Comics Interview — Issue #030

Strnad discusses his origins writing horror shorts for Warren Publications and his long collaboration with Richard Corben, including their contentious experience with editor Bill Dubay rewriting dialogue on their 1984/MUTANT WORLD series without permission. He explains his shift away from adult material toward a broader audience, and advocates strongly for labeling mature-content comics and expanding distribution into bookstores. He reflects critically on DALGODA, his ongoing Fantagraphics series with artist Dennis Fujitake, notes that writing Spider-Man was creatively constraining due to continuity overload, and says his ultimate ambition is to write novels.

David speaks from the dual vantage point of Marvel's Direct Sales Manager and the new writer on Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, explaining how his sales background shapes his storytelling decisions. He describes his strategy for reversing the book's declining sales: subverting genre conventions with the "Death of Jean DeWolff" arc, in which the title character dies on page three of issue one rather than as a climax, turning death into a catalyst. He discusses Marvel's retailer education programs, addresses accusations of Marvel market dominance, and outlines future storylines involving the Sin-Eater, Sabretooth, and a new villain called the Foreigner, as well as plans to address child abuse and racial prejudice themes.

Anderson traces his career from a failed first attempt to break into comics in 1976, through his self-taught classical anatomy studies, to landing Ka-Zar the Savage under editor Louise Jones Simonson and ultimately the X-Men graphic novel (with Chris Claremont), which drew controversy from the 700 Club for its portrayal of a fanatical televangelist. He gives an extended account of the creation of Somerset Holmes with writer Bruce Jones — a Hitchcock-influenced romantic adventure series for Pacific Comics — which has been optioned for a movie by Ed Pressman Productions. He discusses his cinematic approach to comics storytelling and is currently preparing Strikeforce: Morituri and a Moon Knight story for Marvel Fanfare.

The Newcastle-based British artist — known for So Beautiful and So Dangerous in early Heavy Metal — discusses his current strip The Gotterdammerung Gig and reflects on the far greater openness of French comics culture compared to Britain or America. He recounts approaching Metal Hurlant in Paris after hitchhiking through Europe, how So Beautiful and So Dangerous expanded from a planned 8-page story to a full book, and his limited involvement in the Heavy Metal animated film. McKie self-published Comic Tales and Either/Or Comics, and expresses contentment doing varied work — illustration, animation, graphics, and comics — rather than pursuing mainstream superhero assignments.

DAK reflects on stepping back from the editorial page for a period, attributing it to burnout from non-stop deadline pressure, and describes his effort to restore a more balanced pace of life.

Reader mail includes a fan disputing Carl Macek's adaptation of Macross as Robotech, a letter from writer William Woolfolk correcting name errors from his earlier two-part interview, and readers asking for help connecting with APAs and other aspiring professionals.