New Orleans native Tedd Walley, author of the comic MATHILDA.
© Voodoo Maverick
Comics After Katrina II: Tedd Walley and Mathilda
By: Kurt Amacker, ColumnistDate: Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Greetings, Maniacs, and welcome to another crash-course Comicscape! Before we dive into this week’s interview, I want to acknowledge the passing of Steve Gerber, who died from complications related to pulmonary fibrosis this past Sunday. Gerber created Howard the Duck for Marvel in the 1970s, but also established himself writing Man-Thing, The Defenders, and a number of other well-received Bronze Age comics. If you haven’t read his run on Howard, I recommend picking up the trade collection. It still holds up. In my mind, Gerber – along with Roy Thomas, Marv Wolfman, and a few others – represented a great leap forward for comic writing in the 1970s. Gerber continued to write comics up until his death. He created a very good Howard the Duck miniseries for Marvel’s MAX imprint a few years ago, and was working on a Dr. Fate story in DC’s Countdown to Mystery. Gerber was a phenomenal comic writer, and he will be sorely missed. Contributions in Mr. Geber’s memory can be made to the Hero Initiative.
New Orleans native Tedd Walley stood as one of the few independent comic publishers in the city prior to 2005. In fact, with his fellow publishers having either departed the city or shifted focus even before the storm, his Voodoo Maverick Publishing remained virtually the only small press in the area. His comic, Mathilda, tells the story of the rebel daughter of the Devil, who departs Hell to join the side of the angels. Unfortunately, her right of passage includes living on Earth as a third-grader, complete with a demonic stuffed panda bear and a drunken guardian angel named Baker. In between demon attacks, she still has to finish homework and fend off bullies. Walley launched the series in 2002, and released, on average, roughly an issue a year. He handled every aspect of the book, while still teaching a comic book course at Delgado Community College. In 2005, he hired inker John Williams to assist with the fourth issue, expecting to publish it later that year. Then, Hurricane Katrina arrived. Walley and Williams put Mathilda on hold indefinitely. But, six years after first publishing the character and four years after the last issue, the two premiered the fourth issue in time for Mardi Gras. I spoke with Walley about the trial by fire that is self-publishing, along with the added difficulties of creating a comic after the most devastating storm in recent memory.
Kurt Amacker: Let's open with your pitch to everyone that's new to Mathilda. Here's your chance to sell your book to all the Maniacs out there that haven't heard of her yet. Go.
Tedd Walley: All the cool kids are reading it, and you should too. B--ches love guys (and girls) who read Mathilda.
KA: It’s how I met my wife!
TW: But seriously, Mathilda is the story of the daughter of the Devil who sells her soul to God to get out of Hell. On Earth, she must learn what it means to be a human and pass the third grade in order to get into Heaven. All the while, she has to deal with her drunken guardian angel – Baker – a homicidal stuffed panda bear named Bela, and her dad, who she has to stop from bringing her back to Hell and destroying all of mankind.
KA: Now, you released the first issue in 2002, writing, drawing, inking, and lettering yourself. Until John Williams took over inks on #4, you handled all of the production – and publishing – yourself. What's that been like?
TW: It's been a b--ch. It's a lot of work when you factor in the day job.
KA: That's part of the deal with small press -- particularly self-published -- books. They're often handled by only a couple of people. That means that the output is usually pretty sporadic.
TW: Yeah, that takes its toll on both the creator and the fans.
KA: Do you find that the lag time between books has a negative effect on reader interest, or does it help to build anticipation?
TW: It’s both, actually. I find that casual readers get too frustrated with it and move on. The ones that really love the story tend to follow it religiously.
KA: Small press fans are a special breed. I think they appreciate the brute, sometimes raw quality of DIY books, but they have to accept that issues can take months, or even years, to come out.
TW: Tell me about it. I'm thankful for the fans, but big press has them spoiled on monthly issues. If I had to do it all over again, I'd have just done graphic novels instead. That way, I could have given plenty of story and art and been able to justify such a lag time in between novels.
KA: There’s that, and the quality in between issues doesn't look so obviously different. I read through the first four issues of Mathilda last night, and the difference in quality between the first and the fourth issues is pretty significant.
TW: Ugh, don't I know it? It drives me friggin' nuts. If it weren't for the story, I couldn't re-read the earlier issues.
KA: Let's talk about the big lag in between three and four. The first three were pretty sporadic, but not much more than a lot of self-published stuff. But, there was a three-year lag between the last couple of issues because of that hurricane that punched New Orleans and took its money.
TW: Well, before I was still getting the book out once a year. Then, I figured I could increase production by hiring an inker. I tried out a couple of people and decided on John because he was good and worked with me, so I could stay on top of it. Two months later: Katrina.
