Moving right along -- how did AFTER DAYS OF
PASSION come about? Why did you decide to do the
hypercomic format?
That came out of a long period where I was thinking
about online comics, and how we could do something
different with them. Like I said, I used to work for
an internet magazine, and so I read an awful lot of
pieces where net pioneers were discussing the
potential of fiction on the web. It was more just a
feeling of, "This is the sort of online comic I'd
like to see." And as with so many other things in
comics, if you want to see it you often have to create
it yourself.
How did you hook up with Ben Templesmith?
You know, I honestly can't remember. I can't
remember if someone showed me his work, or I followed
a link, or what...!
But as soon as I saw Ben's work I knew two things.
One, this man would be working regularly in comics
within a year. Two, I wanted to work with him first.
And the story - and title - of ADOP come from an
old song I wrote, years ago, back when I used to sing
in bands.
Which ones?
None you would have heard of - all very
underground, local stuff. I was in a goth metal outfit
called REMNANT HORDE for a while. We were way ahead of
our time. I know how that sounds, but I'm hearing
stuff on CDs now which we were doing in 1994.
There's no justice, is there?
Yeah, I know. But I'm philosophical about it...!
Then a few others... ADOP was written when I was in
a two-piece band called VURT, after Jeff Noon's book
of the same name.
Noon was mentioned in FC as well. What is it
that particularly inspires you about his work?
Some history: I was a little too young to catch
NEUROMANCER when it came out. By the time I read it,
the ideas had already filtered trough into other
stuff, and it didn't seem all that fresh. Damn good,
but not fresh.
But VURT... Well, I read that - on a whim, the
cover hooked me - when it came out. And it was just
so... so new. So utterly unlike anything I'd read
before. It was pure, raw, idea. And it actually read
like something that could have happened in my own
town. That's rare, in British fiction.
And what I love about Noon is that every book he
does, it's always something new. You can never, NEVER
predict what he's going to do. The main lesson I took
from VURT specifically, though, was that stories can
happen ANYWHERE. They don't have to be set in New
York, or California, or whatever. They can happen
right on your front door.
Basically, if it weren't for Noon I wouldn't
actually be writing. I used to write loads when I was
a kid, but I really lost the urge as I grew up.
Reading VURT got me off my arse and made me realise
that this is what I should be doing.
Damn, now *I* want to read this.
Good!
You've done your job!
Excellent. I sent Jeff a copy of FC when it
came out, actually. He's got a reading pile four times
the size of mine, though, and I don't think he's had
chance to read it yet...!
So, how did CITY OF LIGHT come about?
Hmmm. potentially long story...
Well, a) do your best, or b) we can move on and
come back to this later....
No, it's fine - hang on...
CoL was originally a very different story. Same
setting, some of the same characters, but a very
different story. One of the very first comic pitches I
wrote, actually. And, as a result, it was shit! I want
to go back to that at some point, but not yet.
Anyway. I was having a conversation with some
American friends, trying to explain the old British
anthologies to them. How people like John Wagner, Alan
Grant, Alan Moore, Pete Milligan, etc... could all
somehow fit entire episodes of a story into six pages.
Beginning, middle, end, often with a recap as well. I
mean, some of these stories - especially Moore's and
Milligan's - had as much actual plot in them as a
stndard 22pp US comic.
And I thought, "I want to try this." I
wanted to test myself, really. See if I could learn
how to do it.
You wouldn't believe the sales figures on some of
those old British comics. Things like BATTLE, ACTION
and 2000AD sold upwards of 50,000 copies *per week*.
Humour comics like BEANO, BEEZER, WHIZZER & CHIPS
and so on sold 300,000+ every week. I mean, these
things would be CANCELLED if sales dropped below 150k
a week.
While here, they'd be outselling most of
Marvel...
Exactly. So anyway. Andrew Foley contacted m about
doing something for REMOTE VIEWS on Unbound. Something
short, serialised...
And I thought, "OK - this is the time to test
this."
While I was trying to think of what I'd do, the
idea of doing something set in the same setting as
CITY OF LIGHT just wouldn't go away. I mean, I'd put a
lot of work into that setting, and I knew it worked,
but the story was shit. So I wrote a completely new
story.
And because it was 'vignettes', linked but whole
within themselves, I thought it would be pretty cool
to get different people drawing each episode. A
totally new visual take on the story every episode.
I'm not sure if that's ever been done before either,
actually...
So I got in touch with a lot of young artists I
knew, all of whom I'd said I'd do something with in
the future, and asked them to do one chapter of CoL
apiece. Some did, some couldn't, but we got there in
the end.
How would you judge your experiment so far? Is
it turning out the way you'd hoped?
I think so, yeah. I like seeing something
different, and I hope people can get off on the idea
of new art every chapter :-)
With regard to the writing, I'm really happy with
it. I learnt a hell of a lot doing those 6pp
