To be completely honest, I thought Ben Templesmith was going to look something like Rob Zombie. I had already seen pictures of him prior to the interview, but up until the moment he actually walked in, I was still expecting a large black clad man with a long, thick beard and an uncontrollable mess of dark black hair who spoke in hushed tones and said things like “I killed a wombat today.”

It stood to reason, given his body of work. Ben Templesmith is the artist behind the hugely popular graphic novel (and now a major motion picture) '30 Days of Night'. In the book, draws scene after blood drenched scene of absolute terror, filling every panel with the stuff of nightmares. He made vampires actually scary again, filling their mouths with shark teeth and making them less Tom Cruise and more Vlad the Impaler.

Here’s the scoop on this modern master of horror: he’s quite a lovely fellow. He wears Chuck Taylors, enjoys Humba and drinks lattes. In short, he’s totally not a murderer.

“I get all my darkness out on the page,” Ben says over lunch. “It’s those Disney guys you have to worry about...they don’t have an outlet.”



It is really difficult to describe Templesmith’s distinctive art style, since there’s really nothing quite like it. It’s strange in that there is a strong sense of realism in the work, although it doesn’t really match our normal definition of “realistic.” His people don’t have real world proportions, and his backgrounds aren’t usually much more than a couple of rough lines and a few blobs of color. There is a definite cartoon element to his work, but it feels real. It’s almost inexplicable, but Templesmith’s surreal backgrounds and disproportioned people often evoke more truth than an actual photograph.

It’s a testament to what is Templesmith’s greatest strength as an artist: his ability to create atmosphere. His art lives and breathes, and really draws people into the story. Every line he puts down on the page feels purposeful, and every blob of color in the background adds something to the scene. What he’s done is a paradox of sequential art: a wonderful sense of stylized realism.



This is the kind of thing that got Hollywood’s attention. The 30 Days of Night movie was a project long before Templesmith even got into comics, but it wasn’t until movie executives saw his art that they greenlit the film. It’s Templesmith’s sense of atmosphere that guided the unique visual style employed in the film.

Templesmith’s involvement in the film has put him in very good company: he joins Frank Miller and Mike Mignola as one of the few comic book artists whose art has been recreated so closely on film. Templesmith downplays his prominence and involvement, saying “I didn’t really have all that much to do with it,” giving most of the credit to director David Slade, but it’s difficult to deny his place in the industry. Comic book film adaptations tend to only translate the stories, while mostly forgetting about the art that was involved in telling those stories.

“I’ve been really lucky,” Ben says, and one gets a sense that he really means that. Despite hobnobbing with some of Hollywood’s brightest, Ben doesn’t have an ounce of pretentiousness in him, and he often makes jokes about his own talent. When asked where his unique art style comes from, he deadpans, “An 8-year kid of Botswana…phone him up, pay him 50 dollars and he’ll give you all the inspiration and imagination you need.”

At least, I’m pretty sure he was joking.

Ben Templesmith, employer of 8-year old Botswana children

Ben is in Manila at the request of Fully Booked. He’s already taken a liking to the city, constantly marveling at the existence of the five-floor Fully Booked, and even saying that he’s considering retiring here. He is here to sign copies of his books, give a talk at the College of St. Benilde about the translation of his art in the graphic novel to the film, and to help local artists by reviewing their portfolios. “It’s all very surreal,” Ben says. “I’m giving a talk at a university…interviews are fine, but no one likes public speaking.” He also seems a bit wary about having to judge other peoples’ work. “I’m not the kind of person who’ll tell someone that their art isn’t very good.”

But he seems up for almost anything. Jetlagged after being in three timezones, and after already going through a day of interviews, he still stayed after the premiere of 30 Days of Night to sign books for everyone in attendance. That’s just the kind of guy he is.

Ben eats, his books in the foreground

Ben’s website is at http://www.templesmith.com/faze3. His books can all be found at any Fully Booked branch.

I'm looking for 30 Days of Night.