hightower

I traded emails with Daryl Auclair of High Tower Comics this morning.

It has been awhile since I came across a new indie publisher with their respective heads on their respective shoulders. Their books look great, very high quality, and I look forward to giving them some press in the weeks to come.

http://www.hightowercomics.com/


Completely makes up for my dealings and fallout over the last several days with Joe Keatinge, the Marketing Director hack at Image Central. Multiple emails over a couple months with nary a response, until I finally explained to him how to do his job and suggest he do the industry a favour and off himself. That triggered not only a couple of immediate and colourful replies, but also his office number with a dare to make use of it. Which I did. Nobody intimidates me.
He was unable to explain why he neglects 75% of his line.
Not like there are dozens of hard-working creators who depend on his job description being at least adequately performed so as to feed families or anything.
I mentioned to him how we had just run a review of popgun3, one of the few sites to review the book which he himself was a co-founding editor of. This was only possible because one of the contributors had taken it upon themself to forward Rodrigue a reviewable pdf.
Keatinge is shallow and plastic, in the camera hound corporate flake sense. He is far more interested in selling himself as a trendy comics creator, milking whatever connections and perks his position at Image offers, instead of actually doing his hired function.
Fuck him.

Companies like High Tower make him look like a stooge, by passion alone.

torquemada cowboy

Talking with Writer Len Kody

posted on April 28th, 2009 in interviews

New and energetic to the comics medium, Len Kody is firing his imagination in all directions, currently scribing one of the far better web comics to be found on the intra-webs, Chicago: 1968. A modest personality with a great respect for knowledge and history, Len’s interview was long-sought by our own Richard Caldwell.

Len, I found your work through the excellent Chicago:1968 web strip, though much of your work is set in times gone by.
Are you a history buff?

I guess I am a history buff, now that you mention it. I’m into Chicago history, in particular. I really get into the research when I do a period piece. You’re creating a world, in a way. Or re-creating one, at the very least.
What I like best about studying history is the perspective it gives you on the present. When it comes to Chicago history, I feel it’s the closest I can come to getting in touch with my “heritage,” in a way. Being just an average white guy of mixed European decent, all I can do is look at the time and place where all of my component ethnicities met and mingled - on the southside of Chicago, sometime during the late 19th/early 20th century - and work from there.
I’m also something of a political junkie. And it seems to me that an understanding of history, especially more recent history, like what happened in 1968, is essential to understanding the politics of today.

Where did the inspiration for Chicago:1968 come from specifically? And has researching for the comic affected your knowledge and understanding of the American political spectrum, or is it all old hat for you?

My grandfather was a Chicago cop in 1968. So for years I’d been told the story from his point of view. It was one of several dozen stories he’d regularly told me that made up the landscape of my childhood.
The original idea for writing a story set in Chicago in 1968 first germinated in my mind in 2003. It was shortly after the US had invaded Iraq. I was in college at the time, and my politics were then, as they are now, pretty far to the left.
My grandfather, on the other hand, was much more on board with the Bush administration’s military adventures in the Middle East. I didn’t begrudge the man for it. He grew up during the Great Depression and fought in World War II. He worked a dangerous and thankless job to help put my dad thorough school, so that I could eventually grow to become a pot-smoking, radical college student with the audacity to question the clearly suspicious motives of my government.
So writing Chicago:1968 is my attempt to reconcile all that.
The thing about 1968, and Chicago 1968 in particular, was that it was the birth of the American political spectrum as we know it today. Before 1968, the South voted solidly Democrat (because they still resented the Republican Abraham Lincoln for freeing the slaves). And the white working class could be counted on to vote Democrat, too (because the pro-union president FDR made loyal Democratic voters of them thanks to his New Deal). And there were socially liberal Republicans back then, like Nelson Rockefeller, who was defeated by Nixon at the ‘68 Republican convention in Miami. Because before Reagan and his successors had harnessed the apocalyptic fantasies of the fundamentalist Christian sects, the Republican party was the party of the country clubs. They were always pro-business. But it wasn’t until 1968 when they started to ride the wave of conservative white backlash against the civil rights movement, the peace movement, and the women’s liberation movement. The debacle in Chicago in 1968 was a turning point for conservative white voters who were made uncomfortable by the pace of progress in America during that time. So the Republican party has happily provided them a refuge ever since.
Researching Chicago:1968 has been a long process, beginning at least 6 years ago, in 2003. And perhaps earlier than that, since first hearing about it as a child on my grandfather’s knee. So Chicago:1968 is really the product of a life-long struggle to understand the American political spectrum, and more generally, to understand America and my role as an American citizen.

Have you always been so passionate about writing, as vocation? What authors informed your voice?

You know how some people who’ve been to prison talk about how finding Jesus gave their lives focus and meaning for the first time? That’s what it was like for me reading Spider-Man comics in the 4th grade. Writing comics is probably the closest thing to religion I have in my life. I’ve wanted to be a comics writer ever since I’ve known there was such a thing. And I can pretty much say with certainty that every decision I’ve made in my life since then has been wholly or partly informed by my desire to write comics.
It might be uncool for me to say this… fuck it. My earliest influence was Stan Lee. And it wasn’t even his writing per se that really inspired me. Because a lot of that 60’s Marvel stuff seemed pretty corny to me even then, at 10 years old, whenever I could get my hands on the reprints. At the time he represented for me the absolute height of success that a comics writer could achieve. And he still does, to a certain extent. I think Stan is the patron saint of all comics writers. He’s the archetype, and we’re all just variations on a theme, true believers!
It doesn’t hurt that he created a universe of characters that represent some of comicdom’s earliest attempts at complexity. I’ve always been a Marvel guy, but the greatest character Stan Lee ever created was Stan Lee. And it’s that part of the Stan Lee mystique that continues to influence me to this very day.
There’s only a narrow window of time in one’s life where a book can change the way you see the world. I was 11 or 12 or so when “Kraven’s Last Hunt” by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck blew my mind for the first time. I think what I responded to in “Kraven’s Last Hunt” were things that I did not become aware of until much later. For instance, the repeated use of the modified William Blake poem “The Tyger”, and the incorporation of some of Blake’s mysticism and philosophy into the story, is stuff that I couldn’t even start to unpack until my early 20’s, when I began to study William Blake and his heavily illustrated poetry.
Blake is one of my favorite poets because he was actually one of the first comics writers (excluding cave-painting prehistoric shamans, I suppose). Blake was a visionary poet who literally saw angels and reptilian creatures on a regular basis. He created his own cosmology that included interpretations of Heaven and Hell that weren’t entirely Christian. His “illuminated texts” represent his writing at its most complete and transcendent. He was a printer and engraver - a member of the working class - and he developed a method of incorporating his poetry and artwork into a single, cohesive hybrid art form (which Scott McCloud would later define as “comics”) by engraving both words and images onto a single plate so that they could be printed as a holistic unit and distributed to the masses.
But “Kraven’s Last Hunt” was only the first step in creating my own, personal cosmology. My biggest influence these days is the Holy Trinity of British comics writers: God the Father - Alan Moore, God the Son - Warren Ellis, and Grant Morrison - The Holy Spirit.

All of those names you mentioned- Stan and Blake, Moore, Ellis and Morrison, even Marc DeMatteis- all are writers not just of fiction, but persons with distinct character and ideals. Their works attract notice because there is often the high concept being tossed about and exemplified and hopefully passed on for consideration by the reader. Now I could see how the same inspired writing could show in Chicago:1968, but for you are there yet any other precepts, other stories that you would like to oneday explore?
Or to put it another way, do you think that Spider-Man could still be used for educational or thought-provoking tales? Is it an appeal of comics that, should the archetypes become too stale and worn, that whole and brave new worlds can be created instead, with the ease of some drops of ink and a few well-crafted words?

Well, I’m no Carl Jung, but I suppose an archetype is an archetype because it’s immutable. Cultures and contexts change. Civilizations rise and they fall. But mankind always has and likely will populate his world with gods and monsters.
The writer’s archetype is the shaman. And shamans, through ceremony and storytelling, use the signs and symbols of his or her culture to make meaning. Human beings dwell in a world of meaning. Without stories to model the passage of time through linear plot, to present for us a relationship between cause and effect, to show us people as individuals with sets of characteristics independent and separate from one another, then perhaps the phenomenological world as we know it wouldn’t even exist. At the quantum level, for instance, where human consciousness can only barely penetrate because of the near infinite smallness of the particles involved, protons and photons affect each other from great distances and exist in simultaneous states of matter and energy - the rules of linear narrative simply don’t apply. Shamans told stories of the gods, seemingly, to explain phenomenon - Thor makes thunder, Chronos makes time, and Atlas holds up the sky. These shamans appeared to pay tribute to the gods who made the world. But, perhaps, through storytelling, the shamans were creating the gods, and hence, creating the world that we all perceive.
So yeah, the writers that inspire me are shamans in their own way. As all writers are, or should at least aspire to be.
The superheroes that populate today’s comic books are our own post-modern mythology. It is no easy task, I think, to create a god. If you think about most of the superheroes around today, almost all of them were created in the 30s/40s, and in the 1960’s. Both of these decades were huge pivot points in the 20th century, times like crucibles out of which immortal supermen were born. Do we live in such times now? Only History can judge. In the meantime, seize the day, my friend.

And what of today, and tomorrow? What’s ahead for Chicago:1968 (trade collection, please)? What stories are itching to break out before THE MAN condemns you to more respectable work, like lobbying for pharmaceutical companies?

