Our PhantomDuck took the initiative to interview designer Marco Mazarello for GreekComics. Below are the answers to the questions. In 3 questions I participated as a COMIX and forum user and in the rest Phantom and other forum children. The initiative for the interview was his. Let's go enjoy it.
Interview
You started making stories about 1994, right? How did you start working for Disney? Did you have a hard time at first?
Marco: Yeah, I started working in 1994. I was lucky enough to meet a big Disney designer, Guido ScalaWho believed in me and started following me, giving me the bases for Disney comic books. He was an important guide to me who taught me the importance of solid character design. Later, I passed under his guidance Giovanni Battista Carpi, another Disney master, Disney school of which, certainly shaped me*. He was the one who assigned me my first script, and I started my career in the Disney comic book world. He was a strict teacher, with strong foundations.
*(St.: Apparently talking about the period when Carpi was head of the Disney Italian Academy, 1988–1999)
Read comic books as a child? Who were your favorite Disney creators? Still, which creators outside Disney do you feel as if «teachers» You? If you read other comic books than Disney.
Marco: Yeah, I've always read Disney since I was a kid, and the creators who impressed me most, were Guido Scala, Giovanni Battista Carpi, Romano Scarpa, Giorgio Cavazzano, Luciano Bottaro, Massimo De Vita, as well as of course and The classic Carl Barks and Floyd Gottfredson. The designers I like best outside Disney are Juanjo Guarnido, Régis Loisel, Albert Uderzo, and I also have huge admiration for him Norman Rockwell, which I consider one of the greatest designers of the 20th century.
Now, you read comic books beyond what you work for?
Marco: I read less than before, and I'm probably more selective in my comic book choices. I often find myself browsing comic books that I have in my personal file, and discovering old Disney creators again. Only a few pages are enough to capture me again as a child, with their script and plan.
How long do you need to make a story? Also, after you finish it, how long before a magazine publishes it? Does it depend on the magazine, the editor or other reasons?
Marco: I usually make a 30-page story in about a month. Once I hand it over to the editorial team, the final pages take at least 10-15 days for editing and coloring. Let's say the story won't be published about a month ago. The publication can also be influenced by the type of story. If, for example, you work summer in a Christmas story (I've done so), it will take several months until it is published.
Have you ever made a story, hand it over to the editor, get paid, but not published?
Marco: Personally, no, although I know of cases of colleagues who have suffered them. It's possible to happen, and the reasons may be different. The decisions of publishers may change along the way, and because of the contents of the story, decide not to publish it.
You're one of the first people to work in the series. Secret Agent Donald Duck (Double Duck), and one of the main designers. Can you share some details with us? Who had the idea of Donald as an undercover agent, how did you work with other people, if you think it's a successful series, etc.?
Marco: Secret Agent is an inspiration to the writer. Fausto Vitaliano, and took his form from the designer, Andrea Freccero. I participated in creating some secondary characters such as Dr. Screwdriver. and Lisa Kitapi. I also created the first version of the Secret Service headquarters. At the start of the series, we worked with designers to discuss ideas and stageplay, it was very enthusiastic. The work on these stories was a great eberia, because it gave us the opportunity to get away from the three-row walk of the magazine (Topolino) and to make plans in a more dynamic and personal way. I think this series has a lot of potential.
Is it hard to combine Disney's style with the Secret Agent's spy? Have you faced cases that you couldn't plan as you wanted, because you had to keep Disney's style in history?
Marco: No, in my opinion, it's not hard to combine Disney's style with the principles of espionage. Of course you need to be careful to handle the right circumstances as when, for example, heroes hold guns, but with the necessary corrections, everything else comes out of themselves. I have to say, personally, I never felt a restriction on expressing my creativity because of Disney. On the contrary, having grown up with Disney, I can effortlessly combine her style with all matters, including that of espionage.
Can you tell us if there's a final end to the Secret Agent's stories, or will you continue to make stories for many more years? Are there any other ideas you want to explore? Perhaps more stories that appear together Phantom Duck and Secret Agent (such as PK Timecrime DD);
Marco: I can't reveal anything that's going to happen in the next adventures of the Secret Agent. Personally, I haven't worked on his last episode, and I have no idea how history will turn out, but I imagine his career is still long.
You've worked with a lot of writers, like Carlo Panaro, Bruno Enna, Casty And many more. What is the process of creating a story? Are you given a chance to talk to a screenwriter and decide to make a story together, or is that something decided by the editor?
Marco: The standard procedure is for the screenwriter to present a case to the publisher. If approved, the publisher is assigned to write the script. When it's over, the script is assigned by the publisher to the designer who according to him is the most suitable for history. It is also possible that a designer and a screenwriter have an idea together, and they present a joint project to the publisher.
Is there a screenwriter you'd like to work with sometime?
Marco: In general, I feel comfortable with all the screenwriters I've worked with, but the ones I think we fit in with are Fausto Vitaliano, Roberto Gagnor, Bruno Enna, Marco Bosco and Fransesco Artibani.
In addition to the Secret Agent, you have worked on several more multiple continuum stories, each part of which is made by different creators (Star Trak, Travelling to Utopia, The Butterfly Effect, etc.). These partnerships are the idea of their creators, or editors / IssuersIs there anyone who has the whole story in mind, or is every episode completely autonomous?
Marco: The big stories that are divided into places, usually are the thought of a single screenwriter. They are then separated and then assigned to different designers, always by the publisher. Lately, such stories of many episodes, we try to assign them to the same designer, so that there is a common style in all episodes.
