Mike Wolfer Talks Gravel Ongoing!
Everything You Wanted To Know About The "Gravel" Ongoing Series!
Gravel #0
November 1st, 2007 - Mike Wolfer has been showing us the darker side of life since the late 80's--yes, THAT 80's--when he unleashed his giant-monster book Daikazu on the world. Since then he's worked steadily (mostly for Avatar) and came to particular prominence illustrating Warren Ellis's limited series Strange Kisses, Stranger Kisses, and the Strange Killings books, comprising an impressive body of work highlighting the exploits of one William Gravel, a man with more secrets than hairs on your head and a penchant for making bullets go where they're not supposed to--MAGIC bullets, that is.
The Comic Collective dropped a line to Mr. Wolfer to see what he thinks about the upcoming ongoing--everything from what color will add to it to how he draws an action scene! Information, I'm pretty sure, you can't get anywhere else...
ZombieZeus: Your collaboration style fascinates me--in the old days, Warren would provide you with a "superplot", a plot including some dialogue and character descriptions, as well as, perhaps, what should be said where--and you filled in the rest, right? Can you walk us through how you're more-involved with the writing process now?
Mike Wolfer: You're exactly right; a "super-plot" is a great defining term for what I receive from Warren. For the first two Gravel outings, STRANGE KISS and STRANGER KISSES, it was necessary for Warren to provide full scripts, as he weighed my strengths and weakness as a storyteller. I suppose that by the third series, STRANGE KILLINGS, Warren was confident enough in my abilities to loosen up on the reins a bit, allowing me to block out action sequences, but I was still very firmly under his guiding hand. Very specific things had to happen; it was the smaller details that I was allowed to improvise. With STRANGE KILLINGS, another interesting thing happened: I was asked to provide the actual script, embellishing around some very exact dialog points that Warren outlined. With each successive series in the STRANGE KILLINGS run, I was allowed more and more freedom to build upon a very substantial ground floor that Warren provided.
ZZ: Do you share a lot of the same sensibilities as Warren Ellis in terms of what kinds of stories you're attracted to? People on the extremes of life, involved with things that no one else is aware of, that sort of thing?
MW: I really can't say, as I'm not sure to what Warren is personally attracted. Some of the subject matter which we have seen in Gravel's tales is so far out there and so disturbing... I have to say that some of the things Warren cooks up, I would never have dreamed of.
And that's why he's such a magnificent creator. Warren has that ability to fearlessly step over that dividing line that has separated stereotypical comic book stories from works of true fiction. William Gravel's fans know that much of the series' punch comes from the realization that what they hold in their hands transcends the presumption that this is a typical comic book. As a creator, I want to challenge the reader and as a reader, I want to be challenged as well, so if there was another book on the market that was remotely as unique as GRAVEL, that's the book that I would want to read.
ZZ: Does your William Gravel differ from Warren's William Gravel in any way? Do you add a touch of pathos, perhaps, that wouldn't ordinarily been there?
MW: There is only one William Gravel, the total and absolute bastard around whom you should never, ever get comfortable, because you never know what he will do or when he will reveal his true motives. He is such an enigma, which adds to his allure. However, we have seen the briefest glimpses of humanity in the hardened Combat Magician, such as his gentle handling of a kidnapped child in STRONG MEDICINE and an almost out-of-character plot development for the female reporter on the last page of NECROMANCER. Beneath his blood and gore splattered duster beats a human heart, but we're not going to see it often. It really has no place in his life, as tragic as that is. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that my handling of Gravel may contain a bit more pathos than Warren would allow him, and although this is very much a collaboration, we are still delineating Warren's vision, so I defer to his final judgment.
ZZ: I also notice Gravel is distinctly British--do you email/call Ellis to ask what a Brit would say in a given situation? Or are you just channeling a tough-as-nails British guy?
MW: This has been the only difficult aspect of scripting GRAVEL as an East Coast American, so I've had to do tons of research to try to maintain a grip on British slang, how and when it is used. Everything passes through Warren though, and I use his past scripts as a guideline. There's a fine line between genuine and caricature, so if no eyebrows have been raised that the dialog is non-Ellis-like, I guess I'm doing a passable job where dialect is concerned
ZZ: Does Ellis come up with stuff that shocks you, or have your years drawing/writing horror stories have you pretty much saying 'been there, done that' at this point?
