What Is Azimuth? More chat with Tazio Bettin about the stunning new 2000 AD series
22nd June 2023
Starting in the pages of 2000 AD Prog 2337, out 21 June, Dan Abnett and Tazio Bettin bring us the first part of a spectacular new series – Azimuth – It’s A Job For Suzi Nine!
Now, if you haven’t already read part 1 of our Azimuth chat with both Dan Abnett and Tazio Bettin, go and do that – these two fine gents talk to you about the ideas and concepts behind the series and a little of what you can expect in coming weeks.
Okay? You back? Told you it was a good read, didn’t I?
Here in this second part, it’s the Tazio solo show, talking about Azimuth, creativity, collaboration, and art.
But just to give you a quick reminder, here’s the idea behind Azimuth…
‘Welcome to the city of Azimuth, a data-driven metropolis, where anything is possible. Ruled by an aristocracy of the New Flesh, such concepts of life, death, and body forms are fluid. Anyone can take any shape, if it can be conceived by the imagination. Suzi Nine Millimetre, for example, is a cadavatar, whose existence is given purpose by the jobs she undertakes for her New Flesh masters.’
It’s one of those first episodes that really sets a fire under you, makes you want to know where it’s going and makes you wish a week away just to get the next episode in your hot little hands! [And boy, hot covers it. Remember all, wear sunscreen!]
Tazio, hello again. Let’s get a little more into you, as this is the first time we’ve interviewed you here at 2000 AD.com. You’ve worked for Titan, Dark Horse, Warhammer, and 2000 AD now. But few people will know too much about you. You’re an Italian artist. What’s your story? When did you first get into comics and how?
TB: That’s true, I don’t think I’m much known!
Oh, I think you’re getting better known with SinDex and I’m sure that Azimuth will have people talking about you!
TB: Yes, I’m Italian, specifically from the city of Padova, near Venice. I always loved to draw since I can remember. But like many, I followed the benevolent advice of concerned parents who tell their children not to study art, because you’ll never be able to live as an artist.
There you are kids – never listen to your parents about art advice!
TB: So I kept art as a mere hobby, studied Japanese language and culture in the University instead, lived in Japan for some years, then came back to Italy and worked in a tour operator office until around 2013. I was pretty miserable: it was a dull, stressful job that didn’t make me feel fulfilled. I felt like I wasn’t creating anything worth being remembered for.
But in the meantime, I managed to get some freelance work for tabletop roleplaying game publishers like White Wolf Game Studios, and I kept drawing as a means to get some relief from a dreary day in the office. Eventually, my contract expired. It was a bad time for tourism, and I found myself looking for a job once again.
As a half-joke, I submitted a portfolio of my very, very crude artwork to a Marvel talent scout who was visiting Italy at the time, C.B. Cebulski. And against all expectations I was selected to produce some test pages. That gave me the first spark, the determination to prove that I could make it. That I could learn perspective, anatomy, and storytelling proper, even if I was just some self-taught nobody.
My first real chance came when writer Victor Gischler participated to an event in my very city here in Italy. It was exciting and frightening to meet the author of Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth and Head Trip in person. But I took my courage in both hands and we got to know each other. From that fateful encounter, my first ever professional comic book project was born. Sally of the Wasteland, our creator-owned graphic novel published by Titan Comics. It was a dream come true and even today I look at those pages full of happy memories and it’s a bit of a talisman for me.
What exposure to 2000 AD did you have? Was it growing up when you saw your first Prog or more into adulthood?
TB: I think my first ever exposure was in my teenage years. As you can imagine I read a lot of comics. I was an absolute fan of Pat Mills’ Slàine, one of the few 2000 AD titles published in Italy in the nineties. And of course, there was also Judge Dredd, though it was more in the periphery. I really started to appreciate the comic later in my life. In more recent years, Dan’s Brink captured me with its fantastic characters, mystery and plot twists, and Ian Culbard’s mind-blowing art.
So my exposure to 2000 AD has been, I’d say, gradual but ever-present throughout the years. I knew of this legendary, groundbreaking British publisher and hoped one day I could get to work for them.
Your very first 2000 AD work was back in 2021 (from what I can work out anyway!) with covers and SinDex with Dan. But the connection with Dan stretches back further than that as I understand it? There was work on Warhammer 40,000 comics and covers for Games Workshop novels, and that meant you came into contact with Dan.
Presumably, that’s where the SinDex job came about and from there, other 2000 AD covers from Tharg?
TB: That’s correct. After working on the Warhammer 40,000 comics, I took a trip to the UK to meet some of the people I’d been working with thus far; it was also a chance to visit Games Workshop’s headquarters in Nottingham and meet Black Library’s art directors, for whom I started freelancing, and still do.
It’s a great collaboration: it’s not only a beloved franchise, but Games Workshop is a fantastic client to work for. Eventually, I was proposed to work on the cover art for a special edition Dan’s novels Pariah and Penitent. As a Warhammer fan, it’s impossible not to know and be in awe of Dan. He’s written some of the most memorable books in Black Library’s catalogue. I mean, have you ever read Legion, or Double Eagle? I read those books three times each, not to mention his novels Triumff and Embedded, outside of the Warhammer franchise. So working on a cover for his book was a dream come true.
