Featuring...
Christian Zanier
Illustrator of Angel comics

In a very unique and talent-filled design studio, about as far away from Hollywood as you can get, Christian Zanier and a handful of amazing young artists create a brilliant and enjoyable piece of entertainment each month. He graciously shared his time with us, in the middle of a busy schedule, to let us see just exactly what he does to contribute to the Angel Universe.

"I was a fan of Buffy, and now since Angel came on I like it a lot... Actually I prefer it over Buffy"
Christian is one of the founding members of Draxhall Jump in Toronto, Canada, a multimedia studio specializing in comic entertainment and conceptual design for entertainment industries (toys, games, etc.) Christian and his crew design and illustrate the Angel comic books for Dark Horse Comics, Inc. They work as a studio on projects separately and together, as well as with other artists across the country.


From Buffy Beginnings

So how did this charming young man with the cute Canadian accent, (that's right ladies, pay attention) get hooked up with our dark and brooding comic hero? Let's find out.

"I was working on another book for Dark Horse called Ghost. The comic (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) came out the same time as Ghost did and I picked it up and I followed it for a fair bit. I was a fan of the show and as a fan, I wasn't at all satisfied with the book." He explains, "I saw, since it was at Dark Horse, unlike most people I could have some control over that by maybe trying to get involved. So I called my editor on Ghost who was one of the two top dogs at Dark Horse and I said I was interested in doing Buffy. They were losing some artist and they wanted to gain some new ones so it was basically good timing."

Christian continues that even knowing someone high up isn't enough, and he still had to go through a tough set of eyes before he landed the job. "The editor of Buffy (Scott Allie) asked me for samples and I sent some. They sent it to the guys at Mutant Enemy (Joss Whedon's office) and, actually, the first drawings were approved by Sarah Michelle Gellar as well... It came back and they liked the stuff a lot and Angel was coming up. They were producing the Angel book and they didn't have an artist for it yet. They were trying different artists, but they were trying to see what the fan response was first to each artist. [Scott] wanted to get somebody on Angel that he liked so they could get a good launch. And, basically... he decided to put me on Angel instead of putting me on Buffy."

And what became of the Buffy artist to be? "Cliff Richards got Buffy. He's the first artist I've actually been happy with. So it's been kind of cool that I can draw Angel and I can also pick up and read Buffy and enjoy it as well. I do pick up the occasional Angel or Buffy book of different artists if I like the artist. As a fan I like to see good artists on the book." And is he now a fan of the Angel television series? "Yes I am actually. I was a fan of Buffy and now since Angel came on I like it a lot... Actually I prefer it over Buffy. I really enjoy the show and it gets me inspired to do the comic book as well."