TALKING GRAVESLINGER WITH DENTON AND MARIOTTE

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean (with Ryan McLelland)

Strap yourselves in and hang on for the ride of your lifetime when co-writers Shannon Eric Denton and Jeff Mariotte and artist John Cboins unleashes not one (or two or four) but 117 horsemen from Hell in Graveslingers, a new four-issue Weird Western miniseries debuting from Image Comics’ Shadowline imprint in October.

Before we move onto our chat with Denton and Mariotte, let’s take a look at the solicitation for the first issue:

Arizona, 1873. Frank Timmons, former soldier and lawman as well as undertaker at Arizona's Gila Flats Territorial Prison, accidentally releases 117 dead killers from Hell. Frank roams the West, tracking them down and trying desperately to avoid his own damnation. Dying in the effort isn't an option.

If you like Desperadoes, Jonah Hex or The Lone Ranger, you’ll love Graveslinger!

Giddyup, let’s go!

Newsarama: Where did the idea come from to mesh cowboys and zombies together for Graveslinger?

Jeff Mariotte: The basic idea came from Shannon--how's that for a dodge? But when we started refining it together, we knew early on that Frank Timmons, the Graveslinger, had to be up against a nearly impossible task--re-killing all the undead murderers he accidentally released from their graves. The old West was a wonderful, miraculous place where strange things happened, at a time when people were more willing to accept that there were things they didn't understand--it's no coincidence that the spiritualist movement was going strong in those same years. So pitting Frank against a supernatural enemy just felt natural to us.

NRAMA: Shannon, what does working with Jeff Mariotte bring the table and has his experience working on cowboy books added new depth to Graveslinger?

Shannon Eric Denton: Absolutely. I've been a fan of Jeff's writing for quite some time. Desperadoes has and always will be one of my favorite comics. I can't believe it's been 10 years though since the first issue. Anniversary of that is next month! Anyways, getting to be friends over the years and finding out we have a lot of the same interests has just been an added bonus. It's very rewarding to work well with someone you know loves the genre as much you do. We should have the blog up at www.graveslinger.com soon so we can continually chat about all things Western.

NRAMA: Jeff, as mentioned by Shannon, it's been ten years since the launch of the first Desperadoes mini-series at WildStorm. What is it about this genre that keeps getting you back to it?

JM: I’ve been drawn to Westerns since I was a kid, growing up in the Midwest and then Europe. When I was old enough to venture out on my own, I went west, first to California, then, learning that to find the real West you have to go east a bit, to the remote Arizona ranch I live on now. I love the real, historical West, the natural West, and the fictional West equally. I had a straight Western short story published this year in a prestigious anthology called Lost Trails, where my work is alongside some of the giants of Western fiction, like Elmer Kelton and Louis L’Amour, and I’m quite possibly the only comic book writer (although we’ve got at least one cartoonist, Stan Lynde) in the Western Writers of America. I’m sure I’ll be writing Westerns in one form or another as long as I live.

NRAMA: What are your thoughts on Western and Weird Western comics that are showing up these days? Other than Graveslinger and DC's Jonah Hex, there're also others such as Garth Ennis' Streets of Glory, Burlyman Entertainment's Shaolin Cowboy and Doc Frankenstein, Loveless, Lone Ranger...

SED: First, I’m terribly excited to actually come home from the comic shop some weeks having purchased three or more Westerns. It’s awesome. Heck, we’ve got 3:10 to Yuma set to open in a few weeks so it’s a great time to be into Westerns. As for why so many at this current moment… well, my day job is in Hollywood so I’m gonna go out on a limb and say Deadwood was the kick-start. I think the reason all of the stuff you’ve mentioned is successful is because we all already loved Westerns in the first place but certainly the timing of all of this probably revolves around some catalyst subconsciously getting everyone off of their collective butts. Jeff’s been at it for ten years though with Desperadoes so maybe the Deadwood guys got inspired by him.

NRAMA: Joss Whedon's done it with Firefly, mixing western and space opera. And Cowboy Beebop is western mixed with sci-fi. For you, Shannon, what is it about this formula of mixing western and another genre that makes the whole concept appealing to you and the readers out there?

