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SOMETHING IN THE WATER
Inspiration isn’t something you can look up on a Website. There aren’t any handbooks or how-to manuals for good ideas. Sure, there are resources designed to help get you into the right frame of mind to create, but the actual ideas come from some nebulous space inside. In his book, Catching the Big Fish, David Lynch likens the creative process to fishing. There’s a virtually endless sea of ideas to draw from, and you have but to cast your line to reel them in. Sometimes, there’s nothing on the line, sometimes what you catch isn’t big enough to be of much use and you toss it back. Often enough, though, there’s something massive down there, and even though you might have to dive down deep to get it, the effort is always worth it. And once you’ve nabbed a few big ones, it gets easier to navigate the water. You have a clearer idea where those big ideas are lurking and how to circumvent some of the struggle in bringing them to the surface. It doesn’t necessarily become easy, but it does get easier.
Comics are all about ideas. People talk about superhero comics being nothing more than male adolescent power fantasies, but at their heart, their true appeal lies in the unbridled rush of mad ideas. Unbreakable metal, unstable molecules, teleportation, telepathy, the strength to lift buildings, the speed to outpace the fastest vehicles man can create, alternate realities and time travel – the real power in all of these concepts is that of the imagination. And looking past superheroes, there are horror, sci-fi, crime-based comics – a whole slew of reality-based comics and graphic novels, in fact – straight fantasy and so on. The thread that binds them all together (or the staples, as the case may be) is the tireless pursuit of ideas.
We have a comic called SCREAMLAND out today, and it’s built around a pretty fantastic idea. Imagine your favorite movie monsters – your vampires, your wolf-men, your lumbering creatures of the night revived from death by some crazed scientist – and then picture them as regular people with hopes and aspirations and lives beyond their parts in a string of out-dated films. With that in mind, consider for a moment what this motley crew would do once their time has passed, once movies have taken the great leap forward into the realm of big budget special effects extravaganzas and CGI. Think of them as actors from a different time, workers made redundant by advances in technology or by age, and seriously wonder, “Whatever in the world does an aging wolf-man do next?”
Harold Sipe has given that notion a considerable amount of thought, based on the excellent stories he’s telling with artist Hector Casanova. SCREAMLAND is one of those incredible ideas that seems so insanely simple – one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?!!” premises – but Harold has filled each issue with so much pathos and humor that it’s clearly not something he just dashed off in the haze of a drunken hour. (Although, interestingly enough, there is no shortage of drunken hours in the lives of his characters.) And with all good fiction, there’s plenty of subtext about the human condition. These may be “monsters,” but their plights are as real as any you or I might experience.
In short, SCREAMLAND bears all the marks of an idea that wriggled hard on the line, requiring just the right amount of patience and skill to bring it up from the depths. Perseverance has paid off, though, and while they had to take a real plunge, Harold and Hector have come up with one of the most uniquely engaging comics I’ve read in some time.
Don’t take my word for it, though. If you’re casting about for something new to read whilst at your local comics shop today, pick up SCREAMLAND #1 and find out for yourself.
SO LONG, DAVE STEVENS
And on a substantially sadder note, we learned yesterday that Dave Stevens, creator of THE ROCKETEER and a renowned “good girl” artist, had died after a lengthy battle with Leukemia. He was only 53. For a lot of fans, Dave’s probably most associated with his pin-up art, particularly his Bettie Page work. His career encompassed much more than that, though: Dave did storyboard work and worked with the legendary Russ Manning on the Tarzan and Star Wars newspaper strips. By all accounts, he put some of himself into every single illustration; he had a true passion for his art and it showed.
In addition to being just an incredible artist with a flair for capturing beautiful women on paper, Dave was just an extraordinarily nice guy. I met him a few times at the San Diego comic-con and I always walked away impressed by how genuinely friendly and gracious he was. I can’t imagine how deeply bereaved those who knew him closely must be right now.
So long, then, Dave Stevens. You were one of the best.
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Watch That Man
Hey, have you seen this interview with INVINCIBLE artist Ryan Ottley over at Newsarama.com? If not, you should check it out: Ryan talks about his upcoming one-shot, DEATH GRUB, a project he did for last year’s 24-Hour Comics Day. (If you’re not familiar with the concept behind 24-Hour Comics day, it’s a yearly event wherein professional and aspiring comic book artists alike set out to create an entire story in just 24 hours. You can find out more at 24hourcomics.com.) The book’s out in May, but in addition to the Q&A with Ryan, the article also showcases a few pages of art, y’know, so your jaw can drop whilst you wrap your mind around the notion that Ryan generated this entire comic in just one day’s time.
