NICK LOWE ON MARVEL MAX'S WAR IS HELL SERIES

[MattBrady]

by Steve Ekstrom

Last month, Newsarama spoke to Axel Alonso about Garth Ennis’ departure from the Marvel MAX Punisher title. At the end of the interview, Alonso mentioned War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle—Ennis’ first project post-Punisher. Penciled by Howard Chaykin, the War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle reintroduces the Marvel Universe to The Phantom Eagle; a character who debuted in Marvel Superheroes II #16 in 1968. Set during World War I, the new title will follow the exploits of US fighter pilot, Karl Kaufman a.k.a. The Phantom Eagle. The obscure character was last seen in Thor Corps #3 in 1993.

Newsarama sat down with the editor of War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle, Nick Lowe; to talk about the new titles particulars, as well as, the usage of the MAX imprint.

Newsarama: Nick, let’s start with the basics - what can you tell us about War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle?

Nick Lowe: I can tell you all kinds of things. First, this is a project that Garth and I’ve been trying to get going for a few years now, but couldn’t find the right place for it. I was the assistant on Punisher (Knights) and Punisher: Born and when those series wrapped up, we were looking for a new project to work on. When I found the character Phantom Eagle, it was love at first sight, for Garth. When we finally got the go-ahead to do a MAX War book and Howard Chaykin signed on, it became a reality and we were all really, really happy.

NRAMA: How does it fit into the Marvel MAX line?

NL: With a Vickers. War comics have been a huge part of comics since its infancy. This is our chance to do it with the MAX line. The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle will give you a flavor of what War is Hell, as a title, will bring you—hard-hitting stories of the brutal reality of war and the brave men and women who fight (and often die) in them.

NRAMA: So, War is Hell isn't specific to any War or is it a World War I/II period piece style book?

NL: The First Flight of Phantom Eagle takes place in World War I, actually, right as airplanes were starting to become weapons of war.

NRAMA: And the Phantom Eagle – just so we’re all clear – he’s the protagonist, right?

NL: Right. The Phantom Eagle is Karl Kaufmann. He’s an American who wants to be a part of the war effort to push back at Germany, so he buys himself a plane and forges some papers to get him in a British fighter group.

NRAMA: You mention brave men and women. How many cast members are there or is this more of a variable cast?

NL: This story focuses more on the men-folk (as that was the reality of the war aviators of the time). There are a few main characters in the book, but the reality of being in a British Fighter Group in WWI was that not many people made it through the conflict.

NRAMA: Garth Ennis and Howard Chaykin--that's quite a powerful combo--what's it like to work with two very potent industry vets?

NL: It’s really great to be working with Garth again. He’s the most consistently good writer in the business and a consummate professional. He’s insane about his research, he is always ahead of deadline and his scripts are so clean I often do eat my lunch off them. If only he could curb his penchant for goats.

As for Howard, he’s a perfect match for Garth and for the series. He matches him on the research and the deadlines (if only he could work on his personal cleanliness). His work has such a power to it and he brings such a gravity to the work. I’m so happy to finally be working with Howard on a project and I think this is his best work in years. Check out some of this awesome art…

NRAMA: Other genre specific books, like DC's Jonah Hex, seem to function well without the over-the-top graphic amounts of violence. With the MAX label on the front of the book, do you think the hyper-violence of the situational context of the book will limit your readership to a niche audience? Or do you think that taking the level of violence in the book to a realistic level will help propel the book forward? War really IS hellish, right?

NL: The MAX label is essential for this book. We wanted to portray the reality of what war is and who the people are who fight it. That’s the most important thing to us. We think this is an important story coming at a time that it will resonate.

NRAMA: With the exception of Ennis' work on Punisher, the one of the only traditional Marvel character carried under the imprint, do you think that titles printed under the MAX line can endure under the weight of their own adult-oriented devices? Does it boil down to execution or is it as simple as saying, "Hey, we can show a guy's arm getting blown off, the Phantom Eagle can say the word ‘shit’, and we can show boobs all in the same issue!"?

NL: I’ve worked on several MAX series (Alias, Punisher: Born, Thor:Vikings, Wisdom and Supreme Power) I and I can’t remember a time that we did a MAX book just to show boobs or swear. Usually the reason they are MAX has to do with tone, more than just graphic violence or language. Lately, it’s had a lot to do with genre work, too. We at Marvel are desperately trying to expand the comics market and get different kinds of stories out there for readers to enjoy. MAX is part of that.

