WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2009
ARCHIE COMICS FIRST LOOKS -- RICK BURCHETT
Artist Rick Burchett talks about Betty & Veronica Double Digest #171, due in stores on May 27.
Question: How did you become a "New Look" Archie artist?
Burchett: Inker Terry Austin called me and told me about the "new look" stories and said Archie was looking for artists and asked if I was interested. It sounded like fun. He gave me the editor's name and number. A day or so later I received a call from the editor, Mike Pellerito. He was following up on Terry's call. He asked if I was interested and I said yes.
Question: How many different designs of the characters did you do before settling on the look in "My Father's Betrayal"?
Burchett: It's funny. The designs came to me almost immediately. The proportions of the Archie characters are fairly realistic to begin with. All I did was make the eyes smaller and give them real noses. There were a few more tweaks here and there, but that's basically it.
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Question: Were you an Archie fan growing up?
Burchett: Definitely. Actually, I was a fan of everything. I decided that this is what I wanted to pursue as a career when I was about 5 years old. At that time there were comics of every kind on the spinner racks. I wanted to draw them all: super heroes, war, westerns, detectives, horror, science fiction, you name it. And part of that landscape were the Archie books.
Question: This is the second part of the story. What type of feedback have you received so far?
Burchett: I haven't received much feedback from the readers, but I understand that the work has been well received at the Archie offices and I have been asked to do very few corrections.
Question: This story is very topical with the battle between creating jobs and saving the environment. Do you side with the kids or Mr. Lodge on this issue?
Burchett: This'll sound like a cop out, but I'm a big believer in compromise. I feel that any problem can be solved if both sides are willing to bend and work together to find a creative solution to the situation.
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