The Future!
Well, I’ll continue to put out the Chicago:1968 strip at my own site (via webcomicsnation) and on the Image/Shadowline site until I see the story through. Afterwords I’m hoping to see it published through Shadowline.
There’s going a be a change in Chicago:1968 in the very new future. With the most recent update, pg.45, where we witness the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, we’ve officially “put to bed” the first half of the story. All the context has been set. The second half of the story will focus exclusively on the Democratic National Convention. To reflect this move from one chapter of the story to the next, and because of personal decisions made by myself and my creative staff, Jenny Frison will be moving on from Chicago:1968. I’ve already gotten unofficial confirmation on a new artist. It was only the other day, so I don’t feel comfortable announcing his name just yet. But he’ll be on board for our first update in May. So stay tuned for that.
In the meantime I’ve been developing other creator-owned properties, which are in various stages of development. Chicago:1968 is very research heavy. so I’m kinda looking to do something a little less so. There’s a Sci-Fi thing I’ve been tinkering with for a bit now, about Pluto and insects and high school. I had to shelf it while I focused on getting Chicago:1968 out on a weekly schedule, especially once Shadowline got involved. I’ve been working on some work-for-hire projects, too. Which I will announce at the appropriate time.
In the more distant future, I’d like to do a follow up to Chicago:1968. I’m thinking of going even further back into the past for inspiration. You see, when I first conceived of Chicago:1968, the war in Iraq was the issue of the day. This time I’d really like to do something about the economy. Two specific events show some promise. The 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago, also called “A Century of Progress” because it took place on the centennial anniversary of the city’s founding (not to be confused with the 1893 World’s Fair that was the setting for the popular book “Devil in the White City”). The 1933 World’s Fair was intended to provide the city and the country with a beacon of hope during the first Great Depression. It was also the year that both FDR and Adolf Hitler took office as heads of their respective states. So I’m really interested in juxtaposing the alternating feelings of hope and doom that must have pervaded that time, and is certainly the prevailing mood these days. Alternately, I may also like to dig deeper into the Haymarket Square Riot, which was a violet confrontation between Chicago Police and labor leaders in 1886, another time of great economic strife. I reference Haymarket a few times in Chicago:1968, in the form of a recurring series of nightmares that Clark Zomski, one of the policeman characters has. I always kind of saw 1968 and 1886 as being connected by some kind of transtemporal ley line. Whichever way I decide to go, it’s going to have to wait until I’m ready to take on another research-heavy project like that.

So yeah, those are my plans. But, as they say, when man makes plans, god laughs.

torquemada ego

Talking with Writer R.S. Carbonneau

posted on April 27th, 2009 in interviews

R.S. Carbonneau is one up and coming writer to watch, bringing a much needed voice of intelligence to the medium. Here, Richard C talks to Richard C…

Richard, what has impressed me the most about your comix is the intricate degree of research incorporated, the historical references and quotations, etc.
Are you a philosophy professor masquerading as a comic book scribe? What is your background?

Just a student of St Autodidact University. No campus, no professors, no other students; it’s just me, a stack of books, and a
lot of notes. I’ve worked in comic shops and bookstores most of my life, in between other odd jobs. I’ve always had a real interest in literature, the occult, and religion. After doing about 10 years of Catholic School I took in a year at Emerson College, then ditched the institutions for some life learning.
The Marvel, Jack Parsons’ comic book biography, took me about three years to write. Most of that time was spent doing research; from visiting libraries and spending hours with books to driving around Old Pasadena and taking pictures; I read books on the era, studied the slang, read the same books Jack Parsons read, listened to the same music. The authenticity that people are seeing in the comic comes from that. When I was living in L.A. and working in Pasadena I’d drive by or across the Colorado Street Bridge every day, which is a recurring visual metaphor in the comic. I’ve never dabbled in rocketry, but I read up on chemistry just enough to make the lingo sound authentic.
Robin Simon received numerous emails from me loaded with photo reference. He’s got an amazing skill at delivering the feel and style of the era. I think his contribution more than anything else gives the story a real sense of place.
So, philosophy professor, no. But I have a real passion for writing comics.

Aside from your comics research and studies at Hard Knocks U, what writers and thinkers have you battled with? Who are your metaphorical teachers?

I would like to have thrown down with Nietzsche, I think it would’ve been a fair fight. In all honesty Nietzsche was the first major thinker to resonate with me in my youth. I still agree with a lot of what he wrote, though most of his better work was probably conceived with a head full of syphilis. The ideas of the uber-mensch, the rejection of values and morality, and self-liberation were really attractive to me as a rebellious lower middle-class kid. Reconciling his philosophy with my own was akin to a battle, the kind of fight that ends with no victor, but from which I walked away enriched.
Once I tuned in to drugs and alternative lifestyles in my later teens I was drawn towards a lot of those more esoteric writers and
philosophers, like Robert Anton Wilson. R.A.W. seemed to have worked out a philosophy that stuck with me. The concept of Quantum Psychology especially would lead me to answer that he is certainly a metaphorical teacher as you say. In no small part because the book “Quantum Psychology” has these self-guided classes that my friends and I used to do in my kitchen back in Boston. We learned a lot about each other, and it was perhaps more meaningful than anything I ever learned in a classroom. You should get the book and try it out, it’s fun stuff. And reading R.A.W lead to Terence McKenna, Timothy Leary, Aleister Crowley, JAMES FUCKING JOYCE, and the list goes on, including Philip K. Dick who is a huge influence as well.
Of course the list of comics influences would be long and predictable, so I’ll spare you.

I am quite familiar enough with RAW’s legions of dynamically discordian works to think he would’ve gotten a kick out of your Zoroaster strip.
What are your intentions, what are you saying with this comic?

The comic Zoroaster In Aethiopia has been described (by me) as “Conan” meets “Last Temptation of Christ.” It’s a thinking man’s sword and sandal adventure.
It’s a story about a seeker, one who has lost faith and is seeking to regain it. It’s also a story of moving away from the dangers of slave morality and blind faith towards a more rational world-view. Historically Zoroastrianism was the first monotheistic religion. But this story separates Zoroaster from whatever the historical reality of the man may have been. I take Nietzsche’s approach, putting “Zarathustra” in a series of faith-testing conflicts, putting him through the crucible of hell-fire and dogma, and seeing what comes out the other side, all the while using him as a mouthpiece for my own questions and beliefs. Why do people cling to religion? Why is it an excuse to wage war and act out atrocities? Why do people treat each other like shit most of the time? What compels us to do good, or speak-out against perceived injustice? It’s as much an exercise in ontology as an exercise in etymology: as
the story progresses I trace every major monotheistic Western religion back to the sun-god cult of Aten under the reign of Akhenaten in Egypt. Most of this is done through Crowleyan/Joycian word-play, but narrative themes play into it to, following the Christ myth, Judaism, and even conspiracy theory back to Egyptian mythology and ritual.
And finally it’s an exercise in narrative. A variety of artists will tell the story in a series of vignettes. Though the stories are linked chronologically, they each depict a different aspect of Zoroaster’s world. From the wise warrior seen in Sergio Carrera’s photo-realistic comic pages, to more abstract artistic impressions of the time, to full-on cartoon-style slapstick.
It is full of action and sex too, but that’s the honey that makes the medicine go down.

Carrera’s art is somewhat reminiscent of the great Gene Colan, whose influence I wish touched more of today’s artists. All of your collaborators thus far are incredible. What did the courting entail? Is it difficult for you to pitch these left field stories?

Gene Colan, huh? That’s a compliment indeed. Colan’s work has always been of the highest caliber, and I agree, sadly his style isn’t reflected too much in a lot of what we see today in mainstream books. Absolutely a legend, goes without saying. I would have liked to have worked with Sergio a bit longer than his six page stint, but he’s a busy guy these days and you’ll be seeing him around a lot more in the near future. Working with him was all business: a little sharing of personal information, some exchange of ideas and sketches, a little negotiation and lots of emails. He seems like a perfectionist to me,
making several revisions before the final art landed in my inbox. He’s a true professional, and will go far.
The search for an artist for The Marvel was a process. I had a lot of submissions which were very good, but the artists dropped out because of moral or ethical or monetary concerns, and that is the response I receive most often. I don’t write zombies or assassins or bad girls or whatever the hell is trendy. I don’t write comics with the market in mind, I just write what I’d want to read. That puts a lot of people off, especially given that I typically write longer pieces with a level of density to them.
I had answered many emails addressing the concerns above, and then came Robin. His style, his ability to create a mood, and his layouts told me he was the artist for the Marvel. His commitment and enthusiasm for the book, and for comics in general, led to us becoming friends and true collaborators. Most, if not all, of the design choices in the Marvel were his. Working with him has been a pleasure and a source of inspiration over these last three years.
Working with Jonathan Bass, who drew “Grope for Luna” which appears in Side:B, was also a lot of fun. I knew he was the guy from the start. He shared my appreciation of the subject matter, and captured my mannerisms quite well in the little autobiographical story.
Choosing a collaborator is different for every book. The artists with whom I’m working on Zoroaster are friends, strangers, and hired guns. Each is given a section of the story which I think plays to their strengths and would be the most fun and rewarding pages for them to
draw. I’m always looking for artists to continue the story, so if anyone reading this wants to email me some samples, go for it. What it boils down to is who is right for the story. The joy of working independently comes from the level of creative control afforded to the writer, certainly not from money. Working on webcomics and graphic novels is a labor of love, and my partners on these books all share an affinity for the subject matter, and a love for the
medium of comics, which are the most important factors. Knowing that someone “gets it” and is willing to help me share that vision is a great feeling. Especially if that artist is talented, has a vision of their own, and is professional and ready to be seen.

So what does the future hold for you? I know you have mentioned before the possibility of collecting the web-comics into printed editions, and please do consider that, as it would only add to your readership. These could well be in bookstores proper.
Still, what topics and themes would you like to explore, later on? Other than funny animal comix?

