Artist J.H Williams III
J.H Williams III is comic book artist and penciller. He has worked with DC Comics where he first gained notice for his work on the short lived comic Chase, as well as Marvel from time to time. He also worked on the DC Elseworlds graphic novels, Justice Writers and The Son of Superman. He has worked with Grant Morrison on several projects including a three part Batman story(667-669). His work also appeared in Jonah Hex # 35. He is set to work with Greg Rucka on Batwoman, he can be found working as co-author as well on the second storyline of that series.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your upbringing? Did you always love to draw as a child?
A: Yes, I remember drawing all of the time. Thinking back, I don’t remember a time that didn’t draw. I’ve recently come across some really old stuff from from childhood, from pre-school and early grade levels. These items were of all kinds of weird little doodles or swathes of color on paper. So I clearly must’ve been fascinated with images on paper from early on.
Q: What was the first thing you can remember drawing?
A: I really don’t have any specific first time drawing memories, it all jumbles together. But based on the answer to the previous question, when looking at these really old items from when I was a little child, I can get flash snippets of memory about some of them. Most of that stuff really didn’t have specific relatable images on them though. I can’t remember specifics until I started taking an interest in looking at comicbooks. I have very early memories of trying draw different characters. Many of them Marvel characters, like Iron Man or The Hulk, or Black Panther, or Spider-Man. The key to these memories for me is that I remember trying to give each drawing a story, a reason for drawing that character beyond trying to capture the flashy 4 color graphic pop they had.
Q: Did you always enjoy comics? Why do you think they have always had such a mass appeal?
A: From what I can recall, I’ve always loved comics. I don’t remember not ever having them in my life in some form. The interesting thing when looking back is that I never found the same appeal in comic strips, from newspapers. I always seemed to gravitate to longer form stories, even at a very early age. Although I’m sure I didn’t fully grasp everything I saw, but I think that was part of their charm for me. As a child, not completely comprehending the meaning of everything in a comic just added to the imagination of it, the wonder of it all. I think for children, even now, comics represent a state of wonderment, that sparks the imagination. And as we get older and comprehend the ideas better and better, we look for those ideas to become more complex, to keep us engaged in the medium.
Q: Of all the comics you have worked on are there any characters you enjoy working with most?
A: That is a really tough question for me. Because under the right circumstances I could see myself working on just about any type of character. I’ve managed over the years, to hone various skills and mindsets in such a way that I could easily adapt techniques to suit whatever character or project that is in front of me. So in my mind, its a wide open playing field of possibilities. I think I really set out to adapt this sense of variety to my efforts on purpose, to refuse to be typecast.
Q: You worked briefly with the late Seth Fisher on some of the Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight series. What was it like to work with him? Were you a fan of his work?
A: Seth was/is a brilliant artist, so I was certainly a fan of what saw of his previously to the project we did together. And because of the work we did together we became friends. Working with him was very interesting, but very simple. When creating the story details for Batman: Snow, we wanted very much to give him a Batman story that felt like the real deal. This was key because Seth was so known for his surreal and pop sense, that the story needed to be grounded enough to keep it from going too nuts, because we knew that he would have this desire to do the surreal bits, thats just who he was. By keeping things grounded for him, giving a solid “Batman” story did the trick. We just wrote it with very direct storytelling sensibilities, because if we had tried to write it with surrealness in mind it would have been too psychedelic for Batman, because Seth would’ve amped it up even more. So like I said, keeping it grounded for him was key, and he loved that about it. I remember him saying to me that he really enjoyed the script and story very much because we gave him a real Batman story, and didn’t try to write something that others would typically give him based on what he normally would do. So we challenged him new ways that he seemed to really appreciate. That was gratifying to hear.
Q: Do you enjoy working alongside other artists?
A: Yes, very much. What I find fascinating by it, is that since I’m a visual thinker, being an artist myself, I can’t help but try to put into words how I see the scenes moving choreographically. So I detail things out pretty decently in the scripts for what the visuals need to have, or what atmosphere of the scene is, or calling out pacing progressions. Thats just how I write, how I would draw something myself. So what is fascinating is seeing how those descriptions get translated by someone else. The scripts can be a bit meticulous in this descriptive aspect, but as a visual thinker I need to see that it works, even in the writing of visual components.
Q: What does it feel like to produce works that delight readers of all ages?
A: I’m not quite sure. Honestly I have no idea of age ranges of readers of my work.
Q: When you first started your career did you ever imagine you’d be working with as many legendary characters as you have?
A: Not sure, my intention was to work on them, so I never really thought about it beyond that. What has surprised me most is having the opportunity to work with some of the most legendary creators/writers this industry has had to offer. And them enjoying the work I did with them. I’ve found that truly astounding. But also very gratifying that I’ve somehow managed to convince many that my talents are of a certain caliber. It feels like I’ve hoodwinked everyone 
Q: Are you excited to be working on Batwoman. Can you tell us a little about that?
A: Absolutely I am. The opportunity to work on a newer character that is entrenched in DC’s Gotham City is a real blast. Not because it’s Gotham, but rather because its getting to develop these concepts from gestation. Building them from the ground up, to define them for others to hopefully follow. For the most part when working for DC you tend to be working on things already fully established. So you’re basically following somebody else’s groundwork. But with Batwoman, I’m the one contributing to this character’s groundwork. This is really challenging, and hopefully compelling to those who will read it. To try and produce something that has longevity and staying power.
The other part that is truly engaging for me is writing a character that has a unique social perspective. Being able to focus such attention on a gay character is wonderfully challenging. Treating that part of the story with the respect it deserves, and fleshing it out fully. We never want to be flippant about it, and also don’t want it to be the center of it all. But at the same time it needs to be handled seriously and realistically, and very grounded. So writing Kate’s relationships has been some of the most gratifying part of the work.
Q: What do you think you would be doing now if you hadn’t became a comic book artist?
A: Walking the streets mumbling to myself. No, seriously I have no idea. I could see myself possibly being a film writer/director/cinematographer. I’m actually taking an active interest in that now. I’ve also thought about doing some prose writing, I’ve a couple ideas that I’ve been working on in that form. I could also see working with animals though too, working for the humane society or something.
Q: What advice would you offer aspiring artists of tomorrow?
A: Diligence. Stay focused on your goals because art, and business involving art is highly competitive, so you have to remain diligent. And don’t fall into the trap of trying be completely original, because nothing is these days. Anything you can think of or try has already been done by someone else long before you. Everything today is derivative of something that came before. So instead trying to have an original style, just be really really good, focus on the quality most of all.
Q: What projects are you looking forward to bringing your fans next?
A: Well, beyond Batwoman, I’ve been slowly developing concepts of my own, that hopefully will find their way to the public sooner than later. This may be the direction I head after I’ve said my piece on Batwoman.
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