Ryan’s been drawing INVINCIBLE for almost five years at this point – he took over for original artist and co-creator Cory Walker with issue #8 – and over that time, he has become one of my favorite artists. Which is good, because when he turned in his first pages for INVINCIBLE, I have to be honest – I wasn’t sold on him as young Corenthal’s replacement. Ryan’s one of the hardest working men in comics, though, and his abilities have grown with every issue, sometimes making quantum leaps from one story to the next. It’s been amazing to watch.
The End.
Actually, not so much. You know I like to ramble. (I’ll keep it light this time, though; promise!)
Charting artist’s development is really one of the more fascinating aspects of reading comics. Everyone has a favorite artist, and it’s always fun to talk to other fans about who they like, how they discovered him or her, what they like about that particular artist’s style. It’s always exciting to discover an artist right when he or she’s starting to blossom, too. Jeez, remember when Bryan Hitch first hit his stride on STORMWATCH and then just exploded on THE AUTHORITY? (And then got even more, erm, explodey on THE ULTIMATES?) Even if an artist starts off with just incredible chops, the work is only going to get better over time and there’s just something magical about tracking that development.
It’s neat to see an artist begin to branch out, too. Nearly all of the Image founders started out as artists, pencilers more specifically, before gradually inking their own work, then plotting their stories, and then writing the whole shebang. Before the Image guys, it was Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Byrne, Frank Miller, Walter Simonson and so on; there’s a long and healthy tradition of artists movin’ on up to become writer/artists. DEATH GRUB is Ryan taking his first steps toward writing, and it’s nice to see him stretching his creative muscles. It also helps explain why he is so good at what he does. That fiery ability to sharpen storytelling skills, even if it isn’t directly applied to actual “writing,” will invariably spread to the page. And any artist burning up the pages of whatever series he or she is drawing will eventually have an absolutely blinding career.
Like I said, Ryan’s just around five years in. Some months, I’ll take a look at INVINCIBLE and think he’s at the top of his game, that he’s there, but then the very next issue will put the lie to that.
And then he goes and cranks out a pretty damn amazing one-shot in 24 hours.
Go read that interview.
And have fun watching what happens with Ryan Ottley next.
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Do You Remember the First Time?
What was the first comic book that took hold of your imagination? What was the first song that really made you listen to music? What about the first film you couldn’t stop talking about, or the first book that kept you awake at night pondering endless “what ifs?” How about your first real kiss, butterflies bouncing off one another in your stomach, or that first senses-altering bite of your favorite dessert?
There’s something inescapably alluring about “new.” Anything you’re experiencing for the first time is a gateway to worlds upon worlds of possibilities, some good, some a tad frightening, but all utterly intoxicating in their freshness. An encounter with something new fills us all with an indescribable feeling that leaves us yearning for more and constantly seeking different ways of satiating our growing curiosity about the world around us.
As a boy, that feeling hooked me on comics, hard. I still remember the first comic that caught my eye and how amazed I was, by every single aspect of the comics reading experience. It was like diving into the ocean and then seeing, close up, for the first time all the myriad wonders that lie beneath the surface.
That sense of wonder has kept me enthralled with comics for years, but I’ve never lost the craving for the feeling I had the first time. Sure, there are series I’ve enjoyed almost as long as I’ve been reading comic books – sometimes they’re good, sometimes they disappoint – but I’m always on the watch for something new. Even my favorite longtime series will fail to live up to expectations at some point, after all, and like most of us, I can look at things practically enough to realize there’s just no way that initial rush of excitement can be repeated again and again by a single comic.
Image Comics specializes in “new.”
Yes, we publish ongoing series and we occasionally reprint archival material that has gone out of print over the years, but what really stokes the fires that keep our engine running is new comics. Any given month at Image can unleash a barrage of new talent and new ideas: A revolution every month. As I mentioned last time, one of the guiding factors in accepting any unsolicited proposal is whether or not it’s something we’ve seen before, whether it offers some new twist on a familiar theme, and focusing on new ideas keeps our line diverse.
Someone told me once that diversity is a tricky thing to market, namely because as I’ve said before myself, different isn’t always synonymous with “good.” I’d argue, though, that “new” holds an appeal all its own, because everyone tires of something eventually, and there’s real value in being able to offer relief from the same ol’, same ol’.
