The i Word
The Third Degree: Ross Campbell
Ross Campbell currently lives in Rochester, New York. He likes cats, Tifa Lockhart, tea, alien terror, and Vin Diesel. He hates frogs, sunny weather, and traveling. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/rosscampbelll (three L’s!). Comics by Ross include Wet Moon volumes 1-6 (Oni Press), Shadoweyes and Shadoweyes In Love (SLG. read online at shadoweyes.net!), Mountain Girl (self-published), GLORY (written by Joe Keatinge. Image Comics/Extreme Studios), The Abandoned (Tokyopop), Water Baby (DC/Minx), Spooked (written by Antony Johnston. Oni), and various short comics Fraggle Rock, Hack/Slash, and Vertigo’s House of Mystery.
What are you working on right now?
I just finished up volume 6 of my Wet Moon series for Oni Press, I’m working with Joe Keatinge on the new GLORY series, I’m writing volume 3 of my teen antihero vigilante story Shadoweyes, and currently I’m working on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Leonardo one-shot issue for IDW. Whew!
What’s the best part of your job?
Getting to work while wearing pajamas.
What’s the worst part of your job?
The frequent lack of money, the fear of a future where I might end up penniless and die on the streets, and being nitpicked when drawing a work-for-hire project for somebody else since it always seems like they don’t like the ideas I’m most passionate about. Also the pitch/proposal process is pretty soul-crushing.
How did you first discover comics?
I think my first comic exposure was Calvin & Hobbes in the newspaper, and then the old Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird Ninja Turtles comics followed by Spawn, Sleepwalker, and WildCATs are what really got me interested.
If you weren’t working in comics, what would you be doing?
I have no idea. I don’t really have any other skills but maybe something involving writing. Or working at a bakery or as a dishwasher.
What’s the strangest thing a fan has ever said to you?
“Can I come visit you and stay at your house?”
Who is the biggest influence on your work?
Probably my dad was. But as for influences on my writing… Ross Macdonald, Raymond Chandler, Richard Stark, Patricia Highsmith, Milan Kundera,
Alan Moore, and Johnny Craig.
What are you most likely to complain to an editor about?
Probably character design stuff. Once I get something in my head, I will almost always put up a fight if an editor makes suggestions about how a
character looks.
Who is the biggest influence on your work?
Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, HR Giger, Hayao Miyazaki, and the movie Alien.
What is the single work of which you’re most proud?
Either Shadoweyes In Love or Wet Moon volume 6.
Own up to one of your guilty pleasures.
I don’t believe in guilty pleasures, I don’t feel ashamed about anything I like, but something that fits the definition might be a lot of generally-considered-cheesy music I like, like Enya, Erasure, and Seal.
What was the last comic book you bought?
The Summer Of Love by Debbie Drechsler and the TMNT: Michelangelo one-shot issue by Brian Lynch and Andy Kuhn.
Who would play you in a movie about your life?
Alan Ruck.
Pick three things you couldn’t live without.
Tea, pajamas, and winter.
What’s the strangest thing you have in your house?
A life-size puppet of the mutant killer baby from the movie It’s Alive.
When was the last time you laughed out loud?
An animated gif of a cat falling while attempting to make a jump.
What music are you listening to these days?
A lot of my favorite band Bella Morte as usual, The Rain Within, The Protomen, O’so Krispie, Erasure, Eternia, Faye Wong, Active Child, The Birthday Massacre, Ensilence, and Blackguard.
What is your favorite film of all time?
Alien.
Who is your best friend?
Zach Smith, who I’ve been friends with since kindergarten. He works in bio-optics.
What is the worst advice you’ve ever received?
“You should get on Facebook!”
When was the last time you were truly frightened?
Hmm, I don’t know... I lead a pretty ho-hum life, I guess, but I was pretty freaked out when a bat flew into my apartment last year and was dive-bombing me and stuff. Maybe not TRULY FRIGHTENED, but it was pretty frazzling at the time. Bats seem cute until they’re attacking you in your home. There was also a time several years ago when a homeless man pushed his way into my apartment when I opened the door in the middle of the night in a tired halfasleep stupor. I thought he was going to kill me.
