Kapow! An exclusive chat with comicbook young gun Stephen Segovia

It takes a certain kind of person to become a comicbook artist. Yes, one would need to have a certain level of proficiency in drawing and storytelling, obviously, but also, a certain level of drive and gumption.

Stephen Segovia, 32, has all of that.

Born with a natural proclivity to the visual arts, Segovia was drawn to comics at an early age, recalling that he would often borrow local comicbooks from his friends while in grade school. His passion for the medium soon grew, with Segovia starting to send out portfolios of his works to local publishers during the ‘90s.

“When I was a kid, I used to borrow local comicbooks from a friend. Instead of playing outside, I spent more time reading comicbooks. It felt like I was in a different world and dimension,” Segovia said, adding that he realized he wanted to make comics for a living when he eventually encountered works made by Filipino artists Francisco Coching, Nestor Redondo, Alfredo Alcala and Alex Nino.

“Their masterful works influenced me to be part of the comic world” Segovia said.

Despite now being a celebrated artist in his own right, Segovia started out with humble beginnings, first working as an artist for Funny Komiks at the young age of 16, writing and illustrating stories featuring the anthropomorphic Tomas and Kulas for the now- defunct newsstand staple for close to six years.

“I learned a lot while working with Funny Komiks. Whenever I meet and get mentored by veteran artists, my art skills would level up,” Segovia said in a prior interview.

Segovia, however, soon jumped ship to work for international comicbook publishing houses DC Comics, Dynamite Entertainment and, finally, the House of Ideas itself, Marvel Comics, working on titles such as Wolverine: Origins and Dark Wolverine, as well as X-Treme X-Men and The Mighty Avengers.

GIST got to chat for a bit with the self-taught comicbook young gun — he recently headlined DC’s most recent story arc, Convergence — to talk about his dream collaborations, his preferred art style and yes, his proudest moment (the end part sounds like a Drake song).

Gist: What’s a common misconception that people have about your job?

Stephen Segovia: At first people would think that I was just having fun and that drawing comics is just a hobby. And while they are actually correct about me having fun while doing comic art, people should also understand that it’s a very serious and professional work. It’s a combination of dedication, hard work, and consistency.

What’s your take on having a defining art and visual style versus being flexible?

Both are actually good but being flexible is better. If an artist can paint, pencil, ink or do concept art, it is much better in comics or any other media for that matter since he can express the other sides of his talent.

Never limit yourself. Expand your imagination and skills. Be versatile.

Who’s an artist or writer that you’d love to collaborate with?

Mark Millar, Brian Michael Bendis, Geoff Johns and Joss Whedon.

What’s your dream project?

I’d like to do a Batman series.

What keeps you going as an artist?

The fact that I love this job! It’s one of the best jobs in the world!

It actually doesn’t matter if it’s lucrative or not — as long as I love being an artist, I will keep living as an artist.

What’s the proudest moment in your career so far?

My proudest moment so far would have to be when I first drew for international comicbooks.

I never really thought that day would ever come, especially since it all started as being just a dream. Now, it’s a reality.