GG♥SF Meet Monty Nero & Mike Dowling

A few weeks ago we brought you a sneak peek of Death Sentence - a brand new title from writer Monty Nero and artist Mike Dowling that looks set to blow our minds. 

Since then, not only have we managed to get our grubby mitts on the first issue (full review coming soon, but rest assured our minds are indeed blown), we've also been given the wonderful opportunity to chat to the lovely chaps what wrote it to find out more about their inspirations and plans for the future. 

Where did the idea for Death Sentence come from?
Monty: Well, I was at the Hi-Ex comic con expounding my theories on how to make comics more relevant to our lives. On the drive home it struck me how thoughtless it was to sound off on this subject when I hadn’t done anything about it myself. My wife was three months pregnant at the time and everyone was telling us that our lives would effectively be over when the baby came. There were all these dark warnings that we’d just become these baby caring automatons, or something. So it felt like we only had six months left to do something creative – which turned out to be nonsense, but that’s how it felt. So this idea of ‘enhanced abilities, but just six months to live’ came from that. By the time we got home I had the basic plot worked out, and started work on some character designs the next day

How did the relationship with Titan Comics come about? We read something about you door-stepping Mark Millar and Nick Landau at Kapow...
Monty: Yeah, that’s pretty much true. Mike and I made a professional looking comic out of the first ten pages of Death Sentence and took it to Kapow, just handing it out to people on the floor and bothering guests after panels. We showed it to hundreds of people, but the two guys who got really excited about it were Nick and Mark, independently of each other.
Mike: I think you got Death Sentence into Mark’s hands moments before you had to go and catch your flight, didn’t you?  It was all very dramatic!
Monty: Sort of. I’d collared Mark on Saturday when he was running back to his hotel to change his shirt, and didn’t really expect him to read it or anything. People tend to lose these things. As I was settling my bill at the hotel on Sunday Mark stepped out of this door, just random chance, and said ‘Are you the Death Sentence guy? Your comic’s brilliant man, I’d love to serialise it.’ He’d read it while waiting for a panel to start. So that was really exciting. I went straight over to the bar to tell Mike and we were ecstatic. The sun was shining, the drinks were flowing, and we were walking on air. Then I got a phone call from Nick a few months later, making an offer for the whole series, but I was set on self-publishing at that time. About a year later Titan came back with a better offer, so Mike and I talked about it and said yes. And Titan have been great to deal with, I recommend them.

Why spread the virus via a STD?
Monty: Because it’s more dramatic. Basically, a fatal virus isn’t dramatic - it’s just tragic. For something to be dramatic the protagonist has to be conflicted and be able to make choices – to drive the story. By making it sexually transmitted you open up the questions of whether you expose yourself to the risk, or even catch it deliberately to get the enhanced capabilities. The satirical possibilities were also very appealing.

Tell us about Verity, Weasel and Monty - why these three characters?
Monty: They just entertain me – and hopefully you! They’re funny and vibrant. Verity’s easy to relate to. She’s very frustrated and unfulfilled – temp job, shitty bedsit, no significant other. She sleeps around and parties a lot, to get attention really – stemming from a deep sense of creative frustration. She longs for something more - to be a fine artist if she can. Weasel’s a rock star with a lot of adulation and no real talent, and he wants more than anything to be taken seriously as a credible musician. And Monty’s a wild comedian with profound talent and sex appeal, but he gets away with a lot that he shouldn’t. Celebrities are often cut a lot of slack in our society. Why is that? Cutting between these three perspectives lets us say things about life, and tell the story in a thrilling and innovative way.

It might just be us, but there's something very 'Russell Brand' about Monty. Are the characters inspired by real life people?
Monty: There’s bits of people I feel I know in all of them. And bits of me, of course. But, really, it’s just a matter of looking at what’s going on around you and reflecting it. That’s where all the humour comes from. It doesn’t matter how grave the situation is, people will take the piss. Once I figured that out, the script pretty much wrote itself.

How did you decide on the powers that you'd give them?
Monty: They’re a dramatic extension of the story and the characters themselves. Verity’s abilities are creative, Monty’s are all about control, and Weasel brings chaos. The more creative they are the more abilities they develop, so it really escalates. Just wait for issue three – it’ll blow your socks off.

