Syfy Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
SYFY WIRE Original Video

WATCH C2E2: Jill Thompson draws The Scary Godmother

By Courtney Enlow

Jill Thompson has worked her magic on Sandman, Wonder Woman, and The Scary Godmother, and now she's waving her wand (more like her pencil, pen, and paintbrush) to bring her anti-fairy godmother to life at C2E2.

Thompson always wanted to be an artist known for doing everything, from penciling to ink to color, on her own, like Frank Miller and Mike Mignola. She loves watercolor as a medium because she gets to control everything, as she told SYFY Fangrrls' Courtney Enlow. Another thing she had power over was how she visually portrayed Wonder Woman; something that bothered the artist is that Diana always seemed too perfect.

"Like, how could she grow up on an island full of doting aunts and grandmas and not become totally spoiled?" Thompson asked.

Wonder Woman's hair was another thing that needed some de-perfection. Thompson is one of the two artists (the other one being George Perez) who insisted on drawing the Amazonian super-heroine with wild curls that would reflect the heat and humidity of Themyscira. Nobody else draws her with that kind of "Greek hair" because, as Thompson admits, it's a pain to draw a storm of curls over and over again.

[History side note: Real-life Amazons (they did exist sans any goddess powers) were not Greek but actually Scythian warrior women. But this is an altverse, after all.]

Thompson brings her characters to life almost supernaturally. There is something about them that almost moves from frame to frame, especially in Sandman. She penciled and sometimes inked that one, leaving a lasting impression on its luminary author.

"Neil [Gaiman] has mentioned that he thought I brought a lot of subtle acting to scenes that warranted really quiet stuff," she remembered, "and that's one of the things I pride myself on, is making sure that you can tell what's happening in a comic without necessarily having to read the word balloons."

Not that the word balloons don't count. Comics are a merging of artists' and writers' talents into one seamless story where words and images complement each other.

Watch the video, especially if you're an every-day-is-Halloween type, because the Scary Godmother is going to get on her broom and fly off the page.

This article was contributed to by Elizabeth Rayne.