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| Meanwhile... N.1. Cover by Gary Spencer Millidge. |
GARY SPENCER MILLIDGE interview conducted by smoky man via email in October 2014 on the occasion of Strangehaven return after a 9-year absence.
The new stories are planned to appear in the anthology Meanwhile... published by Soaring Penguin Press.
An interesting review of Meanwhile... can be read at FPI blog: here.
The new stories are planned to appear in the anthology Meanwhile... published by Soaring Penguin Press.
An interesting review of Meanwhile... can be read at FPI blog: here.
For more info about GARY SPENCER MILLIDGE, visit his blog.
Soaring Penguin Press site: here.
Meanwhile N.1 is out and it finally contains the first new Strangehaven story after... nine years of absence (issue N. 18 was published in 2005)! How did you feel getting back to your cult-series and its characters, actually creating and continuing your tale? Was it difficult? Or was it just like meeting old dear friends after years for a beer and a long chat to cover the gap of time?
Gary Spencer Millidge: The whole of the book was plotted out some time ago. After finishing issue 12 - which completed book two - I decided that Strangehaven would be a four book series, even though I didn't publicly proclaim that at the time. So I sat down and plotted out the next two books, and I've been working to that template since. There have been tweaks and adjustments over the years, but I wanted to remain true to my original vision for the series. Even though there's been no Strangehaven published since 2005, it's never been off my desk. Even while I've been working on other things, I've been pulling together bits of information and collating all the visual research required, experimenting with modifications to my rendering techniques and so on.
Much of the dialogue was already roughed in, but it changes every time I look at it, and I am always editing text up until the final moment before it goes to the printer - or now I should say, the publisher. I'd say the characters have been my constant companions and so it's not much like meeting old friends for me. But I’ve heard a lot of readers say they feel that way, which is gratifying.
What *has* been difficult is the technical aspect of actually drawing again on a daily basis. I'm nine years older, even if my characters aren't. My eyes and joints and mental faculties are that much diminished, and it's a huge struggle to get back into a comfortable routine. I'm sure it will get easier, but making comics is hard work at the best of times, and taking the best part of a decade off doesn't make it any easier.
How did you feel holding in your hands the printed comic? I also know the new story is (partially) in colour...
It's always a disappointment, because your hopes are so high. I can visualise how it would look at its very best, and the only thing I will notice are the defects. The thrill of holding your published work rapidly diminishes with each subsequent work, and even after all this time, there really is no excitement in holding the actual book. My mind is always working on how to make the next one better.
It's different for me this time because I don't have control over the printing now that I'm a published creator rather than a self-publisher...but I must say the print job on Meanwhile...#1 is a very good one. It's a nice satisfying chunk of an anthology. A personal disappointment is that the colours on the Strangehaven segment printed much darker than I intended and has obliterated some of the linework. But I suspect that's my fault rather than the publisher's or printer's. So, there are always lessons to be learned, it can be fixed for any eventual collection and of course for subsequent episodes.
So… finally, “it’s happening again”… what’s the plan (for Strangehaven, of course)?
I’m trying not to look too far ahead. My arrangement with the publisher is for twelve bimonthly episodes, approximately 13 or 14 pages each, with a couple of exceptions where it’ll run longer by a couple of pages. So, in theory, after two years, book four will be complete, and Strangehaven will be finished, however odd and unlikely that may sound.
There will be a collected edition subsequent to that point, if all goes smoothly, but given my track record, let’s just see where we all are in eighteen months and take it from there.
Recently you attended the Lakes International Comics Festival. It was the first public appearance for “Meanwhile…” and the new Strangehaven. What has the audience’s reaction and reception been? In general, do you like attending Cons and get in touch with the fans?
Of course, who wouldn’t want to be treated like a superstar for a few days? I love the idea of conventions and festivals when they are six months in my future, then start regretting agreeing to attend once it’s a couple of weeks away, and start actively dreading the travel, the expense, the loss of work days and so on. Then, once I’m there, I have an absolutely wonderful time hooking up with appreciative readers, catching up with fellow professionals and making new friends and new contacts. It’s a cycle I go through for every appearance.
It was my first time at the Lakes festival and it is the nearest thing the UK has to a European-style festival, but still typically British at its core. A big difference to other UK events is that all of the halls were free admission, and only events and talks were ticketed, so there was a healthy parade of casual visitors. There was a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere, and the list of guests was superb. Getting to hang out with people like Scott McCloud and Jeff Smith again is a rare treat, and to meet Boulet and Wilfrid Lupano for the first time was an honour.
