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The Big Huge Guy Adams Sherlockian Review and Interview
14 months ago
All Things Guy Adams Sherlock Holmes, all the time
by Prof. Jenn
Well nearly all. Thanks to Titan Press for this opportunity to review Guy Adams’ Sherlockian goodness, and for the interview “in.” Also, this appeared first over at my blog.
First of all, can I just express my extreme nerdy jealousy that Mr. Guy Adams gets to write all these? I mean, how do you get that gig?
Well, I got a chance to ask the man himself. Before we get to that, though, take a gander at my reviews of his many Sherlockian books.
Sherlock Holmes: the Breath of God
What happens when Holmes is faced with the supernatural? Not the faux supernatural, like in The Hound of the Baskervilles, but the actually unexplainable?
Or is it?
The Breath of God is a novel that fits right in with the Doyle canon and the best of the non-Doyle canon (I’m thinking 
Nicholas Meyer in particular). What it does well is maintain that Watson-centered narrative which is so essential to a powerful Holmesian story, in my professional opinion. The thing is, Holmes is such an extraordinary creature, that to be inside his head diminishes the astonishingness of him. Having the story told from outside him gives us the opportunity to marvel at his prowess and be mystified by his flaws. Knowing his flaws personally would be too wearing for a story, though it could make for a fascinating character sketch. But I digress…
The great thing about the plot of Breath of God is that you really don’t know what to think of the magical things that go on, just like Watson. Even up till the end there are certain threads that don’t end up tied up neatly. That’s not to say Holmes doesn’t figure it all out in the end, but… Man, I’m about to spoil things. Okay, I’ll stop. I’ll just say this: it’s mysterious, exciting, slightly meta (love the moment when Holmes says he needs to pull a Hound of Baskerville move), and the end is quite dramatic. Plus there’s philosophical dilemmas and some mashups of historical and fictional characters from that time period, which you all know I love when done well.
Bottom line: Sherlock Holmes: the Breath of God is a rollicking good time, and a book I’m happy to shelve next to the canon.
Sherlock Holmes: the Army of Dr. Moreau
I actually reviewed this one in depth before, it’s what made me want to do a big ol’ review on all of them once I realized Adams wrote the Sherlock Case Book too. Here it is on my site, and on Nerds in Babeland.
As you can see, I kinda liked The Breath of God better.
Sherlock: the Case Book
As a giant fan of the BBC series Sherlock, I had to add this companion book into my collection. It covers anything and
everything about the first two seasons of Sherlock. It includes story synopses from the point of view of John Watson’s scrapbook, complete with his notes, photos and police reports, even phone call logs. But the highlight of the synopses is the post-it note conversation between Sherlock and John, plastered all over the scrapbook pages. Oh, and Mycroft makes a brief post-it note appearance as well. At its best, the conversation is charmingly contentious, as one would imagine it would be between those two. It does, though, get a bit old. Sherlock may be impatient with an intellect lesser than his (as anyone’s is), but he isn’t incessantly whiny and bitchy. The bitchiness factor tends to take away from his massive intellect as a character, and is just wearing after a while.
The documentary type bits are great (although I did find a couple inaccuracies), like a nicely done DVD extra. And of course one of my favorite parts is the By the Book sections. I’m wondering why there isn’t a By the Book section for each episode, but I guess I’ll just let my More You Holmes blog posts supplement them. (Wow, did I just shamelessly plug myself? :sigh: Sorry Mr. Adams, I couldn’t resist. And thank you for the compliment and bookmark. Squee!)
Bottom line: if you’re Sher-locked, you absolutely need this book.
And now… (drum roll…) here it is: the MinInterview with Guy Adams himself.
5 questions: Guy Adams
interviewed by: Prof. Jenn
1) What choices do you make in your novels re: references/adherence to Doyle and your own original departures, and why? Have you created a backstory for Holmes that helps you in writing him through novel length stories?
A lot of it is instinctive to be honest. Everyone views stories and characters differently as they can’t help but bring their subjective viewpoint into things. I have therefore written what I think is a completely accurate version of Holmes and Watson. Other people will disagree as MY Holmes and Watson won’t be the same as THEIR Holmes and Watson.
I suppose I bring a little more humour into their relationship but that seems natural to me between two men who have been so close for that long. They’re a marriage.
I’ve also chosen to let Watson grieve over a dead wife. Doyle was — rightly — too busy building stories to dwell on the emotions of his characters but I wanted Watson to have that. We’ve all loved and the idea of losing someone precious would cling to you, it plays a fair part in the action of The Breath of God.
The backstory is all Doyle though, I’ve read the stories many times over the years and that’s always the history I bring with me.
I have included favourite characters from other Holmes stories, such as Mycroft, Shinwell Johnson and Langdale Pike. Purely because those characters seemed helpful to the stories I wanted to tell.
As both novels blend Holmes with other fictional characters there is a natural inclination to bring the flavour of those works in too.
2) We share an acting background, so I have to ask–how does your acting training inform your writing, and vice versa?
It informs me hugely when it comes to character and dialogue. I played Holmes a couple of times too so that has hung over the whole process as I already feel close to the character.
Hopefully, having been an actor I can feel my way through stories. I can think in terms of the characters, bring them to life a little more.
3) What’s your favorite Sherlock Holmes story? What’s your favorite media adaptation?
I’m terrible at picking favourites because mood always gets in the way. Probably The Adventure of the Red-Headed League.
Media adaptation is even more difficult somehow because there’s such a wide variation, all of which bring something interesting.
I adore Jeremy Brett in the role (especially with Edward Harwicke, a gentle, wise Watson).
The relationship between Downey Jr. and Jude Law is lovely too though, whatever you may think of the action movie bells and whistles the two of them spark beautifully off one another.
