Interview with DCeased Unkillables Artist, Karl Mostert
Interview With Artist Karl Mostert
The Man Himself - Karl Mostert
If you have read DCeased UNKILLABLES then the name Karl Mostert should ring a bell to you. Karl is the artist who brought all gruesome deaths to life. Based on the amazing work he did in this series; you may not be able to tell that he is a newcomer when it comes to doing art for DC. Karl actually did his first work for DC with last years DC New Year’s Evil #1 but Unkillables was his first full DC issue and man, what a way to show the world your talent by getting involved in one of the biggest series out there right now. I started following Karl on twitter a little bit before Unkillables #1 was released and it has been a true honor to watch as he has become more and more recognized and to see all the amazing feedback that has been put online regarding his art as well as the high praises for Unkillables as a whole. I have been talking back and forth with Karl for the last few months and now that Unkillables has come to an end, I knew I had to ask him to give me an exclusive interview so I could share just how truly humble and incredible he is not only as an artist, but as a person. It has been so fun for me to not only follow Karl but to get to know him more and more and its an honor for me to bring you guys this exclusive interview with the man himself! If you do not already follow Karl on Twitter, do yourself a favor and do it now. Karl has such an incredible talent and shares a lot of his works in progress and its so amazing to watch them come together as he does them and shares them online.
I know you guys didn’t come here to read me go on and on so let’s get into what you guys really came here for.
Uncensored Panel From DCeased Unkillables By Karl Mostert
WG-Who is Karl Mostert the person?
KM- I am an old bugger, living in Cape Town South Africa with a beautiful wife and two Tazmanian devil children. Born and Bred in the Mother city (Cape Town) School was called Norman Henshilwood and after that I went to Cape Tech to study Graphic design, hated it, then decided to do something even harder in south Africa and that was being a comic book artist.
WG - When did you decide you wanted to be an artist? Was there something else you wanted to be first?
KM - I’ve wanted to be an artist since I was really young, in what we use to call sub B which would now be grade 2. That’s when the teenage mutant ninja turtle craze first hit. Never ever wanted to be anything else really, maybe a voice actor.
WG - When did you start doing art?
KM - I started arting in about grade 2 if I can remember correctly. I would draw Michaelangelo a lot, cos then he was my favourite. Its Donatello now.
WG - Did you go to any kind of school for art or did you go to school for anything else?
KM - I went to Art school in high school but it was more fine art and art history, so not really what I enjoyed, though I got my only A in art at school.
WG - What kind of art did you start with?
KM - Fine art, studying those old guys like Monet and Picasso, the Art Deco Era though Nouveau was definitely my favourite period, and now I sound like a tool
Original Art Aquaman / Green Lantern By Karl Mostert
WG - Were you always interested in comic books?
KM - Absolutely, ever since I first saw them. The best storytelling medium.
WG - Becoming a comic artist is one of the hardest jobs to get into now a days so how did you start to get into it?
KM - Tell me about it dude, I still cant believe it. I had heard that a DC talent scout was vising our one comic con in south Africa that we had about two years ago and I sent my work for him to see with a friend of mine as I wasn’t in the city that had the Con. He saw it and sent his card for me to get in touch. So it seems like it was that easy for me, but I had years of working towards a goal and I was blessed enough to achieve it finally, and its like a 100 times less likely to happen in south Africa.
WG - Was comics where you wanted to take your art or were you interested in another medium for your work?
KM - Always been comics for me, I’ve never been interested in any other medium.
WG - What was the first comic art that you actually had published?
KM - It was a fine art piece I did for a high school project and it was chosen to be in a poetry book. Nowhere near comic book art but that’s the first art piece ive ever had published. As for comics, I worked for a South African company and it was one of their books that I had my work published in I think.
WG - What materials are your go to when you are doing your art?
KM - At the moment digital, cintiq and pc, but I want to go back to pencil and paper, cos it just feels better.
Original Art - Punchline By Karl Mostert
WG - Is there any kind of style or method you prefer to use when doing your art?
KM - Nope not really, just my style, whatever that is.
WG - What comics books have you been a part of?
KM - Internationally, I’ve been part of a ‘new years evil’ batman and calendar man story, Aftershocks ‘the man who F@#$ed up time’ and ‘DCeased: Unkillables’. Back at home I’ve been part of many that I cant even remember.
