Christian Ward reveals his ‘Many Worlds’

As far as titles are concerned, Christian Ward nailed it with his forthcoming art book, Many Worlds.

“Variety is the spice of life,” he said during a recent Zoom call. “When I’m working, these are my four walls that I sit between Monday to Friday. I work till 1 o’clock in the morning. I spend time with the kids and dinner time and all that. But other than that, I’m here. I would describe myself as being aggressively ambitious. So whatever I’m working on, I’ve always got other pots boiling.”

Ward added, “And so how do you deal with that? You deal with it by keeping things fresh. I’m a very impatient person. I don’t have a lot of attention. So I have to keep changing. And when I’m working on Spectregraph, for instance — I’m looking at my Cintiq right now — and there are four pages open at once.”

There’s no denying that Ward’s approach has had massive results. Be it the aforementioned Spectregraph with James Tynion IV, Black Bolt with Saladin Ahmed, ODY-C with Matt Fraction, or Aquaman: Andromeda with Ram V, among countless other projects, Ward has become a go-to name for innovative and thoughtful comics in recent years.

“I’m aware that the career I have is partly down to me working really hard at it,” he said. “I have not been an overnight success. I used to do comics alongside being a school teacher for 10 years.”

But even with his profile in the industry, putting together the book, which is currently crowdfunding via Zoop, wasn’t going to be the easiest prospect.

“There’s a very, very simple answer to why I don’t sell a bit of my artwork. And that is there is none,” said Ward. “Because my work is wholly digital. And it has been for the last 10 or 11 years, maybe a bit more.”

He added, “Occasionally when I have the time, I’ll do commissions, and the commissions are watercolor based. I had a period of selling what’s called artist editions, which are very nice lithograph prints, really beautiful stuff. I started doing it a few years ago, and for me it was a way of providing fans with something unique. Because for a lot of original comic book creators or just comic arts fans in general, it’s about having something that feels unique, that connects you to the artist.”

But in releasing these “artifacts,” Ward began to see that not everyone in the biz is as fan-friendly or even properly motivated by what actually matters.

“So I do these one-off prints and I wouldn’t sell them for a huge amount of money because they were digital prints and not originals,” said Ward. “I would sell them for, depending on what it was, between $300 and $500. I did an artist proof edition of the first Something Is Killing the Children cover that I did that was really popular. And then somebody sold it for $2,000. I’d sold it for, I think, about $400. So it just put me off the whole thing; I didn’t feel comfortable selling a single print for thousands. But I also didn’t want to sell it to somebody in good faith just for it to end up on eBay.”

It’s a concept that feels especially important given that, in the days leading up to our conversation, a controversy emerged surrounding Jim Lee. Specifically, some folks wondered how the DC publisher and comics legend could charge $20,000 for newly-opened commissions.

Courtesy of Christian Ward/Zoop.

“One thing that was really nice about that discourse that came out about Jim was just how many lovely stories people were coming out,” said Ward. “I’ve had a very small interaction with him, and he’s always been very kind and gracious to me. But all these stories are people with sick children and him giving artwork. Jim Lee does not need the money. It’s not about the money. It’s about our kind of self protection. If that’s what the art is worth, that’s what the art’s worth. Otherwise, he’s just putting it out there and it’s on eBay a week later for three times what he charged.”

But given that he’s so busy to make this all happen the right way, Ward needed proper help. So when he met Jordan Plosky of Zoop at a recent New York Comic Con, Ward jumped on the opportunity to do some crowdfunding for Many Worlds.

“I’ve been curious about crowdfunding, but too anxious and I didn’t have the time to run my own campaign,” said Ward. “So it just felt like a really good fit.”

And it’s in working with Zoop that Ward really began to see why the right kind of engagement, and emphasizing this fan-centric model, was so vital in the first place.

“Ever since 2016, but not every year, I’ve been doing these little convention-only art books,” he said. “And I love them. And from a business point of view, they never make me a lot of money. You have to go quite high with your print value to make sure that they’re really good quality. So they cost quite a lot to print. Then, obviously, there’s the weight of carrying it around at conventions.”

Ward added, “It ends up not being about a profit or how much money you’re going to make. It ends up being that sometimes you just want to make a book or a thing because it’s beautiful. I’ve been doing comics now for 15 years, and my professional illustration art predates that by another four or five years. And so I felt like it was a good time to make a book that wasn’t going to kill or be a bestseller. It’s just about putting all your artwork in one place, seeing how it looks, following the journey, looking at the story of your career, and just being proud of it. I’m really proud of my work. I really love it. And that’s really enhanced when I see it all put together.”

And when Ward says it’s as much for him as the fans, he means it by exploring the entirety of his career.

