First Comics News: What convinced you to follow an artistic career?
Kerry Williams: I’ve been drawing longer than anything else I can remember. I always wanted to draw comics but I got a bit derailed in my teens. My wife and I had a daughter and got married pretty young so it was going to be incredibly tough to get going on that. I didn’t end up coming back to it as more than a hobby until our daughter graduated high school. Right after that, I got laid off from the job I had been at for 10 years. Just a crappy uniform delivery job. Christian Sager and I had also just successfully funded our first GN, THE CABINET. So my wife and I decided if I was going to go all in, there wasn’t going to be a better time. And here I am something like 13 or 14 years into it.
1st: Have you had any formal art training?
Kerry: Nope. Just drawing and reading. Practice.
1st: How did you come up with the look for the creatures in “Skeeters”?
Kerry: I think I have a kind of THE THING vibe with monsters. I love things that are always changing, constantly evolving right before the character’s eyes. Honestly, SKEETERS was kinda perfect because I had been wanting to do a book that kinda used the look but hadn’t landed on anything. When Bob and Kevin told me what they wanted to do, I was excited. I already knew what I wanted to do. I had a harder time getting the more mosquito-like younger ones than the big ones. We needed something that you see and you know immediately what it’s supposed to be. So there are a few early sketches on those. Eventually, I realized I was overthinking it.
1st: What exactly is a skeeter?
Kerry: Terrifying.
1st: What personality does your art bring out in the Sherrif?
Kerry: I don’t know. I’ve lived in a rural, middle-of-nowhere, small southern town for a while. I know that feeling of “this place sucks” well.
1st: The two exterminators how do you draw than to look different?
Kerry: Um… one is African American and one is Hispanic?
1st: Do you prefer drawing pin-up style pages or regular ones?
Kerry: I guess it depends. I like drawing comics. Sure, it can be frustrating sometimes but, it’s still fun. I like a good splash page as long as it makes sense and doesn’t just feel like a way to fill pages fast. I kinda love doing 2 page spreads for some reason. I don’t know. I like drawing comics.
1st: How do you like drawing giant insects attacking?
Kerry: I like it a lot.
1st: What story did you work on in “Kill Me and Other Curiosities”?
Kerry: None. I did the covers for the collected as well as chapter break illustrations. It’s a fantastic book with some fantastic talent. I didn’t contribute to the comics though.
1st: You’re working on “The Dark Story” Who are the two dudes you draw and why do you like them?
Kerry: Ha! Well… I kinda slipped and I am answering these questions a bit late (sorry!) so THE DARK: SPIDER is already done and out in the world. You can read it free at treebeerdstuff.com/the-dark/. I think the “two dudes” you might be speaking of were just a couple of guys in the background of a panel. I don’t know, I just liked the way they came out with their reactions and such. When you’re drawing, like, 600 panels or whatever you start to appreciate the little things. “That line right there on that arm of that tiny lady behind that slurpy machine is the best thing I’ve drawn today!” type stuff.
1st: Do you prefer working on horror-based comics to any other genre?
Kerry: Yes. Yes, I do. I like doing a little bit of everything. My last few things before SKEETERS were of varying genres. But Horror is my true love.
1st: What would you do if you saw one of these skeeters coming after you?
Kerry: They… um… aren’t real? But considering we created them, I think whatever we decide works will work.
1st: Which other artists do you admire?
Kerry: Oh man. I hate these questions. I always forget people. I’ve grown pretty forgetful in my 40’s. There are the greats, of course, Bernie Wrightson, Jack Davis, Jack Kirby, Barry Windsor Smith, Mike Mignola, and so on. But there are so many amazing new artists out there. Some I’ve kinda come up with and many I’m discovering every day. But I won’t list because I don’t wanna leave anyone out.
1st: What do you have to say to fans of your work?
Kerry: You know, to this day, I still can’t use the word “fans” when talking about people who like my stuff. It’s a me thing. I guess you get so used to people not looking at you that when they do, it’s hard to wrap your head around. So I guess I say thanks. Thanks and you’ll never know how much it means to me. Because I won’t tell you.
Now get off my lawn.
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