Deep Discussions with Decapitated Dan: Josh Howard

Welcome back kiddies! This week human trap caught a Josh Howard. So go on and take a look at what he had to say when I found out he wasn't dead but trapped in the interview chair.

Alright lets start out with a short answer section and get the usual out of the way.

Name:
Joshua Cain Howard

Age:
32

Married/Single/Dating/Other:
Married

Pets:
none

Highest Education Level:
Art Institute of Dallas, but didn't finish

High School Mascot:
Lynx, then a Bulldog

First Job:
It was a summer job driving a tractor. (I grew up in a very small town). Corporately, my first job was selling books at Barnes and Noble

Favorite song to sing:
I don't sing.

Staying with short answers lets talk about what you do:

Comic(s) you created Before 2001:
Created Dead@17, T-Bird and Throttle, and others best forgotten

January 1, 2002 - January 2, 2002:
Created Lost Books of Eve

January 3, 2002 - Today:
Published Dead@17, Lost Books of Eve, and Black Harvest with many more on the way.

Alright all that stuff aside, lets get to the meat of the interview:

What do you do when not making comics?
Read books. Mostly fantasy type stuff, some non-fiction every now and then. I also collect action figures - mainly Masters of the Universe Classics and DC Universe Classics right now.

Favorite place to shop in person and online?
In person: Barnes and Noble.
Online: Amazon.com

Your in a plane flying over the Rockies, when BOOM! Engine blows and your going down. What do you do while your stuck in the mountains for 4 months?
I write. If not on paper, then at least in my head.

When you were 15 what were you for Halloween?
Did not dress up at 15. I think I stopped at 10 or 11 and I was a Ghostbuster.

Favorite comic character when you were 9, 19 and now?
At 9, the only comics I was reading were GI Joe and Transformers, so probably Optimus Prime. At 19, I wasn't really into characters so much as artists.
Now, I don't read that many current comics. I mostly pick up collected editions of older stuff like DC's Showcase Presents and IDW's Dick Tracy books. But from ages 11 - 17 I was all about Batman, and I've really learned to appreciate Superman over the years. So if I had to pick a character, it would be one of them.

If you got off a bus and someone came up to dancing and you got served, what would you do?
First I need to find out what it means to get "served."

Back to comic stuff for now. Knowing that Iceman is the greatest hero of all time, why do you think he is so underused?
I blame Icism.
Alright your making a comic about a team of gerbils who run a science fair every year. Whats the name of the book and sell me on a quick pitch? Go!
Super Gerbil Team Science Fair. It'll be manga.

We all know how good you can work with the pencil but what do you really want to be when you grow up?
A writer.

Where is the real money at in comic creating?
There's money?

When your making comics whats going on around you? Music, what kind? Silence? TV on?
When drawing, mostly talk radio, but sometimes I'll have a DVD on in the background.
When writing, sometimes music, but usually silence.

10 years from now. Where do you see yourself?
Hopefully a bigger fan base and 3 or 4 more comic series under my belt as well as my first novel. A movie based on Dead@17 wouldn't be a bad thing either.

Alright we can finish up with a quick word association game. I will say a word, you give me a quick one sentence response.

Dead @ 17?
Can't believe I'm still working on it 10 years later.

Dr. Acula?
Ed Wood.

Horror Comics?
The only person doing them right is Bryan Baugh.

Pop Tarts?
Frosted Strawberry.

Tom Cruise?
Never liked a movie that starred him.

Veggie Tales?
My son's #1 obsession growing up (just glad it wasn't Sesame Street).

Chevrolet?
Never driven one.

Decapitated Dan?
Nickname or current status?

Josh Howard?
Bleh.

Haha. Thanks so much Josh.

If you want to see what Josh is up to please go to http://joshhoward.typepad.com/