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Pronounced like "Omni".
It’s 2012, so I’ll let you all in on a little SiDEBAR secret. Most of the blog posts we write as companion pieces to the podcasts are written ahead of time. Not all, but most. I can’t speak for Dwight and Adrian, but for me, I sometimes get an angle on a guest or topic that I think will be interesting, and I try to run with it. Doesn’t always work out, but hey, where there’s a spark, there could be flame, right? So, here’s what I have to say about today’s guest, Chris Samnee, and how I think things will go with him.
I first heard Chris' name a few years ago on the Around Comics podcast. He was probably drawing Capote in Kansas at the time. Then, in early 2009, I attended the very first C2E2 in Chicago, ran into Sal and the AC gang on the floor of the con, and Sal showed me a commission he’d just gotten from Samnee — who was in artist alley. It was an awesome little piece with this serious chiaroscuro thing going on. Very noir, very well composed. I hightailed it over to Chris’ table, never said hello (asshole), and after rifling through his originals, just fell in love with what I saw. His stuff was reasonable, too.
Since C2E2, Samnee has gone from working on smaller projects to working very much in the mainstream. He did a great job on Marvel’s limited series, Thor the Mighty Avenger (2010), with Roger Langridge and Matt Wilson. And he just finished up on the monthly series, Captain America and Bucky, with Ed Brubaker, Marc Andreyko, and Bettie Breitweiser (both the Thor and Cap projects were just in time for the films).
All of this means Chris' star is most certainly on the rise with fans and art nerds alike. Which is a good thing.
So, how do I think the interview with him is gonna go, you ask? Quite well. Chris Samnee is a young guy, seems pretty laid back, and his work oozes a love for his job. I suspect we’ll hear that much of what he’s learned about drawing and mark-making, he learned by observing and self-educating. I think we’ll hear some classic comics names as well as a few names from his youth as influences. And I think we’ll get an inkling from the conversation that even bigger things are on the horizon for this remarkable talent. And that, too, is a good thing.
Listen in and find out if my powers of prognostication are on or off. As I said earlier, I’ve been wrong before.
-SWAiN
**Below are a few of my favorite Samnee one-offs.
Great interview guys!
Posted by: Shawn | January 17, 2012 at 08:16
Could you guys please do more episodes?
It freaks me out coming here everyday and still seeing the Chris Samnee interview on top!
You can see this as a compliment. Love your shows!
Posted by: benk | January 27, 2012 at 03:20
Enjoyed the episode, though I'm not real familiar with his work (I might have to change that.) Regardless I liked listening. I'm somewhat surprised that he had no formal training, but it also suggest to me that artistic ability perhaps might be innate, though something one has to work at all the time to perfect.
Posted by: david | March 04, 2012 at 16:48