Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521244
M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 4 | P E R S P E C T I V E 2 5 Benton Jew is a professional Illustrator, storyboard artist, and comic artist. As a child, he always drew and made movies with his twin brother. He graduated from The Academy of Art/USF in San Francisco; and in 1988, started working at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) where he became a Visual Effects Art Director. Benton stayed at ILM for thirteen years, providing art and design for commercials, attractions and feature films, including Ghostbusters 2, The Mask, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Men in Black 1 & 2 and Hulk. After joining the IMA, Benton worked on such high-profile films as Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Logan, Wonder Woman, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, They Listen and The Electric State. In his spare time, he has created his own self- published comics; and has also been published in Dark Horse, Heavy Metal, MonsterForge and Marvel. Benton Jew FANGSTERS: MONEY IS THICKER THAN BLOOD IS A PRELUDE TO A LONGER PIECE I HOPE TO DO. FANGSTERS TAKES PLACE DURING THE THIRTIES GANGSTER ERA WHERE VIOLENT GANG RIVALRIES ARE RAMPANT SO IF YOU ARE A MOB BOSS, WHO WOULD BE BETTER TO DESTROY YOUR RIVALS THAN HITMEN WHO WILL WORK AT NIGHT, WHO DON'T REQUIRE GUNS, WHO ARE EXTREMELY POWERFUL AND WHO NEVER DIE? THE ANSWER, VAMPIRES! I WANTED TO CREATE A LOOK THAT PAYS HOMAGE TO OLD GANGSTER AND NOIR FILMS, AS WELL AS VAMPIRE FILMS. MY STORYTELLING APPROACH IN COMICS IS SIMILAR TO MY APPROACH TO STORYTELLING IN FILM. I LIKE TO KEEP IT SIMPLE AND TO THE POINT WITH WHATEVER FEELING OR EMOTION I AM TRYING TO PORTRAY. ANY SHOT I CREATE IS THERE FOR THE PURPOSE OF ADVANCING THE STORY FORWARD. NOTHING IS THERE TO JUST "LOOK COOL" FOR ITS OWN SAKE. IN TERMS OF THE WRITING, MY GOAL IS TO INFUSE IT WITH EQUAL PARTS HORROR, AS WELL AS A WRY SENSE OF HUMOR. I WANT TO GIVE THE READER SOMETHING TO GIGGLE ABOUT AS THEY HIDE UNDER THEIR SHEETS. Visit adg.org/perspective to view the comic panels in full screen.