ROBERT KIRKMAN: SUPERNATURAL WORK MACHINE

[MattBrady]

by Steve Ekstrom

Robert Kirkman is a busy man in the comic book industry. Currently, he’s working on monthly titles Ultimate X-Men and The Irredeemable Ant-Man for Marvel Comics. He’s also working on his own monthly properties, Invincible, The Walking Dead, and his newest creator-owned project, The Astounding Wolf- Man, over at Image Comics. Five titles in one month and he’s still a relatively new father with the birth of his first born last year in April. How does he do it all? When does he sleep? Newsarama could only come to one conclusion:

Kirkman must be supernatural himself.

Fresh off his coast to coast tour in support of Free Comic Book Day earlier this month, Kirkman sat down with Newsarama to talk about the future of his newest creator-owned series from Image Comics, The Astounding Wolf-Man, as well as some of his stops along his dizzying three-day journey across the US.

Newsarama: You did a brave thing releasing a full fledged "full on fully" of a first issue on Free Comic Book Day with The Astounding Wolf-Man #1—what brought you to this decision? Are you pleased with the outcome?

Robert Kirkman: This was really Image's idea. Erik Larsen and Eric Stephenson wanted to do something special this year for free comic book day. Most people do reprints, or short previews or really short original content but nobody had ever released a full first issue of a new comic as a Free Comic Book Day offering. I'm proud to be the first.

So far, I'm pleased with the outcome, I think The Astounding Wolf-Man #1 is among my highest circulated work at the moment so there are more copies of that out there than almost anything I've written, so that's exciting. We don't yet know how well issue 2 is going to do, so we're still up in the air on how much of a success the endeavor has been but I suspect we'll do just fine. I suspect we'll see more creators and companies doing this in the years to come.

NRAMA: You've stated in a past interview that you're "mixing chocolate into your peanut butter" by blending tonal elements from Invincible and Walking Dead together--to create a super-natural super-heroic thriller in The Astounding Wolf-Man. In your opinion, what makes a successful story fire on all cylinders?

RK: Well, I have certain guesses on what works and what doesn't. If I was 100% right I'd be the most successful writer ever, and well, I'm not, so obviously I'm wrong on some accounts. For a creator-owned story, I think the most important thing is to get to the premise early and define it in a clear way so the reader can tell exactly what this book is about in as little time as possible. I see too many books where you learn more about the series in the promotion leading up to release than you do in the first issue, and that's no good at all. I try to avoid that at all costs.

In the case of The Astounding Wolf-Man in particular, I think The Walking Dead succeeds on dramatic tension and character investment and Invincible succeeds on dynamic action pieces and shocking story twists. Now, both books have all that to a certain extent but I think they both lean more towards one or the other. With The Astounding Wolf-Man, I'm trying to get all that into one series...with a werewolf superhero.

NRAMA: Do you think this style of blending genres may serve a greater purpose for the medium as a whole as the medium continues to evolve?

RK: I couldn't even begin to guess what's in store for us as this medium evolves.

NRAMA: You've stated previously that Gary Hampton is your first "wealthy" character—what's different about writing about a character with money?

RK: They're harder to relate to? The majority of readers would probably fall under the "not wealthy" category, but if you look at a television at any point during the day you'll see we're all obsessed with wealthy people. People are always interested in the lives of the rich and famous. So I'm hoping people will be interested in the life of a fake one. I've written a lot of everymen and I wanted a bit of a change of pace. I should point
out, though... that just because he starts out wealthy in the book...doesn't mean he'll stay that way.

NRAMA: Why Lycanthropy? Will there be other forms of 'were-creatures' in this series?

RK: Werewolves are cool and there aren't an awful lot of them running around in comics these days. I know there have been other comic series featuring werewolves and even series that took place in a superhero universe but there's never been a full-fledged costume-wearing Werewolf Superhero, until now.
NRAMA: Gary seems to have a fairly healthy relationship with his wife, Rebecca, and his daughter, Chloe. In the first issue, readers start to see how Gary's workaholic nature effects their home. Where did your inspiration for this internal conflict dynamic come from?

RK: I'd be lying if I said I'm not a bit of a workaholic myself... so I'm sure there's a bit of that seeping through. Telling a story is all about conflict and I wanted to heap as much conflict on my main character, Gary Hampton, as possible. He's got corporate troubles at work, family troubles at home... and oh yeah—he just became a werewolf. So he's got a lot going on.