NRAMA: Is War is Hell a mini-series? Monthly? When should readers start eying the shelves for the title?

NL: War is Hell is a classic war comic title that we’d like to keep going. I’m talking to a few people about possible follow-ups to The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle, but for right now I just want people to check out this book. It hits the stands in March.

NRAMA: Are there any other new projects you're going to be overseeing under the MAX imprint?

NL: There are a few things I’ve got on the back-burner, but nothing ready for discussion.

NRAMA: How can people who are interested in the "production" side of comic books become more aware of "how to" become an editor of comic books? You were an intern for Marvel--correct?

NL: There’s not one way to become an intern and the path would vary for people of different ages and experience levels. I was indeed a college intern, was hired on as an editorial assistant and worked my way up to editor over a five-and-a-half year period. There are a few others like me. But there are others who took different paths. Warren Simons was editor-in-chief of Resume.com before he applied and got hired to be one of Axel Alonso’s assistant editors and became an editor over a five year period. Axel worked in journalism before he got hired at Vertigo. The path is different depending on who you are.

NRAMA: When approaching editors, what is the best method of presenting your work--as an artist and as a writer? What are surefire signs that you need to work on your craft more before an aspiring artist or writer approaches someone like a Nick Lowe?

NL: Another big question. I would say this—if you don’t have any previously published work, you probably shouldn’t expect much from approaching an editor at one of the major publishers. You can (and should) approach them, but unless you have something that has seen print to show, your chances aren’t good for getting hired. Heck, even if you do have something that’s seen print, the chances aren’t good. It’s incredibly hard to work in comics. But if you’ve got the work ethic and persistence, you can do it.

NRAMA: Have you ever been bribed as an editor? [laugh]

NL: Oh yes. The real genesis behind Civil War is that Mark Millar took me to Bermuda. It was delightful.

NRAMA: Back on our original track - sum up the best reason that anyone should buy War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle?

NL: It is a story that will make your stomach drop. And you will learn what it was like to fly a plane in World War I and change the way you look at war in general.

[Ace]

There have been so many WWII comics and so few WWI ones. I really hope they get to show us the cultural mindset of someone in that generation as it's a lot fresher. I always loved the Phantom Eagle, even when he was flying around as ghost with the Hulk.

[Evil Twin]

That looks like some of Howard Chaykin's best work in awhile.

Chaykin's no stranger to air combat comics, his Blackhawk mini-series for instance. Heck, his Star Wars work too. And it certainly looks like he's a fan of Enemy Ace from these pages, as there's certainly a bit of Joe Kubert in the composition. Looks very promising.

[texkenobi]

I'm glad to see Mr. Chaykin doing Marvel work these days...
I enjoyed seeing his take on Wolverine recently and have great
memories of his Blackhawk miniseries and Wolverine/Nick Fury GN
from the 80s.

[MF Stark]

That double page spread is a beautiful piece of artwork all on its own.

[Bird Flu Man]

[Andy E. Nystrom]

I'm surprised Steve didn't ask if there were plans for a subsequent War is Hell volume for John Kowalski, the hero from the later issues of the 1970s War is Hell series. I'd love to see more tales involving him.

[Chief Jon]

I hope this series takes off. I think there's definitely a place for good and realistic war comics, and I've enjoyed a lot of what Lowe has edited over the last few years.

[Police-dude]

Hé that looks awesome!
Would be cool to have another Max comic, but is this ongoing or...?
By the way, I bought Marvel Superheroes 16 some 2 years ago for 10 bucks
I thought it was funny to see a WWI hero instead a WWII hero for a change. Havent read it yet due to school, life etc, but it looks nice enough.

[ThatGuamGuy]

Right. The Phantom Eagle is Karl Kaufmann. He’s an American who wants to be a part of the war effort to push back at Germany, so he buys himself a plane and forges some papers to get him in a British fighter group

I love Garth Ennis... I hate it when people say he just writes the same thing over and over... but hasn't he had more than his share of Americans -- pilots even -- who forge papers in order to help the British fight the Germans?

I hope this stuff can pay for him to be able to do 'The Boys' and more Avatar stuff.

[batlash]

I've been excited about this since I first saw it in the back of that MAX preview thing a while back. Howard Chaykin can do little wrong and he's a perfect match for the subject. Now if he'd just work on a WWII Captain America story...

