1 - First of all, the basics: what's your age, name, birthplace and birth date?

I'm 31 years old (as of November). I was born on November20th, 1972, in a little area called Alto Santo, in Ceará, Brazil, but I've lived in Limoeiro since I was 14 years old, so I consider that my home.

2 - How did you learn how to draw comics? Did you take courses, or teach yourself? And when?

II taught myself.  My brother had so many comics and I just started copying everything I considered cool!  This was in 1989.  I also began a course through the mail, but did not finish it.

3 - Have you done fanzines?  Do you think that is important?

Yes, I've participated on one, called Profecia.  That's the way it is called.  I think it is important!  Fanzines show your work, they give you strength to continue, and criticism when it is necessary. They try to help your progress, which is good!

4 - Many people have compared you to other great Brazilian pencillers, like Deodato and Roger Cruz. What do you say about this?

I'm very happy.  No doubt, they are big names in the world of comics.  I'm a fan of their work.  I like Roger's work a lot.  I'd like to see more of his work today in comics.  I always felt stimulated when seeing his work, and I hope he's back soon.  I think that he's retired for a time.

5 - Who are your greatest influences in comics?

John Buscema.  I started with him.  Other influences are John Byrne, Jim Lee, Joe Madureira, Campbell, Adam Hughes, Roger, etc.

6 – What about  your debut in comics?  What was it, and when?

What a great feeling!! I didn't know for sure where I was going, I didn't understand the comics market. I was out of my mind, didn't eat, didn't sleep. It was on Samuree in 1993.

7 – And how did Neal Adams `discover' you for Continuity? Tell us about this.

Well, I was making samples for many enterprises, but it was so difficult. I had no money, and there was a test where I had to do a sequence of "Die Hard".  It was very hard.  I didn't have a tape of the movie, and I had to watch and memorize it.  After this, Hélcio asked me to do some pin-ups of some women and some separated drawings with gruesome scenarios, etc.  And then Neal Adams appeared, and asked me to do Samuree, and I've been drawing ever since.

8 - Please, list all the comics you've worked on for the US market. How did you enter the North American market?

Samuree, Deathstroke, Gunfire, Captain Marvel, Artemis, Glory, Iron Man (Heroes Reborn), Captain America (Heroes Reborn), X-men, Wildcats, Sci tech, Darkchylde, Gen¹³, Lady Death, Chastity, Thundercats, Codename: Knockout, Super girl, and some others...and, of course, my current job: Birds of Prey.

9 – What did you feel when they asked you to change your name?  (NOTE:  Ed's real name is Jose Edilbenes Bezerra de Moura)  Who suggested Ed Benes?

Hélcio came to me and said that it would be better to change the name a bit, and that was fine with me.  It sounds good.

10 – Tell us about your work on Samuree.

It was fast, but very good.  Unfortunately I can't see the second volume finalized.  I really like the character.

11 – Your first work on a title with a large circulation was Gen 13.  Was this baptism by fire difficult?

A bit.  At that  time, I felt that I needed to do something different from what I'd already been doing. I felt that it would need a lot more from me.

12 – After this, you totally landed in the superheroes universe with Birds of Prey and Supergirl.  What do you think of the superheroes genre? Were you a regular reader of this type of comic?

I've always liked all types of comics, but in my early years I read a lot of Conan, but I have a great interest in characters like Superman, Spider-Man, X-men, Batman, etc.

13 – Working for a large company like DC Comics is a great responsibility.  Have they tried to do any "artistic control" on your work with their characters?

No, I've always had a great freedom to create.

14 – And what about the exclusivity contract with DC? The contract pays for the fact that you can't do other jobs outside of DC?

After jobs like Supergirl and Thundercats, I agreed with Lisa Hawkins to do Birds of Prey. In a short time they offered me an exclusive contract.  It's not only about the money!  I like the comic and the team that manages it.

15 – Before the contract, were you receiving offers from other publishers?

Right after I finished Supergirl, I committed to Birds of Prey. So even if I had received another proposal, I couldn't have accepted it.  It all happened very quickly.

16 – You're best-known for the fact that you draw the most beautiful girls in comics. Does this vision of your work bother you?

No!  I like to draw female characters.

17 - Ed, you can't speak English.  How do you interact with the writer?  Who translates for you? Are your deadlines tighter because of this (need for translation)?

The studio translates for me.  Really, if I could translate myself I would only gain one or two days.

18 – Do you have much of a cushion between the current issue on the stands, and the current issue you are working on?

It really depends on the situation. Normally we try to work with three or four issues between the one that I'm working on and the one currently on the stands.

19 – Which one of the Birds of Prey do you like most?  Why?

I like them all, but the fact that the Huntress isn't a full-time character makes all of the pages featuring her a bit more special.

20 – What do North Americans think about your work?  Have you participated in any (North American) conventions, to interact with the readers more?

I don't know exactly, but I think they like it.  I haven't gone to any conventions yet, but I'm thinking of doing it soon.

21 – Do you have any personal projects that you would like to publish one day?

Yes, I do.  It's something that has all the things I like to draw:  Women, big guys, creatures, animals, beasts.  I will publish it when the time is right.
it.

22 – Now, tell us, which comic characters would you most like to work on one day?

Wonder Woman, Batman and Wolverine.  Oh, and Spider-Man.  I've been a Spider-Man fan since I was a child.  I'd like to draw Conan too.

23 – Have you published anything in Brazil? Do you feel sad about the fact that you are most known outside your own country?  Do you ever think about doing more work in Brazil?

Yes, X-men, Heroes Reborn, and now Supergirl and Thundercats have all been published in Brazil. This really upsets me a bit, that I'm not as well-known in Brazil.  I'm Brazilian and I like it here a lot. I would  like Brazilians to have more access to my material, and because of this, soon I will publish one magazine, made with Brazilians for Brazilians.

24 – Tell a funny story, or a horror story, from your career.

In my first job (Samuree), I made a big mistake with the page size.  The fact is that Continuity doesn't have a standard paper, and they asked me for some papers and sizes that I didn't understand right away.  When I had finished 14 pages, Hélcio called me saying that everything was wrong!  He said, "You'll need to redo everything!".  I felt desperate, and started the job again.  After redoing two pages, Hélcio called me again and said that the guys in Continuity would solve the problem.  A funny story... well, I was working all night to finish a job, then, without sleep I took a bus to deliver the pages to the studio (I was living in São José dos Campos), but... you know, I fell asleep on the bus, and I ended up at the last stop!  I was very, very late, but it ended fine.



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