The Marvel IS going to be in print, most likely by the end of the year, by a publisher who values relationships with “proper” bookstores, as well as libraries and the direct market. I can’t get into too many details, but everyone should have their hands on a copy by 2010. Even if I have to hand-deliver them.
Someone once joked with me that I’m dealing with all of the world religions one-by-one, starting with Scientology and Thelema, moving on to Zoroastrianism and Judaism. I think the next story will take on Bahai and Hare Krishna. Seriously though, I’ve got a lot of stories to tell. Zoroaster’s story is far from over, and I’m already working on a “sequel” following his sidekick Atreus. I think I’m most excited about exploring the literary possibilities of the medium. Not by creating works that are comics which are considered to be literary, but rather books which can stand on their own against and with the literary traditions of our culture. I want to explore the boundaries between comics and consciousness. I don’t like the term “graphic novel” outside of Will Eisner’s original intent. I don’t believe that comics with some mainstream (and I’m not talking Marvel and DC, I mean Mainstream Culture) appeal should be called “graphic novels.” I think that term refers more to format than medium. Likewise, though I appreciate the term “sequential art,” I believe that all art without narrative is merely design. That true art speaks in narrative. Context is content. I like calling a comic book a comic book. The term “comic” does not simply mean a story with a happy ending. Dante’s masterpiece is called the “Divine Comedy” because comedy itself refers to art targeted and made by “the people.” It typically represents a struggle of the individual against society. I can think of no greater name for what I do than “comics.” Art made by people, for people, representing universal struggle.
After all, Alan Moore was a drop-out too. So what’s next for me? I’m gonna make some fucking comics.

So on a final note- who do you think would win in a bar fight, Jack Kirby or L Ron Hubbard?

My money is on the King. LRH was a lot of talk.

evening pearls

Comic Reviews: The Saturday Evening Pearls

posted on April 27th, 2009 in reviews

The Saturday Evening Pearls: A Pearls Before Swine Collection
written and illustrated by Stephan Pastis
published by Andrews McNeel
reviewed by Richard Caldwell

The Saturday Evening Pearls, the latest collection of Pearls Before Swine newspaper comic strips from reformed lawyer and creator Stephan Pastis, is a riot. Launched over seven years ago, the comic features a mix of anthropomorphic neighbors and their assorted approaches to blue collar living, dating, and abiding by/avoiding the eating habits typical of the natural animal kingdom.

The core characters, the self-serving Rat, the naive Pig, the everyman Zebra, and the bookish Goat, engage in this volume an imaginative series of misadventures, often crossing paths with the neighboring family of ever-hungry Fraternity of Crocodiles- whose speech patterns you will immediately find yourself mimicking to the annoyance of all around you. Meee pwommiss.

Containing numerous deprecatory cameos by characters from other comic strips, especially the more long-running of the Sunday comics fare, it is clear that cartoonist Pastis is actually quite well-read and generally respecting of those that came before.

The approach to comedy ranges often, from parody and spoof to even social commentary, and one easily encounters a strong influence of the likes of Bloom County (and Opus) by Berkeley Breathed, and Dilbert by Scott Adams- the latter of whom apparently played a big brotherly-role in the early days of spreading public awareness to the strip’s existence. At times the comic can go full-on bizarro (in ways almost as inspired as the much missed Far Side, by Gary Larson) to the point of even breaking the rules of the fourth wall.

This book takes fans from Rat’s experiences at practicing law and super-heroing, to Pig’s laments at love and brain loss, to Zebra scared for his life by the new lions on the street, as well as the always silly Crocs.

As cool as they come and most definitely one of the sharpest strips in circulation today, Pearls Before Swine deserves total geeky adoration. Currently in syndication by United Feature Syndicate and found in over 400 newspapers round the globe, let this now on sale edition be the first in your soon to be growing collection of Pastis’ works.

Now peez shut mouf!

bedroom eyes

It bothers me that my tax dollars are going towards criminals receiving three square meals, and a bill-free life. Three hots and a cot.

I work two full time jobs to stay ahead of myself. These bastards do not lay awake sweating utilities. No shut off notices. No threat of eviction. They can even watch cable, and take classes for free. The guy who strangled my sister to death in her own bed back in september of 2000, til her eye popped out and she bit off her own tongue, he just finished his degree. This is asinine.
Where is the punishment? How many millions are we blowing on the prison system? I have a better idea.
Let us embrace torture.
Why debate it? In terms of national defense, of course it produces no results. So I propose that we personalize the experience by dragging it back into the public domain, as the alternative to incarceration. Let us not only torture those convicted, let us broadcast it nationally, to set a strong example to the lesser amongst us.
Convicted of rape? Pedophilia? Castration. No repeat offenders there.
Convicted of theft? You lose a hand.
White collar crimes? Your eyes will be ripped from your screaming skull live on primetime network television.
Ratings would fly, advertisors would pay an arm and a leg (pun kinda intended) for a choice spot.
The crime rate would falter and plummet. Not only would the more ignorant and or desperate of us be faced with an actual punishment for their misconduct, but the rest of their days would be spent with something far more appropriate, more eloquent, than a scarlet letter.

the Lottery Party XIX

the Lottery Party: Iconoclast

posted on April 22nd, 2009 in columns
by Richard Caldwell, Managing Scribbler

One thing that always bugged me about Watchmen, was that in a world where superheroes are real then their presentation in funny books would obviously lose a lot of steam. That makes sense enough, but then which genre would step up to be the main thing in its stead? Pirates? Maybe as metaphor for the heroes of that world, persons doing their own thing in a downward spirally-kinda way. I think realistically though, if comic books were not so grossly dominated by the capes, the genre that would likely play king of the mountain would be straight science-fiction. Arguably, comics were spawned from the sci-fi pulp journals of yesteryear, with writers like HP Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard and the like, writing with such imagination that visual representations were inherently demanded.

I wanna talk about genres.

Science Fiction is king in its own way, to be sure, even including a wide, wide array of sub-genres. Of course one does not have to look far to find some good sci-fi on the racks. I thank Warren Ellis for his efforts especially (excepting all of his Marvel work, which is entirely drivel). Radical is kindly exploring this as well.
But what else is out there, insofar as genres other than the tights and lasers? Yes, the superheroes make up for the bulk of today’s publishing gamut, to the point of non-comic readers generally remaining ignorant as to what other types of stories do yet exist, past and present. And of that past- how many different things have been tried over the decades!

Another progenitor to comics were the newspaper strips, the Sunday funnies. The first official comic book was in fact a reprinting of said comic strips, Famous Funnies, published by Eastern Color Printing around 1934.

In truth, comedy also has a strong place in this (or any) medium, also possessing of a variety of sub-genres itself. And again, representation can be found on the stands, from comics specifically for kids to parodies and more culturally aware political humor and even raunchy satire. Comedy is our old faithful. I had a talk with my old professor of philosophy once, with him saying that philosophy is the dead science, that no big names have come from that world in more than fifty years. I told him to check out George Carlin. Check out Bill Hicks. Comedy is the spoonful of sugar to chase the medicine for a reason. It is masked truth. This certainly applies to comics as well. Read Sam Henderson’s ongoing efforts. Read between the lines of Johnny Ryan’s comix.

Horror, the other megalith, has always been a popular set of themes, although admittedly nothing new or original has been offered from that wing of the mansion since Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Everything since is a rehash of previous ideas. The room is comfortable, but the windows seem to be boarded up.
As the larger of the mainstream publishing houses push primarily the supers, the smaller publishers are more prone to exhibiting said tales of sci-fi, comedy and horror.
Genres of fantasy and westerns, also having a long history in comics, seem to run in cycles. The same with biographical comics, currently doing well with BlueWater. The current reprisal of crime fiction also is promising, I just wish more of it were better written.

A personal longing of mine is to see the return of romance comics. Before you question my sentiment on the validity of love as a genre, consider the stone fact that ninety percent of every song ever recorded anywhere preaches for it, begs and screams for it. Jack Kirby himself introduced the genre to comic books, and it had lived on in different ways until the late 80’s I think, when the shear darkness of the epics of the day (Dark Knight Returns, the Sandman, and Watchmen, again) grabbed the reins of the industry with their oh so cool kung fu action death grip insistence. I am not arguing this point. Total sign of the times. Technology was allowing us to see more of the world stage, and things looked uglier than my first girlfriend. Somehow, the creators of romance comics were wrongfully sold on the idea that love must always be idealistic in terms (and so giving up the good fight), which has little place in reality. This remains largely unexplored territory.

The last of our medium of choice’s stalwarts, war comics, also finds itself abiding by unseen rules of industry trends and fluctuating cultural tastes. So many great works of the past here, like Kirby’s run of the Losers in Our Fighting Forces, also Enemy Ace and the Haunted Tank. I would like to point out that since the darkness trend worked its way into our foundation, the majority of war comics since seem more intent on carrying assorted political statements. For good or ill, it is not the whole picture. War is always more than politics.
What I see happening, since the last wave of the visionary neo-romanticists in contemporary writing (from Tom Wolfe on to that Neil Gaiman guy), what is taking hold genre-wise in comics and other mediums is meta-fiction- the blending of forms, if you will. This is another cycle, though in a much larger sense. When the brick wall approaches, when the well of ideas begins to run dry, we look to the past. We re-run, recycle, revive and re-imagine what has been done before. From retro fashions to movie remakes to remixing and sampling from previous music recordings, we are here now. The only “new” we have is the stripping of days gone by, chopping up the bits and restitching the pretty parts like doctor Frankenstein after reading all of Grant Morrison’s run on Doom Patrol. This is not a bad thing at all, indeed it demands a vast imagination and broad intelligence from its authors, as well as demanding the same from perspective readers. The mother cycle will run its course though, when something shockingly new pops out of left field. Like the music scene in Liverpool back when (or Kingston for that matter, or Seattle or New Zealand at the moment). This was the Renaissance, following the Inquisition and the Black Plague; this was the counter-culture boom of the 1960’s, following the claustrophobic post-war greys of the 1950’s. It is soon to happen again, you can almost smell it like coming rains.
Reformulating the old is a necessary thing, it does help define us, to see where we have been and where we are going, creatively and culturally. Until this wonderful impending explosion of whatever surprises us in the years to come, I just ask that we not forget the underscored genres from before.
Let’s think outside the box more often, and maybe people on the street will not immediately get the mental flash of Batman when someone brings up funny books.

as ever, tell me the colour of your panties here:

richardcaldwell@comicnews.info

flailing

And people thought I was jesting on the effectiveness of death threats.


