For those of you who might not know, Morry Hollowell is one of Marvel’s most prominent colorists and is best known for his work alongside Steve McNiven on titles like Civil War, Old Man Logan and New Avengers along with a variety of other artists and characters. I was recently able to get in touch with Morry who was kind enough to take the time out of his hectic schedule to answer my questions. Below you can read all about how he got into the profession, his favourite characters to color, what he thinks about the upcoming Marvel movies and a lot more! So, have a read of this fascinating interview and be sure to share your thoughts in the usual place!
JOSHW: How did you get into working in comic books and with Marvel in particular?
MORRY HOLLOWELL: I have always been interested in comics since I was little. So I pursued a career after high-school by attending the Joe Kubert School of art in New Jersey. With some persistence I was able to land a job assisting a local colorist (Mark McNabb) after school. That was my first break. After graduating Kuberts school I became a Mac Technician to continue living in New Jersey. I still pursued art jobs that I could do after work each day and attended conventions whenever I could. Which paid off in Chicago when I showed my portfolio to Cross-gen comics. They later hired me and flew me down to Florida. When Cross-gen ended I was quickly gobbled up by the excellent people at Marvel comics. I've been working for them ever since.
JOSHW: How long does each page in a normal comic book usually take to colour?
MORRY HOLLOWELL: The typical comic page takes me about 6-10 hours now. It really depends on the content. If it's a splash page with a single figure on it and a sky background I'd say 2 hours. If it's a page with 8 panels and 8 good-guys fighting 8 bad-guys in the city I'd say 2 days. :P
JOSHW: Many people will know you best for your work alongside Steve McNiven on Civil War. How was it to work on such an iconic series which featured so many historic moments in the Marvel Universe?
MORRY HOLLOWELL: Funtastic! I'm a huge comic fan so being able to play with almost every Marvel character was a joygasm.
JOSHW: Are there any characters in particular that you enjoy working on?
MORRY HOLLOWELL: I was familiar with most the Marvel U even before I started working for Marvel. So I enjoy everything that comes across my desk. If I had to pick a favorite I'd say Spider-man and Wolverine are tied.
Batman is my all time favorite character though. I can't wait to get my hands on him.
JOSHW: Do you have a favourite issue or panel that you've coloured?
MORRY HOLLOWELL: There's a 6 page story at the end of ASM #601 I colored recently over Joe Q. I'd have to say that's my favorite. I've been a fan of his since X-Factor. Had his artwork hanging up all over my room growing up.
JOSHW: What do you think about the upcoming Marvel movies? Any specific ones that you're looking forward to?
MORRY HOLLOWELL: Looking forward to seeing Captain America. WW2 with super heroics will be awesome. Thor should be awesome as well. I honestly was sold as soon as they announced Natalie Portman. Looking forward to The Avengers movie the most though. If they actually pull that one off I'll be really impressed.
Overall it's really nice to see these stories told on the big screen.
JOSHW: Have you been, or would you like to be, involved in the design process of any of those movies?
MORRY HOLLOWELL: Art from Civil War was used as reference to help put together the first
Iron Man movie. That was exciting to hear. Other than that I've never had any involvement with the movies. I'd certainly enjoy being involved. I love comics so working on a comic movie would be great.
JOSHW: What can your fans expect to see from you next?
MORRY HOLLOWELL: I just finished working with Ed McGuiness on Hulk #22 and #23. X-Men Origins : Emma Frost should be out now as well. I've been coloring a lot of covers. I'm currently working on a one-shot Punisher Max story with Juan Jose Ryp. Not sure what's after that. I'm sure it's something Marvelous though!
Also trying to do my own work with my spare time. I've recently acquired a Cintiq and it's a blast to draw on. Check out my website for updates. Mocolors.com.
I’d like to of course say a big thank you to Morry for taking the time to share his thoughts with me to post here on CBM and if you’d like to know more about him and his work just click
HERE to take a look at his website!