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Joshua Hale Fialkov on Elk's Run and Comics in General |
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Written by Caleb Monroe
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Wednesday, 04 April 2007 |
Elk's Run is finally here. After a stint as a self-published book, then a Speakeasy comic, only the first half of the comic ever saw print until Villard Books put it out as a graphic novel this month. The series garned 7 Harvey nominations, including Best Writer and Best New Talent nods for Fialkov. This week I interview Josh about the new Villard graphic novel , his writing method and his other current projects.
What was the first comic you ever read?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles number 8 or 9 of the original series has always struck me as the first, but it might've been some of my brother's old Batman or Heavy Metal comics. I almost immediately got heavily into the horror stuff, ranging from those Russ Cochran reprints of Tales from the Crypt and all of the EC stuff, to random copies of Eerie, Creepy, and Vampirella Magazine.
When did you first realize you wanted to write comics, and what was your first project?
I came to comics out of frustration with my writing career. I had a TV pilot script that got picked up, and then fell apart pretty tragically, and had a lot of trouble finding both paying work and a creative outlet in film and TV, so, through comics I found a way to tell a complete story, without compromise, and with something very similar to complete creative control. That's unheard of in Hollywood, and what remains as the main attraction for me in doing comics.
Who are your influences?
Those old EC books are probably a close second to stuff like the Twilight Zone (particularly the Matheson stuff), but seeing what modern comic writers were doing was another big part of what gave me faith that medium could handle that sort of things I wanted to do. When you look at the work that Bendis, Brubaker, Vaughan and Willingham are all doing, you realize that you can do literally anything in comics, and have it be a wholly unique work of art.
Elk's Run began as an 8-issue self-published series, moved to Speakeasy and finally ended up as a graphic novel at Villard after Speakeasy went under. Can you compare and contrast the different series incarnations?
Well, from the original series to now, I think the biggest difference came in the learning curve. We did a lot of re-dialoging, and even whole new pages in the Villard edition. Seeing the book as a creative whole and having a chance to start over, so to speak, for a whole new audience, was pretty liberating, and gave us a chance to go back and make everything in the book exactly how we wanted it.
Pitching is something that can be intimidating to aspiring writers. Any personal pitching secrets to share?
Persistance. That's a big part of it, I think. If you build a reputation as a solid guy who can meet deadlines, act professionally both in person and online, and deliver on the promise of your other work, I think the doors will open. But, if they don't, well, as with Elk's Run, if something is good enough that you REALLY believe in it, then sometimes you just have to suck it up and do it yourself.
Can you describe your creative process, from first idea to completed pages?
I have a lot of ideas. Most of them are absurd and awful. But I do my best to get everything “down” somewhere. I've actually started using Google Documents to sort of build a portfolio of stuff I can pull from and store ideas. That way no matter where I am, there's always a place to put my ideas that's only a few clicks away. But generally, if I like an idea enough, and it feels like something I can do well, I'll try and write 22-30 pages worth of it. If I still like it, I start looking for an artist.
I like to really shape what I do to the artist I'm working with—before I get too deep—for a couple of reasons. The biggest one is pacing. If you have an artist who just can't do more than 5 panels a page, you need to account for that in your pacing, especially if you write beat to beat as much as I do. But even beyond that stuff, you want to make the story and the visuals really fit inside your artist's wheelhouse. i.e. If you have a guy who draws kick-ass cars, you might want to do something with cars.
So generally, after the first few pages get drawn, and the artist and I are in sync, we start the pitch process, and depending on the artist's availability, will even sometimes continue working on the book. My process, in case you can't tell, is very “business minded,” because, as the writer, I've always felt it was my responsibility to handle the business stuff. And aside from rare cases, like with Kody on Punks, artists are too busy drawing to worry about chasing editors and making phone calls.
On average, where would you say most of your writing time on any given project is spent? Research? Plotting? Scripting? Communicating with your artist(s)? Promoting the book?
I think pretty much any writer will tell you that the least amount of time (and generally the least painful part) is the actual writing. I spend a LOT of time getting my head around ideas, whether that's doing research, or talking it out with friends. I'm very collaborative, and I've been really lucky in surrounding myself with some of the smartest people in the business, both comics and Hollywood, who are incredibly generous with their time and act as sounding boards.
