MattBrady
11-27-2002, 05:33 PM
Please, please don’t call it the beginning of next wave of a British invasion, okay? Andy Diggle is just the latest new guy writing some comics for DC, and he happens to be from England. A former editor of 2000 AD, Diggle’s Lady Constantine limited series begins in December from Vertigo, along with Judge Dredd/Aliens in the pages of 2000 AD co-written with John Wagner – and that’s only the very tip of the iceberg.
Newsarama caught up with Diggle to talk things past, present, and yet to come, with a healthy dose of meanderings about the difference between the UK and American comics scene.
Newsarama: Of course, we can’t start the interview without the traditional chestnut – how did all of this start?
Andy Diggle: Basically, I grew up reading British boys' adventure comics like Warlord, Battle and Commando Picture Library. I loved all that war stuff - movies like Kelly's Heroes, Murphy's War, Where Eagles Dare. Then I discovered 2000 AD when I was 10 years old, and it totally blew me away. This was the summer of 1981, a time that is now regarded as being part of the 'golden age' of 2000 AD. The first few issues I picked up featured work by John Wagner, Alan Grant, Pat Mills, Dave Gibbons, Brian Bolland, Carlos Ezquerra, Colin Wilson, Kevin O'Neill - a veritable Who's Who of talent. Just incredible, mind-blowing, hugely entertaining stuff, with a streak of weird, dark imagination and very black humor that was unlike anything else out there. From that point on I was hooked.
Then when I was 12, I picked up my first issue of Warrior, and that took it to the next level. It was issue 11, featuring Alan Moore and David Lloyd on V For Vendetta, Alan Moore and Alan Davis on Marvelman - before they had to change the name to Miracleman, Steve Moore and Steve Dillon on Axel Pressbutton, plus Steve Parkhouse, John Bolton. Heady stuff. Warrior and 2000 AD effectively re-wired my brain, and set the standard which I'm now striving to reach in my own work.
NRAMA: When did you find American comics?
AD: I didn't even look at American comics until I picked up my first copy of Swamp Thing in 1986 - completely unaware that it was written by Alan Moore. It was the Crisis crossover issue, very freaky, and that got me scurrying off to Forbidden Planet in search of back issues.
Years later I wrote my Media Studies degree dissertation on 'Comics Form', despite the tutor claiming that there was, quote, "nothing to say" about comics. Two years after I graduated, the same tutor asked me back to teach a new course on comics. So that was fun, getting paid to stand in front of a bunch of people my own age and blabber about comic books. I mean, that's what I do for fun anyway - albeit usually down the pub.
Years later, back in London, I started up my own webzine called Fusion, for which I interviewed various writers and artists like Alan Moore, William Gibson, Alan Grant and Mike Mignola. Eventually I heard through a friend-of-a-friend that Egmont were looking for an editorial assistant for 2000 AD. I applied for the job, I got it.
NRAMA: Take us through, a little, of your time at 2000 AD - how did you start off and how did you end up before you left?
[b]AD<?b>: I started off as the editorial assistant to David Bishop, then editor of 2000 AD. It was pretty menial work at first. I had no experience in publishing, and there was no kind of formal training whatsoever – a far cry from the previous generations of editors who had been trained as they came up through DC Thompson and the like - so I asked lots of questions and kept my eyes open. It was immediately clear that the publishers had absolutely no idea what they were doing with 2000 AD.
NRAMA: Owitch.
AD: Well, we were confronted with these asinine proclamations from on high, such as the directive that all characters on the cover had to be facing from left to right. Or was it right to left? I can't even remember. When I asked why, the publisher told me it was because he'd picked it up at some marketing seminar. He couldn't even give me a reason. Arsehole.
At the same time, they were bleeding 2000 AD dry, cutting the editorial budget year on year, not giving it decent marketing support. So editorial and management were generally at loggerheads. And to make matters worse, David Bishop and I were often at loggerheads too. I didn't know much about publishing, but I knew what 2000 AD was supposed to be, and this wasn't it. We generally had to agree to differ, although it could sometimes be a rather abrasive working relationship.
Eventually I was made editor of the Judge Dredd Megazine and Sonic: The Comic whilst still assisting David on 2000 AD. Budget cuts meant that Sonic went all-reprint, while the Megazine went half reprint. That was kind of depressing. It's hard to make your mark on a title when your job basically involves digging out reprints of funny animal stories. Still, I did start reprinting material which I thought was more appropriate for the Megazine<?b>, such as [b]Strontium Dog: Journey Into Hell, which was believed lost until I stumbled across the old films behind a filing cabinet. That went down well with the readers.
Eventually David decided it was time to move on, and I got bumped up to editor of 2000 AD. By one of those curious cosmic coincidences, the week I became editor was the week that Rebellion finally finished two years of negotiations to buy 2000 AD from Egmont. It was also a relaunch week, featuring a new logo for 2000 AD. I was keen to build bridges with some of the creators who had become alienated by Egmont, so it was good to have a fresh start.
NRAMA: 2000 AD can still be something of a mystery for American comic readers, and since you had the job as editor, you’re qualified to answer this one – who is Tharg?