But how can we ignore SHERLOCK? We simply can’t… it’s glorious and a flawless version of Holmes and Watson.
Sigh… who knows which of them I like the most?
I’m not a great fan of Rathbone. No… let me be clearer, I love the films but he and Bruce are not MY Holmes and Watson, they are some other pair entirely who I enjoy spending time with but don’t recognise as the same people.
4) Tell us the story of how you got the Sherlock Casebook gig. How closely did you consult with Moffat and Gatiss, or did they set you free? Did you interview the actors, creators, etc. yourself for those non-fic bits?
I’ve worked with BBC Books on a number of projects and, knowing that I was a fan of Holmes, I think I was just the safe choice for them. It wasn’t something I had to pitch or fight for. They just dropped me a line explaining that they’d got the rights and would I like to do the book.
Hartswood were heavily involved. Steven, Mark and Sue Vertue all chipped in on the material as I was writing it, correcting things and ensuring I didn’t contradict anything they might want to do in the future.
I attended the commentary recordings for the DVD and Blu-ray and did some interviews then. That was excruciating actually as my dictaphone packed up. Benedict was loveliness itself, working his way through a cup of soup while I got more and more stressed trying to get the thing to record. “We really are going to have to get on,” he said softly as I began to consider just crawling under one of the microphone stands and dying of embarrassment.
I had an absolutely wonderful chat with Andrew Scott on the phone. We gassed on for over an hour with me deciding I’d like to be his best friend. No doubt he has already been in touch with his lawyers to discuss restraining orders. A lovely, clever, brilliant actor.
Everyone was a joy, it was great fun to do.
5) Any more Holmesian projects on the horizon?
I hope to write more Holmes novels but that’s up in the air at the moment depending on Titan’s future plans. I have a lot of other novels I’m working on at the moment but I’d always go back, I could happily write Holmes stories forever!
5a) How do you get to write using these already-created characters? Is there some kind of copyright process you have to go through? (I’m asking for a friend…:) )
This is a tricky one! Strictly speaking, Holmes is out of copyright so you can do what you like with him (as is the case with all the other characters I used). That hasn’t stopped a few attempts on the part of the Doyle Estate to insist otherwise.
Copyright law is different all over the world so your friend would have to check the specific terms for where they wish to publish. It all comes down to either how long ago the original author died or how long since first publication of the original work.
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Thanks again for your time and input, Mr. Adams! ~Prof. Jenn
5 Questions: Maxwell Alexander Drake
09 months ago
This interview appeared originally at bonzuko.com. Specifically, here: http://bonzuko.com/?p=5661 ~Prof. Jenn
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The good folks over at Imagined Interprises connected with me recently, and I had the opportunity to interview one of their authors, Maxwell Alexander Drake. He’s another author that specializes in action scenes and instructing others in the composition thereof. Please to enjoy this interview, and stay tuned on facebook for a promo of his work! ~Jenn
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5 Questions: Maxwell Alexander Drake
by: Jenn Zuko Boughn
1) What’s the one essential factor for writers to keep in mind when writing action sequences?
The number one thing a writer needs to keep in mind when writing action is that, well… it is ACTION. So, the words the writer chooses to use, the sentence structure, etc. all plays into how the scene will read. There is more detail in my Anatomy of a Fight Scene handout on my website, but here are the big issues to keep in mind.
1-Use strong verbs. Sally’s fist struck John in the face vs. Sally’s fist smashed John in the face. Smashed is a much stronger verb than struck.
2-Write in an action, reaction manner.
3-Do not write with passive voice.
4-Short sentences read faster, therefore feel faster.
2) What got you into Western Martial Arts? Why WMA and not Asian martial arts?
I like both Western and Asian martial art styles. However, for me I have always been more attracted to the western style of fighting than the Asian. Not because of the actual fighting style, but the culture that each of these has created. What can I say, I like Castles and Knights. There is just something more visceral with the western style. More primal. I am not saying the Asian fighting style is all prim and proper. When two people face off to kill each other, rarely do they do it with kindness. Perhaps it is also that my ancestry is Western Europe. Though I think it has more to do with Dungeons & Dragons than anything else.
3) What’s your favorite weapon / style in WMA?
I like the long sword; a blade that is versatile on the attack in both thrust and swing, and is good on defense. Plus, with the heavier blade, you can really put some weight behind it and cleave off extremities. A great way to end a fight.
4) Cthulhu, Zombies, Western? Wow. Please explain that combination! 
Dead Ned is a story that is a long time in the making. It saw many different variations and themes before it became what it is today. Basically, it started out as a challenge. Someone asked me if I could write a story where the protagonist (the hero) was evil. And not in a Despicable Me kind of way that is actually loveable, but a truly vile person. After giving it some thought, I found that the only way to accomplish this would be to make the antagonist an even bigger threat. Then, it was figure out why an evil protagonist would take up the cause to kill the even more evil antagonist, throw in a few gods from other planes of existence, the occasional undead for good measure, and you have a story.
Unfortunately, due to health reasons with the artist, this project is on temporary hold. We are planning on getting back into it by year’s end and hopefully having the first graphic novel out by Comic-con 2013.
5) What action scenes in literature are the best/most inspiring to you? Is there anyone you still try to emulate in your own work?
I am a fan. The quintessential “fan boy” as it were. I love this industry with the unabashed wonder of a three-year-old child. So, basically, everything inspires me. I will walk away with ideas from even the most horrible of movies/books/comics. There is so much to see and experience, it is almost overwhelming.
As to emulating, I am not sure I have ever “tried” to emulate anyone. I do, there is no doubt about that. But it is purely subconscious. Robert Jordan was one of my favorite authors growing up. And my narrative voice is similar to his. Though, while he was heavy on description, I write mostly action and dialogue. It is also why so many equate me to Brandon Sanderson. I had never read Brandon until I was published, so he had no influence on me. However, Jordan was an influence on him, so we have walked similar paths.