As well as our heroes, if we can call them that, you've given us antagonists in GCHQ - what can you tell us about the organisation and its purpose?
Monty: GCHQ is a real listening and surveillance organisation monitoring the virus and helping to contain its spread. The PRISM thing’s brought GCHQ and the NSA a lot of attention, but I got fascinated by them years ago. They feed certain information to the Department of National Security who are trying to contain the virus as best they can. It’s a pandemic emergency, and a lot of the antagonists are very conflicted and ambiguous in their roles and motivations. It all helps the drama feel credible – one step removed from the real world.

Something tells us that this story isn't going to end happily for everybody, are we right?
Monty: We can’t tell you that!!!! Let’s just say there are huge surprises – right up till the end.

Do you have a favourite scene or moment?
Monty: My favourite scene so far is in issue two, when we suddenly open out the story in a really surprising direction. You know the one I mean?
Mike: Yeah, yeah, I like that scene too. It’s a quiet moment in an awesome landscape.
Monty: So the big reveal is entirely silent. I love all our silent panels - Mike’s magic moments I call them – they make for ‘good comics’. The scene’s based on a place on the northern tip of Scotland I visited with my wife when she was eight months pregnant. So it has a real personal connection. Mike gave me the original art, too, which was very thoughtful.

How did your partnership come about?
Monty: I just saw Mike’s work at a con and loved it. I chatted him up, but my advances were cruelly rebuffed…
Mike: True, you hit on me pretty hard – I was flattered but I didn’t give in straight away, I’m not that easy plus I had to ask around, make sure you weren’t a crazy person!
Monty: I eventually wore Mike down by sending him the script, some character paintings and a synopsis. He loved it so much he made it his main focus – which he probably regrets now given the amount of work involved. I suspect it was the chance to draw something meaningful that swung it?  .
Mike: Yeah, when you actually sent me the script I could see right away that it was going to be good.  I cleared the decks and jumped in.

What's your working process like? Is Death Sentence a collaborative effort?
Mike: Normally Monty sends me the script and I work up the layouts and get them back to him. Then we figure out if any improvements could be made. Monty’s real strength, I think, is dialogue and I generally see it as my job to make sure all the characters are expressive and getting that dialogue across properly.  
Monty: We’re always talking about tweaking this or that element, sending each other ref, or clarifying issues. The detail is everything in comics, the nuances and little touches that make sequential magic. That’s what we’re striving for and it takes a lot of effort.

With the world you've created Death Sentence could go on forever - do you have a plan for a second series?
Monty: Yup, all plotted out. If people buy the first issue today we can get straight on with it.

What else have you got in the pipeline?
Monty: I’ve got a Terror Tale in 2000ad #1838, which I wrote and drew, and then I’m doing all the covers and bonus material for the remaining issues of Death Sentence.
Mike: And I’ll be starting work on a Judge Anderson story for 2000 AD later in the year.

Comics have hit the mainstream recently, what do you think that means for indie creators such as yourselves?
Mike: Well, the films have hit the mainstream – I’m not sure it’s affected the books that much. Still, I think this is one of the best times to be producing creator owned work.  Image and other companies have proven that you don’t need to rely on long established heroes to have great reading and selling books.  I hope that’s what Death Sentence is as well – a book that anyone who enjoys good comics can enjoy.
Monty: Yeah, to be honest, it makes no difference to what we do at all - which is trying to make interesting comics.

Finally, if it's not too personal, what would you do with only six months to live?
Mike: Look for a cure!
Monty: Ha-ha! Good call. I think I’d just make graphic novels and spend most of my time with friends and family. No one ever sat on their death bed wishing they’d worked more, you know? You’ve gotta have your priorities straight.

Death Sentence #1 from Titan Comics hits stores on October 9, 2013. The series will also be available to read day and date on the iPad, iPhone, Web, Android and Kindle Fire, exclusively through the comiXology app and comiXology.com.

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Game Of Thrones Season 3 Premiere: The Q&A

Last night was a pretty special night for GG♥SF. 