KA: Can you talk about what kept you away from the book during that time, besides fleeing a hurricane?
TW: Essentially, two things kept me away from the book: me rebuilding my life and John rebuilding his.
TW: Aside from waiting on whether they were going to turn New Orleans into a parking lot and yell "Mulligan!" on our city, we were trying to figure out how we were going to pay our bills and where we were going to live.
TW: It was at a point where we thought we'd even have to change professions just to get our incomes going again.
KA: Was there every any thought of just canceling the book or delaying it indefinitely?
TW: I had decided that it was indefinitely postponed until I could figure out what the hell I was going to do. I still figured, though, that since it's basically a glorified hobby – a vanity press – it would resume sooner than later.
KA: It's strange, because while the gap has been long, the biggest thing I noticed was that it had improved so much compared to the last three.
TW: I've gotten better each time, and John's inking has an organic feel to it. It also helps that the story is still kicking, so people are just kind of excited that it's back and it's still entertaining.
KA: At the same time, it still seems to be an extended fight and chase begun in the second issue. Say what you will about the first issue's art, but it actually showed Mathilda at home and school just trying to be a normal kid. I think that "slice of life" stuff really resonates just as much or more than the action with fans of small press books.
TW: Probably, but a lot of indy fans can sometimes be snobby. So, “slice of life” becomes the definition of “indy” and my comic, unfortunately, can't sustain that. Sometimes a devil pops up, and guns are drawn and fired. I have to balance background revelations between slice of life and gun shells.
KA: And it's a lot of fun, don't get me wrong. But, do you plan to transition back to some of the more comedic at-home stuff? I think part of the appeal for the book, at least for me, is watching the Devil's daughter try to wrap her mind around things like cereal and having to take the bus to school.
TW: There will be more of that. I also have to factor in some things like her trying to understand love and slumber parties, but also reveal secrets about Baker, her parents, as well as Heaven's take on her. There'll more than likely be more violence than slice of life stuff, but there will be more at-home stuff coming. It's a juggling act. Half of the fans want more story, and half want more gun shells. I just want to tell her story as she tells it to me.
KA: Sitting on your shoulder, whispering in your ear?
TW: Kind of, but it’s more like she shows up at the art table saying, "Now that your head's out of your ass, you ready to get back to work?"
KA: After a while of living with your characters, you feel like you know them as real people, though. I know what that's like.
TW: It’s true. She talks to me in her voice and I'm just the vessel trying to write as fast to get down what she's saying. It totally rules.
KA: Do you feel like Katrina has affected the direction of the story or are you still just taking notes from Mathilda herself, so to speak?
TW: I’m still taking notes from her. Robert Tritthardt, who does Writhe and Shine, and I talked about it briefly, and he agreed that in the larger context of things, Katrina just didn't fit in and seemed almost exploitive. Anyway, Mathilda’s selfish. She wants to tell her story. After she finishes, I'm allowed to tell my Katrina stories.
KA: All right, so the fourth book's out now. What's coming for the fifth issue?
TW: We wrap up the Legion story and set up for the introduction of Heaven and Hell on Earth as well as the origin of Baker, which is key. He's stoked to tell me his side of things, like how he got to be where he was when Mathilda became his charge and a little self realization on his part of why he got that assignment – possibly.
KA: You've been doing Mathilda for about six years now. Since then, Diamond's policies have put the squeeze on small press books. FM International closed shop. And, the guys at ColdCut just sold the farm.
TW: That's all true, and it’s all sad. I really wish someone had enough capital to yell "Antitrust!" or something.
KA: The Department of Justice investigated Diamond and found that since comics are considered magazines, they technically don't have a monopoly -- technically.
TW: Yeah, it's bullsh-t, but there’s not much anyone can do about it for now.
KA: It seems like a lot of small press guys are foregoing print books for web comics. Do you see a future for small press and self-published print comics, or is the writing on the wall?
TW: No, I think there's some hope with print-on-demand and web-based distribution. The trick is going to be getting the comic shops that are interested in carrying indy stuff to look at it. With guys like Cold Cut, it's all in one place and shops know where to go. But, with online stuff as it is now, it's all over the place. Shops love to be able to peruse a catalog that organizes things for them and offers some kind of assurances of production deadlines being met.
KA: I think the availability of print-on-demand services bodes well for print comics, but I'm not sure if that can stem the tides of change.
TW: It won’t unless one place can marshal and organize things. The thing is that printers make money by keeping their presses running. With the small press, well, it's sporadic at best. But, with print-on-demand, the overhead cost is cheaper. Independent comics can probably keep Diamond at bay for a while, but with everyone getting lazier and wanting their entertainment streamed, web-based comics going are going to increase. But, they essentially face the same problems that printed books currently face, which is, "How do I generate sales?"
