Comicsacpe - January 11, 2006

By: Kurt Amacker
Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Greetings and welcome to yet another edition of COMICSCAPE, where I give you something to read in your cubicle when the boss isn't looking. This week, rather than delving into the metaphysical implications of the influence of Thelema upon the inner-workings of eighties independent comics, I bring you an interview with a man that proves you don't need superheroes to kick ass. Only a few weeks ago, Dark Horse announced that Kurt Busiek would leave CONAN, with Mike Mignola filling in for a couple of issues before regular Tim Truman writes Robert E. Howard's wayward barbarian. Shortly after, DC announced that Kurt Busiek signed an exclusive contract with them. Do the math. Two years ago, Busiek and artist Cary Nord helped relaunch Conan into pop culture with a mandate to adapt Howard's stories faithfully and fill in the untold periods of the character's life with original stories. Other writers, both prose and comic, have worked within those blank spaces with varying degrees of success. Hardcore Howard fans have often criticized pastiches written by other authors, as well as the various film and television adaptations. However, many (or at least I) concur that Busiek and Nord have respectfully and gracefully interwoven their own work into faithful adaptations of Howard's original tales (minus the boobies, but I asked him about that). My questions are in bold. Have a look.

How did you initially become involved with Conan when it launched two years ago?

It all started when I had dinner with Mike Richardson at a San Diego Con, to talk about other projects. He had no idea I had an interest in Conan, but while we were talking before the meal, he mentioned that Dark Horse was licensing Conan, and we wound up spending the whole meal talking about Conan and how he'd been treated in comics over the years, what had worked, what hadn't, and so on. At the time, Dark Horse was planning to do the series as a set of mini-series, and Mike asked if I'd like to do one. I was open to it, but not that enthusiastic -- to me, a big part of what's cool about Conan is the sweeping sense of biography, of change and growth, and just doing one story, it's hard to capture that. Still, the conversation apparently got Mike thinking about me as a Conan writer, because months later, I called Scott Allie at Dark Horse -- again, about something else -- and he assumed I was calling him about Conan, because Mike had said he'd be calling me. The plans had changed to a regular monthly series, and they were looking for a writer. So I wound up having a long chat with Scott, and writing up a few thoughts about how best to launch the book (including the 25-cent comic, and all that about the Prince and the Wazir), and it wasn't too long after that that I was offered the job.

Had you much experience with the character or Robert E. Howard's work prior to writing the series? Tell me a little about your experience with and understanding of the character.

I'd read CONAN THE BARBARIAN here and there in the Seventies, but I was a superhero snob as a teenager, and was terribly dismissive of anything but the costumed-hero crowd. It wasn't until years later that I borrowed a set on CONAN #1-100 from a friend while I was sick in bed, because I wanted something to read that would take a while and that had some sense of continuity to it. And reading a big long run at once, I just loved it. I tracked down everything Roy Thomas did with Conan, and from there jumped to the Robert E. Howard stories. So it was the comics that brought me to the character, and the Howard originals were a further revelation.

In a way, you've helped bring Conan back to mainstream consciousness. Can you reflect on that a little bit?

Well, I'm happy about that, of course. I think I had it easier than the Marvel guys in that respect, since Conan was an internationally-famous character with a large fan base when I started, and that makes it a lot easier. I gave Conan fans something that worked, something they liked, but they were already primed to like the character. So I can't claim too much credit for it, though I'm happy it's gone over so well.

Given that Marvel's old CONAN THE BARBARIAN series had a similar mandate as yours -- to adapt Howard's stories and fill in the biographical gaps -- how do you compare the two series? Obviously, Dark Horse's is more adult and generally more faithful to Howard's vision, but was there any desire to live up to Roy Thomas's stuff or did you all just want to take the same idea and make it your own? Or is there simply no comparison?

