An Interview Excerpt from Friends of the Phantom #21 with Jim Aparo Charlton Phantom Artist

After years of wanting to make his acquaintance, I finally had an opportunity of speaking with him in phone conversations. Jim is one of the legends in the comic book industry. His exciting layouts, his elegant, tight linework has been a huge hit with fans for years. He is known for a terrific long run on DC's "The Brave and the Bold" where he did many of DC's characters. For Lee Falk's Phantom, his work appeared on the covers of Charlton's "The Phantom" issues 35 and 60. 31,32,33, 34,37, 38 feature his covers and interior work.

His Phantom also appeared on the cover of the Menomenee Falls Gazette, a nice newspaper compendium of newspaper strips including "The Phantom" by Sy Barry.

Jim is a warm and friendly guy and was most accommodating and helpful. It was a great pleasure getting the know the artist who's work I have enjoyed for many years.

FOTP: What is your background?

I went to art school for about a year to study anatomy. I'm just self taught. I used to draw from comics.

There were a lot of continuity strips then. Now people are more stressed out and don't want to get involved. Milt Caniff said what killed continuity strips was television.

FOTP: Please describe your approach to your work.

What I read from the script I use. I would do the lettering first with a plot of the pictures in my mind, with who would talk first on the left and I would plan the letters in from the furthest point of the panel to give room for the artwork. Then I would do the pencilling half a page at a time... say the top half... then I would ink... then do the bottom half just to break it up. I was mental thing. I might change an angle

FOTP: For the Charltons did you ever use any assistants?

No I did it all. The first one doesn't look like mine cause I was trying to imitate (the previous artist).

Charlton had a series of strips by Sy Barry and I was looking at that version. I knew the people at Menomenee Falls Gazette, and I used to draw a cover occasionally for them... one was a Phantom cover. I remember The Phantom. I enjoyed doing it... the best one I liked was the elephant graveyard. When I did The Phantom, I was working for DC. I was doing Aquaman and they increased my work load at DC, and I had to leave Charlton. Don Newton also worked on The Phantom. And Batman and Pat Boyette followed me on the Phantom for Charlton. When I was doing The Phantom, he did Flash Gordon. These were done through king features. I never met him in person, but I spoke with him on the phone he was a great guy.

FOTP: What do you think about today's comics?

Publishers are missing a whole generation for comics... young people 13, 14. They should be writing for them. They gotta write for a younger age.

I was growing up during the EC days and it (violence and horror) didn't mess my mind up.

back to home