Interview by Julian.

Francis Manapul's art is mostly known for his work in Top Cow books such as Witchblade and Necromancer but, starting this summer, we will see him going from the characters he's best known for to new properties and working with one of the biggest publishers in the world. This new direction starts with Iron and the Maiden, created and written by Jason Rubin and published by Aspen Comics. Francis was kind enough to take some time off the drawing table and talk to us about his upcoming work.

How did you become attached to the Iron and the Maiden project?

FM: When my contract ended at Top Cow I decided that it was time to try something different. I had been working there since I was 19 and felt that, after having drawn most the characters in the Top Cow universe, it was time for a change.

I was then put in touch with Jason Rubin through a third party, he liked my art and when I found out that Joe Madureira and Jeff Matsuda were involved with the project I immediately wanted to get involved with the project. The whole thing had a very good look to it as Jason had a very clear vision of what he wanted to do and that was something I wanted to be a part of.

How is your art in Iron in the Maiden different from your previous work?

I guess it's different because I'm working off Joe's and Jeff's designs and that was basically the groundwork for the book. When I was talking to Jason he was cool with allowing me to do what I did but he also wanted me to keep the level of excitement that Joe and Jeff were putting into the art.

The first few pages were a tough transition because I was trying to incorporate what Joe and Jeff did but at the same time make it work with what I did but by issue #2 I was much more comfortable with it. It's different from what I did at Top Cow but it's not that much of a stretch, as my work wasn't that much in the “Top Cow style,” which made the transition easier but at the same time tough because Jason already had the look that he wanted for the book. This time my art is less dark and the book has a more Capcom, animated style and they shot directly from my pencils.

How was is different to work on a completely new property as opposed to doing Witchblade or Necromancer, which had existed for a while before you worked on them?

It didn't really feel all that different, the reason is that when I came on to Witchblade they already had a look defined by past artists that worked on the book prior to myself and there was a lot of reference to look at. With Iron and the Maiden they already had a lot of pre-production reference artwork when I came on board, all the structure was already there. The basis and foundation already existed; Joe and Jeff had already finished that work when I came to the project. There was already an established bible to what the look of the book was going to be.

Jason already had a very specific vision of what he wanted, which I found very refreshing for a book that was just starting out.

What is it about this book that you think will appeal to people? What makes it different from other books out there?

I think that, first of all, the look of the book is fairly different from what is out there. The setting is basically the yesterday's tomorrow kind of look, for example in the way clothing is. It's that 40s sort of era with futuristic elements to it. I'm not sure there are many books out there with a look like that.

It's also a very action-oriented title, like an action blockbuster movie. Many books out there have a very dark or serious tone; this is a very fun book. It has cool villains and a Dick Tracy kind of feeling... it's very classic that way, it has a very fresh look and a very fresh taste in that kind of genre. It's a very interesting book and a very fun read.

How was the creative process in this book? Did you get the reference material and started working by yourself? Did you interact or consult with Joe Madureira or Jeff Matsuda?

When I came on board Joe and Jeff had already designed the characters. I didn't need to make stuff up, the world of the book was conceived already. The main look for Iron and Angel were already designed by Joe, which left me, for example, to design Angel in regular civilian clothing. For Iron they already had a very specific look. As I worked and new villains appeared in the book I had Jeff's designs to use for reference. I also want to give credit to Blur Studio, who did a great job designing elements like the weapons, cars and the world of Iron and the Maiden.

Jason Rubin said that he would be open to come back to the property and do a continuation of the story. Would you come back to the book if given the chance?

Definitely. I'd love to come back to work on the property in the future. Working with Jason was a creatively rewarding experience, so hopefully we can do it again!

Will you be at any of the summer cons this year?

I'll be at Wizard World Chicago (http://www.wizarduniverse.com/conventions/chicago.cfm) and the Toronto Comic Book Expo (http://www.hobbystar.com/ComicConToronto2007/CC_Main.asp).

Watch for Iron and the Maiden #1 coming out on August 1st. I also have a graphic novel coming out from French publisher Delcourt titled "Sept Guerrieres" which will be coming out in the first half of 2008 (and hopefully an American publisher will publish an English translation for us French-impaired.)

You can keep up to date on Francis' work at his official website (http://www.francismanapul.com) and his blog (http://manapul.blogspot.com)

Read a review of issue #1.

Read our interview with Jason Rubin.