[originaltext]W: As the comic industry continues its painful metamorphosis into

W: As the comic industry continues its painful metamorphosis into the vessel shaped to contain the output of artists and writers in the 21st Century, one has to admire those individuals who have persevered through wave after wave of innovation and disaster by staying in the game. One such veteran is famed artist and writer, Paul Phillips. It was archetypal for Paul Phillips to start his professional career in the comics field in the early ’90s, but unlike many of his contemporaries, he continues to improve on the lessons of his youth, producing works of increasing complexity and depth. Here in the studio with us today we have Mr. Paul Phillips. First of all, Paul, thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Let’s start with a modicum of biographical info. Where and when were you born?
M: Oxford, late 1965.
W: How early did you exhibit an interest for drawing? Was there anything else you wanted to do growing up?
M: I’ve always drawn. My father insists that he gave me an "art lesson" when I was four years old, and was surprised that I could draw better than he could. With encouragement like that, it was a done deal.
W: What type of training did you undergo in preparation for your career as an artist?
M: When I was very young, I developed a training method that taught me a great appreciation for different art styles. I found some tracing paper and decided to place it over comics drawn by Neal Adams, Jack Kirby, and Frank Springer. For some reason, I decided that, rather than just tracing, I should use the underlying drawings as a skeletal structure. I decided that I would try to interpret the stylistically disparate drawings in a style of my own. What this taught me was that these artists each had unique strengths, and each one had a different thing to teach me. I also drew what 1 saw on the black and white horror films that f loved. Later, I checked out hundreds of books from the local libraries…anything that contained art. It could be French or Russian poster art, or photo collages, or Renaissance painters. I eventually took courses in college.
W: Was it helpful? If so, which parts prepared you the most?
M: It was all helpful. Actually, I think that the best thing you can do is study EVERYTHING around you. There are art lessons everywhere, in classrooms and out.
W: Was your family supportive of your decision to be an artist?
M: My family was very encouraging, especially my mother, who had wanted to be a commercial artist herself. She was constantly creating something, whether it was a painting or some craftwork.
W: So you’ve been dedicated to art ever since you were a small kid?
M: Well, when my mother passed away, I decided to concentrate on the "real world" for a while. I bought a trailer and took on a full time job in a grocery store as a department manager, and two part time jobs. I cooked pizzas at one job, and at another I played a minor role in a drama society. I actually had a fourth job, doing a cartoon for a local newspaper, but that was the only art-related job I did.
W: I’m afraid time is up for this part of our program. Let’s continue after the commercial break. Please don’t go away.
Question No. 11 When did Paul Phillips begin his professional career in the comics field?
Question No. 12 In his early childhood, what did Paul Phillips do to make his father surprised?
Question No. 13 Which of the following could be concluded about the man’s art education?
Question No. 14 What did Paul say about her mother?
Question No. 15 When Paul decided to concentrate on the "real world" for a while, he took several jobs. Which of the following was NOT one of these jobs?