KA: I think it's also kind of unrealistic to expect most retailers to constantly search out new stuff that no one's ever heard of. The most you can expect is that they'll carry local stuff and things where they at least know the publisher personally. I've talked to some small press guys that just call comic shops all over the place or just drive and visit them to establish a working relationship.
TW: Retailers have got other things to do besides sit and do Google searches.
KA: At the same time, if no one buys small press stuff, that leaves new creators with little incentive to produce.
TW: I actually compare it a lot to what early poets did when they bought their own equipment and printed their own work. Luckily, I have the capital to continue and I like to finish what I start – that, and I think I have a really good story.
KA: It's like the conversation we had for Cinescape back in 2005 -- you have to just want to make comics.
TW: Exactly, and the reality is some ideas never make it, and some ideas find their way in.
KA: It's the whole starving artist cliché. But, anyone that wants to create anything on any large scale really can't be starving. They need to have the means to make it happen – or the ability to effectively dodge creditors.
TW: It’s like Robert Townshend and Harlem Shuffle – all on credit cards, and itturned out to be funny. He lucked out. Not a day doesn't go by that I don't count my blessings that I'm in a position to do what I do. But, I've busted my ass to get here.
KA: I don't think we're really inspiring anyone.
TW: Actually, don't sell it short. I get my students all the time that say that what I do inspires them, or at least opens their eyes to the reality of what the business is about.
KA: No, I wouldn't want to discourage anyone that wants to create comics. But, the reality is that the deck is stacked against you.
TW: It definitely is, but I tell people all the time: anyone you admire has their own hard luck story. Anything worth everything is worth hard work just for the shot at it. Again, you have to love and want to publish comics.
KA: Consequences be damned.
TW: Exactly. I've f—ked up my credit on worse, and they're not my girlfriend anymore. But this comic, I still have it and people saying it's inspiring.
KA: All right, let's wrap this sucker like a Valentine's Day present. Any last words for the thousands of Maniacs reading this?
TW: Yes – love what you do, but take pride in it to do it right. And, buy book four.
KA: Thanks, Tedd. Anyone interested in checking out Mathilda can learn more at Tedd’s website for his publishing company, Voodoo Maverick.
The Spinner Rack
By Ben Johnson and Kurt Amacker
DARK HORSE COMICS
Blade Of The Immortal TP Vol 18 Sparrow Net (MR) $19.95
BPRD 1946 #2 (Of 5) $2.99
Kurt: The title that reads like a serial number!
City Of Others TP $14.95
Kurt: Steve Niles, Bernie Wrightson, and goddamn vampires. Get it.
Dominion Conflict 1 No More Noise TP (New Ptg) $14.95
Evil Dead #2 (Of 4) $2.99
Kurt: This would be shameless if the art weren’t amazing.
Goon #21 $2.99
Indiana Jones Omnibus TP Vol 01 $24.95
Star Wars Episode IV New Hope Photo Comic $9.95
Ben: Die you SOB.
Kurt: This, however, is freakin’ shameless.
Terminator Omnibus Vol 01 $24.95
Kurt: Think of it as another timeline – you know, different from The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Terminator 3, the sequel novels that came after the second one, the ones from Dynamite that pick up after the third one, but are called Terminator 2, and – screw it. This is worse than Star Wars.
Translucent Vol 3 TP $9.95
Ben: For some reason I always miss this one on the shelf.
DC COMICS
100 Bullets #88 (MR) $2.99
American Virgin #23 (MR) $2.99
Ben: Buh-Bye.
Kurt: I hate you and everyone that didn’t buy this.
Astro City The Dark Age Special #2 Beautie $3.99
Ben: Wow…
Bat Lash #3 (Of 6) $2.99
Kurt: Sounds like the last Goth night I went to.
Batman Strikes #42 $2.25
Booster Gold #0 $2.99
Connor Hawke Dragons Blood TP $19.99
Ben: I’ve been waiting for this to compliment my CGC graded single issues.
Countdown To Final Crisis 11 $2.99
Ben: Can’t we start counting the other way for a while?
Crossing Midnight TP Vol 02 A Map Of Midnight (MR) $14.99
DMZ #28 (MR) $2.99
Ben: Still the best comic about civil war in the U.S. with Manhattan as the demilitarized zone.
Dokkoida Vol 01 $9.99
Doom Patrol Archives HC Vol 04 $49.99
Friday The 13th Bad Land #2 (Of 2) (MR) $2.99
Gen 13 #17 $2.99
Gotham Underground #5 (Of 9) $2.99
Ben: Magma, a lot of magma.
