Joe Madureira

Usually when you're doing concepts for a character, you just try a couple different things to see what sticks.

Having a blank slate is sometimes as daunting as it is exciting.

There's a creative freedom to comics, and a fulfillment I get out of panel layouts and storytelling that is hard for me to get anywhere else.

It always makes me sad when someone comments on how much they love my work- from 15 years ago! I don't want to be just another old school guy that fell off.

I'm sure that no matter what I'm involved in, I'll always be doing comics, at least in some minor capacity.

Lots of places to hone your skill as an artist and still earn a paycheck while you're waiting to kick the door down.

On a book like 'X-Men,' you have to stay true to the established fiction, working with editors to ensure continuity, sometimes across multiple titles.

Everyone loves characters that are relatable or who have unique quirks or tragic flaws.

I like coming up with new characters. Whether it's revamping an old character no one likes or just coming up with brand-new stuff, that's kind of what excited me as an artist.

When I drew Captain America in 'The Ultimates,' I hated my Cap, even though some people are like, 'Man, your Cap's cool!' and they made statues out of it.

After being in a studio, working on games stuff, I'm like, 'Oh my God, I wish I could just sit in my room for a week and listen to music and draw by myself.'