[eloso]

It sure would be nice if this wasn't 4 bucks. I don't need a cardstock cover that badly.

[Blackhawkaaaa!]

Originally Posted by Andy E. Nystrom

I'm surprised Steve didn't ask if there were plans for a subsequent War is Hell volume for John Kowalski, the hero from the later issues of the 1970s War is Hell series. I'd love to see more tales involving him.

I LOVED the John Kowalski stories from the original early '70s run. A highly overlooked series, would be great revisited, especially now when such TV series as Heroes, Journeyman, Life On Mars, and even the gone but not forgotten Quantum Leap are popular.
I seem to recall there was a resolution to Kowalski's ghostly situation a few years back. Anyone know if or where that was?

[JLAJRC]

With the exception of Punisher, MAX seems to be the place where obscure characters like Phantom Eagle (along with Zombie, Foolkiller, Terror Inc., Man-Thing) reside. Maybe they think we wouldn't buy them in a regular Marvel mini, so they make them graphic and expensive to get our attention.

Of course that doesn't explain why some are ripe for MAX, while some are forbotten. Instead of Phantom Eagle, wouldn't a MAX Captain America mini accomplish the same "War is Hell" motto and sell better? Or another Nick Fury mini? Why isn't Ghost Rider a MAX comic? Heck, I'd even like a MAX Wolverine comic someday.

[Not From Around]

Originally Posted by Ace

There have been so many WWII comics and so few WWI ones. I really hope they get to show us the cultural mindset of someone in that generation as it's a lot fresher.

If it's like most stories set in the World War I era, it will probably be written from the perspective of a member of a later generation commenting on what idiots most people of the time were. That's how most historical fiction writing seems to go.

[RedRonin]

I hope Chaykin gets a better colorist, cause his B&W work is really nice, but somethign gets lost when it's colored.

[Andy E. Nystrom]

Originally Posted by Blackhawkaaaa!

I LOVED the John Kowalski stories from the original early '70s run. A highly overlooked series, would be great revisited, especially now when such TV series as Heroes, Journeyman, Life On Mars, and even the gone but not forgotten Quantum Leap are popular.
I seem to recall there was a resolution to Kowalski's ghostly situation a few years back. Anyone know if or where that was?

I don't know the exact issue but I think it was in a Claremont-written issue of New Mutants.

Sadly Journeyman is apparently a one-season wonder, which I think is a tad short-sighted given the writer's strike will probably cut into the new pilot season. Of course I'm biased because I loved that show.

Agreed though that the market for characters like Kowalski is probably stronger than they were in the 1970s. A ghost forced by Death to leap into the bodies of other dead soldiers might even play well on TV or on movies, since the audience wouldn't necessarily need to be superhero fans to enjoy.

[Mundungus]

Chaykin has been getting a lot of flak lately on his mainstream Marvel work, but from these preview pages I think he's found a good book to be on. I definitely like what I see here.

[Evil Twin]

Originally Posted by Police-dude

Hé that looks awesome!
Would be cool to have another Max comic, but is this ongoing or...?
By the way, I bought Marvel Superheroes 16 some 2 years ago for 10 bucks
I thought it was funny to see a WWI hero instead a WWII hero for a change. Havent read it yet due to school, life etc, but it looks nice enough.

Probably the biggest hurdle for WWI stories is the trench warfare setting. And how stagnant the lines were. It's a real challenge to come up with exciting ground battle scenarios that don't become repetitive quickly. I think that's the principle reason that WWI flying aces have had continuing features, it's easy to have dynamic action sequences, and other WWI stories are more of the one off variety.

[Not From Around]

Originally Posted by Evil Twin

Probably the biggest hurdle for WWI stories is the trench warfare setting. And how stagnant the lines were. It's a real challenge to come up with exciting ground battle scenarios that don't become repetitive quickly. I think that's the principle reason that WWI flying aces have had continuing features, it's easy to have dynamic action sequences, and other WWI stories are more of the one off variety.

The battle lines may not have moved much, but the technology of weapons did. World War I saw the introduction of poison gas, flame throwers, mortars, submachine guns, and hand grenades (My brother's in the Army and a military history buff; some of it rubbed off). I would think a lot could be done with that. Though I freely confess that I would never have the stomach to see what Garth Ennis might do.