SEAN PHILLIPS ON THE BLAST OF SILENCE DVD

[MattBrady]

by Zack Smith

As artist on the Eisner-winning Icon series Criminal, Sean Phillips has paid tribute to classic noir books and films with both his detailed, expressive artwork on the book’s main stories and his illustrations for the single-issue-only backup essays. But a recent DVD release has given him a chance to go back to the series’ roots – and help bring a legendary lost crime film to a wider audience.

Phillips’ art can be found all over the new Criterion Collection DVD release of Allen Barron’s 1961 film Blast of Silence, which hits stores on April 15. Called “the great lost masterpiece of film noir” in a 2005 Bright Lights Film Journal article, Silence is an existential mood piece about hitman Frankie Bono (writer/director/star Barron), who returns home at Christmas to rub out a mobster. As he encounters figures from his past, Bono is confronted with the pain and isolation of his violent existence…but nonetheless has a contract to fulfill.

Dumped in theaters and virtually ignored at the time, Silence nonetheless became a critical favorite over the decades. Volume One of Criminal featured a backup essay about the film by actor and comedian Patton Oswalt, who called it “the best crime film you’ve never seen.” (the essay has been reprinted as part of an entry on Oswalt’s MySpace blog). Phillips did an illustration for that essay, which helped lead to his work on the DVD – including a short adaptation of the film. Here’s a look at some of that art – and some words from Phillips on what it was like to work on this project.

Newsarama: Sean, describe your adaptation for us – what exactly you're doing with the material.

Sean Phillips: I'm just adapting the first 15 minutes or so, using an edited version of the film's voiceover. (Newsarama Note: The film features narration written by legendary screenwriter Waldo Salt).

Most of the drawings reference stills from the movie, although some is from other contemporary sources. The story is all in the captions, the drawings show Frankie Bono's journey around the city, trailing his quarry. The pages are laid out, drawn and lettered very similar to Criminal, although here I also color the pages too. That was the hardest part – I definitely need more practice doing that!

NRAMA: Now, how did you first encounter the film – was it off Patton's essay, or had you encountered it before? Also what was your initial reaction to Blast of Silence?

SP: As with a lot of the films and books discussed in the articles in the back of Criminal, I hadn't even heard of the film. Before doing the illustrations for Patton's article I managed to fine a very expensive German edition of the film on DVD and watched it through a couple of times.

I absolutely loved it – the story, the acting, but most of all the look of it. It's all bleak apartments and city streets, photographed in shadowy detail. Visually, just my sort of thing.

NRAMA: In working with the Criterion Collection, did you discover anything new or interesting about the film's history that you didn't know before? Also, did you get the chance to interact with Allen Baron or anyone else involved in its making?

SP: While working with Criterion I got to read the original screenplay and watch the documentary included on the disc.

Also, I got to see some comic pages that the director Allen Baron drew back in the 50's. He was a professional comic artist before he started directing and writing films. I didn't have any direct contact with Allen, but he did send me an original one-sheet poster for Blast of Silence from when the film was originally released back in 1961. That was a very generous thing for him to do, and was much appreciated.

NRAMA: Beyond the DVD cover art and the comic book, were you involved any other aspects of the disc's production?

SP: When I started working on the cover, I sent Criterion some warm-up sketches along with the cover designs, and some of those ended up being used for menus and stuff on the DVD.

NRAMA: Would you like to be involved in a longer adaptation of a classic noir book or film? If so, what are some books or films you'd like to give this treatment?

SP: Doesn't really appeal to me, actually. Some movies have had great comic adaptations, such as Alien and Dune and Outland, but that was mostly because of the great artists involved. I'd rather see one of my comics adapted into a film one day.

NRAMA: Fair enough. Now, how is the experience of doing the illustrations of the essays in the back of Criminal different from illustrating the main stories?

SP: With the back-up illustrations I get to try any style I like. I've done pictures in oils, ballpoint pen and watercolor, among other techniques. Gives me a chance to try different things every month. The main stories have a certain style that I try to keep consistent, although things do evolve slowly there, too.

NRAMA: What are some works you've encountered through Ed or the back-up pages in Criminal that you've particularly enjoyed?

SP: They've all been good. I've not really read or watched much crime stuff, so most of it is all new to me.

NRAMA: Personal plug time – what's coming up in Criminal, and in your other projects?

SP: After the three stand-alone issues, we start a new multi-part story, “Bad Night,” featuring Jake, the cartoonist who draws the Frank Kafka strip.

Apart from Criminal, not much else happening. I'm in the middle of a painting for a snowboard design at the moment, and I'm putting the finishing touches to Blow Up. That's a 400-page book of sketches and life drawings and details of comic pages I'm putting out through Lulu.com next month. Hopefully, I'll be selling copies at shows or it will be available from my blog, www.surebeatsworking.blogspot.com, soon.

NRAMA: Anything you'd like to discuss?

SP: Nope, just be sure to buy Criminal, it's the best book Ed Brubaker writes. Drawings are OK too.

Criminal Volume Two #2 is in stores now. Blast of Silence hits shelves on April 15.

[NewRisingSun]

Awesome. I've really wanted to see this film since Patton Oswald gushed about it in the backmatter of a Criminal issue.

Props to Criterion for putting together such an awesome package, and props to Mr. Phillips, for his stylish art.

[Skinshark]

I saw this after a recommendation in the CRIMINAL comic...or maybe it was Wordballoon. Anyway, it was a very gritty film, and I'm quite surprised how it was dismissed by the studios.

Now that it'll see the light of day in wider circulation I hope the print exceeds the bootleg copy I saw and that it gets wider praise.

=s=

[Sam Little]

Sounds cool. I'll have to check this out simply 'cause I'm a huge Phillips fan, but it sounds like an interesting movie regardless.

[Kody]

Very inspirational work.

[David Bird]

I picked the film up from the source Oswald recommended in his essay. Well worth checking out.

[De Martini]

I love a good noir. I spent the better part of the past week watching three of Dassin's classics in honor of his passing (Night and the City, Rififi, The Naked City) and it's amazing how much moral ambiguity could be presented within the framework of the Hayes Code (Rififi, being a French production, exempt from that rule).

I dare anyone to watch THE ASPHALT JUNGLE and not bow down to the greatness of either John Huston or Sterling Hayden.

That having been said, as a fan of film noirs, CRIMINAL, and Sean Phillips, I cannot wait to get my hands on this package. And the DVD, too!

[choclitthunder]

Looks great. I'd buy it for the Phillips artwork alone, but I'm looking forward to the movie as well.

[Supreme Convoy]

I've been dying to see this since Ed Brubaker and John Siuntres raved about this during an interview podcast. Can't wait to buy it!

[Varrus]

Criterion is overrated and overpriced but I'd like to check this out anyway. I'll pick it up if I can ever find it for cheaper than the usual arm-and-a-leg that Criterion releases usually sell for.

[Robot H Brian]

I just read a very positive review of this in the new Paste Magazine but wasn't aware of Phillips' contributions. Since I've just decided to break my trade-only policy and pick up Criminal in singles to support it, I may have to put a few bucks aside for this one, too.