However, I think my violence is unlike most. Some say it is closer to George R.R. Martin, though I disagree. I think my violence is a bit more visceral than his. More brutal. More emotional.
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A Short bio of Maxwell Alexander Drake
Maxwell Alexander Drake, or Drake as he prefers to be called, is an award-winning Science Fiction/Fantasy author and Graphic Novelist. Drake teaches creative writing around the country as well as for the library district in Las Vegas, NV. Find out more about him at his website, www.maxwellalexanderdrake.com
5 Questions: Mike Oeming
111 months ago
5 Questions: Mike Oeming
by Prof. Jenn
It was my great pleasure to have the opportunity to interview Mike Oeming, of multiple comics fame. His latest new project is called Victories (one issue of which I reviewed here). Below is the interview. Enjoy! ~Prof. Jenn
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1) One of the most striking things about your bio is the fact that your first job in comics happened when you were only 14 years old.
How on earth did that happen? I mean, you’re obviously a very talented artist, and no doubt were even then, but…14?? Please explain.
As soon as I started reading comics and was drawing, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I had started out with a lot of tracing, and when I learned about inking, it felt like a great way to learn to draw, inking over my favorite artists using a vellum overlay. I was sending out my work to editors, mostly looking for feedback when an indie publisher wanted me to work for them. It was Innovation comics. I probably could have continued inking for them, but it didn’t occur to me to ask for more work because I was so young and inexperienced. But that’s a good thing, I needed to learn lots more about inking and drawing before working. But it was super cool.
2) How do you see the world of comics having changed since you started, and what do you foresee in the medium’s future?
Wow, it’s crazy how much things have changed. Back then, in order to get work, you would have to make photocopies and mail out your work to editors and assistant editors, mostly blindly. Then you’d wait weeks for some response in the mail with the SASE you sent with your work unless you were lucky enough to actually get a call. From what I understand, you can’t even mail your work in now, there are standing policies to not even look at it. Everything is web based or meetings at shows.
Back in early 90s there were almost no web comics, and what was there was certainly not much of a scene. Then, if you wanted to be an indie creator, you had to solicit your work to be published, having no idea if you would even have enough orders to go ahead and publish. Now, with web comics and the internet, not only can you put your work out without any printing costs/risks, there was multiple ways of creating income from your creations. Back then it was all about orders to cover your printing costs.
Also back then, comics were labeled as a “dying Market” and that was 20 years ago.
3) Tell us nerds a little bit about working with Valve. How is your process different when working for a large company than when doing an independent project such as Powers?
It’s been completely different on every level. I had never worked in an office before, I’ve never worked in a studio setting even other then sharing some space with other artists like Adam Hughes or my wife, Taki Soma. This was not only a proper office setting, but a business, and a very unique one at that. They are like a giant creator owned company. They own all of their work work and control their own distribution. Working in the offices was lots of fun, it was the only time I made comics with the writers and colorists all working together, basically shoulder to shoulder, reworking the story and art as we went along. We do that on Powers, but there is usually a few weeks before any changes- at Valve we could make changes and adjustments as we were making it. Often a project, a joke or story would change dramatically from where it started into something completely different.
Oh, and there is free candy and soda at the office, so there’s that.
4) I too am a mythology geek, so I commiserate with you on being influenced by Old Story whenever I write. Are there particular pantheon/s that influenced Victories? Would you ever consider making a comic just of “straight” mythology, and if so, where would you start?
In the Victories, I haven’t purposefully dipped into Mythology, but I’m sure that theme will come up if we continue to do other stories. I definitely have more plans to do lots more work with mythology, and yes, I do have one that is a return to pretty hardcore Norse Mythology.
5) You are a writer just as much as an artist. Which role do you enjoy more? Which did you come to first as a creator, and how does your writing process influence your art (and vice versa)?
I can’t say which I enjoy more because 90% of my work is creator owned, so I’m always involved in either writing or co writing the work I do. I love coming up with ideas, and breaking down the story. Dialogue is something I struggle with more, sometimes I think it’s because it takes the longest. Writing the Victories has been great in getting me back into writing full scripts, which I haven’t done in a long time. I write with Brian on Powers, but it’s mostly in outline form broken down from the stories we come up with together. Also, in the Victories, I had to write full proper scripts for my editor Scott Allie to read, it couldn’t be done in a shorthand kind of script I usually do for myself.
5 Questions: Adam Warren
111 months ago
Oh. My. Garsh. How awesome were Adam Warren’s responses to my 5 question interview? Answer: Quite. Quite a bit, in fact.
First, please to look here and remind yourself what my review of Empowered: Vol. 7 was like. Then…just revel in the awesomeness. ~Prof. Jenn
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5 Questions: Adam Warren
interview by Jenn Zuko Boughn
1.) Rich Johnston once said of Empowered: “It’s so tongue in cheek that the tongue pokes through and blows a raspberry.” How important is snark and self-awareness to your characters, and what made you infuse them with this vibe in the first place?
I probably wouldn’t use the term “snark” in regard to the characters in Empowered, because I tend to characterize most so-called “snark” as a cheap, dismissive, insincere, kneejerk travesty passing itself off as humor. I’d like to think that most of “the funneh” in Empowered is less obnoxious and more warm and inclusive, but (as they say online) Your Mileage May Vary on this point.
Many the characters do, however, possess some degree of self-awareness, though the series’ often-deluded villains rarely can boast such reflectiveness. Of course, in the periodic “metatextual” interludes before and after chapters, the lead characters briefly wax supremely self-aware as they break the fourth wall and address the reader; this just struck me as a fun way to point out “meta” aspects of the stories without directly disrupting the stories themselves.