Reaction to the return of Strangehaven has been fantastic. We sold out on the table, apart from a handful of copies that Page 45 immediately took off our hands. One reader who came up to the Soaring Penguin table even asked me when Strangehaven was ever coming back…and I could hold up issue #1 of Meanwhile…and tell him “It’s back!” as he hadn’t heard the news. So that was a nice moment.
What is your perception regarding the current UK comics scene? I think there is some excitement there considering “new” quality publishers like Nowbrow, SelfMadeHero, the attention to comics by important event like the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and - to my eye - the apparent healthy state of 2000 AD…
Absolutely, I couldn’t agree more. There is just so much beautiful, incredible material being produced these days, not only from those amazing publishers you mention, but also the dozens of young, individual creators producing their own low-print-run comics. Computer and print technology has put the means at the fingertips of a new generation of comics talent, and as a result we are seeing more diverse material by a greater number of young creators.
I deliberately take only a small shoulder bag and travel by train to event these days so I can’t spend too much money, else I fill my car boot full of books I’ve bought. A walk around an event like Thought Bubble is truly mind-blowing.
Name the last three good comics you read. And why.
I have a really terrible memory, particularly for things I’ve read, without prompting at least. So I’ll be forgetting lots of great stuff. Also, I’m terribly behind with my reading, and although sometimes I can’t resist reading something I’ve bought, other stuff might be two, or maybe five years old. So, here goes, at random:
Frederik Peeters’ Pachyderme is probably the best graphic novel I’ve read in ages. Well, all these three are. But this blew me away with its balance of surrealism, symbolism and bona fide plot. It’s like a David Lynch puzzle but with enough clues to figure out yourself. Genius storytelling and wonderful, idiosyncratic art.
I have to lump together The Celestial Bibendum and Foligatto (written by Alexios Tjoyas), both Nicolas de Crecy as a single choice as I can’t decide which I like better. De Crecy’s art is so rich and the stories are so dense, that I can’t read more than a few pages at a time, like gorging on a box of the finest chocolates. I love both of these books, and the first four pages of Foligatto almost made me give up comics, they’re that good.
The Fifth Beatle (Vivek Tiwary and Andrew C Robinson) was also a brilliant read, and just gorgeously illustrated. There were one or two anachronisms and errors which really grated, but growing up in a household with older siblings, the Beatles were part of my landscape from an early age. It tells a relatively unknown segment of the Beatles’ mythology and it’s beautifully evocative of the period.
As for periodical comicbooks – if you’ll allow me to add another three choices under a different category - the return of David Lapham’s Stray Bullets has been truly spectacular. There seems to be a more linear narrative with fewer and more well-defined characters which is making the book a delight to read.
Alex and Ada (Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn) is a really refreshing, slow-paced sci-fi thriller with a big heart and an erotic undercurrent. Beautifully minimalistic, from the cover design to the colouring.
And finally Matt Kindt’s Mind MGMT. The speed at which Kindt can produce this series is truly astonishing, even if his artwork is an acquired taste. With a dreamlike and atmospheric, intricately layered plot, once you’re hooked there’s no escape.
And none of those are British! I could go on forever, but I’ll stop here.
[Italian version: here]
Gary Spencer Millidge: The whole of the book was plotted out some time ago. After finishing issue 12 - which completed book two - I decided that Strangehaven would be a four book series, even though I didn't publicly proclaim that at the time. So I sat down and plotted out the next two books, and I've been working to that template since. There have been tweaks and adjustments over the years, but I wanted to remain true to my original vision for the series. Even though there's been no Strangehaven published since 2005, it's never been off my desk. Even while I've been working on other things, I've been pulling together bits of information and collating all the visual research required, experimenting with modifications to my rendering techniques and so on.
Much of the dialogue was already roughed in, but it changes every time I look at it, and I am always editing text up until the final moment before it goes to the printer - or now I should say, the publisher. I'd say the characters have been my constant companions and so it's not much like meeting old friends for me. But I’ve heard a lot of readers say they feel that way, which is gratifying.
What *has* been difficult is the technical aspect of actually drawing again on a daily basis. I'm nine years older, even if my characters aren't. My eyes and joints and mental faculties are that much diminished, and it's a huge struggle to get back into a comfortable routine. I'm sure it will get easier, but making comics is hard work at the best of times, and taking the best part of a decade off doesn't make it any easier.
 |
| Stangehaven's art from Meanwhile... N.1. |
It's always a disappointment, because your hopes are so high. I can visualise how it would look at its very best, and the only thing I will notice are the defects. The thrill of holding your published work rapidly diminishes with each subsequent work, and even after all this time, there really is no excitement in holding the actual book. My mind is always working on how to make the next one better.
