Additional editing by that Richard Caldwell guy.
We first met your Henchman as the fun hit from the 2010 A.N.A Spring anthology. Though with your upcoming series, readers will be thrown headfirst into how the Henchman is all about being unhappy with one's place in the world, and wanting to do something about it. It’s a position I think we can all identify with, even if we don’t have the misfortune of being ordered around by a criminal with a color-coated costume. The story takes place in a reality which is a blend between the real world and your typical superhero universe. It revolves around John Wright, the head lackey for a supervillain, who becomes fed up with what he’s doing with his life, and when an accident gives him powers of his own, decides to work for the other side as a "good guy".
Is that about it?
The idea really came from my love of superheroes, and wanting to tell a story which comments on what I always felt was the central concept of the genre, the desire to change the world, in a somewhat more realistic way. I say somewhat more realistic because I didn’t want to do the full-on "people with powers in the real world" story, where the powers are the only thing that’s different, and everything’s just all grim and gritty. Instead I wanted to have a world with all the unbelievable, fantastic tropes of a super-universe, and just have the main characters react in a way more akin to how I would imagine reacting in such a place. Sure sometimes that world would be scary and violent and dark (which the book has in spades), but it would also be freaking hilarious at times and having that humor in the story is one of my favorite things.
I very much liked the idea of getting in on the ground floor of something, joining with a small company that I felt, if they worked at it, had a definite chance to become something bigger. I also really enjoyed the fact that ANA was composed solely by comics artists, like the inmates were running the asylum. So I figured creativity- the art, the story- would be the most important thing to them, just like it is for me. With ANA I found a publisher who I think I could really build something with.
How did you become interested in writing?
Well there’s a saying that to be a great writer first you must be a great reader, and I always had the latter part down cold. ever since I was a kid I would read voraciously and after I finished a story i always found myself imagining what happened to the characters next, and it was just a short leap from there to writing things of my own. And when I was in college (first as a pre-med major, then in the philosophy department) I asked myself what I actually wanted to do with my life. Turned out it wasn’t a very tough question. I completed my degree in creative writing from the University of Arkansas (which believe it or not is a fairly prestigious program) and this, Henchman, is the very first project that I tried to get published after graduating.
Was it always with an eye towards comic books?
Yeah. I’ve always loved comics. I enjoy writing in other formats too- short stories, novels, movie scripts. But comic books were always my favorite and if I could write anything I want, I’ll pick comics every time.
You mentioned going to school for writing, do you recommend to other writers to take that time and learn via a school course?
I really do. Obviously you don’t’ have to get a degree in the field to learn how to write, but you will learn a lot of things in a good program that would take you ten times as long to figure out for yourself. I’d say the 3 best things you get in a creative writing program are:
1. Learning how to actually sit down and WRITE, to produce pages and meet a deadline.
2. Work-shopping, having a group of people read your work, sit down, and actually tell you exactly what they think. It’s a useful experience in several ways.
3. The professors. Lauded, well published, skilled authors looking at your work and giving you the benefit of their years of experience is invaluable, and if you can make an impression on them they can open a lot of doors for you. One of my professors even went so far as to set up a meeting for me with his literary agent (try managing that on your own).
A creative question- how do you as a creator approach picking names? Does it come naturally, or do you have the name before you start or after you have fully realized the character?
The main character of the book Is John Wright, and I’ll admit naming characters probably takes me a lot more time than it should, as I do tend to obsess over it a little. It’s important to me that a character’s name not only fits them thematically but also that it sounds right. In John’s case I wanted a name that was short, to the point, fit his background, and had an everyman quality.
Tell us a little bit about your creative team on HENCHMAN, who is the artist and how did you two get connected?
The artist on the book Is J.C. Grande, whom I can’t say enough fantastic, astonishing things about. He’s a terrific guy and an absolute beast of an artist (imagine a Gorilla swinging through a jungle of 11x17 artboards with a blue pencil and a crow-quill pen). He’s been published by several indy companies already, including Image Comics, and I was somehow lucky enough to have him reply to an ad I put on digital webbing. Not only that but he really liked the script and actively wanted to be involved, which was just so gratifying to a first timer like me.
With this announcement and interview going out, we know you have issue 1 done and on its way to the printer, how are things coming with issue 2?
Issue two is almost completely done. I’ve had the scripts for the entire first story arc done for a while and J.C. turned in the last of the pages about a week ago, and again he did a bang up job. This time he even did his own colors, which I was amazed by. Right now I’m in the middle of lettering it and J.C. and I are working out the cover, and after that we’ll have finished a really fun second installment.
Do you see this as an ongoing series or a mini-series?
The story does have a definitive end point planned, but in the best of all possible worlds I could tell years of stories before getting to it. My plan at moment is for each story arc to be put out as a miniseries, much the same way that Mike Mignola releases Hellboy or Rick Remender does with Fear Agent.
Are there plans in place for an special merchandise or events in the future related to your project?
I’m planning on hitting the convention circuit in support of the book, and there will also probably be a release party for the first issue in Fayetteville, Arkansas (I’ll make information on both of these things available online). As far as merchandise goes, I’d certainly love to have Henchman t-shirts and toys and collectible salt and pepper shakers, and commemorative coins and… but it’s a little early for that yet. Still, in the future you never know.
Where can our readers go to follow your progress and keep up on all things Henchman?
I’m pleased to say that ANA Comics has set up a forum for the book on their boards. I’ll be posting there often and enthusiastically so if you have any questions or comments please come on by. I’m also in the process of building my own personal website at www.danielwoolley.net which will be up by the release of the first issue, you’ll be able to get updates about the book there as well as info on my other projects and some other neat content.
Thanks so much for sitting down with us to chat Daniel, is there anything you would like to share in closing?
I just want to say how happy I am to have the book coming out with ANA and hope you all enjoy it. If you do, please tell your friends and help me get the word out.
I promise I’ll do my best to deliver a great series and a great overall comic book experience to my readers.
ORDER ISSUE 1 OF HENCHMAN TODAY
No comments:
Post a Comment