2.) What artists / writers inspire you? Is there any work that directly influenced Empowered, and is there anyone that you still try and emulate in your own work? Also: why manga?
I have to say that, in particular, the example of one slightly obscure mangaka, Takeshi Okazaki, inspires me greatly. Okazaki debuted with the manga Explorer Woman Ray back when I was still in art school; in the years 
since, he’s repeatedly reinvented himself as an artist, changing up his art style and narrative approach on numerous occasions. I find that flexibility keenly inspirational—and “aspirational”, to use a current buzzword—given that most comic artists and mangaka tend to eventually plateau, become numbingly repetitive, or even regress in their approaches to art and storytelling.
I’m not sure I can say that any work specifically influenced the creation of Empowered, as the series came about in large part because I wasn’t seeing any comics—or stories in other media—quite like it at that time. After the early stories that would become Empowered were already well underway, though, I did stumble across two superhero-related classics that were not entirely unlike what I was working on: The Venture Brothers and The Incredibles, both of which briefly threw me for a loop. (“Oh, man, I’m doing something vaguely similar… Bogus, yo.”) I soon calmed down, thankfully, once I realized that Empowered was headed off in a very different direction than either of those fine creations.
I also can’t say that I try to emulate any given writer or artist in my work, as I pretty much gave up any interest in directly imitating other creators quite some time ago—as in, decades ago. On the other hand, I constantly pick up wee, discrete elements of artistic riffs and storytelling techniques and fresh approaches from looking at other folks’ excellent work.
Why manga? How about, because it can sometimes be frickin’ awesome?
3.) What other media do you enjoy in your (no doubt copious) spare time? Is there any medium of art you haven’t worked in yet that you’d like to?
Books, books, and more books, with bonus helpings of books, and books as a garnish. I tend to read a great deal more nonfiction than fiction, as my standards for prose quality have become very lofty indeed after a lifetime of reading. Both when working and not, I listen to endless hours of podcasts and sports talk, not to mention podcasts of sports talk (and even occasional podcasts analyzing sports talk, which gets even more recursive). I do happen to own many, many box sets of TV on DVD, but rarely get a chance to watch any of them, thanks to my perpetually overbearing schedule; instead, the DVDs end up getting passed around to friends and relatives—so at least someone is getting entertainment value out of my purchases.
As for art media, I’d love to revisit a few media that I actually have (briefly) worked in, though with little success. My short-lived forays into videogame character work were quite fun, and I’d love to give that field another try. A decade ago, I had a similarly fleeting flirtation with the animation field during a tragically failed pitch to a TV network; I definitely wouldn’t mind giving that collaborative medium another stab, though I must admit that I have my doubts about how effectively I could play with others, given my solitary history as a freelancer.
4.) How has the comics world changed since your career began? What predictions do you have for the future of comics, and your work in that world?
I first began working in the comics field back in the, ahem, “adolescence” of the direct market, which was still some years away from its 1992-ish sales 
peak. Since then, well, many things have changed in the wider world of North American comics. The market peaked, then collapsed, then kept on collapsing. (Actual quote from an editor, circa 1994: “I can’t imagine sales getting much worse than they are right now!” He was, we soon discovered, a tad mistaken in that assumption.) Manga went from an obscurity to a ubiquity, then began to decline along with the rest of publishing in general. Webcomics sprang into being, and then print comics began a transition into digital formats, and blah blah blah *snore*
Whoops, just bored myself to sleep with the previous paragraph! Sorry, but I prefer to leave the wry analysis and historical recaps and windy pontificating to others with more insight—and more time on their hands—than this chronically overcommitted, comics-creating doofus. (Unless, that is, you catch me at the bar after convention hours are over, at which time I am most certainly prone to the very windiest of pontificating.)
As for predicting the future of comics, I can only quote the ever-quotable Mr. T’s classic line from Rocky III: “My prediction? Pain.”
5.) Animated Empowered? Or even what they’re doing over at Geek and Sundry with other Dark Horse titles? Hm?
No one’s approached me about an animated version of Empowered, sad to say. I do find the Geek and Sundry motion-comic YouTubery to be quite intriguing, though; I doubt that Empowered would be at the top of Dark Horse’s list for such consideration, but a creator can always dream, can’t he?
Interview with Ethan Nicholle
21 year ago
MinInterview: Ethan Nicholle
Interviewer: Jenn Zuko Boughn
Recently I had the very great pleasure of using my 5-question “Mininterview” format to ask Ethan Nicholle about upcoming Axe Cop vol. 3, and the future of the series. ~Prof. Jenn
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1) How has Axe Cop evolved as Malachai has gotten older? How do you see him evolving as Malachai continues to get older? What’s coming up in Axe Cop’s future that we can get excited about?
Malachai’s tastes and interests are changing pretty rapidly, so Axe Cop’s attention span is at about the same rate. Whatever is going on in Malachai’s life makes it into the story, for instance the family just got a new dog, so he called me to tell me there is a new dog character in the Axe Cop universe. I’m as interested as anyone to see how Axe Cop changes as Malachai grows up. I’m open to whatever works. The most exciting thing in Axe Cop’s future, next to Volume 3 coming out on March 28th, is the new print-exclusive miniseries titled Axe Cop: President of the World which launches in July.
2) Axe Cop’s fan base exploded pretty quickly. How did this fandom affect how you composed Axe Cop? Did it affect how Malachai composed it? How about the feedback you both have been getting at conventions?
