Artist Tod Smith began his comics career by attending the Joe Kubert School in Dover, NJ in the late seventies before migrating to Connecticut where he resides today. He has worked with such legends as Dick Giordano, Frank McLaughlin, Gil Kane, Don McGregor, and Chuck Dixon.

Working under the big umbrellas of Marvel and DC, Tod has worked on such prestigious titles as The Omega Men, Vigilante, Spider-Man, The Green Hornet, Conan, The Silver Surfer, the Scarlet Spider and Darkhawk. He has also done pencil work on Evira, Mistress of the Dark and collaborated with fellow Kubert School alumnus Thomas Yeates on the syndicated Zorro strip.

More recently Tod has done a series of educational children’s books for Capstone Press, and two fictional adaptations for their sister company, Stone Arch Books, as well as two New Look graphic novels for Archie Comics.

We caught up with Tod to see what he’s working on and to take a sneak peek at his new website – www.todsmithart.com.

1) You have a long and impressive resume, having worked for such comic Bellwethers as DC and Marvel and titles including Spider-Man, Green Lantern, Silver Surfer and Punisher. Tell us how you got into the biz.

(TOD)  I got started in the “biz” through the late (and great) Dick Giordano. I first had him as a teacher at the Kubert School, and later came to Connecticut to take an inking workshop with him. Dick had always been very encouraging, and at some point after the workshop was over I showed him some samples, and he said “you’re ready”. Keith Giffen was getting ready to leave the Omega Men at that time and Dick was a vice-president at DC (after having served as an editor). Dick arranged for me to show my work to Marv Wolfman, the editor on the Omega Men … and that was how I got started!

2) Which was the better experience – DC or Marvel? How was working for these two behemoths different (e.g., was there a different work culture)?

(TOD)  I don’t know how they operate now, but back then DC didn’t seem to have any particular editorial policy. They were trying different things, sort of a “throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-if-it-sticks” approach. I got very little editorial input, and if a book didn’t catch on, the first course of action was to replace the creative team and try again. And if that failed, cancel the book and move on to the next project.

Marvel, by comparison, had a very definite editorial policy (or formula) for their books – lots of slam-bang action, and a certain amount of soap-opera every month involving the character's personal life. I received some very specific editorial direction as to how to pump up the action scenes, and make the book more visually interesting.

So DC took more of a hands-off approach, and the Marvel editors would work with you to achieve the “Marvel style”, which was very helpful to me as a relatively new artist.

3) What was your favorite title to work on and why?

(TOD)  The only title I did for Marvel for any length of time was Darkhawk, and it was a great learning experience. My editor (Nel Yomtov) was very supportive, and we became friends and still stay in touch, and the writer (Danny Fingeroth) was also very helpful. I'd done some Spider-Man fill-in work for him, and he had suggested me for Darkhawk after Mike Manley left.  We’d get together in NY for lunch every so often to discuss the book’s direction (and whatever else crossed our minds). We were all a similar age and hit it off very well. The Omega Men was exciting because it was my first big assignment.

In terms of creative freedom and just plain FUN, you couldn’t beat Elvira (Claypool Comics) – that was a cartoonist's dream-come-true. It didn’t pay as well as the other two, but it was a LOT of fun.

4) How did you hook up with Carl Herring Jr. at Three J Productions?

(TOD)  Back in the mid-nineties, Carl ran an ad in a local Connecticut paper looking for an artist, and I answered it. We met for lunch, and started working together. That simple.

5) You have a new title out called The Enforcers about a fictional drug czar who is assembling a dream team to battle illegal narcotics. Tell us about the first issue that released in May – how does the story start and how has it been received thus far?

(TOD)  From what I've heard, reaction to it has been very positive. The thing is, I did that book about fourteen years ago, while going through a divorce, and I remember it being a struggle. Carl later had his own problems to deal with, so it’s taken until now for the book to come out. The story starts with the assembling of the Enforcer’s team, so the reader gets a chance to know the individual characters. Carl started with the character Maddox, and I'm working on issue #2 now which features Jagger (no, not Mick). I’m happily remarried now, by the way, so I think #2 is more indicative of where I’m currently at. This time I’m really enjoying it.

