MICHAEL HAGUE ON IN THE SMALL

[MattBrady]

by Zack Smith

What if all humans on Earth suddenly shrank to six inches tall?

Oh, and everything else – including animals – is still the same size.

That’s the apocalyptic question posed by In the Small, a new graphic novel for ages 12 and up coming from Little, Brown and Company this May. Aside from its chilling high concept, Small is unique in that it’s an original graphic novel from a major children’s book illustrator, Michael Hague.

Hague’s colorful, realistic detailed have appeared in editions of many of the best-known children’s books of all time, including The Wind in the Willows, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, and the centennial edition of The Wizard of Oz. His work has also been featured in posters, greeting cards, and even an episode of the TV series thirtysomething.

Small, which has already been optioned as a feature film by Akiva Goldsman’s Weed Road Pictures, represents Hague’s first graphic novel – and from talking to him, it’s clear that he’s definitely excited about getting into this new form of storytelling.

Newsarama: Michael, where did you get the idea for In the Small?

Michael Hague: I’d actually had the idea for a long time. When the kids were little, in the summertime, we used to pose little questions for them, little projects to keep their minds sharp during the summer. And one of the ideas was, “Could we survive if we were six inches tall?” (laughs) It was kind of hard for them to wrap their heads around that idea. But that’s where it came from.

NRAMA: So how did you – or how can you – wrap your mind around that idea of being six inches tall?

MH: I actually talked to a scientist about this. He thought that if we were to shrink down to six inches tall, we might retain super-strength like ants – the muscle mass would be super-dense. I had that in at the beginning, but decided to take it out. It was just getting too odd. (laughs) As far as science in the book, there wasn’t a lot!

NRAMA: Why did you decide to do the story as a graphic novel?

MH: Because I started writing the story and that’s the way it turned out – to be honest with you, when I started it, I had no idea what to do. I’d never written a novel before, so this was something new to me. I’d always liked graphic novels, so I started drawing panels and writing it the way a regular novel would be.

NRAMA: What are some of your favorite graphic novels?

MH: I love Sin City, and of course Watchmen – the original things! But I also like Cadillacs and Dinosaurs – I love Mark Schultz’s drawings.

NRAMA: What were some of the challenges of doing a story in the graphic novel format?

MH: Well, I’d never done it before! And I wasn’t sure I could do it. But the more I got into it, the more I loved doing it. It did take an awfully long time, like three years, but for me, it was the most fun I’d ever had.

NRAMA: What are some things you can do with a graphic novel that you can’t do with an illustrated book?

MH: Well, you can develop characters (as an author) – a lot of the books I’ve illustrated were done as one-offs, collections, that sort of thing. With a graphic novel, you’re able to develop not only the story but the characters through the artwork.

NRAMA: What were some of the literary influences on the story? It reminded me of Richard Matheson’s original version of The Shrinking Man and Stephen King’s The Stand…

MH: I’m not sure what the inspirations were – I read all of those, so they’re probably in there! But I don’t know that I can say, “It was this, this and this.” It’s just the influence of stories on stories.

NRAMA: Now, the book ends with a cliffhanger of sorts – do you plan to continue the series?

MH: I’ve written another one. It has the same sort of ending, where it looks like this might continue. I always liked stories that ended like that – “This isn’t the end, everything isn’t all nicely wrapped up, the story continues.” And yes, I would like to continue doing these.

NRAMA: The book was optioned as a movie even before it got published – what’s that experience been like?

MH: It’s been pretty amazing, actually! My agent in New York had contacted an agent in CAA, and he agreed to take the project on, and someone contacted him…and one day I got a phone call asking if I was willing to take a group call with Warner Brothers and Weed Road Pictures, because they had an offer for the movie. I asked my agent if it always happens like this, and he said, “No, it never happens like this!” So in the span of about four hours, I had a movie deal! And it’s been very exciting.

NRAMA: I was wondering if some of the British SF comic magazines, such as 2000 AD, were an influence on In the Small, because the lettering and some of the layouts reminded me of that style.

MH: I don’t know those books – I actually wasn’t allowed to have comic books as a child. I had copies of MAD magazine I stored at my friend’s house, and then he moved, so I didn’t have those! I couldn’t have comic books, but it was one of those things where you can’t have it, and it just makes you love it even more. But while I’m not aware of those books, I’d love to get a hold of some…

NRAMA: Do you see yourself working on more graphic novel projects after this one?

MH: I’ve actually submitted another story to the publishers, and I’m waiting for hear from them. I just love it – it’s what I’d like to do from now on. I used to love science fiction as a kid, so this is all the monsters and ray guns and all those things, but updated.

NRAMA: What’s interesting about In the Small is that it doesn’t shy away from depicting the more brutal effects of the “blue flash” – there are some pretty nasty animal attacks in the book.

MH: Yeah, it’s the kind of thing I would like to read as a kid, so anything where cats become monsters…that’s something I want to illustrate! I’m very happy that the publishers let me.