It just sort of rocketed us into making more Axe Cop and really fast. When I first made Axe Cop I assumed it would be a fun thing to do with Malachai whenever I visit (which is about 3 times a year). When it blew up, I decided we should strike while the iron is hot and start making more of these things. It became a lot of fun and quite an interesting project. Especially working on the more long form stories with him and spending entire months with him. We get awesome feedback from fans, the support for Axe Cop is huge and people who love it REALLY love it. I think there are people out there who love it more than Malachai and I combined. I think that Axe Cop popped up right when people were getting tired of the more negative, gritty and edgy style that was the “thing” for a while, and Axe Cop is such a breath of fresh air in that world. It is totally sincere and innocent and it inadvertently parodies comics that take themselves too seriously.
3) I noticed in Volume 3, there are many “Ask Axe Cop” episodes as well as a lengthy guest appearance (on the website, there have been several more guest appearances recently as well). What are your thoughts/feelings about the collaboration? Do the guests appeal to Malachai, and does he springboard off of those?
Malachai has gotten ideas from the guest episodes. He really liked the one where Axe Cop has little axes on his arm hairs. He pretty much stole that concept for himself and made Axe Cop have sword arm hair. The guest episodes are a lot of fun, especially the ones where people follow the model and team up with their own kids/nieces/nephews to make an Axe Cop story.
4) How do Axe Cop, Bad Guy Earth, and Bearmageddon inform each other? Do you have a particular favorite issue?
Well Bad Guy Earth is just more Axe Cop, but it is written in a longer format. It’s more of our attempt at “feature length” Axe Cop story telling. Bearomageddon I wouldn’t say is informed by Axe Cop much mainly because I created it before I created Axe Cop, I only finally started to release it after. I think Bad Guy Earth is my favorite thing I have done so far just because it is so out of the box and such a fun/crazy experiment in creativity. A lot went into making it.
5) Who are some of your artistic inspirations? Is there anyone you even now try to emulate in your work? What is one of your artistic dreams? (e.g. have you always wanted to draw a certain superhero/create a world that you haven’t yet?)
My biggest influences growing up were Bill Watterson, Gary Larson and the many artists who drew the Ninja Turtles. Later I got into indie comics and became a big fan of artists like Jhonen Vasquez, Evan Dorkin, Ethan Van Sciver (who was indie back then) and Sam Keith. I have a lot of respect for Doug TenNapel because I like that he emphasizes storytelling and he really pushes creativity and wonder in his work. I think I try to emulate that. I have never really dreamed of drawing other people’s characters, I have always wanted to make my own stuff. So I don’t know what my dream project would be. I think right now Axe and Bearmageddon are dream projects, and I’ll have other ones down the road.
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Interview: Steve Niles and Menton3
2As many of you know, a new project between comics writer Steve Niles and breakout artist Menton3 was recently announced and has stirred up quite a bit of excitement. Personally, I’m jumping up and down, squeeing like a child going to Disney for the first time. Steve Niles is an amazing story teller, specifically in the realm of horror. Menton3 creates some of the most intense and beautifully crafted art landscapes the comic industry has ever seen. These two together? Explosions will surely happen. Not only are these guys both incredible creators, they are also super nice, down to earth dudes and they were awesome enough to let me nail them down for an afternoon chat about Nosferatu Wars. The conversation veered into so many directions; Steve and Menton were candidly honest about who they are and why they love being part of the comics industry. I found the whole thing thought provoking, intriguing and just lots of fun. I hope you do too.
Steve Niles/ Menton3 interview:
Lissa: Ok, guys, thanks for taking the time to talk to me, I know you both have tons of projects going on right now.
Steve: Of course.
Menton: It’s a nice break for me, to stop and do this, I’m about to kill myself on Monocyte 3.
L: I’ve covered few things for the two of you separately recently, including a review of the Saltillo (pronounced SAL-tillo) Monocyte album for you, Menton, and the Criminal Macabre Omnibus #2 review for you, Steve. It’s so much fun to have a joint project now with both you to talk about and anticipate.
S: Actually, Monica (Steve Niles’ fiancée, Monica Richards) and I are sitting here waiting for the pallet of cd’s and books to arrive for the album we did which Menton did some artwork for. It’s Monica Richards’ new cd with fully illustrated book!
L: I’m just going to start signing my paychecks over to you guys. Ok, so a little question I’d like to ask that is sort of fun, ‘can you summarize Nosferatu Wars in one sentence?’
S: No, and that’s the beauty of it! I’m not worried about being able to pitch it to a movie studio; this is just a fun comic book for me and Menton to do. I’ve had people ask me ‘what’s the pitch?’ and I tell them it’s a three part trilogy. It’s a huge story and what I love about it is that we can’t tell it in one sentence. I spent the last 11 years writing stories that I could tell in one sentence, it’s really nice to have one that’s impossible to.
M: I’m the worst person at that, I’m the most long winded son of a bitch, so for me to say what I want for dinner in one sentence is saying a lot. I’m a complete geek, I’ve only been doing comics for, like, 2 years and I’m a huge fan of Steve. To be able to do a vampire book with him has been a dream of mine for a really long time, then to be able to do it at Dark Horse, it just gets better and better. But, I don’t really know how to summarize it in one sentence besides ‘holy shit, I’m excited!’.
L: I think that’s perfectly acceptable.
S: This thing is happening in comics more and has completely taken over movies. I literally won’t watch trailers anymore because now we live in this world where people want to know the entire plot of everything before they’ll go pay money for it, and I hate that. We have one big part of this, of Nosferatu Wars, that we’re keeping hidden because it’s just going to be more fun to read it than if I say it all in an interview or a plug. For me it’s fairly traditional vampires, during the black plague, in love, having the time of their lives. Something separates them for 500 years and that launches us into the middle story and then the last element of this being the lovers’ return, looking for each other in modern day. One of the really fun parts of this is we get to spend a whole lot of time playing in the Dark Ages, during the ‘Black Death’.
L: Oh, god, throwing vampires together in a story with the black plague is such a cool idea; it creates a whole new twist and concepts to work with in the classic vampire story.