AD: Tharg is the Supreme Editor of 2000 AD, an alien from Betelgeuse who
came to Earth to bestow the gift of Thrill-power upon us. Which was, y'know, nice of him. We are merely his droids.
Why are you backing away slowly... ?
NRAMA: No real reason...so how long were you under Tharg’s thrall?
AD: Only 18 months, after being the assistant editor for about two and a half years.
NRAMA: Of your 18 months, what do you consider your highlights?
AD: Discovering Mike Carey, Frazer Irving and Jock. Bringing back the old-school logo, and just getting 2000 AD back on track, giving it the classic vibe.
NRAMA: The lowlights?
AD: A few sub-standard stories which I shouldn't have let pass. Mentioning no names. Also, the transition from Egmont to Rebellion was pretty stressful, as Rebellion clearly didn't know the first thing about publishing. I don't think they ever really understood how close the whole thing came to grinding to a halt during the changeover period.
NRAMA: Any dirty secrets that you can reveal now, a little way from Tharg’s reach?
[b]AD<?b>: I'm not sure I pulled any, although I'm sure someone will pop up and remind me of something horrible I did. But to be honest, I'd already seen how much ill-feeling had been generated by creators being screwed around by publishers, so I usually just tried to be straight with people. Sometimes I was a bit too honest – it took me a while to learn the subtle art of diplomacy.
And there aren't any bodies buried. We incinerated them.
NRAMA: What was your motivation to move from one of the top positions in the UK comics’ scene to a writer?
AD: I never really wanted to be an editor, simple as that. I had just geared myself up to start bombarding 2000 AD with story submissions when - as luck would have it - I got the assistant editor's job. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn how comics work from the inside, which is invaluable experience for a writer. But I never intended to make a career out of it.
After 18 months in the editor's chair, I felt like I'd done as much as I could with 2000 AD. The editorial budget was just as tight as it had been at Egmont, with ownership issues and contractual constraints making it almost impossible to win back creators who has been lured away by the American publishers. It was like I hit a brick wall, and I became frustrated that I couldn't make the comic any better than it was. There were still one or two scripts coming in where I felt, "I could do better than this." Rather than just sit there and whine about it, I thought I should put my money where my mouth is. So I did.
The thing that gave me the confidence to make the jump was Lenny Zero. I had written this unpaid one-off story for the Megazine which was very well received by the readers. It was only lack of confidence which had prevented me from pitching stories years ago, so it was a big confidence boost, and gave me the courage to write full-time.
NRAMA: Alright – you and Lenny Zero have a legacy of sorts at 2000 AD, so let’s get into it – first though, for us Yanks, who is Lenny Zero?
AD: Lenny Zero is a former undercover Judge in Mega-City One who went bad. He fell in love - which is illegal for Judges, whose only love should be the Law - and when his cover was blown, he agreed to betray Justice Department in order to save his girlfriend's life. But then he discovered that his lover was in fact a member of the Special Judicial Squad - the Judges who investigate the Judges. He'd been set up, and threw it all away for nothing.
NRAMA: Judging from the account on your <a href="http://www.andydiggle.com" target="_blank"> website</a>, you didn’t have a smooth ride with Lenny at 2000 AD. Given that you’ve got a sizable amount of American work coming up, is it something you’re still set on pursuing?
AD: Oh yes - Lenny is now freelance criminal in Mega-City One, a caper hero. We were just about to start work on a new series entitled "Zero's 7", in which Lenny puts together a gang of oddball specialists to steal half a billion credits from a Justice Department convoy. After that, I hope to do a series set inside an iso-block - Escape From Alcatraz in Mega-City One. But Jock and I have had to put it on hold while we develop a new series for Vertigo. We're both very fond of old Lenny, and we'd like to return to him eventually.
NRAMA: We’re pretty familiar with American creator involvement and control of characters they create, but how does it work in the UK? Do you have any stake in Lenny, or say in what happens to him while you’re not around?
AD: Matt Smith, the editor of 2000 AD, has been very accommodating with
our wishes for the direction we'd like to take Lenny in. The "undercover cop gone bad" angle has a very short shelf-life, so we want to put that behind us now and move into large-scale caper-movie territory, albeit with a healthy dose of Mega-City madness and vast scale. Matt seems happy for us to return to the character when we're able - he knows it'd be bad form to put another team on the series in the meantime.
NRAMA: So, Lenny’s on hold while you’re working for Vertigo. The imprint has long had a conduit to UK creators – how did your entry work out?
AD: Garth Ennis mentioned that Will Dennis at Vertigo had apparently enjoyed the early Lenny Zero stuff, and a piece of information like that is gold dust. So I got in touch with Will, and he suggested I pitch for a Lady Constantine mini-series. So I pitched, along with a
few other writers - I've no idea who - and I ended up getting the gig.
The whole thing went very smoothly, and Will has been a real pleasure to work with. He's this very laid-back, easygoing dude, but still completely switched-on and businesslike. Plus he gives good editorial feedback. He and the Powers That Be at Vertigo were sufficiently pleased with Lady Constantine that they've invited me to revamp a couple of other titles. Watch this space.
