Interview with Will Meugniot
First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com!
My name is Jen, and I'll be your server toda...oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking
time out of your drawing schedule--which I'm sure is busy!--and answering a few questions for your
readers and fans.
Let's get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer-artist?
It seems like I was always drawing pictures and making stories up to go with them. One of my earliest
memories is of getting scolded for "improving" the pictures and story of a library book about trucks with
my handy crayons. My poor parents had to buy the book, but they still supported my creative efforts and
kept me supplied with paper.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
A couple of years ago, I realized that despite having done art and writing for comics, television, movies
and advertising, I'd never actually worked on a real book. That bothered me a lot as I've always loved
and kept a library of books. So, when Actionopolis offered me a chance to illustrate one of their first
releases, I jumped at it.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one
thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
The answer to both questions: It's got zombie monkeys versus scouts. Good scary fun ensues, and you
might like the drawings, too. (ZOMBIE MONKEY MONSTER JAMBOREE)
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your art and stories?
On the art side, Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, Steve Ditko and Al Williamson. For writing: Stan Lee and Edgar
Rice Burroughs.
Let's hear about your family, who I'm sure are thrilled to have such a talented artist among them!
My wife, Jo, is best known for her comic book coloring, particularly for Disney. My five cats are best
known for their amazing ability to sleep all day and play all night. Though Jo is very pleased with the
book, the cats remain unimpressed by anything but a handful of treats.
Now for some fun facts. What's your greatest comfort food?
Every Japanophile's fave: Dark Chocolate Men's Pocky --- mmmmm!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Power up the computer. Check e-mail. Do a little sketchbook.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what's the one thing that would
surprise me the most?
The sheer quantity of artwork in the house: Everything from my original storyboards from G.I. Joe and
X-Men to original comic book pages by other artists from the 1960's.
Everyone asks the question about "if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?" so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Blue, because it's the color which we associate with both sunshine and sorrow.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Spider-Man. Peter Parker, before the spider bite.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world ("Beam me up, Scotty!"), during any time in history,
where and when would it be--and why?
The more I look at history, the more pleased I am to be living today, in an era of indoor plumbing and
deodorants. That said, Tokyo in the early 90's was a blast and I'd love to re-visit both the place and the
time. It used to be so much fun to wander around winning UFO catcher prizes at the zillions of arcades.
So what's your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you're working?
My tastes are pretty eclectic, everything from J-Pop to Indian movie soundtracks to whatever's on MTV at
the moment. Nelly Furtado. I listen to more music when I'm drawing than when writing.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
At the moment, Jericho is my favorite series, replacing last year's fave, Lost. Heaven help me, I've gotten
hooked on Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine! I know it's wrong, but I've got to watch it whenever it's on.
I've been so busy with my newest project, directing a DVD movie of Dragonlance, I haven't been to the
theater in months!
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Read as much as you can now! In my teens I'd read an average of 3 books a week across all genres and
that laid the foundation for my career.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
These days my time is fully consumed by the Dragonlance DVD and a 10-minute pilot film based on a
best-selling card game. After that I plan to get serious about writing a book on how to storyboard for film
and animation.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
My name is Jen, and I'll be your server toda...oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking
time out of your drawing schedule--which I'm sure is busy!--and answering a few questions for your
readers and fans.
Let's get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer-artist?
It seems like I was always drawing pictures and making stories up to go with them. One of my earliest
memories is of getting scolded for "improving" the pictures and story of a library book about trucks with
my handy crayons. My poor parents had to buy the book, but they still supported my creative efforts and
kept me supplied with paper.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
A couple of years ago, I realized that despite having done art and writing for comics, television, movies
and advertising, I'd never actually worked on a real book. That bothered me a lot as I've always loved
and kept a library of books. So, when Actionopolis offered me a chance to illustrate one of their first
releases, I jumped at it.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one
thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
The answer to both questions: It's got zombie monkeys versus scouts. Good scary fun ensues, and you
might like the drawings, too. (ZOMBIE MONKEY MONSTER JAMBOREE)
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your art and stories?
On the art side, Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, Steve Ditko and Al Williamson. For writing: Stan Lee and Edgar
Rice Burroughs.
Let's hear about your family, who I'm sure are thrilled to have such a talented artist among them!
My wife, Jo, is best known for her comic book coloring, particularly for Disney. My five cats are best
known for their amazing ability to sleep all day and play all night. Though Jo is very pleased with the
book, the cats remain unimpressed by anything but a handful of treats.
Now for some fun facts. What's your greatest comfort food?
Every Japanophile's fave: Dark Chocolate Men's Pocky --- mmmmm!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Power up the computer. Check e-mail. Do a little sketchbook.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what's the one thing that would
surprise me the most?
The sheer quantity of artwork in the house: Everything from my original storyboards from G.I. Joe and
X-Men to original comic book pages by other artists from the 1960's.
Everyone asks the question about "if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?" so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Blue, because it's the color which we associate with both sunshine and sorrow.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Spider-Man. Peter Parker, before the spider bite.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world ("Beam me up, Scotty!"), during any time in history,
where and when would it be--and why?
The more I look at history, the more pleased I am to be living today, in an era of indoor plumbing and
deodorants. That said, Tokyo in the early 90's was a blast and I'd love to re-visit both the place and the
time. It used to be so much fun to wander around winning UFO catcher prizes at the zillions of arcades.
So what's your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you're working?
My tastes are pretty eclectic, everything from J-Pop to Indian movie soundtracks to whatever's on MTV at
the moment. Nelly Furtado. I listen to more music when I'm drawing than when writing.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
At the moment, Jericho is my favorite series, replacing last year's fave, Lost. Heaven help me, I've gotten
hooked on Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine! I know it's wrong, but I've got to watch it whenever it's on.
I've been so busy with my newest project, directing a DVD movie of Dragonlance, I haven't been to the
theater in months!
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Read as much as you can now! In my teens I'd read an average of 3 books a week across all genres and
that laid the foundation for my career.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
These days my time is fully consumed by the Dragonlance DVD and a 10-minute pilot film based on a
best-selling card game. After that I plan to get serious about writing a book on how to storyboard for film
and animation.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!