S: Here’s the thing: during the black plague it was the commoners dying in the streets, out in the countryside were all the rich, holed up in their homes, and that’s where the vampires are hunting. So they get fresh, clean, rich meat. The vampires are going from castle to castle, dining on the best quality blood they can. Nobody’s looking for them anymore, every death they cause is blamed on the black plague.
L: How did you guys end up getting together for this project?
S: You want us to tell the fictional, exciting version or the boring one? We shook hands, met, began talking and fell in love. I can tell that in one line!
L: That was pretty simple. So, what’s the fictional version?
M: Steve’s really a vampire. I’m his chosen one to carry the torch after he’s goes into hiding. I don’t fucking know, I’m talking out of my ass now. (Laughs) Well, we met at SDCC, but starting talking before that.
S: Honestly, we just hit it off right away. At the time, we were at the IDW booth and I remember just immediately getting along and jamming out ideas. Normally at conventions, you meet each other, shake hands, it’s whatever; Menton and I just knew immediately that we were going to be working together.
M: I think me and Steve were kind of cut from the same cloth a little bit, I don’t mean that pretentiously but we both have musical backgrounds, we both grew up in subcultures that were similar and I think we just had a lot in common. So we were on that IDW panel and we were just like two kids in church, giggling, taking pictures of each other and posting them on Facebook.
S: It’s true, though; we found out that we had connections from years back because Menton knows Monica, my fiancée, from the music scene. I think that’s a major element of why we work together so easily is because of our roots in music. The music industry is where you learn how to cooperate; you don’t get anything done without cooperation. More of that kind of community in comics would be great. But we come out of that; me and Menton are able to apply that to our comics work.
“You’re So Pony” Interview Part 2 – Beth Thornley
01 year ago
Back in June we did an interview with Liz Manashil about the music video for “You’re So Pony”. It may have taken longer than we would’ve liked, but here is part two of that, with artist Beth Thornley.
1) How long have you been working as a musician?
I took piano lessons as a kid, so it feels like I’ve been working as a musician my whole life. Even if I was making a living as a waitress, music was always a part of my life. But, regarding making a living as only a musician, that’s only happened in the past 3-4 years as I’ve been able to get songs licensed to TV/film.
2) Where do you get inspiration for your songs?
Everyday life and people watching; sometimes love relationships, but mostly just general life.
3) What was it like working with Liz for the video? Did you collaborate much or mostly follow her vision for what the video should be like?
Working with Liz was great because she was always available to listen to my thoughts and concerns. She had the vision about the overall concept so she took the lead. I had confidence in her and in her ideas.
4) What are your plans for the future? Any new projects we can look forward to?
I am recording an EP and hope to have it ready for release soon. There will be 4 songs on it. I thought it would take less time to get an EP recorded (as opposed to a full length LP), but alas, it seems to take nearly the same amount of time!
Thanks to both Liz and Beth for agreeing to do these interviews. You can find the video for “You’re So Pony” here.
Interview w/ Emii
11 year ago
The Nerds in Babeland resident music nerd (that’s me!) recently had a chance to interview Emii, star of the music video for Mr. Romeo feat. Snoop Dogg! The video intrigues me because of the obvious video game influence (plus it’s damn catchy, if I do say so myself). We talked to Emii about martial arts, working with Snoop Dogg, and general nerdiness. Hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did.
1) I hear you’re trained in martial arts. What type are you trained in and how long have you been doing it for?
It’s been about thirteen years since I began, but I’ve definitely taken breaks since music has always been #1. I’ve taken Wing Chun, Northern Shaolin, American Kenpo, and Tae Kwon Do. I am currently training in Muay Thai and Boxing and would love to try Brazilian Jiujitsu when I can make the time for it. I’ve always had a passion for training and learning about different martial arts styles.
Some videos of my current training:
1) …up with the sun, there’s no school like old school.
2) Even early mornings can be fun.
2) You also used to work in a comic shop. What was that experience like for you? How have you found it connects to your music, if at all?
When I worked at the comic book shop in NYC, I would work all day, go to the studio to write and record all night, and then I would head straight back to work at the comic book shop the next morning. Comic books were a huge source of inspiration for me when I was young, and they still influence me positively today.
3) You worked on the music video for “Mr. Romeo” with the legendary Snoop Dogg, Can you tell us how that came to be and what it was like? Any good stories from working with him?
After writing “Mr. Romeo”, my producer and I were tossing around the idea of someone adding a bit of magic to it. Snoop’s name had come up, but really… how the hell do you get in touch with Snoop Dogg? Well, insanely enough, the day I was recording master vocals for the song, the owner of the recording studio came in and he loved the vibe. He happened to have Snoop’s manager’s number in his phone. From there, Snoop heard the track, loved it, and here we are today. Snoop was a pleasure to work with and the coolest cat I’ve met in music so far.
4) The video was designed to look like the Final Fantasy video game series. I will admit not knowing much about hip-hop, but I would imagine this is quite unusual. Whose idea was that and how easy was it to implement?
Actually, much of my fashion sense is influenced heavily by Final Fantasy, Assassin’s Creed, and other similarly-styled video game / science fiction creations. The music video itself was vaguely aesthetically inspired by the 1986 fantasy film “Legend”. I wanted to create a music video that not only told the story of “Mr. Romeo”, but reflected on my own personality and interests. Thankfully, my team is also extremely creative and together we were able to create something that I am proud to share with my beautiful fans.
5) I heard you once held the Hammer of Thor during a tour of Marvel Headquarters. Can you tell us anything about the tour or how the experience felt?
For one, I really did not want to let go of that hammer! Never in my entire life had I imagined that I would get that experience, and I was in grateful awe the entire time I was there. Agent M showed me around and introduced me to some amazing people, and at the conclusion of the tour my publicist looked at me and said, “That was a highlight of your career, wasn’t it?”. Yes, yes it was.
