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By Jim Beard
Artist Nic Klein will join new writer Jason Latour on WINTER SOLDIER beginning in February of 2013. Klein reports he’s raring to go and ready to tackle Bucky Barnes’ new life and death missions.
“I’m excited to work with Jason and to do something for [Marvel] again,” says the artist. “I think WINTER SOLDIER will be a cool change of pace for me, with enough crazy, other-worldly things going in it that will be super-exciting to implement. Also, Bucky is a man with a long history and I'm excited to dig in and maybe leave a small mark there.
“Jason, being an established comic artist himself, visualizes more than some writers who have no visual artistic background. So he comes up with cool visual elements and shots that promise to be fun to read—unless I mess it up in the actual drawing!”
Klein promises to devote his full attention to making WINTER SOLDIER not only a visual treat for readers, but all-together one of the best-looking books on the stands.
“The overall look will be born out of the script and as the story grows,” he notes. “The thing I am interested most in the last couple of years in my art is good clean storytelling. I think this is the most important aspect of an illustrator or comic artist, communicating with the reader/viewer. How exactly I will translate that to WINTER SOLDIER I don't know yet, as it will depend on what Jason’s scripts ask for. I try not to force my vision onto a story, but rather see what is the best possible route within my means to tell the story at hand.”
The character of The Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes himself, stands as driving force for the artist, in terms of visual impact and design. He’s itching to get his hands on Captain America’s former sidekick and see what he can do while playing in his universe.
“On a visual level I like that Bucky’s costume is very dark, and, depending on who draws him, it can be very silhouette-like,” Klein says. “Bucky is also in a strange place in his life in this new arc, a not too happy place, so it will be fun to have some moody character moments. It will also be the first time I get to draw a character with a bionic arm, which brings in some 1990’s nostalgia in me, having grown up on comic books with such heroes.”
He’s also ready for the research that Latour’s stories may demand, and already pinpointing areas that will pull his creative focus, namely “sets, locations and architecture.”
“I think the environments in which characters interact are very important to the atmosphere of a story,” Klein points out. “Characters and plot are, of course, the vocal point; plot is handled by Mr. Latour and drawing characters is something that comes out of my head; acting, facial expressions, etc. But settings, especially if they are somewhat exotic [in] nature, I like to research a bit to make them feel as real as possible.
“It grounds the story in reality, and that I believe is a very important appeal in stories, even though you know that it’s not real people in real events. As much as you can create the illusion of it being set in the real world, the more fun it gets for the reader. At least that’s what I appreciate when reading comics.”
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