SIPE & CASANOVA ON SCREAMLAND FROM IMAGE

[MattBrady]

by Chris Arrant

In a world full of myths and monsters of all stripes, there stands a group above the others. The first – the originals. Frankenstein's Monster. Dracula. The Wolfman. The Mummy. Held in high esteem and a litany of books and movies, in this modern age of CGI and psychological horror they might be out of place.

In the upcoming series Screamland, we find out fame doesn't pay the bills and these four, for all intents and purposes down and out in Hollywood. Take Frankenstein's Monster for example – "Frank" as he likes to be called. Having lost all his money in a dot-com scheme gone wrong, he's an out-of-work actor trying to find solace in the bottom of a bottle. The others aren't doing much better, but when a golden opportunity comes to them to reform the original gang can they pull it all together to make this work?

A dark comedy and a bit of classic horror mixed in, Screamland is written by comics newcomer Harold Sipe and illustrated by artist Hector Casanova. We talked with them to find out more.

Newsarama: Before we get into the thick of it, tell us about yourselves. Harold?

Harold Sipe: I have been a life-long comics fan, in fact I can still be found at my local comic shop every Wednesday morning. The writing started early on as well. I was a fine arts major, so while most of my work involved writing, my focus was on a visual end product. After college, I did some writing for the public television station I worked for. I was a Photography and Video major, and made a lot of small films in school and after. I wrote all of them myself. As they began to get some play in regional festivals, it gave me much more confidence in my writing.

I thought about writing comics, but honestly didn't think I knew how to go about it. I started writing Screamland as a prose short story. It kept growing and changing, and when I spoke to Hector about it things just seemed to click. I started to write it as a comic, and with Hector drawing it; I learned a hell of a lot. I should say how privileged we both feel to have this published by Image Comics and how thankful we are for all of the support they have shown us and this book.

NRAMA: And you, Hector. What have you been up to?

Hector Casanova: The bulk of my professional work has consisted of illustrations for magazines and newspapers and posters for rock bands, but comics have always been my first love. My last big comics project was The Lurkers, written by Steve Niles and published by IDW.

NRAMA: Screamland follows four classic movie monsters as real people trying to live as actors in Hollywood. How did the idea come about?

HS: I lived in Los Angeles for a number of years. I think it is kind of hard to talk about the place without just spouting clichés. There was a lot of appeal for me in looking at the place through the eyes of a Godzilla-like guy who is only 6 foot tall, an aging wolf-man whose fame is fading while his waistline is expanding, and a small Egyptian man covered in bandages and wearing a small fez.

I thought it would be funny to look at Hollywood and celebrity culture through the lens of the creatures haunting the twilight of fame.

All that aside, I really love a lot of the old monster films. How can you not? I have never been totally sold on computer animation. The image of these dated icons having to compete with slick and cheaper filmmaking struck me as compelling.

There are lots of other things that have worked their way in as well. In some ways the book is like a tour of a magnificent car wreck. We get to see all the B-Films, the small TV cameos, the sci-fi/comic convention appearances. All the stops on the way to the bottom where we find a lot of the characters when the story gets underway.

HC: Screamland takes a very sympathetic look at the concept of outcast, the misfit, and shows the world from their point of view. In that respect it is a perfect comic book: it is about characters "surviving" in a world where they don't fit in, are constantly taunted and ridiculed, can never seem to keep up with the times, wear the right clothes, talk the right away. They are hundreds of years old, yet are stuck in a perpetual state of adolescence on account of never being accepted by society. From where they stand, the real monsters are the humans around them. The story shows this through comedy, heartbreak, and horror.

NRAMA: The first issue follows Frankenstein's Monster, going by the name Frank, as he's piddling along in the shallows of the movie industry – B-movies that turns into cross-dressing B-movies. Tell us what's going on with him.

HS: When we find Frank, He hasn't worked in years and has lost most of his money to a dot-com scheme. He has been down-and-out for so long, self-pity and drinking are like old friends. The issue presents him with a choice, which could reverse his fortunes. The thing is once you have fallen that far, it's hard to pick yourself up. Also, if Frank follows that same path back to Hollywood, what's to stop him from having to face the same sort of fall?

NRAMA: Don't ask me! You wrote it. Oh wait, that was a rhetorical question.