6) I like to end every interview with this last question – Here at Nerds in Babeland we like to nerd-out about things. What is something you like to nerd-out about?
ANYTHING Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, video games (mostly old-school Nintendo/PS2/PS3/XBox 360), sci-fi/fantasy/horror novels, anything martial arts related, and most definitely anything technology. I think that covers the basics for me.
Guest Blogger: Interview with John Deryl from Overturn
21 year ago
Guest Post/Interview conducted by Chelsee Yee. Yee is a marketing intern with Overturn. She is a sophomore at Seattle University majoring in Journalism, with an additional interest in Criminal Justice. She enjoys reading Stephen King novels and watching horror flicks on the weekends.
Chelsee Yee: How do you manage playing the multi-role of being the director, producer, actor,
screenwriter, and composer for Overturn? It seems like a difficult and stressful task to
accomplish. Do you have a secret to facing this challenge?
John Deryl: There is no secret. But there is something very important. It is a real passion. My passion is to
make Overturn a high quality project. That is why I do so many different jobs. Every day I face
many challenges, but I know that eventually I will win because only I can limit myself. Other
people, no matter what they say or think, do not really influence my decisions. I do not like to
waste time on something cheap or trivial, and being the leading actor, screenwriter, director,
producer, and composer helps me control every aspect of the series and make sure that it
satisfies my demands for high quality.
CY: What can fans expect from Season 2? How does it compare to Season 1? How many
more seasons will Overturn run for?
JD: Overturn is unpredictable. There will be many surprises in Season 2. Undoubtedly, fans will
feel the same captivating atmosphere from Season 1, but in the new season, Overturn changes
dramatically. New characters, unexpected plot turns, beautiful fighting scenes and much
more will absorb them deeper into the world of our story. As for the number of seasons, I can’t
tell you exactly how many of them we will create. But I can say that the concept of Overturn is
so global that the series will have a multitude of subsequent seasons.
CY: Overturn holds the title of being “the first international sci-fi mystery web series.” Do
you plan on using other languages or subtitles in your show?
JD: Yes, our show is unique for having a cast and crew from different countries. We are using
other languages in it as well. For example, in the first season, Philippa Peter who plays Lisha,
spoke some phrases in one of the Nigerian languages. In Season 2, our audience will hear
Russian. Of course, we are planning to dub the show in other languages. We currently have
subtitles available for the audience. By the way, our fans help us a lot. They volunteer their
time to translate subtitles into their own languages, so that people of their countries can
watch the show on our website.
CY: As the cast and crew are all representatives of different countries, have their been any
language barriers or obstacles on set?
JD: Good question! There have been many quite amusing situations. A big part of our crew
is Russian speaking since we are filming in Ukraine, but many of our actors do not speak
Russian. Sometimes they cannot understand each other, but eventually, somehow they are
able to cooperate and listen to each other. By the way, I can open a big secret! One of our
leading actors, Konstantin Gerasimuk who plays the Servant, is Ukrainian. He does not know
English at all, but in the second season, you will see many scenes where he does speak English.
It is not a voice-over! Our crew is amazed! We translate his lines into Russian. He understands
their meaning, memorizes English lines and without knowing the language speaks them. He
looks like a person who knows English! It is magic!
CY: How did you come up with Christopher Gabriel’s character? Do you relate to him in
many ways? How would you overcome the fear he faces?
JD: I look at Christopher as a part of the story. He is deeply connected with everything in the
world of Overturn. As the show goes forward, the audience will realize how logical his life is
in the context of the story. I can understand his feelings of being not apt to this society. He is
deeply honest and vulnerable, but in this society people like him suffer because of the lie and
cold they see everywhere. Ordinary people use those things to protect themselves, but he is
far from being ordinary, so he cannot do the same thing. He is a mystery to others because
his inner world is very rich. On the other hand, he really has his inner fears which have deep
roots. I would say you cannot overcome your fears, but you can use them. By that, I mean you
have to face your fears. There is no other way.
CY: The caption for the show is, “His dreams are the key to the answer.” Do answers usually
come to you in dreams? How much trust and dependence can we really have with our
dreams?
JD: Sometimes answers or at least clues come to me in dreams. It does not happen very often, but
when it does, I am glad. As for trust and dependence, I think everyone has to decide on their
own.
CY: Are there any other side projects that you are participating in? If not, do you plan on
creating another web series?
JD: Currently, Overturn is my only project, but I have done other things in the past as well. Those
have been parts on film, TV, and stage. I am not planning on creating another web series right
now, but I am always open to well-developed, high quality projects.
CY: What has been the best experience so far in filming Overturn?
JD: I think the best experience happened last Tuesday when we were shooting in Feofania Park.
It is one of the many beautiful places in Kiev, the city where we are filming Overturn. The
atmosphere of the place was so calm and different from that of the city. There was no wind
and everything was foggy, so the whole crew felt like they were in another world. It was a
magical place and magical moment, and we filmed two charming scenes. Those kinds of
moments make you want to keep going no matter what!
Interview with South Fellini About Upcoming Horror Film, Alpha Girls
0I first discovered Johnny Zito and Tony Trov when I reviewed Moon Girl issue 1 about 6 months ago. Fantastic comic book, stunning art. As is custom for nerds, I googled these guys, tracked them down on Twitter and kept an eye on them for new comic announcements. I was super excited to see tweets popping up in the following weeks from them announcing they were producing an independent horror movie in their home base of Philadelphia. Johnny and Tony are the founders of South Fellini, an “intellectual property studio“. I asked the guys to give Nerds in Babeland readers a little inside info on Alpha Girls and what it was like producing a horror film. 
