Bill Nichols’ Prescription:
Comics 10ccs of the Process with
Bill Black

If you think of AC (Americomics) you have to think of Bill Black. 

-Bill

 

What inspires you to create and keeps you going?

I started drawing home grown comics at age 12. I really liked doing this even tho early efforts were atrocious. I continued thru high school when I also started making amateur monster movies. Drawing comics and making movies are the great loves of my life. This sparked my “creativity” and it just keeps going on and on. It’s what I do. I love it and I cannot “not” do it!.

 

Do you have a set routine?

No. Real life is the great intruder/disruptor of creativity.

 

What kind of output do you try to achieve?

For 30 plus years at AC Comics I had to publish every month. No choice. In 2014 the grind finally got to me (no vacations, days off, etc.) so I turned the business over to Mark Heike. Since then I have been drawing comics and making movies with NO DEADLINES! That was wonderful. However two years ago, Mark started a line of color books and I came back on board writing, inking, lettering and coloring FEMFORCE on a regular basis. Eric Coile does the pencils. It’s no strain tho as the book is quarterly now and I only must produce the cover plus a 14 page lead story. A heart condition kept me from making  movies for four years but surgery this past February fixed the A-Fib… so I jumped into another movie production. I’m too old really to do that but, hey, I can’t stop. I’m still breathing. Also since 2014 I’ve re-booted Paragon Publications.

 

What inspires you WHEN you create? Music? Noise? Silence?

My mind works all the time, constantly thinking up story lines, etc. I cannot turn it off. Silence is preferred when writing but as I said life always gets in the way. But that’s okay. I do what needs to be done and get back to creating asap.

 

Who was the first comic book creator that influenced you to pursue this?

Jack Kirby, I’d say. I started drawing comics as a kid around 1955. I tried to create new adventures of comics that had ceased publishing. Kirby’s CAPTAIN 3-D one shot was my major influence. I traced that and Romita’s CAPTAIN AMERICA, Everett’s SUB-MARINER, and many more drawing my crude comics on newsprint. The first character I drew was THE BLACK COMMANDO, the masked hero from the serial THE SECRET CODE. I saw this in re-release in 1952 and decided to make a comic book about him. I made dozens of these comics. When SHOWCASE 4 brought a new FLASH, that caused me to remember the original JUSTICE SOCIETY so I drew stories of GREEN LANTERN, THE FLASH, THE ATOM, etc.

 

When did you realize you could follow this path yourself?

I drew cartoons and was art editor of my high school newspaper. My art teacher suggested Florida State University so I enrolled as an art major. At FSU I started working for a renegade college humor magazine THE CHARLATAN. I drew cartoons, ads and eventually became Associate Editor. Upon graduation I was drafted but in the Army I continued painting, film making, and sent samples of horror stories into Warren Publications. After discharge in 1969 I worked for various film production companies and free lanced at CREEPY and EERIE. All this is covered in detail profusely illustrated in my blogs on my You Tube channel under Bill Black’s Basic Black.

 

What do you find to be a challenge in creating?

Real life.

 

What else do you have to learn?

There is always much to learn. I wish I had time to practice drawing just to better myself but I can never find the time.

 

What keeps you motivated to get better?

Seeing the many flaws in what I create.

 

Can you turn your brain (creativity) off (and on)?

It’s always on.

 

 

Booster Shots

 

What advice do you have for aspiring creators?

Follow your heart but don’t quit your day job. If you live long enuff and plan well you can just create for yourself and not have to work for anybody else. 

 

Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

I haven’t so far so its not a worry. What’s difficult is finding time to bring your ideas to life.

 

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed by the above creator are theirs. This interview may not 

be reprinted or reposted without permission.