Raina Telgemeier is a superstar. Just ask any of the kids that shop at ROCKETSHIP. All summer long, one of the most frequently asked questions was "Do you have the new BABY-SITTERS CLUB yet?" Forget SECRET INVASION; Raina's latest book was the most anticipated book of the season. Between adapting (and bringing a new generation of readers to) that beloved series, she also draws a terrific webcomic called SMILE, which will soon be published by Scholastic. She and her husband (cartoonist Dave Roman) are a fixture at most conventions with their "Comics Bakery" booth, and her lighthearted brushwork and smooth storytelling skills have made Raina a popular attraction for children and adults alike. While preparing for an upcoming BABY-SITTERS CLUB Volume 4 Release Party, she took the time to answer a few questions....

Alex: You've spent the last few years immersed in the world of THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB. Can you talk about the process of translating prose novels into comics? Did you find that the visual cues you needed were in the text?

Raina: The BABY-SITTERS CLUB books made it easy. They're written in a very straightforward style, describing what the characters are doing, what they are wearing, how they fix their hair, what they eat.

A: Did the pacing or structure change at all from prose to comics?

R: I tried to stick with the pacing and the structure that already existed in the books, for the most part...although by the fourth graphic novel, I was taking quite a few liberties. Re-arranging the chapters, working in scenes from other volumes in the series, re-writing dialogue. Since I was only drawing four books from a sprawling, 131-book series, I decided to condense some of the ongoing plotlines a bit. The graphic novel series ended up having its own chronology, slightly different from the original series, so you don't need to have read the original books to appreciate the comic versions

A: Have you heard from any kids that have read your BSC graphic novels, that then tracked down the original novels?

R: A few. It's actually more common to hear from kids who have read some of the prose books, and started reading the graphic novels afterward. The original books are sadly out of print now, so kids usually find them in libraries, or someone they know gives them an old box of books. Since there are so many books in the series, chances are they don't have a complete set, and have read the books in random order. Which still works okay, as each book has a self-contained story.

A: In terms of designing the characters (who are well known by the legions of people who have read the BSC novels), did you find it difficult matching the characters on the page with the characters people see in their minds?

R: The main characters are all very archetypal. One is sporty, one is nerdy, one is trendy, and so on. Designing the characters was easy. Having longtime BSC fans embrace my style of drawing, though...not quite as easy.

A: What was the feedback like?

R: Like most YA novels from the 1980s, the covers of the original books were realistic paintings of realistic-looking kids. So, I think there were people who heard "Baby-sitters Club graphic novels" and expected them to be full-length, realistically-painted (or drawn) books. And what they got was my super-cartoony style. For the readers who are also fans of comics or cartoons, this was easy to swallow, and most of them loved the adaptations. But some of them claimed to "hate" cartoons, and they hated that I was "ruining" their favorite characters by turning them into cartoons, I guess because they felt it undermined the stories somehow. I got actual hate-mail about this! I don't see how anyone could NOT love cartoons!

So, I think it really depends what you're into. Everyone has different tastes. I can confirm that it works with kids, though. Kids dig the art and they dig the stories. I'm not surprised, since I liked the stories so much myself, when I was a kid.

A: I can confirm that as well. The response from kids in the shop has been phenomenal.

Now that you've adapted four novels to comics, do you find yourself reading any books and automatically thinking of how they would look as a comic?

R: Yeah, pretty much EVERYTHING I read now! Really, though, I tend to focus on characters and their body language first. So I can read a book that seems very visual and might make a cool world-building comic; for example I just read City of Ember, which is dark and moody and has a lot of interesting set pieces. For some artists, that might be the main draw of adapting a book like that. But the thing I could see most clearly in my mind while reading it were the characters' movements, the way they run or skip or react to an event, the way their faces look when they talk. That is the part that interests me most. I really like to act through my drawing. The film adaptation of that book just came out, and I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure the characters will be played differently than I imagine them.

A: What was the origin of SMILE? Did you initially see it taking on the life of its own that it has?

R: It had always been my intention to create a comic about my teeth, mostly because I found myself telling people about what happened to them over and over again. (For those who don't know, I knocked out my two front permanents in a trip-and-fall incident when I was a kid.)
I had no idea how long the story was going to be, though, and what kinds of extra plot elements I would explore. But I had so many anecdotes about my awkward teen years, that fit into the time period of my tooth story, and it made sense to work them into SMILE. As the strip hit the web week after week, I found my readers really responding to the relationships and character interactions. I let things unfold organically, writing the comic in 10-to-20-page increments, and taking breaks whenever my BSC schedule ramped up. I've been working on SMILE as long as I've been working on the BSC comics-for the past four years. It's cool to be able to focus on SMILE full-time now! (It's going to be published as a complete graphic novel by Scholastic in early 2010.)
The thing about SMILE that has surprised me the most, is how many people can relate to it in one way or another. Everyone has a dental horror story of some sort. Going through those experience as a kid, I felt really isolated and weird. But drawing the story has connected me with hundreds and hundreds of kindred spirits.

A: Has SMILE entailed any grisly research into the details of dentistry?

R: I have written and drawn most of it from memory, actually-but now that it's being prepared for print, I'm having a dentist consult the manuscript for accuracy. I look up reference periodically, like pictures of dental chairs and nitrous masks, and I also read up on each kind of dentistry as I go along-there are a lot of different kinds! Sometimes I'll look up something that I think is going to be simple and factual, and there will be a giant picture of a disgusting impacted tooth or whatever, and it'll make my skin crawl. I try to keep the grossest, grisliest elements of dentistry OUT of the comic-but some of it can't be avoided!

A: You've developed a very distinct style. In terms of pure craft, who were your influences?

R: I grew up reading comic strips and watching anything that was animated. My favorite newspaper strips were Calvin and Hobbes, For Better or For Worse, Foxtrot, and Nancy. And I was a real Disney kid, watching and re-watching the movies, the classic cartoons, and the cheesy shows they put on the air in the 80s and 90s. Aside from Disney, if it was a cartoon and it was on TV, I was probably watching it. I was obsessed with the Smurfs, the Get-Along Gang, and Tiny Toon Adventures, and the early seasons of the Simpsons. All of those early influences informed my drawing style.