MW: Oh, no, Warren continues to surprise me. Half-way through the "super-plot" of GRAVEL #1, I thought I knew where he was going, then, wham: A totally unexpected, disturbing twist that left me saying, "What the fuck?" This is as much twisted fun for me as it will be for readers!
ZZ: The "Strong Medicine" storyline dealt with a real-world detail: the torso of a young boy washing up on the shores of the Thames. Will the new series be delving into/borrowing from similar real-world stories?
MW: We may see some resemblances to real world events, but initially the first GRAVEL story arc deals with an interesting take on a "real world" fact: We're presuming that the fictional occult detective Thomas Carnacki, created by William Hope Hodgson in the early Twentieth Century, was actually a living individual and the bizarre Sigsand Manuscript that was featured in his short stories is very much real. It is the Sigsand Manuscript that is the plot device that propels our first extensive exploration of Gravel's ties to the world of magic.
ZZ: Where do you see Gravel going in terms of character? What can we expect as far as a character arc is concerned (without giving too much away)?
MW: The ongoing GRAVEL series is so exciting to me because for the first time, we have an unlimited number of pages in which we can really get into Gravel's world and into his head. In the past, each Gravel adventure tended to get right to the point, throwing William Gravel immediately into his next mission. We sat back and watched things unravel before our eyes and were shocked by the lengths to which he would go to resolve the situation and still meet his personal agenda. With the ongoing series, we'll still see things go to shit for Gravel very quickly, and we'll still be treated to the same shocking, ass-kicker we've grown to love in the past, but we now have the room to show why he reacts, instead of just how. This is the series that Gravel's fans have been asking for, in which they'll finally get some answers... But not too many; as you said yourself, we don't want to give too much away.
ZZ: Are we ever going to see Gravel deal with more traditional monsters, like an Ellis/Wolfer Dracula or Wolfman?
MW: That sounds cool, but I don't think it's likely. Then again, who knows what lurks in the mind of Warren Ellis. If he could devise a twisted take on such traditional characters, we might just see a BLACK SUMMER for the horror comic market.
ZZ: Just a quick question about your own artwork--your action scenes are told really well, and it's something that gets forgotten about in most comic books. Do you plot out the action scene on paper first--like what bullet hits where, where Gravel would leap in that situation, what effect that would have, and then decide what the best way to show that would be? How do you plot out the action scenes so that they're easy to follow and make sense?
MW: Your quick question is probably the one that will get the longest answer from me!
Here's my take on being a comic book artist: If you exclude the dialog, the illustrated story must be able to reasonably tell itself through the visuals, just as a good movie can be followed without sound. Even "talking heads" scenes, although a necessity at times, do not have to be a static succession of faces. Subtle, mood-enhancing visuals can sometimes say more about a character's thoughts than the actual words themselves, or belie what the character is saying to express his or her true emotions. As most comic book artists should, I view each panel as a stepping stone to the next visual, adding new information while directing the reader to move on. There is also a rhythm to the entire page that must be adhered to, as the flow of action must direct the human eye toward the next panel and not away from it.
As it applies to action sequences, the flow of the visuals is vital, but I don't necessarily spend a lot of time choreographing; it just sort of comes to me naturally. It's an odd ballet, of sorts. Let's look at a side-by-side, three panel sequence:
Panel 1: Gravel kicks in a door. We read left to right, so Gravel needs to be kicking toward the right, directing the reader's eye with the flow of action toward Panel 2.
Panel 2: Gravel unloads both handguns, firing at an unseen target. Again, the guns need to be pointing to the right, on to the next panel. If he is pictured firing left, the reader would be subliminally directed to look back at Panel 1. This would interrupt the flow of the "ballet".
Panel 3: Gravel's target, a hideous creature, is being blasted by the bullets, it's head exploding. Where is the reader going from here? Downward and to the left, for Panel 4, so the direction of the exploding brains and whatever other action is in Panel 3 should be guiding the eye toward the lower left of that panel, to urge the reader to move on to Panel 4, below. Not off the page to the right or above.
I think we're seeing a lot of very talented storytellers in comics again and a resurgence of artists, writers and editors who are going beyond the "full page splash" or "three panels per page" mentality.
If you want a pin-up book, then publish a pin-up book, but if you want to tell a story, then tell that story through true, sequential art craftsmanship.
ZZ: As a writer and occasional doodler myself, I understand the importance of music for the creative process. Can you give us an idea of what gets you pumping, ready to create in general, as well as for the Gravel books?