Jay Faerber and Mahmud A. Asrar do that with DYNAMO 5. It’s a superhero comic, yeah, and I know the world is filled to the point of overflowing with superhero team books, but DYNAMO 5 isn’t just another team book. The tagline is deceptively simple: “The children of Captain Dynamo: Strangers bound by fate and a father they never knew.” In more defined terms, what that means is this: Aside from being one of the word’s most powerful superheroes, Pops was a bit of a pompous jerk that liked to sleep around. (There’s that lure of the new again!) He fathered several children and following his untimely death, one of the many women he was involved with sought out five of them – all of whom inherited some aspect of his power – and brought them together to protect the city left hero-less in the wake of their father’s passing. Each of Captain Dynamo’s offspring had different mothers, so they were all unaware of each another; they weren’t joined together by any sense of family. As the series has progressed, it’s become just as much – if not more – about the relationships between these five disparate individuals as it is about the superhero stuff, and it’s as fresh a concept for a superhero team book as, say, FANTASTIC FOUR was when it first debuted.
And I don’t know about you, but somewhere along the way, I’d grown all tuckered out from superhero team books. When Jay pitched D5 to Image, though, it was like being introduced to someone I just had to get to know better. A little familiar, maybe, because we instantly shared a number of things in common, but bewitching all the same, due largely to the promise of discovering what I didn’t know. Like Captain Dynamo approaching a new conquest, I was hooked. This was different. This was real. I wanted more.
It’s a feeling I look forward to every time something new comes our way here at Image. THE WALKING DEAD, CASANOVA, GØDLAND, ULTRA, PROOF – the list goes on and on. What’s even better is when someone can bring something new to the table repeatedly – check the Lunas with their 1-2-3 punch of ULTRA, GIRLS and THE SWORD or Robert Kirkman with INVINCIBLE then THE WALKING DEAD then THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN. Warren Ellis spreads it around, but man, look at what he’s done! TRANSMETROPOLITAN, THE AUTHORITY, PLANETARY, DESOLATION JONES, MINISTRY OF SPACE, FELL, etc., etc. Ellis is as transfixed by uncharted waters as his readers are by the courses he charts upon them. He constantly surprises and subverts, making him and his work all the more mesmerizing to his fans.
INCREDIBLE HULK #182 was the first comic that turned my imagination inside out. “Hey Jude” by The Beatles was the first song that turned me on to music. Star Wars was the first movie I saw over and over again and couldn’t shut up about, no matter how my parents tried to make me. Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time was the first book that encouraged sleepless nights of wonder. Julie Taylor was, if not my very first kiss, the first girl who unleashed a net full of butterflies in my bewildered belly. Crème brulée was the first dessert that flooded my mouth with anticipation.
I want more.
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The Certainty of Chance
Just off the carefully tousled mop top of my head, Image has only given the green light to a handful of projects that came to us as blind submissions. The overwhelming majority of what we publish is the product of existing relationships with creators already working in comics. Established writers or artists pitch series and graphic novels to us all the time, and once someone is working with Image, it’s not uncommon to get recommendations about other books. Sometimes we actively seek out specific creators, cozying up to them at conventions and whispering sweet nothings into their ear holes about much we la-la-la-love their work and how proud we’d be to publish their next magnum opus. (I think we know one another well enough by now that I can confide it’s actually quite a sexy courtship process.)
Blind pitches do find their way to the Image offices on a regular basis, though, trickling in like drops of water from a leaky faucet some days and cascading down on us all waterfall-like on others. The kids all dream of making it, whatever that means, and since Image does have a reputation of publishing work by new creators, it’s only natural that anyone with a story churning in their guts would want to roll the bones on an unsolicited proposal. Craps probably gives you better odds, ultimately, because like I said: Not a lot of projects make pass. Unless there’s something truly exceptional about your submission, the dice really isn’t loaded in your favor.
And I don’t say that to dissuade anyone from submitting to Image. We definitely encourage proposals for new series and original graphic novels. If nothing else, the time spent assembling your pitch is its own reward: You’re developing your craft, figuring out what you’re capable of and what you want to say. Even if your project isn’t picked up, by Image or any other publisher you approach, that’s experience you didn’t have before.
And there’s always a chance you’ll completely spellbind us with your submission.
