For over two decades Ray Zone has been converting two dimensional art into three dimensions for comic book publishers. An avid collector of 3D comic art, Ray’s staggering accumulation of books stretches back to the early 1950′s.

DD: Although it’s been answered other places, would you be so kind as to tell my readers what your first 3D experience was and why you decided to start collecting / making 3D?

RZ: My first experience with 3D was in 1953 with Three Dimension Comics starring Mighty Mouse from St. John with stereo by Joe Kubert and Norman Maurer. I was 6 years old. Years later I tracked that comic book down again and experienced a visual blast from the past. And then I began to collect all the 3D comics of the 1950s as well as science fiction and horror comic books.

DD: I was no stranger to 3D growing up. I lived a good portion of my life near Orlando, so I would routinely see some of the coolest in 3D tech unveiled in and around Disney.

RZ: You’re really lucky to have had that experience.

DD: I know, it made things very interesting for me, but what I couldn’t understand was why I always saw 3D glasses depicted as being red and blue. I couldn’t wrap my mind around that fact that there were other forms of 3D besides the polarized stuff I’d seen at the theme parks.

RZ: Red and blue glasses have come to symbolize 3D in the popular mind.

DD: Now I’ve come to love anaglyph and really consider it “the people’s 3D”. It works in print, on television, in theaters, even on computer monitors. Do you see a place for anaglyph as more than a style choice in the near future?

RZ: Absolutely. Anaglyph is improved all the time with the use of computers that have made it easier than ever to produce. The new Dolby Digital 3D in theaters is actually a form of “super” anaglyph separating out discrete RGB peaks for left and right eye.

DD: Aren’t we getting to a place where anaglyph might soon become obsolete?

RZ: The anaglyph will always be with us in a variety of forms. It is one of the best and most commonly available introductions to the world of 3D that we have. And it is a great introduction to the study of color and how we see the world in 3D with two forward-facing eyes.

DD: The first time I heard about you was from Tom Jane while he was telling me about Bad Planet. He’s a huge fan and wouldn’t stop talking about you. What part have you played in consulting on his movie Dark Country?

RZ: I am 3D Effects Producer. Before the film was shot, Tom and I planned the use of 3D for the story in Dark Country. We created a “depth chart” using colors to indicate where different elements would fall in “z-space” on the movie screen. We selected Paradise FX, the 3D rigging company in Van Nuys, California, so that we could use dynamic variable interocular while shooting certain scenes. This means the distance between the two 3D camera lenses changes during photography while the cameras are rolling. It creates a very fluid depth effect that is perfect for 3D storytelling.

DD: The new digital 3D I’ve been seeing in theaters has been knocking my socks off. Do you think 3D is going to be as much of a standard as the studios seem to hope it will be?

RZ: 3D movies are now an unstoppable force. Like anaglyph, there will always be digital 3D movies being made. Only making 2D movies now, for producers and studios, is like throwing money away. And they aren’t going to do that.

DD: Do you think it might kill the “magic” of the effect if it becomes commonplace?

RZ: As 3D becomes commonplace in the movies, it will be used less as a gimmick and more as a way of telling the story. This needs to happen. 3D storytelling will keep the magic of the third dimension alive.

DD: The first 3D broadcast I watched was Hondo in the early 90′s. Since then I’ve seen a few other 3D specials on cable and I own a few anaglyph DVDs. The experience is still lacking on a television, in my opinion. Have you seen anything that you thought was promising for the small screen?

RZ: Digital 3D TV in the home will become a reality in the next two years with “3D ready” DLP displays from Mitsubishi, Samsung and Hyundai. You can purchase them at Best Buy right now. Ways to play the 3D content in a simple way, with Blu Ray for example, are being worked out right now.

DD: Why do you think comics are such a great medium for 3D and why aren’t more 3D comic being produced?

RZ: Comics are a unique visual art form with their own way of dramatically illustrating the world. This visual dynamism is perfectly suited for the excitement of 3D illustration. More 3D comic books are on the way. I recently completed a two issue 3D story arc for DC called Superman Beyond: Final Crisis and a 3D issue of The Transformers for IDW.

DD: Since you’ve made over 500 3D illustration conversions do you feel like you’ve started to perfect your anaglyph method? Is there always room to improve?

RZ: I always work to get better. Perfection is something an artist always strives for but never quite achieves, especially in the world of 3D. So, yes, there is always room for improvement. If it wasn’t so difficult, it wouldn’t be so much fun.

DD: Since I’ve started making designs using the 3D anaglyph process I’ve noticed that there’s so much room to experiment with the depth in new ways. Do you ever wonder why more graphic artists don’t experiment with 3D?

RZ: More and more graphic artists, through the ease of desktop production on the computer, are experimenting with 3D. It will one day be a regular part of graphic design instruction in schools at every level.

DD: What comic, that you’ve worked on, has made you the most proud from a technical perspective?

RZ: With the two-color anaglyph process Merlinrealm from Blackthorne Comics in 1986. Extra effort and an extra step in production helped create great depth on the 3D page. With color 3D (polychromatic anaglyph), I am particularly proud of the 17 3D pages in Black Dossier, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novel from DC and Tom Jane’s Bad Planet #3, which was built ground-up visually for 3D.

DD: What’s your favorite use of 3D in movies? It can a scene or an entire film.

RZ: I love the seamless use of 3D and story in the IMAX film Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man and have always been knocked out by the 3D version of Polar Express. In theme park production I believe Muppetvision 3D to be one of the finest marriages of 3D effects and story ever made.

More of Ray’s work can be seen on his website www.ray3dzone.com.