I don't really compare the two series. For one, when Roy was doing it, the industry was so amazingly different -- he was writing for a newsstand-focused market that could barely dream of the work living on in book collections, and he was working under the Comics Code, as well. And much as I loved what Roy did, I didn't want to use anything that anyone but Howard had done -- I wanted to go back to the roots and build something from that primal foundation, rather than deal with a continuity that had Howard and de Camp and Carter and Thomas and Andrew J. Offutt and David English and Gardner Fox and on and on. Roy did wonderful stuff, but I think Howard's the one true source. And twenty years from now, when someone starts over, I think they should ignore my stuff too, and go back to pure Howard. What you end up with, I hope, are two visions of Conan that can each stand on their own, without one being dependent on the other.

Given the graphic nature of Howard's work, were there any censorship issues regarding violence and sexuality? Obviously, Marvel had the Comics Code to deal with, but Dark Horse doesn't. Did any content problems hamper your experience with the title or was it not even an issue?

It was barely an issue -- no problems at all with violence, and a few concerns with nudity. Mainly, Dark Horse didn't want to start off with naked boobies everywhere, but rather get readers and retailers hooked on the series and then ease into using nudity as freely as Howard did. Which is pretty much what we've done -- we broke the nipple barrier in #18, with a cute topless Bruce Timm gal, and the heavens did not fall in.

How much input did you have on the series's art? Was Cary Nord your choice? Did you two have a positive experience working together on the title?

I had input on the art in that I had at least some level of veto power -- they weren't going to stick me with someone I didn't want to work with. Cary did samples at Scott Allie's request, though, and they were just gorgeous, so even though I hadn't suggested him, I became a convert right there. After Cary's samples came in, the one question everyone asked of any other potential artist was, "Will he be as cool as Cary would be?" and the one question everyone asked about Cary was "Can he meet the schedule?" In the end, we all realized that Cary had to be the guy, and it was just a matter of figuring out how to meet a monthly schedule, something we've handled with judicious fill-ins and occasional art assistance, be it Tom Yeates helping Cary out for the first year, or Tom Mandrake or Mike Kaluta stepping in to draw a dream sequence. And the end result's been a gorgeous book.

How do you feel about your time on the book? Do you feel like you've said your piece with the character? Any plans to return in the future?

I'd like to come back at some point, if only to finish the whole story of the Prince and the Wazir, which is all definitely leading somewhere. Overall, though, I'm happy with what I've done on the book, and I'd be happy to keep writing him -- I didn't leave for any reasons involving creative dissatisfaction.

In short, why are you leaving CONAN? How do you feel about it?

Part of it's the very nice exclusive contract DC Comics offered, that'll have me writing SUPERMAN, AQUAMAN and other projects, part is some dull and technical business stuff that nobody needs to care about to enjoy the book, and part is a desire to streamline my career, to put all my eggs in one basket for a little while to ease my scheduling concerns and give me a chance to organize my life better. I'd love to have stayed longer, but I'm delighted to have had the chance to do what we've done. Hey, not only did I get to work with Cary and with the great Greg Ruth, but I got to work with Bruce Timm and John Severin. In the same issue! And Tim Truman, Kelley Jones, Kaluta ... it's been a rare treat.

How do you feel about Tim Truman's writing the series? Do you feel like the title's in good hands?

I think the title's in great hands. I suggested Tim for the job, because I think his work, right from his early days on SCOUT, shows that he's got that sense of rough heroics in a brutal, decaying world that a book like CONAN needs, and a great visual sense. Tuns out I wasn't the only guy suggesting Tim -- Mignola suggested him too, and everyone who heard the idea reacted positively to it. I think CONAN readers are in for a real treat.

Anything else you'd like to add -- like how no one understands your undying love of pie?

I demand pie, and I demand it now! No, seriously, I'm grateful to everyone who's worked on the book and supported the book, and I hope readers who enjoyed it will stick around for Mike's and Tim's stuff, and will also give my new projects a shot. But I'm just greedy like that.

New This Week
By Al Brown and Kurt Amacker

DARK HORSE

Star Wars Republic #81 $2.99

Weta Kong Skull $40.00
Al: Because what I need in my life is more monkey skulls.
Kurt: Because you've already got so many?