The Luna Brothers did that with ULTRA. Jonathan Hickman did it with THE NIGHTLY NEWS. We picked Peter Bergting’s THE PORTENT out of the mail. Not too very long ago, we received a pitch from a writer/artist you’ll be hearing more about in the future, Brahm Revel, and we’ll be publishing his miniseries, GUERRILLAS, later this year. There are probably a few others I’m missing, but even if I salt in some give and take on the total number, Image has approved fewer than a dozen blind submissions in the six years I’ve been here.
The thing all those submissions had in common was that they were as different from anything we were publishing as a leisurely walk is from running the 50-yard dash. These were creators who weren’t afraid to strut in with something new and different, never mind the conventional wisdom of the day. They were peacock proud to follow their own paths and if anyone else wanted to Pied Piper up behind them, better still.
With the Lunas, part of the instant appeal was a visually stylized approach combined with a subtle subversion of typical superhero themes. The description of ULTRA that gets tossed around most frequently is “Sex in the City with super-powers,” and that works just fine. In reality, though, ULTRA was a love story that just so happened to take place in a world filled with superheroes. It was, by turns, funny, touching and thrilling, but above all, it was fresh. It was also a good starting point for the Luna Brothers’ unique career trajectory, which has seen them leap forward first to GIRLS and then on to their current series, THE SWORD. Jonathan and Joshua know exactly what kind of stories they want to tell and how they want to present them. There’s an attention to detail and a commitment to artistic integrity that borders, at times, on the obsessive, but they never rest on past triumphs and have absolutely no desire to repeat themselves.
I talked to Jonathan Hickman about his current and upcoming projects last week, but THE NIGHTLY NEWS is what brought him to Image. Like the Luna Brothers’ pitch for ULTRA, Jonathan’s submission was incredibly well-defined from a stylistic viewpoint and perhaps more than anything else, that made it tower colossus-like above everything else we were reviewing at the time. It was ridiculously easy to spot his talent amidst the huddled masses, to recognize this was a creator with a singular vision and a strong voice. And not only did he have a powerful voice, but he had something to say with it. That’s a rarity; believe me, because there are plenty of writers who can coax a clever turn of phrase from their muses without actually marrying it to anything of substance. THE NIGHTLY NEWS, however, was brimming with complex new perspectives.
Braham Revel and GUERRILLAS is a story best told another time, but if you’ve seen Peter Bergting’s THE PORTENT, you know he’s an artist of tremendous ability and a writer of unbridled imagination. He came to us with a story steeped in the power of myth and adorned with all the stylistic trappings of a modern classic. And to my mind, he hasn’t even begun to reach his full potential yet! We knew there was something special about him when we received the proposal for THE PORTENT, though, and when someone like Peter shows up at your door, it would be an act of foolishness not to invite him in.
That goes for everyone with something new to impart on the all-too-often conservative world of comics. There is always room at Image – in this industry – for fearless thinkers. So many of the submissions we receive are merely a writer’s take on some pre-existing concept (and if I see another pitch for any kind of zombie comic, holy barf, there is going to be a mess on my office floor) or an artist aping someone else’s style. In situations like that, there’s no element of chance at all. It’s not on, it’s just not happening. But I assure you that, sure as my fingers are rap-a-tap-tapping this keyboard, someone is going to read what I’ve said about the Lunas or Hickman and get the 25-watt idea that sending in something similar to one of their projects will increase his or her chances of getting some time in the spotlight. We’ve already got THE NIGHTLY NEWS, though, and we’ve already done ULTRA. We don’t need to dress them up in clothes and parade them around like the new summer fashions.
What we do need is different, honest and daring. That’s what we respond to, and that’s what increases your chances. And “chance” really is the operative word here. There’s no guarantee we’re going to fall in love with your pitch, even if it is different from all the other books on the market. (Things can be too different, after all, and sadly, sometimes different = bad.) Submitting something you genuinely believe in, that’s well put together and offers something we haven’t seen before makes it less of a guessing game for everyone involved, though, increases your odds exponentially and makes the whole submission process a chance worth taking.
You can be certain of that.
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I Can't Get it Out of My Head
Ever get a song stuck in your head?
You know the kind – it has that electrifying hook that digs deep into your brain box and won’t let go, pulling you back for more, more, more. The rhythm, the lyrics, the boom of the bass and the crack of the drums all joined together to take control of your imagination and lead your mind into new and wonderful places, making you feel irresistibly, overwhelmingly alive. And then, when it’s over – sooner than you’d like, usually! – you want to experience that same giddy feeling all over again.