We were invited by the lovely people at Sky Atlantic to the premiere of the third season of Game Of Thrones, at which we joined the cast to see the first episode and drank some lovely wine. 

We were also treated to a Q&A with cast members Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark), Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark), Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister) and the totally brilliant Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), who we now want to meet and make friends with. 

For your benefit as much as theirs, Sky Atlantic have asked that we spoil nothing about the series' return - suffice to say it's a cracking premiere episode with the promise of much more cracking stuff to come. 

We can, however, share the strictly spoiler-free Q&A hosted by Grace Dent, in which the cast discuss their characters and what they love most about working on the show… and Ms Christie tells half of what sounds like a very interesting tale from the set... 


(Our audio player is pretty temperamental, so if you can't get it to work, click here to listen to the interview.)

Game of Thrones returns to HBO in the US on March 31 and will debut in the UK on Sky Atlantic a day later on April 1.

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GG♥SF Meet Mariah Huehner

The end of February sees the London Super Comic Convention return for its second year, welcoming the great and good from the world of comics including Neal Adams, J Scott Campbell, Kieron Gillen, Frazer Irving and… well, there's loads of 'em. Check out the website and you'll see what we mean.

One such luminary is Mariah Huehner, the New York Times bestselling writer of the graphic novel True Blood: All Together Now, Anne Rice’s Servant of the Bones, Angel, Illyria: Haunted, and the upcoming Emily & The Strangers for Dark Horse Comics.

If that weren't enough she has also edited the New York Times Bestselling graphic adaption of Peter S. Beagles The Last Unicorn, Womanthology: Heroic, Womanthology: Space!, and the Eisner Award Winning Lucifer and Fables.

It's an impressive CV, so when the lovely organisers of LSCC asked if we'd like to interview the woman who's worked on so many titles we've enjoyed, we jumped at the chance.

GG♥SF: You've written stories for True Blood books, Angel and BtVS and count Lucifer and Fables among the books you've edited. Basically, it sounds to us like you've got the best job ever - is that how you feel about it?
Mariah Huehner: I kind of really do, I have to say. It's still work and there are days when I want to throw my laptop across the room, but all in all, I'm very lucky. And I seriously can't believe the things working in comics has allowed me to do and experience. I've worked with the most amazingly talented and met some of my story idols. You really can't complain much when part of your job was meeting Alan Ball and going over story ideas.

What is it that you love most about this world?
MH: The comics world? I love the way you tell a story through words and pictures in a way that's different than any other storytelling medium, including film. I love how you can guide a reader through the story but they can still choose to linger over details at their own pace. I love the collaborative process of making a comic, of finding a story that's perfect for the format and no other.

What I love about the world in general is that it's always changing and full of as many stories as there are people to think them up and share them.

What's your opinion on the UK comics scene?
MH: Hm, this is a tough one. I've worked with a lot of UK creators over the years so I'm not sure I view it as all that removed from the US scene, and I'm not as familiar with it as I should be. They seem intertwined to me, especially when I worked at Vertigo.  We sort of pilfered a lot of Brits when I was there.

I'm a huge Mike Carey fan, for instance, I'll read anything he writes and he's a lovely person to boot. Mark Buckingham is not only a wonderful artist but a truly sweet person who gives the best hugs. That sort of cross-pollination is one of the reasons I'm so excited to be going to the London Super Comic Convention. I haven't been to London before, so there's that. But there's also all the fellow writers artists I'll get to share a pint with, finally. So I guess my thoughts on UK comics are: they're great!

There's been a lot of debate in recent months about women in comics - with regard to how those working in the industry don't get the recognition they deserve, and how female fans are perceived - what's your take on it? Is it something you have strong opinions about?
MH: My opinions on it are so strong I've written a bunch of posts/blogs and have intense discussions pretty regularly on my Twitter. It's really important to me that we don't stop discussing it and working towards a more inclusive geek/nerd culture.

