(Story by Steve Boyd)* Jimmy Palmiotti is your average, everyday comic book genius. Having established himself as both an accomplished writer and inker on several titles for various comic book companies, Palmiotti stands alone as a rare breed in this crazy world we call the comics biz. Not unlike some of the characters he writes, Jimmy is a straight shooter; pun intended. Comic Collector Live had the honor of talking with Palmiotti about his career, his relationship with artist Amanda Conner, and why ‘The Maltese Falcon’ is a film you can listen to and still enjoy. Comic Collector Live: Thanks again for agreeing to this interview. What was Jimmy Palmiotti like BEFORE he became a comic legend? Jimmy Palmiotti: I was a single guy working in an ad agency making a lot of money but not really excited with the work presented to me while there. Advertising can take a lot out of anyone and I just didn’t see myself as an adman for the rest of my life, so at the age of the 30, I decided to make a change and try to break into a field doing something I loved. All good so far. CCL: You’re an accomplished inker and a terrific writer as well. As an inker, you’ve worked with many great artists. Do you have a favorite? JP: Sure, there are certain artists I would work (with) again in a heartbeat, and some that I wouldn’t. It’s all about the meshing of styles. The people I have enjoyed inking (and I personally think I do my best work over) are Joe Quesada, Paul Gulacy, Jesus Saiz, Amanda Conner, Paul Chadwick, John Romita Jr, and the list goes on and on. Each offers a different challenge to me and I never get bored of working with them. CCL: You’ve written such titles as DEADPOOL for Marvel, JONAH HEX for DC, and your own creation PAINKILLER JANE. Are you more attracted to writing gun-slinging characters than more traditional super-heroes or is it just coincidence? JP: Lucky coincidence for me, but I do prefer to write genre material since I feel we are already bombarded with so much of the same super-hero stuff over and over. At the same time I understand that the audience is a much bigger one for the spandex boys so I try to keep my hands in that area as well. For me, it’s whatever I find interesting I try to focus on. JP (cont): I do turn down work that I feel I have no interest in or characters that don’t fit for me because you eventually learn that there is nothing worse (than) getting stuck on something you have no passion for. The best books out there are now are the ones where you just know the writer is living and breathing the stories on some level and there is a lot of personal information coming out in the writing and that’s the sort of projects I am attracted to. On many levels it makes sense to me that I prefer writing female characters and edgier hard-boiled material. It’s what I grew up around. CCL: Cross-company crossovers are all the rage these days. If Jimmy Palmiotti were given the writing chores on a DEADPOOL/JONAH HEX one-shot, what could fans expect to see in the story? JP: A lot of death and carnage, some time travel (since the characters are from different periods) and they will find out that unlike when I was first given Deadpool to write, that this time I would write the character true to his form and make his just as much a killer as Jonah is. There was nothing worse for me when I wrote the series way back when and I was told that Deadpool couldn’t kill in the book. It’s something I wish I could go back in time and correct because it just made sense to me, given that he was an assassin. These two guys are a lot of fun to write and it would be a lot of Jonah saying nothing and Deadpool talking so much that Jonah would eventually shoot him in the mouth, and the fun would go on from there. Personally we are trying to stay away from the Jonah Hex/Super-Hero team-up thing as much as possible because I feel it waters down the character and you can’t really write this character in a super-hero book without making him appear a bit cartoonish. The way Jonah is, he would think any super-hero running around the old west was a runaway circus freak with the costumes they wear. It certainly would be interesting though. I do love writing the dark humor that is key to Deadpool’s personality. CCL: You’re a comic book professional multi-tasker. Have you ever been given an assignment that you just looked at and said, “You know, I’m not sure if I can do this…”? JP: No, it’s more like “I just don’t want to do this” for me. Sure, some deadline things have been thrown at me, like ink a book in four days and such, but I take pride in my work and turn those types of messes down right away. Funny, the only time I can think of something close was when I was at Marvel and they gave me an issue of breakdowns by a famous artist and they needed me, in a week to go in and finish the art and ink it. Well, I have to tell you, it looked like someone ruled boarders and got a nervous monkey to sketch it. I looked at the editor and said that if he wanted me to do it, I would need $75 bucks more a page to do it. They said it was too much and got someone else, which was fine with me. Again, everything I do gets my name on it, so I am extremely careful in what I pick to work on. CCL: I’m about to take a trip to New York City in April. What are some places I should check out if I have some time to kill? JP: The obvious stuff like the Empire State Building Observatory, Central Park and Times Square. Personally, I like the Rodeo Bar on 27th and Third...and any place below 14th Street. You got Jim Hanley’s, Forbidden Planet and Midtown Comics if you need a 4-Color fix…and