‘Spotlight.

23 - Friday, April 15, 1988 -

IT'S GONNA TAKE A WHOLE 1.0T
MODE THAN JUST ONE LAME ROAINED

FL TO WRECK MY APTERNOSN OF
REPOSE !

tone = EMAGMONIOUS

From superhero. to Donald. Duck
‘stories, NV artist creates. them all,

-FROM THE. imagination of William Van Horn have come a
-;, New superhero, a nervous dinosaur and adventures of a

duck named Donald. in a small studio in

‘North Yancouver

the ‘ideas spring to life, living their day:

, Page.
_ , Creator of comic books | .
Possibleman and Nerveus Rex, the
tall, bespectacled Van'Horn, 49,
works j in a.vorid where heroes ac-
, cidentally.turn into bowls of:
: chopped, liver and smali dinosaurs
run into all sorts of trouble...’
-Past of that'world includes :
ot Donald Duck.and nephews Huey,!
. Dewey and Louie,’ characters Van™
‘Horn has been drawing si since late

> For story. ideas he | makes lists. of
assorted items — hang-gliders,.a; a

for instance —and uses them as
the basis for; workable scripts.’,
Being antioyed by a fly —

“summer”? — - sparked his piece in

the latest issue of Donald Duck, in

which serenity is disrupted by said
- pesky insect.-

“Writing is the toughest part,’
he laments. ‘‘You can come up
with anything, but Finding some-

., (thing that will actually give people
their, moncy’ s worth is hard.”” .

Hanging on the walls are pages _
of original comic art from classics
suchas Dick Tracy and Krazy Kat;

“tacked to the drawing board are~

pages.of Van Horn’s work in’.

°” progress, continuing along the’

traditions of past greats. wae
Working on “‘the ducks"? means |

“ keeping to.ani established writing -

and drawing style; with approvals...
needed from The Walt Disney.

, Company at each stage...
¢

You have to submerge your

_-_ ego, when drawing the ducks. ‘With
~ my‘own stuff I can go my own
» Way, but.with this i it's Pretty much

a tiouse style.""” :
Producing his own comic books:

“, MEWB photo ery Potera .

as a child; Van-Horn would copy...

Dick Tracy, Mickey: Mouse ‘and the ;

Lone Ranger, too young to be

_ discouraged by his poor artwork,

A former U.S. Army illustrator,
— “they wanted to make me into,
an auto mechanic’’ — his anima-~ :

_tion work for children has won =

cOoMIC
BOOK © artist ~

> William Van.

Horn. puts —

finisaing
touckes on; his
latest work.”

him aumci US awards: “his own.

characters have won him-kudos for: ; N :
: . couver, "June Whitaker. takes aspir- -
>ing-young-performers and trains:

., originality and humor.:: =. ”,
. At the height of popularity i in

* the 1950s, Disney comics were:

» topping sales of four million copi
-amonth. But shoddy art, lifeless “

scripts anda an emerging t universe Of fw

‘much more ‘entertaining thay.
Ferris Bueller’s. Bay Off"? —
~Gene Siskel, SISKEL & EBERT & THE MOVIES

" TOUCHSTONE PICT URES Presents in Association With SILVER SCREEN PARTNERS Hl
“A DEBRA HILL and LYNDA OBST Production “ADVENTURES.IN BABYSITTING‘:
KEITH COCGAN | ANTHONY RAPP) MAIA BREWTON

Music by: MICHAEL KAMEN Director of Photography RIC WAITE, ASC.
~ Wellten ny DAVID: SIMKINS Produces by DEBRA HILL and LYNDA. OBST
: ’ Directed by:CHRIS COLUMBUS * ; :

- Starring ELISABETH SHUE

”DSSTRIBU

5S WeaNGDS

_ EXCLUSIVELY IB BELLEVUE:

‘Reni any’ (wo films aver
* - Cour of WEST
ae

Proper, L D, required

ht, ‘pay for “ony one”
OAST.VID
; AULFEILD VILLAGE
ne. coupon’ per customer. per day’ |
® Not-to be combined with other specias
* Coupon expires April 30/88

* stuff,"* he calls superheroes
» guys in Jong underwear,"! . :
- hopes ‘for a returnin popularity of

North Shore News

F988 The Wait Disney Company —

' superheroes spelled a decline for

these once-great comics.

, Today's runs are more in the
order of 70,000 copies per issue,
but the popularity is growing with
the publishers’ will to rekindle fost
_ interest.

“A kind of indiffererice has
““gharacterized animal art for the
Jast-20 years — just crank it out -.
and the little slobs won't know the
difference,’* says. Van Horn,

_ whose latest project is the jadven-

tures of Tracker, a cat hero.

As a creator of ‘funny animal
“those |
and |

animal stories.

With pay rates in the order of.
one tenth that for superhero: work.
Van Horn i is not ‘drawing his:

» animal comics for the money, © :*

“*That’s what I know best, and un- -
til it re-establishes itself, i'm not’
going to get rich.:

“If L.wanted to get rich, P qe
learn to’ draw Batman."

- Fans can meet Van Horn at the:
Comic Connection #10'comic book
swap meet April.I7 at the Robson .:

Square Media Centre in Van-:,. an
couver.: Fort more information, call cae
ce 738-8122. .

them to. handle the demands of the

we Rent any two © films overnight, pay for only one
Courtesy of WEST. COAST
a, Of CAULFEILD VILLAGE:

* One ‘coupon per‘customer per ‘day
“* Not to be combined with other specials
Coupon ‘expires April 30/88 - A Re

VIDEO. ©

‘Proper 1.0. requited