Chris Northrop is a professional comic book artist and writer living in Los Angeles. Originally, he is from New York. Chris currently has an original graphic novel at Archaia Entertainment titled The Truth About Dragons. Additionally, he works for the color and painting design firm Hi/Fi on DC Comics, freelances for Marvel, and has worked at both Nicktoons and Warner Brothers as a story and background artist. Chris was kind enough to answer a few questions about himself, his career, and the comic book industry. The interview is a hybrid consisting of some questions and answers transcribed into text and some questions being answered through video clips.

TNC: How did you get your start in the comic book industry?

Chris: While I was studying creative writing in college on the East Coast, I worked at Nicktoons in NY at this small studio called The Animation Collective. I got in on a blind submission as a background painter. Then I moved into being a story artist. Then, I was hanging out in writing meetings using my writing degree. It was so fast. I was pretty surprised. I would finish my classes then go work on Nickelodeon cartoons. Most of my friends would go out and hit bars, but that never really was my thing. And since I had this really neat opportunity I milked it for all it was worth. I'd stay after work there for hours practicing on the wacom tablets. Then go hang out in museums and sketch.

I got laid off one day about 2 months in, and I was crushed. I literally bought my ticket the night before I decided to fly to California to go look for work. It was scary but it paid off. I met Sean Murphy who was working on DC books at the time. He was proof to me that you could work as a freelance artist in comic books and make it work. We were the same age and kinda cut from the same cloth, so we became friends. We would talk about story, character arcs, and art for hours in his apartment at the drafting table. That's when I knew comic books and graphic novels were what I was going to focus on. I started going to conventions with these big portfolios. Eventually, I started working as a digital painter and colorist on DC books after talking with enough editors and design firms. That was already 4 years ago. Now I have the opportunity to make my own book with Archaia with my friend Jeff Stokely and I'm thrilled.

TNC: Why do you like comics?

Chris: If I happened to have an interest in making films or plays, I would have done those vocations for the same reason. I like story. I like lining up all these pieces and conveying a narrative. It's fascinating. I just happened to be better at piping it through comics. Comics are this magical middle ground between films and books, and yet their own thing entirely at the same time.

I also really like the industry. It's so small. It's ridiculous how small it is. Everyone knows everyone. And for such a small industry, it varies tremendously artistically. When I got to be around 20 years old, I started reading a lot of different books. I had mainly been exposed to stuff like The Amazing Spider-Man. I love that book. But I started to realize I liked reading about Peter Parker more than I liked the superhero aspect. I love fantasy. But, I liked reading about personal difficulties and really basic human relationship problems even more. And now most of the stuff I work on is about those things.

TNC: What are your thoughts on digital comics?

Chris: Look, digital is a form of distribution. It's a great form of distribution. I've seen Justice League on an iPad and it looks gorgeous. It looks the same way it looks on my workstation when I work on it. It's the way things are going. What I hear from local retailers is that consumers only buy hardcovers nowadays anyhow and collected editions for the most part. People want a complete story to read, and now they have access to collected stuff at their fingertips. So digital is awesome for that. But I still love holding a book with pages and pulling it up to my face. I love looking at the line work and wondering how the artist used the brush to create it. I personally wouldn't give up the tactile paper experience ever.

TNC: What do you think about DC Comics rebooting their classic characters?

TNC: Can you talk about your current project?

The Truth About Dragons is created by and written by Chris Northrop, penciled by Jeff Stokely, and colored/painted by Chris Northrop. It is in production on their drafting tables and tablets, and set to be published in 2013 with Archaia. Below are a few sample images related to the upcoming book.

YOUNG WENDELL CONCEPT, TRUTH ABOUT DRAGONS - Jeff Stokely (pencils) Chris Northrop (colors)

Page 3, TRUTH ABOUT DRAGONS - Jeff Stokely, (pencils/color) Chris Northrop (colors)