Mark Bode is the son of the legendary iconoclastic cartoonist Vaughn Bode and the inheritor to Bode creative legacy.
Over the years the Bode universe has influenced generations of artists. Bode characters such as Cheech Wizard were even appropriated as the first graffiti characters during the 70’s.
Mark is perhaps best known for his work on the graphic novel Cobalt 60’s, which is currently being developed into a live action film by Zack Snyder.
Over the years the visuals of the Bode universe became something of a hip-hop totem. Art style aside, what do you think it is about the Bode characters and stories that makes your art and that of your father resonate so strongly in people’s lives?
What’s different about my dad’s work is that it’s real to him. He would first create the planet and the moons and name them. Then he would construct the terrain, the mountains, lakes, rivers and name them. Then he would create the towns and cities and the buildings and homes and finally the characters that were to inhabit those places.
No other artist except maybe Tolken would go to such depths of creation. When you operate on that level the characters are living in a complete environment and they live and die there. It’s a heavy place with real life and death struggles like our own tiny planet. People will always relate to the material. I don’t think it shows any sign of going away anytime soon, at least not on my clock.
Obviously your father was a huge influence on your development as an artist and a person. Who have been some of the other great influences that have shaped your art and perspective on life?
I grew up around amazing artists so it was no big deal to be a fantastic artist. We had Jeff Jones and Berni Wrightson, Larry Todd and even R. Crumb around when I was a kid so the ladder was set high and you climbed it.
I was affected greatly by the underground comics… My father gave the books to me as a child and said, “Son, read but don’t show your friends!” Fucking and shitting and pissing were just natural things in those comic books. I never could read super hero comics because they didn’t do natural things… In fact they seemed stiff and boring after reading adult comics.
My favorites were Jack Jaxon and Greg Irons both for their style and story telling abilities. I never met Jaxon but Greg and I met after my father’s death. He would see me sitting by myself at a comic party and would come over and talk about art with me and encourage me. Greg also became the forefather of the illustrative tattoo.
Greg was the go-to man for tattooers in the late seventies and eighties. No one was tattooing like him at that time. So I have an affinity with him as I am also a underground artist that tattoos. I have a piece drawn by Irons on my back to pay homage to his spirit.
He also died young… While studying tattooing in Bangkok he was hit by a bus traveling in the opposite direction to traffic.
Larry Todd, my father’s apprentice and co-worker took over teaching me my skills after my father’s passing. He also encouraged me to continue Cobalt 60 and he coached me on my first professional jobs so he became a mentor to me and shaped me heavily in my early years as an artist.
.
.
The heartfelt appropriation of your art by fellow artists is a wonderful honor, but it also opens the door to exploitation. How hard have you had to fight to preserve the integrity of your creations and your father’s legacy?
I try not to be a guard dog. Sometimes I envision myself as a pit bull chained to a tombstone as the grave robbers try to dig in my area. But that is not a healthy way to behave when you’re on a positive artistic course. I try not to use good hard earned money for bad things like fighting bootleggers.
I will usually let them know I am watching them and that they owe me money. More times then not they want to square up with me out of respect for the family. I encourage the use of the characters on walls and trains and one-off canvases, it’s a great homage.
But when they make multiples and use the characters on skateboards and t-shirts then I get annoyed… Who wouldn’t? There is a coffee shop in Amsterdam that swiped our Lizard for its logo, Coffee Shop 36. I went in there and walked up to where they sell the weed and merch and I said, “I am the guy who owns the Lizard.” And he replied, “No, he died many years ago”. I said, “No I am his son I am an artist also and I own the Lizard”. He said, “So we are in trouble then?” At that point he charged me for the herbs I ordered and I said, 
“YES, you are definitely in trouble!”
I served them papers by an attorney but ultimately felt sorry for the owner because she bought the place from someone else who swiped the Lizard. So I let them get away with it. It was important to serve them though so I have proof I went after them in case it happens again… They cant say ‘they got away with it so we can swipe it too’. It’s a bummer just rappin’ about this crap.
It sucks so much creative energy to fight this stuff. I try and not let this stuff affect my work but it is hard not to let it get you down.
.
Sexual expression has always been one of art’s primal functions yet some Western countries seem more intent on de-sexualising it than ever. What do you think cultivates such an immature and insecure social mindset?
One word, religion. People get sucked into books that are sooooo old and sooooo old in their ethics… They transplant it all onto modern society and it causes suppression which in turn creates obsession. That’s why you get all these fucked-up people who are pedophiles and rapists. It all stems from guilt-ridden religion. In the States they are still busting comic shops that sell adult comics.
The cops will send in a seventeen year old and tell him to buy a certain book. If they don’t card him they bust the place. It’s killed the underground field… Only the biggest shops will carry adult titles. It’s rather sad. It’s just comics and it’s not as real as your Reverend uncle fondling you in the shower… Don’t get me started…
You’ve got the green light for Zack Snyder to bring Cobalt 60 to the big screen. It’s been a long journey to Hollywood… how did this all come about? Having seen Snyder’s previous comic adaptations you must be thrilled to have him on board! Has he spoken to you about his vision for the look and feel of the production?
Zack called me a few years back when he was working on Frank Miller’s 300 and he said, “I have followed Cobalt 60 since I was in film school and vowed I would make it into a movie if I became a big time director… So here we are!” I talked to Frank and asked him about Zack and he said, “Mark, you are with an angel. He will not ruin your property and he is very patient on the set and never looses it. You couldn’t be in better hands.”
So, Universal Studios has bought the option for the film. At the moment we are going over the script and passing it around making changes and notes. As soon as we have that wrapped up it will go into pre-production. Right now we are in development and Zack is working on Sucker Punch and Guardians of Gahoole, an animated movie being done in Australia which Zack is directing via the internet.
I will be coaching the actors on how the characters behave, etc. I can’t wait to see the sets and actors in action. I’ll have to pinch myself more then a few times I’m sure. It’s gotta be a big hit as it has all the elements of a block buster, we can only hope!!!