NRAMA: As the first issue reached completion, readers were introduced to another character with fangs and glowing red eyes who wants to help Gary with controlling his "curse". Who is this guy? In your acknowledgments at the end of the issue—you insinuate that he's a vampire…

RK: The Astounding Wolf-Man takes place in a supernatural-superhero world, so I figured why wouldn't his mentor be a vampire? His name is Zechariah and he's come along to help Gary get a handle on his powers and guide him in his quest to use this curse for good--to help people. Whatever his motivation to do this actually is will be revealed at a later time.

NRAMA: How would you define Jason Howard's style? What does he bring to The Astounding Wolf-Man that makes his artwork resonate with your own writing style?

RK: Jason is the total package. I love artists who can do it all. And I don't just mean pencil, ink and color. Jason's a skilled designer on top of all this. We're going to have a lot of side characters in the book that Jason designed and they all look great. He's put together some amazing environments that really give the book a grounded feeling despite all the amazing unrealistic things occurring in the book. Jason's style is slick and energetic and he brings so much to the stories I'm writing for this book. I think we'll all be hearing a lot about Mr. Howard in the years to come.

NRAMA: Now that you've got readers hooked on your new brand of smack with your free sample—what can they expect from a "purchased dose" in The Astounding Werewolf #2 which hits in July?

RK: Things really ramp up in issue #2. Issue #2 is a better indication of what the series will actually be. I didn't have room in the first issue to really dive into the superhero aspect of the series and that really takes center stage in issue #2. You also learn who that fella with the teeth was at the end of issue 1 and the issue sets the stage for what will be coming up in the series over the next year or so. And it features a last page, so shocking, so unexpected that it will "CHANGE THE MARVEL UNIVERSE AS YOU KNOW IT FOREVER." No really.

NRAMA: What did you learn from your blitzkrieg of a tour earlier this month? Have you caught up on your sleep? That's a lot of "red-eye" flights...

RK: I worried about it much more than I really needed to. Friday night at Jim Hanley's was the toughest because I had gotten up at 4am on Friday to catch the flight to NYC. I was there all day and only got to sleep a little in my room before the thing started at 11pm. So I was exhausted. Then because my flight to Chicago the next morning was so early, I only got an hour and a half of sleep. But shockingly, I got through the Chicago signing and the Denver signing without passing out. I was able to get six hours of sleep in Denver (which felt like ten hours after the night before) so the LA signing and Berkeley signing went great. All in all, it was an awesome experience, all the stores - Jim Hanley's Universe, Graham Crackers, Mile High Comics, Golden Apple and Comic Relief - were all excellent and I made all my flights and everything went great. I had a ton of people at each place; I signed a lot of books and got to meet a lot of fans... so it was a fantastic experience. I'd love to do it every year.

NRAMA: What's your favorite part of fan interaction? Do you have any moments from your tour that stand out that you'd like to share?

RK: I love shaking hands and meeting folks. I like hearing how they got into reading the books and what they think of stuff. It's great to be able to look at a person and hear from them directly what they like or don't like. I notice that a lot of people tell me The Walking Dead and sometimes Invincible got them back into comics after they'd quit for a number of years. I hear that a lot at signings and conventions. That's a really good thing to hear. It's just good news to hear about anyone picking up the medium who hadn't read it before or who had previously quit. If I can help bring people in, no matter how small the level, that's a good thing.

NRAMA: Any plans for a tour for the rest of your books? A Walking Dead trek across the U.S. could take a long, long time...

RK: If I walked across the country I'd probably be dead by the time I finished the tour. Maybe a road trip would be neat. We'll see.

NRAMA: What do your summer convention plans look like? Are you bringing "Spawn of Kirkman" and the wife with you?

RK: Just San Diego for me, thanks. I've got to spend some time actually writing the books, y' know!

[Porcelain]

Kirkman is probaly one of the most creative writers in comics today. I enjoy all of his stuff, and i have never been let down by the walking dead or invincible.


First post!

[delawarejoel]

I liked Wolf-Man for free but not enough to pull issue #2 - and part of the problem for me was the artwork, just a little too manga / cartoony for me. Its hard to be scared of something that looks like the old John Jameson Man-Wolf...as a horror comic, Blade (the one thats been cancelled) is waaaaaaaaaay better and a shame that its not going to continue

[Xysmurf]

I agree with the 2nd poster. Wolfman was stuffed into my pull box, and there just wasn't enough to it that makes me wanna get issue 2. On the other hand, I've been hooked on Walking Dead since issue 1, and typically zombie stuff bores me to tears....

