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Related Sites: · Visit Tom Fleming's site and buy some fantastic art! Tom Fleming rendition of DC's Starfire. Eat your heart out, Nightwing!

I met Tom Fleming at the Pittsburgh Comicon in 2007. His work caught my eye immediately. I'm not sure if it was his amazing skills at drawing gorgeous women or his ability to make Firestorm look cool, puffy sleeves and all. Unfortunately, I had already spent all my dough before finding his booth, so when I got to Pittsburgh in 2008, I headed to his booth first. Tom was kind enough to answer a few questions spanning his varied and exciting career.

Tom, your career uniquely bridges two of my biggest passions, comics and professional wrestling. I read on your website that you got your job with what was then the WWF by answering an ad in the New York Times. I don't know how many people realize that the wrestlers don't always come up with their outfits or personas themselves. What were some of the costumes or graphics you designed that wrestling fans may be familiar with? And were there any designs you recall that never made it through the curtain for various reasons?

Let’s see, I designed the costumes for Razor Ramon, Papa Shango, Crush, Adam Bomb, Tatanka, Max Moon, Bastion Booger (one of my all time favorites), 1-2-3 Kid, Lex Luger, Kane, etc. There were definitely designs that didn’t make it through because I, and two or three other designers, submit a minimum of 2 or 3 designs each and only one gets chosen for production.

In what way was Bastion Booger one of your all-time favorites?

He was just so disgusting in every way. When I designed the costume I had the straps cut through his hairy man breasts, and I attached them to little trunks with no legs to exaggerate his gigantic pot belly. My favorite part of the character was his finishing move, where he would sit on his opponent’s face after beating them, and take out a handkerchief, blow his nose in it, and cover their face with it as you do a dead body!

Can you share a couple of your most memorable experiences with the WWE?

Well, let’s see, a couple off the top of my head are: The time that I almost got into a fist fight with Mr. Perfect for designing Adam Bomb’s costume with the same singlet cut as his. He stormed up to me back stage at one of the TV tapings and proceeded to SCREAM about 2 inches from my face, “Who the f@#%k do I think I am designing Bomb’s costume with the same singlet cut?” I thought he might actually take a swing because I was actually smiling while he was screaming, because it was so funny to hear a wrestler so upset over some spandex! By the way, if he did touch me, I definitely would have hit him back! Most of those guys I wouldn’t even consider it, but Curt [Hennig] wasn’t one of the bigger guys and I think I would have done OK. Even if I got my ass beat, it would make for a damn good story! Another really memorable moment was when I had to take El Gigante into NYC to be fitted for a suit. Walking around NYC with a 7’7” giant was quite an experience! Some of the fan mail that was sent to the WWE was unbelievably funny and incredibly delusional! We got a letter from a kid, claiming that one of the characters that I created the costume for, Papa Shango, freaked his brother out so badly that he had to be committed to a mental hospital!

What was it like working with Vince McMahon and which wrestlers did you find the easiest or the most difficult to work with?

I am going to reserve my opinion of Mr. McMahon. I personally didn’t experience any problems with him, but many people cannot say the same. Some of the cooler guys that I met or worked with were Bret Hart, Randy Savage, Scott Hall (Razor Ramon), Brian Clark (Adam Bomb), Charles Wright (Papa Shango), & Tatanka. Some of the jerks were, of course, Mr. Perfect, Bobby the Brain, and the biggest dickhead by far was The Ultimate Warrior.

Of the wrestlers you worked with, who do you think would have made a good superhero character?

Before I worked there, but hands down, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka!

After the WWF, you moved on to the trading card industry, and then into comic book covers and fantasy art. How do you approach an assignment for a trading card piece or a cover? Are there certain challenges unique to those tasks? For example, I imagine you have a bit more freedom when designing a piece to be used in a trading card, whereas a comic cover assignment may require certain elements the editor wants to convey about the interior. Would that be true?

In general, the key factor to doing an effective trading card, comic cover, or anything selling a product is catching the eye and getting people to stop and look closer/buy the product. With trading cards it is very important to keep in mind the scale that it will be reproduced at. Knowing that it will be reproduced at such a small dimension, it is necessary to do very bold and in-your-face type compositions. Comic book covers vary from a scene that follows the storyline, to a powerful iconic cover that stands on its own merit. As a general rule in my experience, is that Marvel likes the powerful iconic look, and DC likes to follow the storyline.

