainment world. This led to doing some work for a tech start up in Florida in 2012 that was interested in creating entertainment content for a proposed AR wearable device they were developing. There is a longer story here, but I ended up moving out there and running their in house games studio for the next eight years.
What is it, in particular, about comics that you love?
There is no better visual medium in my mind for allowing anyone to tell a story. Anyone has the opportunity to tell a comic book story. My first attempts were stapled together photocopies that were handed out at school and that ability for anyone to tell a story and find an audience leads to some incredibly creative results.
I absolutely adore the chunkiness and solidity of your style. Is that something you consciously work at, or does it emerge naturally? Is it even something you think about?
I think my style like most artists, is the natural distillation of what I like myself. I’m constantly looking at the art I grew up with as well as new comics and other work that catches my interest.
What are you working on right now and what do you have coming out this year?
On the comics front, I have a 10 page story in the 2000AD summer special And another 10 pager for an Indiegogo project called Legendari that is just about to launch.
I’m also creating some illustrations for the packaging for a series of action figures based around the Legendari characters.
Most of my working time though is spent doing creative consulting for other companies. Currently I’m working with a games company and a theme park.
I also try to keep at least a day a week free to do my own pet project, a satirical superhero universe called Whamblam. It’s primarily just me having fun doing illustrations that hark back to the kind of comics I grew up with in the 70s.
Sounds amazing, Ant! And What will you have at the show?
I’ll be bringing along some original artwork, including Marvel, DC and 2000AD work. I’ll also bring some Ghostbusters pages from the very beginning of my career as I participating in the Ghostbusters 40th anniversary event at the show.
I’ll also have prints and some signed comics.
I’m always happy to take on commissions as well. I still love drawing superheroes.
All the above are also available at:
www.antwilliamsartist.shop
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