Colton Worley - Defining Dracula for Dynamite

Colton Worley - Defining Dracula CREDIT: View full size image

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We brought you the first word about Dynamite’s The Complete Dracula, as well as the first interview with the miniseries’ writers Leah Moore and John Reppion.

But what about the art? John Cassaday will provide the covers for the adaptation of Bram Stoker’s full Dracula stories, while newcomer Colton Worley will illustrate the story.

Who is he and what does his art look like?

We caught up with Worley and got a first look at his pages.

Newsarama: Colton, you're a new face & name in comics - can you give us a little bit of your background and where else you've worked before this?

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Colton Worley: I actually started out in graphic design, doing freelance work in my home town. That didn't play out too well though, because all I really wanted to do was draw and paint and illustration isn't in very high demand where I'm located. I've always loved comics so I started poking around various comic forums and sending in submissions to various companies. At first, I rarely got work...just pin-ups here and there that generally ended up never seeing print for some reason. I'd say the only work I've done in comics before this is a pin-up I did of Ben Templesmith's Wormwood character that I was asked by Ben to do.

NRAMA: So how did you get "discovered" by Dynamite, and ultimately end up on The Complete Dracula?

CW: Basically, I submitted some work to them and about a month or two later I was contacted by them for this project. They sent me the script and asked if it was something I could do and of course I said yes. The script was very dense and detailed, but those details are actually what appealed to me.

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NRAMA: Let's talk about your style - Dynamite has said that this is fully painted - I'm assuming you work all digital? Do you start with sketch, or are you 100%, start to finish digital?

CW: I do start with a quick sketch, but that's done on the computer as well. I submit that sketch of the page to the writers and editor and wait for the thumbs up and notes from them. After that, I start painting the page digitally.

NRAMA: There are so many interpretations of Dracula by hundreds of artists and actors...how do you make yours true to the original intent and novel by Stoker without treading too closely in already-plowed ground? Or has one interpretation of Dracula just "nailed it" in your view, and you're using that as a basis for yours?

CW: That's tough. I've actually been doing my best to stay away from all previous incarnations of Dracula, but of course they're all in the back of my mind at that same time. The writers really want this be as true to the book and historically accurate as much as possible and I'm in agreement with them. I've been basically going off the description that Leah and John give me of the character and then just run away with that.

NRAMA: Nick [Barrucci, Dynamite President] has told us – and you alluded to it earlier - that one of the things that convinced him that Leah and John were the right match for this project was how they dove into the research. Did you have to do a fair amount of research as well from your side of things?

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CW: Oh yes, lots. That's okay though since I like research. A lot of the research has already been provided by Leah and John within the script, so that's been nice. I still do a lot of research on my own - though not quite as much as they have, mind you.

NRAMA: This looks to be a solid start in comics for you - so what's next? Are you looking at keeping a foot in comics moving forward, or jumping in completely?

CW: I'd love to have comics as a career. Comics are great fun to do and always enjoyable to me, so hopefully I'll be around for a long time!