Q & A with comic book letterer T.W. Montgomery

by Jon Dailey

Q: What impact does a letterer have on the industry?

A: None I guess. Well we do make the books readable. What can I say, we're last on the pay scale. How offend do you see the letterer's name on the front of the book. Now with computer lettering, it's "no computer no job."

Q: What titles do you currently letter for?

A: Currently I'm working for Catacomb Publications. They publish two books "Sister Armageddon" and "Triumvirate"' which is in stores now. The short stories I did (which I also inked) are scheduled to come out later this year. In a anthology book called "Catacombs" if I'm right. I do occasional work for Boneyard Press. "Flowers On the Razorwire", parts two & three of the Dark Angel story. I think it's issue #7 and 8, I don't have them so I'm not sure. A couple of pages in the "Crime Pays #1" (Out in June). Also maybe doing some work for a new company called Mace Comics in a few months.

Q: Crime Pays #1. Can you tell me more about this?

A: Crime Pays is a mature reader crime anthology series from Boneyard. I can't tell you much about it, Hart doesn't tell ME much, it's the sad part about being a small press letterer. Issue one features Bill the Bull story I did last year. If you've read any of Bill The Bull stuff, then you're gonna like these.

Q: How did you get started doing this?

A: My goal back in I988 was to be a penciller. Hoping to be apart of the "Marvel generation". But my ability in that field was slow, I'm not the greatest nor the fastest penciller around. I've been lettering since 1991, after answering a ad in CBG from London Night Studios. I did pen & inked a short story for LNS as well as designed the Razor logo.

Q: You did the Razor logo? The current one that is on every comic?

A: Yep, that logo. Although someone else added the sharp pointers a few years later. I still like it.

Q: What comics do you currently read?

A: Mostly DC's. The Superman, Batman titles, Lobo Green Lantern etc., Milestone titles. Some Dark Horse and Marvel stuff.

Q: How do you view LNS as a company? Are you planning on staying with them?

A: I worked for LNS from 1991 to 1994. My last issue was Razor #10

Q: Oh, I didn't know that. Why? did you leave? Pay?

A: It had nothing to do with pay. Months before Everette started the color books, he decided to let the person who was computer coloring, to do the lettering also. It saves time. And no, I wasn't angry it just gave me free time to work on concepts of my own.

Q: Thanks for your time.