Meet Matt Haley | Comic book artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Haley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
It was always the plan! I knew when I was five years old that I wanted to be a comic book artist, one bit was made clear that one could make a living doing that! Got my first professional gig when I was twenty, drawing “Star Trek”, and while I’ve never been rich, I’ve paid the bills ever since. Just couldn’t see myself chained to a desk going to meetings and shuffling papers (or emails) worrying about what a boss thinks of my tie.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Working as an artist involves a lot of waiting and treading water, to be frank. People always seem to think one is “rich and famous” if one works in any part of the entertainment business, and it’s just not true. If you don’t love doing the actual labor of creating, you should find another line of work, period. It’s not for the faint of heart, and it certainly wasn’t easy.

I left comics for a while when the market crashed and stumbled backward into television and film art and consulting. Working for Stan Lee helped me to focus what I do well and why I do it. Worked for him for twelve years off-and-on on a variety of shows and movies, and once he passed I found myself doing the exact same kind of work for companies like Microsoft – using comic book storytelling principles to tell their story in a more entertaining – and hopefully more memorable way. I think perhaps some people think comics are still juvenile, so it can be an uphill battle getting them to see how vibrant and useful the kind of art can be in business.

The challenge mainly lies in how to lean into my comics background, and lately I’ve been treasuring my early experience working for DC, Marvel and Dark Horse Comics. It was like getting paid to go to art school, I learned so much on the job!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, I’d start at the Grand Central Market downtown! G&B Coffee is my favorite coffee in the city. I only drink one cup, but it’s a very important cup! Little Tokyo has incredible ramen, especially at Daikokuya.

For a robust night out, I’d make restorations at an invite-only speakeasy called The Obscure, where I’ve done live art on stage. You’ll learn more about craft cocktails and the history of alcohol in general, and have a very classy time! Plus, it’s a great way to impress a date.

Being a heavy metal fan, I’d probably take them to a show at the Whisky A-Go-Go, and then to the Rainbow Bar & Grill up the street. The Rainbow is one of my favorite haunts, Mary at the outdoor bar will take very good care of us, and yes, I love their pizza. Too much.

If we got a chance, the tour at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a must, it’s a beautiful place full of Hollywood memories. Also, a great place to see a movie on the lawn!

Lunch up at the Getty Museum is pretty cool, surprisingly great food and the view all the way to the ocean can’t be beat!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Probably my father, who just recently passed. He never once told me I couldn’t pursue this as a career, never once discouraged me. Though, we used to joke that he had this plan for me to run for President – he had it all planned out. I was going to go to law school, then pass the bar, then practice, then run for judge… but I can’t even tie a tie properly, so comic artist it was!

Website: http://www.matthaley.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/matthaleyart

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/matthaleyart

Image Credits
Rebecca Blain