A: It seems like your illustration style would lend itself to animation; is that something you've ever played with or looked into?

R: People tell me that a lot! I used to make flip-books in elementary school; I brought them in for show and tell, and I recall my classmates being less than impressed. Maybe it's because they were drawn in pencil and you can't see that very well from the back of a classroom? Who knows. But I started to realize that animation was a very collaborative effort, and you need certain tools, and you need to draw thousands of pictures just to make something move, and you probably need a team of people to make it happen...with comics, you just need a pen and paper. I really like working alone, and making things myself. And I really just love sequential art, so making comics suits me perfectly.

A: Who are your more general influences? Not drawing-wise, but in terms of storytelling, mood...

R: I read the Barefoot Gen series when I was very young, which broke my heart, but tipped me off to the concept of comics-as-serious-storytelling-tool. Later on, I got into Lynda Barry and Adrian Tomine... the two of them had a huge influence in leading me to the kinds of stories I wanted to tell: slice-of-life stories, some without neatly tied-up endings. Short mood pieces. Realistic fiction.
There are so many other things I've taken influence from over the years; it's an ongoing process.

A: What are your preferred tools?

R: I lay everything out with a light blue colored pencil, which lets me figure out my compositions and be really messy. Then, I go over that with an F graphite pencil. My pencils are very tight and precise. I ink with a Windsor & Newton no.2 sable brush and waterproof India ink, and I use Pitt pens for straight lines, letters, eyeballs, small details, and so on.

A: Are these something you use out of habit, or do you switch up based on the project?

R: I use the same tools no matter what I'm working on. The only thing I ever change up is paper size. BSC pages were done on 11 x 14" Bristol board, which I have found is my ideal working size-not so big it takes forever to ink a page, but not so small that I will give myself hand cramps from drawing tiny backgrounds. SMILE pages are smaller-they're drawn on 9 x 12" Bristol. I decided to scale my SMILE pages down because they were to be drawn for the web, and I needed to be able to draw and ink them rather quickly and then fit them on my little scanner. Those pages go really fast, but they're also simpler as a result. I have a bigger scanner now, but I'm sticking to finishing SMILE in the smaller format, just so the whole thing is consistent. I'll probably go back to working at the larger size for my next project.

A: Do you have a typical workday?

R: I don't really have a typical workday, no. My schedule changes based on what stage of a project I am working on. When I'm in the thick of things, I generally get up between 9 and 10, read and write email while I eat breakfast, then get down to writing or drawing or inking or whatever I'm doing on that particular day. I take frequent breaks, for lunch, running errands, or getting a little exercise in, but I usually work until 7 or 8. I'll eat dinner and watch a bit of TV most nights, and then it's back to work! Depending on how close to a deadline I am, I'll work till about 11 PM, or if I'm really crunching, till 1 or 2 in the morning. I find that the later I work, the harder it is to fall asleep afterward.
Time of year also seems to play a role in what I do during the day, because during the summer months, we travel and do so many conventions, I'm very often either on the road, or preparing to be on the road. That means making mini-comics, creating original artwork to sell, doing the accounting for our shows, figuring out how to get places because we don't have a car...that kind of stuff takes way more time and mental energy than I ever expect it will. I guess I'm lucky to work from home, because otherwise I'd have to sneak that stuff in during lunch hours!

Raina and Dave Roman at the MoCCA Art Festival.

A: Aside from the SMILE graphic novel, what other projects do you have on the horizon?

R: My husband, Dave Roman, and I are scripting two X-men shoujo manga graphic novels. They're being drawn by an Indonesian artist, Anzu, and the first book comes out in April.

I've got a couple other irons in the fire, but nothing I can really talk about yet.

A: What is your dream project?

R: I don't have a specific dream project... but I do want to keep making comics for my current audience!

A: Thanks, Raina!

R: Sure!

Be sure to keep an eye on the ROCKETSHIP store site for more info about the BABYSITTERS CLUB vol. 4 release party!

2 Comments

• At October 29, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:

  Great interview!

  Raina is, indeed, a superstar.

  Smile has been amazing so far, and I'm quite pleased that it was picked up ...

• At October 30, 2008, Joe Rice wrote:

  Wow, great interview. The books are great, kids love them, and I liked the shop talk.

Fred Van Lente has been a good customer and pal since the first day we opened the doors of the store. We've been on the sidelines to watch him finish writing his self-published ACTION PHILOSOPHERS, become one of the cornerstone creators of the all-ages MARVEL ADVENTURES line (including the hugely popular new POWER PACK series), and witness the rise of the INCREDIBLE HERCULES under his pen. HERCULES has been a sales juggernaut, and is one of the few books to come out of the WORLD WAR HULK event that has continued to gain momentum with fans. Last year's MODOK'S 11 was one of the year's best mainstream superhero comics, and currently, with a stove-top full of Marvel books on every burner, Fred has recently opened the self-publishing oven again with COMIC BOOK COMICS, a history of the comic book industry as drawn by his frequent collaborator, Ryan Dunlavey.

I always enjoy talking with Fred; he's jovial and funny, smart and insightful, and happy to talk about craft, and the process of writing for a wide range of projects.

ALEX: We've spoken in the past about writers using themes throughout their work, and having more to say than just the details of a plot. If you had to pick one overall thematic point that pops up when you write, what would it be?

FRED VAN LENTE: I'm interested in people the most, like most writers, and what informs their decisions. I strongly believe that the most interesting dramatic struggle is the one you have with yourself: The battle between what you want to do versus what you should do; when you should act versus when it would be better to do nothing at all.

That's why I like superheroes so much -- their powers and identities allow you to take internal battles and make them literal, they let you dramatize those conflicts. Hercules is the strongest guy in the world, but bears the weight of every foolish thing he's ever done -- and in 3,000 years, he's done a lot of them. Amadeus Cho's mega-smarts make him his own worst enemy. Wolverine is at constant war with his own bestial nature. And so on.

How does this modify itself when writing for older audiences versus younger audiences? Fiction versus non-fiction?

