LUKE HERR, Webcomics - Interview

For this, our first interview on the new Tuesday night schedule, we ramble on with Luke Herr.

Luke Herr (aka Koltreg)

Born in Ohio and currently abandoned in Pittsburgh, PA, Luke Herr alias Koltreg is a web designer, writer, and amateur impressario along with anything else that you need. He currently writes the online comics Changeling and Socialfist as well as articles for the comics blog DC Versus Marvel and occasional extra comic pieces for Socialfist.

ANTHONY: Thanks for sitting down to chat with us, Luke.

LUKE: No problem Anthony. I’m always happy to talk about myself and my work.

A: So, you’ve currently got two webcomics running, on different publication schedules and with different artists. Let’s talk about Socialfist first, since that one’s been around a bit longer. Give us a summary of what Socialfist is about and what kind of audience you’re intending to reach.

Zendorsky leaves his mark on Socialfist

L: Socialfist is about some really confused communist superheroes trying to bring communism back. In the world though, communism has been outlawed and it is seen as a form of rebellion more than actual communism. The force they (the Russians who get branded Socialfist) are fighting is the American Justice Squad (because every American team needs America, Justice and something saying they are a group in the title). The AJS isn’t much better than Socialfist but they are a lot bigger and so this struggle and the inner group struggles are the crux of the story.

A: What inspired Socialfist?

L: Way back about 5 years ago in high school I wanted to make a parody of American superhero teams with the opposites so I thought “Who is the classic stereotyped American enemy – the Russians.” Back then it was SFCRTSN or Super Feudal Communist Russia Team Squad Now! and it was a bunch of horrible characters and a good deal of scatological humor.

As time passed though I decided a guy whose power was vomiting from his butt was probably too juvenile so I removed the superfluous characters and rounded the casts down while making the story about this incredibly partisan world and people trying to cope with living in it. Those people just happen to be superheroes.

A: What kind of working relationship do you have with the Socialfist artist? Do you send a full script with detailed notes, or do you work more in the “this is what should happen on this page” mode and let the artist fill in the details?

L: I’m currently working with Remus Brezeanu who lives in Romania and is a wonderful illustrator. We mostly communicate via email or sometimes via Skype or IM if something needs more immediate notice though I am an internet addict so I am rarely away from my laptop for too long. Usually when I write I have at least loose notes on each script since we reached this understanding of how we were doing the comic. The first chapter was really heavily annotated but that was because I wanted something very cinematic and planned. I didn’t write page long notes like Neil Gaiman or Grant Morrison but enough that I could slip things in. Now for the other chapters where there is dialogue, I usually just do loose notes on the scripts.

A: Does Socialfist have a limited storyline? An “end-date,” so to speak? Is it fully plotted out or is there room for character growth to impact how the story will play out?

L: Socialfist, at least for the meantime, has an end date all planned out but this universe and the major changes and movements are planned though I’ve changed ideas before just by sitting on them. With all of that said though, the first person who I told the whole Socialfist outline to pretty much said he really wants to know what goes on after Socialfist is done. If I am up to do that will depend where I am at the time.

To answer the second question, this is one comic where I am happy to tell origins and other stories of the characters. Socialfist is sort of like only reading an event comic like Crisis on Infinite Earths. There is still so much going on in the world and books of interesting stuff that went on in the past that can change things like how you might see a character. One of the ways I am actually going about showing this backstory is that once the current chapter is finished, I’ll be having a guest artist do a background story, both to flesh out a more popular character and to get some more time for Remus to build a buffer.

A: Any creative type knows that sometimes you start a project, and you realize it’s not working, and you go back the drawing board. For writers that often is a hidden road-bump, meaning our larger public (outside of our circles of first-readers) doesn’t see the false start. But webcomics sometimes face that hurdle right in the public eye. You restarted Socialfist with a new artist and a refocused storyline. Talk a bit about how you came to the decision to relaunch, and whether you feel you’ve addressed the problems you’d identified.

L: The last version of Socialfist, when it was SFCRTSN, wasn’t working for me and so when the artist had to leave for better paying work, I was stuck. We’d signed a loose agreement where he got to keep character design privileges and I actually started to think more about the aesthetic and what wasn’t working for me.
When we rebooted, Remus and I got inspiration from the DC Animated Universe shows like Justice League that also helped to set my mind in place for how to show action. I do believe that now we have addressed a lot of the problems that I had concerning me about the original series at the time but sitting with the comic for so long, you start to think of ways you could improve it and there are some ways that are obvious now that were not before.

Chaneling's main character

A: Okay, now, on to your other comic, Changeling. Tell us what Changeling is about and what audience you’re intending to reach.

