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Michael Broussard has been bringing a visual punch to the face in several of Top Cow’s most exciting stories with his artwork over the years. Having worked with the likes of Phil Hester and Ron Marz in the past, he’s back at it again, being tasked with drawing the first four issues of Top Cow’s sell out summer event  Artifacts! Michael recently took some time from Artifacts to answer a few questions for us, so enjoy!

COMIC ATTACK: How did you get your start at Top Cow?

MICHAEL BROUSSARD: I had sent in an art submission to the Top Cow office.  They had called me within a couple of days, and I missed that call.  I got a hold of Renee Geerlings and she told me that Marc Silvestri took a look at my work and would like me to come into the studio and look at my entire portfolio.  When I came into the studio, Marc obviously looked at my portfolio and tore it to shreds. He told me it was crap, but still offered me a job on the spot.

CA: Was Top Cow the only place you sent a submission to or were you casting a big net out there to see where you would end up?

MB: I didn’t cast too huge a net at first.  I had three publishers in mind to send submissions to:  DC, Marvel and Top Cow.  I approached them one by one and threw my hat in the ring first with Top Cow, who were my favorite, still is.  Had I not heard back from them, I would have sent my submissions along to the other two.

CA: Who were some of the comic artists that helped to influence you and your style?

MB: Of course, Jim Lee and Marc Silvestri.  Also, Mike Mignolia and Travis Charest.

CA: Can you tell us a bit about your art background?

MB: When I was younger, I was into looking at anatomy and architecture for perspective.  I didn’t have any formal training or anything; I just taught myself.  I was really into the fundamentals of art; however, I probably didn’t start trying to draw comics until I was 16, which I had been reading since the age of 8.

CA: Do you create work outside of the comic book genre?

MB: No.

CA: Okay, right from the jump at Top Cow you are paired with Ron Marz for the Unholy Union crossover with Marvel, which featured some pretty big character names from both companies. Was this your “go big or go home” moment for the company to prove yourself, because it seemed like a pretty big project for the “new guy.”

MB: Unholy Union was a big project for me, but it wasn’t my first.  My first project actually was The Darkness: Butcher, but that came out in stores after Unholy Union.  Though, that didn’t stop the pressure of having to prove myself and that “go big or go home” mentality that came along with Unholy Union.

CA: While working on The Darkness; since this franchise already had an established fanbase when you came aboard, were you a little nervous about having to carry the torch, or did that drive you to go in there and take it up a notch to make it your own?

MB: I actually wrapped my last issue of The Darkness with issue #84.  I had been reading The Darkness before I joined with Top Cow, and of course, you don’t want to mess up a great and established franchise, so there’s that pressure.  While I did have the drive to make it my own, I wasn’t out to kick it up a notch as my predecessors had been doing an incredible job.  I just wanted to offer my own perspective on Jackie Estacado and the Darkness.

CA: You’re drawing the first four issues of Top Cow’s 13-issue Artifacts storyline coming out this summer. Is there a particular reason why the artistic duties were split up between various people instead of just having you bang out the entire thing?

MB: Well, everyone who wanted to be a part of Artifacts had other obligations.  There was not one artist who could do the whole run of Artifacts on their own.  In my opinion, the split up of artistic duties was a good publishing decision.  It freshens up Artifacts as a whole and coincides with a new story arc as well.

CA: Artifacts is a pretty significant event being that it’s the largest crossover Top Cow has ever done, spanning the entire TC Universe. Was this a project that you sought out or were you always in on it from the beginning?

MB: I wasn’t in on it from the beginning.  However, before the series was announced, they had pitched me on being a part of it since I was just about to wrap up my run with The Darkness.  I thought it was a great opportunity, and found the timing perfect for me to do the first run for them.

CA: Is there a particular part about doing the Artifacts crossover that was more challenging than just drawing your own title?

MB: Oh yes.  The 13 characters themselves present a huge challenge.  Most of these characters are already established, and it’s just a daunting task. There are more opportunities for me to mess up here with storytelling and continuity, which isn’t just a challenge for the artist, but for the writer as well.

CA: Since you get to draw characters that you normally wouldn’t in Artifacts, were there any particulars you were excited to take a crack at?

MB: Tom Judge. I had been a fan of the character from the start, and as you saw with The Darkness, I’m attracted to dark characters.  Tom Judge is a character that fits me well.

CA: Are there any other titles in the Top Cow Universe that you would like to get the chance to work on?

MB: At this moment, I’m good. (haha)  I’m getting my fill.  Every single character/title is covered with Artifacts.

CA: What was the most enjoyable part about drawing The Darkness when you were on the title, and what has been the most challenging?

MB: Jackie Estacado is a complicated person, but we all know what he does, what his powers are, what his capabilities are.  So the challenge is to keep reinventing the wheel and make sure I don’t go stale; just to keep the readers’ interests.  And the most enjoyable part is without a doubt working with Phil Hester.  Just to be a part of the process of what this man comes up with.

CA: Were you actually a fan of the character before coming to Top Cow?

MB: Yes!  I had been a fan of many of their titles before I joined the team.  As I had mentioned, Top Cow was the first company I approached for a reason.

CA: A lot of people were really diggin’ The Darkness: Butcher story that you did; is there any chance we’ll get to see more of that character from you?

MB: To be honest, I’m not sure at this point.  The decision to bring the character back is really up to Top Cow.  I don’t think it falls in line with their publishing agenda at the moment, but should the opportunity come up, I would love to do it.

CA: Alright, the final question before we let you go: what would be the most important thing that an up and coming artist should know when it comes to drawing comics?

MB: The most important thing for up and coming artists to have is a good understanding of what someone wants to see while reading a comic.

CA: Well, thank you for taking some time out to hang with us at ComicAttack.net, and we can’t wait to see what you have in store for us in your next three issues of Artifacts!

And here’s some more great artwork from Michael Broussard to please the eyes!

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