The only difference between kids and adults is what their specific pressures are. A kid feels being mocked in the schoolyard as keenly as a soldier getting shot at on the battlefield. One would never compare the severity of those two things, but as life is lived, the bullies coming in the kid's direction is just as important to his as the approaching bullet is to that soldier, even if it shouldn't be.

Likewise, history, to me, is the observation of changes over time. The historian tries to make sense of those changes as best he can, to build a coherent and, he hopes, accurate narrative to show how we got from Point A to Point to B to now-- how those changes informed the decisions of the people of the past, which then informed the next generation, et cetera.

Your collaborators run the gamut from one of your best friends/business partner, to people in other countries that you have very little contact with and have often never met. How do you feel that these relationships affect collaboration? Does the physical and personal distance between artists affect your relationship to the finished work? I'm wondering how different collaborations not only affect the process, but also your personal interest in the final work as "your own".

I think a comic book writer gives up the right to think of the final work as fully "his own" the minute he decides not to learn how to draw. (laughs) The very nature of my job means I have to be a collaborator, a team player. This seems to me to be where a lot of the contempt the funnybook intelligensia has for mainstream comics and mainstream comic creators comes from. The Academy demands "Art" with a capital "A", which requires an "Artist" -- singular. Writer/artists will always be praised over corporate freelancers in certain circles for that reason... It's no mistake that the Establishment didn't embrace films as "art" until the rise of Auteur Theory in France in the 1950s, which is predicated on the truly moronic idea that the director is the only important creator on a movie.

But do you ultimately feel less involved with the final version of a Marvel Adventures book? Do you deliver scripts to the aether, not really knowing how they'll return to you, after being passed through several stages of people that you may or may not know? Or do you continue to be involved after the script is done?

Actually, the process at Marvel I've enjoyed over my career means that I've been involved with every comic I've done with them every step of the way, regardless of my personal relationship with the artists involved, or whether we're working through a translator, or whatever. It's not as much control as on my self-published works like Comic Book Comics, you know, where I'm the letterer, so I can literally rewrite on the comics page right before we go to press... (laughs) And, also, there's more people to answer to in big, corporate comics. But that's okay. I've managed to figure out to do what I want to do within the framework of larger editorial control. I can only think of a couple times where I haven't (well, okay, once), but fortunately they've been minor, few and far between.

Speaking of Marvel, let's talk about the "personality" of their line. Marvel was built on stories that balanced grandeur and epic hyperbole with very intimate moments, and relatively realistic personal dynamics between characters. This was new and exciting in 1962, but now it seems taken for granted. The writers most associated with Marvel books tend to handle this balance easily, and often with great humor (Gerber, Kirby/Lee, Englehart, both Simonsons, etc). Do you consciously play with this dynamic?

Not consciously, but definitely those were the comics I grew up reading, and, frankly, the ones I still turn to read for fun now that I'm an adult and a pro. So I guess there's no helping the influence.

Lots of other people have said this better than me, but I think that to lose a sense of fun and adventurousness in superhero stories is kind of missing the point. It's almost like there's a certain segment of the superhero-reading populace that never got over the embarrassment of getting "caught" reading a comic, that never lost that suspicion they were reading what most in the mainstream saw as a children's genre. So unless their superheroes dress in leather, moan about their problems all their time, curse and kill people right and left, and live in "grounded" worlds (a term I've never understood -- or liked), the outside world won't think superheroes are "adult" enough. It's like little girls putting on mom's makeup and thinking they look more adult, instead of utterly ridiculous.

I'd like to think I'm from the generation that has gotten over these hangups about superheroes. I like superheroes, and I'm not ashamed to say it. We're out and we're proud! (laughs) We love (and, in some cases, create) books like Nextwave, Umbrella Academy, X-Statix, Doctor Thirteen: Architecture and Mortality, and so on, books that embrace and celebrate the inherent insanity of superheroes in a wonderfully un-self-conscious way, that manage to tell amazing stories about how we see reality, and how it affects us... Or, in some cases, just let us have a really great time.

Hell, I love superheroes so much I love grim-and-gritty too. The Ellis and Deodato Thunderbolts was pretty intense and violent, but I'd call it fun as hell at the same time.

It seems like a lot of fans resist the basic truth that many of these characters were created to entertain children. That's not to say that sophisticated stories can't be told using them, but in a very pure sense, a character like Superman or the Flash really shines when an eight year old can relate to them.

Well, I think a lot of fans don't see why their favorite characters can't age along with them. And there's nothing wrong with that. The superhero market couldn't survive without appealing to those "legacy" fans and making sure they have a reason to keep reading about their favorite characters.

But what I find baffling -- and mildly disturbing -- is just the oftentimes hysteric level of hostility I see out there against Marvel and D.C.'s all-ages output from some of the rank-and-file hero fans. The sheer amount of abuse heaped upon Power Pack in particular is just surreal. I saw an online reviewer say on a video clip he wanted to light it on fire and piss on it. It's one thing to not like it, or not think it's any good, but to go as over-the-top as some of these people go is just very bizarre to me. They just seem to hate it on principle, to hate the very fact of its existence.

Perhaps it goes back to what I was saying before -- this misguided evangelical notion that all superhero comics must "uplift" the genre in some vague, pseudo-sophisticated manner, to prove to the great invisible masses of non-readers out there that no, no, no, no, no, really, they're not for kids.

Fortunately, the abuse is well overcome by the kids and parents who come up to me and tell me how much they enjoy the work, or the postcards I get from them, or the one parent who told me he taught his autistic son to read using Power Pack because it was the only thing that engaged his attention. It's one of the more rewarding -- and surprising -- aspects of my career, because I never saw myself as becoming any kind of an all-ages creator.

With that in mind, let me ask you this; it seems that Marvel, moreso than DC, has a stable of characters that are perfect for slightly older adolescents. The problems they deal with are a bit more complicated; they've always seemed more operatic. How do you go about making Iron Man, for example, a character that is fun, without losing the more tragic sides to his character. (I realize those things aren't mutually exclusive, but I'm guessing it's more of a tightrope when writing specifically for children.)

The simplest way I find, is humor. I guess I'm inspired by Pixar's movies, which have an excellent track record of providing fun, adventurous stories for kids that adults can still find engaging, usually through gags that the average kid wouldn't necessarily get.