L: Changeling is my attempt to condense a lot of the comic ideas I had back in high school about these weird paranormal worlds similar to ours into one story and ultimately to make it about something bigger. Less abstractly though, it is about a paranormal detective named Jeff Seibert. The first chapter deals with him being called in for an insurance claim and the second chapter, well, that will be interesting when it happens. We are currently finishing it up early for SPX to bring some prints of the first chapter along so we can get some early opinions.

A: Changeling has a very different feel to it compared to Socialfist: very much in the style of the daily three-panel newspaper comics, with a punchline of some sort at the end of each “day” but also a building storyline. How is plotting Changeling different from plotting Socialfist?

L: With Changeling I wanted to exercise my mind a bit more as far as writing goes. Remus had commented that I wrote a lot of panels on each page of Socialfist so I wanted to make myself learn to do more with less (though I wouldn’t be surprised if some people thing I am worse at that based on Changeling’s pacing). Changeling was also a test to see if I could make jokes easier or at least anti-jokes in some weird attempt to try and create the biggest unfunny thing I could (nut tots) and see if people would start saying it. I’ve heard it purposefully said it twice but luckily the phrase wont show up for another two years of story at least.
Really though Changeling isn’t all that different in plotting though from Socialfist minus the fact that most stories will be able to stand on their own chapter to chapter. For both of the comics I follow this pattern of writing out the dialogue and notes with an idea in my mind. When I reach the end or when I need a break I end up counting pages to see how many I got and then adding in additional notes. Currently I have about 9 or so chapters of Changeling dialogued out and at least 20 other story ideas.

A: Your artist on Changeling, Joe Hunter, has other webcomics running as well. Did his schedule have any influence on the way you’re plotting/telling the story?

L: Haha. Ironically it was my perception of his lack of a schedule on his journal comic Ghostbucket that got me to say “Hey, we should do a biweekly comic.” Keeping him on a schedule and all while fueling my ego with another comic.

A: Does Changeling have a finite storyline?

L: Oooh, that is an interesting question. Last week I couldn’t sleep and so I wrote the end point for the first arc of Changeling that could be the end of the series. It ends with something set up and hinted at and reading through I got shivers which I take as a good sign. Luckily the whole story is in flux but I figure when the characters reach that point I’ll see how Joe and I feel about continuing or not. If we do continue, it will, well… it will be fun.

A: Is Changeling a more collaborative effort than Socialfist, or vice-versa?

L: Socialfist is the more collaborative of the two comics I am currently doing, Remus frequently checks in on his ideas and substitutions. With Changeling it is more of Joe and I sending work to each other and only meeting up after everything is done for the commentary. We do frequently chat about other things though, more so that I talk to Remus, partially due to the time difference.

A: Now for my usual last question: What is your favorite book, and what would you say to recommend it to someone who hasn’t read it yet?

L: Oh, well my favorite book of all time is How To Become King by Jan Terlouw though it is really hard to find, at least online, since it is out of print. I remember reading that book at least 7 times in elementary school, if not more. It is this story about a teenager trying to become king but he has to deal with these codgery old politicians who give him these impossible tasks like stopping a dragon and a wizard, figuring out why houses are moving. There are these great political twists though like the dragon has polluted the countryside which causes all of the people in the town to become the most efficient workers and the wizard is actually a good guy at heart. He ultimately succeeds but it is done in such a creative and fun way it stuck in my mind over all of these years.

I’d recommend you pick up How To Become King if not for the fact that the only copy on Amazon is ridiculously expensive. As that is the case, read Grant Morrison’s Supergods which is what I blame if I come off as pretentious in the interview because that book is literary wizard drugs and comic history rolled into one.

A: Thanks, Luke!

L: No problem Anthony. Pax.

* * * * * * *

In addition to the links in his bio, you can also find Luke Tweeting away as Koltreg and occasionally on the official SocialfistTwitter as well.

SHORT FICTION OBSESSION - Anthony R Cardno

I have an obsession with the short story form. I might even have an addiction. Or a mania. Whatever you want to call it — I can’t get enough short stories in my life.

It doesn’t matter whether the work is flash fiction of less than a thousand words, average length short stories in the several thousand range, or what Stephen King famously called “the banana republic of the novella.”  If it’s a shorter-than-standard-novel-length piece of fiction, chances are good it will interest me. Genre doesn’t matter, either. I’m as apt to read the latest “literary” short story in The New Yorker or Tin House or Glimmer Train Stories or Zoetrope All-Story as I am to read the latest sf/horror in the great online Apex Magazine and Subterranean Magazine, the latest fantasy in Realms of Fantasy, the latest mystery in The Strand.

