My role is hard to describe. I guess, first and foremost, I'm the visual guy - the art director - though Tom plays that role too because he oversees everything. But it's by no means limited to that. All of us bring ideas to the table - ideas for potential series, stories, etc. There are times I help Tom by reading scripts we're working on and offering my viewpoint and suggestions. We bounce ideas back and forth. He trusts my instincts and we see eye to eye almost across the board. He appreciates that I am not a "yes" man. If I think something doesn't work, I'm not afraid to tell him. Some of that is comics and some are screenplays. We're just a three-headed creative team, each with their own specialty, but all of a singular mind.

Panel from "Bad Planet" #3.

Tom brings his considerable talent and knowledge of things "Hollywood," along with his love of classic comics. Most people would be surprised by how much a student of the game he is. Steve brings his talent and clout in the field of writing (he's an idea machine), and I likewise in the field of art and visuals. As far as personalities go, it's like three guys who all grew up together; we're twelve years old hanging out in a back lot somewhere. Niles has a copy of "Famous Monsters Of Filmland," Tom's got a vintage copy of "Mad Magazine," and I brought "Heavy Metal." We trade books and consume it all like starving wolves. Then we empty our pockets, combine our funds and go buy a copy of "Creepy."

Sounds like fun! How often are there RAW "board meetings" where the three of you get together? And what do you generally talk about?

Well, we talk on the phone all the time, trade emails like there's no tomorrow, and every once in a while we all three get together. It's a lot of the same stuff I just talked about. We're all three very busy individuals. Recently, since I took on covers for Steve's "Criminal Macabre," it's more likely that we get together for a photo shoot for Macabre,

Tom plays the lead character, Cal McDonald, so we end up having bull sessions while we shoot. It saves time. Then we will usually follow that with dinner and a late night hangout. It's all very informal. None of us are business types (though we're all three savvy where it counts), so board meetings are generally three friends getting together to talk about the shit we love. Then we turn it into comics or movies.

You've worked for several studios/publishers. What has it been like for you to be on the "other" side where you're in charge? Are there any lessons you feel you've learned?

I've learned a lot of lessons, and for me that's always been a major part of my evolvement as an illustrator. I started in obscurity, illustrating role-playing games right out of high school. I had to learn very early about discipline, meeting deadlines, how to promote myself (without the benefit of the internet), and the business aspects of being a freelancer. Along the way, I helped change how the RPG industry treats its artists with respect to royalties and ownership of art.

Over the past twenty-one years, I've gained experience doing everything from graphic design, production, and illustration, to art direction and editing. With RAW, I'm using all those tools, but now I'm doing it with almost total control. I only ever have to worry about two people (Tom and Steve) signing off on a decision. It's liberating in many ways. I get a lot of satisfaction from picking certain artists for certain projects; then you get to watch them take the concepts and run. You want to direct them, not control them. I know from experience that I do my best work when the creative shackles are off and I'm left free to do it my way. Those are the pieces that people end up remembering.

Panel from "Bad Planet" #3

What excites you most about both "Alien Pig Farm 3000" and "Bad Planet?"

On "Bad Planet," getting to work with Steve, Tom, James Daly, and Grant Goleash is crazy cool. I'm having a lot of fun doing the ink art over Daly's pencils. I'm doing a lot of extra work and decision-making, and Daly is very supportive of me running with his art. I'm not stepping on it, just trying to enhance what is there with a bit of my vibe. The result is an amalgam of our insanity.

For "Pig Farm," I was more hands-off. From a visual standpoint, it's Don and Grant's book and Tom directed them. I had input, but it was mostly technical or production. I got a tremendous kick out of watching William Stout and Mark Schultz go mano-a-mano in a friendly cover war. Stout would turn in a cover and Schultz would have to try and top it. Then Stout would see the stakes had been raised and then pull out all the stops on his next one. He blew us away with issue #3. Then Schultz went, "Okay, I see how it is" (I'm paraphrasing), and on issue #4, he channels Frazetta. Those covers are freaking spectacular.

I think they look pretty fantastic as well. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're overseeing the creation of a lot of aliens currently. How involved are you in this process?

Concept art for the Battle Suit and Alien Death Spider's in "Bad Planet."

Heh, to tell you the truth, not a whole lot. With "Bad Planet," Tom pretty much knew what the Deathspiders looked like. The first artist we had did some neat concept drawings of them based on Tom's descriptions, then LaRosa put his spin on them, then Daly his. With the Convict, that was mainly Larosa, Tom, and me. Tom sent Lewis a loose description. The Convict started out with fur, then Tom and I tag-teamed Lewis with art direction until we pretty much had the Convict down to something we are all extremely happy with. I think one of the early designs got used for the "Mandrill Prison Guards." We wanted the Convict to have this big, powerful alien presence, but he also had to have a certain nobility. He's basically like a dinosaur-hide covered "Chingatchgook" from "Last Of The Mohicans." Daly really put his stamp on the character - his is the definitive version.

There was some art direction between Tom and James Daly on some of the other aliens, like "The Moleian," but for the most part we let the artist use his own imagination to come up with stuff. Daley is a concept artist too, so he'll send us like six versions of everything, from starships to exoskeleton battle armor. Tom and I just email him back with our suggestions; things like, "I like the chest and helmet from #2 and the shoulders and legs from #5." You just can't stop that kid. If we mention that the toilet in the holding cell needs to be less fancy, he'll send us six versions of the redesign. So, with the exception of a few major characters, it's all Daly. "Pig Farm" was all Don Marquez, and the writers.

Whoa, now I'm curious about those toilets. So, in your opinion, how do you avoid repetition when designing aliens? Are there any inspirations you look to?

Definitely like to avoid repetition. I don't think any of the aliens in either book look like anything I've seen before. The inspiration comes from the written page. Obviously in most cases, we use nature as a source, like the Mandrill prison guard. Lewis designed these two guys in issue #1 of "Bad Planet" that were completely crazy. One guy was like a reptile giraffe/anteater, the other one is like a Mr. Hyde-version of Fozzie Bear.

That's part of the fun of working with these guys. You just take a few steps with the direction, and then you let artist and their imagination run wild. There is an energy when all the creative arms are communicating - sending emails with graphics back and forth. That energy is inspiration. Having a vibe like that between art direction and artist is very much a huge part of what makes these projects special to us.

I know you have the film "The Tripper" coming out soon. Can you tell us a little about the film? And how involved are you in the film side of RAW?

"Criminal Macabre: Two Red Eyes" TPB	"The Lurkers" Poster