Eric Nguyen is the artist and co-author (with Scott Burman) of the four-part comic book series “White Savior” which was released in 2023. He is interviewed here by APALA member Molly Higgins.
Molly Higgins (MH): You’ve done a lot in your career, including art for Marvel, DC, and Vertigo. Please introduce yourself and your career path to date.
Eric Nguyen (EN): Thanks for having me. So I’ve been a professional comic artist for over 15 years, as well as a concept artist for game studios, designing video games for companies like Xbox. I got my start in comics with Rick Remender on “Strange Girl” for Image, and from there I’ve worked with so many talented writers/artists for pretty much every major comic company, including Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and more. Some of my favorite characters/comics I’ve worked on include Batman, X-Men, Old Man Logan, Quicksilver, Hulk, and Sandman for Vertigo. Before starting “White Savior,” I had an extremely rare opportunity to work on a book for Marvel by the one and only mega R&B superstar The Weeknd (be sure to check out “Starboy”!)
MH: I’m most familiar with your work as an illustrator. Is this your first project as a writer? How is the process different when you’re doing the story and the art?
EN: This is my first foray into writing, and also my first foray into comedy. I’ve drawn so many dark, serious books – with brooding heroes and such, so it was a nice change of pace to just let loose a bit more and have some fun. I think Todd, the main character of my book, is probably the character I most relate to – I wish I related more to Batman, especially the billions of dollars :). But all kidding aside, the character of Todd is much more like me, an average, everyday guy, unlike most of the mythical figures I’ve drawn in the past. I was fortunate in having a writing partner like Scott, who definitely helped me with structure and so many things that I might not have taken into account if I was writing on my own. And from that structure, I was able to draw with a bit more freedom – in many ways, it was easier because my drawings could help us dictate a scene, and make it stronger or more comedic simply based on how the artwork flowed through me.
MH: This series starts with a lot of tropes – an unlikely hero, a wise mysterious grandpa, honor bound samurai, sexy Asian ladies, and of course, a white man coming to save the day. Then takes them beyond the edge of reason. What made you want to take on this story (and do it in this way)?
EN: That’s a great question. And I love the way you worded it, by saying “beyond the edge of reason.” I may have said “freaking crazy,” but I like your wording much better. I think with comedy, and in this case, taking on the White Savior Trope, you kind of are left with no choice but to push it past the edge of reason. We want our comedy to stick with you, and we want the jokes to be both fast-paced and something that you think about long after reading. I think that quite often, stories with topics like ours tend to be very heavy-handed, so we wanted to focus on the comedy, and send the same message without being too preachy.
MH: The world and characters of “White Savior” are new creations, but you’ve also worked on some legendary legacy characters, including the X-Men and Batman. Do you have a preference or different approaches for each?
EN: Doing new creator-owned works allows a broader exploration of the types of art I can do. There is something amazing about going into a new book with new characters, especially when there’s no preconceived visuals for them. So anything you draw is automatically new and exciting. However it’s still awesome to get to work on legacy characters, especially ones that I haven’t been able to get around to as of yet. I would love to get my hands on a Deadpool series – Scott and I already have an idea in mind, and it would be interesting to draw such a comedic, over-animated character like Deadpool. Overall, I would say my approach changes based on the story, but I don’t have a preference. I just love to create.
MH: You worked on this project with writer Scott Burman, who is not Asian. What’s it like navigating conversations about race, for the story, coming from different backgrounds? Does one of you have a tendency to push the jokes further?
EN: You know, we joke about that all the time. A story called “White Savior” co-written by… a white guy? But I think it definitely helps having Scott come in with a different perspective. And also, I think a story like this needs to have both perspectives. It also helps that Scott is very self-deprecating and finds good-hearted humor in most situations. I think very early on, Scott and I developed a trust with each other – we have very similar views and senses of humor. Scott’s a joke machine – he’ll have ten punchlines for every setup, and it’s really fun both watching the way his mind works and also going back and forth with him on crafting jokes and creating the story. Neither one of us gets offended easily – we always feel that if a joke is coming from a good place – by that I mean, the person telling it has the best intentions – then there’s not much that’s off-limits.
MH: We’re always looking for more to read. Who are five authors we should be reading? Why?
EN: I am going to go the comic book route in answering this question. First, I think everyone needs to get their hands on “The Good Asian” by Pornsak Pichetshote. One of the best Asian-led comics ever. And I might cheat and do a bit more than five, but some other great Asian comic authors include Cliff Chiang, Gene Luen Yang, Greg Pak, Marjorie Liu, Alyssa Wong. Oh, and George Takei’s “They Call Us Enemy” should be taught in classrooms all over America. We actually have a reference to George in our comic that’s pretty funny, and always wonder if he’s ever going to see it.
MH: You’re being interviewed by a librarian, for an audience of progressive Asian Pacific American librarians. What are your thoughts on libraries, and their place in building diverse communities?
EN: I remember as a kid, going to the library just to get my hands on some free comics to read. They had compilations of all the old Superman, Batman, Spider-Man books. And I know that these days, graphic novels are starting to be put on display more than ever. And I think that making these books accessible to everyone – not just those who come from a higher income bracket – is crucial to spreading diverse stories and getting them into the mainstream. If a child can go into a library and get inspired by comics like I did when I was a kid, then mission accomplished.
MH: What advice would you give young professionals, especially those from diverse backgrounds, who are interested in a career in comics?
EN: What I usually tell up and coming artists who want a career in comics or art in general is to be confident in your work. You have to be able to stand behind the work you do and also sell it to some degree. There will undoubtedly be an audience that will love your work but at the same time there will be a few that will hate your work. Don’t try and sell your work to those who won’t understand or get it. And just like with everything else, you have to put in the work. It takes time to be excellent in anything – doing it once will not get you anywhere. In order to understand it, you have to do it a thousand times. So always explore your artwork, keep doing the work, and never stop believing.
MH: “White Savior” is a four part mini-series (all four issues are currently available). Can you tell us what you’re working on next? Is there a chance that “White Savior” will continue or are you on to something else?
EN: We definitely have both a sequel and a spinoff in mind. There’s a lot more stories to tell and a lot more tropes to take on. Right now, we’ve been getting so much support and interest in the book, from TV and film people as well, that we think the sequel and spinoff are inevitable. As for the next idea – Scott and I have a laundry list of ideas and comics we want to work on. Both our own characters and possibly some names you’ve already heard. The process of creating a comic takes a bit longer than you’d think – so we want to make sure we choose the right project, but for now, I should probably focus on our current job, which is promotion, and end the interview by telling everyone to make sure to check out “White Savior!” I promise you’ll enjoy it!
You can follow Eric at:
Instagram: @ericnguyenart
Twitter: @ericnguyenart
Interview by Molly Higgins with editing support by Noelle Cruz.
Book reviews and author interviews featured on APALAweb.org are reflective of the reviewer and interviewer only and are conducted separately from and independently of APALA and the APALA Literature Awards Committee and juries.