NRAMA: What are some projects you’re working on right now outside of graphic novels?

MH: Currently, I’m working on a collection of ghost stories for Harper Collins, and some more fairy books.

NRAMA: What are some challenges when you’re working on interpretations of stories that have been around for a long time? If there’s a previous well-known illustrated edition, do you have trouble putting those versions of the characters out of your head?

MH: Oh yeah, it’s always a challenge. Like, I wouldn’t know how to do Winnie-the-Pooh, for instance, because it’s so ingrained, what Winnie-the-Pooh looks like. Like I said, it’s always a challenge, and sometimes you’re successful, and sometimes you’re not. (laughs) But it’s just something I like to toy around with, doing something familiar but in a different way.

NRAMA: Graphic novels are becoming more of a staple for “mainstream” publishers. Why do you feel there’s been such a movement toward graphic novels in the last few years?

MH: Personally, I think it’s that people like having the visuals along with the words. I would venture that this becomes even more of a mainstream staple in the future, I would say. I think a lot of novels in the future will be done this way – the problem is, there’s just so few people can do it. I’m not tooting my own horn in any way, it’s just that you have to write and draw 128 pages, or however long it’s going to be.

NRAMA: When you did this story, did you do a script, or storyboard it as you went along?

MH: I wrote it out, but it was way too long – I’m having the same problem with the new one as well. My cutting comes when I start storyboarding, but generally, I just write it out panel-by-panel and write the dialogue and visualize the pictures. The story has to fit in a particular length, and this one…there were so many sub-stories, and some of them were really neat, but they just couldn’t fit into the book.

NRAMA: Could you give an example of one of these plots?

MH: Yeah! Originally, the family had a daughter who was at college, and there was a rescue attempt at the college, which had this big wall around it like Brown University, something that could be protected, and this sort of Orwellian society had sprung up there where the girl was sort of a slave. That was one of the many things that got cut.

NRAMA: Sounds like you really thought through this world.

MH: Well, I did some research. I remember I asked my doctor about medicine, how the humans would need to use smaller doses, and he said, “Well, they’d just need smaller needles.” And I said, “No, they can’t make needles, they don’t have tools.” It does take a while for you to realize what it is you’re dealing with. But for three years, that’s all I thought about – what it was like to be six inches tall.

NRAMA: That…that could mess with your head.

MH: (laughs) Yeah, I still say things like, “Once you go down on the ground, whether it’s in the outside world or in your house, things become totally different.” I actually did a children’s book, Little Bitty Mousie, which came out last fall, and it’s from that perspective, everything is low to the ground at six inches.

NRAMA: Well, in this book, Little Bitty Mousie would be the alpha predator…

MH: Or “Little Rattie.” (laughs)

NRAMA: What are some other works you haven’t illustrated that you’d like to work on?

MH: I’d love to do Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Oh, and I’d also love to do a big collection of Lord Dunsany’s work.

NRAMA: Anything else you’d like to discuss?

MH: Well, I’d just like to say that I have ideas for six other books sketched out – not just this book, but some other ideas as well – and I hope this does well, so I can get to do them! I’ve found that doing graphic novels is something I really love.

In the Small will be published by Little, Brown and Company in May.

[Arnout]

I guess everyone's too into Secret Final Incrisis-vasion to notice this, as it seems I'll have 1st post.
Anyway, these look really good. I'm curious to see if I'll find this.

[thingone]

That last page posted above is really surreal and neat. And ominous.

The solicitation of "In the Small" in January Previews definitely caught my eye and intrigued me. At the time, I did a little nosing around the internet trying to find out something about it. Although I found nothing concrete, I came away with the feeling that it would be a children's book and ended up not including it in my order that month.

But judging from this, it appears to be aimed at an older audience. Dang. It's too late for me to order it through my usual online discount comic supplier. But now, I really want to get it. So I will definitely order it through different channels.

[nyhardcore]

Looks interesting. I'll check it out.

[idkidd]

hmm, sounds kinda creepy.

NRAMA: Could you give an example of one of these plots?

MH: Yeah! Originally, the family had a daughter who was at college, and there was a rescue attempt at the college, which had this big wall around it like Brown University, something that could be protected, and this sort of Orwellian society had sprung up there where the girl was sort of a slave. That was one of the many things that got cut.

Maybe during the (hopeful) production of book 2, a blog could be created keeping fans updated on that books progress. In addition, maybe these side stories that had to be cut could be presented as prose stories with spot illustrations? That short example above sounds like a lot of fun!

[ontheTarget]

Just got a copy...its pretty awesome! Absolutely gorgeous and very very different stylistically than most graphic novels out there. Definitely hoping for some sequels...the idea of a bunch of short stories seems like it could be cool all set in this new universe (maybe something similar to Sandman series). Definitely a fun first graphic novel from Hague...look forward to seeing what other stuff he has in store in this new genre for him...