MEETING THE YOUNG LIARS WITH DAVID LAPHAM

[MattBrady]

by Michael C Lorah

Young Liars, the new monthly series from Stray Bullets and Silverfish author David Lapham, debuts from DC/Vertigo in March 2008. Mixing Lapham’s noir-inspired writing with a high-adventure, anything-goes unpredictability, Young Liars marks the creator’s first regular series since Stray Bullets went on hiatus several years ago.

Danny Noonan, shyster and lousy guitarist, and Sadie Dawkins, bullet-lodged-in-her-brain daredevil, are two young losers who have nothing going their way. Now they’re in a David Lapham comic, and things promise to get much, much worse! Plus, they’re pursued by sideshow freaks and hitmen who aren’t quite the masters of disguise they imagine themselves to be.

Lapham took time out of his busy holiday schedule to answer our questions about the series.

NRAMA: What was the genesis of Young Liars, David?

David Lapham: Cash. Cold hard cash. Actually, Shelly (Bond, Vertigo editor) and I were getting near the end on Silverfish, and I wanted to try and get a regular series going. The original thought was to take an old defunct character and give it the "Sandman" treatment. Meaning, basically steal a name and make up a new book. In this case the character was called Bullet Girl. Ultimately DC pulled the name because they have a character in another book called the Bulleteer or somesuch, who is sometimes referred to by the nickname "Bullet Girl" and the powers that be thought there might be confusion. Which confused me because previously, I wasn’t at all confused.

So now we have Young Liars, which is okay because the book really developed beyond just plain ol’ Bullet Girl--I mean my Bullet Girl not the Bulleteer Bullet Girl in that other book I never heard of. Originally, this was supposed to be my "action book". No thinking, just a crazy girl with lots of bullets flying. Like Amy Racecar but more real world. Of course, since then I've added in midgets and castration, so the book’s gotten way more sophisticated.

NRAMA: According to the first issue solicitation, Danny Noonan is described as a habitual liar and crap guitar player. Sadie Dawkins is a poor little rich girl who can’t get a sufficient rush. What draws these two characters together?

DL: They come from the same town for one. But what draws them together is Danny. If it were up to Sadie they'd be long parted. Danny's put a LOT of work into being an important part of Sadie's life.

Also, I think "crap" guitar player is a bit of an overstatement. I mean, he only knows two chords, but he plays them with a lot of heart.

NRAMA: That’s enough for a hit song for some people! Danny’s lusting for Sadie, which is an easy motivation to understand, but why does she listen to him when she won’t pay heed to anybody else?

DL: Well, now, she's got a bullet in her brain, so who knows why she does what she does. I mean, I know but it's really my business to know. I’m the writer after all. I can't play the guitar by the way.

NRAMA: Without giving away too much, what can you reveal about the first storyline?

DL: The first arc runs 6 issues which is basically half way to my first "ending" in issue 12. The first arc deals with what happened to Sadie when she got shot in the head and the consequences of that played out as our group of losers travel to Europe to find a 50 million dollar painting while being pursued by an odd collection of German hit men who work for Sadie's billionaire, circus freak fetishising father and who fancy themselves masters of disguise. (Whew!) Meanwhile, Danny finds his sex life greatly improved, and other people get shot.

NRAMA: The loss of innocence or corruption of youth seems to be a theme that
occurs repeatedly in your work. What’s the appeal of this idea, and what sets
Danny and Sadie apart from other desperate young losers?

DL: Yeah. The youth are so much fun to corrupt. I think what's great about writing about kids and young adults is that they aren't jaded. Even if their lives are utter crap, you're just too young to think that it's not going to get better one day, or that you can get in someone's face and think it's not going to come back on you. There's that moment, when you turn - when one day you realize that this is it. This is what it's like. But not with these guys. I can dump on them all day and they still have that spark of optimism burning deep down inside.

I guess what I’m saying is that underneath it all, my work is optimistic, hopeful, life affirming.

Danny and Sadie are like other young losers, just more interesting. During casting, we talked to literally ten/twelve of losers from all over the world and Danny and Sadie’s story was by far the most compelling. What, with all the guns and high seas adventure. Poorly disguised German hit men, incest, circus freaks, and murder, it almost sounded made up. Some others were boring and still others we couldn’t corroborate. One guy who auditioned actually claimed he sat on the sofa all day and watched TV. When we looked into it we found out the cable company had turned off his TV six months earlier. I mean, what was he watching? That guy was just a liar. Another girl we found out had two grand in a savings account—clearly not loser enough.

NRAMA: Speaking of high seas adventure, the first issue solicitation gives the impression of a globe-hopping, high adventure serial. Is this a deliberate change of pace for you?

DL: I'm not sure how that happened. Normally, with Stray Bullets, I go for more low budget travel--running, stolen cars--but since this is Vertigo we have a bigger budget, so we were able to go on cruises to Europe and buy plane tickets, that type of thing.

No. I go where the story takes things. This world is a little more over the top than the Stray Bullets world. I borrow more from Amy Racecar and drag it into the real world on this one. Really, though it’s just me. Just my stories pressed on a different cast with different motivations.