I spent a summer once reading a few books by Henry Rollins.

Something I learned is that just being american is no fucking excuse to exemplify inaction.

torquemada machine

Talking with Author Mark Ellis

posted on April 20th, 2009 in interviews

Mark Ellis, writer of numerous novels and comic books dealing with characters as far-ranging as Doc Savage to Nosferatu to The Justice Machine to adapting into comics The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Wild Wild West, spoke with Richard Caldwell recently about roads traveled and journeys still ahead…

Mark, having written hundreds of stories over the years, from articles to novels to comics, including work featuring some very iconic characters, does it still surprise you that works associated with you directly since early in your career, like Death Hawk and the Justice Machine, still maintain their faithful followings?

Yes it does…it’s also gratifying. For the last 14 years, I’ve been known primarily as “James Axler” (my pen name under which I wrote the Outlanders and Deathlands series), so it’s always a pleasure when someone contacts me about my work on the Doc Savage or Wild, Wild West comics or titles like Death Hawk, Justice Machine or even Nosferatu.

Do you have any thoughts on the proposition that Joss Whedon’s Firefly series was actually a marriage of the British television show Blake’s 7 to your own Death Hawk? Or has the “space cowboy’ character type progressed now to full archetype, like a mode of hero on par with adventurers like Doc Savage or vigilantes like Mack Bolan?

The first time mention of a similarity between Death Hawk and Firefly was brought to my attention was on Ebay–a dealer had the issues of Death Hawk for sale and promoted them as a “fun sci-fi adventure very similar to Joss Whedon’s Firefly.”
I had only seen one episode of Firefly at the time, so when the series aired on Sci-Fi Channel, I paid more attention to it.
I can’t speak for Blake’s 7 having never seen it, but there are definitely similarities between Death Hawk and Firefly conceptually–the ships, the Peregrine and Serenity are superficially alike not only in configuration but the fact they’re old rattletraps. The planets of Amicus and Persephone are basically interchangeable…both Hawk and Mal share the same fashion sense and choice in weapons…in the Death Hawk future, the Japanese are a major cultural influence and in Firefly, it’s the Chinese…Hawk and Mal are both beleaguered by sexy red-haired con artists who use the alias of “Brigid”…and of course there’s the Adam Hughes connection.
The “space cowboy” type of character has been an archetype for a long time, going back to the pulp magazine days with characters like Northwest Smith and Eric John Stark. In the years following that there was Morgan Chane the Starwolf and Dumarest of Terra. Han Solo of course is composite of those kind of characters.
There’s a tendency to look down on that kind of “space western” approach to SF, but I think it has its place and more importantly, it’s fun.

I could not possibly agree more.
So what first attracted you to the Justice Machine property? In my mind, I place it on the same scale as THUNDER Agents or the Micronauts- great and fun properties that just never seem to get the chance to fully strut their stuff and showcase their potentials, even in spite of cult-like fan followings.

If I’m recalling correctly, Adam Hughes first drew me to the Justice Machine…he called me up one day to tell me that Innovation had acquired the Machine license from Comico and the writer they originally assigned the book had quit for some reason.
I was familiar with the Justice Machine but I wasn’t a fan. Actually, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take the assignment but once I hit it off with Darryl Banks and then received a green-light from Machine creator Mike Gustovich to give the series a reboot, then my interest and enthusiasm increased considerably.
The longer I worked on the book the more I enjoyed it…I liked the fact that the Justice Machine was essentially a family, like the Fantastic Four- one my favorite comic series of all time. I used that series as loose model.
Unfortunately, Darryl and I weren’t able to do everything we wanted to with the book…so in 1991 when Mike Gustovich offered to sell me all the rights to the Justice Machine, I didn’t hesitate to accept the offer.
I agree about the THUNDER Agents…and that brilliant concept hasn’t had the opportunity to hit its peak. In fact, we’re seriously considering reprinting the one-shot Justice Machine/THUNDER Agents crossover in a special edition and hopefully bring more attention to the THUNDER Agents.
As it is, the Justice Machine holds a degree of significance in the history of comics…it’s the first super-hero title produced by an independent publisher, debuting in 1981. We’re delighted to bring ‘em back and reintroduce them to a new generation of readers.

Pending the market, along with the current collection, are there any set plans for a continuation of the series? Considering how the Fantastic Four have not been the “family” superhero team for awhile now, there is that certain void to be filled.
What other projects do you have up your sleeves? And are there any other icons you would care to take a crack at?

At this point in time, we don’t have specific plans for new Justice Machine material…that could change with the market conditions. I’d certainly love to produce new adventures–a number of artists have expressed an interest in working such a project. But for the time being, we’ll focus on re-presenting the earlier material in brand-new collections. Much of it hasn’t been seen since it was first published, over 20 years ago–one of those collections will hopefully include the crossover with the THUNDER Agents.
Other projects include the Nosferatu: Plague of Terror graphic novel which is my take on the folkloric vampire, not the pretty boy Lestat type. The art is by Rik (Captain America) Levins, Frank (Nightstalkers) Turner and Richard (Midnight Sons) Pace. That book is scheduled for a July release.
We–that is Millennial Concepts–are producing TPB’s collecting The Saint newspaper strip. The Saint is something of a precursor to James Bond and was an immensely popular character for decades…of course, he was played by Roger Moore on the long-running British TV series. This project is authorized by the estate of Saint creator Leslie Charteris and we’ve been provided with stats of the artwork by Ian Dickerson, president of the International Saint Fan Club. We’re starting from the beginning and the early continuities have never been reprinted. The strip ran for 13 years and the artwork, some of it by Doug Wildey, is beautiful. With a new Saint TV movie in production, we think this a good time to reintroduce the character…this is a very unique book and it’ll have a wide appeal. We’re aiming for a September release.
I love old newspaper comic strips and it’s amazing how high-quality so many of them were and how so many of them have never been seen by people even of my generation.
Earlier this year we released a TPB collecting stories from the Sherlock Holmes strip from the 1950s under the title of Mr. Holmes & Dr. Watson: Their Strangest Cases. This book was the first time Gil Kane and Mike Sekowsky were given full art credit. That book has been very well received and we’re quite proud of it.
We’re also putting together Star Rangers: The Spur, a TPB collecting the space-western comic series that the legendary Jim Mooney and I worked on together. It’s going be something special…a tribute book as well as a collection.
We also plan to continue our series of Miskatonic Project graphic novels, featuring HP Lovecraft characters and concepts. The first one, Whisperer in Darkness was released this past October and the second one, Bride of Dagon, is on sale now. The script is by Roy Thomas and RJM Lofficier with art by Brian Bendis and David Mack. The third one, Kiss of Nitocris, is in pre-production.
(I should note that if you can’t find our books in comic stores, you can always order them directly from Transfuzion or from Amazon.com)
I also have a “mega” project that I’m working to turn into a graphic novel…the high concept description might be “Cadillacs and Dinosaurs Meets Terry and The Pirates.” I’m looking for an artist who would like to work on a project featuring beautiful Asian babes, martial arts, fist-fights, and of course…lots of dinosaurs.

My wife Melissa and I also teach weekly writing workshops, so on top of other writing projects, it’s a busy kind of life.

Looks like a busy year for you and Millenial. I know the Gil Kane is definitely going on my list.
Thanks for talking with us, Mark.

No, thank you, Richard…it’s been great. Hope to do it again someday.

beleagued

My verisimilitude, how it condemns me.

The ferocity of my presence and stride serve as reminders to all around.

Of the incapacities and incapabilities.
Of their ineffectiveness and blandness as individuals. The self-assured and damning emptiness of being.
I am steel.
I am their devil.
They despise the guilt and shame that I inspire. My fists, scarred.

I could care less.



life was meant to be raped.

HELP!

Help Rebuild Len Wein's Stash!

posted on April 17th, 2009 in comic news



Len Wein, the well-known comics scribe and editor, had the nightmare of a house fire at his home on April 6th of this year. Lost were numerous collectibles and possessions, as well as their family pet.
While the comic book community cannot replace the love of a faithful dog, it can provide assistance with reparation of the massive collection of comics and memorabilia destroyed in the blaze. Spearheading the effort is Mark Evanier, himself an accomplished writer and longtime friend of Wein's.
For more information, and to find out how you can help, follow the link to the project page setup by Evanier.

Len gave us a lot over the years. Show some support and give a little back.

www.povonline.com/weinproject.htm

Motion Comix of the Gods

Motion Comix of the Gods: Chapter Two

posted on April 17th, 2009 in columns

In this four part series, Richard Caldwell risks life and limb to unveil a behind the scenes look into the actual making of a motion comic. Cardboard Gods, a troika of creative Brits, stands as stoic vanguard for this relatively new presentation of sequential art. From start to finish, Phil Stark, Ben Sheppard and Mat Startup guide us through their trials, tribulations and bar tabs conquered so that they can share their industrious vision of commoners going all superhero. While the big boys are now throwing their hats into the ring hoping to make a buck, Cardboard Gods comes from the savage heart.