Name someone you really admire and explain why.
Washington Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax, because she’s always so on point. She’s got her sh*t together.
What would you like to see happen in comics in the next 12 months?
The masses caring about American comics again and everything selling millions of copies.
What the world needs now is…
Less suffering.
I just finished up volume 6 of my Wet Moon series for Oni Press, I’m working with Joe Keatinge on the new GLORY series, I’m writing volume 3 of my teen antihero vigilante story Shadoweyes, and currently I’m working on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Leonardo one-shot issue for IDW. Whew!
What’s the best part of your job?
Getting to work while wearing pajamas.
What’s the worst part of your job?
The frequent lack of money, the fear of a future where I might end up penniless and die on the streets, and being nitpicked when drawing a work-for-hire project for somebody else since it always seems like they don’t like the ideas I’m most passionate about. Also the pitch/proposal process is pretty soul-crushing.
How did you first discover comics?
I think my first comic exposure was Calvin & Hobbes in the newspaper, and then the old Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird Ninja Turtles comics followed by Spawn, Sleepwalker, and WildCATs are what really got me interested.
If you weren’t working in comics, what would you be doing?
I have no idea. I don’t really have any other skills but maybe something involving writing. Or working at a bakery or as a dishwasher.
What’s the strangest thing a fan has ever said to you?
“Can I come visit you and stay at your house?”
Who is the biggest influence on your work?
Probably my dad was. But as for influences on my writing… Ross Macdonald, Raymond Chandler, Richard Stark, Patricia Highsmith, Milan Kundera,
Alan Moore, and Johnny Craig.
What are you most likely to complain to an editor about?
Probably character design stuff. Once I get something in my head, I will almost always put up a fight if an editor makes suggestions about how a
character looks.
Who is the biggest influence on your work?
Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, HR Giger, Hayao Miyazaki, and the movie Alien.
What is the single work of which you’re most proud?
Either Shadoweyes In Love or Wet Moon volume 6.
Own up to one of your guilty pleasures.
I don’t believe in guilty pleasures, I don’t feel ashamed about anything I like, but something that fits the definition might be a lot of generally-considered-cheesy music I like, like Enya, Erasure, and Seal.
What was the last comic book you bought?
The Summer Of Love by Debbie Drechsler and the TMNT: Michelangelo one-shot issue by Brian Lynch and Andy Kuhn.
Who would play you in a movie about your life?
Alan Ruck.
Pick three things you couldn’t live without.
Tea, pajamas, and winter.
What’s the strangest thing you have in your house?
A life-size puppet of the mutant killer baby from the movie It’s Alive.
When was the last time you laughed out loud?
An animated gif of a cat falling while attempting to make a jump.
What music are you listening to these days?
A lot of my favorite band Bella Morte as usual, The Rain Within, The Protomen, O’so Krispie, Erasure, Eternia, Faye Wong, Active Child, The Birthday Massacre, Ensilence, and Blackguard.
What is your favorite film of all time?
Alien.
Who is your best friend?
Zach Smith, who I’ve been friends with since kindergarten. He works in bio-optics.
What is the worst advice you’ve ever received?
“You should get on Facebook!”
When was the last time you were truly frightened?
Hmm, I don’t know... I lead a pretty ho-hum life, I guess, but I was pretty freaked out when a bat flew into my apartment last year and was dive-bombing me and stuff. Maybe not TRULY FRIGHTENED, but it was pretty frazzling at the time. Bats seem cute until they’re attacking you in your home. There was also a time several years ago when a homeless man pushed his way into my apartment when I opened the door in the middle of the night in a tired halfasleep stupor. I thought he was going to kill me.
Name someone you really admire and explain why.
Washington Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax, because she’s always so on point. She’s got her sh*t together.
What would you like to see happen in comics in the next 12 months?
The masses caring about American comics again and everything selling millions of copies.
What the world needs now is…
Less suffering.