In the anniversary series «Alla ricerca di Topolino» For 90 years, Mickey, we see that Mickey in every episode has a different co-star. In your episode «Gli eroi di Monte Rattmore»You've designed Donald as co-star. Was that your decision or the editors' decision? Can you tell us a few words about the show?
Marco: Initiators for this series are Stefano Ambrossio & Francesco Artibani. The decision to have a different co-star in each episode was born from the need to emphasize (due to Mickey's anniversary) how important is the relationship of friendship that connects Mickey with his friends. In my episode in particular, I tried to focus on recreating the relationships Mickey and Donald have always had since their debut in short cartoons.
Είσαι ένας από τους σχεδιαστές που φτιάχνουν ιστορίες, τόσο με ποντίκια, όσο και με πάπιες. Σου αρέσει το ίδιο να σχεδιάζεις ιστορίες και με τους δύο, ή έχεις κάποια συγκεκριμένη προτίμηση;
Marco:Πάντα μου άρεσε να σχεδιάζω ποντίκια και πάπιες, και ειλικρινά, δεν έχω μία συγκεκριμένη προτίμηση. Αυτό που νιώθω σίγουρα, είναι μία ψυχολογική ώθηση όταν σχεδιάζω τον Μίκυ. Συχνά, όταν σχεδιάζω αρκετές ιστορίες με πάπιες ή ποντίκια, νιώθω πως πρέπει να σχεδιάσω μία ιστορία με τον αντίθετο χαρακτήρα από αυτήν που τελείωσα. Για παράδειγμα, εάν σχεδιάσω τρεις ή τέσσερις ιστορίες με τους Ντακ, θα προτιμήσω να σταματήσω για λίγο και να φτιάξω μία με τον Μίκυ, και το αντίθετο.
Πρόσφατα, είδαμε μία ιστορία σου από το σύμπαν «Τα χρονικά των τεράτων» (Donald Quest). Μπορείς να μοιραστείς μαζί μας κάποιες πληροφορίες; Υποθέτουμε πως θα έπρεπε να δουλέψεις με την DPW (Disney Publishing Worldwide), επομένως υπήρχε διαφορετική προσέγγιση από άλλες ιστορίες; Έπρεπε να σχεδιάσεις κάπως διαφορετικά, ή έπρεπε να συνεργαστείς με άλλα άτομα με διαφορετικό τρόπο; Επικοινώνησες εσύ μαζί τους ή αυτοί; Κάποια άλλη πληροφορία που πιστεύεις ότι είναι ενδιαφέρουσα;
Marco: Τα επεισόδια που σχεδίασα για τα «Χρονικά των τεράτων» ήταν πολύ διασκεδαστικά και απαιτητικά. Το πρότζεκτ ήταν πολύ αναζωογονητικό και η γενική ιδέα της ιστορίας ήταν πολύ διαφορετική από τις κλασικές ιστορίες. Σε γενικές γραμμές, όταν δουλεύεις με την DPW, πρέπει να δείχνεις κάποια επιπλέον προσοχή λόγω του μεγαλύτερου αναγνωστικού κοινού, να αφήνεις χώρο για τα μπαλονάκια χωρίς όμως να τα σχεδιάζεις (προστίθενται αργότερα ψηφιακά). Ο τρόπος που σχεδιάζεις δεν αλλάζει. Μερικές προσεγγίσεις είναι διαφορετικές, επειδή απαιτούν περισσότερη γενική επιτήρηση σε παγκόσμια κλίμακα σε σύγκριση με άλλες παραγωγές. Είμαι σε συνεχή επαφή με την DPW Ιταλίας, με τους οποίους δουλεύω για πολλά χρόνια.
Μπορείς να μας πεις εάν υπάρχουν άλλες ιστορίες με «Τα χρονικά των τεράτων» που περιμένουν να δημοσιευτούν;
Marco: Σχεδίασα δύο επεισόδια, το ένα μετά το άλλο. Δεν γνωρίζω εάν και τα δύο τους έχουν ήδη δημοσιευτεί.
Στην Ελλάδα, οι ιστορίες σου δημοσιεύονται κυρίως στο εβδομαδιαίο Μίκυ Μάους, το αντίστοιχο περιοδικό θα λέγαμε του Topolino. Οι Ιταλοί σχεδιαστές ενημερώνεστε όταν οι ιστορίες σας δημοσιεύονται σε άλλη χώρα, ή απλά τις παραδίδετε στον εκδότη και τελειώνει εκεί;
Marco: Όχι, σε γενικές γραμμές, δεν ενημερωνόμαστε ποτέ εάν οι ιστορίες μας δημοσιευτούν εκτός Ιταλίας. Πολλές φορές τις βλέπω δημοσιευμένες σε άλλες χώρες, όμως δεν ήξερα πως είχαν μπει εκεί. Όταν παραδίδουμε την τελειωμένη ιστορία στον εκδότη, γνωρίζουμε σίγουρα πως θα δημοσιευτεί στην Ιταλία, όμως από εκεί και πέρα δεν ξέρουμε σε ποιο ακόμα μέρος του κόσμου θα δημοσιευτεί.
Θέλεις να πεις κάτι τελευταίο στους φαν των Ντίσνεϋ κόμικς στην Ελλάδα;
Marco: Ευχαριστώ τους Έλληνες αναγνώστες πάρα πολύ. Θέλω να τους πω πως είμαι πολύ χαρούμενος που εκτιμάνε την δουλειά μου. Ελπίζω να συνεχίσουν να διασκεδάζουν για πάντα με τις ζωγραφιές μου. Θερμοί χαιρετισμοί!
Πηγή: GreekComics.gr