Frankenstein, and the other 3 monsters, are represented as actors by the Silverman & Kirby Representation, led by Andrea Silverman. Tell us about Andrea and her business.

HS: Andrea's grandfather, Maury, started the agency at the height of the monster films. He lured them in with life-long contracts. When you enter into a life-long contract with an immortal, well, that becomes a generational affair.

When Screamland opens, Andrea has changed the focus of Silverman & Kirby to representation of younger actors, WB-types, to keep with the times. She still honors all of the monsters' contracts, but there is little work for most of them. Issue one shows Andrea contacting Frankenstein's Monster for the first time in a very long time.

NRAMA: It's learned that Frankenstein's Monster has a lot of animosity towards Count Dracula, who's seemed to have made out better than the other three. Tell us about the Count, and his relationship with Frank.

HS: I am not sure if there is a lot of actual animosity, maybe more envy of a sort. Dracula is much more a timeless idea or character than the others; he is more easily re-invented for the style of the day. I think most of the characters harbor a little resentment about that. One thing I did want to focus on in this book is the characters' relationships with each other. The Count and Frank have known each other for a LONG time, so the relationship can be quite complicated. Having just made it through the holidays, I can pretty easily relate to a dysfunctional family reunion.

NRAMA: The second issue concerns the Mummy. What's he been up to lately?

HS: Ha, yeah. That's really hard to talk about without giving away too much. The Mummy's situation is different than other characters.

What I will say is The Mummy really "wanted it more." He is more of a… whore for fame. I think when you when chase something with that much oblivious longing, the fall is that much harder. He's like a little kid that fell out of a very, very tall tree and hit every damn branch on the way down.

At the same time, he somehow made some friends along the way. Issue two is all about looking at the aftermath of an awful, awful fall. I hope that is tease enough, it was a really fun one to write

NRAMA: Let's not forget the Wolfman.

HC: Carl (The Wolfman) is by far the most fun [to draw]. He is pretty hairy and overweight, with mutton chops and a mullet that make me giggle every time I draw him. He looks a little bit like Meatloaf. But way gnarlier.

NRAMA: How did this partnership with you two come to be?

HS: I have known Hector for years and years, love him like a brother. We went to art school together, and at the time he really inspired and encouraged me with the comics and zines he was making. I saw The Lurkers, the book he did at IDW, and I was blown away. When I moved back to Kansas City and started to write Screamland, he was the one guy I really wanted to work with on it. It took a while for the scheduling to work out, but it has been well worth the wait. His work on this book is so amazing. Every day or so, when I get a new page in, I am just thrilled.

HC: It has all the elements that I look for in comics: it is smartly written and sophisticated in a postmodern kind of way. It takes monster movies from our childhood and places them in a very harsh, grown up world, to sad and hilarious effect. It's a complete genre-bending project. It has drama, comedy, horror, even manga.... Personally, I am a very restless with my art: as an illustrator I never had to settle on any one look or style; I've had to work in several different styles depending on the project, and the Screamland script has allowed me to keep on trying new things. Finally, all intellectual posturing aside, I have always been a huge monster movie buff and have a twisted sense of humor myself, so the chance to draw monsters drinking, philandering, and getting into bar fights makes the little geek in me swoon.

NRAMA: The first issue comes out this March. Do you have any signings or appearances planned to mark the occasion?

HS: We are pretty fortunate to have a lot of retailers here in Kansas City and the surrounding area that seem to really want to support local creators. I know we will be working with many of them to do signings and other in-store events. We will be with Image at New York Comic-Con this April, and it also looks like San Diego in July. I need to get on the ball and contact Heroes Con, Hector and I both really want to go to that this year. It's one of my favorite conventions of all time. If there are any retailers that are curious about the book, want more info or would want to contact us about doing in-store stuff we have sent up an email address: screamland@gmail.com We are very proud of Screamland and would love to do whatever we can to get the word out.

Screamland #1 is scheduled for release on March 12th from Image.

[gsam4ever]

Fire....Bad.....This comic.....good.

[punk_love]

I really do want to read this book.

[Blackbeard]

I honestly can't wait to read this. Hector Casanova's work is absolutely fabulous.

[ljacone]

This sounds right up my alley. Very neat!

[JediMaster]

Sounds great! Wonderful concept!

[JLAJRC]

This actually does sound like a neat idea.

[MarkG72]

Another book I will be buying from the fine folks at Image.