SCOTT MORSE: BRINGING THE PICKLE BACK

[MattBrady]

by Zack Smith

The definition of a fan favorite, Scott Morse is one of the most prolific writer/artists of the last decade, doing everything from cosmic epics (Soulwind) to gangsters (Volcanic Revolver) to Akira Kurosawa (The Barefoot Serpent) and even superheroes such as Elektra and Catwoman.

Now, the versatile creator has brought back one of his strangest and most beloved creations, Magic Pickle, as a new young readers series at Scholastic. The company just released the first two illustrated prose novels, Magic Pickle and the Planet of the Grapes and Magic Pickle vs. the Egg Poacher, along with a collection of the original Oni Press miniseries, recolored by Jose Garibaldi. Morse, who’s also moonlighting from comics as part of the Pixar team, talked with us about bringing Dill Justice back to comics (and we’re not gherkin you around).

(Hey, don’t blame us for the puns – we took these directly from the comic.)

Newsarama: Scott, for new or lapsed readers – who is the Magic Pickle?

Scott Morse: Magic Pickle is a pun-filled snickerfest that pokes fun at the super hero genre. It centers around a spunky young girl named Jo Jo Wigman who just happens to live above the secret headquarters of a top-secret government genetic experiment called Weapon Kosher. She dubs him Magic Pickle, and together they deal with threats to humanity like the Brotherhood of Evil Produce and bratty school bullies like Lu Lu Deederly.

NRAMA: Why did you decide to do the Pickle in prose format, and what are the differences in doing a prose story vs. a graphic novel?

SM: Scholastic has been kind enough to allow me to play with two different formats, both the traditional graphic novel and the "chapter book" prose format. I wanted to expand the Magic Pickle world and characters in a very accessible way, and with chapter books, I get to add flourishes with prose that I'd have to condense with the comic format.

I get to linger a bit longer and build suspense in a different way, where the visuals are formed in the mind of the reader to a greater extent and not fed through sequential drawings. It makes for a different, and in some ways, more interactive experience for young readers.

NRAMA: Why was Jose brought in to colorize the original story, and what's working with him been like?

SM: We wanted to offer a special new experience with the graphic novel, and my schedule didn't allow me to take the atmosphere of the book to the extend I wanted. I brought Jose to the attention of the Scholastic crew and it was obvious he was the perfect choice to really make the graphic novel shine.

His sense of color and mood, his textures, and his incredible good nature make him an asset I really couldn't have done without.

NRAMA: You've released a couple of the prose-Pickle books already – do you have more planned in the future?

SM: Funny you should ask! We just discussed the expansion of Magic Pickle by adding two more original chapter books to the line-up. I'm hard at work on them now, the release date will probably be sometime in 2009.

NRAMA: Have you ever come up with a fruit/vegetable pun that's so bad you just couldn't put it in the book, and if so, could you share it with us here?

SM: Ha! There's almost no such thing as "so bad I couldn't put it in the book.” That's part of the "magic,” really, that the book revolves around bad puns. There's a whole collection of them...it's so much fun to come up with the puns, though it is easy to get carried away and either take them too far or get extremely surreal with them. I think a hard one to use would be a character that revolves around a brand name, like La Femme Chiquita. (laughs)

NRAMA: Your work was very prominent on the Ratatouille DVD. What's the experience of working with Pixar like, and are you involved with WALL*E?

SM: I'm what's referred to as a "story artist" at Pixar. That means I help come up with jokes, plot ideas, character ideas, and shot ideas, continuity ideas and storyboards – things like that.

I sometimes do design work as well, like on the Ratatouille end credits and the DVD short film, “Your Friend the Rat.” I did indeed just finish up some work on WALL*E, both story and design, and I'm excited to finally see it in the theaters in June!

NRAMA: What do you enjoy about doing all-ages books, as opposed to some of your more normatively complex works?

SM: I really enjoy the audience reaction. I get to do talks with classrooms full of kids who have read the books, and they're so great. They really love being able to talk about their favorite parts, their favorite characters.

It's incredibly gratifying to see drawings of the Magic Pickle by second and third graders. You know you really communicated with a lot of them, that you gave them a story they could have fun with, when you see how they give back, both with their sheer excitement and their passion to draw and write their own stories.

NRAMA: Do you have plans to do more comics-format stories with the Pickle in the future?

SM: You never know...(laughs) Comics-format chapters sneak into the chapter books, and it's so much fun to draw those characters that it'd be hard to not make more comics set in that world.

NRAMA: What are some of your other upcoming projects?

SM: I'm hard at work on some new books that deal with autobiographical moments, using a tiger character of mine as "me" in the books. I've got some design-heavy books with friends coming up, as well, and a couple of new graphic novel ideas. And I'm of course hard at work at being a good dad, a good husband, and a good human.

Magic Pickle is in stores now.

[weaselwelch]

I have everything ting Scott has done. Soulwind, Magic Pickle, Barefoot Serpent, Volcanic Revolver, Spaghetti Western, Ancient Joe,Visitation and a couple others I can't think of right now.

I saw the Chapter Books at work awhile back and was thinking of picking them up. But I will pick up the new edition of the GN Magic Pickle. Looks awesome in color.

ONe the best things about going to San Diego Comic Con each year is talking to Scott and getting 8x10 painting from him. So upset I won't be able to make this year.

[CitC]

SM: You never know...(laughs) Comics-format chapters sneak into the chapter books, and it's so much fun to draw those characters that it'd be hard to not make more comics set in that world.

I think it is great when books do this (the Fog Mound books do it very well). It makes it more acessable for the kid that finds reading a bit difficult and it shows someting new for the kid that finds reading easy.

I haven't seen any of the prose novels or the gn in the Scholastic book order forms yet. Anyone know when that is happening?

[Foobster]

When I was trolling the shelves years ago I saw the cover of #1 and said, "What the....?!?!" It lookes so wacky I had to pick it up.

Now I'm a Morse fan. Can't help myself. I'm headed to Amazon to pick up these books now.

[EMeadow]

I'm still hoping for more Little Grey Man someday.

[Dan Feeser]

Love the Magic Pickle. Preordered the Scholastic version of the Oni series when I saw it last month. Scott Morse is always a site unseen purchase!

[J.S. Rich]

Actually, I believe it's Jose Garibaldi doing the coloring, not Villarubia. Jose is an excellent artist in his own right, having done books for Oni and Dark Horse.

His site shows some work, but is kind of under construction: http://www.josegaribaldi.com/

[librarykat]

Originally Posted by Dan Feeser

Love the Magic Pickle. Preordered the Scholastic version of the Oni series when I saw it last month. Scott Morse is always a site unseen purchase!

Same for me, I'll buy anything Scott Morse does. I've been doing so for years. I have the original Magic Pickle issues from back when they were first published. They're such a hoot! And the prose novels are lots of fun to read! I really hope Scholastic Book Clubs will see fit to add them. In the meantime, I'm getting them for my school library!

And Scott really is a nice guy - he let me interview him for a reference work (Graphic Novelists, a 3-volume set, check your library!).

[beta-ray]

It put a smile on my face to see the Magic Pickle in my local bookstore's children's section.