NRAMA: This is your first monthly series in a while. How does it feel to be
under the deadline gun again?

DL: I'll let you know. I've been working on this thing for a year already. By the time the first one comes out, I'll have 9 or 10 issues done. I won't be under the gun for a little while. Then if nobody buys it, I'll be cancelled and have absolutely NO deadline worries whatsoever, which is a good reason to buy two or three copies--Just to see me sweat it out under the deadline gun. We can get a real gun and make a reality show out of it called Draw Fast or Die Hard.

NRAMA: Last time we spoke about Silverfish, you mentioned developing a monthly with Vertigo. Did Young Liars develop out of that?

DL: Yes. And my new reality show is developing out of this interview.

NRAMA: Glad I could contribute something. Though not unprecedented, you don’t often work in color. What do you gain by presenting this story in color?

DL: A lot of nervousness. It becomes the one area outside of my control. Though I have colored a Stray Bullets cover or two, I'm not a colorist. All I know is your basic, "Yeah. like that!" or "No. No, no, no, no, no. That sucks!" Unfortunately the latter is my usual reaction to most color in the "Post-Photoshop'" world. But fortunately for me, I have Lee Loughridge on Young Liars. The stuff that's coming back looks incredible. So, I think a big byproduct of this is that I'm going to save a small pile of pennies on ink. Yes, no longer will I have to blacken in all those backgrounds when I can just leave them for glorious full color! Which reminds me, when I was a kid I only had a black and white TV and whenever the Spider Man cartoon came on, it had this screen that came up that said "In full COLOR". I fell for it every time. What a rip.

NRAMA: I see the inspiration for so many of your comics in that story. Is this your first long-form color work since the Valiant days?

DL: If long form means ongoing series then yeah.

NRAMA: Who’s handling the colors?

DL: Lee Loughridge. He's a "keeper" as they say. The color schemes he's coming up with are brilliant, both experimental and mood driven as well as simple and clear.

NRAMA: Do you have an eventual ending in mind for the series?

DL: Yes. About seven of them. Hopefully I'll get to use them all.

Young Liars #1 is due in stores on March 5th, 2008.

[Ace]

Well if it's even half as interesting as Bulleteer was, we'll be in good shape, right?

I can't say I've liked Lapham's DC work at all, but I've enjoyed all that I've read of Stray Bullets and this falls more towards my biases than that, so who knows?

[CoreyB]

Great. Definitely getting it.

But what about Stray Bullets? Isn't there still one more issue for the current story arc? Has he abandoned it? Or did I miss the issue?

[mike oxbig]

I'm not going to pretend that I'm not going to buy this because I am but seriously Dave what up with Stray Bullets? Will we ever get another eventually?

[CoreyB]

Originally Posted by Ace

Well if it's even half as interesting as Bulleteer was, we'll be in good shape, right?

I can't say I've liked Lapham's DC work at all, but I've enjoyed all that I've read of Stray Bullets and this falls more towards my biases than that, so who knows?

I tend not to bother with his superhero stuff. The Silverfish original graphic novel, on the other hand, was excellent! It felt very Stray Bullets-y.

[CoreyB]

Originally Posted by mike oxbig

I'm not going to pretend that I'm not going to buy this because I am but seriously Dave what up with Stray Bullets? Will we ever get another eventually?

I'm kind of dumbfounded this wasn't asked in the interview. It seemed like one of the most obvious questions.

[Blind Assassin]

He answered the question right here on Newsarama when he did his SILVERFISH interview.

IIRC, he said that he just hasn't had the time with all his other work right now, and he doesn't want to just rush it out, as it really is his labor of love. He will return to it when he can.

I guess we will have to wait.

It used to bug me, but now I will have this to read, so it will make the wait not as bad to me.

Looks like I will be getting another monthly.

Thanks, Dave! Congrats, and can't wait to read it.

[mike oxbig]

Originally Posted by CoreyB

I'm kind of dumbfounded this wasn't asked in the interview. It seemed like one of the most obvious questions.

Yeah that's what I'm saying. It's kind of the White Elephant.

[CoreyB]

Originally Posted by Blind Assassin

He answered the question right here on Newsarama when he did his SILVERFISH interview.

IIRC, he said that he just hasn't had the time with all his other work right now, and he doesn't want to just rush it out, as it really is his labor of love. He will return to it when he can.

I guess we will have to wait.

It used to bug me, but now I will have this to read, so it will make the wait not as bad to me.

Looks like I will be getting another monthly.

Thanks, Dave! Congrats, and can't wait to read it.

Well that's good to hear. Still, for people, like myself, who hadn't read that interview, I think a quick moment to address it again would've been nice. I'm sure it's annoying for him to get that question all of the time, but it's kind of a luxury annoyance. People enjoy his work and are emotionally invested in his stories and want to spend money on them.

Anyway, thanks for the info.

[Blind Assassin]

Originally Posted by CoreyB

Well that's good to hear. Still, for people, like myself, who hadn't read that interview, I think a quick moment to address it again would've been nice. I'm sure it's annoying for him to get that question all of the time, but it's kind of a luxury annoyance. People enjoy his work and are emotionally invested in his stories and want to spend money on them.