Do you find it difficult to maintain the balance of writing something that keeps you interested, and feels intelligent, but is still "safe" for a kids' line?

It's not the easiest thing in the world; there are a lot of hoops to jump through, and a lot of restrictions put on the material by the various competing interests, like Wal-Mart, etc. "Can this be packaged with a toy in C.V.S.?" and that kind of thing. "We need to put the next four issues in these covers because we're using them as a marketing push for so-and-so, can you generate stories to match?" And so on. I generally find those kinds of challenges really exciting. They do keep my interest up. But they can also drain you.

I'm actually going to leave -- or at least, take a sizeable hiatus -- from Wolverine: First Class after a year's worth of issues because I got little burnt out. There's a certain level of quality I'm not going to let myself drop below. At least not unless I'm starving or something ... and I'm not starving.

Fred signs for his fans. Free Comic Book Day '07 at ROCKETSHIP.

Let's talk Hercules. Traditionally, he has been portrayed as essentially Thor in a Better Mood.

Or, sometimes, "Thor in a Drunk Mood."

Well put! (Laughs) Hercules has always had fun-loving, hedonistic elements, but in many ways, he's a blank slate. Do you feel like you have left your mark on developing him into more of a distinct character?

Maybe. I'd be more comfortable saying I tried to put as many elements as I could from the original myths back into the Marvel version. Hercules was certainly a blank slate for me, as other than Bob Layton's terrific far-future minis, I didn't really know anything about the Marvel version of the character. So I just went and read all the myths, and really love them. It's been working with them that has been the most rewarding part of the series for me -- that, and getting to know Greg [Pak, Fred's co-author on THE INCREDIBLE HERCULES]. I think the Herc/Amadeus relationship has been way more interesting than either of us had anticipated at the beginning, too.

To continue with HERCULES... Grant Morrison has introduced Aurakles as the prehistoric, proto-superhero, and his importance in the DC Universe seems to be building with Final Crisis. Has the concept of Hercules as Ur-Hero crept your way yet? Do you think that the idea of primal, prehuman, mythical heroes is worth exploring in the Marvel Universe (aside from the Eternals)? Could Hercules be the right springboard for such a story? In short, has Morrison tapped into a concept that both universes could use?

Aaahhh, I think you may be onto something, Alex... But, alas, I cannot reveal too many details without tipping my hand as to the uber-arc of "Incredible Hercules" arc. Readers will be getting a big hint as to what that is at the end of "Incredible Hercules #120", on sale by the time folks read this.

All I can say is this: Perhaps the more interesting question is not 'is Hercules an Ur-Hero?', but 'is he palling around with the Ur-Hero to come?'...

I know that there are certain characters you have a affinity for, and characters you hate. Talk a bit about your favorite characters, why you like them, and what concepts they all share. What is it about certain characters that make them easier or more enjoyable for you to write?

Hercules and Amadeus we've already covered. I enjoy Machine Man, who's the star of [Fred-written, October-debuting] Marvel Zombies 3, because he's a really underappreciated Kirby creation. He's basically a regular guy who happens to be a robot. But that computer brain of his makes him not suffer fools gladly, and so he's an obnoxious wiseass. It's his love for Jocasta that ultimately redeems him.

She's kind of the other side of the coin, the robot who wants to do the right thing, to have humans like her. He's just like Inspector Gadget, except he can transform into railguns and flamethrowers! In the right hands (cough - mine) he could be a mega-hit.

Aaron is also, like a me, a connosieur of the malted arts. However, my spin on that is, again, because he's basically a computer with legs, he isn't a drunk, he's the biggest beer snob ever.

All of my favorite characters seem to be drunks. My wife is getting worried there's a pattern there...

A lot of your favorite characters also happen to be direct creations of Jack Kirby. I know you're a big Kirby fan; could you talk about what it is in his work that clicks with you?

I grew up reading a lot of classic 1960's Marvels in reprint, and as a kid I preferred the Ditko Spider-Man/Dr. Strange stuff more. But when I became an adult, it got a lot easier to get stuff like the New Gods in reprint, and that's when the Kirby bug really got me, in my late twenties. I desperately hunted down as much of his stuff as I could find. I think I finally understood that guys like Grant Morrison were coming from that tradition, guys that still influence my work, that inspired craziness of superheroes that I referred to before. Kirby was just a bottomless idea factory, an endless source of invention, and just the sheer act of watching him pull crazy concept after crazy concept out of his butt was just a dazzling performance to watch in and of itself. Particularly if you've read as many goddamn superhero comics as I have (laughs), there's something exhilarating at how this guy kept reinventing and reinventing the genre, right up to the end of his life.

Even though I am an unabashed Kirby partisan, however, it's hard to not to agree with the main thrust of a lot of the criticism aimed against him, that his ear for dialogue was ... er, unique, to say the least. It certainly seems to be have been formed partly by memories of old Hollywood movies and, in a horribly ironic way, trying to parrot Stan Lee without really quite getting what Lee was all about.

A lot of Lee's Spider-Man and Silver Surfer and Thing monologues come from a very honest, wounded place, as bombastic and perpetually optimistic the huckster "Stan Lee Presents" side of him always is. Kirby, on the other hand, it just seems to me, had very little interest in individual humans. He was interested in HUMANITY as a concept, and abstract ideas like TYRANNY versus FREEDOM, but they found expression almost exclusively in metaphorical ways, like the conflict between Darkseid and Mr. Miracle.

And so I can't blame people when they say they don't get non-Lee or non-Simon Kirby. I honestly believe it's the same thing as people not liking abstract art. I dig Mark Rothko. But a lot of people look at his paintings and say "It's just blocks of color. My 6 year-old could do that. What the fuck?" Even some of Kirby's best stories, like "The Pact", lack a real genuine human connection. The relationships are more conceptual and symbolic, like mythology, which has this real kind of stream of consciousness narrative, not like a a short story or TV show at all.

That's why it excites me to work with obscurer characters like Machine Man and M.O.D.O.K. and Hercules, Kirby characters that are just so brilliant in conception that you don't need to do much to give them that extra humanity to broaden their appeal to a wider audience.