6) How many issues will be in the series? And will it become available in graphic novel format?

(TOD)  I believe there are five issues in the series. As to whether it gets published as a graphic novel or not, I couldn’t say. That depends on sales and available $$$. I’d certainly like to see that happen.

7) Aside from the estimable Mr. Carl Herring (who was interviewed in 2009 in this column), who has been your favorite writer to work with?

(TOD)  As far as the action/super-hero stuff, Chuck Dixon is great – I love his gritty sense of drama and dry, understated humor. (You reading this, Chuck? Let’s do it again.)

For humor, I got a real kick out of working with Frank Strom on the Elvira stories. He’s got a wild sense of humor and an unpredictable flow to his stories. You never knew where they were going until the end. He never failed to make me laugh.

8) You also worked at Now Comics where you illustrated The Green Hornet (1990-92). How was this experience?

(TOD)  It was a mixed bag. As I just said, it was a pleasure to work with Chuck Dixon because he’s such a good story-teller. But the company was floundering (and eventually went out of business), and I had trouble getting paid. I seem to remember actually losing money while working for them. But that’s the comics biz.

9) You dabbled for a while on a Zorro newspaper strip. How did this come about and were the deadlines more demanding than doing comic work for DC, Marvel and Now Comics?

(TOD)  That came about through my friendship with Thomas Yeates, another Kubert School alumnus and fellow Zorro fan. We had gotten to know one another back in Dover (NJ, home of the school); he'd been in a previous class, but we both enjoyed playing music, talking comics, and Zorro (a favorite character of mine since I was a kid), and got to be friends.

Tom was doing the strip back in the late 90's, and as other work came along for him, he invited me to help out on the strip doing layouts. Newspaper strips are a grind – they’re unrelenting; you never really get caught up. And if you fall behind you can get fined by the syndicate you’re working for, and/or cancelled. So you’ve got to stay on top of it constantly.

That said, it was a pleasure to work with Tom, one of the most talented people I know, and to work on a great character. Unfortunately, adventure strips like that no longer enjoy the readership they used to, and it was cancelled after a couple of years. But I’m happy to have done it; it was a labor of love. Zorro and I now share some personal history.

10) Time to plug your works! Where can we go on the web or at comic cons to catch up on the latest with Tod Smith? And any updates on The Enforcers series?

(TOD)  Well, funny you should ask. I have a new website called todsmithart.com where people can reach me. It features examples of most of the things I’ve worked on, some of which readers may recognize, some totally unfamiliar. I have done a variety of things since the mid-nineties. I’m glad The Enforcers is getting back on track, because I haven’t done that kind of material since my days on the Punisher and Vigilante, and frankly, I feel I’m a better artist now and doing some of my best work. It’s mature material, and I’ve matured, so the timing is good. Carl is a talented writer, and I hope the readers will check out the whole series; it’s gotten off to a slow start (14 years!), but it’s going to be fun and worth following, so please be patient and hang in there.

Thanks Tod. Good things (like The Enforcers) come to those who wait. BTW – the new website looks great.

Bob Heske is creator of The Night Projectionist, a vampire horror series by publisher Studio 407 with film rights optioned by Myriad Pictures. Through his Heske Horror shingle, Bob self-published his critically acclaimed horror series Cold Blooded Chillers. Bob’s trade paperback Bone Chiller (a “best of” CBC anthology) won a Bronze medal in the horror category at the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Awards. His “end times” anthology 2012: Final Prayer was released on November 13, 2009. Bob’s works are available online at Amazon.com, Zaldiva.com, ComixPress, IndyPlanet, HeavyInk, SmallZone, DriveThruComics, WOWIO.com and YuDu.com (store). You can email Bob at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .