Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Say Hi And Point Me To A Flat Surface: An Interview w/ Illustrator Josh Lynch

A few weeks ago, the internet was abuzz with Josh Lynch's latest creation Dogs of the Marvel Universe! This isn't the first time Josh's Marvel illustrations have caught people's attention. He has also done Marvel Luchadores, Peter Barker The Amazing Spider Dog, and Marvel Cuties, the world's most adorable superheroes. But that is really just the tip of the iceberg.

Josh Lynch is a Twin Cities based art director, storyboard artist, visual developer, and pop culture junkie. He thrives on the idea of visual communication and strives to find fun and exciting ways to engage with audiences in physical and digital spaces.

Josh earned his BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design with a focus on Illustration and Animation. He has illustrated work for Stone Arch Press and Avery/Penguin and has been featured in online publications such as Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, FailBlog, ComicsAlliance, and Project Rooftop. He is currently the Creative Director at Alpha Video where he develops unique multimedia and interactive pieces for the masses.

Aside from continuing the Dogs of the Marvel Universe series, Josh told me, "I'm working on a children's book and I always have my own comic I mean to get to." Own comic?!! Please don't wait much longer, Josh.

While I was watching the internet go nuts with Lynch's dogs, it struck me that almost everyone was republishing his work, but no one was really taking the time to ask him any questions. So, I set out to change that. And, honestly, I was kinda surprised when Josh agreed to do an interview! After reading below, if you want to explore more of Josh Lynch's work on your own, I suggest his Website, Behance, Tumblr, Blog, and, if you have a few spare dollars, go get yourself a DOTMU shirt! 

Q: Your recent Dogs of the Marvel Universe collection has become a huge deal on the internet? But, I noticed you also started a Marvel Kitten line…are you going to complete that set?
Josh: The kittens I've done so far have just been for friends. At our house we're down to four cats and while I love them I could do with a few less in my life. Just don't be surprised if a few sneak into DOTMU from time to time.

Q:  Do you really think Tony Stark wears pink bunny slippers?
Josh: He's a billionaire playboy, he wears whatever he wants.

Q: In all seriousness, I totally love all the sketches you post on your Website and Tumblr. Have you considered releasing a book of just your black and whites?
Josh: Thank you so much. I try to sketch something everyday so I fill a sketchbook every couple months. I've never printed a book of them because I don't think there's a market for it. I scour artists alley at every con for sketchbooks by my favorite artists. If you're a process junkie you can't beat looking at artist's sketchbooks. If enough people showed interest I suppose I'd print some up.

Q: Could you give me directions to the Juicy store on Dagobah? I couldn’t find it.
Josh: Look deep inside yourself and find the Juicy will you.



Q:   I couldn’t help but notice that in your piece Star Trek for the Next Generation, you chose to use bearded Will Riker. Was this a conscience decision?
Josh: Definitely. I don't even come close to liking ol' Rusty Trombone unless he's bearded. No Ensign Babyface for me.

Q: How different do you think the Marvel Universe would be if Captain America and Hitler actually fell in love? And what do you think Hitler’s love notes entailed?
Josh: I suppose the thoughts of their forbidden love would be intense. Think Romeo and Juliet suicide level intense. I think even if they fell in love they would still have been on opposite sides of the war. But how could Hitler not love Steve Rogers. He's like Hitler's aryan wet dream... I mean physically, not at all spiritually, ethically, politically, or in any way that actually counts for anything. In fact I don't really like to think of any happy ending for Hitler in any case.

Q:  Did you happen to find a taker for your Masterminds DVD with Patrick Stewart and Vincent Kartheiser? I might know someone who would like it.
Josh: Oh that wasn't a DVD, that was good old fashion V-H-S. I gave it away as a gift to a friend. I don't think I could take such treasure back without ruining that friendship.

Q:  What artists/illustrators do you currently follow?
Josh: Currently?..... OH that's hard, way too many. The list looks something like this (although I'd still be leaving a lot out): Kris Anka, Kevin Wada, Becky Cloonan, Daniel Warren Johnson, Cameron Stewart, Chris Samnee, Cory Loftis, Gabriel Hardman, Matthew Woodson, Greg Ruth, Noelle Stevenson, Hamish Steele, Jake Wyatt, Jeff Stokely, Mingjue Helen Chen, Katsuya Terada, Chris Brunner, Tradd Moore, Steve Mcniven, Ming Doyle, Dan Hipp, Patrick Leger, Paul Azaceta, Phil Noto, Mike Mitchell, Steve Epting... I should really stop there but that's not nearly the whole list.

Q:  You clearly are a huge comics fan. What books really stick with you from your teen years?
Josh: Well I grew up reading the Chris Claremont/Jim Lee run on X-Men. That started comics for me really. I followed it with Lee/Portacio stuff but following that when they got into Onslaught I was done. That killed comics for me for a long time. As a kid who didn't have a lot of money to buy tie ins I had to just give up. Then when I was in high school I came back around for some of the non Marvel and DC books at the time. I was really into BattleChasers, Danger Girl, Kaboom!, Spawn, and Red Star. I came back around into marvel with Wolverine Origin. Following that I started to get into all the 70's, 80's, and 90's greatness I had really missed out on including lots of the Frank Miller/Klaus Janson stuff.

Q:  Unicorns...or Narwhals? Who would win in a fight
Josh: That's a trick question. They don't fight. They bake cupcakes and sing songs together. Did you know every time a Unicorn and Narwhal fall in love a bell rings?

Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great Fan Art by Josh Lynch & Daughter







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