And of course, outside of the magazines, there are the anthologies. Anthologies seem to be taking up more and more of my shelf-space. Single author anthologies by writers ranging from Joyce Carol Oates to William Trevor, Michael Chabon to Karen Russell, Orson Scott Card, Stephen King, Daniyal Mueenuddin, Jhumpa Lahiri. “Best of” Anthologies from The Best American series and the O. Henry Awards. Themed genre anthologies edited by the great Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, John Joseph Adams, P.N. Elrod, Jennifer Brozek, Maurice Broaddus.

I could go on for pages. My obsession/mania/addiction is such that three years ago I created a community on livejournal called “365shortstories,” where I review stories as I read them (or reread them) and invite others to do so as well. I can’t say there’s a huge amount of participation, but people do seem to enjoy “watching” the community and occasionally authors and editors will chime in to comment on my comments.

What is it about the form that sparks my interest so?  I’ve tried to describe it, and anything I say comes out trite and cliched. Yes I do love the fact that most short stories are “done in one,”  but I also love the interconnected short stories that form a larger picture (think Robert Silverberg’s TO OPEN THE SKY, Ray Bradbury’s THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, Daniyal Mueenuddin’s IN OTHER ROOMS, OTHER WONDERS).  I like the economy of words that allows a story to be  easily consumed during a meal or even a bathroom break, but I also love those wordy novellas that require longer to digest.  There is no single aspect of the short story form that I can point to and say “that’s why I love them,” just as I can’t point at one aspect of my nieces and nephews personalities and say that’s why I love them.  The plain fact is, I just do.

As for my own writing, there was a period where short stories were all I was writing. That was shortly after moving to New Jersey in 1996. I suddenly had a spate of small inspirations, none of which felt like they should be stage plays or novels. All of them are more than 1,000 words (some barely so) and I would say none more than about 5,000. One of them, a tale called “Invisible Me,” has been published in print form in a literary magazine called Willard & Maple. I have one copy; my other comp copy disappeared a while ago in the hands of some friend or another who borrowed it to read the story and has probably forgotten it (as I have forgotten who has it).  I have been, in the past two years, pretty remiss about sending those stories back out into the world. I’ve taken to editing them (in at least one case almost completely recasting the nature of the story), and recently other short form ideas have been popping into my head.

It might be time, in addition to reading and reviewing short stories, to really start writing them again.

(In conjunction with this post, you can find my thoughts on the latest P.N. Elrod-edited urban fantasy anthology, Dark And Stormy Knights, in the next post.)

JAY LAKE, Green - Book Review

Green by Jay Lake, isbn 9780765321855, 368 pages, Tor, $26.95

I’ve read several of Jay Lake’s short stories. What I usually like about his work is how the sense of place and the sense of character are equally important, how neither aspect overwhelms the other, and how both combine to move the plot forward.  Green is the first of Lake’s novels that I’ve read, and I’m glad I chose it to start off with because it has the exact same qualities I’ve enjoyed in his short fiction.

Green is the story of a girl taken from her home at an early age and raised through her early teens in The Pomegranate Court, where she is trained to be a Great Lady. If she succeeds in her training, she’ll become a favored toy of the Duke of Copper Downs; if she fails, she’ll be sold off to some outlying lord’s manor to be used however that lord sees fit. Throughout her education, she has no real name, simply being called “Girl,” and no real friends amongst her teachers except for Federo, the man who took her from her home, and The Dancing Mistress, a mysterious member of a feline race who teaches Girl more than just dancing. It seems as though Federo and the Dancing Mistress are preparing her for something, but can she trust them?  She is eventually given the name Emerald in the court, but chooses to call herself Green.

There is far more to the story than that, of course, but I prefer to keep my reviews as spoiler-free as possible.

I described Green, when I was about halfway through the book, to a friend by saying it was “languid, but not slow.” One of the things that amazes me about the book is that it covers, in 368 pages, three distinct phases of Green’s life (in fact, several times I found myself thinking that in the hands of another high fantasy author, each section of this book would have been a 400-500 page book of its own). So the pace of the book cannot be said to be “slow.” And yet, Green’s voice as she narrates is melancholic, languid, pining for what she thinks she has lost. Lake takes the old “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” trope and really drives home, through Green, the fact that we never really understand what life is like for others when the only lens we have to view it through is that of our own experiences. Green repeatedly finds herself confronted with how her life might have been different, and each time it happens there is the potential for her to change her thoughts — and yet, like most normal people, she retains her anger and her wish for something different despite all evidence that the life she was handed is in some ways better than the life she would have left had Federo never found her.  Of course, it’s not that simple, and I think in the end the best we can say is that Green’s life would have been brutal and dangerous either way.