This is how it’s done…

[warning: explicit language]

Chapter Two: Construction

Tell us of the vision- the initial grand scheme for Cardboard Gods. While keeping your secrets to yourselves, is there an end in sight? An overall message aimed for?

Phil- Ooh, the temptation to just spill my guts is almost overpowering…but not quite! Basically, there is indeed a grand scheme for the Gods. We are all clashing as to how many issues there are going to be but aside from that small detail we know what will happen to each character and even have ideas for the final panel. I had a very basic idea for the arc at the start of the process of writing Issue #1 and then Ben and I beat out a much more comprehensive storyline.

Ben- In dealing with an “overall message”, I’m gonna leave that for the reader to decide. Partly because I agree with the David Lynch school of thought when it comes to audience participation- each to their own. And partly because there are only so many times one can use the whole “just believe in yourself and dreams can come true” bit before God takes his revenge by turning all your DVD’s into “Hannah Montana meets Freddy Prinze Jr at Summer Camp 4″.

Phil- I can quite honestly say that the starting point is a million fucking miles away from where the story is going to go…and that is the fun bit, nobody has a clue what is in store for them.

In formulating the series narrative, what influences and sources for inspiration are being drawn from? If any of this is auto-biographical, do you think God will sue for copyright infringement?

Phil- Our influences are very different I think, so I can only speak for myself. The fundamental inspirations for me as a writer and producer run thusly (please note that all my influences make sense to me even if not to you):

The City of London
Alan Moore (specifically the Dr Manhattan chapter of Watchmen, From Hell and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
Ian Fleming
David Peace and the Red Riding Quartet
Stanley Kubrick
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
The latest Star Trek trailer
Garth Ennis
Sergio Leone
Billy Brightman and Star Quality
The Naked Gun Trilogy
Doctor Who (Jon Pertwee era)

As for anything autobiographical…all of the Gods are based on exaggerated versions of us. Ben is slightly more dandified and naive as Benassi, Starma Chal is a thicker, fatter version of our very own Matty and Dr Tidalwave and I share the same world weary hatred. ..and we are both sons of the North.

Ben- Bit boring this one, I’m afraid. In terms of the story and the structure therein, nothing has been deliberately drawn from anywhere. I haven’t knowingly drawn or referenced from any specific comic or story or film or book at all, I just write what I think should happen next, in the tone that’s been discussed. For example, the pub fight scene didn’t come about because there’s a great pub fight in Preacher vol 7 or anything, it all kicks off because we need to see the birth of the powers.
And seeing some cunt’s head explode is more dramatically fulfilling than…well…not.

Mat- As I don’t have much to do with the actual writing, my influences are more visually based. Cinematically I would say my biggest influence is taken from Roger Deakins’ work with the Coen brothers, specifically Barton Fink and Fargo. There’s something about his slow zooms which draw you in visually, making you a part of the picture, a technique which I use a great deal to keep the shot alive.
Comic book-wise I know that we all draw greatly from Alan Moore. The idea of a dystopian universe, as seen in Watchmen or V for Vendetta, plays heavily on my vision of the Gods’ world as I am creating it. But there is no Norsefire or nuclear threat, more a sense of entropy and apathy, as Stephen King wrote in his Dark Tower series- “The world has moved on.”

How fluid is the plotting? Is there an actual written script? Do you make use of storyboards?

Phil- There is indeed a script. A very hefty one. I don’t tend to write scripts like some comic writers do because I don’t see myself as a comic writer! The way I write the Cardboard Gods scripts are very colloquial as only myself, Matty and Ben will be reading them for the most part. I write a description of the scene and all the dialogue…I also write in any possible visual references that might benefit Mat (a Sergio Leone camera angle for example).
The way the script works is that I usually do the first run at it, that means a couple of drafts (issue 2 for example had three drafts before I settled on the current flow), then when I am happy with the results I send it to Ben. Ben will usually add his own lines of dialogue and take away some of my more morose stuff (I am naturally inclined to write grumpy, angry prose…force of habit). He also has a knack for writing action scenes. The Bar room melee in issue #1 was pretty much all from the mind of Sheppard. There is an extended montage in issue #2 which is pure Benny as well. It’s what he does best I think.

Ben- We certainly use scripts, yes. The way Stark and I write is, we lock ourselves in a room and spitball and throw around an idea or a bunch of ideas, decide on what we like and what we’ll use, lock down the structure, then one of us will write a draft, then pass it onto the other who’ll add a layer, and so on, passing it back and forth from there until Startup drags us apart and demands we shoot something before someone loses an eye.

Phil- But it doesn’t end there. Once the script is decided on and sent to Mat we often re-write stuff that he may suggest and, of course, there is a lot of improvising once on shoot. The chair through head moment in issue #1 came straight off the top sheet during filming. We work together well so I think that we aren’t afraid to mix it up every now and then.
Storyboards are something we never use. I think we all have very strong imaginations and as so much of the scenery and action happens in the edit room, I think it would muddy the issue rather than be a benefit to the process.

Ben- No storyboards though as the actual shoot is always an experiment, and we never know exactly how fluid we’ll need to be.

Mat- There is a written script and with most scripts it goes through 3 or 4 drafts. I have tried doing storyboards but I’m shit at drawing and the script often changes before I’m done. I suppose the shoots themselves are the storyboard. During shoots we go by the mantra “Total Coverage”, shooting multiple takes and angles of each shot until I end up with a whole series of chronologically sequenced stills. Once on the computer we can review these in order and highlight the ones which work.

Ben- That said, another good reason for no storyboards, at least from me, is that I can’t draw. I made a short film at Uni starring Stark, and in my storyboard for that, Stark’s character looked impressively like a sperm. Not deliberately you understand, I was just trying to draw his head and shoulders and that’s what came out…to the point that Stark actually wanted his character to be called The Human Sperm and to possess sperm-like powers. So the headache of that dark experience was enough to taint the concept for the rest of time.

How far ahead do you write? Does the filming and digital work really call for that much rewriting, or is each component given breathing room?
I recall a CBLDF video wherein Neil Gaiman described his writing process as being like a bus trip- the destination can be known, but the journey itself may have some blanks to fill in. How do you work? As strong as certain elements, certain scenes are- do you build around those? Do you build around Mat’s need for experimentation?

Ben- The grand scheme we’ve known from the very beginning. We know where it goes, we know what happens when it gets there. In other scripts and things in the past, I usually know the structure of a story before starting; like I know A and then B, but am missing the C, the E, the I, etc…and so the writing process, or bus journey as Gaiman says, is finding the D’s and F’s and so on. Finding, then joining the dots as you go.

Phil- In terms of a general plot from beginning to end, we have that fairly well mapped out. As for the issues themselves, I am writing about 2 issues ahead at the moment. These are only rough drafts and ideas but I like to stay ahead of the game. It’s more for my benefit than anyone else’s…I just like to stay busy. Like I said before, in terms of re-writes, we go into a shoot with very definite scenes but we always allow ourselves some breathing room should we want to change or add stuff. Mat may make some last minute changes in the editing room…but as he has the biggest headaches amongst us we let him do pretty much what he likes. We trust his process and haven’t been let down yet.

In terms of building around scenes and the like, we certainly have ’set pieces’ that we want to build up to but we don’t sit around going- ‘What is the big set piece we want for this issue?’ I hate to use this expression but it is an organic process, what is there is there for a reason. We like our scripts and end result to be very lean with little or no fat to it. We have a story to tell and it’s going to get a hell of a lot more complicated as is so for the time being the story/build-up is the thing.

Ben- I mentioned that in terms of the overall story, we know what happens at the end and a large portion of what happens along the way. There is re-writing and some re-shooting as this is all a massive learning curve. Point is, as we’re writing we never know what will actually be possible when the time comes. Hence the lack of locking things down totally.
We need wriggle room.

Mat- When we first started we had to set some rules and limitations based on what I was able to do graphically. The guys had written some pretty impressive stuff for Issue #1, the fight scene in particular, which consisted of about ten pages. During shooting we began to edit this scene on the fly, cutting shots which I thought were too hard to effectively create and replacing them with new ideas.

Ben- As a little aside, I’m always happy for Stark to tell Startup that he’s expected to, oh I don’t know, create a walking talking rabbit, or age a human leg by eight million years, or create a new planet- since the screams that subsequently emerge from the Startup camp are vast and high pitched and off putting.
Mat’s experimentation comes from the fact that we’re all learning this as we go along, so there’s no need to try and invent something for him to try for the first time and try and work out how the hell to do it…that’s the entire experience anyway. All I have to do is think it up, it’s that poor sucker who has to work out how it’s going to be done.

[Next Week- Chapter Three: Inaction]

punch hurt kill kill

people in kentucky make it temptingly easy to want to kill them.