“I’m looking at the illustrative work, and how that moved into my comic book work, and how the comic book moved from creator-owned to work-for-hire,” he said. “There’s going to be little touches of all of that in the book that I’m putting together, because it’s just a celebration of those 15 years. I’ve got 120 pages and I’m putting work in, taking work out. There’s going to be new work in there. There’s going to be work that’s never been published in there. There’s going to be rare pieces that were in my very first art book, which sold out [and] that people are always asking me for. There’s going to be pieces reprinted from that into this. I’m doing it for me, really. I’m doing it because I’m really excited about having a lovely hardback book that’s just going to have all my work in. Like, ‘You’ve done it. Well done, mate.'”

Crowdfunding, then, is a means to emphasize the things that really matter and to engage in a way with his fans that suit his wants and needs.

“When you do a comic, be it DC or particularly for Image, you make the book and then you really have to go out there and sell it and promote it — to comics retailers and readers — and you really have to hope it sells in order to make a profit,” said Ward. “That’s your job and that’s how you pay your bills and pay your mortgage and all that.”

He added, “But the beauty of crowdfunding, and the beauty of a few other things, that’s my day job. That pays the bills. There’s no magic figure in my head that I’ve got to hit. So if it gets funded, I’ll make a little bit of money, but I’ll have a beautiful book that I can enjoy and my fans can enjoy. And maybe it’ll do even better than that, who knows? But that’s not the goal. The goal is really just the celebration and just because I want to have the book.”

Art from Aquaman: Andromeda. Courtesy of DC Comics.

Ward even went so far as to say that crowdfunding can almost be like the modern convention experience (in a way).

“I don’t do a lot of American conventions; I don’t do a lot of conventions, for start, because I’ve got a young family, and I don’t really like being away that much,” said Ward. “I see [crowdfunding] in the same way as a convention. It’s like a convention vibe internationally. So you can get something from me and it’s from me, literally…I will sign it and fold it and all the extras that you want with it…prints, some original drawings, whatever you want. So it’s emulating that convention experience if you’re never able to catch me at the one or two I do attend.”

It’s especially worth pointing out that Ward is fully cognizant of his position — not every creator can have the fortune and position that he’s carved out for himself.

“I will say, though, that’s coming from privilege,” he said. “I can afford to have that because I’ve got Spectregraph and some other things paying the bills. I might be in a very different position if I didn’t have those other books, so I am very aware of that. And so I don’t want to put myself on a pedestal and say, ‘Yeah, I’ve got a really good outlook.’ My privilege of where I am in my career has bought me that outlook.”

But you can’t deny that Ward nonetheless has a great outlook, and it’s the thing that moves Many Worlds into more compelling territories than some other art books as mere cash grabs.

“I think what’s important is that there has to be some sense of the story of my career,” said Ward of choosing pieces for Many Worlds. “We start roughly at the start of all the pieces and then we go through and then it introduces some of my first comic book stuff. And then at the end, it’s getting more contemporary stuff. So there has to be that sense of journey.”

Yes, some of his DC and Marvel stuff will be there, but Ward only includes it because it’s “part of my story.” Rather, it’s about the overarching narrative and trying to be as true to himself as possible.

“So it’s really just about me as an artist, what are the motifs that run through all my art and being able to illustrate how they flow from one medium to another,” said Ward. “I’ve done a number of exhibitions over the years, and so there’s a lot of pieces, from those themed exhibitions, that have nothing to do with comics or anything else. They’re just pieces of art that I made, but they share DNA with the comic book work. So it’s about having work that highlights all of those different facets of my career, but also just on a fundamental level…the book will have the full artworks on each page. And so from a very aesthetic point of view, which pairs look good together and how do they flow? You were alluding to an instinctual thinking about the story, but primarily does it look cool? Does it flow? Is there a rhythm to the art? It’s like doing a setlist for a concert — the best of Christian Ward. I’ll play the hits and then I’ll play what follows what. I’m being a visual DJ.”

It’s why one of the centerpieces of Many Worlds will be Ward’s long-running “spaceman” imagery, which he first created for friend/musician Jeremy Radway and his band Player Piano. It’s so important that he even adapted the piece for the book’s cover.

“There’s always a sense of a narrative to them,” said Ward of his various spacemen pieces. “There’s always a sense of cosmicness, with a kind of clashing retro aesthetic.”

