Kevin VanHook has done it all.
What began as a fascination with comic books at the age of 12, Kevin’s one-time childhood love has turned into a career that has spanned both comics and movies.From his beginnings as an artist at Marvel Comics to the formation of his visual effects company, Kevin sat down with CCL and answered 13 questions about his life, his wife, and whether or not he’d ever return to Valiant again.
CCL: Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions with us, Kevin. What first sparked your interest in comics?
KV: I was fascinated the first time I even picked up a comic book. While I ended up being a huge Marvel Zombie, the first stuff I read was DC. I got hooked on The Fantastic Four when I was 12 and was bound and determined to draw the Thing for Marvel some day. I got my wish when I was 22 years old, drawing for Marvel Presents.
CCL: How did you first get involved with Valiant?
KV: I began as the Production Manager. I had a strong background in printing and pre-press as well as comics. Not long after I joined the team, I began writing with Jim (Shooter) and when he left, I took over the two books that he'd planned for me to co-write-- Solar and Eternal Warrior.
CCL: This may be an old question, but how did you come up with the concept of
Bloodshot?
KV: The core idea of
Bloodshot--the fact that he was a man who'd had his blood replaced with microscopic computers was in place when Jim (Shooter) was planning Rai #0. I knew a little about Nanites and I brought the whole mafia aspect to the character as well as the idea that Mortalli had been sold out and used for experimentation. Initially, I was going to have Bloodshot be programmed to kill terrorists, but we veered away from that.
CCL: What was it like working for Valiant during their incredible explosion into the industry?
KV: It was a wonderful time. I've often said that I had more fun in those few years and learned more than any other period in my life. The last 3 years in film have been similar. Valiant allowed me to show off my skills and meet/work with some incredibly talented folks-- many of which I stay in touch with today.
CCL: When Acclaim purchased Valiant, they radically changed the concept of the Bloodshot character, but kept his name. Have you ever read any of the Acclaim version and if so, what was your take on it?
KV: I saw no need to mess with the characters-- not just Bloodshot, but any of them. Kinda like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. That said, I thought Bloodshot was still the most faithful to the original.
CCL: Valiant's making a comeback, reprinting some of their flagship titles in Hardcover form with new material - if approached, would you write a new BLOODSHOT title or at least a new Bloodshot story?
KV: Yes, if schedules allowed.
CCL: At one point, you started your own visual effects company - which film do you get the most gratification having worked on?
KV: VanHook Studios began as the company that colored comics for Valiant, then Image and others. We also did trading card design and toy stuff. In 1997, we evolved into a Visual Effects company with the plan of me having that resource available to me when I made films. In 2002, we merged with Film Roman (Simpsons and King of the Hill animation). We changed the name to Forum Visual Effects. While that company has changed hands a few times and is now a division of Starz Media, I am still a Vice President and General Manager of the company. I got a lot of personal satisfaction out of My Favorite Martian, because it was a small group of people working very hard on an entire sequence of the film where we were totally CG in 1998-- that was ballsy. Of my own films that I've produced or directed, I'd say that The Fallen Ones was gratifying from an fx standpoint-- we were just trying so many techniques old and new.
CCL: Where did you first meet your wife, Carol?
KV: I met her in high school. She was 16 and I was 17. We married three months later (and it wasn't a shotgun wedding) and are still together. She is a visual effects artist, most recently working on commercials for Pepsi and the Simpsons movie.
CCL: As a father, you've got to be extremely proud of your children, who appear to be establishing themselves in various genres of the entertainment industry. What advice have you given them to be successful?
KV: Work hard, do what you love, don't give up, treat people fairly, deliver what you say you're going to. Repeat.
CCL: What's "TIVO'd" at the VanHooks' home right now?
KV: We lost the remote, so I can't use it! But it was full of Family Guys...
CCL: You recently wrote a blog on myspace speaking out about your disappontment on NBC's decision to cancel the TV show "Journeyman". From your standpoint and with your understanding of the industry, what would have (or will) save the show?
KV: Not sure. I was blown away that this incredibly well-written, directed and performed piece of entertainment wasn't going to last. I think it needs a different time-slot. Better marketing. A chance to perform. It essentially got the axe after only a few months. That's not time to find an audience.
CCL: Change and reinvention is a constant in the comics and movie business. Will comics always be a viable source for entertainment as well as collectability in the future?
KV: I think so. I created something called, "Comics on Disk" back in 1989-- we were too early. Print is special. The idea of 'slabbing' comics in plastic to preserve their condition is so foreign to me. You can't read 'em anymore. For me, it's got to be about the reading experience before the collectible/trading aspect. I did collect and trade as a kid, but I read everything I had.
CCL: With comics and films already under your belt, what will we be seeing with Kevin VanHook's name attached in the future?
KV: I've often joked that my last hurrah will be virtual reality. That still may be true. Right now, I'm getting ready to direct a documentary television special, so that's new. I'm writing some comics again and that's been fun. I have a feeling I'll get drawn into games before it's over. The sky's the limit. I enjoy it all.
To learn more about Kevin VanHook and his career, visit his website:
www.kevinvanhook.com.
*(
Steve Boyd is the Event Coordinator for Comic Collector Live. He also lost his TiVo remote.)