Anyway, thanks for the info.

no worries.

here is the actual quote:

NRAMA: I’ve got to ask, what is the status of El Capitan and Stray Bullets?

DL: It kills me to put Stray Bullets on hold like it’s been. Maria and I both put a lot of years and a lot of hard work into the company and the book. And I still have one issue left in the current arc, left dangling. But the reality the last few years has been that it’s faster and pays more to work freelance right now. The reality is I have a family and I can’t just say stop everything and let’s do Stray Bullets for love. I do love Bullets and know I will complete it, and the sooner the better, but I just can’t commit to anything firm.

NRAMA: I think that’s an understandable situation. You released two of the “definitive” collections of Stray Bullets and solicited a third, which never saw print. Do you have a timetable when the remaining books might be coming out?

DL: Same boat as the last question. No one more than me wants those arcs in trade form.

[mike oxbig]

Originally Posted by Blind Assassin

no worries.

here is the actual quote:

OK, thanks. I understand the realities of this business and all but things in the last issue were left in tricky spot. Just a page a month at this point would make me happy.

[swaniak]

Well, I'm sold on this series and will absolutely be giving it a try.

[CoreyB]

Thank you for the quoting, Blind Assassin.

Originally Posted by mike oxbig

I understand the realities of this business

I really hate the realities of this business. In a just world, Lapham would make enough money from Stray Bullets to be able to work on it as little or as much as he wanted. Hopefully the superhero stuff he's worked on and this Vertigo series will give him and his family a bit of a cushion to be able to afford taking time here and there for him to return to it.

[mike oxbig]

Originally Posted by CoreyB

I really hate the realities of this business. In a just world, Lapham would make enough money from Stray Bullets to be able to work on it as little or as much as he wanted. Hopefully the superhero stuff he's worked on and this Vertigo series will give him and his family a bit of a cushion to be able to afford taking time here and there for him to return to it.

Ain't that the truth.If I was loaded I really would be commissioning issues.

[AbacusComics]

Heh. He has a Violent Femmes shirt on. That's cool.

[Hobowatcher]

Originally Posted by mike oxbig

Ain't that the truth.If I was loaded I really would be commissioning issues.

Maybe we can start a collection plaate going...?

[Vazquez]

I'm already excited by just putting this title on my order list.

Can't wait.

[Michael Heide]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

The original thought was to take an old defunct character and give it the "Sandman" treatment. Meaning, basically steal a name and make up a new book. In this case the character was called Bullet Girl. Ultimately DC pulled the name because they have a character in another book called the Bulleteer or somesuch, who is sometimes referred to by the nickname "Bullet Girl" and the powers that be thought there might be confusion. Which confused me because previously, I wasn’t at all confused.

I understand that DC keeps the DCU and the Vertigo line separate. I wouldn't want eight-year-olds to read Hellblazer or Preacher. But cases like this show it's mandatory that the respective editors compare notes. Because over in Seven Soldiers, Grant Morrison gave Bullet Girl the "Sandman" treatment. And it's obvious that you can't do that approach twice with the same name, at least not within two years. How Lapham's project got this far in the first place before DC pulled the name is a mystery. And let's face it: Young Liars would sell better with a familiar name like Bullet Girl, whereas the Morrison Bulleteer hasn't appeared in a book since 52.

[gwangung]

Originally Posted by Michael Heide

I understand that DC keeps the DCU and the Vertigo line separate. I wouldn't want eight-year-olds to read Hellblazer or Preacher. But cases like this show it's mandatory that the respective editors compare notes. Because over in Seven Soldiers, Grant Morrison gave Bullet Girl the "Sandman" treatment. And it's obvious that you can't do that approach twice with the same name, at least not within two years. How Lapham's project got this far in the first place before DC pulled the name is a mystery. And let's face it: Young Liars would sell better with a familiar name like Bullet Girl, whereas the Morrison Bulleteer hasn't appeared in a book since 52.

Or we'd have hordes of disappointed fans complaining that this ISN'T Bullet Girl and why did'nt they just create a new character and Dan Diddio should be fired.

[CoreyB]

"Oh fuh... oh fuh... oh fuh..."

Fuh indeed! Looking forward to this in case I didn't make that clear earlier.

[Michael Heide]

Originally Posted by gwangung

Or we'd have hordes of disappointed fans complaining that this ISN'T Bullet Girl and why did'nt they just create a new character and Dan Diddio should be fired.

Well, the pitchfork&torch hordes screaming that Dan Didio should be fired will be there anyway. Those we can ignore.

[Hobowatcher]

Bullet Girl is not a familiar name at all.

[Michael Heide]

Originally Posted by Hobowatcher

Bullet Girl is not a familiar name at all.

...to you.

[Zenstrive]

emm...the art is kinda lifeless.....especially that punching

[walker]

Danny Noonan was the lead character in the movie Caddyshack. Do you think this was intentional, coincidental or accidental?

Sadie Dawkins is obviously close to Sadie Hawkins.