WG - How did you get picked up for Unkillables?
KM - TBH I have no idea. Ben Abernathy, the Editor for Dceased, who was also the talent scout that came to South Africa and looked at my stuff, told me one day that he wanted me to do the new dceased stuff. Don’t ask me why, cos I was and still am relatively new
WG - Were you nervous or concerned at all knowing how popular of a series DCeased was ?
KM - I was a wreck. And Tom Taylor starts to post all the accolades and reviews that Dceased got and I shrunk even smaller. But Ben was in my corner the whole way and had been such Epic support that I think it would have definitely gotten the better of me had he not been there.
WG - Was there any worry or concern coming into a series that had previously been done by another artist?
KM - Oh man, I’d been following the pros forever and then suddenly I have to do a comic after one of them? I think worry and concern was putting it very mildly.
WG - Did you use any of Trevor Hairsine’s work from the original run as inspiration?
KM - Not really, though I read it over and over and loved it so much, I did want to keep my own view on it and bring my own style and reflection of Toms story into my work.
WG - What was the experience like doing that first full issue Working with DC and Tom Taylor and the rest of the creative team?
KM - Daunting. Scary. Fun. Exciting. All the emotions. Like I said Ben and Tom were fully behind me, and that made me feel like ok maybe I can do this, so besides me feeling anxious those feelings were scuppered by the great feedback from Tom and Ben.
WG - Did you learn anything from the overall experience or pick up anything new?
KM - Oh yes, I think that artists are always learning even from the bad critiques and I find that taking the bad with the good helps me to iron out weak points in my art.
WG - Now that the series has finished, is there anything you wish you could go back and change or tweak a little bit?
KM - Oh heavens yes. Lots of things that I had to rush through and didn’t give enough attention to I would love to change that being said, going forward whatever I work on I can use that to make future projects much better cos I know what to look out for.
WG - How does it feel to be so well received by the comic community?
KM - It’s a weight off my back, there are those negative reviews that don’t make sense to me and always are in the back of my mind, but I understand that not everyone is gonna like my art, but the amount of positive feedback I have received really is a great feeling, we all worked our backsides off for this and I speak for myself when I say I could have done some things better but damn it feels good to have our work be so appreciated.
Preview Of DCeased Unkillables By Karl Mostert
WG - Have you had any wild fan interactions yet or had any really awesome interactions?
KM - Lots of great interactions with most all of the fans Usually idont get people talking to me that don’t like the stuff, so its all been good. I’m waiting for my death threats one day, I believe that’s when I’ve ‘made it’.
WG - Has the current Covid-19 Pandemic caused any difficulties for you as an artist while trying to work on this series?
KM - Yeah, my kids are now at home and they cant seem to pour their own juice and get their own food so that’s taken out of my time. Haha.
WG - Have you picked up any new hobbies or activities during this pandemic?
KM - Online meetings is a great hobby that’s ive found during this time. Other than that not really.
WG - With DCeased you got to draw some of the most iconic characters in DC history but which one were you most excited to do?
KM - As a noob, I can tell you all of them were very high on my list of exciting characters. But Mr Unkillable, Deathstroke was the top I think, ask me tomorrow and I’ll have a different answer.
WG - If you could pick one character from any publisher to work on, who would it be and why?
KM - Do you know Chakan the foreverman? Was a megadrive game back in the day and an indy comic as well. If I could draw that guy and with the amazing story I’ve heard about that would be so great.
WG - Now that Unkillables is over, Is there anything you can share that you are working on now or have plans to work on in the near future?
KM - I’m still busy with the aftershock ‘The Man who F@#$ed up Time’ by Jon Layman and myself, This story is another intense one by one of the great writers and I have no idea how I got involved with these giants of comics as a new guy.
WG - Is there anything you would like to say to the readers of Unkillables or any thing you want them to know?
KM - Thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying not only this series but the unkillables as a spin off mini series, you make the late nights and dry eye sockets all worth it. You all Rock and are honorary Tree Lobsters. I hope I can bestow that title on people, otherwise I’m in trouble.
WG - And this one is my favorite to ask creators but in five years from now, where do you see yourself?
KM - Sitting up late with dry eye sockets making Awesome comics with Awesome people. Nothing else I want to do.