My contact wasn’t directly with him at the time, however, so I took the courage in both hands and got in touch with him. Dan has worked with some of the best talents in the industry and created several major franchises, so I was very hopeful and very frightened. But after a short time, he offered me to work on Sinister Dexter and I got my first chance to prove myself. That’s where it all started. Dan is a veritable volcano of ideas (that may be an Italian figure of speech I translated word by word, but I think you get the point) and a wonderful human being. It’s not only a great working relationship, but also a friendship I very much value and am profoundly grateful for.
‘A veritable volcano of ideas’ – Dan will be putting that on business cards! But it’s a great figure of speech and very apt.
So with your 2000 AD covers and SinDex under your belt, what does it mean to you to be here with your first co-created strip?
TB: The first thing I thought was “ok, you’ve proven that you can do a decent job. Now prove you can do more than that!” I like to set myself challenges to overcome. Every chance to work on a project is a chance to prove yourself, but when you are given freedom in creating the visual concept for something new, that’s an invaluable opportunity to show that you’re worth your salt. And hopefully I’m managing to do that!
Having already worked with 2000 AD and Dan on Sinister Dexter, plus some cover illustration work on Dan’s books – have you got a nice shorthand going on by now about what you’re looking for on a strip and Azimuth in particular?
TB: Well, every project is its own thing, as I mentioned, and a chance to go into a new direction. Azimuth is a new challenge I set to myself: to draw something using techniques and aesthetical choices I never tried before. Even the layout I’ve adopted for this project is new for me, as I’m no longer using the grid like I did in Sinister Dexter, so I’m not sure I can speak of shorthands. But it becomes progressively more natural and intuitive as I work on each subsequent page.
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Tazio, let’s talk about your art, both generally and specifically here on Azimuth. What’s your process like? Is it all job dependent or are you a strictly analogue or all digital artist, and how have you gone about making the art for Azimuth?
TB: My process is entirely analogue. First I draw some sketchy layouts, then develop them in a bigger format with traditional pencils, and subsequently ink them. Matt Soffe then brings those pages to life with his amazing colours, and I couldn’t ask for a better colourist in this project.
The world-building of Azimuth (sorry, Dan! I know you don’t like that term) involved amassing an extensive database of images, from photos of real-world places, costumes, and objects, to ancient paintings, mosaics, statues, and frescos, to use as inspiration. Just to give you a small spoiler, one of the locations we will be exploring in the future is a homage to the city of Sana’a in Yemen.
Tazio was good enough to send over his process images from Azimuth episode 1, page 1 from roughs to inks – presented here in a gallery but shown in full at the end of the interview.
Oh, and you’re presumably not going to be able to sneak in any vintage cars into this one as you did in the last Sinister Dexter? Or will there be a sneaky Austin Allegro hiding in one of the panels?
TB: I wasn’t expecting the Allegro to make such an impression! When that scene came up, and Hosanna, one of the characters, remarks on it being junk, I simply researched which cars are notorious for being amongst the worst ever built: in every list I found, the Austin Allegro was present. I found it kind of adorable and chose it, and Dan was ok with my choice. As per vintage cars in Azimuth, who knows… anything can happen in this new, strange place!
[Oh, and if you’re wondering what all this talk of the Allegro is, it’s from a SinDex storyline where Tazio included one and there was an outpouring of love/hate from readers about that particularly awful car. Tazio talks more about it in a Covers Uncovered – the link’s below.]
And Tazio, what’s coming next for you after Azimuth?
TB: Most of what I’ve been working on in tandem with my Azimuth pages has been released by now. Last year I had the honour of working on Secrets of Salamonis, the latest Fighting Fantasy book written by none other than Steve Jackson, and The Upper Deck just published an expansion for Marvel: Legendary Encounters that features my art, titled Midnight Sons. Another card set should be released later on this year, if you want to see me draw some iconic Marvel villains! You can also expect to see more of my artwork for Black Library’s Warhammer 40,000 books.
And of course more Azimuth! Seriously, there is so much to explore in this new title, I hope it will be a very long series indeed.
Well, having seen the first episode – that’s something I reckon a lot of readers will be saying as well!
Welcome to the world of Azimuth – Tazio and Dan want to take you on a real adventure. And Suzie? Well, Suzie Nine Millimeter wants a job…
There we go – a thoroughly enjoyable chat there with Tazio – who’s work on Azimuth looks, I think we can all agree, absolutely amazing. Trust me when I say that this is one series you are absolutely going to love.
Once more, thanks to both Dan for chatting to us yesterday and to Tazio for the extended chat. You can see the very first episode of this new series in the pages of 2000 AD Prog 2337 – out on 21 June from anywhere you can find the Galaxy’s Greatest, including the 2000 AD web shop.
For more from Tazio, he’s had a few Covers Uncovered features since appearing in the Prog for the first time – Sinister Dexter covers for Prog 2259, and Prog 2283, plus he made a surprise guest appearance in one of Andy Clarke’s Covers Uncovered pieces for Prog 2290 where we talked all things Austin Allegro! Finally, there’s his cover for Hope… In The Shadows for Prog 2302.
Now, as promised, those full-sized process works from Tazio – layouts, pencils, and inks from Azimuth episode 1, page 1. And right at the end, the finished page with colours from Matt Soffe.
