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Andrew Cosby on Comics, Television and Collaboration |
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Written by Caleb Monroe
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Monday, 19 February 2007 |
Andrew Cosby is the creator of UPN's Haunted and the Sci-Fi network original series Eureka, as
well as such comics as Damn Nation, X Isle, Enigma Cipher and the
upcoming Cover Girl and Mr. Stuffins. With a record like that, I was sure he'd be full of plenty of good,
practical insights into the writer's life. And you know what? I was
right. Read on:
What was the first comic you ever read?
Wow, that’s going way back. I was a total Marvel kid, so it was probably The Fantastic Four – no idea which issue, but I know it was the Kirby stuff. Jack Kirby was a god, and I just couldn’t get enough. I love the way he drew that Kirby-tech. It made me want to be a scientist. Of course, this was when I thought that scientists fought aliens, traveled through time, created intelligent monkey assistants, and built giant Nazi-smashing robots. Later, I found out they have to know stuff and do a lot of lab work, and the whole idea lost its appeal. That being said, aside from the superheroes (Fantastic Four, Flash, Spiderman, Thor, The Avengers, etc.), the comics that most influenced me as a kid were the horror books. What can I say? I was a creepy little kid who’d been raised on a steady diet of Universal Monster movies and H.P. Lovecraft. I used to stay up late at night scaring the crap out of my little brother with homemade ghost stories. It took my parents years to figure out that it wasn’t their fault he was still wetting the bed.
When did you first decide to write comics, and what was your first comic project?
I guess it’s not something I decided so much as something that just kinda happened in the natural course of things. I’ve always liked comics, even during that brief period in high school when I pretended to like girls more. But then I met this punk rock chick who liked me and liked comics, and I was back in the fold. During college, I toyed with the idea of drawing them, until I realized that drawing comics made the whole scientist thing look easy. Eventually, I discovered writing, started working on my first novel, stopped working on my first novel, got a job with a comic book company in the early 90s, got laid off when they sold the company to Marvel, discovered screenwriting in a desperate attempt to find employment that justified staying in Los Angeles, and the rest, as they say, is history. Somewhere along the way, I met Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Comics and decided to pitch him this idea for a horror comic. That was Damn Nation, which became my first comic book, which I later adapted as a screenplay for Paramount Pictures.
What would you say the main creative difference is between television and comics?
The budget. Definitely. I know that might not seem like a creative influence, but it is, and it can be one of the biggest. When you’re writing comics, you’re pretty much on your own and can write whatever inspires you -- limited only by your own imagination. But when you’re writing for film or television, it’s a much more collaborative and pragmatic medium. There are networks, studios, actors, locations, and countless other considerations that come into nearly every creative decision you make on the page – because that page isn’t just being translated by an artist, it’s being translated by an entire industry of creative and professional individuals who will all be bringing their own vision to the project. In that sense, comics are a much purer art form than film or television. That is to say, the finished product is much closer to the writer’s initial intent. But this can be good and bad.
What would you say the main practical difference is?
Again, the answer is budget – mine. Film and television pay the bills in a way that comics just don’t. It’s a struggling industry, as most comic creators would attest. And only the most talented and celebrated comics professionals can truly make a good living at it, especially if they have families to support.
With the exception of GI Spy (correct me if I’m wrong on this), you’ve written your comics with collaborators such as Johanna Stokes and Michael Alan Nelson. Is there a reason you prefer collaboration?
Actually, Damn Nation was a solo endeavor. I’ve also written solo stories for Zombie Tales, Ninja Tales and Cthulhu Tales. But I love writing with others and find that some of my best work comes from collaboration. Johanna is an exceptional talent, and I feel lucky to be putting words on the same page with her. In fact, I hired her as one of the writers on my television series, Eureka, and she’s been knocking my socks off for two seasons now. Mike’s just as talented. Writing is a lonely profession, so when you find like-minded individuals to work with, my feeling is that you should accept the opportunity whenever it presents itself. I’ve always felt the end result is all that’s important, so if it takes one writer or one hundred to produce that result...so be it.
Do your collaborative styles vary by partner?
For sure. Everyone brings something different to the table, and you have to adjust your efforts accordingly. Some writers are better with characters, while others are great with action or dialog. It’s always a different and rewarding experience – even when it doesn’t quite work. Sometimes it’s a different experience with the same writing partner on a different project. The trick is to find writers who are trying to raise their game, regardless of where they might be on the playing field. It’s been my experience that the hardest working writers are usually the most successful. Take screenwriter John Rogers, for instance. He and I have known each other a very long time, even wrote a script together, and he’s arguably the most successful writer I know. I’ve seen him go from the screenwriter no one has heard of to the screenwriter no one can afford. Now he’s getting ready to direct his first movie. And he’s always -- ALWAYS -- working to improve himself and his craft. John’s a writer’s writer. He knows that the learning curve never ends, and that’s what makes him a good writer and a great partner.
I read an interview where Nelson said you write X Isle “Marvel style,” that is, plot first. Is there a reason you chose this method over full-script? Do you and Stokes use this approach as well?
I actually prefer full script, as it gives the writer more creative control. But my artist on X Isle, Greg Scott, likes to work Marvel style for the very same reason. It gives him more creative freedom. Greg’s really good, so no complaints. But it’s a case-by-case, scenario. Some projects lend themselves more to full-script, and I know some writers who will only work full-script. I totally get that. To each their own.
Johanna prefers full-script, so often when we write together, I’ll plot out the story in a page-by-page format, and then Jo will come in and begin to flesh that out into a full script. We start tossing pages back and forth at that point, writing and re-writing until we have a finished comic.
Can you describe your creative process (for comics), from first idea to completed pages?