Weta Narnia Lion & Witch Bookends $175.00
Al: Here's what cracks me up about crap like this: I know for a fact that there's one dude out there - probably only one - who buys every single bookend when it comes out. And that dude's crappy apartment is just chock full of bookends.
Kurt: Thanks, Al. You know what? That guy will probably e-mail me and say I should fire you. Then I'll just tell him that I don't pay you, so it works out. You can't fire a slave.

Weta Narnia White Witch Statue $250.00

DC COMICS

100 Bullets #68 (MR) $2.75

Batman Hush Returns TP $12.99

Batman Illustrated By Neal Adams Vol 3 HC (RES) $49.99

Batman Legends Of The Dark Knight #199 $2.50

Batman Strikes #17 $2.25

Captain Atom Armageddon #4 (of 9) $2.99

Danger Girl Back In Black #3 (of 4) $2.99

DC Universe The Stories Of Alan Moore (MR) $19.99
Al: There's actually a ton of killer stuff in this, including the classic Superman story, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? and Batman: The Killing Joke. Well worth checking out if you've got $20.
Kurt: And as of the publication of this column, I do! Imagine that!

Desolation Jones #5 (MR) $2.99
Kurt: I think the queen needs to give Warren Ellis a medal or something. I mean, she doesn't have to knight him or anything, but a little recognition couldn't hurt.

DMZ #3 (MR) $2.99

Elfquest The Discovery #1 (of 4) $3.99
Al: This space left open for Kurt's obligatory ubergeekout.
Kurt: What can I say? The pointy ears do it for me.

Fables #45 (MR) $2.75

Green Arrow #58 $2.50

Hawkman #48 $2.50
Al: Here's what I'm psyched about: Chaykin and Simonson on Hawkgirl. Here's what I don't really care about: this.

JLA #124 $2.50
Al: Green Arrow vs. Batman. Dude...Batman is gonna destroy you, man.
Kurt: This book went downhill after Geoff Johns left. It's too bad, because I dug it for a while there.

JLA Classified Cold Steel #2 (of 2) $5.99

Scooby Doo #104 $2.25
Kurt: If you buy this and it's not for your kids, e-mail me and I will arrange a private meeting with you, where I will give you a special prize: a swift kick in the nuts.

Seven Soldiers Of Victory Vol 1 TP $14.99
Al: Note that this contains the first couple issues of several different miniseries; it is not any one complete series. Which puts me in sort of a bind: I've still not read any of these books, because I love Grant Morrison so much that I want to save it to read all at once. Should I buy this? Or should I stick with the plan and seriously wait til the whole thing's done? I guess I'm gonna still wait. It's killing me, though.
Kurt: So, wait this trade has a couple of issues from each miniseries. We're not supposed to read them in order? There's this weird mixed up order for all of them? When did reading comics become so complicated?

Wildcats Nemesis #5 (of 9) $2.99

IMAGE

Amazing Joy Buzzards Vol 2 #4 $2.99

PVP Skull Plush $19.99
Al: Because what I need in my life is more plush skulls.
Kurt: I thought you didn't like talking about your stuffed animal collection, but there you go.

Small Gods #12 $2.99

Vice CGC Graded 9.6 Sgn #1 $59.99
Al: Oh come on, CGC Graded crap isn't dead yet? Why won't you die?
Kurt: Evil doesn't die that easily, my friend. I almost jumped headlong into the CGC speculation thing about a year ago (before I started here) and it mostly ended in heartache.

MARVEL

Amazing Spider-Man Second Ptg Variant #527 $2.50
Kurt: Are crossover events just an excuse to generate more pseudo collectibles, or is it just me?

Ares #1 (of 5) $2.99
Al: Yeah...advance word on this has been lukewarm, and I just can't imagine why I should care.

