Online desde: 05/01/2000       
Última atualização: 21/11/09       

Joe Kubert is the cover of Profiles #1

UHQ: Yes, John Buscema did not claim his work as his own once someone else inked it.

Kubert: Exactly!

UHQ: Talking about your sons, when your sons decided to follow your footsteps in comics, did you motivate them?

Kubert: I wanted to break their arms. [Big laughter] No. The fact is that I never thought of trying to motivate them or anything like that 'cause I don't think you can do that. It's either in you to do this kind of work or is not! I think it was miraculous. A miracle they decided to follow, doing what I'm doing. The fact that they love what they're doing as much as I love what I'm doing, that's amazing.

UHQ: And what do you think of their talent?

Kubert: I think that what they're doing, the kind of work that they do is just terrific! Just terrific!

UHQ: And did you expect your school, The Joe Kubert School, to become one of the best schools around, in the business?

Kubert: I didn't expect the school to last 2 years! It was just an idea that I had, I felt that it was good and it should work. We're going towards our 26th year! I'm amazed! Absolutely amazed!

UHQ: Can you name some successful artists who came out of the Joe Kubert School?

Enemy Ace Special

Kubert: Oh yeah! From the first class: Rick Veitch, who has done a lot of great work, Steve Bissete, who has done outstanding work, I don't see enough of his work around lately. Tim Truman, Tom Mandrake, Jan Duursema. More than I can think of, literally hundreds of people. Every time somebody comes from DC or from Marvel, or the engravers or the computer people, they keep telling me: "yeah, we've got 10 guys from the school who are working here." That's wonderful! And I don't think they would be working today if they hadn't come to the school.

UHQ: I'm sure of that!

Kubert: Right you are, Sergio. Right you are! Among those names there is of course Sergio Cariello! [Laughter]

UHQ: How many students are enrolled right now at the school?

Kubert: About 150.

UHQ: And how many classes are there?

Kubert: 10 classes for each of the three years.

UHQ: Can you name some of the instructors?

Kubert: Well... I can name some of them. I can name the ones we have now like Irwin Hasen, Hy Eisman, Sergio Cariello, Adam and Andy (my sons). In the past we've had people like Lee Elias, Dick Giordano, Bill Sienkiewicz, Milt Neil, The Hildebrandt brothers. The people who worked and taught here are just marvelous talents and great teachers.

UHQ: Where is the Joe Kubert School located?

Kubert: It's in Dover, New Jersey, in the northern tier of NJ, midway between New York and Pennsylvania.

UHQ: What is most fulfilling: To draw or to teach others how to draw?

Kubert: Drawing! Absolutely! If I had to make a decision, whether I am going to draw or have the school, the school would've been closed up a long time ago. Although the school is gratifying, I thing it's a great pleasure to see people like you, Sergio, that have come out and do good things, but the greater satisfaction is to be able to draw in this place! (UHQ Note: Joe Kubert has his studio at his School, where, when he's not teaching, he's drawing!)

UHQ: In your opinion, which is harder: to write for a comic book or to draw for a comic book?

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Kubert: To me it's easier to draw! [Laughter] Both are difficult ways to get across an idea! Both of them a very difficult. Writing for comic books is not an easy job. Drawing for comic books is not an easy job.

UHQ: And your current projects?

Kubert: The Sgt. Rock book that will soon be coming out, the army stuff that is coming out. I'm doing a publication for another publisher that is going to involve how to put together a comic book. The correspondence course that is still coming out. There's advertising that we do little publication. Telegraphics! I'm pretty busy!

UHQ: What had more importance: Joe Kubert to comics or comics to Joe Kubert? Has Joe Kubert contributed more to comics or has the comics contributed more to Joe Kubert?

Kubert: The second one to me is more important! What comics have contributed to me!
To be able to make a livelihood, doing the kind of work that you love to do. If there weren't comic books, syndicated strips or whatever, I might have been digging ditches! [Laughter]. So the business. That's the important thing! That's the result of many other people who have paved the way. Did incredible work before me that allowed people like you, Sergio, and me to do what we're doing today.

UHQ: Will Eisner recently visited us in Brazil. Don't you think you owe us a visit by now?

Kubert: [Laughter] Well, if I get an invitation, then we'll see, we'll see.

UHQ: Joe, thanks so much for your time!

Kubert: Sergio, it's always a pleasure to talk to you.

Tor poster

Joe Kubert interview - part 1 | Joe Kubert interview - part 2