ENTERING NARCOPOLIS I: JAMIE DELANO

[MattBrady]

by Chris Arrant

Jamie Delano is a British comics writer, and part of the first wave of British writers to come to American comics after Alan Moore. Delano is perhaps best known as the first writer of the comic series Hellblazer, being handpicked by Moore to write him. Delano had a 40 issue run on the title which lasted from 1988-1991, after which he did a variety of work for DC, primarily under the Vertigo imprint.

After an extended absence from comics, Delano is returning with an new Hellblazer OGN and a creator-owned miniseries from Avatar Press entitled Narcopolis.

Illustrated by Jeremy Rock, the series is a vision of the future in a city where its denizens are blessed with easy lives, comforted and watched over by an enigmatic entity known as Mama Dream. One of those denizens is Gray Neighbor, who starts the series by questioning the truth in the facts told to them.

For more, we talked with Delano himself.

NRAMA: The title is named after the fictional city of Narcopolis – can you tell us about the city, Jamie?

JD: Narcopolis is a vast mythic city; a multicultural, multi-ethnic civilization inhabiting an island topography of anachronistic and incongruous architectural complexity - Las Vegas to Vatican City via Vladivostok and Veracruz; an environment in which everything is possible, where that which can be imagined can be found.

Most citizens of this megalopolis consider themselves fortunate, privileged to have right of residence in an economically strong and militarily well-defended city state, protected by a rule of law enforced by agents of all-seeing but responsible and beneficent government, as they pursue their inalienable right to contented self-indulgence.

It is generally assumed that outside the city all is dark and savage anarchy. Beyond the protective oceans that surround the urban island, lie only the STATES OF FEAR in which the EVIL DOERS dwell.

Knowledge and understanding of the States of Fear is sketchy among Narcopolitans - no-one travels beyond the borders unless they are conscripted to fight in proactive defense of island security, and few of those return. No-one invites displacement of their fragile contentment through unnecessary curiosity or pursuit of information beyond their daily need-to-know.

As a Necropolis is a city of the dead, Narcopolis is a city of somnabulists, its citizens dazed by recreational narcotics and apathy.

NRAMA: The lead character is named Gray Neighbor. What's he like?

JD: Gray has been resident in Narcopolis for as long as he can remember, living the life of a pious working stiff, passing his days in honest toil knocking out weapons components at the local defense plant, spending his spare time and change supping squirts of Mama Dream at his neighborhood bar, or worshipping at the cathedral's devotional gambling slots.

NRAMA: Narcopolis is the type of city where it's intended for everyone to follow the status quo – but Gray can't follow the herd. What makes him question it all?

JD: Recently Neighbor has become troubled, receiving an unshakeable mental "revelation" - despite absence of exterior supporting evidence - that he is in fact a recently awoken sleeper agent, "magically" raised to awareness and action by his controllers, co-religionists and genetic relatives abroad, to launch his pre-ordained mission to perpetrate psychic-sabotage attacks against the citizens and institutions of oppressive, imperialist Narcopolis and, if possible, to work his way to the monstrous secret heart of the "Terror State" and strike it a fatal blow.

Gray Neighbour believes other agents are also at work, fighting independently to achieve the same goals in a strategic campaign of "leaderless resistance". Neighbour might be right in this militant belief - or he might be crazy. But it can't be denied that he has had circumstantial connection to several recent instances of apparent psychic terror attack.

Neighbour is kind of proud to be a "horrorist" - but he worries sometimes. In his years undercover, he has developed a true-born Narcopolitan's taste for the reassuring pleasures of Mama Dream TM consumption. He's trying to clean up his body and mind, but it's a struggle. That old tit is pretty tempting.

Random computer profiling brings Neighbour's name to the attention of T.R.U.S.T. and his file is passed to a low ranking agent for routine screening.

NRAMA: Narcopolis is lorded over by a maternalistic visage known as Mama Dream. What, or who, is Mama Dream?

JD: Narcopolis exists and shelters its population in the service of MAMA DREAM.

In the minds of most, Mama Dream is an abstract, pseudo-religious concept, the driving cultural philosophy of Narcopolis that promises rich fulfillment of sensual and sexual desire as a reward for devotion to the ritual of work and submission to the dogmatic arcana of law. It is also a branded, state-sanctioned recreational narcotic beverage.

NRAMA: Enforcing the law of the land is an agency known as T.R.U.S.T., which includes an agent named Azure Love. Can you tell us about the organization, and what Azure is up to?

JD: Azure Love, the female agent who investigates suspect Gray Neighbour, has recently separated from a lover due to relationship pressures exerted by her job. Some vibration from Neighbour sparks her investigator's curiosity. Although she can find no evidence in his present or past through which to condemn him, she uses a flimsy pretext to justify her continuing surveillance of his day-to-day life. Eventually she is forced to conclude that the vibration which excites her is sexual.

Agent Love's romantic advance towards Neighbour scares him, but excites him, too - appeals to his "spy" persona. The danger in a horrorist assassin entering into a liaison with a security agent is obvious… but then sso are the enhancements to his potential for successful infiltration of the enemy system. Besides, Neighbour finds Agent Love pretty hot: Why shouldn't he enjoy some short-term benefits in pursuit of what must ultimately be a suicide mission?