[POWRSURG]

What, no question on why Super Patriot: War on Terror #4 was delayed yet again? Last I saw on Image's message board was that it was supposed to be out this week. The first issue came out in 2004, then a 5 month gap for issue #2, then a 14 month gap for #3, and now so far it's been 14 months since then. I realize E.J. Su has moved on to new stuff, but when is the last issue out?

[The_Adventurer]

Originally Posted by delawarejoel

I liked Wolf-Man for free but not enough to pull issue #2 - and part of the problem for me was the artwork, just a little too manga / cartoony for me. Its hard to be scared of something that looks like the old John Jameson Man-Wolf...as a horror comic, Blade (the one thats been cancelled) is waaaaaaaaaay better and a shame that its not going to continue

Meh, "realism" in comic art is way overrated these days. I love the style of Wolf-Man. It has a lot of energy. Which "realism" art has a tendency to lack in every respect.

Plus, this doesn't strike me as a "horror" comic. But a superhero book with a supernatural spin. That doesn't = horror in my book

[theodoros2]

For me the manga/cartoony style is over rated. It's absurb that sometimes a cartoony comicbook costs as much as a "realistic" style comicbook.

Then again I am going to buy Wolfman in one of these great big hardcovers that Kirkman use to publish his work!

[seamonkey]

As much as I like the idea of the Wolf-Man comic (not having read it yet) I've wondered about possible legal trouble there. Universal has pretty tight copyrights on their characters, and unlike Dracula, Frankenstein, or the Mummy which were common names before their movies (therefore only the specific likenesses being able to be protected), the name "Wolf Man" or "Wolf-Man" was a unique name and character concept to Universal's movie. There's been plenty of Werewolf this or that in movies and comics over the years but no one's really used the exact name Wolf Man before, and I'm don't really think that was just an oversight.

I have to assume that Image double-checked the legality before publishing, but the thought struck me so I thought I'd share it.

[InBetween]

I’m definitely on board. First issues are just a set-up for what’s too come.
If this was years ago and people were just trying issue one of Invincible or TWD they wouldn’t be sharing the same opinions you _now_ hold of these great comics because it takes time to establish a relationship (so to speak) with the plots are characters.
RK promises a nice supporting cast in Wolf-Man, and based on his stellar track record: I trust him.

[AnthonyL]

I usually like his stuff (love Walking Dead!), but I couldn't get into Wolfman.

At least it was free...

Anthony L

[JakeEkiss]

Originally Posted by theodoros2

For me the manga/cartoony style is over rated. It's absurb that sometimes a cartoony comicbook costs as much as a "realistic" style comicbook.

Then again I am going to buy Wolfman in one of these great big hardcovers that Kirkman use to publish his work!

As an artist who's done both photo-real and more cartoony work, and a guy who knows a good number of artists who have as well, I find this comment incredibly ignorant.

Saying one style is inherently less valuable than another (by complaining of the cost of a "cartoony" comic) is not only extremely narrow-minded, but also gives one the impression you've never attempted to do either style yourself. Cartooning can be just as difficult as realistic work, sometimes moreso. Just because it appears less complicated to the naked eye don't for an instant mistake that for simplicity and ease.

In fact, in some cases (though of course by no means all) realism can be simpler. Frequently realist artwork is worked directly from or on top of photo-reference. This takes most of the guess work out of drawing and in fact makes much of the production route copying. By no means should this demean realistic work, it takes just as much ingenuity to make a stiff photo image tell a story as generating a largely invented image to do the same thing.

Personally I just think that cost comment was not only foolish, but downright offensive to cartoonists.

I for one will be grabbing Wolf-Man if for nothing other than the art. Jason is a great guy and an astounding artist and I'm happy to support his and Robert's work.

[mrhelm]

The first book was definitely not even close to Kirkman's greatest work, but the series definitely has tons of potential. And, hey, it's an indy superhero book, which everyone should support! I plan on being onboard for the long run.

[Speedball93]

Didn't care for the art, but liked the book overall. Just not enough to add it to my pull list. I would get Invincible if I really wanted to read an indy super hero title.

[jaimeramirez]

I never made it to a store on FCBD, is #1 going to be reprinted and actually sold anywhere?

