APCC Exclusive: Billy Tan

During the Asia Pop Comic Con in Manila, I got to meet and interview Billy Tan. A Malaysian American, he is one of the few Asian artists that made it big in the comic book industry. He is known for his earlier works in Top Cow Productions which includes Tomb Raider, Tales of the Witchblade, and Spirit of the Tao.

He then worked for Marvel projects such as Uncanny X-Men, New Avengers, Uncanny X-Force, especially X-23, etc. For DC, he is did Green Lantern. He founded Tan Comics, a China-based comic book company on the Asian superhero genre.

Here are some of the questions raised during the conversation:

About DC Comic’s Rebirth, what were China’s thoughts about the Chinese Superman?

They are interested but too serious about it.

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What project are you working on now?

 I am working on a combined sci-fi and kung fu genre for Tan Comics.

When Whilce Portacio worked on Uncanny X-men for Marvel, he drawn a mark about his country like drawing Colossus wearing a jacket with a Filipino flag, where you able to do something like this in your work?

No, but you just gave me an idea. I could have done it with Marvel but not with Green Lantern because most of the characters are aliens.

Billy Tan loves to travel. If it is not raining, he would have gone around. He is also a vegetarian. For more features about comic book artists, follow this blog and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.