Interview with Germán Peralta: The Inspiration Behind the Newest Loki Look

Germán Peralta is an Argentinian artist who made waves in both Marvel & DC Comics, dealing with some of our all-time favorite characters on both sides of narration and comic universes. His impressive resume includes awe-inspiring work on Marvel’s ‘Axis Carnage,’ ‘Moon Knight,’ and ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,’ where his illustrations helped bring beloved heroes and anti-heroes to life.

However, what truly sets our guest apart is his most recent body of work, where he ventured into the fascinating world of Wakanda with the ‘Black Panther’ series, and even more recently, he replaced Africa’s high-tech utopia with Nordic Glory, working on the latest ‘Loki’ series. We got the opportunity to talk about it, and here’s what he had to say regarding inspiration and how the iconic character came to be!

Comic Basics: How did you get into comic books, and can you isolate one event that completely kick-started your career?

Germán Peralta: I have always loved drawing. I drew pictures with my brothers when we were children; my mother is an art teacher, and that was always a motivation for me, the fact that something as beautiful as art could create a professional career.

The event that kick-started my career is undoubtedly having worked with Eduardo Risso as an assistant. He was the person who made me understand the difference between being a person who likes to draw and being a professional.

You’ve worked on various Marvel and DC Comics titles. How does it feel to be part of such iconic universes, and what do you find most exciting about working with their characters?

Sometimes, I sit on the board, and I don’t understand when all this happened. I don’t like to talk about a “dream job,” but I do about objectives, and without any doubt, it is a goal that I always wanted to achieve, being able to see a superhero magazine that I read as a child and having my name on the cover is something that even today is difficult for me to assimilate.

What I find most exciting about working with these characters is the idea of being able to give them my touch and add something from me to their designs or personalities.

The character of Loki has quite a history and many different facets to his personality. How did you go about portraying him?

For Loki, I tried to make a face that don’t be easily forgotten, something different, a non-hegemonic face and body but attractive in many ways. I don’t know if I managed it well but at least I was happy with his look.

‘Loki’ has been praised for being visually stunning and detailed and expressive
illustrations. What were the primary techniques that you used?

Well, first of all, thank you so much. Those words mean a lot to me. The technique I usually use is ink wash. I like the different accidents that occur when the technique is a little bit uncontrollable, which makes everything more expressive.

I think that often contributes to the personality of the characters and the comic itself. Obviously, this project would not be the same without the excellent colors of Mike Spicer. It is a great pleasure to be able to work with him again. We had already done it in’ Age of X-MAN Prisoner X.’

The character is also known for its popular costume helmet and overall has a
recognizable appearance. How did you put your unique twist on it while staying loyal to the character?

To be honest, I had many references from Marvel, also about how his helmet should look. Of course, I made some small modifications, especially in his suit and in the different versions of Loki that we see through the issues; even if they are small changes, Loki looks different in each chapter.

In the beginning, there are scenes where he appears more casually, wearing only a T-shirt and ripped pants. Those scenes are the ones that I have the most fun doing, giving a different touch to a character with a great history, but without breaking what he is in essence.

As a fan, I understand that a character must remain loyal to the original work in its essence. Obviously, many things are adjusted throughout his story, but always with respect for their creators.

The story features a blend of Norse mythology and modern storytelling (also one of the praised elements). What other sources did you consult to get inspiration for
Nordic-inspired art?

I love Norse mythology and how Marvel adapted it to their universe. It was love at first sight when I read Dan’s first script. You can tell in the first lines that he knows exactly what he is doing. A good script is already a great source of inspiration. As for the visual, books, movies, series, and many comics, of course, especially a lot by Walter Simonson, it is impossible to talk about Thor or Loki without naming him.

What’s your favorite panel in the story? Which one was the most challenging to create?

Honestly, I really enjoyed making all the panels in this series. But I enjoyed a lot the panels of the first issue when Loki talks with Thor in a bar in Miami, two gods sitting at a table where you can feel the contrast between both.

That was really fun to draw. As for the most challenging panel, I think every one of those involving the Naglfar ship, working with its size and its different shapes, was always challenging, difficult, and entertaining in equal parts.

How did you go around creating various different magical realms?

One of the things I love most about this job is being able to make sketches and concepts of settings, characters, weapons, etc. While these realms are already very well represented in this universe, playing within them was a lot of fun.

Especially in Nidavellir, the idea was that everything that happens there feels as if it was something that has been in the history of that place for a long time and that will continue to be there for much longer. I can’t say much more because it would be a big spoiler, but you’ll find out if you read issue 2.

Do you have any upcoming projects that fans can look forward to?

I can only say that right now on the board is ‘Daredevil’, and I’m enjoying this script a lot.