JOE VIGIL INTERVIEW JANUARY, 2002.

IAN -  The work you're best known for is probably Gunfighters In Hell, an excellent blend of horror and spaghetti westerns. How did this come about and what were your influences when you set a bout initially creating it?

JOE - I've always been a fan of the western, after horror it's my favorite genre in film. But Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns were so different that, to me, they were barely westerns at all. The characters were superhuman, they were like gods warring amongst each other. So when I began to get the idea of GIH I expanded on that idea and wrote a short story placing the Leone characters in Hades and their battle for the human soul. When Rebel Studios and I thought that it would make a good comic I got hold of my buddy Dave Barbour to help me flesh out, what was a grim and depressing story, into a black comedy. He gave the story the humor that dominates it. I gave it it's nasty edge. 

IAN - Leone is definitely the man, and the comparisons between his Man With No Name trilogy and Once Upon A Time In The West are easy to spot. What changes were made when you decided to make it more of a black comedy than a genuinely dark story?

JOE - GIH took place only in Hell in the short story. We expanded the premise to include what happens in the human plane. In the short humanity doesn't come off very well. There is a conflict on if it should be saved at all. We lightened that up and showed humanities weak side but also what is good and why it is worth saving. The short was dark and preachy and I think the lighter tone makes the story easier to take. Not a lot of strum and drang.

IAN - GFIH was recently brought back under Broken Halos banner with Original Sin, in color for the first time. Was it difficult bringing the characters into color and how did it affect your artwork, it at all?

JOE - Going color wasn't hard at all. Hell, I didn't have to keep airbrushing the skies. Plus we've got a really good colorist, Enyala, and she understands what I'm trying to accomplish. Also we are coloring over the pencils so it saves a lot of time when we're not worried about inkers.

IAN - Well, it's certainly cool to see. Although I'm personally a B&W purist myself, the colors are fantastic in the new book and I really liked the way that it turned out. There's obviously been a lot of care put into it.

JOE - I love B&W but I've wanted to do a color book for a while now. If I had time I would have done the coloring but I do like the way it's turning out.

IAN - Once Original Sin wraps up, what can we expect from you on the horizon?

JOE - Sinbuck, the direct sequel to GIH is coming out right after O.S. Tim and I are collaborating on it. This book is going to be awesome.

IAN - Where does this fit into the continuity of the rest of the series and what specifically are you doing to make this one better than the rest?

JOE - Sinbuck comes right after the first series. Although it will be less horror and more action oriented it still has the GIH tone. There are some changes, Annie looks different in it, and it expands the story line in different arcs. Plus it just looks awesome, we do our take on the WILD BUNCH in it.

IAN - You've collaborated with Tim on a few projects in the past, like Cuda, some Raw Media Stuff, Chaingang, etc. Besides Sinbuck, are there any other collaborations with him coming up, or any that you'd like to do?

JOE - We are finishing up the Broken Halos series but besides that we don't have anything planned. I like working with my brother so we'll come up with something.

IAN - Any estimate as to when the BH series is going to see print?

JOE - Soon but that's all I know.

IAN - Your brother is well known for pretty much drawing anything, regardless of how explicit it might be, but there are things I'm told that you won't put onto paper. What are the limits and why?

JOE - Tim is explicit? Really? Oh, I don't know. Sexual violence or violence to children are subjects I would be inclined not to do. Why? It's just a line that I don't cross.

IAN - That's certainly fair enough. Your work is still pretty intense at times. How do you find fans react to your work?

JOE - My fans are very loyal and smart. They know what I'm about and pick up on the REASON that my book is violent.

IAN - Any plans to bring back any of the other older characters, like Dog or the 2020 storylines?

JOE - If I brought back Dog I would do it differently. I wrote a novel, okay MOST of a novel, called Post Apocaylpso about the last bar on earth. Dog was a character in it and I would do the whole novel as a series. I would also like to do Fritz Whistle over. Start from scratch and follow the story I had written more closely.

IAN - I'd love to see an update of Fritz Whistle as well. And I know I'm not the only one who's curious to find out what happens to Dog. Where did the idea for those characters come from?

JOE - Fritz Whistle was a character I did while I was in college, for the college newspaper. Some of my friends think Dog was based on me. I don't have enough hair for a mohawk though.

IAN - Another series that you were attached to in the past was the Misfits comic. Apparently, David Quinn was going to write it and you were going to draw it. Whatever happened to that one, cause being a big Misfits fan, I'd love to see that come together.

JOE - About the Misfits, Quinn and another artist were going to do the book. I don't know what happened but later I was asked if I'd be interested. Some friends of mine knew the band and told them about me. So I did two pages of action and the character studies. This was some of the best work I've ever done but I've never heard back from them. I don't know what's going on and I'm not really interested anymore.

IAN - Who were and/or are your artistic influences?

JOE - Russ Heath and Wally Wood are major influences. Both of these guys are criminally underrated. Frazetta, of course. Wrightson, Adams, Kane and the MASTER Jack Kirby. Last but not least my brother Tim. He hasn't received his due yet but soon he'll be acknowledged as the most influential and greatest artist of the nineties

IAN - We're into a lot of the same artists. I know that Tim considers you one of his major influences as well. Do you find that there’s a sort of mutual inspiration that you give each other? Is there anyone working in comics today besides your brother whose work impresses you?

JOE - Tim gets his ass kissed enough but really every time I look at his work I think "shit! I need to get better." Dave Stevens and Mark Schultz are great artists but I don't think they do comics anymore. As for more modern artists I really haven't looked at enough to make a comment.

IAN - At one point in time I read that there was a GFIH film script written and that it was being optioned as a movie. Was there any truth to this? And if so, what happened? I'd love to see that on the big screen and I'm sure a lot of other people would too.

JOE - I finished the script and it's out there. But I may rewrite it and trim it down some as the one I've done would be very expensive to pull off. Anyway I've got a lot of shit to do.

IAN - Well I'll certainly keep my fingers crossed for that. If it were to be made into a film, who would you like to see play the main characters and who would you like to see direct it?

JOE - Oh man I'm not even going to touch that. It was strange enough with FAUST. Although I know this is a surprise to some I can see Morgan Freeman as the Gunfighter.

IAN - Thanks Joe!