Ivan Reis: From Green Lantern to Superman
Updated: Jan 24, 2020
Ivan Reis has long been one of the most sought after artists in the industry. He began his career working at Dark Horse Comics on titles such as GHOST and THE MASK. He went on to work at Marvel, Chaos! and CrossGen.
Since 2004, he has been a staple at DC Comics. He's worked on ACTION COMICS, TEEN TITANS, RANN/THANAGAR WAR, and INFINITE CRISIS. Partnered with Geoff Johns, Ivan worked on celebrated runs of GREEN LANTERN, JUSTICE LEAGUE, and AQUAMAN. During that time he worked on modern classics such as SINESTRO CORPS WAR and BLACKEST NIGHT.
This past year he partnered up with another creative force, Brian Michael Bendis, to relaunch SUPERMAN. With so much hype surrounding this book, due to it being Bendis' first ongoing at DC, expectations were high. Not only has the story been great but Reis has been delivering some of the best work of his career. His work has always been at it's best when dealing with stories with a wide scope. Just as he excelled in GREEN LANTERN, he's blowing us all away on SUPERMAN.
COMIC LOUNGE: First off, I've been a huge fan of yours for years. You've worked on some of my favorite books like GREEN LANTERN, JUSTICE LEAGUE, AQUAMAN, SUPERMAN, and my favorite BLACKEST NIGHT. What was it like being such a huge part of expanding the Green Lantern mythos?
IVAN REIS: Thank you so for your kind words, I'm so happy to hear that GREEN LANTERN is one of your favorite books. GREEN LANTERN was very important to my career, the time I've spent at DC has been important to my career and how people see my work. Furthermore, GREEN LANTERN was one of the most important books in y life with BLACKEST NIGHT.
There was "Ivan Reis" before BLACKEST NIGHT and "Ivan Reis" after BLACKEST NIGHT. So to be apart of that mythology means a lot to me because I had the opportunity to see it in a movie, it was amazing. It was a tremendous honor to be apart of it and I have to thank Geoff Johns, Oclair Albert and the editors for that.
COMIC LOUNGE: You've worked exclusively with DC for years, what has been your favorite project?
REIS: I've been working at DC Comics for 15 years, which is a long time. I've worked on a ton of projects like RANN/THANAGAR WAR, SINESTRO CORPS WAR, SECRET ORIGINS, AQUAMAN and MULTIVERSITY, all of which were amazing opportunities. My favorite and most important of my career though was definitely BLACKEST NIGHT. It changed the way people viewed my work and the direction for future projects.
COMIC LOUNGE: Are there any Marvel books you would like to work on?
REIS: Sure! There are a ton of characters at Marvel that I love. Thor for example, I would LOVE to draw Thor. My dream right now would be to draw Conan. I grew up reading Conan so that would be a character I would love to work on.
COMIC LOUNGE: Have you ever thought about doing a creator owned project?
REIS: Of course. I think all artists have ideas for a creator owned project. It's part of the process, it's very natural. But I have time to develop the project and develop the ideas. I'm patient and right now isn't the moment, but I have ideas.
COMIC LOUNGE: You've worked with some of the biggest names in comics, such as Geoff John's, Grant Morrison, and now Brian Michael Bendis. What is it like working with each writer and their different approaches? Are there any writers you would like to work with in the future?
REIS: I've worked with some of the biggest names in the industry and it's been an honor and a pleasure. I've had the opportunity to grow as an artist with each project. Each writer has a specific way to tell a story and way to give direction about how the art should go.
It's really important to improve your style, improve your storytelling. I've never thought of specific names of people I want to work with now, or in the future. I like it to be natural, just let it happen. The process demands time to match the style with the language of the work. I've had the opportunity to work with many big names and it has been really important to my career.
COMIC LOUNGE: How has it been working with Bendis, his first DC work, on the biggest superhero in the world, Superman?
REIS: It has been really fun working on SUPERMAN with Bendis. Bendis is a great guy, he's given me the freedom to try different storytelling techniques, different styles and things for the book. It's been AMAZING.
He thought about my name when he was going to work on his first book at DC Comics, which was an honor. I'm about to celebrate 15 years at DC and this has been a gift. I started working at DC on Superman in ACTION COMICS, it's like a closed circle. So it's AMAZING.
COMIC LOUNGE: Do you plan on staying on the book for a while?
REIS: Sure! We have plans to stay on the book for a while. Right now I'm working on the second arc. So stay tune for more SUPERMAN from Ivan Reis and Brian Bendis.
COMIC LOUNGE: Are there any other projects you're working on that you can talk about or tease?
REIS: Right now, SUPERMAN is taking all of my time. So my focus is on SUPERMAN.
COMIC LOUNGE: What books are you currently reading?
REIS: ACTION COMICS, of course, HEROES IN CRISIS, DOOMSDAY CLOCK, and MAGIC ORDER.
COMIC LOUNGE: Lastly, what would advice could you give to an aspiring comic book creator?
REIS: Never stop! Love what you do and try to show your work for the audience. Use the internet, go to conventions. Finish what you start, even though you never stop.