So the book may feel languid, thanks to Green’s voice, but it is not at all slow. Events happen, and in the nature of the world, we don’t always know the outcome because we’re getting the story from Green’s point of view completely and she is not a narrator who tells the story out of order. If she were, that great languid quality of her voice would be lost. Because she is a child of two societies (continents? they are separated by a vast sea), it is inevitable that Green will journey back to the land of her birth, just as it is inevitable she will return to Copper Downs to finish what was started. The reader can sense this inevitability, but Green herself drops very few hints at it.  When Green leaves for Kalimpura, I did have a momentary thought of “that’s it? Lake is just leaving this whole plot thread hanging to go off in search of a completely different story?” That momentary thought is to Lake’s credit. It shows that I was caught up, perhaps more than I thought at the time, in what Federo and the Dancing Mistress were really up to with Green. It shows that a jarring, but perfectly logical, change of scene and storyline, was exactly what the book needed, and more importantly it was exactly what Green needed.  It proves, as I said earlier, that events happen and sometimes we are not privy to the outcome. Especially in the type of world in which Green lives. There is no internet, no cell phone service, not even a magical approximation of those things. So when Green is out of touch with what is going on in Copper Downs, so are we. Even when she hints, from whenever in her life she is narrating this, that there were events going on that she had no awareness of … she still doesn’t tell us what those events were. She perfectly replicates the insular life she lead.

I feel a bit like I’m rambling. I haven’t addressed the other characters. It is hard, in a first-person narrated tale, for the reader to get a sense of other characters’ inner lives except through the viewpoint of the narrator. Still, perhaps because of Green’s own fascination, I find myself hoping that sooner or later Lake will write a story from The Dancing Mistress’ point of view. Or from Federo’s, or Septio’s, or any of the Lily Blades we meet in the course of the book. They all strike me as interesting characters, and I know it’s not unheard of for Jay Lake to write novellas and shorts that add depth to the worlds he’s created.

I also haven’t addressed that sense of place. There are two major locations for this book: the city of Copper Downs, where Green is effectively raised, and the city of Kalimpura, where she furthers her education.  Lake does a great job of showing us the differences in the societies Green inhabits by describing the differences in the cities she encounters. Copper Downs feels very European, Kalimpura very Asiatic. Those are gross simplifications, but they’ll do for the review. Green’s two societies don’t war with each other — they trade (although even that is implied to be limited) and otherwise co-exist across a vast sea. But they are almost ideologically at odds with each other simply in the way they are structured. And that, of course, feeds into the primary problem for our main character, as she tries to figure out who she really is, and who she wants to be.

I highly recommend Green as an example of what High Fantasy can be. It doesn’t all have to be over-written and bloated. It doesn’t all have to feature a cast of thousands that are difficult to keep track of.  In Green, Jay Lake gives us an intriguing fantasy world with political and social depth and a main character worth following through multiple adventures.  He also gives us a book that feels complete in and of itself. I know he’s already at work on at least one sequel, but you can read Green and feel like you’ve gotten a full story with nothing lingering forcing you to read a second or third book.

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS BOOKS - Anthony R Cardno

As the author of a book that retells some classic Santa Claus-related legends (THE FIRFLAKE, which you can find purchasing links to right here on this website), and with another book that takes place at Christmas (CHRISTMAS GHOSTS) hopefully to be picked up by a publisher in the coming year, I guess it’s natural for people to assume that I love most of what’s connected to the Christmas holiday. And that assumption would be correct. As most people, I have my  downs during the holiday season: missing loved ones who are no longer with us, getting caught up in the more commercial side of the holiday and feeling all of that shopping pressure and tension. But there are more “ups” for me than “downs,” and one of those “ups” is the plethora of Christmas-connected fiction that is out there.

Here, in no particular order, are my favorite Christmas books and a brief comment about why they rank amongst my favorites:

1.  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Okay, this really is #1 for me, although the rest are in no particular order. This is the one Christmas book I am guaranteed to reread every year. I should note that overall I am not a Charles Dickens fan, but there is something about the narrator’s voice in this book that I just love, apart from the story itself. I tend to read large portions of this out-loud to myself. Is anyone not familiar with the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, Jabob Marley, Tiny Tim and the Three Ghosts?

2. Red Ranger Came Calling, by Berkeley Breathed. Breathed is better known for his “Bloom County” and “Opus” newspaper comic strips. He based this story on an event from his father’s childhood, retelling it in his own inimitable style. “Red” Breathed is sent to visit with an aunt at Christmas time, and meets a hermit named Saunder Clos, who may or may not be the real Santa Claus. It’s a great adventure story with fantastic illustrations.

3.  The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, another picture-book classic lavishly illustrated by the author. Late on Christmas Eve, a boy who no longer believes in Santa is beckoned to board a train bound for the North Pole, and the adventure changes his life. I wonder how many people watch the movie without ever opening up the original book?