Metapatriot

Comic Book Reviews: Metapatriot

posted on April 15th, 2009 in reviews


Metapatriot #1
written by John B. Lai
illustrated by John Opal
published by Ultimate Comics Group
reviewed by Richard Caldwell

In this introductory tale, readers are given a glimpse into the world of Metapatriot. By day, he is lonely and overworked high school history teacher Tommy Starr, and by night, he flies the skies as America’s favorite sentinel of liberty.
Set in the streets of Washington DC, this world is populated by metas- many employed by the government while others, such as the quick-moving and muckish mess known as Perish, openly pursue other agendas.
The tale opens with the nefarious Perish breaking into a government building, looking to steal information of a delicate matter. Drunk on the confidence of power, he kills two meta-powered agents in his escape. The hero of the day swoops in from on high to a long-winded battle, defining the characters of both participants. A mystery is established, and the story is wrapped on a personal note.
Some may see the fight sequence being dragged on to a bit of the expansive side, though arguably this also suggests the work of Metapatriot to be generally brutal and violent, the flipside to moments of glory. Core characters are in place, the map in hand, and the reader is left with a complete opening shot into what this series offers. Written, lettered and edited by Lai, you can catch the vibe that this is his baby, and that he has a plan in sight.
The art by Opal, while admittedly amateurish at times, is clearly the work of an impassioned fanboy. His strengths shine best in his portrayal of the inhumanly abnormal Perish, whose grotesque and ever-changing visage demands more than a little imagination to envision so adequately. Shying away from rampant splash pages, his growth as a storyteller will undoubtedly be a fast one to watch.
For me, the innuendo of politically-minded stories, fallout and all, is smooth and promising. Overall, while sharing as many flaws as expected of any new-release from a new small publisher, the consistency and subtle suggestions of roads yet to be traveled make for a title worth a strong, strong second look.

it is painless, ya know...

as confirmed by the Onion.

torquemada hooker

Talking with Kevin VanHook

posted on April 14th, 2009 in interviews

Kevin VanHook had an illustrious career in comics, primarily serving as a cornerstone to the much-lamented Valiant Comics line, before going off to make a rapidly growing number of multi-genre films. Proving that he still has a strong and deserving place in the comic book industry with the current Oracle mini-series from DC, Kevin was kind enough to find time to humor Richard Caldwell’s seemingly endless questions…

Kevin, many fans of popular fiction will know your name from your incredible work in the 90’s with the Valiant comics group.
In fact, you seemed to be a ringer even in their early days, having just enough published work prior so as to be a beacon of newblood dependability in the midst of the glut of 90’s publication gamuts. There are icons from that house that owe much to you and your efforts.
Before we bend time and space and jump ahead a wee bit, are there any standout memories that would properly size up your time at Valiant in a PC manner for our readers? Granted, controversies seemed at the time to come and go, yet you were one of the faithful few still present and telling the tales of the likes of characters as far-ranging as Solar to Bloodshot. Fans remember. We remember everything.
So, how does that era present itself in your mind’s eye?

Valiant Comics was a special time for me.
As you mention, I had been in and around comics for years, but no one work really stood out in a defining way– maybe my FROST character or the fact that I had written and drawn The Rocky Horror Picture Show for Caliber– but I hadn’t really done an extended run on any titles. I was in my mid-20’s when I arrived in NYC to work with Jim, Bob and Barry at Valiant. I was the Production Manager, meaning that I was responsible for making sure that the books were assembled properly, color-separated and ready for printing. In that role, I reported directly to Fred Pierce, who was the Operations Manager at the time. It was a whirlwind. I got there at the end of March and my wife Carol and I jumped into the deep end of the pool. She started coloring comics for us and I was helping to apply more structure to a process that had been grown organically. There wasn’t anything wrong with what had been done before, but those processes wouldn’t work when we got over a certain size and the summer of ‘92 saw us grow very rapidly.

I started co-writing with Jim Shooter– I would take a pass at something, then he’d critique it. When he left the company in June, I started writing two of those titles pretty much full time- Eternal Warrior and Solar, Man of the Atom. Before long, I developed Bloodshot– we all had a hand in that book’s creation– Jon Hartz, Bob Layton, Barry Windsor-Smith and Jim Shooter. If memory serves, Howard Simpson designed the costume and Dave Chlystek gave us the name. The book was huge and I felt comfortable with the characters. Don Perlin did a wonderful job as the artist and I remember thinking just how cool it was that this artist who was in his 60’s at the time was having this incredible success on a book that was so hot with kids. We did signings together with fans lined up around the block.

It’s hard to describe what a family-like atmosphere it was at the office back then. Now, everyone remembers things differently, but for me it was a great experience. I got to write and create as much as I was willing to do. I wrote the Flash Gordon Sunday Comic Strip at the time for King Features and besides being a childhood dream, it was cool to write something OUTSIDE of our universe to balance out my thinking a little bit. I had always seen myself as primarily being a comic book ARTIST, not a WRITER– I tended to be an artist who wrote, but that era was transformative. Getting to write and draw Bloodshot 0 was the perfect outlet to show at least myself that I could still hold a pencil and tell a story.
Some random moments….Working out the series arc of The Visitor with Jesse Berdinka and Bernard Chang was cool. I had never blocked out 13 issues in advance before. It was nice having the roadmap. Watching Carol’s coloring on the Valiant Vision 3D stuff come to life was neat to see. She brought a lot to that. Solar was tough to write, because he was essentially a god. What do you throw at him? The Valiant/Image cross-over Deathmate was messy, but fun. I really liked writing the Shadowman/Grimjack short story.
For the most part, I was surrounded by friends and many of them are people I consider close friends today.

So how did you go from writing and editing for one of the top publishers of its day to building online episodes for the Charlie’s Angels property?
And from there, how were you able to transition your storytelling from comic books to film-making? Was making movies always on your agenda, or did life just unfold that way for you?

In 1994, I left Valiant as Executive Editor and Vice President, to move to California with my family. My goal was to be a film-maker– initially, I thought I wanted to be a screenwriter, but along the way, I realized I wanted more control over the storytelling process. I formed VanHook Studios, which began as an extension of my comic book career. We colored comic books, did design work for trading cards, stickers, toy packaging, etc. During this period, I also continued to write comics for Valiant under contract. In 1996, I wrote and directed my first short film and we made the transition to become a visual effects company. My goal was a small, self-contained version of what Lucas did with Skywalker Ranch, or what eventually Peter Jackson or Robert Rodriquez did by starting their own FX firms. By 1998, Chadd Cole (my friend and VanHook Studios employee) had worked on various Studio films and TV shows and we began shooting FROST: Portrait of a Vampire (then called, “A Killing Frost,” which was my first feature film). That movie took 5 years, from the time I started the screenplay. We delivered the final product Christmas of 2001.
The following Spring, I merged my company with FILM ROMAN, the animation company that did The Simpsons and King of the Hill. We rebranded VanHook Studios as Forum Visual Effects and created the Charlie’s Angels animated adventures, which was one of many projects I oversaw during that time. Interestingly enough, it came to me through a Valiant Alumni, Paul Fairchild who was then working for a company that handled the online marketing side of various big budget movies. A year after we merged with Film Roman, we were bought by IDT– a huge telecom company. They had plans for building an entertainment umbrella company and they began buying various studios and distributors. When they bought Anchor Bay Home Entertainment, it was clear that they needed content and I was ready with a film I had been privately raising money for– The Fallen Ones. With my partner Karen Bailey and my Executive Producer John Hyde, we made that film on time and on budget and it was an instant sale with the SCI-FI channel. They bought my next film, Voodoo Moon and then offered us a deal to create a slate of films for their Saturday night line-up.
We’ve now finished a series of films and I’m in the process of raising money for two other screenplays that I’ve written. They have larger budgets than the films I’ve done so far. VanHook Studios became what I had hoped it would– a resource to create visual effects for my own projects that did work-for-hire work when I didn’t have a film in post-production. Daredevil, Miss Congeniality, Hart’s War and I, Robot were all projects that we had a part in from a visual effects standpoint.

Wow. So you really have been involved with all aspects of film production, but my favorite of your efforts was the documentary you finished last year- your ode of sorts to the old school effects shop and the masters of the genre. That was a great labour of love for you, wasn’t it?

Fantastic Flesh was a fan’s dream come true. I got to have real conversations with the guys and gals that influenced me so much over the years. Landis, Tarantino, Dante, Rob Bottin, Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger– even George Romero and Tom Savini. And that’s not even a third of them. I got to hang out with Darabont and talk comics and movies. We talked about our mutual friend Bernie Wrightson and Frankenstein. I was invited into Dick Smith’s HOME! Such a sweet man. His work on The Exorcist and Amadeus was ground-breaking.
I like to think my genuine love for the art of make-up FX and the movies that utilize them shows through.

Working with my friend and Editor Jay Marks and Producers Karen Bailey, Mike Ruggiero, Chris Black and Andrea Kaufman has been a high point for me.

And now you’re returning to funny books, with last year’s really fun Superman & Batman vs Vampires & Werewolves (illustrated by the always fantastic Tom Mandrake), and with the new Oracle mini series that just launched- which is off on an engaging start. So what prompted the return to form?
There have been a number of attempted revivals of the Valiant books over the years- were you ever approached to participate? Would you?
You should know that there are a number of fans who would love to see your name in credit boxes more often.

I’ve always had a love for comics. It’s what I wanted to do since I was a little kid. I realize how incredibly fortunate I am in my career. I’ve been able to write and draw comic books, comic strips, create special effects for films and TV shows as well as write, direct, edit and produce them. But at the end of the day, I have missed working in the medium that drew me to storytelling in the first place. I still consider myself primarily a film-maker, but first and foremost- I’ve always thought of myself as a storyteller.
A lot of things drew me back– a chance to work in mainstream comics, being able to tell stories with iconic characters like Batman and Superman, and Snake-Eyes for GI JOE over at IDW. But I’m also aware that film studios see the value in comic books and their creators and I like to be able to show Producers that I’m still viable in that world, too. Sure, I could say I wrote Bloodshot– a book that premiered at almost a million copies, but there was that little voice in the back of my head saying, “Yeah, like 17 years ago!” Those reasons led to me talking to my buddy Jimmy Palmiotti and him introducing me to Dan Didio at DC, who’s become a friend and someone I enjoy working with, so the reality is that I’m doing it now because I like the work and the people I’m working with– and the immediacy of seeing the stories in print (although Superman and Batman vs. Vampires and Werewolves was like a year and a half from concept to print– damn that Halloween window).

