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

What inspires you to create and keeps you going?

The arrogance to think I have things to say and can say them through fictional narrative storytelling.

Do you have a set routine?

Pretty consistently up by 7:30, at the laptop by 8:45, work until 4ish, make dinner, and work as needed after dinner. I usually go to Manhattan 1 or 2 days a week to do non-comics work and to have a life outside of my house.

What kind of output do you try to achieve?

No set rules anymore. I don’t have to worry for the most part about working to a page count level on a weekly basis. I might in 2020, but I just go by the assignment and its due date.

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

I pretty much always have the television on in the background. Movies, fiction, or news. That’s a byproduct of my college days that I never really shook.

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

Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Jack Kirby, John Romita, and Doc Savage when I was a child. Jim Starlin, Steve Englehart, Jim Shooter, Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, George Perez, John Byrne, and Stephen King as a teenager.

When did you realize you could follow this path yourself?

When I got a staff job at Marvel Comics, I thought I would earn the opportunity, and I knew if I got the chance, I wouldn’t blow it (a lot of staff people did blow it).

What do you find to be a challenge in creating?

With my years and mileage, it’s maintaining the focus and attention required in an age where there are so many readily available distractions.

What else do you have to learn?

Always learning something. Always trying different mediums and platforms for my storytelling. Get back to me in 10 years and maybe I’ll have learned everything I can.

What keeps you motivated to get better?

The understanding that I always need to get better.

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

No, but I can turn my desire to type on and off. So, my brain is always processing, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to physical time spent typing.

Booster Shots

What advice do you have for aspiring creators?

Create. Every day, create something. Can be part of a larger whole, can be a self-contained piece. And then don’t create in a vacuum. Let people see it, read it, react to it.

Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

 No, but I never thought of myself as an idea man and more of a nuts and bolts guy.

How do you handle the slow times?

Hate the world for not recognizing my brilliance and have confidence that freelance life is cyclical. There have been times I’ve been too busy and there will be those times again. In fact, starting next year!

How do you feel about the industry?

The comic industry? I honestly don’t think about it that much. I’m not a full-time comic book writer and haven’t been for well over 15 years. I worry more about the story I have to tell and less about the industry through which it is being disseminated.

Website you would like to promote?

Come follow me on Twitter @FabianNicieza.

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