Jamal: To be honest, I find it to be a challenge. To produce the amount of work I do on a yearly basis most artist in other disciplines can barely imagine it. I draw between 10 to 11 issues a year, about 22 pages each so we're talking roughly 230 pages of original art a year. Some artist don't produce that much art in a lifetime. So I enjoy the problem solving involved, the critical thinking and observational skills involved. When I was a kid I used to make mini-comics with my friends and try to sell them to other kids in school, but mostly we just did them to do them, to have fun. As an adult I became more of a student of the medium, and now I appreciate the art of comics so much more. that's the slightly pretentious answer. The simple one, I get to draw guys in spandex kicking the crap out of each other.

munkeypunk: Who are your artistic influences?

Jamal: In classic art it's people like Norman Rockwell, John Singer Sergeant, Louise Gordon, Drew Struzan, Bob Peak, J.C. Linedecker. In Film, Akira Kurisawa, Steven Spielberg, The Wachowskis, Howard Hawks, John Houston, old movie serials, Warner bros and Disney animation from the 40's. In comics too many to name but the top five are Dave Stevens, Steve Rude, Brian Bolland, Alex Raymond and Alan Davis.

munkeypunk: What writer would you like to work with?

Jamal: I'd love to do something with Ed Brubaker or Kevin Grevious.

munkeypunk: Undo one moment in comic history.

Jamal: The creation of Wolverine. Sorry he's my least favorite character in all of comics. If he disappeared today, I'd be a happy camper.

munkeypunk: What can't you wait until next month for?

Jamal: The Superman books.

munkeypunk: Tell us a good geek out moment you may have had.

Jamal: I've had so many over the years but a good recent one is when I was in Knoxville, Tennessee this past month and I got to meet Doug Jones (Abe Sapien from the Hellboy movies). I have a picture with him palming my head like a basketball.

munkeypunk: How 'bout a weird convention experience?

Jamal: I had a guy dressed in a little yellow rain slicker, red polo shirt, tight green shorts, carrying a photo album with polaroids of little boys dressed as Batman and Robin. he asked me to sketch Robin wearing nothing but the cape and a pixie boots.

munkeypunk: What don't you like to draw (feet, cars, buildings, ect)?

Jamal: Little figures, they annoy me, always have. The thing is you want to make them as precise as possible and the smaller they are the harder it is to keep them in scale.

munkeypunk: How long does it take you to finish a page? Do you prefer long detailed scripts or do you like to have more flexible open ended script that allows you to draw what you want?

Jamal: I average a page a day, sometimes two depending on the complexity of the page. I like detailed scripts but I don't like them to be overly verbose. I like a little room, a bit of flexiblity in how I draw and not every wrtier is visually minded.

munkeypunk: What was your favorite moment in comics?

Jamal: The death of Superman, Superman # 75. It's not like i didn't think he was coming back, it's just the build up to it was done so well, that you felt something.

munkeypunk: Dogs or cats?

Jamal: Dogs and cats? Living together? Mass hysteria. We have a cat who thinks he's a dog, does that count?

alexziq: Have you missed drawing Firestorm?

Jamal: All the time. It's been two years and i've managed to sneak him in every once in a while but I spent so much of my time and energy invested in the series, that I think Jason will always influence how I tackle superheroes.

alexziq: If you could improve 1 thing about your art what would it be?

Jamal: I'm constantly working on it, so I hope to just keeping improving in general.

alexziq: Who is the hardest character to draw that you cringe when you have to draw them?

Jamal: The new Blue Beetle,I love Cully Hamner, but could he make Jaime's design more complicated?

alexziq: If you could've drew one of the big DC events since 1985 which would you have wanted to tackle.

Jamal: I would have loved to try and do Armageddon 2001. I thought it was a fun idea at the time.

alexziq: What are your long term goals in the industry?

Jamal: To keep drawing comics until I get bored or they fire me, which ever comes first. I'd like to do some more writing eventually and self publish again down the road.