NRAMA: Fair enough. Back to Johanna Constantine for a moment – what about her appeals to you?
AD: I think Johanna Constantine is a character with a lot of untapped potential. She was introduced by Neil Gaiman as a supporting character in Sandman. Although she only appeared in a couple of issues, there were various references and allusions which suggested a rich and interesting backstory. Peter Hogan used her briefly in The Dreaming, where we got to see her later in life. There were just these glimpses of her at various stages in her long and exotic career, so it was great fun for me 'joining the dots', filling in these huge gaps and fleshing out her life story.
She's a great character. Eighteenth-century Europe was this incredibly sexist, male-dominated society, and Johanna must have been an incredibly tough, intelligent, resourceful woman to become a major player in such a man's world. She's every inch the Constantine - someone who knows that a little magical knowledge can be a dangerous thing, and appreciates the value of a good bluff. But unlike John Constantine, Johanna has a craving for wealth and power. The question is, what is she willing to sacrifice to attain it... ?
NRAMA: SO where does the miniseries pick up in regards to her life and what’s already been shown?
AD: Johanna has fallen on hard times at the start of the series. Respected as a woman of exceptional wit and resourcefulness, she is hired by the Interventionist Branch of the British Secret Service to track down a mysterious Box which, if opened, would destroy the world. The attainment of wealth and power are her primary motivations, but as she begins to suspect the true nature of the Box, she develops her own agenda...
To say too much more would be to spoil the surprises in store, but it's an entertaining mix of character, plot, action and horror. I've hidden a few sly references to old Sandman, Hellblazer and Swamp Thing continuity in there, but in such a way that it doesn't matter if you've never read any of that stuff before. It's a completely self-contained series which doesn't require any prior knowledge. That being said, Goran Sudzuka has kindly agreed to donate a page of original artwork to one reader who successfully spots all these hidden references. Check out <a href="http://www.andydiggle.com" target="_blank">www.andydiggle.com</a> for more details, fun fans...
NRAMA: Moving to some of your other work, you’re co-writing Judge Dredd/Aliens in 2000 AD. What was your response when John Wagner asked you to help him out on the story?
AD: Stunned amazement. Then pride. Then fear. I mean, it's John Wagner. This guy is one of the all-time greats. It's daunting even trying to match up to his work.
NRAMA: What’s the working dynamic like between you?
AD: I spent a couple of days over at John's place last year, and we just threw ideas around. Or rather, I threw ideas at John, and he threw most of them away and just noted down the stuff he liked the sound of. Then we sifted and assembled the material we wanted into a rough outline. As far as script-writing is concerned, he'll write a few episodes, then I write a few - and then we comment on and re-write each other's stuff, so it blends together. We live hundreds of miles apart, so it's pretty much all done by email.
NRAMA: What’s been the best part of the experience so far?
AD: Some of it I've found quite tough. John has this incredible aptitude for juggling multiple characters in a very short space. That's tricky, but I'm learning a lot by working with him. For me the most enjoyable part is the writing the action sequences. I just love choreographing an exciting set-piece, often with very little dialogue. The combination of Mega-City madness with lethal, acid-spurting aliens is a recipe for fun. Incredibly violent fun, but fun nonetheless.
NRAMA: Speaking of Dredd, there’s long been a discussion/debat about his popularity in the States – he’s never really caught on here as he has in the UK, despite the location of Mega-City One. Any thoughts about this? Is it something about the character or the audience?
AD: You could probably write a whole essay on this question, but I think it comes down to cynicism. Judge Dredd is an incredibly cynical series, largely because John Wagner is a very cynical person. American comics tend to be much more bright and optimistic. Naive, even. The British sense of humor is much darker, more ironic. Morally ambiguous. American readers don't seem to be big on moral ambiguity, they seem to prefer things to be simple and clear-cut. They don't seem to realize that Dredd isn't always meant to be taken seriously. Sometimes it's serious, sure, but sometimes it's out-and-out parody. Sometimes Dredd's the hero, sometimes the villain, sometimes he's barely a supporting character. Mega-City One itself is the real star of the series.
Like all good science fiction, Judge Dredd isn't really about the future, it's about the present. Mega-City One a place where the population are sedated by mindless game-shows and distracted by stupid pop-culture crazes, literally walled-off from the rest of the world, whilst in the background they're ruled by a quasi-fascist police force who can arrest you without charge or recourse to legal counsel. Sounds improbable? Take a look out the window, kids. Two words: "Guantanamo Bay."
NRAMA: Given your take on Dredd and American popular culture, are you reflecting any of this in Snow/Tiger, which is also coming out in 2000 AD? The American agent, Tiger, is little more than a caveman with a gun, while Snow is rather refined…
AD: Heh.
First off, Snow/Tiger isn't meant to be some pompous or pretentious treatise on the nature of East-West relations or the ethics of the war on terrorism. It's an action thriller, a good old fashioned adventure story, pure and simple. That being said, there is some interesting dramatic friction which arises from putting a hawk and a dove into this kind of situation, and watching the sparks fly.