I always start with the big idea – something that grabs me and inspires me. Usually, that’s a combination of some cool premise, an interesting story and a character or characters I can really sink my teeth into. When I feel I’ve got all of that, it’s time to go to work. I break the story down into a beginning, middle, and end. I know that sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many writers begin writing without the slightest idea of where their story is headed. You should NEVER begin writing until you know, or at least think you know, how your story is going to end. I can’t stress that enough. You have to know where your story is going. After all, you’d never plan a plane trip without first knowing your destination, right? Otherwise, you end up lost. Same goes for writing. Once I have all that, I take a step back and start defining the characters. I write back stories, do research, discuss with friends...whatever it takes to get to know my characters better.
Then, when I feel I’m ready to start breaking the story down, I draw a little grid charting the pagination of the book. Page turns are an important tool in comics, so I’m always careful to map the action out so that I’ll be taking full advantage of the page turn. Structure is really important to me. Without it, I tend to go all over the place. It’s like tossing creative ideas into a tornado, and too much good stuff gets lost that way. So I break the story down into a series of 2-4 page scenes (usually 2), consisting of five panels each. Obviously, the panel thing is very fluid, but I find that five panels per page give me a basic foundation -- a rule of thumb I can then bend or even break as needed. During this process, I’m looking for a good spot to put a full-page image or even a double-page splash (which I use very sparingly).
And then I start writing.
Is this process different when writing for television?
The groundwork is pretty much the same, but the structure is completely different. Scenes need to flow from one to the next with the same type of invisible connective tissue you find while turning the comic book page, but the mediums just have vastly different demands. I will say this -- you can learn a lot about writing for TV and film by writing comics, and I highly recommend it, especially if you’re thinking about directing someday. Comics are a great learning tool for telling stories visually.
Do you have “office hours,” so to speak: specific set times during the day or week when you write, or is it a more fluid situation? Have your years as a writer taught you any secrets to budgeting writing time?
I wish. It’s important to set aside time to write, which is much easier said than done, especially if you’ve got kids. Once you’ve got a family, your time is also their time, so you have to be a lot more flexible. That being said, my advice is to allot a specific time to write each day, even if it’s only a few hours, and make every conceivably effort to maintain that schedule. Writers will make up a million excuses not to write, so it’s important to have at least a few hours where we don’t let ourselves get away with that shit. And the more successful you get, the harder it becomes. Meetings are death. A handful of meetings, and before you know it, the day’s gone. “Oh well, I’ll just make it up tomorrow.” BULLSHIT!! Set aside time to write and write. If God Himself comes to visit, tell him to come back later...you’re writing.
I’ve heard it said that to make a career as a writer you have to sell more than just your script: you have to sell yourself. Do you have any insight to share on how to go about such a thing?
That’s a tough one, because it depends on who you are. If you’re a likeable guy who’s good in a room, if you can move people with your words, if you can inspire them or bring them over to your way of thinking about a thing...FANTASTIC! Of course, you should use that. But frankly, some writers are mean, angry, self-important bastards. This doesn’t mean they aren’t talented. It just means they shouldn’t be selling themselves -- they should be selling their talent. You can get wrapped up in selling yourself in the room and sell out your story in the process. The worst thing that can happen to a writer is that he or she starts to care too much about what others think about them or their words. It becomes a disease that infects the page. I can always tell when a writer is writing for me (the reader) and not himself. Don’t get in the business of pleasing others, because your point of view gets lost along the way. That’s death, especially in the entertainment industry. There are countless talents trying to break into this business every day. But not all of them have a unique point of view. That’s what people want. Sell that shit in the room, and you’re golden.
What would you say is the #1 mistake you see aspiring writers making?
They don’t write enough. I didn’t write enough when I was younger, and it was a huge mistake. Write every chance you get. Write when you have nothing to write about. And when you’re done writing about nothing, write some more.
What’s the best advice you could give someone looking to break into one of these industries as a writer?
Don’t give up. It sounds cliché, I know, but some clichés exist for a reason. Writing is a rough trade – probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever done (and I once worked as a costumed kids character). Don’t take no for an answer. And don’t be afraid to say no. “No” is one of the most powerful words in the English language. Use it, and don’t let others use it against you.
What advice would you share with other aspiring writers about finding a balance between writing and other aspects of life, like family or friends?
Okay, I’m probably the wrong guy to be asking this, because I will quite literally sacrifice anything for the love of what I do for a living. I love writing. I love comics. I love television. I love movies. And I can’t imagine doing anything else for a living, so I honestly don’t worry too much about balancing the other aspects of my life. They’re all potential sacrifices on the altar of the written word. My wife is a very forgiving person, so I’m thankful for that. My kids aren’t old enough yet to show signs of how bad I’m fucking them up, so there’s that. As for my friends, I have no idea why they put up with me. My feeling has always been that, for every guy out there trying to balance his life, there’s some other guy who’s willing to give it everything he’s got, damn the consequences. It’s not healthy, but any other answer would seem hypocritical. And my wife would probably never stop laughing.
Aside from that little gem, all I can suggest is that you stay exactly the same person you are now, regardless of how much success or failure you experience (assuming you’re not a mean, angry, self-important bastard).
Any final advice on the life or craft of writing in general?
Take any opportunity to write what you want to write. If you’re pursuing writing as a career, there will be many times you’re writing something just to pay the bills, so cherish those moments when you’re writing just for you.
Do you have any current or upcoming projects you want to plug?
Watch my TV show, Eureka. It’s a summer series on the Sci-Fi channel. And support your smaller comic publishers, especially if they’re called BOOM! My upcoming titles are:
-Mr. Stuffins
-Cover Girl
-Enigma Cipher
Thank you, Andrew!
Caleb Monroe bought Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #16 when he was 11 years old and it was all over after that. You can learn some more about him here.
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