The Outhouse now proudly presents an interview with Cliff Chiang (Gotham Central, Human Target, Dr. Thirteen back-story in Tales of the Unexpected). Enjoy:

The Outhouse: To start off this interview, let’s start with the beginning of your career. How did you get into comics and what’s your favorite color that ends with “-urple”?

Cliff Chiang: Like a lot of kids, I got into comics when my older brother started bringing them home. I’d seen them before and read them, but it wasn’t until he started a regular habit that I really understood how cool it was. Hmm. “-Urple”, that’s a trick question, isn’t it?

The Outhouse: Man, how do you go from being an assistant editor for Disney Adventures to being one for Vertigo?

Cliff: Comics isn’t really that big of a business, if you think about it. I’d heard about the job at Disney Adventures through Joey Cavalieri, who I had interned for at Marvel a year earlier. When the job at Vertigo came up, I think it was Joey again who let me know about it.

The Outhouse: You’ve worked on Detective Comics, did covers for Gotham Central, and did the art for Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre mini. What’s the most interesting part about Batman and/ or Gotham City and the other people who call it home?

Cliff: I think it’s how flexible the characters and atmosphere can be. Batman and Gotham City can be dark, gothic and gloomy, or it can be Art Deco, or it can be as everyday as a police procedural. There’s a lot of ways to tackle it.

The Outhouse: What would be your dream project?

Cliff: Something I write myself.

The Outhouse: What was it about Brian Azzarello’s Dr. Thirteen story for Tales of the Unexpected that interested you?

Cliff: The chance to draw stuff I’ve never drawn before (and probably never
will!), like flying pirate ships, Nazi gorillas, teenage cavemen, Confederate ghosts, and girls who can give you diseases.

The Outhouse: If you would, tell The Outhouse your favorite joke.

Cliff: Why doesn’t Hitler drink? It makes him angry.

The Outhouse: Since you used to be an editor for Vertigo and you’re currently an artist, is there any desire to become a writer, inker, or do some other type of job in comic books (like write columns for a certain web site named after a toilet wink wink)?

Cliff: Ha! Sure, I’ve thought about doing other things in comics, inking other people, or maybe even going back into editorial. But I’m pretty lucky that I’m happy doing what I’m doing.

The Outhouse: What’s next in the works for you?

Cliff: It’s pretty exciting. I’ll be working on a new monthly comic that hasn’t yet been announced. Hopefully, they’ll let the cat out of the bag soon so I can talk about it! But it features some characters I have a soft spot for, and I’m actually asked to draw them a fair amount at conventions. So it should be a good match!

To discuss.