The truth is, I have as much respect for Tiger's point of view as Snow's. I'm certainly not a pacifist. Sometimes aggression must be countered with aggression, no question. But at the same time, it's vital that we examine the hidden agendas which lie behind pious political pronouncements advocating war against "evil". In the end, it usually comes down to oil. Sure, Iraq is a brutal dictatorship – but so is Saudi Arabia, which is a close ally of America. It's exactly these kind of double-standards and bare-faced hypocrisy which drive the Muslim world nuts, while bemused and well-meaning American citizens wonder why half the world hates them.
At the same time, there's no point trying to reason with the kind of murderous psychopath who'd fly a plane into a building, so what can you do but fight them? Unfortunately, if you're not careful it's like trying to fight fire with gasoline, inflaming the situation even further and giving rise to yet more terrorism. Look no further than the Israel/Palestine situation.
I guess I'm saying that no form of absolutism or extremism has all the answers. You need a balanced approach in all things. Carrot and stick, hawk and dove. There's nothing more dangerous than someone who knows they're right, be it Osama Bin Laden or Donald Rumsfeld.
NRAMA: Back to Snow/Tiger, or Osama and Donald if you want to go there, why does this kind fo buddy story work so well, in your opinion?
AD: All drama comes from conflict. It's just a great dynamic. Remember that episode of the Simpsons where Itchy and Scratchy got along fine and never fought? Dull as ditchwater, right? There you go.
NRAMA: So what kind of threat do you put two agents such as Snow and Tiger up against?
AD: Ah, now that would be telling. Let's just say that not all terrorists are Islamic extremists.
NRAMA: What about your upcoming projects at Vertigo? Any details you can spill?
AD: Not much more than to say I have two Vertigo books in active development at the moment. One is a mini-series, the other an ongoing series, and both are revamps of old DC characters. My old Lenny Zero compadre Jock is illustrating the ongoing series. It's part heist caper, part conspiracy thriller. A snappy concept with a lot of mainstream crossover potential. Action with brains.
As for the other project, we haven't finalized the artist yet, although I'm lobbying hard for Frazer Irving. Needless to say, I'm very, very excited about both of these books. There's a new energy at Vertigo just lately, and I feel like I'm riding the crest of that wave.
NRAMA: Speaking of Frazier, he’s slated for an Authority special. What about you? You’re a Brit? A lot of what you said about Dredd seems to apply to them as well – any thoughts about taking a crack at it?
AD: Sure, I wouldn't mind taking a crack at it, who wouldn't? But there are plenty of other characters I'd like to tackle too, and that's before we even get into the creator-owned stuff I'm quietly developing in the background.
NRAMA: So you’re not chomping at the bit to tackle the DCU en masse?
AD: Not really. Personally, I tend to find superheroes just a little bit cheesy. Most of them seem to be trapped in this permanent retro-limbo, with insultingly implausible 'origins' for their powers and wardrobes like something out of a gay acrobat's nightmare. I mean, don't you think Superman looks better in a suit and tie? I do.
I'd like to create a whole new superhero universe - one where there are logically consistent reasons for the existence of superpowers, and the characters wear clothes that wouldn't get them laughed out of ballet school. Maybe one day. Mostly I'm interested in doing genre work which is accessible to the average guy in the street - crime, sci-fi, action thrillers, westerns. That being said, if someone offered me the chance to write Batman, or Captain America, or Iron Man, or The Punisher, or even Maxine Manchester, I'd leap at the chance. There's a lot of fun to be had there.
It seems to me there's been a certain regrettable polarization in comics. At the worst extreme you have entertaining but brainless adventure pap, which sells by the metric shitload but is sneered at by the cogniscenti. At the opposite worst extreme you have self-indulgent indie posturing which might win some awards but only sells six copies. Personally, I'm interested in bridging this gap. I want to do stuff that's both smart *and* popular, entertaining *and* provocative. Guys like Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis and Warren Ellis have proved this can be done, and that there's a market for it. At the same time, I'm interested in developing my own voice, not parroting theirs.
NRAMA: Interesting that you selected English writers. Do you think there are inherent differences in the approach that writers from the UK take compared to their American counterparts?
AD: I think what I said earlier about cynicism probably applies in very general terms to British writers tackling American comics. They are more cynical, questioning, don't take as much for granted. They challenge basic assumptions in a way which allows them to re-invent or deconstruct American comics, especially superheroes. Superheroes aren't prevalent in British comics they way they are in America – most British adventure comics are, or were, based around war and sci-fi - so maybe British writers view superheroes without the same preconceptions as their American counterparts.
Or maybe they just like taking the piss, I dunno.
NRAMA: Personaly speaking, where is all this headed fro you? Along with comics, you’ve got credits in screenwriting and videogame writing – are comics a means to an end, or a point at which you’d like to stay for as long as possible?
AD: I want to work in as many media as possible, although comics are my first love and I intend always to keep writing them. Comics don't exist in isolation - in today's world it's all about licensing. I want to create my own characters which exist simultaneously in comics, film, TV, games, merchandising and new media which haven't even been invented yet.
