Interview with Mahmud A Asrar

With just two issues, the dynamic duo that keeps giving us Shadowland :Power man has proven to us that they are worthy of our attention and they are doing an incredible job with the series.Since it wouldn't be right for me to just interview Fred Van Lente and leave out Mahmud A.Asrar, i pulled some strings to score an exclusive interview with Mahmud A.Asrar himself. I hope you all enjoy my interview with this (amazing and talented) artist

IFF-How did you get the call to be the artist for Shadowland Powerman and what was your initial Reaction

MAA-I actually got an e-mail. Bill Rosemann asked me if I'd be interested in doing the mini and help create the new Power Man. I didn't know much more than this starting off but I really liked the idea of it so I asked who was writing. When I was told it was Fred Van Lente I was very excited and I knew this would be something good. Looking back now, I realize I wasn't wrong. In fact this is probably my favorite project I did for Marvel.

IFF-What first come to your mind creating the new Powerman?. Was it your solely idea of the creation and design? and what was the process like?

MAA-Basically what I did was visualize the thoughts Fred Van Lente had in mind for the character. He gave me some  brief description of who Victor Alvarez is and what his powers are. Moving on from there the first thought I had was that it would be appropriate to pay homage to the original Power Man. So I came up with a concept from that initial idea. The editors were a big part of the process as well providing suggestions and thoughts.

IFF-How did you plan to differentiate the New Power Man(Vic) from the Old Power Man (Luke cage) though the Old Power Man era had the old school look. And how was is like drawing the two Luke Cage and Vic. Did you feel any pressure creating a new character that will carry the name of old school Icon. like Luke Cage?

MAA- It was tough making him look unique in a way but the age and size difference compared to Luke's build did help a lot. What I wanted to do with the design was to pay homage to the original look of Power Man while making it look unique in it's own way. For this the power signature Vic has is the what stands out most.
It was interesting to draw Luke and Vic together. I always have fun drawing Luke. Although he doesn't have a distinctive costume his character shows through which is awesome.
And yes, it was intimidating at first to be a part of creating this character. However the process was easy and flowed very smoothly.

IFF-What is the creation process between you and Fred Van Lente. I interviewed him prior the release of Power man issue 1 and he seemed really excited about your work he literally stated " Mahmud is absolutely blowing me away with the action and character on his Power man pencils" It seems there is great chemistry

MAA- Fred is always kind enough to say stuff like that about my work. To tell the truth I'm thrilled to be working on his script. The way he writes is very expressive and fun. Never a dull moment and I think his writing encourages me to draw better. I can't believe how attached I got to the characters in this story. Especially Victor and his family. I just love them and I think that says something about how powerful Fred's writing is.
That said, our work process is pretty much the usual thing. I get a script and after a rollercoaster ride of emotions I start drawing. I share layouts of pages for approval by Fred and Bill and then move on to finished pencils. Then it goes to our inker Scott Hanna and later to colors by Bruno Hang.

IFF-.Myself and most readers are very impressed with your work. how do you visualize and balance FVL's vision with the ton or excitement and humor with action packed Kung fu. 

MAA-Thank you! I'm truly happy to hear that as I'm having a blast all the way with this. Hope it shows through. Fred's scripts are a lot of fun and makes me giggle and laugh out loud all the time. The way he writes and gives information about certain things for me really provokes me to draw in a bolder way. It helps me understand and live the emotions the characters are going through which in turn has me draw them in a more daring way. 

IFF-Before your work, were you fan of Iron Fist and how was it like drawing Iron Fist .

MAA-I'm a big fan of Iron Fist. I've always loved the character and how he looks. He is one of the coolest characters of what I call the second generation of Marvel heroes. Was happy to draw him with Luke Cage in Thumderbolts #137 and having even a better time now in this book. 

IFF-.What are fans going to expect from the last two issues are we still going to get a lot surprises.

MAA-can't give away much but all I can say is that it gets better. It gets even bigger and bolder than what you saw in the first half. Even though this is part of the Shadowland event, it is pretty much a stand alone adventure so it doesn't require any commitments either. It's just plain good old fun. 

IFF-What is next for you after the mini. Any projects you working on. And any last words for Iron Fist Fans

MAA-I'll be finishing off the Atom story I'm doing with Jeff Lemire for DC. I'll also be starting a Dark Horse project soon. Meanwhile I've started work on a creator owned project. I'll most probably be doing everything on that from writing to the lettering. Too early to say anything more on that yet. And of course I'm trying to keep up with doing covers and some odd bits of work on Dynamo 5.
Thanks for your time! Cheers.

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