4. How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess. The question I asked about the Polar Express could be asked about this book as well. We are all so familiar with the Boris Karloff-narrated, Thurl Ravenscroft-sung television special that I think people forget the book came first. I love to read this to my niece and nephew on Christmas Eve, along with The Polar Express and the next book on my list…

5. Twas The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore. The version I have is illustrated in a highly realistic style by Bruce Whatley. There are so many published versions that there has to be a style for everyone by now. When they were younger, the kids loved the reindeer’s facial expressions in this version.

6. A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd is actually a compilation of his essays from various other books which includes all of the stories used in the movie version. Reading these stories, you can hear the author’s voice as clearly as you hear it narrating the movie. There are some subtle differences between the two formats, but I love Shepherd’s down-home storytelling style.

7. A Wish Upon the Wind by Joseph Pittman is a story of celebrating Christmas in the aftermath of a great loss. Brian Duncan and his young ward Janey Sullivan are trying to find their way after the death of Janey’s mother. Their small town friends and neighbors end up helping them remember what Christmas is all about, and how we can use our grief to grow. A wonderful short novel.

8.  Miracle and Other Christmas Stories by Connie Willis is a collection of short stories that take place during the holiday season. I usually pick one or two to reread each year since I bought the collection back in 1999. There are eight stories in here, and surely something for everyone.

9. The Autobiography of Santa Claus, as told to Jeff Guinn. I put off reading this one for years, knowing that it might touch on some of the same territory I was covering in my own book. And then one year I realized — doesn’t every story about how Santa became Santa touch on the same basic concepts? Why avoid reading what everyone says is a wonderful book? I’m glad I did. It’s a bit heftier than most of the usual Christmas-season fare in terms of page-count, and I have yet to tackle either of the two sequels, but Guinn captures a wonderful voice for Santa and makes some unique story choices to explain how Santa does what he does.

Honorable Mentions: “A War of Gifts” which takes place in Orson Scott Card’s Ender Wiggins universe; “The Book of Christmas” by Time-Life Books (which inspired my second Christmas book).

Books I hate to admit I haven’t read yet: I have never read L. Frank Baum’s “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus,” or Orson Scott Card’s “Zanna’s Gift.” Perhaps this year!

NEAL BAILEY, Webcomics - Interview

This week, we’re rambling on (boy, are we ever!) with author Neal Bailey.

Neal Bailey

How to describe Neal Bailey? I’m tempted to run with “a riddle, a mystery, an enigma,” but then again he’s really not. Read his livejournal, read his blog … he’s pretty open about pretty much everything. You either love him or you don’t, but you take him as he is. He’s the author of multiple novels. He’s had short stories published in SMALLVILLE magazine. His current project is CURA TE IPSUM, a webcomic about alternate realities and self-discovery(ies), illustrated by Dexter Wei.

CURA Trade Paperback #1

CURA TE IPSUM is the story of Charlie Everett. Well, several Charlies, as it turns out. In most universes, Charlie Everett gets sick of his life (where he’s most often a guidance counselor who tells other people how to live their lives, while not knowing how to live his own). After a certain point, he’s fired, and he goes home and sticks a pistol in his mouth and blows his brains out. Charlie Prime, our hero, is stopped by another character, Leo, who introduces him to the concept of the multiverse, and tells him that there’s a whole team of Charlies, Cura Te Ipsum, fighting to stop him from committing suicide across multiple universes.

Why? Well, that would be telling…. so let’s see if Neal Bailey has any hints for us, shall we?

* * * * *

ANTHONY: Neal, thanks for stopping by to ramble on with us for a little while.

Neal: Any time! Thanks for having me around.

A: I’m going to get the hard question out of the way first: with as many variations on the “hero meets alternate versions of him/herself” concept as there are alternate universes, what makes CURA TE IPSUM stand out?

N: If I wanted to be arrogant, I’d say character over gimmick, but that’s really up to the reader. On a basic level, I’d have to say I haven’t really seen anything where a hero teams up with other versions of himself that doesn’t have a cape involved in some way. I am told that Nick Spencer’s INFINITE VACATION plays with the concept, but I haven’t read it yet (that’s not a condemnation, note, I just can’t afford many comics right now).

I’m also trying to use the multiverse itself as a conflict resolution mechanism. The closest I’ve seen to that is where the JLA can’t defeat the villainous versions of themselves because there has to be a balance, which is kind of a gimmick. I’m trying to take that further. Charlie’s with each character for a very specific reason as a form of self-examination. Charlene helps him get in touch with the more masculine side. Leo is the reflection, at least for the time being (can’t say any more without spoiling). Squirt is his innocence. The Nerd is his intellectual side. Hank is his best friend, but it’s also a way to avoid navel-gazing. If every version of himself is telling him one thing, Charlie can still turn to Hank and say “What’s the outside perspective?”