Ward added, “[Radway] had a track called ‘Radio Love,’ and when I listened to it, a story appeared in my mind of this astronaut searching for the universe’s lost radio signal. And then with that story came this idea of the space helmet with the antenna with this psychedelic radio signals emulating from it. It also became, without a doubt, the most iconic image I’ve ever done. I’ve sold more prints of it than any other thing. I’ve had more compliments and more comments on this one image than anything else. So it spawned this series of this repeating motif. I felt like if there was one image that kick-started my career, it’s that one. It wasn’t even done for money, it was done for love.”

And there’ll even be some, let’s say, decidedly less cool or romantic stuff included as well.

“Before I was a comic book artist, I used to work with an Italian motorbike exhaust company; they make exhaust pipes for Italian motorbikes,” said Ward. “And I did a whole range of illustrations for this firm with motorbikes that had their exhaust pipes. There’s people riding on bikes it’s and it’s very early in my career, but I’m going to put a lot of those in because people have not seen them. Even though they’re quite rough and they’re not as polished as the latest stuff, they’re still interesting.”

It all goes back to what’s good for the story, and to let things unfold in a certain way to honor that.

“Just because something might not be my favorite piece doesn’t mean it won’t be somebody else’s favorite piece,” said Ward. “It’s really just being allowed, to go back to a previous question, to be guided by the story and to be guided by the variety and to be guided by ‘Purely, does it look good as a pair or next to each other’ or whatever.”

You may notice, aside from the sweet Italian motorbike ads, that Many Worlds says “Volume One.” And that’s because Ward doesn’t see himself being done whatsoever with exploring new horizons and ideas.

“This is not the end of Christian Ward,” he said. “This is not a band at the end of their career putting out their best of hits. This is where I am now.”

And just where is that exactly? For Ward, it’s increasingly adding a new title to his his vast C/V as a writer. Ward’s written comics before, including Machine Gun Wizards with Sami Kavali and Blood Stained Teeth with Patric Reynolds. But this time is a little different, and he’s trying to build on what he’s already got going and perhaps re-focus that robust creative energy in his tanks.

“I think I’ve been very fortunate to have a 15-year career,” said Ward. “And I think part of that, and one thing I take very seriously, is timing. I never want to be off the shelf or out of view for too long. So, since 2020, I’ve been developing myself as a writer as well as an artist. And that affords me the luxury of being able to juggle more than one project.”

Ward said he’ll still draw and make art; he loves doing regular covers because it’s a “different part of my brain, and that’s always fun.” However, he’s got several projects lined up, including a new book with Reynolds that will “blow us all away” and another title coming at the end of 2024, that allow him to be Mr. Writer.

“I have lots of ideas and I don’t like sitting on them,” Ward said. “From a business point of view, I just think it’s savvy just to keep reminding people that you’re there, especially now that I’m entering this new phase as being a writer and wanting to be taken as seriously as a writer as I am as an artist.”

In fact, he’s always intended this as the arc for his larger creative existence.

“It’s always been the plan,” said Ward, adding that he told Tynion IV that “[Spectregraph] is my swan song as far as working with other writers.” Ward added, “And the reason why it didn’t happen sooner was, I just kept getting really good opportunities working with amazing writers that. Matt Fraction; I’m not saying no to him. G Willow Wilson; I’m not saying no to her. Saladin Ahmed; not saying no to Saladin. Do you know what I mean? And it’s gone on and on and on.”

He explained that he’ always been “really precious about it…like, I’m going to write and draw it, like Daniel Warren Johnson does or what Jeff Lemire did right at the start of his career. But it just wasn’t practical. And so I thought, ‘It’s going to be 10 years down the line before this happens,’ and that’s when I just stopped being so precious about it.” Ward credits working with folks like Reynolds and Kavali for helping him down the path.

Art from Machine Gun Wizards. Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.

“They did the heavy lifting,” said Ward. “I was able to write the books alongside drawing another book. And in the same way with this crowdfunding art book, because the day job was drawing a different book, it took the pressure off the success of the writing.”

But it’s not as big of a transition as maybe you’d expect. Ward (who said he’s written short stories for years) sees writing and making art as very much the same kind of expression.

“When you’re involved in comic book making and you’re an artist, you’re using all the same muscles as a storyteller,” he said. “The only tool you’re not using is words. You’re still playing with story, but you’re just not using words. So the only addition to writing is then introducing words.”

It’s maybe a little different than drawing, but ultimately, writing is about solving problems and filling in the gaps.

“It’s more mathematical. I love the structure of it,” Ward said of writing. “I’m writing this new series at the moment. I finished issue two last night and, you know, it’s like, ‘OK, I have to hit these beats. And there has to be a shape in this issue.’ It has to feel like the end is an answer to a question at the beginning. And I love that. What’s that going to look like? How’s that going to feel? And just the fist punch emotion of completing a script and nailing it. Actually, I get that far more now from writing than I do from art. If only because it’s that challenge of something new and exciting.”