Let's take a half-step over, from M.O.D.O.K. to Sartre (Laughs). Were there any famous thinkers that were left out of ACTION PHILOSOPHERS, and you regret not including them? What criteria did you use to include someone?

They had to be pretty famous. I had a couple philosophy textbooks and surveys on hand and basically just checked people off like a laundry list. There were a couple people we didn't do that could have borne inclusion. Epicurus we didn't do because of the William Messner-Loebs and Sam Kieth books. The one people keep asking about is William James, the 19th century American pragmatist, who I don't really know much about. I really wanted to do the medieval Sufi poet Rumi, just to add a Muslim among the Christian, Buddhist, Taoist and Jewish thinkers we had in there. When we do the Complete Action Philosophers collection (out in time for Christmas 2009!) I think we'll throw those in there as brand-new stories for completion's sake... And, you know, to trick people who already have all the issues to buy the hardback. (laughs evilly)

If you had to pick one philosopher from the series to do a full book about, who would it be?

Hmmm... A complete GN about one philosopher... I don't know. I got my own ideas about The Big Questions from reading all those thinkers, and one day I might inflict my own philosophy on the world, if I can think of a way to do it without sounding like a pretentious windbag. (Too late, har-har...)

Both ACTION PHILOSOPHERS and COMIC BOOK COMICS required huge amounts of research. As we finish up here, tell me about the most surprising things you've found in your research about comics history.

There's a lot! How the underground artists influenced the French creators who founded Metal Hurlant, which, of course, turned around and had such a huge influence on these shores... That Jerry Siegel was inspired by the fights in "Popeye" to make "Superman"... That ABC-TV felt so indebted to the Pop Artists for the Adam West "Batman" TV show that they arranged to have a premiere party of the show for them... COMIC BOOK COMICS is chock full of those kinds of nuggets. It's the most rewarding part of creating the series.

9 Comments

• At August 27, 2008, Blair wrote:

  I hope Fred's not kidding and there really is going to be a Complete Action Philosophers! It's one of the ...

• At August 27, 2008, Fred Van Lente wrote:

  Fred is not kidding! But we need to wrap up COMIC BOOK COMICS first. Fortunately we currently on-schedule...

• At August 27, 2008, Michael wrote:

  Having had the opportunity to speak with Fred a bit, I can indeed say he's a cool guy and a ...

• At August 27, 2008, jazzbo wrote:

  Action Philosophers and MODOK's 11 are two of the best titles of recent years, and Incredible Herc is one of ...

• At August 27, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:

  That was a fun interview!

• At August 27, 2008, RAB wrote:

  "The Academy demands 'Art' with a capital 'A', which requires an 'Artist' — singular."

  Next time you run into any of ...

• At August 27, 2008, Fred Van Lente wrote:

  Hot damn! I sure will!

• At August 27, 2008, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  That was a good interview - didn't get to heavy, but with more substance than the usual comic book interview.

  Perfect ...

• At August 28, 2008, Linkblogging for 28/08/08 « Thoughts on music, science, politics and comics. Mostly comics. wrote:

  [...] Fred Van Lente interviewed by Comics Should Be Good - one of the very few times I’ve read an ...

Part One: You can do it!

One thing that I love about comics is the fact that anyone can do it. Anyone can sit down with a blank sheet of paper, a fresh window on their computer, a stack of magazine clippings, etc, and create a series of sequential images that tell a story. Not everyone wants to, and not everyone will be good at it, but anyone could. This democracy in the comics art form makes me really happy; it feels like the tape-trading world of high school punk bands (oh shit- did I just totally date myself?), where a guitar, three chords, some drums, and an urge to write lyrics was really all you needed. Everything else was just garnish.

In comics, most everything is garnish. All you really need is a pencil, an afternoon to draw, and the wherewithal to follow through. There's something to be said for a storytelling art form that is simultaneously incredibly complex, yet also wide open to anyone who wants to give it a whirl. I draw comics when I'm bored. I show them to my friends, and drawing them keeps me mentally stimulated throughout the day. It's a brain exercise that is far more satisfying to me than Sudoku or a a Rubik's cube. My girlfriend made a mini-comic last summer to trade at MoCCA. Anyone can do it.

I've reached a point in my life (birthday next week, depression to follow) where I am far more excited by a hand-stitched, home-made comic made by someone who has never read WATCHMEN, than I am by yet another by-the-books, middle-selling, professionally crafted comic by people who have spent their whole lives reading NEW WARRIORS. This is not a jab at superhero comics, which I love. Just a general malaise with the Sameness of it all. If someone who spends their days teaching pottery to kids, and has only ever painted in oils, decides to make a comic, that is something I'm interested in. That comic will have a angle and a point of view that is new to me. I find the approaches and craft decisions made by these folks to be entirely fascinating, and fresh, and energizing. This is as opposed to a book that is perfectly well made, but every line and word balloon placement speaks to hours spent devouring the works of John Byrne or Jim Shooter. I also spent those same hours, devouring those same comics, and now I want to see something drawn by someone who only ever read ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. Or maybe a medical doctor who was totally influenced by the early works of Walt Disney. Which brings us to...

Part Two: Nobody is Born Whole

The great Osamu Tezuka is enjoying a resurgence here in the US, thanks to Dark Horse, Viz, and also Vertical Inc., an independent publishing house that has spent the past several years translating and packaging an awful lot of amazing Japanese literature. Beginning with BUDDHA, they have been working hard on the front lines creating a Tezuka Library, publishing much of his later, more mature works (ODE TO KIRIHITO, MW), and most recently DORORO, which is easily one of my current favorite comics.

DORORO is a classic samurai quest story, featuring a lone swordsman traveling the back roads of Old Japan, with only his weapons, his wits, and a young thief as his companions. The twist here is that the samurai is essentially an empty husk; a prosthetic man whose body was sold bit by bit to demons before he was born, by a power hungry father. His quest is to find these demons, and fight them for the pieces of his body, so he can eventually make himself whole again. If that premise alone isn't enough to get your heart pumping, it's possible you have no soul.