The Man Himself - Karl Mostert
If you have read DCeased UNKILLABLES then the name Karl Mostert should ring a bell to you. Karl is the artist who brought all gruesome deaths to life. Based on the amazing work he did in this series; you may not be able to tell that he is a newcomer when it comes to doing art for DC. Karl actually did his first work for DC with last years DC New Year’s Evil #1 but Unkillables was his first full DC issue and man, what a way to show the world your talent by getting involved in one of the biggest series out there right now. I started following Karl on twitter a little bit before Unkillables #1 was released and it has been a true honor to watch as he has become more and more recognized and to see all the amazing feedback that has been put online regarding his art as well as the high praises for Unkillables as a whole. I have been talking back and forth with Karl for the last few months and now that Unkillables has come to an end, I knew I had to ask him to give me an exclusive interview so I could share just how truly humble and incredible he is not only as an artist, but as a person. It has been so fun for me to not only follow Karl but to get to know him more and more and its an honor for me to bring you guys this exclusive interview with the man himself! If you do not already follow Karl on Twitter, do yourself a favor and do it now. Karl has such an incredible talent and shares a lot of his works in progress and its so amazing to watch them come together as he does them and shares them online.
I know you guys didn’t come here to read me go on and on so let’s get into what you guys really came here for.
Uncensored Panel From DCeased Unkillables By Karl Mostert
WG-Who is Karl Mostert the person?
KM- I am an old bugger, living in Cape Town South Africa with a beautiful wife and two Tazmanian devil children. Born and Bred in the Mother city (Cape Town) School was called Norman Henshilwood and after that I went to Cape Tech to study Graphic design, hated it, then decided to do something even harder in south Africa and that was being a comic book artist.
WG - When did you decide you wanted to be an artist? Was there something else you wanted to be first?
KM - I’ve wanted to be an artist since I was really young, in what we use to call sub B which would now be grade 2. That’s when the teenage mutant ninja turtle craze first hit. Never ever wanted to be anything else really, maybe a voice actor.
WG - When did you start doing art?
KM - I started arting in about grade 2 if I can remember correctly. I would draw Michaelangelo a lot, cos then he was my favourite. Its Donatello now.
WG - Did you go to any kind of school for art or did you go to school for anything else?
KM - I went to Art school in high school but it was more fine art and art history, so not really what I enjoyed, though I got my only A in art at school.
WG - What kind of art did you start with?
KM - Fine art, studying those old guys like Monet and Picasso, the Art Deco Era though Nouveau was definitely my favourite period, and now I sound like a tool
Original Art Aquaman / Green Lantern By Karl Mostert
WG - Were you always interested in comic books?
KM - Absolutely, ever since I first saw them. The best storytelling medium.
WG - Becoming a comic artist is one of the hardest jobs to get into now a days so how did you start to get into it?
KM - Tell me about it dude, I still cant believe it. I had heard that a DC talent scout was vising our one comic con in south Africa that we had about two years ago and I sent my work for him to see with a friend of mine as I wasn’t in the city that had the Con. He saw it and sent his card for me to get in touch. So it seems like it was that easy for me, but I had years of working towards a goal and I was blessed enough to achieve it finally, and its like a 100 times less likely to happen in south Africa.
WG - Was comics where you wanted to take your art or were you interested in another medium for your work?
KM - Always been comics for me, I’ve never been interested in any other medium.
WG - What was the first comic art that you actually had published?
KM - It was a fine art piece I did for a high school project and it was chosen to be in a poetry book. Nowhere near comic book art but that’s the first art piece ive ever had published. As for comics, I worked for a South African company and it was one of their books that I had my work published in I think.
WG - What materials are your go to when you are doing your art?
KM - At the moment digital, cintiq and pc, but I want to go back to pencil and paper, cos it just feels better.
Original Art - Punchline By Karl Mostert
WG - Is there any kind of style or method you prefer to use when doing your art?
KM - Nope not really, just my style, whatever that is.
WG - What comics books have you been a part of?
KM - Internationally, I’ve been part of a ‘new years evil’ batman and calendar man story, Aftershocks ‘the man who F@#$ed up time’ and ‘DCeased: Unkillables’. Back at home I’ve been part of many that I cant even remember.