Being an artist, of course, has helped Ward become a more regular writer.

“I can visualize what’s going to go on the page,” he said. “I know visually what’s important. I know what can be done and I know what can’t be done. I know about spacing. I know what would feel like a small panel and what needs to be a big panel.”

However, he draws the line (I’ve employed an art pun, folks) in doing too much.

“Even though I can visualize a page as I’m writing it…it’s very important to me that I don’t steal,” said Ward.

He added, “The thing I’ve done with Patric, he’s got to create a new character for an existing universe. I told him about this character and their personality, their history, their abilities, etc. Patric’s first response was that he thought I was going to design it. I could have designed the character, but then why would I have stolen that joy and that opportunity from Patric? And that goes into the scripts as well. When I was doing Blood Stained Teeth or Machine Gun Wizards, I made a conscious decision…I never have to be like, ‘Oh God, I could do better’ because they bring something to each of the books. It was just a case of just sitting back and going, ‘I trust them.’ Because I always want trust when I’m the artist.”

It’s an idea perhaps reinforced during his work with Tynion IV.

“He knows that he can trust that I’m not going to let his story down,” said Ward. “I get the story. I get the characters. I get totally what we’re doing and I’m not going surprise them with something that’s like, ‘What’s this?’ And that’s why it’s really important when you choose a collaborator, that you choose the right collaborator. But once you’ve made that decision, then you let them go and you set them free. And really it’s just empowering new artists to do their best work.”

Or even his collaboration/friendship with Sam Lake — creative director of Remedy Entertainment — who invited Ward to contribute comic art to the recent Alan Wake 2 DLC. (Wake also provides an introduction to Many Worlds.)

“I really like Sam; we really get on well and we have a similar outlook on stories,” said Ward. “And it was just about what’s in our brain. It’s been a blast working with someone who’s really passionate. Even though it’s in a different field, it’s still the same story.”

Art from the Alan Wake 2 DLC. Courtesy of Remedy Entertainment.

Ward’s entire experience with Alan Wake 2, in fact, proved really beneficial.

“I felt like I was helping because I got a script that basically looked like a movie script,” said Ward. “They had a basic idea of what it could look like in game. And so it was about me working with the team at Remedy. There’s a really cool director that I worked with quite closely. We built it up. I designed how the sequence would look. We would have Zoom calls every week and go over the designs and talk about the story.”

Even a slightly older, equally star-studded project was a boon for Ward.

“Without wanting to name-drop, it was the same experience that I had when I worked with Oscar Isaac [on Head Wounds: Sparrow],” he said. “I have photographs of my family in the room, I promise, but I couldn’t help having a photograph of me and Oscar. But that was the same thing…working with this amazing actor who I got to know on a personal level. But the best thing about it was working with people who love stories.”

And speaking of big names, there’s at least one who could get Ward back onto art duties full-time.

“I’m not going to say never; if Grant Morrison says to me, ‘Do I want to do a book,’ I’m saying yes,” said ward. “If Grant’s listening, I would very much like to work with them.”

For Ward, all the many projects and the mid-career pivot are in pursuit of the same thing: he just wants to engage people through his work.

“That’s the common thread of my whole career. As much as I’m an artist, even my art is associated with story. It’s very much narrative-driven, even if it’s just a single image,” said Ward. “Every project I’ve done, whether it be work-for-hire or creator-owned, it’s always been, ‘Is that a story I want to tell?’ So when I look back on my career and the things that I’ve done, there’s not one part of it that I’m not proud of and not one part of it that I don’t feel like I’ve really achieved something. I’ve done so much and you just get a real sense of accomplishment. But it also makes me really excited because I don’t feel like I’m finished yet.”

Even though he’s not nearly done, Ward is happy to have spent this recent chunk of time strolling down memory lane. It’s a slightly marked change as Ward said that he “used to be really insecure and anxious” about his work and its impact until that all “just melted away over the last few years.”

It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly facilitated that change, but maybe it has everything to do with his “Many Worlds” of projects, and how each has not only been well received but has also tried to break new ground and push art and comics forward. Because it’s hard to feel down about yourself when you get a chance to see how much your own works resonates in the hearts and minds of a veritable multiverse of fans and fellow creators.

“I talked about being privileged before, but that’s the most privileged life that I could ever have perceived for myself when I wanted to become a comic book creator,” said Ward of working with so many great collaborators. “If that’s not worth celebrating, I don’t know what is. All that I have now is just a real love for what I do, a love for my fans, and just a real enthusiasm and passion for the story going forward.”

If you’d like to support the Many Worlds campaign, head here.