NRAMA: This is a four issue miniseries – but if things go well, could you see yourself coming back with more stories of Narcopolis?

JD: Although there are no plans at present to explore Narcopolis further, the scenario is certainly capable of supporting multiple future stories, and anything is possible.

NRAMA: This is your first new comic series in some time – what else have you been working on recently?

JD: I have recently completed the script for a Hellblazer OGN, Pandemonium ", illustrated by Jock, and due from DC/Vertigo in Spring next year. Meanwhile, I continue a collaboration with an LA producer to bring a version of my DC series 2020 Visions to US TV screens while fooling with a novel and various other screen or comic oriented projects. I'd also mention Cruel & Unusual, the former DC Vertigo miniseries (co-written with Tom Peyer and illustrated by John McCrea) is recently re-available collected by Desperado Publishing. I think it's pretty funny, in an ugly sort of way.

NRAMA: You're also said to be working on a pirate horror story for Avatar. Can you tell us a bit about that?

JD: Rawbone is a story of wild pyrates and deep green terror; mermaids, monsters magic and revenge; sex, death, blood, gold and freedom.

Its setting is the 17th century Caribbean – a generic piratical environment of colonial powers, slaves, indentured servants, seafarers, settlers and Indians – creatively licensed and fantastical, but not totally ignorant of historical reality.

The eponymous Rawbone is a folk memory to terrify children and vulnerable populations, an historic pirate captain who predated the Caribbean a hundred years before our story and died uncaptured. Legend has it that this mythic spectre of evil and his "undead" crew aboard their rotten ghost ship (La Respiracia De Muerte – The Breath of Death) can be conjured by bad magic and brought to the aid of any prepared to mortgage their soul for their ends. Rawbone symbolizes the ultimately bitter redundancy of fanaticism and "terror" as a tactic of resistance to oppression.

Narcopolis #1 is scheduled to be in stores in February from Avatar Press. Check back with Newsarama.com tomorrow for an interview with the series artist, Jeremy Rock.

[FChamberlain]

Hmm, initially skipped this when seeing it in Previews, but I'll give it a go. Delano sold me.

The pirate story sounds fun too.

[Blackbeard]

I'm definitely in. This interview sold me.

To be honest, I'm looking forward to Rawbone more. Still... this looks and sounds great.

[Groovemaster]

The setting sort of reminds me of the movie The Village, where people also did not dare to exit to 'the towns' that were located outside the village they inhabited, through the woods where horrible creatures lived. Narcopolis also has people wanting to stay where they are, in fear of things they actually have no clue about. I'm sure some easy political parallels could be made.

The serie sounds pretty interesting -- Delano convinces me of the coolness of Neighbor (you can tell by the name he is "Bri'ish").

[Deth2AllofU]

You have to give it to Avatar, they have a great taste in what they put out. Just stop and look at the talent pool they have. Mike Wolfer, Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, Juan Ryp,(just to name a few) and now Jamie Delano. His Hellblazer stuff is top notch by the way. Avatar puts out quality material, and they aren't afraid to just let the books go where ever they want. That's right no restrictions!
With out a doubt they are the ballsiest Publisher out there right now.

[ShinAkuma666]

Originally Posted by Deth2AllofU

You have to give it to Avatar, they have a great taste in what they put out. Just stop and look at the talent pool they have. Mike Wolfer, Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, Juan Ryp,(just to name a few) and now Jamie Delano. His Hellblazer stuff is top notch by the way. Avatar puts out quality material, and they aren't afraid to just let the books go where ever they want. That's right no restrictions!
With out a doubt they are the ballsiest Publisher out there right now.

Very true indeed, I love the Narcopolis concept, but it seems like it could be much longer then just a 4 issue mini with the premise...

In any way, Jamie Delano has written so much stuff that I liked for Vertigo, that I will give this a try when its in tpb.

Reading Cruel and Unsual from him right now, verry funny and disturbing stuff, love it !

[SunnyvaleTra]

Sounds cool, will wait for the trade though.

[PhilipAMoore]

Originally Posted by SunnyvaleTra

Sounds cool, will wait for the trade though.

Wouldn't it be funny if Avitar decided not to reprint it in trades but because it sold well just reprinted the comic books with multiple covers one after an other untill there are a dozen varients out there like what is going on with Docter Sleepless?first issue has six covers and counting. the others all have three
good day

[J.Arachnid]

Originally Posted by PhilipAMoore

Wouldn't it be funny if Avitar decided not to reprint it in trades but because it sold well just reprinted the comic books with multiple covers one after an other untill there are a dozen varients out there like what is going on with Docter Sleepless?first issue has six covers and counting. the others all have three
good day

That's the only thing that I don't like about Avatar, that they seem to harkening back to the good ol' days of multiple covers (where are our foil variants huh?) but that's a small criticism. I'm glad to see Delano is getting back into the biz - guy really doesn't do enough.

A 2020 Visions TV series... really?! wow. just wow.