I was really disappointed in all the 'Fake Geek Girl' nonsense a few months ago and ended up writing a piece that was re-published on The Newstatesmen. There's just no way to get around the highly gendered nature of that mess. I've been doing this for over 10 years now and I know a LOT of other women in the industry. They are all talented, dedicated, amazing people who work hard to put out the books people love. So the combined effect of seeing them (or myself) either ignored or debased is disheartening to say the least. Women contribute so much to geek/nerd/comics culture, every day, in so many ways. The idea that any of us get to decide what is an "acceptable" way to be a nerd/geek for someone else is absurd. 

I have no interest in participating in any sort of gatekeeping behavior. I don't care how someone identifies as a geek/nerd, what they love, or how they display that love, so long as they're having a good time and not hurting anyone. Which they aren't, no matter what some folks might think. Someone else's costume choice, or character preference, or story obsession, can't hurt you. So, trying to define geeky/nerdery along gender lines or claiming anything is being "ruined" by fictional "fake" geek girls is just beyond obtuse. No one can ruin the things you love unless you let them. And frankly, cos-playing and the like are fun. They bring a whole other dimension to things. I do think a lot of girls and women express their geek/nerd differently, or often with more craft-based activities, and that's pretty awesome. People need to stop assuming they know what a geek/nerd "really" is.

That said, conventions like Geek Girl in Seattle are, I think, actively challenging those idea and I always come away feeling really hopeful and encouraged. This past year there was a LOT of discussion about this topic because of a similar issues with gamers and Anita Sarkeesian. The parallels are undeniable and I've gotten my own share of nasty remarks. It's hard at first, but, I'd rather be visible and talking about it than not. It's important because I want more people reading comics and participating with the industry, not less. The more inclusive we are the more likely that is.

You've worked on comic book adaptations for some of our favourite shows - how does that experience differ from working on original titles? Do you feel pressure to meet fan expectation?
MH: Each licensed property is different, depending on who you're working with and the story world. You typically have certain defined parameters, characters, and "rules". And they go through an approval process with the licensor. Something that's creator owned is your own, so while you still need to work with an editor, it's your world. You call the shots. They're both challenging. With licensed work you have an established world to adhere to and add to, while still maintaining the "feel" of the original in whatever medium it was originally in. With your own work you have to set limits for yourself or the story can go off track and become a mess. And in that sense it's all on you, which is quite a lot of pressure. With a license you can kind of rest on "well, that's how this character was in the show/movie, so, we can't mess with that!"

For instance, both True Blood and Angel involved vampires and various supernatural characters. But the worlds are quite unique, the tone and pacing differ, and the characters are on journeys that might have thematic similarities, but require individual arcs. Not to mention dramatically different "voices". Whedon has a very specific rhythm to his dialog and so does Ball, they are not interchangeable. So we were always adjusting, making sure you could "hear" the character voices in your head as much as possible.

When I've worked on original titles, my own or as an editor, it's a little different. The creator is usually intimately involved and invested in the story, so the challenge there is making sure the story they want to tell is the story that's coming across.

As for fan pressure: Yes and no. I mean, I certainly care what fans think, you want them to read and enjoy the work. There's no point to it if they don't. At the same time, you can't write stories based on what fans want because that's different for each one. Stories by committee rarely turn out that coherent. So you have to trust that you're telling a worthwhile story and hope they think so, too. I find that if you're sincerely doing that, telling a story you believe in, fans will see that.

Do you have a favourite project on your CV - something that was particularly close to your heart?
MH: You know, I'm proud of everything that I've worked on for various reasons. One of the most recent books I've worked on, Emily & The Strangers for Dark Horse, is something I'm very pleased with. Getting to write for tween/teen girl audience with a character like Emily, who's snarky and inventive, was fantastic.

There's also Illyria: Haunted, which is something that's very personal to me, because of the strong emotional attachment I have to A Hole in the World (the Angel ep). I also told this short, two-page story in Womanthology: Heroic, about a small moment in a zombie Apocalypse I was really pleased with because it's tough to write something in such a small amount of pages. I chose to draw it as well so it was particularly challenging.

A project I'm working on called Monstrous Parts is an anthology combining prose, comics, poetry, and art, to discuss women and body image. That's intensely personal, but the people participating are amazing, and I should be launching a crowd-funding campaign for it in February or March.

