Welcome back kiddies! This time we welcome Ken Meyer Jr. into the dungeon. Sit back and relax as he tells us about who he is, what he does, and what we can expect from him in the future. Trust me, you will like what you read!
Alright let’s start out with a short answer section and get the usual out of the way.
Name:
Ken Meyer Jr.
Age:
52 (and yes, that sounds just as old to me as it does to you)
Married/Single/Dating/Other:
Married with two daughters (9 and 15)
Pets:
Two cats I don’t like much (Tybee and Talia) because they seem to pee wherever the hell they please, and a dog that is ok (London)…oh, and a ball python named Erwin
Highest Education Level:
MFA recently from the Savannah College of Art and Design (Sequential Art)
High School Mascot:
Uhhh, they were the Lancers, so I think it was a Knight.
First Job:
I think it detasseling corn in Minnesota when I was probably 13 or so.
Favorite place to do the Safety Dance:
Far far away from any human beings (that can see).
Staying with short answers, let’s talk about what you do:
Comic(s) you created Before 1999:
I created a Wolverine/Daredevil homage (or rip off, depending on your preference) called Feral way back in ’81. I also worked on the Adolescent Radioactive Hamster spin off, Clint, a bunch of Caliber titles (Kilroy, Negative Burn, etc), a few Marvel painted projects, a lot of Revolutionary Comics covers and a bunch of other small press things.
January 1, 2000 – January 2, 2003:
If by, ‘created,’ it can mean ‘drew or painted,’ then I continued doing stuff for Caliber/Desperado, covers for small press comics, but I had drifted more into gaming work in the mid nineties. I also did a graphic novel for NBM called Gustav P.I.
January 3, 2003 – Today:
Mostly gaming work, mainstream commercial work, and the odd cover or Negative Burn story.
Alright all that stuff aside, let’s get to the meat of the interview:
What do you do when not making comics?
I listen to way too much music, drink way too much Dr. Pepper, try to play tennis whenever I can fit it in, watch too much tv, blah blah blah.
White Hen or 7-11?
Since I have no clue what White Hen is (unless I am in KFC), I will say 7-11…I think I worked there at some point early in life.
Your in bed, when BOOM! Nuclear plant blows. Your hit with radiation and now have a super power and a weakness. What are they?
My super power would be the ability to remotely correct your spelling of ‘your’ to ‘you’re’ and my weakness would be the inability to not correct people’s spelling mistakes.
When you were 7 what were you for Halloween?
Oh man, that was too long ago to even have a ghost of chance to remember…maybe I was a ghost!
Favorite comic character(s) when you were 10, 20 and 30?
I will say Challengers of the Unknown, Killraven, and Nexus.
If you got served, what would you do?
I would tip, but not too graciously…I am a starving artist, after all.
Back to comic stuff for now.
Knowing that Iceman is the greatest hero of all time, why do you think he is so underused?
Because comic book artists like nice bright saturated color and Iceman is a boring white!
Alright you’re making a comic about a team of women who go 
out and fight the evils of dirty clothes. If they see a spot they have to clean it. What’s the name of the book, and sell me on a quick pitch? Go!
It would be called Gutter Sluts. The gimmick is, they are totally naked until they actually get around to cleaning those dirty clothes to get them on…for some reason, the clothes never end up clean enough in their minds to actually put on.
We all know how good you can draw, but what do you really want to be when you grow up?
I want to be either an XM DJ or a pro tennis player.
Where is the real money at in comic creating?
Leaving and going into Games.
When you’re making comics what’s going on around you? Music, what kind? Silence? TV on?
Music….all the time, all the time.
10 years from now. Where do you see yourself?
I am so old, I won’t be able to see myself by that time.
What do you know about the process of making twinkies?
I know that I don’t want to be there to hear the sound of that junk getting squirted in there.
Alright we can finish up with a quick word association game. I will say a word, you give me a quick one sentence response.
Kilroy?
Maybe made into a movie soon!
Magic: The Gathering?
Too big to hire me anymore…write letters!
Horror Comics?
Something I am good at. So, where is the work?
Betty Boop?
A waist to die for…unless you really want to die, in which case, get a waist like that!
Barry Manilow?
He writes the songs only blue haired women in Vegas want to sing.
Brussel Sprouts?
Nahhhh…but Prefab Sprout, I love them.
Papaphobia (Fear of the Pope)?
I thought that was a fear of Pap Smears? Maybe it’s a fear of the Pope handling your Pap Smear?
Decapitated Dan?
I hear he does good Pap Smears.
Ken Meyer Jr.?
No, I do not do Pap Smears!
Thanks so much Ken!
To Check out what Ken is up to and to see his work please go to http://www.kenmeyerjr.com
Decapitated Dan
decaitateddan@comicattack.net
[Ed.’s note: Ken Meyer Jr. also writes a column here at ComicAttack.net called Ink Stains about comic fanzines.]
He really is an excellent artist. And has a nice sense of humor, too!
Ken, the Magic TG people won’t hire you to draw cards anymore? That’s a bummer. They’re part of Wizards, aren’t they? Which means they’re owned by Hasbro…which I guess makes them “too big.”
I’m in three different columns this week, wahoooo!
Quit bragging!
I think that was the best one yet Dan. lol
Your fault!
If i’ve learned anything from your interviews, it’s that comic book writers don’t make any money.
hahhaah well, Aecen…I guess it depends if you are Alan Moore or Joe Schmoe! It can be done…I think, like artists, you have to be very good or very fast.