A good story works pretty much the same way. When you crack the cover of a book – or a comic, because this is a comics blog, it is – you’re essentially taking a plunge into misty water. The more you read, though, the clearer things become, the more comfortable you get, and before long, you’re able to submerge yourself in the flow of new and exciting feelings and ideas. By the time the end rushes over you, the notion of surfacing for air seems almost unthinkable. If a story’s well told, you want it go on and on.
That’s one of the things that drew me to comics early on. I loved reading and could easily get completely wrapped up in books, but I always came unwound when I finished an especially enjoyable story. I’d get lost in the plot; fall so deeply in love with the characters or the settings that the final page could be as heartrending as the end of an affair or the loss of a friend. Comic books were different, though. They were these majestic little soap operas on paper and if I found myself drawn to a specific character (or group of characters, as the case often is), month-in and month-out, there was always more. If the writers and artists were particularly adept at crafting their epics, they did exactly what I wanted my favorite novels and songs to do: last forever. Or something quite like it.
My consumption of monthly comics has been in fairly sharp decline for some time now, but even today, I can become totally absorbed by a series. One of them, Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Y: THE LAST MAN recently concluded with issue 60, and that was a little like having one of my limbs ripped off. For the five-years the book was published, Yorick Brown, Ampersand, 355 and Allison Mann were a very real part of my life. I shared all their triumphs and all their pain, and while I think Brian and Pia ended the series masterfully, and at exactly the right time, I was deeply saddened when the blinds were drawn on the window to their characters’ world.
Fortunately, one of my other favorite series is still coming out every (or just about, anyway) month, and even better still, Image publishes it. Perhaps you’ve heard of THE WALKING DEAD?
When I tell people about my tremendous affection for Robert Kirkman’s zombie survival epic, I think it creeps them out a little. On the surface, it is a zombie comic. There’s a world overrun by flesh-eating zombies, there are survivors desperately trying to find a way to, um, survive. I don’t have a deep-seeded love for zombie movies or even the horror genre in general, though, so believe me when I tell you that aspect of the series means virtually nothing to me. I’m not there every issue because I have the rampant desire to ogle more rotting flesh.
What does appeal to me is how fully formed the world is, how rich the characters are and how easy it is for me to get caught up in the story. I also have a huge appreciation of how unflinching and unpredictable the series is. Characters come and go (and by “go,” I mean “die horribly”) with fairly unprecedented regularity. All too often I find myself getting attached to one the characters and then quicker a heartbeat, he or she is gone forever. There are zombies around every corner in THE WALKING DEAD, sure, but Robert and artist Charlie Adlard have managed to make it very real. That feeling of connection and loss is every bit as genuine as it would be in our world.
A comic shop owner once told me he couldn’t continue reading THE WALKING DEAD, because it was just too bleak. For him, there was no hope in sight, no chance of a happy ending, and he felt his emotional investment in the series was only rewarded by relentless despair. Now, few have ever accused me of being an optimistic, but I don’t share that retailer’s perspective. True, the world of THE WALKING DEAD is a dark one, and there is an overwhelming amount of heartache and struggle. There is also a solid bond between the core characters, however, a will to keep going, no matter what the odds. To me, that’s hopeful. It’s also a lot like life, because there are days when, like one of my favorite songs says, “life is lead weights.” Real life can be just as unfair and unbearable as the circumstances chronicled in THE WALKING DEAD.
As I said before, it’s impossible to guess what’s going to happen next in this series. I don’t think I realized, even being so closely involved with it from a publishing standpoint, just how unpredictable it would be. But that’s life for you. Nothing good comes easy, and you always have to make some small leap of faith that things can work out for the best, no matter how dire the situation. There are always those moments of blind uncertainty, but ultimately, perseverance makes us feel a little bit more alive. And for me, that’s what THE WALKING DEAD is about.
Heady thoughts for a “zombie comic,” perhaps, but I could ramble just as thoughtfully about any number of equally affecting comics or novels or – hey, you thought I forgot, didn’t you? – songs.
Whether it’s a particularly riveting chapter in your best-loved book, a fantastic story arc in your favorite comic book series or an incendiary guitar riff on a 45 you’ve played so often the grooves are starting to wear, the good stuff always fizzles and pops with sheer wonderment, and I don’t know about you, but that’s always music to my ears.
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No Argument
During WonderCon this past weekend, I wound up talking to a friend of mine about JACK STAFF. He’d never read the book, and since I’m a) the colorist for that particular Image title and b) a pretty huge fan of Paul Grist’s work, I was more than happy to talk it up. I’ve been following JACK STAFF since Paul started self-publishing it through his own Dancing Elephant Press, and I was a big supporter of Paul’s decision to bring the book to Image in 2004. It’s one of my favorite superhero comics.