And then I'll buy an island.
[i]For more information, sneak previews, and updates on projects, check Diggle’s website at <a href="http://www.andydiggle.com" target="_blank">www.andydiggle.com</a>
Newsarama caught up with Diggle to talk things past, present, and yet to come, with a healthy dose of meanderings about the difference between the UK and American comics scene.
Newsarama: Of course, we can’t start the interview without the traditional chestnut – how did all of this start?
Andy Diggle: Basically, I grew up reading British boys' adventure comics like Warlord, Battle and Commando Picture Library. I loved all that war stuff - movies like Kelly's Heroes, Murphy's War, Where Eagles Dare. Then I discovered 2000 AD when I was 10 years old, and it totally blew me away. This was the summer of 1981, a time that is now regarded as being part of the 'golden age' of 2000 AD. The first few issues I picked up featured work by John Wagner, Alan Grant, Pat Mills, Dave Gibbons, Brian Bolland, Carlos Ezquerra, Colin Wilson, Kevin O'Neill - a veritable Who's Who of talent. Just incredible, mind-blowing, hugely entertaining stuff, with a streak of weird, dark imagination and very black humor that was unlike anything else out there. From that point on I was hooked.
Then when I was 12, I picked up my first issue of Warrior, and that took it to the next level. It was issue 11, featuring Alan Moore and David Lloyd on V For Vendetta, Alan Moore and Alan Davis on Marvelman - before they had to change the name to Miracleman, Steve Moore and Steve Dillon on Axel Pressbutton, plus Steve Parkhouse, John Bolton. Heady stuff. Warrior and 2000 AD effectively re-wired my brain, and set the standard which I'm now striving to reach in my own work.
NRAMA: When did you find American comics?
AD: I didn't even look at American comics until I picked up my first copy of Swamp Thing in 1986 - completely unaware that it was written by Alan Moore. It was the Crisis crossover issue, very freaky, and that got me scurrying off to Forbidden Planet in search of back issues.
Years later I wrote my Media Studies degree dissertation on 'Comics Form', despite the tutor claiming that there was, quote, "nothing to say" about comics. Two years after I graduated, the same tutor asked me back to teach a new course on comics. So that was fun, getting paid to stand in front of a bunch of people my own age and blabber about comic books. I mean, that's what I do for fun anyway - albeit usually down the pub.
Years later, back in London, I started up my own webzine called Fusion, for which I interviewed various writers and artists like Alan Moore, William Gibson, Alan Grant and Mike Mignola. Eventually I heard through a friend-of-a-friend that Egmont were looking for an editorial assistant for 2000 AD. I applied for the job, I got it.
NRAMA: Take us through, a little, of your time at 2000 AD - how did you start off and how did you end up before you left?
[b]AD<?b>: I started off as the editorial assistant to David Bishop, then editor of 2000 AD. It was pretty menial work at first. I had no experience in publishing, and there was no kind of formal training whatsoever – a far cry from the previous generations of editors who had been trained as they came up through DC Thompson and the like - so I asked lots of questions and kept my eyes open. It was immediately clear that the publishers had absolutely no idea what they were doing with 2000 AD.
NRAMA: Owitch.
AD: Well, we were confronted with these asinine proclamations from on high, such as the directive that all characters on the cover had to be facing from left to right. Or was it right to left? I can't even remember. When I asked why, the publisher told me it was because he'd picked it up at some marketing seminar. He couldn't even give me a reason. Arsehole.
At the same time, they were bleeding 2000 AD dry, cutting the editorial budget year on year, not giving it decent marketing support. So editorial and management were generally at loggerheads. And to make matters worse, David Bishop and I were often at loggerheads too. I didn't know much about publishing, but I knew what 2000 AD was supposed to be, and this wasn't it. We generally had to agree to differ, although it could sometimes be a rather abrasive working relationship.
Eventually I was made editor of the Judge Dredd Megazine and Sonic: The Comic whilst still assisting David on 2000 AD. Budget cuts meant that Sonic went all-reprint, while the Megazine went half reprint. That was kind of depressing. It's hard to make your mark on a title when your job basically involves digging out reprints of funny animal stories. Still, I did start reprinting material which I thought was more appropriate for the Megazine<?b>, such as [b]Strontium Dog: Journey Into Hell, which was believed lost until I stumbled across the old films behind a filing cabinet. That went down well with the readers.
Eventually David decided it was time to move on, and I got bumped up to editor of 2000 AD. By one of those curious cosmic coincidences, the week I became editor was the week that Rebellion finally finished two years of negotiations to buy 2000 AD from Egmont. It was also a relaunch week, featuring a new logo for 2000 AD. I was keen to build bridges with some of the creators who had become alienated by Egmont, so it was good to have a fresh start.
NRAMA: 2000 AD can still be something of a mystery for American comic readers, and since you had the job as editor, you’re qualified to answer this one – who is Tharg?
AD: Tharg is the Supreme Editor of 2000 AD, an alien from Betelgeuse who
came to Earth to bestow the gift of Thrill-power upon us. Which was, y'know, nice of him. We are merely his droids.