Alpha Girls is about a sorority house with demon issues. Can you elaborate a bit on what we can expect?
JZ – There’s a coven of witches and they make a pact with a devil-ish monster that feeds on death. Every sacrifice grants them untold power and wealth. After a hundred years the craft has gotten watered down and all that remains is a crumbling sorority built on the old traditions.
TT – The story really focuses on the new pledges, four girls who discover there’s some truth to the old ways. They set out to make their wildest dreams come true and it costs them dearly.
JZ – We shot the whole thing in Philly at an actual frat house that’s over 120 years old. So there were all these creepy rooms to explore.
TT – It was supposed to be like Susperia but I think it turned out more like Beetlejuice. Can’t wait for the edit.
Besides you guys, are there any other comic book community names involved in this project and what do they do in comics?
TT – Christine Larsen (Kung Fu Panda, LaMorte Sisters), Paul Maybury (Strange Tales, DOGS of Mars), Mark Fionda (Carnivale De Robotique) all contributed demon art to The Charter; a supremely holy book of voodoo and black magic. This was the book all the witches kept their spells in. They passed it down between graduating classes. A lot of the art contributions will be on screen.
JZ – And the Alpha Girls Movie Poster was done by Rahzzah (Moon Girl) in the style of a classic, 80′s horror films. Alpha Girls is at least a lil inspired by that B Movie era of horror films. It’s what we grew up on. So, we plan to release a REALLY limited edition run of VHS copies. Rhazzah’s art will grace the cover.
poster by Rahzzah
Alpha Girls was partially funded by Kickstarter. What was that experience like and did you find it as supportive as you’d expected?
TT – It’s been fantastic. The idea that we can pre-sell movie tickets for $20 is very appealing. It could change the way movies get made for the better. No one has to ask “how did this get made?” because you’ll know. You green lit it.
JZ – The Kickstarter is still going; 27 (editor’s note: at publishing, 15) more days left to pledge in exchange for really cool rewards. The aforementioned Poster, VHS Copy, Props from the film and copies of the soundtrack are all up for grabs.
TT – The movie is already shot; every frame is backed up on 4 hard drives and magnetic tape. Each copy is kept in a super secret location below the Mason-Dixon Line for safety. All we have to do now is put it together.
JZ – The proceeds from our Kickstarter will go to post production costs; hard drives, dedicated computers, mastering the sound track, ADR, sound design and digital effects.
You’ve also been blogging the entire process. Was that more for your own documentation and enjoyment or something you wanted to do for your followers?
TT – There was so much amazing stuff going on all the time, it was really more for us. If we weren’t taking a million photos and vids, we might forget how much fun we had making it.
JZ – Almost everyone on the crew blogged or tweeted, it was a group effort. Follow the hash tag #alphagirlson to see what everyone is talking about. And behind-the-scenes content is part of the film making process. You can rent a movie on Netflix but you buy the DVD for the extras.
Alpha House
Was there any specific inspiration for this film for either of you? Anything in particular that made you feel like THIS movie had to be made?
JZ – This is a very personal story for us. It’s about college and all the mistakes people make trying to fit in. We like to play with stories about the cost of friendship.
TT – Writing Alpha Girls felt different from any other project we’ve worked on. It started out as an idea for a comic but during the process we fell in love with the characters.
6. Are both of you lifelong horror fans, or was the interest born of some other venue/experience?
TT – We are pop culture obsessed. We grew up consuming cable television; Saturday morning cartoons, music videos and movies of the week. Really we’re lifelong fans of the weird.
JZ – In the last few years our interests have gotten further off the beaten path. Once a month we get together with friends for Shit Movie Fest and gorge ourselves on bad horror and cheesy sci-fi.
What were some of the biggest challenges in getting this film produced?
JZ – Feeding people is a huge undertaking; an army runs on its stomach. We were working 15 hours a day and keeping people healthy is top priority. I learned so much about nutrition and body chemistry. You can literally reanimate a person with a spoonful of peanut butter and a shot of vitamin water.
TT – The heat was the worst part. We’re under a dozen lights trapped in a giant mansion with no air conditioning. And as it turned it out this was the hottest July of all time in the history of the world. A new record high temperature was shattered every day. At a certain point we even had a kiddie pool on set just so people could dunk their heads and eat popsicles.
What were your favorite moments during the production? 
JZ – Everyday was awesome for completely different reasons but the first time we got to see all four actresses in their pledge uniforms stands out to me. It was 5 days into production so we’d done scenes with one or two actresses in costume but not all four. The pledges all wear matching uniforms and pink, argyle sweaters. It was surreal seeing this image we had in our heads for months suddenly brought to life. Trov and I slip behind the monitor and you can’t see the dance of lights, camera and boom pole going on around the actors. It’s a movie all of a sudden. Very exciting.
TT – Shooting around Philadelphia was amazing. There are so many locations to explore past The Museum of Art. Everyone around the city was very supportive and encouraging. It really feels that people are excited to have films shot in their neighborhood.
Is Alpha Girls your first feature film project? Has the experience motivated you to try another one in the future?
TT – We’re addicted. Plotting lots of projects now.
JZ – Chew coffee. Make movies.
I know Alpha Girls filming just wrapped up. When can we expect to see it and how can we find it?
JZ – The Kickstarter wraps up on September 6th and we hope to have a lil teaser trailer before then. Maybe some clips by NYCC and a finished product by SxSW.
TT – After that we’d like to find a home on Netflix/Hulu/On Demand. We love the internet distribution model; it’s done right by us in the comic book market. We’ll do collector’s edition DVDs and VHS for… collectors. 
Would you like to tell us what’s next for South Fellini?
TT – Mystery!
JZ – Adventure!
TT – La Romantica!
JZ – DANGER!!!