Yet the premise, as awesome as it it, isn't the charm of DORORO. The characters are completely lovable, made entirely real in just a few subtle lines. The design of the demons is fantastic, and a reminder that when he wanted to, Tezuka could out-design anyone on the planet. The fight scenes are amazingly tense and exciting, and the pacing is pitch perfect; despite the episodic nature of the plot (fight demon, fight demon, fight another demon) the overall narrative flows perfectly, and the book has yet to get repetitive (only two volumes are out so far). I've loved everything I've ever read from Tezuka, but DORORO has reminded me once again why he's known as the "God of Manga". It's like opening a treasure chest filled with ancient pirate doubloons, only instead of gold, they're made of incredible sound effects and perfectly flowing panels.

Also, in case you're still not interested, the main character, Hyakkimaru, has SWORDS FOR ARMS.

That is the kind of delicious concept that I might expect from Grant Morrison. Speaking of...

Part Three: I'm Sorry, I Just Can't Deal With Bat-Mite Right Now

Without reading it regularly, as far as I can decipher, BATMAN R.I.P. involves Bruce Wayne wandering the streets as a drug addict, criminals united under the Black Glove, more twisted variations on Batman, and Bat-Mite is somehow involved. I like what I just described, but for whatever reason, I'm not jumping out of my chair to go fill in the blanks.

Morrison's BATMAN run has been a mixed bag for me, like a Halloween haul filled bite-size Snickers, but also those tiny toothpaste tubes. The highs have been absolutely euphoric, and as good as any Batman stories out there. The lows have been, strange, muddy, and kind of bland. My suspicion, based on What Has Come Before with regards to Morrison, is that all of it will weave together into some sort of lovely tapestry wherein even the lame bits have a greater meaning. He has done this before (See THE INVISIBLES, SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY, ANIMAL MAN), so I trust that he knows where he's going. Until then, I just kind of wince whenever Bat-Mite pops up. (I love that fat little bastard, but he doesn't quite work when drawn in a third-generation IMAGE style.)

I'm holding out hope that it goes somewhere worthwhile, and I suddenly leap out of my chair intent on filling in all the gaps that I missed, and I have a profound insight into Batman at the end of it all, leading to a full night's sleep filled with meaningful dreams, and a bright new morning the next day where everything seems just a little better. Is that so much to ask?

9 Comments

• At July 10, 2008, R wrote:

  I would assume the Bat-Mite stuff is a tip o' the hat to old Bob Overdog, which is awesome, but ...

• At July 10, 2008, Mullon wrote:

  I'm happy that Dororo exists, because if it did not I wouldn't have been able to play Blood Will Tell, ...

• At July 10, 2008, Apodaca wrote:

  I've been hesitant towards Morrison's Batman, as well. I just have this feeling that very soon, I'll know if I ...

• At July 10, 2008, Mike Loughlin wrote:

  I lost interest in Batman after Club of Heroes was over. Tony Daniel's art is not to my liking. Even ...

• At July 10, 2008, Apodaca wrote:

  Yeah, Tony Daniel and the Kubert art are the main turn-offs for me.

  I did read the Club of Heroes arc.

• At July 10, 2008, Nessor Sille wrote:

  Tezuka was a bona fide cartooning genius. I think his works would have turned out great no matter what ...

• At July 10, 2008, Michael wrote:

  What I wanna know is, why isn't the Club of Heroes arc out in hardcover yet?

  Anyway, Alex, I don't know ...

• At July 10, 2008, Alan Coil wrote:

  How amusing that an article that mentions both John Byrne and Jim Shooter is written by someone named Cox.

• At July 10, 2008, Brad Curran wrote:

  Thank you for alerting me to the existence of Dororo and my need to own it right damn now. I ...

Part One: Boring Lifestyle Information (okay to skip)

In this past week, I have realized something fundamental, something no doubt obvious to the rest of the world; the anaerobic lifestyle begets time to read comics. Or, in other words, sitting on your ass prevents a stack of unread books from overwhelming you like The Blob. As several of you may know, I am not only a comics retailer, world class cat burglar, and general Bon Vivant, I am also a cycling enthusiast. If I have the time, and the world has provided a sunny day, you will find me pedaling madly across the Brooklyn Bridge, up the West Side Parkway, or anywhere that either a) strikes my fancy, or b) is located in proximity to whatever errand my girlfriend has assigned me.
What this ultimately means is that when I have two hours to myself, rather than enjoying a stack of lovely comics, I am sweating and getting a sunburn while trying not to hyperventilate. It's one of the few small joys in my life, which is otherwise a slow crawl toward black oblivion.

However, while in midtown Manhattan last week, my beloved bike was stolen. It was entirely my own fault (dirty, dirty hubris and all that), which made the whole bleak scenario all the worse. On the train ride back to Brooklyn, I pulled the first volume of the Viz-big edition of DRAGONBALL from my bag, and read the whole dang thing straight through. Like that guy on the road to Damascus, I realized that maybe, just maybe, rather than this being the summer wherein I finally burn off twenty pounds and prevent the onset of diabetes, this will be the summer that sees me reading every book that is sitting in a pile by my "reading chair".

With a newfound, less active purpose in life, I set off to do some damage.

Part Two: Is THE GODDESS OF WAR the most important book of the year thus far? VERY MUCH MAYBE.

And so it was that I finally sat down and read THE GODDESS OF WAR, the new comic from GIRL STORIES creator Lauren Weinstein. Honestly, this book was initially quite daunting, simply by virtue of having so much visual information packed onto every page. On first flip through, it looks awesome as hell, but darned if it isn't a barrage of comics; panels small and winding into each other like a boardgame designed by mean people.

Despite my initial hesitation, GOW reads like a dream. Literally. It's mesmerizing and hypnotic, and moves with a loopy pace, as if you're in the middle of a terrifically weird and vivid dream. Which works to a marvelous effect, as the Goddess herself exists outside of space and time, and by the time you've read two or three pages, you are completely immeresed in her point of view. This kind of craft doesn't happen by accident, my friends. This is the result of some serious cartooning chops. Chops that are deceptive. Chops that you dont even realize are there until you've fininshed the book and realize what a transcendental ride you've just been taken on. This is pure Cartooning; each page and each panel carefully designed to pull you in and drag you along, immersing you in the visual art of it all, while never abandoning the point of the narrative. The drawing style is loose and scratchy, scribbled away in densely packed panels, all toned with shades of soft, inviting, neutral greens. It's obviously lovingly rendered, and the manic linework brings a contagious energy to every page.

