Den of Geek: What comics did you read as a boy?
Victor Santos:My youngest uncle was a collector.
When I was a child, I used to visit my grandmother.
He had tons of stuff from European classics likeTintinorValerianto Mexican editions of DC Comics.
My favourite comic-book wasKamandi.
I like the guy who draws the punches as explosions!
I used to say.
Let me tell you something.The Dark Knight Returnswas published when I was nine.
(ha, ha).
That was a message from destiny.
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How did you come up with Black Kaiser?
Did you base him off of other classic fictional spies?
Really my first inspiration wasThe Spirit.
I wanted to create a wild card character I could use for a variety of stories.
I love the patches, scars, all these pulpy elements.
You see him and his dark past.
Very western movie-style, where the characters are defined by their outside.
And my favourite, the writer Trevanian and his masterwork,Shibumi, and his twoSanctionnovels.
Can we expect to see Black Kaiser again in the future?
Yeah, hes part of my bigger cast of characters.
There are a lot of pulp and noir elements inPolar.
What are some of your favorite works of pulp/noir?
It was difficult to get pulps in Spain.
Recently, I can read things likeThe ShadoworDoc Savagefrom the internet.
Theyre cheap and very popular.
They were written by Spanish writers using English pseudonyms.
Were talking westerns, crime, martial arts, erotica… fast-paced stories, full of sex and violence.
What is the difference between writing for a Spanish audience and an American audience?
Does each readership demand different things?
No, because I always write and draw what I love.
But there is one big difference between the markets.
In Spain, we have a lot of licensed titles from US, France, and Japan.
My superhero and nor books are in constant competition with the Marvel/DC Spanish editions or the Vertigo/DH books.
You don t have very much foreign competition in the US, except maybe the manga titles.
There arent enough of your books in the American market, in my opinion.
Can we expect any translations of your Spanish titles?Intachable, for example?
Id love to publishRashomon, a noir title that takes place in feudal Japan.
The Spanish publisher is trying to sell it to the US.
I think, if you likePolarorFilthy Rich, this book will delight you.
Intachable(Irreproachable) is my most local story because it talks about the Spanish corruption.
But the story is universal.
It s like a SpanishScarfaceorGoodfellas.
MyElf Kingsseries would work pretty well in the US, too.
It was my training work, likeDaredevilwas for Frank Miller.
I have been creating a tapestry of stories within that universe for the last twelve years.
Now the editor has published a 500-page omnibus.
It s a adult fantasy story based on the Nordic mythology.
Its full of conspiracies, family sagas, battles, and romanticism.
Reviewers have compared it toGame of Thrones, although I havent read those books.
Which comics are you loving right now?
I love superheroes, but I cant keep up with all the continuities.
Graphic novels like theParkerbooks,American BarbarianorBattling Boy… the reprints of Kirby… Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming series,Furious?
Furiousis my first superhero book, written by myMice Templarpal Bryan JL Glass.
I have a theory: every art form has a star genre.
If youre a film director, you must shoot a western.
If you draw comics, you must draw a superhero story at some point in your career.
I love the genre, and the story is really cool.
It reminds me of some 80s comic-books likeThe Questionby O Neil & Cowan surely one of my favorite works.
Im coloringFurious, too.
Its a lot of extra workWhat else are you working on right now?
2014 will see the end of theMice Templarseries.
I still have ten issues to draw.
Ill be working on the second season of myPolaronline book.
And of course, I hopeFuriouswill continue with a second series.
AndGoogle+, if thats your thing!