SED: The Old West was a frontier era where no one knew entirely what to expect. Horror mixes well with that. You can’t get surprised as easily today… people have Blackberries, cell phones, internet, etc., etc. so wonderment at what is over the horizon is hard to pull off in a contemporary setting. For us, it’s been the best of both worlds. I’ve got several “straight up” Westerns I want to eventually do but this one was calling for us to do it now. Jeff’s Desperadoes and my Big Game comic both were supernatural Westerns so it’s just a genre within the genre we’re both drawn to. It allows you to explore the traditional themes of a Western but gives you access to the outlandish as well.

NRAMA: Okay, back to Graveslinger after a slight detour... How does Frank end up releasing all of these undead? And why does he feel the need to sign up to help reclaim those souls? Once on the task is it something he takes to easily or is he in for a long ride?

JM: Frank's tale is a complicated one, which we'll go into in depth in our second issue. But in brief, as the undertaker for the Territorial Prison at Gila Flats, Frank has not always been what you might call the "ideal employee." He's crossed some lines he shouldn't have, and as a result things go from slightly haywire to downright homicidal in a hurry. When the undead killers go berserk in the town of Gila Flats, one of the people they murder is the woman Frank loves. He's got to make right for what he's unleashed, and until he does, her soul is in mortal jeopardy. It will be no easy task to locate 117 undead murderers, spreading quickly across the West, and if he fails he'll regret it for a long, long time...unless it kills him first.

NRAMA: As one of America's first true genres, how does it feel to be writing a cowboy book?

SED: Absolutely fantastic. I really believe this is the most recognized and iconic period in American history. You travel around the world and you'll find Westerns are international. When I was in France and Italy a few years back I couldn't get over the amount of comics, novels, etc. that were set in the American West. So I feel like we're doing our part to introduce this genre to a whole new generation of readers and at the same time contribute to readers like ourselves who can't get enough westerns.

NRAMA: How did videogame concept artist John Cboins come into the creative picture?

SED: I had worked with John before on the upcoming Alan Grant Actionopolis book. I loved John’s work and work ethic. He’s a fellow Texan too so I knew by law, he’d have to take the job once I offered it to him or he’d get thrown out of Texas. John was obviously familiar with Jeff from Desperadoes and once Jeff saw John’s art the rest fell into place. Jim [Valentino] and Kris [Simon] over at Shadowline thankfully thought so as well and here we are.

NRAMA: What does he bring into the creation and development of this Weird Western four-parter?

SED: John gives it a distinct look. I started off as a penciller, and still make most of my living doing storyboards for Hollywood, so having a distinct visual style was especially important to me. There are a few folks you could compare him to but it’d really be a stretch. John’s got his own thing going on and I love it.

NRAMA: Jeff, will fans of your and John Cassaday's Desperadoes be seeing at least a Cassaday-illustrated artwork gracing one or more of the Graveslinger issues?

JM: John’s got an open invitation to contribute at any time. He’s a pretty busy guy these days, though, so I’m not holding my breath.

NRAMA: Jeff, speaking of other Westerns, are there any plans for more Desperadoes in the near future?

JM: I talked to the folks at IDW at Comic-Con about that, and I think it’s entirely possible that we’ll check back in with those characters sometime in 2008.

NRAMA: Finally, guys, seeing that you guys are definitely having a blast with Graveslinger, what other projects by the both of you should we keep a look out for?

SED: I’ve got more Zapt! Coming from TokyoPop this year. The Revenant (Keith Giffen) and Gutwrencher (Keith Giffen & Steve Niles) both from Shadowline. The Common Foe TPB (aug07 3545) from Desperado ships the same month as Graveslinger and it’s looking sweet. And we have a whole new slew of Actionopolis books on the horizon so check out www.actionopolis.com for updates!

JM: I have a couple of original graphic novels on the way from Atomic Pop Art in early 2008, but it might be a bit too early to go into detail about them, except to say that they’re both horror books. I’m also developing a miniseries now with an artist I’ve been trying to work with for a long time. Most of my time is spent on novels, these days. Penguin/Berkley, the publisher of my supernatural thriller Missing White Girl, offered me a contract for two new original horror novels, and I’m getting toward the end of the first one, called River Runs Red. I also have the third 30 Days of Night novel to write with Steve Niles, and a Spider-Man novel, on tap, and a couple of other things in development, so I’ve got plenty of work on my plate.

Graveslinger is currently in Diamond (order number aug071984). It retails for $3.50 and the first issue of the four-issue miniseries hits stands this October. For more info, go to www.graveslinger.com

[Derek Ruiz]

Sweet. I'll be sure to give this a try.

