out, and we come up with the dialogue, and he goes off and draws it, and then I script to the final pages.
FM. Well, it’s funny that you mentioned that the fence was beautiful, because in looking at the leaked FRANKENSTEIN pages, the first thing I thought was, “Oh my god, the snow is gorgeous!” And on the last page, “Oh god, those rain puddles! They look like real puddles!”
SN. That’s half a spread, with the puddles, like all of a sudden he just went nuts with his style. Cause we’re on our fourth series now.
FM. After CITY OF OTHERS, DOC MACABRE, and…
SN. DEAD, SHE SAID. And you know that Dark Horse cancelled CITY OF OTHERS after four issues, but the next issue was going to be DEAD, SHE SAID. And then DOC MACABRE… and then all of them together. We were building this world…
FM. Well, you still got the stories out. “Oh, this is a new series we’re pitching. Oh, this is another new series we’re pitching!” You’re sneaky that way. [laughs]
SN. I know, but I think it would have been really exciting to see a book with the vampire, the detective, the ghoul, and Doc Macabre… but it’s the kind of thing that happens that makes comics so hard. I’ve had SIMON DARK pulled out from under me… but DC was actually very nice—they gave me a four-issue warning, so me and Scott were able to wrap up the storyline.
FM. That’s good. Sometimes they’re just like “Nope. Not any more issues. Too bad.”
SN. Yeah, that happens a lot, and it’s so sad. Just gone.
FM. And you have this whole arc in your head. It sounds like it would be so frustrating.
SN. MYSTERY SOCIETY was probably the biggest heartbreak for me. We came out strong, and then issues got late. We were trying to keep that one going, and it was one of those cases when I was
getting the best reviews, but getting the numbers up was hard, because with all that’s going on with DC and Marvel, there are retailers who… well, that’s all they sell, because it’s hard enough to keep up with that.
FM. I’ve been enjoying a lot of what DC’s doing… there are select Marvel titles that I enjoy. Peter David’s X-Factor is still up there.
SN. I just… sometimes you just gotta play with the myths. You don’t have to change it, you know? You don’t have to make Hulk red, or give him a beard. He’s the Hulk! There’s an unbelievable amount of stories in the basic myth! Of course, you don’t know when it’s going to be something that actually evolves the character, but that’s the thing. We’ve SEEN it. We’ve deconstructed superheroes as far as we need to. I have no interest in reading about Spider-Man paying his taxes, Batman mowing his lawn… At a certain point, I just want my comic books.
FM. Did you read AVENGING SPIDER-MAN? SN. I haven’t. That’s the thing. I go into
the store, and I look at the shelf, and I have no idea what is going on. There’s nothing more dangerous than confusing your audience. And if you can’t sell a nerd like me a comic book, you’re doing something wrong. Cause I’m the easiest sell in the world. But they’ve changed everything
so significantly. I’m not
going to point my fingers at any particular writers, but there are entire series… seriously, just have it all take place in a bath house so they’re all standing around talking waist-deep in steamy water. Because that’s all they’re doing! Talking heads! I just don’t get it. That said, I’m hoping that Jason Aaron’s new run on The Hulk is a point I can jump in on. Jason is a
great writer, so, that’s good. There’s
one I’m going to at least THE GRAVEYARD EXAMINER 11
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