I’ve expressed interest in being involved in the Valiant properties over the years and not really gotten any sense that it’s something the owners of the characters are interested in. I’m not clear on what their marketing plan and direction is at this point. I know there’s been the sporadic release of hard-covers. I have mentioned to some industry agents that I would be open to writing or collaborating on a Bloodshot screenplay. In 2003, prior to the Acclaim Entertainment bankruptcy, I had co-negotiated a deal to acquire the rights to create animation and live-action with the characters for IDT Entertainment, where I was a vice-president at the time. Unfortunately, Acclaim filed shortly after that and our deal became null and void.

I hope somebody at DC would let you breathe some life back into JLA.
What stories do you have up your sleeves? What projects, any medium, do you look forward to taking on?
And I want to think you for your candor, Kevin. Even if we lapsed to mention that you were offered Supreme well before Alan Moore took it over.

Funny you should mention the JLA…I know Dan and the gang have some great plans in the works. I got to hear some of them this afternoon.
With DC, there’s not much I can say yet about my next two projects. With IDW, Ray Park (Darth Maul, Toad, Snake-Eyes) and I are collaborating on a Snake-Eyes project that’ll come out this summer. That’s been a lot of fun. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that a pilot I supervised visual effects on will get picked up– a really smart but fun cop show set in Los Angeles. My son Cameron and my niece Jamie and I did the effects on that project together. We also worked on an indy film directed by Brian (Chaos’ Lady Death) Pulido– “The Graves.” Another family plug: My son Corwin’s programming video games and finishing up college. His first industry credit– “SIX FLAGS: FUN PARK” was just released for the WII.

I have two completed screenplays that I’m preparing to raise money for. I’m having real conversations with Talent Agents for the first time– I’ve always represented myself. We’ll see how that goes…
One script is my, “Jason and the Necronauts” story I began a couple of years ago. ARES, the god of war challenges Jason to battle. No living man defeats a god, so Jason journeys to Hades to recruit a crew of the dead. The other is a thriller dealing with the Nigerian e-mail scam.

And thanks for the great questions. You bring back memories of a late-night tour bus when only Rob Liefeld and I were still awake and we talked of collaborating on Supreme, and the music of Foreigner…

http://www.kevinvanhook.com/
www.myspace.com/kevinvanhook

for more information on Kevin’s movies:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0889099
and collect your own copies via:
http://www.anchorbayentertainment.com/

Stormblazer

Comic Book Reviews: Stormblazer

posted on April 14th, 2009 in reviews


Stormblazer #1
written by John Lai
illustrated by Laser Ray & Howard Bender
published by Ultimate Comics Group
reviewed by Richard Caldwell

Michael Blazer, wealthy owner of a successful computer consulting firm, has everything- money, power, respect and- immensely powerful meta-human abilities. In this debut issue of Stormblazer, we get to see this hero struggle with exhibiting a multi-faceted life.
As a villain by the name of Sifter is killing people in NYC, leaving distinct trails of mutilated corpses- Blazer, instead of time spent reaping the pompous rewards that come with a life of benefit, is busy tracking down the bad guy good.
Following a fight in the park, the two are forced to acknowledge their mutual underestimation of each other, and the Sifter slips away.
I think this book is all about balance.
For Blazer, it is a matter of balancing the responsibility of an active conscience to right wrongs (and the power to do so) between the pressures of professional excellence and the needs of a single male in finding companionship and the serenity therein.
For his immediate foe Sifter, it is the matter of having the ability to literally steal the skills of others by their slaying (thereby accumulating power in a violent fashion) countered with the physically detrimental repercussions to his own person with each murder.
Each character makes sacrifices to better themselves as they see fit, better their aims in attaining said goals.
All the same, I do have the tendency to read too much into certain things. This is just a harmlessly fun story. A high point was the interchange between Blazer and his yummy secretary.
The pages meanwhile, are visually refreshing, in a somewhat nostalgic way.
The look and feel are very reminiscent of many Marvel books circa late 70’s to mid 80’s, the reason partly being that finisher Howard Bender and letterer Ken Feduniewicz were both mainstays of that era. The layouts, while not always the most professional, are still competent and at times pleasantly surprising in structure and positioning. There are good instincts here, and future works will likely be even more promising.

A decent first effort for a new title. If you like your superheroes traditional and free of the more ever-present modern cynicism, this one is worth the read. Check it out.

American

Comic Book Reviews: American McGee's Grimm

posted on April 13th, 2009 in reviews

Comic Book Review: American McGee’s Grimm #1
written by Dwight L. MacPherson
illustrated by Grant Bond
published by IDW Publishing
reviewed by Richard Caldwell

Created by on the move game designer American McGee, the character of Grimm is a dastardly dwarf with a continuing series of increasingly popular games. Taking familiar stories from assorted works of fiction, Grimm twists and disrupts to his own gleefully grim delight, mangling the outcomes into something far less iconic and all the more entertaining for it.

In this series, written by the well-versed MacPherson, Grimm will be wrecking his own brand of havoc on a number of familiar settings. In this issue, he challenges certain dogmas of the superhero comic. And boy, does he.

The city of Megalopolis is protected by the Freedom Friends, who easily maintain the peace by conquering the League of Super Evil at expected intervals. All are caricatures, to be sure, of more recognizable costumed figures from other marvelous national periodicals. Enter our narrator Grimm to impact upon the villains a chance at changing the status quo, and wackiness ensues.

The lush art of Bond calls to mind maybe a Ralph Steadman painting images of blockish Lego-people, a very animated effect that serves the story well. Within the world of Megalopolis, he alters his style to summon the illustrative spirit of a Kirby/Sinnott combo- giving a nod to the past just as the story itself deconstructs the genre’s cannon of frivolous repetition. The end take is one of energy and above all, personality.

While the story flows and the art is abundantly less realistic than atypical mainstream fare, this is not a book for children. There are naughty words and sublime innuendo, and indeed much of the humor is aimed at the informed geek, which is in no way a bad thing whatsoever.

All in all, a strong start to what looks like an engaging series. With talk of a possible movie down the road, I only hope Hollywood pays as much heed to the comic as to its progenitor game.
Great job, guys.

ahem on the eggs

From the Holy Roman Empire,
to the Crusades,
to the "Spanish" Inquisition,
to the Salem witch trials,

to the KKK and neocons of today-

No other organized body of man has murdered as many persons throughout history as has Christianity.

For those celebrating, I hope you and your hypocrisy choke on your fucking chocolate bunnies and die.

thigh

her lies

were all that she ever was and

when the attentions faded,

only then

was her hurt given form;

the plotte thickens

prez

I feel good.

The site is coming along, and we have more interviews, more contributors, and many a madcap scheme in the works.

The day work is demanding though. However, there is balance in my world right now, even if I just pissed off the entire web-comics community.

Honesty is never unwarranted.

the Lottery Party XVIII

The Lottery Party: Gaslights Web'd

posted on April 7th, 2009 in Columns

This will probably rub some people the wrong way, but they really have it coming. I like throwing rocks anyhow.

As the faithful readers of this column know- I am a comics traditionalist. I deeply prefer real comic books, the kinds that 10-year old kids can slide down their socks before running out the store of choice. The kind with history, with legacy. The kind you can read anywhere, collect and trade.
Over the past few months, I have found myself pulled into the ongoing dialogue concerning validity of web-comics, to the point of even defending them to a certain extent- at least with regards to the ideal that all forms of art have their just place. I even began a monthly side column here at the start of the year for their benefit. I have said before that 99% of all web-comics are garbage, the products of messiah complexes coupled with video game platforms. I believe that, and I cannot be proven wrong. Still, web-comic creators have the right to continue doing what they do, as do all persons of artistic intent. But the comparisons stop here.

The design of the Gaslights Web’d column was to find the handful of comics on the web that did have some style about them- something, anything to say. The creator of said comic would be guided through easy enough conversation points so as to more fully explain in their own words the constitution and personae of their works. I was trying to be the good guy, trying to help the minority.
Gary Rodrigue can attest to the extent of how far in advance I plan all that I do. I make myself very approachable to all parties applicable, from maintaining a strong web-presence to returning all contacts ASAP, even giving out my home phone number to the warranted few. Of the 25 web-comic creators I contacted over the course of January, February and March of this year, for participation in having the Gaslights Web’d spotlight cast their way, only four followed through. There were almost half as many persons who initiated contact with me first, but none of them were capable of a secondary e-mail. I may not be the king of what I do, but one would be obliged to think that any press is good press, right?
The experiment that was Gaslights Web’d has only validated in my mind the fact that the majority of web-comic creators are flakes, as unprofessional as savants. With failure to respond to or even acknowledge messages, or to follow up on requests that they themselves did instigate, what the hell am I supposed to be left to presume?
As such, I am adamant now in my belief that the majority of web-comic creators do so because they are simply too incompetent to ever find work in the real medium of funny books. What they do is not the next generation, it is a sidestep, and nothing more.

Of course there are exceptions- all rules have their blessed exceptions, as was my own aim with the Gaslights Web’d soapbox. I wanted to showcase standouts, show them a little love.
The creators active in Shadowline’s online imprint are fine and personably enjoyable exceptions. The creators involved in act-i-vate consistently produce engaging materials, even if many of the creators themselves are stuck nose up in the artsy-fartsy mindset. The guys behind Optimum Wound are more competent than many of the current editors at the big two. And others still, undoubtedly. However, I feel to focus exclusively on any one line would be true bias.
Though what of the Zuda site, which I have til now completely ignored? Although I know this may hurt persons I do not wish to hurt, my values push me to say that I personally believe that Zuda is doing far more to train car salesmen than it is at redefining any convention of creativity. The inundation by otherwise unresponsive “up and coming” cliquish vote-seekers requesting support is a turn off to a lot of people. Really.