MW: When I'm writing, I need absolute silence. Drawing, on the other hand, is something different, and I listen to an eclectic mix that's actually embarrassing, but you asked, so here it is: Currently in my CD player is The Darkness' "One Way Ticket To Hell..." in my cassette player is a mix tape of 1970's pop One-Hit-Wonders (Bee Gee's, Jackson Five, Bay City Rollers, etc.) and on the turntable is Judas Priest's "Screaming For Vengeance" LP. I'm sorry... I just have no explanation, here!
ZZ: Were you a part of the decision to use the current Gravel artist, Raulo Caceres, and what about his style fits the book so well?
MW: The hiring of Raulo for the first story arc was ultimately the decision of Avatar Press' William Christensen, but I was asked for my opinions on Raulo's and other artists' works, slated to illustrate future story arcs. I was thrilled with everyone Avatar has in mind, so I really wasn't in the position of saying, "Yes," or "No"; more like, "Cool", "Great," and "Wow!" There's going to be some really exciting art in this series, I can assure you. As for Raulo, specifically, his work is phenomenally detailed, which is exactly what this book demands. Since the beginning, I've tried to stress, through my art, that Gravel's world is our own and the only way to convey that familiarity is by packing every panel full of recognizable backgrounds and details. We have to see where we are to become fully immersed in that world; we have to feel it. One of Raulo's natural strengths is his attention to those details that I find so important. He doesn't simply draw generic "things" to clutter the background, to create the illusion that there is something there. He draws upon his research or perhaps his artistic, photographic memory to instill a technical manual sort of precision to everything that he puts in each panel.;
ZZ: Is it strange to see the lurid world of Gravel in full color? Will it add a touch more realism to the series?
MW: Very early on, this was something that we discussed, color vs. black and white. All six past Gravel mini-series were black and white, with gray-toned ink washes that gave the stories a very distinct look and feel; a very organic texture. But there is so much more we can do with the addition of color, in some cases color itself being central to the story. We'll have a much more vast palette from which to create mood, which is so incredibly vital to what GRAVEL and his past adventures have been all about.
ZZ: What do you use for reference when writing this series? Do you have a collection of occult books, Mike Mignola-style? Are there certain websites teeming with information about the darker side of life?
MW: Warren is responsible for digging or dreaming up whatever horrific situations or events we will witness, and he supplies me with everything I need to further research the subject matter in the form of web links. It's really a case of Warren giving me a homework assignment and then I go to work, following the path he has delineated for me. It's exciting for me, really, to have such an incredible mentor encouraging me to study in areas in which I've previously known very little.
ZZ: The style of the book--the writing, art, and pace, speficially-are decidedly cinematic. Any hopes or plans for bringing William Gravel to the big-or small-screen? And if so--who do you see as playing William Gravel (I've got my own ideas, of course...)?
MW: The only way GRAVEL would work on-screen is if Warren Ellis were to retain absolute creative control, but we know how difficult that is in Hollywood. GRAVEL is definitely not for everyone, but since films are designed to appeal to the largest possible demographic, I think we'd run the risk of the story being forcibly morphed into something more commercial. Necrophilia as a means of extracting information from the dead? What major film studio is going to greenlight that plot point? But if it were done right, and remained true to the character, a GRAVEL film would certainly be controversial, and hopefully profitable... With Collin Ferrel in the lead?
ZZ: What attracts you to sticking with Avatar as a publisher? Is it their willingness to present no-holds-barred stories?
MW: It's the paychecks. No, actually, aside from the incredible creative freedom Avatar affords, I've developed a personal friendship with Avatar Editor-In-Chief William Christensen in the years that I've been with them, and that brings with it a whole different perspective. William is not only an employer, but an "agent" of sorts: He's pushed and searched for new projects for me, developed some specifically for me and aligned me with some of the greatest comics creators in the business, all in the pursuit of furthering my career. That's a pretty good reason in itself. And the paychecks.
ZZ: Since the Collective straddles the complementary worlds of comics and video games, I feel I should ask--If you could make Gravel a video game, what kind of game would it be? Like Silent Hill? Grand Theft Auto? God of War?
MW: It's interesting that, in my opinion, a GRAVEL video game would be all three games that you mention rolled into one. And that's why GRAVEL the series is such an exciting read: It contains elements of horror, combined with the fast-paced, violent action and the guns-blazing attitude of a modern thriller. And if that wasn't enough, there's the supernatural magic and occult angle that throws the whole thing way over the top and into a genre all its own.
For more information, check out Avatar Press website.
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