[mistervimes]

What the heck is a Graveslinger? How does one sling a grave? Or, using the western slang in question, how would one use a grave as a weapon? Awful title.

[jordanscott]

Originally Posted by mistervimes

What the heck is a Graveslinger? How does one sling a grave? Or, using the western slang in question, how would one use a grave as a weapon? Awful title.

agreed!

and the whole 'escaped/released from hell' thing is kinda played out too.

I like a good western as much as the next person but after reading this...probably going to give it a miss.

[thingone]

Great title. Fresh material. I'll definitely be getting this.

[Blackbeard]

I'll pick up anything Jeff Mariotte is involved with. Period.

[NICKD]

Awesome series looking forward to it.

[jniffen]

Because there just aren't enough Zombie comics around these days. I don't mean to sound negative about this, but really, isn't the whole undead movement kind of played out by now? The Walking Dead, Marvel Zombies, Army of Darkness, etc. etc. The only thing left would be to take a team of teenaged superheroes who are rebels and make them into zombies... and give them instruments and make them members of a rock and roll band too.

[mrhelm]

I'll give this book a try just for Mariotte.

Desperadoes is easily one of the best concepts of the last decade, so more Mariotte Western goodness is a good thing.

[Blackbeard]

Originally Posted by jniffen

... I don't mean to sound negative about this...

Ah, yes. Feigned sincerity.

It is prefaced with a negative statement and followed by a negative statement. Why not be honest and say what you mean? How about "I won't give this book a chance because I'm sick of zombie comics." That would be a more veracious statement... would it not?

Just my two pence.

[jniffen]

Originally Posted by Blackbeard

Ah, yes. Feigned sincerity.

It is prefaced with a negative statement and followed by a negative statement. Why not be honest and say what you mean? How about "I won't give this book a chance because I'm sick of zombie comics." That would be a more veracious statement... would it not?

Just my two pence.

Well by gum, ya done figured me out! What I meant to say is that I usually don't come on here to be negative about comics, especially ones I haven't read yet. This one just doesn't appeal to me at all. Better?

[Derek Ruiz]

Originally Posted by jniffen

. The only thing left would be to take a team of teenaged superheroes who are rebels and make them into zombies... and give them instruments and make them members of a rock and roll band too.

Hey Dwight we should write a book like that and call it Zombiefest lol.

[Blackbeard]

Originally Posted by Derek Ruiz

Hey Dwight we should write a book like that and call it Zombiefest lol.

Zombiepalooza!

Originally Posted by jniffen

Well by gum, ya done figured me out! What I meant to say is that I usually don't come on here to be negative about comics, especially ones I haven't read yet. This one just doesn't appeal to me at all. Better?

Much. Thank you for the clarification.

[Kris Simon]

Originally Posted by jniffen

Well by gum, ya done figured me out! What I meant to say is that I usually don't come on here to be negative about comics, especially ones I haven't read yet. This one just doesn't appeal to me at all. Better?

Thanks for choosing Graveslinger to come out of the closet to.

[jniffen]

Originally Posted by Kris Simon

Thanks for choosing Graveslinger to come out of the closet to.

You're right. I spoke out of turn. I haven't read the comic and therefore have no right to be so judgmental or unfavorable towards it. My apologies to you, Shadowline, and the creators of this comic.

[JimmyKitty]

Thought I'd bring this one back up.....

I like the combination of Zombie / Undead / Western. And "Graveslinger" seems an apt title. Perhaps it's just me. However, it's always odd how Westerns come and go in favor. Last year several Western comics came out and were well recieved. This year? I wonder what's the deal with the on-again, off-again love affair with the Western genre?

I guess it's all timing. And while I post this, the new western film, "3:10 to Yuma" comes out this week. Not to make an analogy, but I wonder if there's any buzz for that? Never hurts to have Hollywood in your corner for genre boosting.

Anyway.... glad to see diversity continue in the comics medium.

[jeferreyra]

Loks awesome to me, I havent read it but the art is lovely and suits the genre (s) prefectly.

and who cares if there is another zombie comic, is like bitching because there is a new romentic comedy at the movies!

specially when there are like hundreds of comics centering on superheroes, and there are not one single comment of repeating the idea when one of those come up.

[idkidd]

Looks pretty cool. Will there be any "bonus" material in the back of the book? With Mariotte's day job, prose back up shorts expanding on this new world would be awesome. Any chance?