Hey Trevor Fraley! Thanks for joining us for this royal interview to talk about how great a job that you are doing showing the world who really deserved to be king of the Pride Lands in Dynamite Comics Disney Villains Scar. I am already sold that it should have been Scar, but let’s kick this off by talking about the artist behind the illustrations.

DuckTalks: What are some of your fandoms (what are you a fan of)?

Trevor: I’m a fan of film and animation in general, but like a lot of people in the world right now I’m really into superhero movies. I’m a big fan of sci fi stories too! As for animation, The Lion King has been one of my life long favorites along with The Prince of Egypt. But I just saw the new Spider-verse last night, and I’m now an instant fan of that!

DuckTalks: How did you get into the comic industry?

Trevor: I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, but I came into the comic industry in a way that was kind of like a blur. I illustrated a few independent comics and covers in the past few years, but Scar came along and it was kind of a “pinch me” moment!

DuckTalks: What is your dream Disney comic assignment?

Trevor: Honestly, I’m not sure how my dreams can top this. I can almost recite The Lion King by heart, and the fact that I had the opportunity to work on something like this is a dream come true. If we’re not just talking about villains, I think working on something for The Emperor’s New Groove would be cool and a little unexpected.

DuckTalks: What challenges have you found on illustrating a comic for such an established and beloved fan favorite IP?

Trevor: Probably the biggest challenge is to try to keep in line with the source material. Even though I am not writing the story (which is excellently penned by Chuck Brown), I still feel I have a duty to stay true to the original while injecting my own voice into the art.

DuckTalks: Think about the 1st time that you saw The Lion King. What would young Trevor’s reaction be if his future self told him that he would one day illustrate a prequel comic based on Scar’s rise to power? Would he believe you or think that you are lion?

Trevor: I think about this almost every day now. I don’t think I would believe it, but I know that younger me would feel like I’ve “made it” in the art world!

DuckTalks: How many times have you watched The Lion King since you were selected to be the illustrator on this comic?

Trevor: I watched it once all the way through when I was first starting, and I watch clips of it while I am drawing just to get the sense of how some characters move. I know that comics are a still medium, but I envision the story in motion. I have a good amount of that movie on a projector in my brain so it’s always with me!

DuckTalks: The original animators on The Lion King brought live lions into their studio for reference. Did you partake in this sacred tradition?

Trevor: Sadly I don’t have a lion supplier. Maybe next time.

DuckTalks: What other additional research did you have to do for this assignment?

Trevor: I’ve done a lot of research on African animals. Some animals I’ve never even heard of before. I look at the real life versions of them first and also any versions across The Lion King canon that I can find and try to discover their comic version in the process.

DuckTalks: It is my personal opinion that Scar’s “Be Prepared” is the best Disney Villain song. Do you know all of the words to “Be Prepared”?

Trevor: I do, and working on Scar I’ve found myself humming the whole tune multiple times while I work!

DuckTalks: Do you have a favorite hyena?

Trevor: Before I started working on this story I would’ve said Ed, but Chuck has really made me love Shenzi as a character.

DuckTalks: Disney Villains Scar is a Dynamite Comics release so everyone knows that there are going to be a lion’s share of covers. Do you have a favorite cover that you have illustrated for the series?

Trevor: I feel like I’m really fond of the cover for Scar 4 cover I’ve done which has yet to be released, but you’ll see it soon!

DuckTalks: What are some of your favorite covers that someone else illustrated for Disney Villains Scar?

Trevor: As for other covers, the first one I saw while working on the first issue was the one by Jahnoy Lindsay. And I feel it’s so Iconic and sets the tone for the rest of them. I feel like everybody’s are so unique and beautiful, but I am a big fan of Karen Darboe’s full collection!

DuckTalks: What are some of your other favorite Disney Villains? Which Disney Villain(s) would you want to illustrate or work on a variant cover?

Trevor: Scar is number 1! But other villain’s I’m interested in are Yzma, Hades, Shere Khan. There’s so many to choose from, it would be an honor to do any of them!

DuckTalks: Any other upcoming projects that you can talk about?

Trevor: Nothing that I can say right now, but I do hope you look out for my name in the future!

You can follow the work of Trevor Fraley on his website: trevorfraley.com and his social media accounts: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

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Dynamite Comics Disney Villains Scar #3 will be available at your local comic book shop on June 21st, 2023. Then Be Prepared to catch the exciting finale chapter of this Scar miniseries in issue #4 on July 12th, 2023.