Why are you backing away slowly... ?
NRAMA: No real reason...so how long were you under Tharg’s thrall?
AD: Only 18 months, after being the assistant editor for about two and a half years.
NRAMA: Of your 18 months, what do you consider your highlights?
AD: Discovering Mike Carey, Frazer Irving and Jock. Bringing back the old-school logo, and just getting 2000 AD back on track, giving it the classic vibe.
NRAMA: The lowlights?
AD: A few sub-standard stories which I shouldn't have let pass. Mentioning no names. Also, the transition from Egmont to Rebellion was pretty stressful, as Rebellion clearly didn't know the first thing about publishing. I don't think they ever really understood how close the whole thing came to grinding to a halt during the changeover period.
NRAMA: Any dirty secrets that you can reveal now, a little way from Tharg’s reach?
[b]AD<?b>: I'm not sure I pulled any, although I'm sure someone will pop up and remind me of something horrible I did. But to be honest, I'd already seen how much ill-feeling had been generated by creators being screwed around by publishers, so I usually just tried to be straight with people. Sometimes I was a bit too honest – it took me a while to learn the subtle art of diplomacy.
And there aren't any bodies buried. We incinerated them.
NRAMA: What was your motivation to move from one of the top positions in the UK comics’ scene to a writer?
AD: I never really wanted to be an editor, simple as that. I had just geared myself up to start bombarding 2000 AD with story submissions when - as luck would have it - I got the assistant editor's job. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn how comics work from the inside, which is invaluable experience for a writer. But I never intended to make a career out of it.
After 18 months in the editor's chair, I felt like I'd done as much as I could with 2000 AD. The editorial budget was just as tight as it had been at Egmont, with ownership issues and contractual constraints making it almost impossible to win back creators who has been lured away by the American publishers. It was like I hit a brick wall, and I became frustrated that I couldn't make the comic any better than it was. There were still one or two scripts coming in where I felt, "I could do better than this." Rather than just sit there and whine about it, I thought I should put my money where my mouth is. So I did.
The thing that gave me the confidence to make the jump was Lenny Zero. I had written this unpaid one-off story for the Megazine which was very well received by the readers. It was only lack of confidence which had prevented me from pitching stories years ago, so it was a big confidence boost, and gave me the courage to write full-time.
NRAMA: Alright – you and Lenny Zero have a legacy of sorts at 2000 AD, so let’s get into it – first though, for us Yanks, who is Lenny Zero?
AD: Lenny Zero is a former undercover Judge in Mega-City One who went bad. He fell in love - which is illegal for Judges, whose only love should be the Law - and when his cover was blown, he agreed to betray Justice Department in order to save his girlfriend's life. But then he discovered that his lover was in fact a member of the Special Judicial Squad - the Judges who investigate the Judges. He'd been set up, and threw it all away for nothing.
NRAMA: Judging from the account on your <a href="http://www.andydiggle.com" target="_blank"> website</a>, you didn’t have a smooth ride with Lenny at 2000 AD. Given that you’ve got a sizable amount of American work coming up, is it something you’re still set on pursuing?
AD: Oh yes - Lenny is now freelance criminal in Mega-City One, a caper hero. We were just about to start work on a new series entitled "Zero's 7", in which Lenny puts together a gang of oddball specialists to steal half a billion credits from a Justice Department convoy. After that, I hope to do a series set inside an iso-block - Escape From Alcatraz in Mega-City One. But Jock and I have had to put it on hold while we develop a new series for Vertigo. We're both very fond of old Lenny, and we'd like to return to him eventually.
NRAMA: We’re pretty familiar with American creator involvement and control of characters they create, but how does it work in the UK? Do you have any stake in Lenny, or say in what happens to him while you’re not around?
AD: Matt Smith, the editor of 2000 AD, has been very accommodating with
our wishes for the direction we'd like to take Lenny in. The "undercover cop gone bad" angle has a very short shelf-life, so we want to put that behind us now and move into large-scale caper-movie territory, albeit with a healthy dose of Mega-City madness and vast scale. Matt seems happy for us to return to the character when we're able - he knows it'd be bad form to put another team on the series in the meantime.
NRAMA: So, Lenny’s on hold while you’re working for Vertigo. The imprint has long had a conduit to UK creators – how did your entry work out?
AD: Garth Ennis mentioned that Will Dennis at Vertigo had apparently enjoyed the early Lenny Zero stuff, and a piece of information like that is gold dust. So I got in touch with Will, and he suggested I pitch for a Lady Constantine mini-series. So I pitched, along with a
few other writers - I've no idea who - and I ended up getting the gig.
The whole thing went very smoothly, and Will has been a real pleasure to work with. He's this very laid-back, easygoing dude, but still completely switched-on and businesslike. Plus he gives good editorial feedback. He and the Powers That Be at Vertigo were sufficiently pleased with Lady Constantine that they've invited me to revamp a couple of other titles. Watch this space.
NRAMA: Fair enough. Back to Johanna Constantine for a moment – what about her appeals to you?