To be honest, I have been made to feel like I am not just kicking a dead horse, but kicking a dead horse that died by ignorantly flying off a mountain, mistaking its own nest of fleas for the wings of a Pegasus. I am washing my hands of it.

Web-comic strips are not comic books, and I will no longer be paying them much heed in this or any venue for the foreseeable future. I have wasted enough of my hours trying to help. There are oh so many more topics that I would rather discuss, such as the more effort-required motion comics presentation (which is yet another sidestep, though their production does at least require something more than the middle school reading level and basic comprehension of Photoshop that seems status quo for hundreds of web-comics). The flag can be carried from here on by more interested parties.

To each his own.

by Richard Caldwell, managing angst

torquemada tejas

Talking with artist Greg Harms

posted on April 7th, 2009 in interviews

Richard Caldwell had a chance to speak with Greg Harms recently, about his craft and his current work inking 10th Muse 800 from BlueWater Productions.

Greg, your hard work has led you to BlueWater Productions’ 10th Muse 800 series, which fans can find on the stands right now.
Were you as creative when you were a kid?

Yea, when I was a kid- I mean young child- my parents gave me crayons and I proceeded to draw on the carpet, the walls, the underside of the coffee table (my mom still has it), but the crayons got thrown away. Then they felt bad and bought me some new ones. My earliest memories of being creative are a few years after that, in second grade. My best friend Jeep (he was a Native American) and I would draw Godzilla at recess instead of playing. It makes me smile to this day. My creativity just grew from there. My parents gave me all the tools I needed- they bought me all the art supplies- to experiment and grow artistically.

So what about comic books drew you in, personally?
And when did you first take a stab at making your own?

The fantastic beings, the creatures, heroes and villains. The art and stories- it was all the elements. In comics everyone had a “mission” or purpose and super powers or just the will to be more and do more.
As a kid I’d stay some weekends with my Grandma Velma and Bud. Saturdays were grocery shopping day, and back then the grocery store in Spearman, Texas had a whole rack of comics, and to a young fellow it was the holy grail. I’d sit there and decide which two or three I was going to spend my hard earned money on while Grandma shopped for groceries. Usually I’d end up with Swamp Thing, Spiderman, Hulk or maybe some Unknown Soldier, Superman or JLA, or even a Horror Mystery comic. It all sparked that creativity in me. Then I’d sit and try to draw what was there, I must have gone through those things a hundred times- and that was just that weekend.
As for making my own, there have been variations on that since those first copies. The 90’s were when I dabbled in some self-publishing and actually thought, “I’d like to do this for a living.” It didn’t happen, not until recently. After my dad passed away two years ago, which about the same time I teamed up with Roman, did I get serious about it. I guess it all got put in perspective. I don’t want my time to come and then decide hey I should have done this or that. My wife has been very inspirational and supportive of my art passion for the past 16 years. All the elements fell into place so to speak. I do have some creator-owned properties that I am revamping, but those are for fun and may or may not see the ink of a press.

You are inking 10th Muse 800, but you brush up on other trades as well, right?
Are you self-taught? What toys, I mean tools, do you use?

Yea, I get to ink Roman Morales III on the 10th Muse 800. When I started working with Roman, he had actually brought me on to do colors on some of his creator-owned properties, and some trading cards for Fugitivos De La Ley- which he is one of the four stars of the show. He had sent me the art and inks, but on the back was a pencilled ’sketch’, that was every bit as good as the one he inked. So I grabbed the opportunity to ink it up and sent it back to him. He liked it and ended up sending me some more pencils to try my inks on. Long story short, now I’m inking and color different things for him and Bluewater, plus some other projects.
On the pages for the Muse, after I have hand-inked them, I scan them in and use Adobe Photoshop to correct mistakes, maybe add textures/splatters, and add the borders. It gives a nice clean page for the colorist and letterist to work with. After I upload the pages the colorist works on those and the writer re-writes the dialogue to fit the art, then the letterist gets it all.
I am a classically trained fine artist/studio artist. I studied under Marlin Adams (realist oil painter, portrait painter, and sculptor) and David Riddlisbacher (painter). I also spent a semester of college with Sven Anderson who is in the Smithsonian for a print making process he developed. I also took some courses for graphic design. I liked the college experience, but I was a little strong-willed to fit in or get a degree, even though I have 160 credit hours. A lot of the skills I use today are based in those early experiences, but I’ve learned better ways or added to the skill set. An example would be Adobe Photoshop, the graphic design course didn’t teach me how to color comics or set up/clean up line art for comics. That was done with a lot of trial and error. Now there are all kinds of how to books and magazines like Sketch from BlueLinePro that teach shortcuts and make it a lot easier to learn how to do it. I dabble in just about everything artistic. I am an oil/acrylic painter, sculptor, penciler and inker. I have even dabbled in the airbrush some, and do some welding for sculptures. It is real easy to spread myself thin with everything I can do and enjoy doing, but the truth is- each and every artist will only produce a finite amount of work. I’ve discovered I need to focus my vision and do what is most enjoyable and rewarding.
Toys, er tools: anything and everything. As an inker, I use brushes all kinds all sizes and all qualities- toothbrushes, sponges, bodyscrub thingies and plastic sheets. I’ve even used natural things like grass, leaves, wood and horse or goat hair. I also use Faber-Castell PITT pens and Presto correction pens or white acrylic paint. It all depends on what, where and when I’m working and what I’m trying to accomplish. Oh yea, I like using Bombay India Ink and for refilling the PITT (yea you can, just pop the back off and pull the reservoir/sponge thing out) pens I use a mix of Bombay and Speedball India Ink.
As a colorist, I use the traditional tools: oil, acrylic, and brushes. Sometimes watercolors. Mostly I use the computer and Adobe Photoshop 6.0 or Corel Painter on a G4 Mac, along with a wacom pad.
As a penciler, just a mechanical pencil or a Ticonderoga #2 wood sheath pencil, kneaded eraser or a white eraser and a piece of paper.
As a sculptor, I’ve used terracota clay and then fired it, but nowadays I use Sculpey Clay- all the different ‘hardnesses’, and all kinds of sculpt tools; everything from dental tools (teeth cleaning) to the tools you can buy at Hobby Lobby.

As an artist, what genres catch your attention and preferences the most? I know your creator owned concepts run the gamut…

That’s a good question. I like westerns but I also like sci-fi, super hero, fantasy, spy/espionage, action, thriller, horror, and sword/sorcery. I guess really, if it has a good story and art, then I like it, but if I had a gun to my head and had to choose two, they would be westerns and sword/sorcery (Lone Ranger and Conan/Kull).
Let’s look at my pull list: Conan, Kull, Lone Ranger, Jonah Hex, Wonder Woman, Star Wars, Spiderman, Uncanny X-Men, Spawn, The Stand, Dark Tower, Wolverine, and more. Your right about my creator-owned concepts, it kinda reflects my taste and those are all over the place. Thus my creator-owned concepts go the whole rainbow of genres and some even mix them up a little.

So what do you want to see the future bringing for you and Third Empire?

Well, Roman Morales III (Third Empire) has already worked for Chaos, Marvel and Comico back in the 90’s. We are looking to regrow some of those connections, and of course make new ones- a lot of it depends on the fans.
Roman usually has appearances at the Shrine Auditorium. He wants to re-introduce the Lynch Mob (created by Roman Morales III and Brian Pulido), and the MidKnights. We are working on samplers of some known properties, a novel translation to comics, and some personal projects. We are also looking at webcomics for some of the projects, as well as print. The graphic novel of the 10th Muse 800 will be out in the fourth quarter of this year, and I’ve been invited already to do some local signings at Big Apple Comics and Barnes and Noble here in Amarillo, Texas. I’m sure Roman will do some signings, but nothing official yet.
As a studio we are looking at several things, and of course all of these are subject to change. Some personal things I’d like to happen for the studio are- reprinting the Lynch Mob #1-4, originally from Chaos, as a trade paperback collection and kick off the new series of the Lynch Mob. Also, I’d like to see some of the samplers turn into work for the studio. Adam David Gragg (10th Muse 800 writer) is helping script some of the samplers, as well as some other writers working with me on other samplers and some of my creator-owned properties.
Some guys I’d like to see the studio work with are: writer Beau Smith, colorist Matt Yackey, inker Danny Miki, penciler Kris Carter, and several more. We already have some talented people getting things rolling.
I guess I should tell you some of who makes up the studio. Roman Morales III is the studio founder/head, Greg Harms is inker/colorist/etc, and Adam David Gragg is writer. We also have Dan Prado doing some inks, McClain McGuire will be doing some lettering, and hopefully we can get Eroll See to do some pencils on occasion. Sean Terry is another writer that has been helping me with my creator owned title, the Control Syndicate. We are also looking at some different sculptures, nothing solid yet.
So as you can see we have a lot of fun projects going on or slated to start in ‘09-’10.

To say the least.
On a final note, any kernels of blood sweat and tears life lessons learned that you would care to pass on to the readers?

If it is your passion, don’t give up, no matter what others say. I was once told that I would never work in comics, because my work sucked so bad. Ironically, the company folded later that year. Poetic Justice? No matter how many rejection letters- don’t stop. If it is art, draw better today than you did yesterday. If it is writing, write better today than yesterday. If your passion is cooking, or whatever, be the best you can be. Do something creative everyday. Live life without regrets, with passion, knowledge and enthusiasm. Make the world/others’ lives a better place and leave it better than you found it. Make a difference.

Richard I want to thank you for taking the time to interview me. You truly are interviewing the top names all the way down to the small guys (me). I appreciate the opportunity to tell your readers about my work.

The check is in the mail.

www.ghosthillgh.deviantart.com
www.facebook.com/people/Greg-Harms/1079917651
www.myspace.com/ghost_hill
www.bluewaterprod.com