Meeting Greg Capullo

I’ve thought about writing a post about Greg Capullo for a while, but for one reason or another never did. After reading the Court of Owls story arc (I know, I’m about a year behind), I finally felt ready to write something. If you don’t read comics or don’t really go to comic conventions like MegaCon or Austin Comic Con, you’re probably wondering…

Who the Hell is Greg Capullo?

Greg Capullo is a comic book artist, penciler, and inker best known for drawing Spawn for Todd McFarlane, Haunt, and his own comic The Creech. He penciled the covers for two Korn albums and has created some of the cards and artwork in the World of Warcraft trading card game. Capullo is currently the penciler for DC’s reboot of Batman.

Why Should I Care?

When you look at Greg Capullo, it’s easy to feel intimidated by him. He’s not your typical comic artist. Guy is built like a Mack Truck, has a horseshoe mustache, and usually sports a BLS cap with shades. But underneath that Italian, bodybuilding, “I could kick your ass with my pinky” exterior lies one of the sweetest, humblest, and personable guys you could ever meet.

Capullo admits he is living the dream: making a very comfortable living from comics and his artwork, he has a solid family life, and he’s loving life. He is confident in his abilities without being arrogant. He understands he wouldn’t have the life he does if it wasn’t for his fans and he appreciates every one. He says so nearly every time he posts on Twitter. He confesses the adulation of his fans pushes him to put everything into each Batman issue. He treats each issue the same mentality of a bodybuilder treats his workouts: Go hard or go home.

Meeting the Legend

At MegaCon 2011, I had the opportunity to meet Greg Capullo. He was scheduled to be in the main hall starting on the first day of the convention. Since the first day was on Friday, it wasn’t very busy at all, but a pretty long line for Capullo was starting to form. My husband and I hopped in line to get some things signed.

I recall while standing in line, there was an older lady (in her early 50s) with a bit of a Jersey accent and her adult son (probably early 20s) standing behind us. Capullo was scheduled to be at his table for autographs and meet and greets starting at noon. He was late.

The lady was complaining the entire time. First, she zeroed in on the fact that it was after noon and Capullo wasn’t there. She started making accusations that he was being a prima donna by not being there when he said would and that it was disrespectful to his fans, blah blah blah. Capullo has a reputation and based on that, I knew if he was late, it was for a damn good reason; not because he was trying to be an asshole. He finally showed up about a half hour to 45 minutes late.

As soon as he got there, he greeted the crowd, apologized for his tardiness, and took a quick panoramic picture of the crowd. Then he sat down at his table, getting to work on greeting each fan with a handshake, talking to each person, and signing whatever they brought or posing for a quick picture. The line moved slowly because the first few people had like 10 things they wanted to sign. Realizing the line was incredibly long and moving slow, Capullo then asked everyone to limit the amount of stuff to just a few to help ensure everyone would make it through the line and get a few moments of his time and attention.

My husband and I split the items he wanted signed between us. We each got a signed Greg Capullo MegaCon exclusive print. He signed some comics for my husband and posed for a quick photo. My husband was beaming. I was in charge of getting the Spawn poster signed, which had previously been signed by Todd McFarlane. A lot of people were impressed by this. I then asked Capullo about issue 5 and it’s disorienting nature. I’m sure it’s a question he answers a lot, but he answered it with such tremendous excitement and enthusiasm.

While checking Twitter later that day I found out from his tweets he was late because he was squeezing in some family time at EPCOT with his wife and young step-son. It’s easy to miscalculate heading from Disney to your next destination. Happens to me all the time and I’m a local. I thought it was nice and didn’t fault him.

Prior to meeting Greg Capullo at MegaCon, I wasn’t a huge fan of his; I was a fan by proxy courtesy of my husband. I knew of him, his art, and his reputation, but I wouldn’t classify myself as a fan. After seeing him interact with his fans, seeing how he actually cares, how genuine he is, and how he interacted with me, I was completely blown away and now I’m part of that Capullo legion that just loves the guy to pieces and devours whatever he puts out.

The Point

So what is my point to all this? If the amount of people standing in line waiting to meet Greg Capullo at this particular convention is any indication, he is well on his way to legendary and mainstream status on par with Stan Lee. If Capullo is going to be at a convention near you and you’re on the fence about standing in line, especially a long one, don’t think! Capullo is awesome all around from his talent to his people skills. You will walk away from the encounter feeling great and with a smile on your face. So just get your ass in line! Seriously, you won’t regret it.