GOW mixes humor, mythology, surrealism, history, and romance (kinda), all under the dual umbrellas of a character study on one hand, and a thoughtful meditation on the nature of human conflict on the other. At no point is it the rambunctious mess that is implied by that sort of content stew. It's a perfect balance of all these elements, seamlessly connecting scenes detailing tensions between early U.S. settlers and Apaches with a trippy, inter-dimensional sex scene with Cochise. Lauren Weinstein has created her own cosmology here, building a strange and strict natural order that the Goddess operates in. Bizarre beings float in the aether (some Lovecraftian and some straight from familiar myths), and we see human history from their perspective, with all the violence and cruelty stacked up as just more moves on a checkerboard, surrounded by merciless and bloodthirsty Gods and Monsters.

This is a comic unlike anything I have ever read, and certainly one of the most original books so far this year. But best of all, this is a comic that could only exist in this medium; this is not a pitch for a movie, or a property to be merchandised, or a novel with pictures. This is an excellent ride that can only be taken panel by panel, and it revels in the form. It's exactly the type of project that gets me excited about Comics, and what comics are capable of.

Part Three: Columbia has fancy buildings.

Monday night I was on a panel that took place at Columbia University, as part of the Columbia Publishing Course. It was moderated by the great Calvin Reid, of Publishers Weekly Comics Week, and included cartoonist Dash Shaw, editor Pete Friedrich, cartoonist Danica Novgorodoff, Del Rey Manga's Ali Kokmen, and The Beat herself, Heidi MacDonald. This was a great group of folks, and it was interesting to hear them talk about their involvement in the world of comics. I didn't have too much to say, so I quietly snapped a few photos with my phone.

Moderator Calvin Reid, one of the great champions of Comics today.

Dash and Danica, chillaxin'.

Ali, Heidi, and Pete, unaware that the Phantom Photographer has snapped them.

When Calvin asked who, in the audience, had read comics or graphic novels, a sea of hands went up without shame or hesitation. The questions asked at the end were all mostly well-informed and surprisingly insightful. All in all, it reminded me that we really are living in a New Golden Age of comics, where publishers of the future learn about graphic novels right alongside magazines and books. The medium has gained that sort of subtle acceptance that isn't apparent right away, but in a few years down the line, when suddenly you realize that everything has changed around you while you were right in the center of it all, arguing about continuity in FINAL CRISIS.

I wake up every day and think "damn, comics are AWESOME!", but it's good to be reminded of it in an academic setting.

16 Comments

• At July 2, 2008, Joe Rice wrote:

  I'm gonna pick up Goddess of War today. My love to Gustave.

• At July 2, 2008, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Yeah, Goddess of War looks pretty awesome, based on the few pages she has on the site. If I ...

• At July 2, 2008, Apodaca wrote:

  Sorry to hear about your bike, Alex!

• At July 2, 2008, D. Eric Carpenter wrote:

  Heh...used to be quite the anaerobe, myself. I'd buy my comics the day they came out (Friday's in the ...

• At July 2, 2008, The Mutt wrote:

  This is how people dress to appear on a panel at a prestigious university?

  ~sigh~ I'm so old.

• At July 2, 2008, Dan wrote:

  The Mutt--

  Just FYI, there's lots of variation between schools and departments. Don't know the time-line on the change, but ...

• At July 2, 2008, Apodaca wrote:

  If any place would know best that the way you dress doesn't indicate your intellect at all, it would be ...

• At July 3, 2008, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  If any place would know best that the way you dress doesn’t indicate your intellect at all, it would be ...

• At July 3, 2008, Apodaca wrote:

  Which, somewhat ironically, are kind of the same thing.

• At July 3, 2008, T. wrote:

  I don't think it's an issue of dressing to indicate your intellect, I think it's about dressing like you actually ...

• At July 3, 2008, Dan Felty wrote:

  Wow, Lauren Weinstein is great! I just picked up "girl stories" from the library, and her website launched today! ...

• At July 3, 2008, Bill wrote:

  Someday I will wend my way down from the Green Point to the Gardens of Carroll and I shall buy ...

• At July 3, 2008, Apodaca wrote:

  Is everyone totally ignorant of the fact that it is summer in New York?

  In other words, HOT & HUMID. Sometimes, ...

• At July 3, 2008, Alex Cox wrote:

  "Although it does allow us a great shot at that Danica chick’s legs, so I won’t complain THAT much…"

  Dude, grow ...

• At July 8, 2008, terri wrote:

  speaking of dragonball, did you know that James marsters is playng the part of lord pic? he was the guy ...

• At July 17, 2008, Nice new reviews for Goddess of War… wrote:

  [...] great Alex Cox of the great comics shop, Rocketship (who hosted a great party for the book a couple ...

Comics should be F'N Awesome!!!

by Gus

Hey hey, comic fan type people! My name is Gus (Mr. Gustav to my employees) and you probably know me from the seven successful bar/restaurants I own throughout the metro NY area. I don't want to name them, but let's just say that cocktails are twelve to Eighteen dollars, and there's no happy hour, if you get my drift.

My latest spot is located in yelling distance of a certain comic shop, and ever since we opened, I find myself in there quite a bit, mostly shooting the breeze and keeping up with Captain America (my main dude), but also kicking back from time to time with the brave men and women of the BPRD. (I would totally high-five Abe Sapien's fishy paw, no shit.)

So yesterday, I noticed that Alex (the counter guy, chubby, but not too bad) was rubbing his eyes and sighing a lot more than usual. I inquired as to his troubles, and I must have hit a nerve, because the guy unloaded! (full disclosure: I have been known to tend bar in my day, so I have the vibe of a
"friendly listener" type. I also speak in warm, soft tones. It helps the troubled dude open up, and makes the single ladies want to be in intimate surroundings with me. Sexually.)