Despite my enthusiasm for the book, though, my friend wasn’t all that convinced. Something he kept returning to during our conversation was “cartoony” Paul’s artwork is, how few lines are on the page and “simple” it looks. After a while, and just at the point I felt we were veering dangerously close to an actual argument, we more or less agreed to disagree about the merits of Paul’s style and I lead our talk down another path. I wasn’t quite able to stop thinking about what had been said; though, and how it reflects what I view as an ongoing schism in comics as we plunge deeper into the 21st century.
Most comics readers will agree that the quality of comics, both in terms of story and artwork, has increased over the last 30 years or so. First, by small leaps and then by skyscraper-defying bounds. There’s definitely a much greater diversity in content and Marvel and DC notwithstanding, the apron strings of the superhero genre seem to have loosened considerably. A curious thing has happened alongside this transition, though, and that’s the ongoing argument about what makes for “good” comics art.
Once upon a time, the vast majority of comic book artwork was fairly similar, a look that can perhaps best be described as “comic booky.” Some of it was simply a product of its time; some of it just wasn’t very good. There was a lineage of artists, though, going back to Hal Foster, Mac Raboy and Reed Crandall, to Alex Raymond and Al Williamson and then exploding with the likes of Neal Adams and John Buscema, whose stylistic routes were firmly grounded in reality. Clearly, these artists were capable of doing much more than simply churning out the standard issue comics artwork of their respective times. At the same time, artists like Jack Kirby were moving into an entirely different direction, exploring the more fantastic and impressionistic elements of their artwork and creating a stunning visual shorthand almost unique to the comics medium. Kirby, Steve Ditko, Gene Colan – while their work certainly touched on the “real world” in various ways, it certainly wasn’t a picture-perfect representation of the world outside their windows.
Since then, and especially since the mid-‘90s and the publication of work like Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’s MARVELS, it seems like comics fans have split into two factions: those who want their comics as realistic as possible, and those appreciate work that is more stylistically adventurous. You get your fans that praise the likes of Alex Ross, Bryan Hitch and John Cassaday at the expense of a Darwyn Cooke, an Erik Larsen or, in the case of the conversation I mentioned earlier, a Paul Grist. Some dismiss the strict adherence to realism, while others view anything remotely “cartoony” as inferior work. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard someone say he/she though X artist wasn’t “any good” because he didn’t draw realistically, or conversely, relied too heavily on reference.
To my mind, it’s all good. I can get just as excited about the latest Bryan Hitch project as I can something new from Jeff Smith. It’s all comics and regardless of stylistic approach, good is good. (Duh, right?) No two artists are the alike and what they put down on the page is an extension of who they are – each panel is a little window into their individual worlds. There is no better or worse, just different.
Bringing this back to Paul Grist and JACK STAFF, I’ll tell you his work is highly deceptive. He uses lettering and negative space in ridiculously inventive ways; often giving his pages a sparseness that belies the complexity of the work. True, he’s not put down as many pen strokes as a Jim Lee or a John Cassaday, but what he may sacrifice in economy of line, he more than makes up for through the strength of this storytelling, the expressiveness of his characters and the deftness of his page design. Paul creates a complete experience with every issue of JACK STAFF, inviting the reader into his world on his terms. There’s no pretense that it’s the “real” world – it’s a comic about Britian’s greatest superhero, a vampire reporter, druids, mystics, monsters and an anthropomorphic plate. Everything works in the context of the world Paul has opened up for us, though, works brilliantly, in fact.
And I could say the same about BONE or HELLBOY or SAVAGE DRAGON or ROCKETO or NEW GODS or CASANOVA. Just because the art styles are unfettered by abject realism, it doesn’t mean the artists are somehow lesser practitioners of their craft when compared to their more realism-based brothers in arms. An issue of JACK STAFF can be just as much an artist triumph as the new Bryan Hitch FANTASTIC FOUR is in its.
It’s all an open conversation with the reader, not an argument.
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The Wonder of WonderCon
The 22nd Annual WonderCon is this weekend. Held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, WonderCon is not only the Bay Area’s premiere comics and pop culture event, but the opening shots of the 2008 convention season. Image has been a fixture at Wondercon since we were taking our baby steps back in 1993, but since we moving house to Berkeley in 2004, it’s more or less become our local show. And you know what? We love it.