The other thing that I think is different is the whole angle of time travel. Time travel and the multiverse are rarely mixed together, because the intermix often leads to plotholes. Thankfully, I’ve outlined very strictly, and I’m trying to take a cue from Moffat and engage the plot device to its fullest extent, like he does with DOCTOR WHO, by having a plan ahead of time. I know the last page, I know the middle, I know the character arcs right now, and so I can play with time in a way that LOST kind of screwed up, I hope.

A: The pace of CTI really is “a mile a minute.” I don’t think the reader, or the characters, has had a chance to catch a breath since at least page 5. Is the unrelenting pace and constant change in the status quo intentional, in terms of keeping not on the characters but the reader asking questions about what’s really going on?

N: Yes and no. As a comic book, you’re always going to want things to be in motion, because a visual medium is more dynamic that way, and plus, I never want to be the guy saddling the artist with huge talk-y scenes. That said, there’s a lot of extrapolation in those first forty pages, I just took a lot of time whittling the dialogue down, so hopefully that makes it SEEM a mile a minute while dosing you with a ton of the basics of the universe.

It will slow down at times. There are a LOT of character vignettes that will weave in with the larger action, starting soon, but you have to open with a bang. Headquarters is introduced, then blown to hell, and then they’re adrift, and Charlie is learning what day to day life is with the team. Right now, they have no idea the Anchor Universe is not chugging along like normal. I think it’s fair to say that’s not going to stay true.

The destruction of the Anchor Universe is the last major boom for some time. It’s going to get much more interpersonal for a while… at least until page 160. I know that sounds crazy, but I’ve now written the story through page 270, so I can see a broader arc folks seeing the weekly comic might not. Year One is GO GO GO, for sure. Year Two is where the pieces are on the board and we can tell a few stories.

There will still be a ton of WTF and WHOA moments as I throw out all of the potentialities the portal, time travel, and a relentless enemy can bring, however, and I doubt the tension will ever ease up. If anything, the darker side of the fact that these are all broken, suicidal people will start to emerge more, on the way to hope.

A: Each of the Charlies in the main cast is a different personality type — can you talk a little bit about what went into creating each version of Charlie and what role they play in the group dynamic?

N: In my initial notes I wanted to have a mix of very different, very unique characters, and in the end I tried to stick to a reasonable cast that reflected what Charlie needed to solve his central dilemma, how to defeat his darker side and find a reason to live. Right now he’s very much “Kill the head and the body will die!” but he learns, over time, that the answer is “Enable the good parts of yourself, and the evil inside will either give up or go away.” That’s metaphorically speaking. I’m not spoiling the Dark Everett’s arc… that’s another thing entirely. Mwu ha ha ha!

Leo SEEMS very like Charlie, only more assertive. That will evolve. Leo’s also his conscience, in that he’s constantly pushing him to be the best he can be. He’s got that need that Superman sometimes has to constantly be there for everyone at the expense of self.

Charlene is the toughest character in the group, but she’s also a girl. This lets Charlie explore what it means to be a girl quite literally, in ways that guys try to fathom but can’t. You can theoretically think of what it would be like to be a woman, but if you can ask your female self, you can know for sure. Charlie will, and some of what he finds out is surprising. The Nerd is Charlie’s analytical sense.

Squirt is a bit of a blank slate, but he’s innocent. If you ask him what’s right and what’s wrong, he’ll know. On page 65, that saves Charlie from a murder or a suicide (depending on how you look at Leo potentially killing him). As things move on, Squirt takes on another dimension, but I can’t spoil that.

The Nerd reflects Charlie’s compulsive need to overthink, the thing that drives him to realize that much of life is futile if you look at it like a scientist. We’re born, we die, and in a hundred years we’re dust and forgotten. Well, yeah, duh, but if you focus too much on the facts and not the magic of life, you stop enjoying it. The Nerd shows him how to be analytical and smart without focusing on the bad facts, the ones that drive us down. There’s a number on my wall, “1,370.” It’s the number of CHILDREN who die of dehydration, essentially diarrhea, every day in the world. I wrote that on my wall at the height of my depression to say “Your problems, your insecurities, your petty worries, they mean NOTHING. Don’t be sad.” That’s the Nerd in me, and that’s what the Nerd does for Charlie.

Hank, who folks don’t know yet, is the best friend figure. When every part of yourself is telling you to just tough up, Hank is there to tell him, “No, that’s some pretty heavy stuff, man.” He’s essentially the opposite of the Nerd, which is why the Nerd and Hank are such good friends. They compliment each other. Leo and Charlene complement each other in that same way.