After a laundry list of troubles that included some hypochondria, and a lot of complaining about some new computer desk, Alex mentioned that he hasn't been able to start a column he's been meaning to write. I said "Dude! I'm pretty much the smartest guy you know! I'm successful, loaded, handsome, and I happen to have a free hour today between a manicure and a lunch date with a Brazillian model (very hot)". I told him I would get my feet polished up, then lift some of his burdens by writing a column for him, and then proceed to have some strip steak, a bloody mary, and satisfy my date (sexually). What can I say? I'm a humanitarian, and the poor guy looked like was about to cry. I can't stand to see a man cry, by the way.

He told me that he wanted to write about FREDDY AND ME, which is apparently a memoir about a guy's life as juxtaposed with his QUEEN obsession. Alex swears it's terrific, and I believe him. He actually got really animated about it; talking about the pacing and the structure and how expressive the dude's cartooning is. I was all like "Okay okay! I'll read it!" and maybe I will someday. Right now I'm too busy earning mad dollar bills and can't make the time for anything longer than a 22 page Cap A comic or an interview with Giselle Bundchen in GQ. You know how it is.

CAPTAIN AMERICA is prime cuts of beef. I have to tell you, before I was turned onto it, I figured Captain America to be a pretty corny individual. But Ed Brubaker was totally like, "Oh yeah, he's totally boring... PSYCHE! He kicks ass, and you should be up in business, Gus!". My dad used to read these men's adventure magazines in the Seventies, with wicked lurid covers full of Nazi women whipping prisoners, or some enlisted soldier in a tattered shirt punching a swarthy tattooed guy that's holding a bloody dagger. Captain America feels like what I imagine was in those magazines. (I was never allowed to read them, and once my dad kicked it from congestive heart failure, my prick brother sold them all on ebay so he could buy a Segway.) The covers have that same rough, painted look, and the stories are filled with mind control and karate and tough chicks in tight clothes. It's a comic that you read while you eat a cheesesteak and drink a boilermaker. (Not that I recommend that dietary combination.)

Alex loves Cap A also, but he was really insistent that I write about FREDDY AND ME. Personally, I think he should just be glad that I'm writing his column for him, and let me talk a bit more about how great CAPTAIN AMERICA is, and how it should be read while listening to LYNARD SKYNARD, punching your fist in the air every time someone kicks a little ass. He said that everyone is aware of how good CAPTAIN AMERICA is already, but may not know about FREDDY AND ME. I can dig it. It's the same way everyone always orders buffalo wings at a bar, and you want to say "Come on dude... get the tempura! No way you're getting laid with wing sauce under your nails!"

The other thing that I'm supposed to mention is that FREDDY AND ME is "one of the best memoirs Alex has read since FUN HOME", and "it not only perfectly captures the high drama of adolescence, but it really encapsulates what it is to be a Fan of something, and love a bit of culture so much that you tie that love into the most meaningful moments of your life." Then he talked about how he associates a different PIXIES album with every ex-girlfriend. At that point I was imagining how delicious a vodka gimlet would be, and I kind of zoned out.

And now I have to split to meet Margarite for brunch. It was real, comic dudes, but it's a sunny day, I'm starving, and my date wears that awesome stripper perfume that is very distracting. FREDDY AND ME, CAPTAIN AMERICA, and vodka gimlets: there's your recipe for happiness while I go get sweaty (sexually).

Love,
Gus

Post script:

So the date with Margarite was a total bust. Despite previous rum-soaked sensualities, it became obvious pretty quick that she just wanted the hostess position at my upper east side joint. Totally trashy. That's some amateur-hour, bush-league stuff right there. First of all, I can't get oral from my employees. There are laws. Secondly, she doesn't have the necessary ankles to be on her feet all day. That's just a fact- you can't argue with science. I was pretty bummed about it all, so I went home and read FREDDY AND ME. Alex was right; it was damn good, and I even got kind of wet in the eyes, although might have been the INXS album I was listening to. I got awfully sentimental, and called my ex-fiancé Janice (bad idea). Still, excellent book.

Post-post script:

Janice is still in Greece for a few weeks on business, so if any cute nerd-birds want to meet up, you should know that I am totally foxy for a dude. I keep myself groomed, have abs like a bamboo cutting board, and my clothes are strictly dry-clean only, if you know what I mean. Plus, I'm a hell of a chef! Just ask Zagats! (seriously). Send any photos care of bcronin@comicbookresources.com..... I've only got like a two week window here ladies, so anyone with Celtic tattoos or a lack of tan lines need not apply. Alex will be back next week if he can type without having a panic attack.

14 Comments

• At June 23, 2008, sterg wrote:

  F'N awesome review, Gus! I'm glad you had that extra hour in your day ;)

  That's a great start, Alex. I'm ...

• At June 23, 2008, stealthwise wrote:

  That was... different. And by different I mean pretty lame.

• At June 23, 2008, GarBut wrote:

  I usually have a sense of humour. The idea of a surrogate column debut... meh.

• At June 23, 2008, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  Didn't you read the news Gus?

  Janice has already met someone - http://www.theonion.com/content/news/ex_girlfriend_dont_want_to_speak

• At June 24, 2008, Tom WB wrote:

  Fun first column, although Gus sounds a little like Ray Smuckles (http://achewood.com/raysplace.php)

  Homage or coincidence?

• At June 24, 2008, Joe Rice wrote:

  Noice. I like Gus more than I like Alex.

• At June 24, 2008, Alex Cox wrote:

  Gus said the next round is on him, Joe. Then he knocked on the bar and winked. I think that ...

• At June 24, 2008, Joe Rice wrote:

  It is a strange language they have.

• At June 24, 2008, Michael wrote:

  Gus is my second favorite columnist ever, right after Vic Chalker.

• At June 24, 2008, Greg Burgas wrote:

  If Gus was getting a manicure, why would his feet be polished? Just wondering.

• At June 24, 2008, Comics by Mike Dawson » Archive » F&M sort-of reviewed at CBR wrote:

  [...] almost review of Freddie & Me at Comic Book Resources. This column is supposed to be written by Alex ...

• At June 24, 2008, Brian Cronin wrote:

  Funny, Alex!

  What is the column called? Is it Column de la Cox?

• At June 24, 2008, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  I suggest 'Taste Of Cox' as the name!

• At June 25, 2008, Alex Cox wrote:

  I am in favor of Column De La Cox, yes.