There really is nothing like diving deep into a pool of pop culture and scooping up all you can before returning to the surface. Like diving for pearls, it is, and even after attending comic book conventions half a dozen times a year for almost two decades, I still get a manic thrill out of immersing myself in so much comics goodness all at once. And returning to my earlier observations about those temples to contemporary illustrated literature we call comic book shops, visiting a comics convention is almost akin to a religious experience for the truly devoted, a pilgrimage, if you will, into the heart of comics culture, complete with over-stuffed back issue bins, punters in Stormtrooper gear and creator autograph signings!
At the Image booth (#509, don’tcha know), we tend to specialize more in Creator signings than fancy dress. Though, as always, we’ve assembled an impressive group of writers and artists all eager to make your acquaintance. You want a list? Good, because I’ve got a list:
Gerard Duggan (THE LAST CHRISTMAS, INFINITE HORIZON)
Brian Haberlin (SPAWN)
Rantz Hoseley (DISPLACED PERSONS, COMIC BOOK TATTOO)
Antony Johnston (DEAD SPACE, TEXAS STRANGERS)
Erik Larsen (SAVAGE DRAGON, THE NEXT ISSUE PROJECT)
Derek McCulloch (DISPLACED PERSON, STAGGER LEE)
Moritat (ELEPHANTMEN)
Phil Noto (INFINITE HORIZON)
Brian Posehn (THE LAST CHRISTMAS)
Rick Remender (CRAWL SPACE: XXXOMBIES, SORROW)
JG Roshell (ELEPHANTMEN)
Mark Sable (HAZED, GROUNDED, FEARLESS)
Rob Schrab (SCUD THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN)
Richard Starkings (ELEPHANTMEN)
Ben Templesmith (DEAD SPACE, FELL)
Jim Valentino (DRAWING FROM LIFE, SHADOWHAWK)
We’ll also be hawking our wares (duh), so expect the best of our backlist to be on display alongside t-shirts, prints and exclusive items like our limited edition version of SCUD: THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN #1. Seriously, if there’s an Image item you’ve been seeking in vain over the past few months, there’s a good chance we’ll have it at the booth. We’ll also be giving away posters promoting various projects to be released over the course of 2008, so even if you’re not anxious to chat with a specific creator and, heaven forbid, we can’t persuade you to part with a single dollar, you should stop by and pick up a poster.
Or just come by and say, “Hi.” Pretty much everyone from the Image office will be around the booth at some point, and we’re always excited to meet the people we work for. We wouldn’t be here without you, the reader, after all, and without getting all dewy-eyed and sentimental, it’s always a pleasure to get some face time with the fans. (And yeah, I threw up in my mouth a little when I used the term “face time,” too, but I can’t come up with anything better, so there.)
So: WonderCon 2008. This Friday thru Sunday at Moscone Center South in San Francisco.
See you there?
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The Jonathan Hickman Experience
ERIC STEPHENSON: The first issue of your second miniseries, PAX ROMANA, has been out for about a month, and it’s getting rave reviews. For someone who's never seen or heard anything about the book, what's the basic premise?
JONATHAN HICKMAN: It's a bleak future for the Catholic Church. Apathy is high, Islam continues unabated. When a Church-funded research facility discovers time travel, they decide after much debate to send an army back in time to Constantine's Rome. Then, everything goes wrong.
ES: Wrong how?
JH: Instead of following orders, the leaders of the army execute the Cardinal in charge and attempt to remake the world in their “own image.”
ES: And that’s not necessarily a good thing?
JH: It's debatable, for the reader to decide. Is the blatant power grab truly done for the right reasons? While attempting to make the world “better” - are they only making it different? By changing the “natural” course of mankind are they actually redefining what it means to be “man?” That's the fun of the book. You know me, always questions.
ES: Right, well, I was going to ask you about that. All of your Image miniseries – THE NIGHTLY NEWS, PAX, the upcoming TRANSHUMAN and A RED MASS FOR MARS – are very distinct, not just from everything else on the racks, but from each other. What drives you toward your story choices?
JH: Two things, really. One, I get bored easily and have completely malleable tastes, so I'm naturally always changing things up. And two, I don't want to be pigeonholed or typecast as a genre writer. I would never want to only write things like THE NIGHTLY NEWS or PAX forever.
ES: There’s always a fairly strong emphasis on socio-political concerns in your work, though.