AD: I think Johanna Constantine is a character with a lot of untapped potential. She was introduced by Neil Gaiman as a supporting character in Sandman. Although she only appeared in a couple of issues, there were various references and allusions which suggested a rich and interesting backstory. Peter Hogan used her briefly in The Dreaming, where we got to see her later in life. There were just these glimpses of her at various stages in her long and exotic career, so it was great fun for me 'joining the dots', filling in these huge gaps and fleshing out her life story.
She's a great character. Eighteenth-century Europe was this incredibly sexist, male-dominated society, and Johanna must have been an incredibly tough, intelligent, resourceful woman to become a major player in such a man's world. She's every inch the Constantine - someone who knows that a little magical knowledge can be a dangerous thing, and appreciates the value of a good bluff. But unlike John Constantine, Johanna has a craving for wealth and power. The question is, what is she willing to sacrifice to attain it... ?
NRAMA: SO where does the miniseries pick up in regards to her life and what’s already been shown?
AD: Johanna has fallen on hard times at the start of the series. Respected as a woman of exceptional wit and resourcefulness, she is hired by the Interventionist Branch of the British Secret Service to track down a mysterious Box which, if opened, would destroy the world. The attainment of wealth and power are her primary motivations, but as she begins to suspect the true nature of the Box, she develops her own agenda...
To say too much more would be to spoil the surprises in store, but it's an entertaining mix of character, plot, action and horror. I've hidden a few sly references to old Sandman, Hellblazer and Swamp Thing continuity in there, but in such a way that it doesn't matter if you've never read any of that stuff before. It's a completely self-contained series which doesn't require any prior knowledge. That being said, Goran Sudzuka has kindly agreed to donate a page of original artwork to one reader who successfully spots all these hidden references. Check out <a href="http://www.andydiggle.com" target="_blank">www.andydiggle.com</a> for more details, fun fans...
NRAMA: Moving to some of your other work, you’re co-writing Judge Dredd/Aliens in 2000 AD. What was your response when John Wagner asked you to help him out on the story?
AD: Stunned amazement. Then pride. Then fear. I mean, it's John Wagner. This guy is one of the all-time greats. It's daunting even trying to match up to his work.
NRAMA: What’s the working dynamic like between you?
AD: I spent a couple of days over at John's place last year, and we just threw ideas around. Or rather, I threw ideas at John, and he threw most of them away and just noted down the stuff he liked the sound of. Then we sifted and assembled the material we wanted into a rough outline. As far as script-writing is concerned, he'll write a few episodes, then I write a few - and then we comment on and re-write each other's stuff, so it blends together. We live hundreds of miles apart, so it's pretty much all done by email.
NRAMA: What’s been the best part of the experience so far?
AD: Some of it I've found quite tough. John has this incredible aptitude for juggling multiple characters in a very short space. That's tricky, but I'm learning a lot by working with him. For me the most enjoyable part is the writing the action sequences. I just love choreographing an exciting set-piece, often with very little dialogue. The combination of Mega-City madness with lethal, acid-spurting aliens is a recipe for fun. Incredibly violent fun, but fun nonetheless.
NRAMA: Speaking of Dredd, there’s long been a discussion/debat about his popularity in the States – he’s never really caught on here as he has in the UK, despite the location of Mega-City One. Any thoughts about this? Is it something about the character or the audience?
AD: You could probably write a whole essay on this question, but I think it comes down to cynicism. Judge Dredd is an incredibly cynical series, largely because John Wagner is a very cynical person. American comics tend to be much more bright and optimistic. Naive, even. The British sense of humor is much darker, more ironic. Morally ambiguous. American readers don't seem to be big on moral ambiguity, they seem to prefer things to be simple and clear-cut. They don't seem to realize that Dredd isn't always meant to be taken seriously. Sometimes it's serious, sure, but sometimes it's out-and-out parody. Sometimes Dredd's the hero, sometimes the villain, sometimes he's barely a supporting character. Mega-City One itself is the real star of the series.
Like all good science fiction, Judge Dredd isn't really about the future, it's about the present. Mega-City One a place where the population are sedated by mindless game-shows and distracted by stupid pop-culture crazes, literally walled-off from the rest of the world, whilst in the background they're ruled by a quasi-fascist police force who can arrest you without charge or recourse to legal counsel. Sounds improbable? Take a look out the window, kids. Two words: "Guantanamo Bay."
NRAMA: Given your take on Dredd and American popular culture, are you reflecting any of this in Snow/Tiger, which is also coming out in 2000 AD? The American agent, Tiger, is little more than a caveman with a gun, while Snow is rather refined…
AD: Heh.
First off, Snow/Tiger isn't meant to be some pompous or pretentious treatise on the nature of East-West relations or the ethics of the war on terrorism. It's an action thriller, a good old fashioned adventure story, pure and simple. That being said, there is some interesting dramatic friction which arises from putting a hawk and a dove into this kind of situation, and watching the sparks fly.