What can you tell us about the titles you're working on at the moment? Do you have any secrets or spoilers you can spill?
MH: Well, my latest comic, Emily & The Strangers comes out on January 30th from Dark Horse Comics. I co-wrote it with Emily's creator, Rob Reger, and it was a complete blast. The artist, Emily Ivie, is so incredible, I can't even tell you. There are gadgets and inventions and science and ghosts and rock 'n' roll. I really hope people check it out.

Obviously there's aforementioned Monstrous Project, and I have a few pitches in to a few places, and I'm working on a short story I can't talk about just yet. So it's going to be a busy year, thankfully.

As a creator, what do conventions mean to you?
MH: For me, they're a really lovely way to interact with fans and fellow creators. I've had nothing but wonderful experiences with fans at signings and it means a lot to hear from them directly. I honestly love the whole sort of experience of conventions, with people enjoying their geek/nerdery and having a good time together.

Do you attend them as a fan, too?
MH: Not for a few years now, I can't ever seem to find the time! I do still get to have fan moments, though, where I meet creators whose work I love and get to chat with them a little. Cons like Geek Girl I find more "relaxing" where I can actually attend panels and hang out more.

What's the weirdest (printable!) experience you've ever had at a con?
MH: I don't think I've had any non-printable experiences at cons, thankfully. As for weirdest... I think the most surreal was doing press and signings for the first True Blood: All Together Now hardcover at NYCC. We did an actual press junket type thing, photo stuff, interviews, and signings with hundreds of people. That was completely strange but awesome.

What are you looking forward to at LSCC? What are your must-sees, should you get the time?
MH: If I don't get to see Mike Carey and Mark Buckingham and, at the very least, have some tea, I will be super disappointed. But mostly I'm just really keen to check out the con. They have an awesome guest list and panels, so, I'm sure I'll be making a schedule for myself as it gets closer. Wandering around cons, though, has always yielded the most interesting finds for me. I'm looking forward to seeing what surprises it has in store. 

The London Super Comic Convention takes place on February 23rd and 24th at the Excel Centre, London. Get yourself some tickets and we'll see you at the bar.

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Merlin Exclusive: GG♥SF Interview Bradley James (Aeeee!)

Bradley James stars as Arthur Pendragon in BBC One’s Merlin

We have a wish list of celebs and noted folk we’d like to interview at GG♥SF Towers. It includes the great and good of TV and film; from Joss Whedon to Peter Jackson and Benedict Cumberbatch – all for varying reasons you’ll understand. And also positioned high on that reverent list would be the King of all Kings - Bradley James, aka the lordly King, and quite frankly delectable Arthur Pendragon from the Beeb's hit show, Merlin. 

And now that Merlin is sadly on the countdown to its last, proper ever, final episode (oh, the humanity!), we’ve finally been granted our wish. GG♥SF have been rewarded with 10 whole minutes to talk shop with Camelot’s finest. We tried our best to coax out spoilers and hints about the final episodes, but sadly Bradley clearly prescribes to that tricksy old adage - loose lips sink ships. 

However, we managed to glean some fascinating insights on his time on the show, Merlin DVD commentaries and er, sexual objectification... (okay, so we were discussing the Shirtless Arthur hashtag game we created on Twitter). We’re journalistic hard hitters at GG♥SF. 

GG♥SF: Hi Bradley. Obviously we’re gutted at the fact this is the final season of Merlin. It’s been fantastic series and you’re going out on a show high. 
Bradley James: Thank you very much! 

GG♥SF: We don’t know if it’s wishful thinking on the part of the fans or not, but rumours are still persisting about a spin-off movie. Now the TV series is ending, do you know if anything is in the works? 
Bradley James: I have heard lots of chat about the movie. I would say that it would not be happening in the near future if it were to include myself. But who knows – if the script was amazing then I’d be there. But then I’d find it difficult not to be interested. 

GG♥SF: We’d be there with bells on. So go on – give us a sneak peek into the two episode finale – any juicy morsels for us to rabidly devour? 
Bradley James: (Mock outrage) No I couldn’t possibly say! There’s only four episodes left, what are you talking about? That’s the whole point about watching it! 