I think having a full understanding of the story you're telling will really speed up the process, and make the finished product that much more resonant for the unified vision that goes into creating it.
How do you as a creator go about promoting your own work?
I've been known to stand on street corners shouting. And I wish I was joking. You need to look at the big boys and take your queues, I think. There's a reason that everyone from Stan Lee to Joe Quesada have made such an effort to put a human face on their comics. These little pamphlets have a deep sentimental value for us, and the only way to really get people to try out a book that's not on their core pull list, is to connect with them in a very personal way. We've been very lucky in that a lot of people have “taken up the cause” and preach about our books to people who've never heard of us, and it's those people that have given me a career.
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 make a point to work only when my girlfriend's at work. It makes it into a 9 to 5 for me, and keeps me from burning out. Of course, deadlines are deadlines, but keeping the time we spend together precious, actually inspires me to work more when she's not home, so that we can be together.
Aside from that, I'm very deadline driven. I have a rigid schedule to when things are due, many of which are pretty arbitrary, but with enough real deadlines (work for hire and the like) you start to learn to budget time, and where to just let less important stuff slide.
I think that learning to budget your time is really the core to being a successful writer. I've seen far too many guys doing 200 projects, all of which are mediocre, because it's just impossible to spend the time needed to make something really good.
It's been said that to make writing a career you have to sell more than just your script: you have to sell yourself. Do you agree, and do you have any insight to share on how to go about such a thing?
Absolutely. You are your brand. Anytime you're anywhere, you're selling your brand. Whether it's sending an e-mail, doing an interview, walking a con floor, or walking into your local shop, how you're perceived has a lot to do with your success.
In other words, no flip flops, no passing out drunk in front of the hotel EVERY EDITOR YOU WANT TO MEET IS STAYING AT. Stuff like that. But still, you can be yourself. Unless you're a flip-flop-wearing drunk who passes out in public. Then you might want to try being your slightly more upscale brother.
What would you say is the #1 mistake you see aspiring writers making?
Aside from the aforementioned, I think a lot of young guys don't take the time to learn the craft. They dive into books that are much more elaborate then they're prepared for. Writing is like playing a musical instrument. You learn the fundamentals first, and then slowly can add tools and tricks. But, just because you can play the guitar, doesn't mean you can play piano. Just because you can write great prose, or great screenplays, doesn't mean you can instantly write great comics. It predisposes you to have an easier time learning, and probably a much faster learning curve, but every medium has it's own quirks, and taking the time to really learn them is a key step.
What advice would you share with other writers about finding a balance between writing and other aspects of life, like family or friends?
I don't know. I think that a lot of guys get really into their writing, and sort of disappear from the world around them. I know I certainly used to. But the problem is, as you become alienated from the world around you, you start to lose touch with how people think and act. So, you lose that human side to your writing. And for me, my friends and loved ones are probably the biggest inspiration for my writing. From the bizzaro newspaper clippings my girlfriend finds in the archives at work, to the stories from being in the trenches of Hollywood, to just listening to people bitch about their wives, jobs, cars, shitty TV, and all of that, has given me more springboards for stories, characters, concepts, than anything else I do.
Any final advice on the life or craft of writing in general?
Just make sure you love writing for writing. Because everything else is speculative, and if you don't thoroughly enjoy writing, the rewards can be limited. But, if you just thrive on creating... then everything else is gravy anyways.
Do you have any current or upcoming projects you want to plug?
Punks with Kody Chamberlain will be a 48-Page Digest Size Full Color 'zine-style comic book, with a whole bunch of original story, interviews with guys like Rick Remender and Art Chantry, and lots of cool behind the scenes stuff. That's http://punksthecomic.com. Three Rivers with Noel Tuazon is updated at the end of the month with new pages of our new graphic novel. That's over at http://webcomicsnation.com/joshfialkov. I'm also writing Vampirella for Harris comics, with the first issue coming out next month. More here: http://www.vampirella.com.
Thank you, Josh!
For those of you in the LA area, there is an Elk's Run Release Party at Meltdown Comics tonight. Free Noel Tuazon sketches for the first 25 people to purchase Elk's Run, West Vriginia-themed appetizers made by Josh himself, a DJ and free drinks! Details here.
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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