JH: Part of that is that I'm working thematically. Really, it's very difficult to find something that isn't socio-or-political in a story that is 90% theme and plot. That's the bad side of doing only miniseries, there's no room for long character arcs. Which is also why I'm so looking forward to PLUS! I'll be able to play with that more.
ES: I don't think anyone else really knows about PLUS! yet, so why don't we talk about that a little before backtracking to TRANSHUMAN and RED MASS.
JH: It's going to be widescreen (horizontal) and each issue will have three different stories – all by me – all different art styles. Some of the stories will continue, some will just be short stories. The important thing is it's ongoing – that's a big deal for me.
The first issue will contain “The Return,” which is a space opera about an abductee; “The Tree of Life,” which is a horror story about a migrant sect of heretical Christians searching for the Garden of Eden and “Feel Better Now,” which is about four psychiatrists who get bored and make up a game based on screwing with their patients where the only rule is that the patients can't kill themselves. “The Tree of Life” will be in the vein of early Ashley Wood/Ben Templesmith; “Feel Better Now” will look kinda like anime: cel shading and open line. “The Return” is based on a 96 panel grid.
ES: So, you’re branching out.
JH: Absolutely. I want it to feel like an art project as well as a monthly comic. When we collect the whole thing, I want it to be 8-10 issues worth, so it'll feel almost like an anthology.
ES: Now, with TRANSHUMAN and A RED MASS FOR MARS, you're working with other artists.
JH: Uh-huh. It's been very enjoyable. J.M. Ringuet and Ryan Bodenheim are both perfect for the projects they're on.
ES: Definitely. They’re both doing amazing work. How did you hook up with Ryan and JM?
JM: The Web. I posted an ad on Digital Webbing and Penciljack, I think. I got a very healthy response and was able to pick two guys that were perfect for the respective jobs. The Internet makes life easy in that regard.
ES: TRANSHUMAN is your next project after PAX, what was the genesis of that?
JH: I wanted to do a project based on the mockumentary. I wanted it to be about business startups, venture capital and marketing. I was also reading a good bit about genetic engineering for PAX at the time and it all kind of squished together and ended up being about transhumanism, hence the title.
ES: And this is more humor-based, obviously.
JH: God, I hope so. It's supposed to be. It's very dry, so we'll see.
ES: You've mentioned it's in the same vein as Christopher Guest's films, things like Best in Show and This is Spinal Tap...
JH: Yes.
ES: That's setting the bar pretty high...
JH: Well, gotta try. What's the point otherwise? And if I were really ambitious, I would have tried to make it like Arrested Development. That would have been a terrible mistake, though!
ES: Yeah?
JH: I don't think I'll ever be able to write that well. Absolutely perfect at times. Dramatic stuff is much easier to write.
ES: Which is probably a transition into A RED MASS FOR MARS. Tell us about that.
JH: The solicitation copy reads: "In a world that has survived every catastrophe imaginable, a new threat from beyond stars looks to be the end of all humanity. A RED MASS FOR MAR is a story about the death of utopia, the last days of Earth and the one man who could save us all, but won't" - and that's pretty accurate. It's also about how's man's idea of a perfect society has changed over time.
ES: And this is more like a mainstream superhero book than anything else you’ve done up to this point, isn’t it?
JH: Uh-huh. It's intentional. Including the art. Ryan's work has that easily consumable quality. I mean that in the most positive way possible. He's going to be big time.
ES: Yeah, he’s one of the best young guys I’ve seen in a while. Is this his first professional comics work?
JH: No. He won that Marvel challenge thing a couple of years ago and did some pages for them then. It didn't work out with them, and this is the first thing he's done since then.
ES: Looking at all the projects you have lined up, it’s kind of amazing to think you just started THE NIGHTLY NEWS at the end of 2006.
JH: Yeah. Sometimes I get frustrated that I don't have all this out there yet, and then I remember we're only one year and three months into this “Jonathan as comics creator” experience.
ES: It's pretty cool, actually, because you're one of those guys who came at us cold. We literally pulled you out of the mail pile.
JH: Yeah. I'd FedExed my submission in cold. That was a good day.
ES: Well, it was definitely one of the most striking proposals we've ever received. Your design sense was very well defined.
JH: I'd worked on those five pages quite a bit. I'd redone them multiple times, but the upside to that was I really knew what I wanted to do at that point. I still like those pages.
PAX ROMANA #2 (OCT072016) is due in stores in March 5. You can find out more about Jonathan Hickman and his various projects by visiting his Website, www.pronea.com.
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