WG - How did you get picked up for Unkillables?
KM - TBH I have no idea. Ben Abernathy, the Editor for Dceased, who was also the talent scout that came to South Africa and looked at my stuff, told me one day that he wanted me to do the new dceased stuff. Don’t ask me why, cos I was and still am relatively new
WG - Were you nervous or concerned at all knowing how popular of a series DCeased was ?
KM - I was a wreck. And Tom Taylor starts to post all the accolades and reviews that Dceased got and I shrunk even smaller. But Ben was in my corner the whole way and had been such Epic support that I think it would have definitely gotten the better of me had he not been there.
WG - Was there any worry or concern coming into a series that had previously been done by another artist?
KM - Oh man, I’d been following the pros forever and then suddenly I have to do a comic after one of them? I think worry and concern was putting it very mildly.
WG - Did you use any of Trevor Hairsine’s work from the original run as inspiration?
KM - Not really, though I read it over and over and loved it so much, I did want to keep my own view on it and bring my own style and reflection of Toms story into my work.
WG - What was the experience like doing that first full issue Working with DC and Tom Taylor and the rest of the creative team?
KM - Daunting. Scary. Fun. Exciting. All the emotions. Like I said Ben and Tom were fully behind me, and that made me feel like ok maybe I can do this, so besides me feeling anxious those feelings were scuppered by the great feedback from Tom and Ben.
WG - Did you learn anything from the overall experience or pick up anything new?
KM - Oh yes, I think that artists are always learning even from the bad critiques and I find that taking the bad with the good helps me to iron out weak points in my art.
WG - Now that the series has finished, is there anything you wish you could go back and change or tweak a little bit?
KM - Oh heavens yes. Lots of things that I had to rush through and didn’t give enough attention to I would love to change that being said, going forward whatever I work on I can use that to make future projects much better cos I know what to look out for.
WG - How does it feel to be so well received by the comic community?
KM - It’s a weight off my back, there are those negative reviews that don’t make sense to me and always are in the back of my mind, but I understand that not everyone is gonna like my art, but the amount of positive feedback I have received really is a great feeling, we all worked our backsides off for this and I speak for myself when I say I could have done some things better but damn it feels good to have our work be so appreciated.
Preview Of DCeased Unkillables By Karl Mostert
WG - Have you had any wild fan interactions yet or had any really awesome interactions?
KM - Lots of great interactions with most all of the fans Usually idont get people talking to me that don’t like the stuff, so its all been good. I’m waiting for my death threats one day, I believe that’s when I’ve ‘made it’.
WG - Has the current Covid-19 Pandemic caused any difficulties for you as an artist while trying to work on this series?
KM - Yeah, my kids are now at home and they cant seem to pour their own juice and get their own food so that’s taken out of my time. Haha.
WG - Have you picked up any new hobbies or activities during this pandemic?
KM - Online meetings is a great hobby that’s ive found during this time. Other than that not really.
WG - With DCeased you got to draw some of the most iconic characters in DC history but which one were you most excited to do?
KM - As a noob, I can tell you all of them were very high on my list of exciting characters. But Mr Unkillable, Deathstroke was the top I think, ask me tomorrow and I’ll have a different answer.
WG - If you could pick one character from any publisher to work on, who would it be and why?
KM - Do you know Chakan the foreverman? Was a megadrive game back in the day and an indy comic as well. If I could draw that guy and with the amazing story I’ve heard about that would be so great.
WG - Now that Unkillables is over, Is there anything you can share that you are working on now or have plans to work on in the near future?
KM - I’m still busy with the aftershock ‘The Man who F@#$ed up Time’ by Jon Layman and myself, This story is another intense one by one of the great writers and I have no idea how I got involved with these giants of comics as a new guy.
WG - Is there anything you would like to say to the readers of Unkillables or any thing you want them to know?
KM - Thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying not only this series but the unkillables as a spin off mini series, you make the late nights and dry eye sockets all worth it. You all Rock and are honorary Tree Lobsters. I hope I can bestow that title on people, otherwise I’m in trouble.
WG - And this one is my favorite to ask creators but in five years from now, where do you see yourself?
KM - Sitting up late with dry eye sockets making Awesome comics with Awesome people. Nothing else I want to do.
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