Captain Gravity's Velluto & Almond: Q&A Posted: Thursday, November 25 Posted By: Tim O'Shea Print This Item

Sal Velluto and Bob Almond are distinctive storytellers, known mainly for their work with Priest a few years ago on Black Panther. A look at just one page of their art, and the level of detail, energy and presence quite frequently conveys more than some storytellers tell in four-issue arcs. Almond’s the kind of pro who proudly shows the photos he has had taken with industry legends, such as Gil Kane. Too often in today’s industry, it seems creators view comic books as a stepping stone to something better. Refreshingly, Almond and Velluto clearly are perfectly content in comics, and in fact revel in their work.

Their latest work is set to begin next week (December 1), collaborating with writer Joshua Dysart on Penny-Farthing Press’ Captain Gravity and The Power of the Vril. Almond and Velluto were kind enough to discuss their latest project with SBC.

Tim O’Shea: What about Joshua Dysart's approach toward the Captain Gravity miniseries that attracted you and Sal to the project?

Bob Almond: We love well-done period pieces and as artists we cherish diversity. Plus there's something for everybody: historic & famous figures, exotic locales, damsels in distress, international espionage, the supernatural, evil Nazis and enough pulp-style action to keep you coming back for more.

O’Shea: In prepping for this series, did you and Sal pull out some Indiana Jones films for inspiration?

Almond: I believe that Sal did. I have the trilogy in a slipcase but all three films have been getting a lot of play on TV the last few months so I happened to review them that way early on in the run (while I was working).

O’Shea: Editorial mandates and limitations are often the order of the day when working for a DC or a Marvel. When working with an "independent" universe as with a project like Captain Gravity, do you feel like you have greater creative freedom?

Sal Velluto: Quite often the big company’s editorial mandates and limitations force you to be “ more creative” so I don’t think they are necessarily a problem. Captain Gravity is an attractive series to work on because it has a lot of potential for development, especially from a visual standpoint. The look, the feel, the sound and the smell of that era (the late 1930s) deserved to be bolder. That’s what I’ve been trying to provide for it. The Power of the Vril storyline has all the right ingredients to better define the existing cast of characters and their world. Penny-Farthing Press has been very generous in letting me tweak Captain Gravity’s uniform as well as letting me bring a more realistic look at the series.

O’Shea: You and Sal have collaborated for a number of years. In what ways do you feel the art team has improved/evolved?

Almond: Like a marriage, as a team we've worked out the kinks over time by getting into each other's head and developing a synergy. We know exactly what the other is thinking most of the time. We can play on each others strengths. We don't need to confer as much as we used to but we still keep the lines of communication very much open whenever necessary as professionals and friends.

O’Shea: As a storyteller, working with someone as unique as Priest, what storytelling lessons did you take away from the collaboration that you find of use in your current storytelling endeavors?

Velluto: I have enjoyed working with a great amount of good writers during the last (almost) 20 years. With Priest’s brand of comedic narrative, I counteracted with a “straight-man” artistic approach. Apparently it played well, since we’re still talking about it after more than two years. I am having a blast working with writer Joshua Dysart. His story makes an incredible amount of reference to actual historical figures , facts and places. I have been wanting, for quite some time, to do a “period” comic and I found quite a bit to chew on with this project. Dysart also tapped into the great mythology of the Vril which makes for a great comic book story. I think the readers will be pleasantly surprised, and hopefully will be asking for more...

O’Shea: What else is on the creative horizon for you in 2005?

Almond: We're working on the beginning of the last half of the series right now so nothing has been confirmed as of yet that we can announce but we're certainly preparing for that. Perhaps if there's enough positive feedback and good sales for the series there'll be more work from Penny-Farthing for us on the creative horizon. But in 2005 we'll be sure to announce any new projects here.

O’Shea: Is there anything you'd like to discuss that I did not ask?

Almond: We just also wanted to thank color artist Mike Garcia from the CG team for his effort, cooperation and quality work to help make this project look as good as it does. This project really has us pumped and we want to thank Penny-Farthing for attaching us to it.

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