Green Arrow Black Canary #5 $2.99
Green Lantern Corps #21 $2.99
Ben: Add an “e” and that’s a lot of dead Green Lanterns.
JLA Classified #52 $2.99
Justice League Of America HC Vol 02 Lightning Saga $24.99
Ben: Not so much.
Legion Of Super Heroes In The 31st Century #11 $2.25
Salvation Run #4 (Of 7) $2.99
Showcase Presents Enemy Ace TP Vol 01 $16.99
Simon Dark #5 $2.99
Ben: I totally dig on this.
Suicide Squad Raise The Flag #6 (Of 8) $2.99
Ben: Fear not Suicide Squad fans, this will be quickly followed by Suicide Squad: Pitch a Tent.
Superman #673 $2.99
Time Masters TP $19.99
Ben: Wipe yourself into the future…future…future…
Tiny Titans #1 $2.25
Ben: Turns out Beast Boy is the one who comes up short.
Venus In Love Vol 02 $9.99
Wonder Woman #17 $2.99
IMAGE COMICS
76 #2 (Of 8) (MR) $2.99
Brit #4 $2.99
Chemist #2 (MR) $3.50
Gutwrencher #1 (Of 3) $3.50
Kurt: Written by Shannon Eric Denton, Steve Niles, and Keith Giffen.
Jack Staff #14 $3.50
Mith Pack $9.99
Ben: I’m holding out for Milf Pack.
Kurt: I think you’re on the wrong site.
Next Issue Project #1 (Fantastic Comics #24) $5.99
Sword #5 (MR) $2.99
Walking Dead #46 (MR) $2.99
Ben: Way more into this again.
Witchblade TP Vol 01 Witch Hunt (Book Market Ed) #793) $9.99
Witchblade TP Vol 01 Witch Hunt (Direct Market Ed) $4.99
MARVEL COMICS
Amazing Spider-Girl #17 $2.99
Amazing Spider-Man #550 BND $2.99
Ben: Spider-Man and the online version of the local Belleville paper.
Anita Blake VH HC First Death $19.99
Anita Blake VH HC First Death Dm Ed $19.99
Black Panther #34 $2.99
Captain Marvel #3 (Of 5) $2.99
Civil War Chronicles #8 $4.99
Kurt: I never finished reading the litany of spin-offs, offshoots, and shoot-ups of Civil War, but I’d like to read this series one day and get the whole damn thing.
Clandestine Classic Prem HC $29.99
Ben: Because nobody asked for it.
Dead Of Night Featuring Man Thing #1 (Of 4) (MR) $3.99
Ben: Man Thing is a Skrull!
Exiles TP Vol 16 Starting Over $19.99
Fantastic Four #554 $2.99
Ben: Don’t expect to see this one listed again for at least six months.
Kurt: Yes, we’ll all be talking about how it changed the face of comics until it’s two years late.
Fantastic Four #554 Bianchi Var $2.99
Fantastic Four #554 Suydam Skrull Var $2.99
Fantastic Four Lost Adventure $4.99
Ben: I find it hard to believe that anything has been missed in the 554 issue run.
Ghost Rider #20 $2.99
Iron Man Enter Mandarin #5 (Of 6) $2.99
Iron Man Power Pack #4 (Of 4) $2.99
Marvel Adventures Hulk #8 $2.99
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #36 $2.99
Marvel Comics Presents #6 $3.99
New Avengers #38 SII $2.99
New Exiles #2 $2.99
Ben: McCain supporters at a conservative rally (ohhh, topical).
Kurt: When did you get clever?
Nova Annual #1 $3.99
Ben: I cannot get enough of this comic.
Punisher Force Of Nature (MR) $4.99
Ben: In this issue… SOMEONE DIES!!!!
Punisher War Journal #16 $2.99
Ben: Chances of that happening here are about 50/50.
Kurt: Someone will die, but with more humor.
Spider Man TP Back In Black $24.99
Ben: Might as well skip this one, as it has been totally deleted from continuity.
Spider-Man Family #7 $4.99
Ben: Talk about spreading some seed.
Kurt: You are a terrible human being.
Sub-Mariner TP Revolution $14.99
Ultimate Iron Man II #3 (Of 4) $2.99
Ben: Good stuff.
Ultimate Spider-Man HC Vol 09 $39.99
Wolverine #62 DWS $2.99
Wolverine Origins Prem HC Vol 04 Our War $19.99
Wolverine TP Evolution $14.99
X-Factor #28 DWS $2.99
X-Force #1 DWS $2.99
Ben: If Leifield isn’t involved it just isn’t the same.
Kurt: Actually, I think I’m going to get this. If I’m terribly disappointed, I will blame everyone else.
Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at comicscape@mania.com.