A: So far, other than the mass of nameless Charlies seen in the brief visit to Headquarters, the core group has stayed static. And it seems to be mirrored by Dark Everett’s gang: Dark Everett mirrors Charlie-Prime; Victorian Everett seems to mirror The Nerd; and at least a few panels show The Squirt with very similar body language to Junior Everett; the Everett who sets off the nuclear bombs seems a lot like Leo. So two questions: a) will we see a (as you say, statistically-less-probable) Female Everett and b) is this mirroring of Charlies and Everetts intentional or am I reading way too much into a few panels?

N: Actually, you’re not reading too much in there. Those hints and clues and ideas are to get you asking those questions. I can’t answer them, obviously, without spoiling the story, but I can say it’s very intentional. You are meant to wonder if these are, in fact, distortions, or future versions, or concurrent versions, or _______?

While Cura is an action story, a character story, at its core are several mirror mysteries. Who is the Dark Everett, really? What is Charlie’s future? Is time structured and set, per fatalism, or is it random and conscience driven like determinism?

You will find out the truth about the Victorian Everett in the first half of year two. You won’t learn about Junior or Weapons (the guy who set off the nukes) for some time.

It’s always good to have the evil characters and the good characters yin and yang each other. With Cura there’s that additional chance… maybe they mirror each other because there’s been some catalyst that has changed one person into another over time.

You will see more female Charlies. You will see how each of these characters became who they are, and why, and why they become what they become. I am very obsessed, almost fanatically, with trying to unfold a good mystery, because that can be the most memorable type of comic book story for me. Ruin in Rucka’s Adventures of Superman. Criminal, by Brubaker.

There is a hint on one of the pages, I won’t say which, that has the key to some of the biggest mysteries. There is stuff hidden in there that may not pay off for five years, maybe more.

A: You recently introduced one version of Hank, the Charlies’ childhood best friend. The Nerd comments on Hank’s incredible luck, and we see him escape a falling building (reminiscent of stories relating to the September 11th fall of the Towers), finding a motorcycle, and haring off for parts unknown. How much of Hank (or better, how many Hanks) can we expect to see in the near future, and what will his presence do to the dynamic of the core team?

N: The thing about Hank is that he’s already a part of the team. We haven’t experienced him as part of it, because we’re looking through Charlie Prime’s eyes, but he’s been there for the whole time the team’s been together as a cell. He serves as a spirit of adventure, in many respects, and as someone who (before Charlie) urged them to find joy in their powers.

His past is explored in part in year two, and his whereabouts become pivotal in the second half of the first year.

A: The first CURA TE IPSUM trade came out not too long ago, along with a really cool looking poster. A nice package comprising the first “book” of the series. What are the plans for future print installments, posters, etc.?

N: Thanks!

Right now we have a number of posters in the can, but we don’t want to oversaturate or make people buy too much stuff at once. We do, however, have some great plans. I want to make an extra-dimensional translocator rock for folks (and myself, honestly). I want to make a card deck and have the original art be a giveaway for future trades.

Currently, we’re gonna put out a trade every six months or so (maybe a few weeks off, depending on the story… I will add a few pages if the story demands it). I’m thinking I’ll do a paperback volume 2 at page 156, and then start a regular schedule with the comic (tentatively) that involves a trade every six months, and then, so we don’t overwhelm people (because I know how tight cash is), I’ll do a hardcover or a collection of two trades three months after the second trade comes out, Ultimate Spidey style.

I really liked that, when I was reading Ultimate Spidey, the choice between a cheaper trade, if I couldn’t afford the hardback, or a hardback, if I could.

That is, of course, if a hardback is not cost prohibitive. I’m still learning as I go.

I intend to offer customized sketches as opposed to random ones with the next trade, and Dex has already agreed, so that should go well.

A: Customized sketch cards will be a great draw, I think. I already love the sketch card that came with my CURA trade. You mentioned LOST and DOCTOR WHO earlier. Do you know, like those show producers claim to, exactly how it all fits together and where it will all end? How much room for “oh, that would be cool” is there in your writing process?

N: There’s plenty of room for “Oh, check this out!” in the process, because though the arcs have beginnings and ends for each characters, the adventures they have are still wide open and chosen from a batch of “things that will for sure happen.” I weave them together in a very arc focal way, but I’m really big on the school of if something happens randomly, let it, and then make sure it fits, and if it does, keep it, if not, get rid of it.

I just wrote a scene in the 250s that involves a “wouldn’t it be cool?” There’s also the fact that I will be introducing other characters that DON’T have fully written arcs of yet, eventually, characters I’m still creating.

I will NOT pad story, and I won’t throw things against the wall to see how they stick. SMALLVILLE and LOST have shown the flaws in that when they were at their worst. But, as a hypothetical example, if Charlie turns to Nerd and says “Hey, why haven’t we killed Hitler?” Well, that might lead to all kinds of fun.

And may already have… keep reading.