It's different for me this time because I don't have control over the printing now that I'm a published creator rather than a self-publisher...but I must say the print job on Meanwhile...#1 is a very good one. It's a nice satisfying chunk of an anthology. A personal disappointment is that the colours on the Strangehaven segment printed much darker than I intended and has obliterated some of the linework. But I suspect that's my fault rather than the publisher's or printer's. So, there are always lessons to be learned, it can be fixed for any eventual collection and of course for subsequent episodes.
So… finally, “it’s happening again”… what’s the plan (for Strangehaven, of course)?
I’m trying not to look too far ahead. My arrangement with the publisher is for twelve bimonthly episodes, approximately 13 or 14 pages each, with a couple of exceptions where it’ll run longer by a couple of pages. So, in theory, after two years, book four will be complete, and Strangehaven will be finished, however odd and unlikely that may sound.
There will be a collected edition subsequent to that point, if all goes smoothly, but given my track record, let’s just see where we all are in eighteen months and take it from there.
 |
| Stangehaven's page from Meanwhile... N.1. |
Of course, who wouldn’t want to be treated like a superstar for a few days? I love the idea of conventions and festivals when they are six months in my future, then start regretting agreeing to attend once it’s a couple of weeks away, and start actively dreading the travel, the expense, the loss of work days and so on. Then, once I’m there, I have an absolutely wonderful time hooking up with appreciative readers, catching up with fellow professionals and making new friends and new contacts. It’s a cycle I go through for every appearance.
It was my first time at the Lakes festival and it is the nearest thing the UK has to a European-style festival, but still typically British at its core. A big difference to other UK events is that all of the halls were free admission, and only events and talks were ticketed, so there was a healthy parade of casual visitors. There was a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere, and the list of guests was superb. Getting to hang out with people like Scott McCloud and Jeff Smith again is a rare treat, and to meet Boulet and Wilfrid Lupano for the first time was an honour.
Reaction to the return of Strangehaven has been fantastic. We sold out on the table, apart from a handful of copies that Page 45 immediately took off our hands. One reader who came up to the Soaring Penguin table even asked me when Strangehaven was ever coming back…and I could hold up issue #1 of Meanwhile…and tell him “It’s back!” as he hadn’t heard the news. So that was a nice moment.
 |
| Stangehaven's page from Meanwhile... N.1. |
Absolutely, I couldn’t agree more. There is just so much beautiful, incredible material being produced these days, not only from those amazing publishers you mention, but also the dozens of young, individual creators producing their own low-print-run comics. Computer and print technology has put the means at the fingertips of a new generation of comics talent, and as a result we are seeing more diverse material by a greater number of young creators.
I deliberately take only a small shoulder bag and travel by train to event these days so I can’t spend too much money, else I fill my car boot full of books I’ve bought. A walk around an event like Thought Bubble is truly mind-blowing.
Name the last three good comics you read. And why.
I have a really terrible memory, particularly for things I’ve read, without prompting at least. So I’ll be forgetting lots of great stuff. Also, I’m terribly behind with my reading, and although sometimes I can’t resist reading something I’ve bought, other stuff might be two, or maybe five years old. So, here goes, at random:
 |
| Pachyderme's cover. |
I have to lump together The Celestial Bibendum and Foligatto (written by Alexios Tjoyas), both Nicolas de Crecy as a single choice as I can’t decide which I like better. De Crecy’s art is so rich and the stories are so dense, that I can’t read more than a few pages at a time, like gorging on a box of the finest chocolates. I love both of these books, and the first four pages of Foligatto almost made me give up comics, they’re that good.
The Fifth Beatle (Vivek Tiwary and Andrew C Robinson) was also a brilliant read, and just gorgeously illustrated. There were one or two anachronisms and errors which really grated, but growing up in a household with older siblings, the Beatles were part of my landscape from an early age. It tells a relatively unknown segment of the Beatles’ mythology and it’s beautifully evocative of the period.
 |
| Cover of Stray Bullets: Killers N.1. |
Alex and Ada (Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn) is a really refreshing, slow-paced sci-fi thriller with a big heart and an erotic undercurrent. Beautifully minimalistic, from the cover design to the colouring.
And finally Matt Kindt’s Mind MGMT. The speed at which Kindt can produce this series is truly astonishing, even if his artwork is an acquired taste. With a dreamlike and atmospheric, intricately layered plot, once you’re hooked there’s no escape.
And none of those are British! I could go on forever, but I’ll stop here.
[Italian version: here]
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