Book Of Lost Souls #4 $2.99

Cable Deadpool #24 $2.99

Daughters Of The Dragon #1 (of 6) $2.99
Al: Word on this has been pretty bad. Me, I love both these characters - no, seriously, I do. But I'm very concerned that this is gonna be one of those minis that don't do the characters justice. Y'know, loads of these random minis Marvel is putting out - last week's inexplicable and awful Sable & Fortune was a perfect example - feel like they came from completely unrelated pitches. Like, some dude said "Hey, I got an idea for a lady spy who teams up with a younger dude spy!" And then someone at Marvel is in charge of taking these pitches and finding some Marvel character who's more or less a lady spy, and they go back and say "Okay, we'll publish this if you change the lady's name to Silver Sable and give her tornado hair." So the Marvel character is sorta shoehorned in to what really feels like an already-written script, and that means the characterization's gonna be kinda off. I'm not alone on this, right? Doesn't it feel like that? And I gotta tell you: I think that's lame.
Kurt: I like to eat cheese.

Essential Avengers Vol 5 TP $16.99

Exiles #75 $2.99
Al: Now this book just gets better by the month. Unapologetically geeky and unapologetically fun.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man 2nd Ptg Var #3 $2.99
Al: Between the Gwen Stacy Revelation, the "Hey, Peter still loves Gwen Stacy" thing that was brought up from nowhere and then completely dropped during House of M, and this apocalyptically pathetic The Other thing, I think we can safely say that it's official: This is a bad time to be a Spider-Man fan.
Kurt: Yes, but Ultimate Spider-Man still rocks the kasbah, so don't feel bad. I love how you capitalized "Gwen Stacy Revelation" like it's a holiday or something. Like, we have a day commemorating Gwen's scrumping of Norman Osborne. Yeah, I said "scrumping." It's made up word. I don't care.

Ghost Rider #5 (of 6) $2.99

Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #8 $2.50

Marvel Knights 4 Vol 4 Impossible Things Happen Every Day TP $14.99
Kurt: Well, somebody agreed to marry Al, so I'd say that's a pretty dead-on assessment.

Marvel Knights Spider-Man Second Ptg Variant #21 $2.99
Al: And it's becoming increasingly clear that when Quesada talks about the "two genies" he wants back in the bottle (the first being the over-proliferation of mutants), the second is Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane. C'mon: you know this is true. And here's the thing: I'm actually cautiously...possibly...tentatively...okay with this. It does seem like having Peter happily married to a friggin' supermodel might just take the angst quotient down a bit. But for God's sake, Quesada, please hire someone who doesn't suck to write it. You're in dangerous water here.
Kurt: Yeah, I can't summon much pity for a guy that bangs a super-model every night. Then again, they were separated for a while there and then reunited. I wonder if it would even last.

Marvel Milestones Bloodstone X-51 & Captain Marvel II $4.99
Al: Hey, what's that down there at the bottom of the barrel? Why, it's...uh, Bloodstone!
Kurt: Right next to Sleepwalker, Speedball, Toad's son, and oh, what the hell Gambit!

Marvel Select Flip Magazine #8 $3.99

Marvel Tales Flip Magazine #7 $3.99

New Thunderbolts #17 $2.99

New X-Men #22 $2.99

She-Hulk 2 #4 $2.99

Son Of M #2 (of 6) $2.99

Spider-Man Vs Silver Sable Vol 1 TP $15.99

Ultimate Extinction #1 (of 5) $2.99

Ultimate X-Men #66 $2.50
Kurt: Sing it with me: "666! The number of the beast! Hell and fire were sworn to be released!" All right, why don't more people like Iron Maiden?

X-Men The 198 #1 (of 5) $2.99
Al: Ooh! Hey, did you read The 198 Files last week? I did, because I suck. So here's my discussion topic for today: Which mutant elicited the biggest "What the f*ck?" response from you? I mean, there were a lot of them, right? Friggin Mammomax? Rhapsody? Shatterstar? But the weirdest one for me is the very first entry: Alchemy. This dude appeared in a couple issues of X-Factor in, like, 1989. I'm pretty sure he was actually the winner of a reader contest to see who could come up with an interesting new mutant. I mean, if you'd asked me six months ago to come up with the dictionary definition of "random bit player", I might very well have come up with Alchemy on my own. And yet, here he is. Mystifying.
Kurt: I don't know. I didn't read it. I was off reading stuff that, you know, doesn't suck. You know, actual comic books? All right, so I bought that Secret War Nick Fury Files thing. Sue me.

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at comicscape@cinescape.com.