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Countdown to FCBD: John Layman
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Location: Blogs Atomic FalloutAt the Core |
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| Posted by: Jake Bell |
Monday, April 23, 2007 11:45 AM |
What was your first paying gig in comics?
My first job was as an assistant editor at Wildstorm. I'd been working at the San Diego Union Tribune, writing various comics and fandom related articles, and of course covering San Diego Con every year. I got to know the folks at Wildstorm, and when an opening came up they gave me a call. I because an editor, and then DC bought us and I became a DC editor, and then I finally saved some money and decided to make the jump to freelance, since writing is what I always wanted to do.
Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness is certifiably a runaway success. What effect has working on such a high profile comic had on your career, or is it to early to tell?
It's an no discernible benefit. That is, it has led to no new work, and I am woefully employed at the moment in the world of comics.
Were you an Evil Dead or Army of Darkness fan before you started working on the title or was there a massive amount of research that needed to be done?
Always been a fan of all things Bruce Campbell and all things Sam Raimi. Funny thing, I was already working on an Army of Darkness project for Dynamite when this gig fell into my lap. That got sidelined so Marvel Zombies could come out first, but I'd been writing Ash for a while and had "studied" up on him, so to speak. And by "studied up," I mean I just watched his movies a few more times, making it several dozen, at this point.
What appeals to you about Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness, which can be categorized as a modern interpretation of the horror comic?
This book has a lot of layers to it. Yeah, there are gruesome, horror elements, but it's also a very darkly-humored What If...? take on the Marvel U. And adding Bruce Campbell's smart-alecky Ash characters brings a completely new style of silliness and unpredictability to the story, which sets it apart from Kirkman's original Marvel Zombies series. It's just as gruesome and bleak, but it's not only funny in a black-humored way, but some of it is just plain goofy fun.
You are also working on Scarface: Scarred for Life, and Stephen Colbert’s: Tek Janson. That’s three very diverse titles at once. Is it difficult to switch gears from sci-fi comedy to horror to crime drama, or does it help to have something completely different to work on when you have writer's block on a project?
Well, they are have some elements of comedy. Scarface is very black comedy, Tek is very silly comedy, and Marvel Zombies/AOD is somewhere in between. And while they weren't completely different, I always involve juggling multiple projects, just to keep myself from getting too accustomed to any one character.
Speaking of Tek Jansen, this book will certainly appeal to the demographic of twenty to thirty somethings that watch "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report." What will draw other readers in that may not be familiar with Colbert’s work in television?
Something we've taken great care with with the Tek Jansen book is to make it separate and distinct from Stephen Colbert and his character on his show on Comedy Central. Tek Jansen is a sci-fi humor book, above all else, and you don't have you watch the show to enjoy it. It should appeal to anybody who likes just humor, like "Futurama" or "Family Guy" or "Simpsons."
How did you wind up getting the job of writing a sequel to Scarface?
Scarface was just a matter of lucky timing. I'd been talking to Chris Ryall about what IDW had going on, and he asked if I was interested in Star Trek--which I wasn't. When he mentioned Scarface, I jumped at the chance, because it would be a chance to have fun with such an iconic gangster movie. I'm a huge fan of video games, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is one of my all time favorites. That game owes a ton to Scarface, and I thought it would be great to approach a sequel with the same sort of twisted sensibilities. I got really, really lucky after that, being able to team up with my old Puffed collaborator Dave Crosland, and a brilliant, mad Irish colorist named Len O'Grady. Both of those guys are fantastically talented.
What part of Free Comic Book Day are you most looking forward to?
Seeing the Atomic Comics stores. I've been hearing great things about them for years, even as far as Seattle people talk about Atomic Comics. |
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Comments (1)
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Re: Countdown to FCBD: John Layman |
By lostboyrufio on
Sunday, April 29, 2007 4:29 AM |
| I would love for that man to sign my copy of Puffed. |
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