I'd like to read it, but I'm not paying $10 on ebay.

JR

[rafa24sasp]

I relally enjoyed the first issue. It felt like Kirkman really made an effort to tell the origin of the character concisely in one issue, like in the good old days. I'll be getting the following issues and hope it soon becomes a hit.

Loved the art also.

[gjskier]

I think Jason Howard did a great job. I think his style will add to the feel of the book. It'll lean toward Batman: TAS a bit.

Anyway, I hope this book takes off too.

[dorknerdgeek]

Neither the art nor the story did a whole lot for me; but since it's Kirkman, I'm willing to give it a couple of issues before I pronounce it unworthy.

[AnthonyL]

And, hey, it's an indy superhero book, which everyone should support!.

Meh, I don't know about that. Even though i'm not a big fan of his nowadays, I kinda subscribe to Scott Kurtz's view on indy books. The infamous Graphamaxmo (sp?) arc of PvP summed up my feeling on indy books quite nicely. Sometimes it's gold, a lot of times it's crap.

Now, I'm not saying that this is crap, I just couldn't get into it. A few issues down the road might change my mind, you never know.

I'd like to think that, because of the author's previous offerings, that i'm going to be pleasently suprised. But hey, I like Gail Simone's stuff, but that doesn't mean I liked everything she did (just damn near)



Anthony L

[bebopeva88]

I'm putting Wolf-Man on my pull list...#1 was decent, but Invincible started a bit slow, so I know enough to give Kirkman a few issues to pull me in. TWD, Invincible, and The Irredeemable Ant-Man are 3 of the best books out there. Kirkman is a hell of a talent.

[thefourthman]

Originally Posted by jaimeramirez

I never made it to a store on FCBD, is #1 going to be reprinted and actually sold anywhere?

I'd like to read it, but I'm not paying $10 on ebay.



JR

There will be a director's cut printing before issue two ships.

[kidvictory]

Personally I loved it. If you like Invincible and Robert Kirkman's writing style and don't have anything against werewolves as heroic protagonists - then you're going to like this book!

He's set the seeds for great characters development and is also giving you a twist so far not done to my knowledge and that's a werewolf as a super-hero.

Very few comics, novels or Hollywood vehicles treat a werewolf as ever being in control. It's always the mark of the beast and they're evil murdering monsters.

It's nice to see this twist.

Anyone interested in the werewolf as hero (not spandex wearing super-hero, mind you) in novels should check out :

The Wolf's Hour - Robert McCammon
The Werewolf's Tale - Richard Jaccoma

I hope this is around for the long haul - I know I'll be there.

BTW - the art is a perfect compliment to the material. I mean it's a freakin' werewolf in spandex - we don't need ultra realism here. Stylized art serves the story . . .and I agree with the above poster in terms of difficulty and dynamics.

Ultra photrealistic art is still art - but often doesn't jump off the page and match the dynamics of stylized art. I remember the old Marvel book "Draw comics the Marvel way" and how they'd show gesture lines, etc . . . and you rarely get that with photorealism.

I think that kind of art better serves more dramatic material with less action - but that's just my opinion.

[EMeadow]

Originally Posted by jaimeramirez

I never made it to a store on FCBD, is #1 going to be reprinted and actually sold anywhere?

I'd like to read it, but I'm not paying $10 on ebay.

JR

Yes a Director's Cut Edtition will be out in July for like $3.99 with script, sketchbooks, etc. Should be out same day as issue #2.

[theodoros2]

Originally Posted by JakeEkiss

As an artist who's done both photo-real and more cartoony work, and a guy who knows a good number of artists who have as well, I find this comment incredibly ignorant.

Saying one style is inherently less valuable than another (by complaining of the cost of a "cartoony" comic) is not only extremely narrow-minded, ...........

Thank you for your kind words, unknown artist. Read below.

[thefourthman]

theodoros2 - props on the sig.

[Supreme Convoy]

Robert Kirkman: This was really Image's idea. Erik Larsen and Eric Stephenson wanted to do something special this year for free comic book day. Most people do reprints, or short previews or really short original content but nobody had ever released a full first issue of a new comic as a Free Comic Book Day offering. I'm proud to be the first.

Not a knock on Robert, but Beckett Comics' The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty was the first full-fledged free comic from FCBD. And it was awesome!

In anycase, I love Astounding Wolfman so I can't wait to read #2