Chances are you’ve seen Sergio Cariello’s work in comics, but might not know much about the man behind the art. Gritty characters seem to come naturally for this comic artist. Having worked on DC legends such as Batman, Deathstroke, and Azrael, Sergio’s artwork can now be found gracing the interior pages of the Eisner-nominated Dynamite series “The Lone Ranger”. I met Sergio at Megacon 2008 and was truly blown away by not only his artwork, but his professionalism as well. It was an honor to interview Mr. Cariello in this Baker’s Dozen about his beginnings as an artist, his work on the Lone Ranger, and how big an influence God has played in his life and career. Comic Collector Live: It’s a pleasure talking to you again, Sergio. You mention in your bio on your website that you always knew you wanted to be an artist. Do you remember your first REALLY good drawing and at what age was it? Sergio Cariello: Well. Good is only good to the eye of the beholder. I always liked what I did, at the time I did it. Then, after I looked back at what I did the previous year I realized I could have done a better drawing. Having said that, I'm still learning today from yesterday’s mistakes. I still look back and realize I could probably do it differently. CCL: How did you get involved with the Joe Kubert School of Art? SC: I saw an ad on a Batman comic in 1982 in Brazil and I knew I wanted to attend that school. So I tried to learn English quick and save money to come to New Jersey. A saw a door through a scholarship I received to attend the Word of Life Bible Institute in New York so entered that door. SC: After graduating from the Bible school, I applied to The Kubert School, had my interview with Joe Kubert over the phone, got accepted and went to live in Manhattan as a janitor at Manhattan Bible church and commuted to Dover to attend the school in 1987. Due to financial needs and other circumstances I had to drop out but I went back in 1990. After breaking in the business in 1992 I went back to teach at Joe's school for 7 consecutive years. CCL: How important an influence does God play in your life and your artwork? SC: Every good gift comes from God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit. He's given me life, gifts/talents to be used, dreams to use my gifts with, opportunities to apply those gifts and realize my dreams and direction and guidance in how to achieve them. I learned and still learn to draw from Him From what He's done in His Creation and perfect design and His insights. He has gifted many artists before me to learn from as well. CCL: You’ve worked on several titles for DC COMICS, such as Deathstroke and Azrael, as well as many others. Did you have a personal favorite out of all of them and why? SC: I really enjoyed drawing them all but Batman was my favorite at DC and Spider-Man from Marvel. …just loved the gritty, black noir of Batman's character and stories. I loved these characters as a kid. I believed Batman could exist and protect us and Spider-man was just so cool. Although he had super powers I could sympathize with him as a young boy. He had common problems like everyone. I loved to draw their outfits too. CCL: Have you ever drawn yourself, your wife, or anyone special in your life into any of your comic book artwork? SC: I constantly use myself and family as reference material. I used me and Joe Kubert as reporters in Azrael once. I used my wife for a story in Iron-Man, and a few artists in Deathstroke. I was discouraged to do so for fear of legal disputes so I stopped. CCL: I’m a big fan of your work but my personal favorite is your current stint on Dynamite’s “The Lone Ranger”. How did you land that job? SC: Thanks, Steve. My friend Keith Champagne told me about the Ranger. Nick Barrucci had told me in San Diego (that) he liked my work and would soon contact me. So when Keith recommended me for the job they contacted me to give it a try. Keith had told me they suggested me to look at certain artists and do it a certain way. I didn't bother with that. I did it the way I thought it looked good to ME. I would not be interested in it unless I had fun with it, doing something that felt natural to me. SC: They liked what I did in the ranger pinup and the 4 page tryout. CCL: The Lone Ranger is a classic American Hero. What do you like best about the character? SC: He is very realistic, very serious, and has a good attitude (towards) justice and duty. I love the Ranger's creed. SC: His outfit is way cool to draw. His horse has a lot personality. Tonto is also very respectable and fun to draw. I also enjoy westerns a lot and I realized Brett (Matthews) , John (Cassaday) and I shared the same taste for the kind of feeling we wanted for the series: the panoramic views, the dirt, gritty and rough look found in old western movies. CCL: Do you have a favorite scene you’ve drawn in the Lone Ranger comic so far? SC: There are different types of joy for different types of scenes. I've enjoyed many. SC: One scene that comes to mind was one double-page spread where we see a vast, western, flat landscape with the Ranger and Silver leaving a dusty trail behind. What makes it really unique is that the characters are minute in the picture. It is unlikely you'd see a tiny main figure in a double-page spread in a regular comic book. That's what makes this book so unique. It's like watching a Sergio Leone's film. CCL: You and writer Brett Matthews make a wonderful team on “The Lone Ranger.” If you decide to move away from the title and could hand pick your successor, who would you choose and why? SC: It's hard to pick just one. I would pick an artist that has the eye for that sort of thing. It's a non super hero book. The first artist that comes to mind is Joe Kubert. Others whom I think have a hand for the gritty feel are Jose Ortiz, Jordi Bernet, Sergio Toppy, Garcia Lopez, Eduardo Barreto and Lee Weeks. CCL: You are originally from Brazil. If I’m ever fortunate enough to visit, what do you suggest I see while I’m there? SC: Go see the beautiful beaches of the North and South coasts of Brazil. Rio is a must see place for sure. At a glance you can see the ocean , mountains, palm trees and the beauty of Brazilian women all in one frame…as if all is compacted and arranged to fit in a post card but it is real, in front of your eyes. CCL: What artists have influenced your career and why? SC: I grew up with them drawing my favorite cartoons so they helped me determine the way I shaped things. Some of them were no longer around but their work was available to me in my early years and their style made an impression and a strong influence in how to draw stuff : Milton Caniff ( Terry and the Pirates), Will Eisner, Hal Foster, Albert Uderzo( Asterix), Mort Drucker, Norman Rockwell , John Romita Sr, Joe Kubert , Jesus Blasco (From Barcelona. Drew Cuto), Frank Frazetta, Giorgio Cavazzano(Donald Duck) and many others. CCL: Would you ever consider writing? SC: I did write my own stories when I was 11 until I was 14 but I became too busy drawing other writer's stories. Maybe when I slow down I might go back to writing and drawing my own stories. CCL: Do you have any advice for someone out there who dreams of becoming an artist? SC: If he dreams, he's been given the dream from within and from above . He should get to know as many people as he can who share the same dreams and learn from them. He should try to get to know his Creator too and talk to Him for guidance in how to achieve his dreams, and work as hard as he can as if it depended on him to get there and learn the craft. Buy or borrow every book on the subject and keep plugging into it. Doing all that will bear fruit in its’ ripe time. To learn about Sergio Cariello, please visit the following websites: www.sergiocariello.com www.comiccollectorlive.com *Steve Boyd is the Site Director for Comic Collector Live. While he doesn’t know how to make silver bullets, he hopes to learn how to make silver-dollar pancakes.