really, all the best food in the world. Go out, get a Japanese massage, eat a fantastic dinner in little Italy with a beautiful woman, go dancing and get laid. It’s fun, give it a shot. CCL: Amanda Conner is a close collaborator with you, personally and professionally. How did you two meet? JP: We were hired to work together on a GARGOYLE’S cover for my favorite editor of all time, Hildy Mesnick (Hildy now works with Frank Miller) at Marvel Comics and became good friends from there. Over the years, our lives and mates have changed until the timing was perfect and we have been together ever since. She is my best friend, the love of my life and the most fun person I know. I got real lucky. CCL: If I ever get the distinct honor of interviewing Miss Connor, what’s the one question I should ask her that will knock the interview our of the park? JP: Ask her about John Stewart, her fascination with IKEA, and tell her a poo joke. Trust me, you will have a lot to write about. CCL: A few weeks ago, my girlfriend took me to a classic crime noir film festival and I got to see ‘The Maltese Falcon’ for the first time. You seem like the type of person who would have really enjoyed this film. Have you seen it and if so, what did you think? JP: That’s a film you can “listen” to and still enjoy. The greatest thing about that film and all the film noir classics are the exchange of snappy dialogue, cool colorful characters and the absolute brilliant story telling devices used in telling a story. I have seen just about every major film in that genre and the most amazing thing you realize is just how bland movies are these days compared to them. As you can tell I am a big fan. Just recently, I (visited) a town over from where I have a place in Florida, they showed Casablanca, in the park one night and even though I have seen it at least 20 times and it was made a long time ago, it still stands the test of time. It’s always fun watching a classic with a fresh audience. CCL: Your creation, PAINKILLER JANE, recently had a Sci-Fi Channel original series but I read somewhere it had been cancelled. What happened? Was it affected by the writer’s strike? JP: No, it wasn’t true to the material it came from and it was on a number of levels not what it could have been. The writers and studios had a different idea than the one they bought and ran with it. The premise they set up took away from the main character and it was a weak one that I was never too happy about, but I stayed a trooper with the show, always hoping it would turn a corner, but it never did. JP: With Painkiller Jane, they were writing a show that would have worked in the ‘70’s before shows like “Medium” and “Heroes” and such, and they needed to understand that the audience was a bit more sophisticated than the material that was presented….and at the same time, Sci-Fi needed to embrace the comic roots and go as over the top as they could with the action, violence and sexuality. Trust me, I (was) always trying to push my agenda but to no gain. JP: They had their shot and there were a couple good episodes but overall it always felt flat and the actors were never given a real chance to light up the screen…and trust me, we had a great crew and cast. Kristanna (Loken) is an awesome person and a friend and I will always be thankful for all the time and effort she put into the show. The good news is that Joe Quesada and I get the rights back soon and just like the character, Jane will be coming back and kicking some more ass in the near future. CCL: You and Joe (Quesada) did some work for the comic company VALIANT back in the day. Valiant Entertainment, Inc is starting to roll out hardcovers of classic comics, like HARBINGER and X-O MANOWAR. If you were asked to write a new Valiant title, would you, and which character would you like to write? JP: I did enjoy NINJAK and X-O MANOWAR and at this point, would be comfortable writing the hell out of both of them, but I would also try to pitch a totally new character in that universe because…well, we have seen them all before. I don’t have an attachment to any character that I haven’t created…except for Jonah Hex, Conan and Red Sonja. CCL: Convention season is upon us, which means lots of traveling and thus, time to catch up reading. What’s on your reading list? JP: I sleep on planes and when at cons read the books people hand me at the con. It’s the least I can do. I try to read them the very night they hand them to me. When I leave a con, I eat, drink, sleep and repeat. Time for reading is a luxury I save for when I’m at home, and usually it’s novels, magazines, research and newspapers for me. My real time off, I draw and garden. Really. CCL: There’s always lots of artistic hopefuls at conventions getting their portfolio reviewed hoping to get a break into the comic biz. If someone’s looking at becoming a comic writer, what advice or pointers could you give them? JP: Find an artist to work with and try your hand at your own work. Publish it on the internet and try to write everyday and as much as you can. I always suggest writing for local papers as well. Remember, unless you know someone, getting an editor to read your proposal is close to impossible. They hardly have time to read the scripts they ask for, let alone unsolicited ones. It’s not impossible…just keep pushing. Most people give up. So that helps those that are persistent. *(Steve Boyd is the Site Director for Comic Collector Live and already has already put his money on Jonah Hex in a fight with Deadpool.) For more information and interviews with comic creators, please visit www.comiccollectorlive.com.