Joe A. Hart is an established comic book artist who began his career in the United States before eventually settling in Vienna. After years of working on independent titles and building a reputation for his dynamic storytelling and detailed artwork, he broke into the international comics industry and began working regularly for some of the biggest publishers in North America. Today, his work appears on major superhero and science-fiction titles, while he continues to develop creator-owned projects in his spare time.

How long have you been drawing comics?

I've been drawing since I was a kid, although I didn't initially think of it as something I could turn into a career. I was always filling notebooks with characters, monsters, vehicles, and little stories. Comics eventually became the natural way for me to combine all those interests.

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Are you self-taught or did you attend a specific school?

I studied illustration and visual communication at college, which gave me a solid foundation in anatomy, perspective, composition, and storytelling. But school can only take you so far. Most of what I know about making comics came from drawing constantly, studying the work of artists I admired, and making plenty of mistakes. You have to become your own teacher eventually.

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What is your workflow like? Analog or digital?

These days, I use a combination of both. I usually begin with thumbnails and rough layouts on my computer because it's much faster to experiment with compositions that way. Once I'm happy with the page, I often move back to paper for the final drawing and inks. There's something about working with an actual pen on paper that I still really enjoy. When I'm away from my studio, though, the tablet comes with me and I can work entirely digitally.

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How did you get your first major publishing opportunity?

My first professional work came through smaller independent publishers. I spent several years doing short stories, backup features, and smaller series before getting the opportunity to work on a larger monthly title. One editor I had worked with recommended me to another editor, and that eventually led to my first assignment for a major publisher.​ After that, things gradually snowballed. I worked for several different companies and was able to build relationships with editors and writers. The biggest opportunities usually came from people I'd worked with before rather than from simply sending out portfolios.

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What's your take on the comics scene in Austria?

I'm still discovering it. Austria isn't one of the first countries people mention when they talk about the international comics industry, but there is a surprisingly active community here. There are conventions, independent artists, comic shops, publishers, and people producing very interesting work. I think one of the exciting things about the local scene is that artists don't necessarily have to stay within traditional comics. There are connections with illustration, animation, graphic design, and independent publishing. That creates a lot of possibilities for younger artists.

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Is Vienna a good place to work for international publishers?

Absolutely. One of the great advantages of being a comic artist today is that the physical location of your studio matters much less than it used to. I can receive a script electronically, communicate with an editor online, and send finished pages to the publisher without leaving my desk. Vienna also gives me a lot creatively. It's a visually rich city, and there is a constant mixture of architecture, history, museums, people, and different cultures. You don't have to live in New York or Los Angeles to work in the American comics industry anymore. The practical side is also important. Vienna is extremely well connected to the rest of Europe, so getting to conventions, festivals, or meetings in other countries is relatively easy.

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Do you seek out contact with other cartoonists?

Yes, although I'm not the kind of person who needs to be surrounded by other artists every day. I enjoy meeting other creators and talking about the profession, especially people whose approach is completely different from mine. Comic artists spend an enormous amount of time working alone, so having a community is important. Sometimes a conversation over coffee can solve a problem you've been struggling with for three days.

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What tips do you have for young artists who want to get started?

Don't wait until you think you're ready. You probably never will. The most important thing is to draw regularly and finish things. A lot of young artists spend years producing beautiful sketches but never actually complete a comic page or a story. Making comics is different from drawing individual illustrations. You have to learn storytelling, pacing, composition, acting, lettering, and all the little decisions that make a sequence work. Study artists you admire, but don't try to become a copy of them. Draw from observation, experiment with different subjects, and put your work online. Most importantly, learn to accept criticism without letting it destroy your confidence. And be patient. A career in comics usually develops much more slowly than people imagine.

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Which of your comic characters is the easiest to draw?

Usually the character I'm currently drawing. I tend to become completely absorbed in whatever project I'm working on, so for a few months that particular character feels like the most familiar person in the world.

I also find that characters become easier to draw after I've spent enough time understanding how they move and react. Once you know their personality, their body language starts to become much more natural.

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Why do you describe yourself as a "survivor of the apocalypse"?

That's the title of a creator-owned project I've been developing for quite a while. It's a science-fiction story set several decades after a global catastrophe. The world has changed completely, and the characters are trying to rebuild some kind of society from the ruins. I originally came up with the idea as a teenager and kept returning to it over the years. I've changed almost everything about the story since then, but the basic idea has survived. Hopefully, I'll eventually have enough time to turn it into the full graphic novel I've always imagined.