You've done art for the World of Warcraft mythos. How did that job come about and what was it like to design and create pieces for the biggest online game in the world?

I was doing a lot of card art for the Upper Deck game system VS. and my art director Mark Irwin (great guy) became the art Director for the WOW game system also, so he asked all his artist’s who would be interested in working on the project, and naturally I was. I had a great time working on the card art, and it was a nice break from the superhero stuff.

You were the official illustrator for the Jodie Foster film "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys." How did that job come about and what did it entail?

It came about one morning when a friend who was working as the Art Department coordinator for the movie overheard the Director and the Set Designer discussing that they needed a comic book artist immediately to create the mother prop for the movie, along with any other still artwork that would be seen on camera. My friend called me immediately and told me I didn’t even have time for a shower, that they would need to see me ASAP or they would call someone else! Luckily I lived about a mile from the studios and was there within 15 minutes. I got the job, and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my career.

Talk a little about your process: what kinds of paints, brushes, paper or canvass do you prefer to use?

I use watercolor, color pencil, and acrylic on watercolor paper for my color work, and pencil and blending stumps on smooth surface bristol for my B&W stuff. I use student grade Windsor Newton watercolors and very inexpensive brushes (because I beat the crap out of them).

What was the most challenging assignment you've attempted, from the WWF days to your most recent commission?

That’s a tough question, but the ones that really stick out are when I had to do a fully painted piece for the WWF in 24 hrs. for a TV guide advertisement, or when I got the job on a major motion picture as the storyboard artist and had to teach myself on the job because I told them I had plenty of experience (gotta do what it takes to break in the business).

Do you have any desire to do interior comic art?

Man, that’s a good question. I have been asked by a few editors at Marvel and DC if I would like to give it a try, but I am so slow that it would be tough for me to hit any realistic deadlines. I threw the idea of another artist doing real rough layouts and me doing the finishes until I get comfortable with the storytelling aspect of the art. Both Marvel and DC were receptive, but nothing has solidified yet.

Who are some of your artistic influences? And what other comic or fantasy artists do you admire?

Well there are the masters: NC Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Maxfield Parish, Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, J.W.Waterhouse. Then there are the guys that I grew up admiring and idolizing: Frank Frazetta, Boris, Michael Whelan, Bernie Wrightson, Michael Kaluta, Barry Smith, Sal Buscema, and Bill Sienkiewicz. Then there are modern guys like Sorayama, Adam Hughes, Dave DeVries, Alex Ross, Drew Struzan and many more that I am sure I am forgetting.

Do you attend a lot of conventions? And what are some of your most memorable experiences at comic conventions, for better or worse?

I do about 7 shows a year; Megacon (one of my favorites), DragonCon Art Show (my favorite), Heroes Con(Shelton rocks), Pittsburgh Comicon, Baltimore Comic-Con, Wizard World Philly, Orlando Megacon, and some smaller show here and there. Meeting one of my childhood heroes, Sal Buscema, last month at the Pittsburgh Comicon was definitely up there. Leaving my portfolio filled with published work leaning against a lamppost in a parking lot and going back to my hotel at DragonCon was pretty memorable (and almost did me in when I realized it in the morning). I was incredibly lucky that a parking attendant was on the ball and saw a homeless man walking away with it and took it from him and locked it up in the booth over night. CrossGen Comics kick-off party with Stan Lee as guest of honor was pretty insane.

What piece of your own work are you most proud of?

That’s a tough one because I like a few pieces for different reasons. “Soul Harvest” is one of my favorite paintings, along with “Dead Mime” and the pencil drawing “Spring” which was nominated for a Chesley Award last year.

Is there a "dream project" for Tom Fleming?

I’m kind of working on my dream project right now with my series of giclee prints on canvas. I never expected them to go over so well and it’s getting to the point where I can paint what I want and people seem to really dig them. There is no possible way to express how thankful and appreciative I am for anybody and everybody who has ever purchased anything from me and has supported me so I can do what I love for a living! I do not take it for granted, and know that I am extremely fortunate to be able to make my living this way.

Oh yeah, I really want to do a MAD Magazine cover at some point!