A: Such a tease! Okay, switching topics: tell us a little bit about your artist collaborator, Dexter Wee. How did you guys come together for this project?

N: I met Dex through Skipper Martin, creator of Bizarre New World, a comic about the ramifications of human flight and a character story of the highest order. Go buy it! Seriously.

I was looking for good, hard working pencillers who were willing to take what I could pay, and who wanted a long term project. Dex jumped right in, and seriously, about a month from when we started, we were cranking it out like we’d always been doing it. He’s amazing.

A: You and I go back a ways, to when you were writing short stories for SMALLVILLE magazine. And if I’m not mistaken, you appeared in at least one issue of a DC Comic as a member of the Blackhawk Squadron. Your love of the superhero genre is obvious, but CURA isn’t a super-hero story per se. Are you working on any superhero concepts at the moment?

N: Yeah! My buddys/mentors/idols Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann popped me into Checkmate 25 as a shout-out, making me a Blackhawk Ensign. It’s my goal, if I ever get to DC, to note that I was killed by the Snake Babies from that arc, heh. I kid.

I am always working on superhero concepts, non-superhero, heck, even non-fiction comics in the Pekar style. Honest truth, which may sound bad, but hell, I have forty comic scripts that haven’t been drawn for lack of a consistent artist. Hear that, anyone within the sound of my voice? If you draw, and draw well, and are consistent, let’s do a webcomic! Part of the problem is that it’s hard to find a consistent, good artist who isn’t already scooped up and making cash, someone who wants to put out something to show people. The rest of the problem is that I can write five pages in a day, maybe ten, and an artist can do one or two, so there’s a huge work gap there. They do the heavy lifting.

I think with the webcomic model making money at last, however, that’ll change. More people will do it out of love and get the money on the back end without getting bilked. People are realizing that they can get better stuff without a whole heck of a lot of corporate oversight sometimes. There’s some meritocracy to it, as opposed to cronyism and/or the cult of personality, which I dig.

I am pitching to major companies in ways I can’t really publicly talk about. Part of that process is being rejected. CURA initially was rejected by a company. I decided I wanted to do it anyway. I did. I have many ideas that are waiting in similar fashion for their moment and/or a collaborator.

If the pitch process has taught me anything aside from frustration, it’s that work on good ideas is not wasted. You put in the work, and eventually the best ideas spring forth.

A: I know you’ve been plugging away at novels when you’re not writing CURA. Anything you want to share with us about those?

N: There’s nothing coming out soon as of this writing, but I have written five books in three years, and boy are my arms tired… GOLFSWING! My agent is working hard to get them published. It’s a tight market. We’ll see.

One is a series character, Hal Taylor, a redneck detective based out of Salt Lake City whose MO is simply “I kick asses for a living.”

I wrote a book about rich guys who take women captive as sex slaves, at least until they pick up a gal with military training who escapes and gets a gun. It doesn’t end well for them.

I’ve written ten novels, and I’m working the eleventh right now. Eight are publishable by my hyper-critical estimation. Patience and time sustains me. I have faith that though reading is in decline, and though the marketplace is full of folks, I’ll find my little niche. If not, it’s not so much about that as the satisfaction of a job well done to the best of your ability, for me.

A: Well, hopefully we’ll see the Neal Bailey name on a hardcover (or a Hard Case Crime mass market paperback … are you listening, Charles Ardai?) soon. Now for my usual last question: What is your favorite book, and what would you say to recommend it to someone who hasn’t read it yet?

N: Catch-22, by Joseph Heller, hands-down. I don’t say much to people who haven’t read it. I actually mail them copies. Ask my poor, badgered friends. But if I had to summarize it, I’d say that it’s the perfect example of a madcap exploration of the contradictory nature of human opinion, and how we still act upon things that lead to death, sorrow, and destruction without thinking in a modern age.

It’s also just a damned funny, well written book. The craftsmanship that went into the prose is so strikingly evident in every paragraph, it’ll please heavy editors like me. The concepts are high and there are tons of subtexts and contexts, so it appeals to literati types. There’s sex, scat, and base humor, so it appeals to people with a common sense of humor. It’s pretty much a perfect book, in my opinion.

That said, give it thirty pages to get the vibe. I put it down once because I just didn’t get it. That happens with most of the very best books.

Thanks for joining us, Neal! I know we could have let this conversation run twice as long and still left plenty to discuss. We’ll have to do this again, perhaps when CURA closes in on 200 pages.

You can contact Neal Bailey on Twitter as @nealbailey, via Facebook (bailey.neal@comcast.net), or on his personal website. And of course, visit CURA TE IPSUM every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to follow Charlie, Leo, Charlene, Nerd, Squirt, Hank, and the Dark Everett. It’s worth getting in on the ground floor for!

twitter: @nealbailey
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