The truth is, I have as much respect for Tiger's point of view as Snow's. I'm certainly not a pacifist. Sometimes aggression must be countered with aggression, no question. But at the same time, it's vital that we examine the hidden agendas which lie behind pious political pronouncements advocating war against "evil". In the end, it usually comes down to oil. Sure, Iraq is a brutal dictatorship – but so is Saudi Arabia, which is a close ally of America. It's exactly these kind of double-standards and bare-faced hypocrisy which drive the Muslim world nuts, while bemused and well-meaning American citizens wonder why half the world hates them.
At the same time, there's no point trying to reason with the kind of murderous psychopath who'd fly a plane into a building, so what can you do but fight them? Unfortunately, if you're not careful it's like trying to fight fire with gasoline, inflaming the situation even further and giving rise to yet more terrorism. Look no further than the Israel/Palestine situation.
I guess I'm saying that no form of absolutism or extremism has all the answers. You need a balanced approach in all things. Carrot and stick, hawk and dove. There's nothing more dangerous than someone who knows they're right, be it Osama Bin Laden or Donald Rumsfeld.
NRAMA: Back to Snow/Tiger, or Osama and Donald if you want to go there, why does this kind fo buddy story work so well, in your opinion?
AD: All drama comes from conflict. It's just a great dynamic. Remember that episode of the Simpsons where Itchy and Scratchy got along fine and never fought? Dull as ditchwater, right? There you go.
NRAMA: So what kind of threat do you put two agents such as Snow and Tiger up against?
AD: Ah, now that would be telling. Let's just say that not all terrorists are Islamic extremists.
NRAMA: What about your upcoming projects at Vertigo? Any details you can spill?
AD: Not much more than to say I have two Vertigo books in active development at the moment. One is a mini-series, the other an ongoing series, and both are revamps of old DC characters. My old Lenny Zero compadre Jock is illustrating the ongoing series. It's part heist caper, part conspiracy thriller. A snappy concept with a lot of mainstream crossover potential. Action with brains.
As for the other project, we haven't finalized the artist yet, although I'm lobbying hard for Frazer Irving. Needless to say, I'm very, very excited about both of these books. There's a new energy at Vertigo just lately, and I feel like I'm riding the crest of that wave.
NRAMA: Speaking of Frazier, he’s slated for an Authority special. What about you? You’re a Brit? A lot of what you said about Dredd seems to apply to them as well – any thoughts about taking a crack at it?
AD: Sure, I wouldn't mind taking a crack at it, who wouldn't? But there are plenty of other characters I'd like to tackle too, and that's before we even get into the creator-owned stuff I'm quietly developing in the background.
NRAMA: So you’re not chomping at the bit to tackle the DCU en masse?
AD: Not really. Personally, I tend to find superheroes just a little bit cheesy. Most of them seem to be trapped in this permanent retro-limbo, with insultingly implausible 'origins' for their powers and wardrobes like something out of a gay acrobat's nightmare. I mean, don't you think Superman looks better in a suit and tie? I do.
I'd like to create a whole new superhero universe - one where there are logically consistent reasons for the existence of superpowers, and the characters wear clothes that wouldn't get them laughed out of ballet school. Maybe one day. Mostly I'm interested in doing genre work which is accessible to the average guy in the street - crime, sci-fi, action thrillers, westerns. That being said, if someone offered me the chance to write Batman, or Captain America, or Iron Man, or The Punisher, or even Maxine Manchester, I'd leap at the chance. There's a lot of fun to be had there.
It seems to me there's been a certain regrettable polarization in comics. At the worst extreme you have entertaining but brainless adventure pap, which sells by the metric shitload but is sneered at by the cogniscenti. At the opposite worst extreme you have self-indulgent indie posturing which might win some awards but only sells six copies. Personally, I'm interested in bridging this gap. I want to do stuff that's both smart *and* popular, entertaining *and* provocative. Guys like Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis and Warren Ellis have proved this can be done, and that there's a market for it. At the same time, I'm interested in developing my own voice, not parroting theirs.
NRAMA: Interesting that you selected English writers. Do you think there are inherent differences in the approach that writers from the UK take compared to their American counterparts?
AD: I think what I said earlier about cynicism probably applies in very general terms to British writers tackling American comics. They are more cynical, questioning, don't take as much for granted. They challenge basic assumptions in a way which allows them to re-invent or deconstruct American comics, especially superheroes. Superheroes aren't prevalent in British comics they way they are in America – most British adventure comics are, or were, based around war and sci-fi - so maybe British writers view superheroes without the same preconceptions as their American counterparts.
Or maybe they just like taking the piss, I dunno.
NRAMA: Personaly speaking, where is all this headed fro you? Along with comics, you’ve got credits in screenwriting and videogame writing – are comics a means to an end, or a point at which you’d like to stay for as long as possible?
AD: I want to work in as many media as possible, although comics are my first love and I intend always to keep writing them. Comics don't exist in isolation - in today's world it's all about licensing. I want to create my own characters which exist simultaneously in comics, film, TV, games, merchandising and new media which haven't even been invented yet.
And then I'll buy an island.
[i]For more information, sneak previews, and updates on projects, check Diggle’s website at <a href="http://www.andydiggle.com" target="_blank">www.andydiggle.com</a>