GG♥SF: Oh please! Not even a little hint? 
Bradley James: All I can say is that I’m very happy with how we have finished the show and I’m excited with how we finished the show. I’m very satisfied. Actually I haven’t seen it yet, but I am going to assume that what we have read and what we have filmed has turned out to be very good. 

GG♥SF: So you haven’t watched the final episodes yet? 
Bradley James: I watch it at the same time as everyone else. I’ve become a fan of the show when it comes out because I watch it at the same time pretty much as everyone else at home. 

GG♥SF: That’s interesting. (Slightly breathless) Do you watch it alongside Twitter too, because there’s a Shirtless Arthur hashtag doing the rounds.
Bradley James: Sorry, what? Shirtless Arthur? What’s that? 

GG♥SF: (Somewhat sheepishly) It’s where eagle eyed fans tweet the first sighting of you without your top on… 
Bradley James: (Much laughter) How degrading! 

GG♥SF: Oh dear, do you feel terribly objectified? 
Bradley James: (Still laughing) Yes! Bloody perverts! 

GG♥SF: Sorry, we’re getting a little side-tracked - back to the show. What will be the thing you miss most about working on Merlin? 
Bradley James: The cast and crew. There was a great family aspect to doing the show as the crew remained very similar throughout the years we were doing the show and the cast were very close. The cast and crew became very close in fact. So there will be real characters within the crew and cast that you’re used to seeing on a day to day basis that you’ll miss. 

GG♥SF: (Sounding a bit gushy) Aw. That’s very sweet! 
Bradley James: To be honest with you though, at the time, day-to-day, you take them for granted. It takes you being taken away from that atmosphere for you to appreciate the situation. It’s a good thing that we’ve been separated because we can now really appreciate each other. 

GG♥SF: Just like a family then! Okay, so um, you always appear to have someone dressing you in your scenes. Does it really take that long to get (GG♥SF gets a bit breathless) tussled up in all that armour and stuff? 
Bradley James: (Somewhat bewildered) Er, um, what a question! It becomes a blur in the morning – I’m only partially conscious at that time of the day. You get picked up at half five, six o’clock. Despite the fact you are walking around and talking to people, you’re not really awake. And then I’m awake on set, with my costume on, about ready to go at half seven in the morning. So I would say it takes just about an hour of faffing about before we’re ready to film. But it doesn’t take long to get the armour on though. 

GG♥SF: We have a quick reader question to squeeze in. This is from Anna K: Will you be doing a season five Merlin commentary on the DVD? 
Bradley James: Do you know what, I read that this morning and tweeted a response! I don’t tweet very often but I felt quite passionate about this because they missed me out of the DVD commentaries and I feel that the commentaries have been lacking for missing me out! I’d like to do one with the Knights. It’s not something we’ve done yet, so I hope the powers that be see sense and go 'yes, we should get Bradley and Rupert, Tom, Eion and everyone'. If we could get that on the go, I’d be very happy to do that. 

GG♥SF: We’ll petition the BBC! 
Bradley James: (To lovely PR lady Jess) Actually, who do I talk to about this? I’m going to find out and pester them over this. (Back to GG♥SF) Get the girls to pester the official person will you? 

GG♥SF: We’re on it! Lastly, what’s next for you Bradley? 
Bradley James: (After much thought) You will see me in the shops trying to buy Christmas presents. I really need to buy a present for my mum. 

And that’s it. That’s our time with Bradley James over. If possible, we fancy him even more. 

The final series of Merlin reaches its season and show climax with a special two-part finale airing over Christmas. And although we couldn’t get any top secret intel from Bradley, we hope his character finally discovers Merlin’s true identity and worth (side note: Colin Morgan has acted his wee socks off this season – hats off to you, Sir). Either way, we’re really going to miss Bradley and the gang. 

All together now: "For Camelot!".

Gratuitous photo alert – sorry, we can’t help ourselves.

Merlin Series 5, part 1 (episodes 1-6) is released on DVD on 26th November 2012. Series 5, part 2 and the Complete Series 5 DVD / Blu-Ray are released on 21^st January 2013 on Fremantle Media Enterprises. You can order it now on Amazon.

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