MattBrady
10-29-2002, 11:17 AM
<img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/My_Empire.jpg" width="170" height="146" align="right">His more recent graphic novels have focused on the artistic heritage of China and the trenches of World War I, but this time out, writer/artist Scott Mills is telling a story about something a little closer to home – himself. In February, Mills will join the growing number of comic creators and dabble in an autobiographical work, My Own Little Empire from AdHouse books.
Set around the time he graduated form high school, Mills explained that the work is primarily a comedy – a manner in which many twenty and thirtysomethings see their own teen years. Set during the ‘80s, the graphic novel will show Mills and his adventures as he takes in a Morrissey concert, experiment with drugs, and yearn for a girl.
“So, it's primarily a comedy, with a little bit of romance and drama,” Mills said. “Most all of the events in the book are true, at least to an extent. For example, I did go to a disappointing Morrissey concert way back when. Naturally, I've embellished on everything to make a more interesting story.”
While comfortable enough to tell his own stories, Mills wasn’t 100% ready to name himself in the stories. As a result, the stories in My Own Little Empire star “Joe” rather than “Scott.”
“Joe is Joe because, well...because!” Mills said. “Actually, he grew out of an older character I used to work with named Joe Box who was sort of me, but not entirely me. Joe has a lot of my characteristics, internal and otherwise, but he's a little more extreme. A little more, I don't know, Woody Allen.”
The stories in the 128 page graphic novel are admittedly more personal than Mills’ other recent works, and writing them, the creator said, does call for a certain amount of vulnerability and a willingness to open one’s personal side to examination and critique. That said, the episodes Mills chose in My Own Little Empire (“camping out for Morrissey tickets in a bad neighborhood, dropping acid for the first time, breaking into an abandoned hospital”) were ones that he felt comfortable enough sharing – and ones that will strike a chord with readers.
“As I get more comfortable with my own creative process, I feel more comfortable tackling
more personal topics,” Mills said. “I would hope that people read this book, people who've read my other work, because they enjoy my comics. They enjoy my work and want to see me tackle a more humorous arena. And, I'm sure people will see a little bit of themselves in all of these characters. Actually I don't think my life has been any more or less interesting than anyone else's. But I've tried to illustrate the fun and interesting stuff and share that with people. People usually have more in common with one another than they think.
”In reality, a lot of these events happened over a longer period of time. For the sake of the story I brought things together into a closer timeframe, around the time of graduation, to give it more weight and a sense of transition in the characters' lives.”
Mills hopes that My Own Little Empire will be the first of many autobiographical stories published in comics format. Already, he has plans for a larger work called Decades. “It’s named after the old Joy Division song,” Mills said. “In it, we get to see the characters from Empire through various periods of their lives. It'll cover their childhood, teen years, even old age. The latter being purely fictional of course.”
The move to AdHouse Books from Top Shelf (which has published Mills’ more recent works Big Clay Pot and Trenches) was made for a simple reason, according to Mills, “Top Shelf had their hands full with my projects!”
AdHouse, as Newsarama readers will remember, is the publishing home of Joel Priddy’s Pulpatoon Pilgrimage. Mills most recent other work, Zebediah the Hillbilly Zombie Redneck Bites the Dust is being published by OddGod Comics.
Meanwhile, Mills’ next work from Top Shelf is the 306-page science fiction story, The Masterplan. “It’s about 99% complete,” Mills said. “We're just working out some plot kinks in
the final section, and double-checking spelling and such. I would imagine we'll see it in print late Spring of 2003.”
My Own Little Empire will retail for $9.95.
Set around the time he graduated form high school, Mills explained that the work is primarily a comedy – a manner in which many twenty and thirtysomethings see their own teen years. Set during the ‘80s, the graphic novel will show Mills and his adventures as he takes in a Morrissey concert, experiment with drugs, and yearn for a girl.
“So, it's primarily a comedy, with a little bit of romance and drama,” Mills said. “Most all of the events in the book are true, at least to an extent. For example, I did go to a disappointing Morrissey concert way back when. Naturally, I've embellished on everything to make a more interesting story.”
While comfortable enough to tell his own stories, Mills wasn’t 100% ready to name himself in the stories. As a result, the stories in My Own Little Empire star “Joe” rather than “Scott.”
“Joe is Joe because, well...because!” Mills said. “Actually, he grew out of an older character I used to work with named Joe Box who was sort of me, but not entirely me. Joe has a lot of my characteristics, internal and otherwise, but he's a little more extreme. A little more, I don't know, Woody Allen.”
The stories in the 128 page graphic novel are admittedly more personal than Mills’ other recent works, and writing them, the creator said, does call for a certain amount of vulnerability and a willingness to open one’s personal side to examination and critique. That said, the episodes Mills chose in My Own Little Empire (“camping out for Morrissey tickets in a bad neighborhood, dropping acid for the first time, breaking into an abandoned hospital”) were ones that he felt comfortable enough sharing – and ones that will strike a chord with readers.
“As I get more comfortable with my own creative process, I feel more comfortable tackling
more personal topics,” Mills said. “I would hope that people read this book, people who've read my other work, because they enjoy my comics. They enjoy my work and want to see me tackle a more humorous arena. And, I'm sure people will see a little bit of themselves in all of these characters. Actually I don't think my life has been any more or less interesting than anyone else's. But I've tried to illustrate the fun and interesting stuff and share that with people. People usually have more in common with one another than they think.
”In reality, a lot of these events happened over a longer period of time. For the sake of the story I brought things together into a closer timeframe, around the time of graduation, to give it more weight and a sense of transition in the characters' lives.”
Mills hopes that My Own Little Empire will be the first of many autobiographical stories published in comics format. Already, he has plans for a larger work called Decades. “It’s named after the old Joy Division song,” Mills said. “In it, we get to see the characters from Empire through various periods of their lives. It'll cover their childhood, teen years, even old age. The latter being purely fictional of course.”
The move to AdHouse Books from Top Shelf (which has published Mills’ more recent works Big Clay Pot and Trenches) was made for a simple reason, according to Mills, “Top Shelf had their hands full with my projects!”
AdHouse, as Newsarama readers will remember, is the publishing home of Joel Priddy’s Pulpatoon Pilgrimage. Mills most recent other work, Zebediah the Hillbilly Zombie Redneck Bites the Dust is being published by OddGod Comics.
Meanwhile, Mills’ next work from Top Shelf is the 306-page science fiction story, The Masterplan. “It’s about 99% complete,” Mills said. “We're just working out some plot kinks in
the final section, and double-checking spelling and such. I would imagine we'll see it in print late Spring of 2003.”
My Own Little Empire will retail for $9.95.