CHRISTOS GAGE ON THE MAN WITH NO NAME

[MattBrady]

After a 22-year hiatus, the Man with No Name is back in the West, courtesy of Christos Gage, Wellington Dias and Dynamite Entertainment. The first issue of the new ongoing series hits stores a couple of weeks back, and re-introduced readers to the inimitable cowboy as famously played by Clint Eastwood.

The series is set in continuity, well, in what can be considered continuity for the character who appeared in three movies which may or may not have been connected, and takes place a short time after The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, allowing Gage to pull from elements that have a familiar ring to them.

We spoke with the writer about the series and its lead character.

Newsarama: Chris, when we first spoke with you about The Man With No Name last July, you'd just joined on the project, and your feelings about the character, while pretty extensive, were still largely formed by the films. As you've started writing him, what's...been revealed? What have you learned about him?

Christos Gage: That he's complicated. I mean, on the one hand, he's as straightforward as can be--he's making his way through a harsh world the best way he knows how, and if you cross him, you'll regret it. But underneath the silence, there's a lot going on. He's not the clichéd "outlaw with a heart of gold", but he's also not a conscienceless killing machine. He's a fully formed human being with all the inherent contradictions that implies. That's been a big part of the challenge--getting that across when your lead character doesn't speak much. In fact, some fans of the films felt I had him talking too much in issue #1--even though there are more silent pages in that one issue than I've probably written in my entire career! But it's a challenge I welcome...I think it stretches me as a writer.

NRAMA: Let's talk about the story structure a little - your audience will more than likely be familiar with the films, so how do you approach a new story without, simply, retelling a film in a new setting?

CG: By combining what's familiar from the films--what makes people feel like this is a Man With No Name story--with new elements. The idea of deserters from both the Union and Confederate armies forming roving groups of bandits is something that actually happened during the Civil War. I also hope to expand upon at least one character we saw in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Father Ramirez, Tuco's brother. It's a tough line to walk, being familiar without being imitative, but again, I welcome the challenge.

NRAMA: Speaking of the film, why pick The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as your starting point?

CG: Because, much more so than the other two movies, I felt it offered a logical starting point for a new story. At the end of the film, you had The Man riding off with all this money, the Civil War still raging around him, the blown-up Union bridge...there was a lot of stuff to draw from in crafting a new tale. I didn't want to force a connection to the films, like having Angel Eyes get up and not really be dead. Fortunately, I didn't have to; there was enough already there.

NRAMA: What are the challenges of writing a character that must be kept at arms' length to the audience most of the time? I'm assuming here that he can't have thought balloons, no internal monologue captions, and not much interaction with other characters...how do you make that interesting and captivating? It seems that, if handled wrong, The Man could come off something like watching a thunderstorm progress across the country - powerful yes, but interesting and relatable...not so much...

CG: You're right about thought balloons and internal monologues not being a good fit with this character. And as you may have noticed, he's not one to talk about his feelings either. In this case, you have to show by his actions what kind of a man he is. In issue #1, when he stands over the priest's grave and tells him why he can't help the mission (speaking more than he ever does to any living person), then rides away...and then you see him riding back the other way and you know he's going to help the Mission after all...to me, that's the kind of thing that will make him interesting and relatable. Yes, he can kick ass. Yes, he can be brutal when the situation calls for it. Yes, he will engage in scams and subterfuge to make money, and kill men without blinking an eye. But he has a code, and we see it reflected in his behavior. Having said that, I think the Man With No Name is someone for whom an air of mystery enhances the character, so arm's length is not necessarily a bad thing.

NRAMA: Also, approach-wise...given the amount of decompression that's become acceptable in today's market, comics seem an ideal medium to adapt Leone's style, given the time he takes to tell his story and his sparse use of dialogue. So, in doing this, did you approach it as "Leone on paper" or take Leone's characters and settings, and tell a story for comics?

CG: Both. I did want to preserve the feel of the Leone films, in terms of the sparse dialogue and the deliberate--but tension-filled--pace in which events unfold. At the same time, this is comics, not film. So I'm not trying to simply ape the movies. I'm using comics-specific devices like splash pages and panel progression for their own purposes. Hopefully I can strike a balance, and I'm fortunate that Wellington Dias, the artist--a huge fan of the movies himself--seems to understand what I'm going for. As you alluded to, this is without a doubt the most "decompressed" story I've ever written...because I feel it's called for by the material. I used to dislike decompression in comics, but I realized I was being unduly dogmatic when I told Marvel editor Steve Wacker that I hated decompression and he said, "Why? That's like hating chiaroscuro. It's just a tool." That made me realize I only hate decompression when it feels like it's lazy...like it's gratuitous. When a writer takes three pages to convey what could be told in one page, without a noticeable difference in the effectiveness of the story. And I realized that, when there's a legitimate point to it, decompression works. So I've embraced it--when there's a good reason.

NRAMA: We've seen how things got started in issue #1 - he's been asked to come back and help at the mission, and the soldiers are after him for blowing up the bridge...where are you headed in #2?

CG: The Man encounters the Confederate soldiers who are after him, and following that, he arrives at the Mission...where he sets about confronting the bandits in a way I don't think anyone will expect!

[sethcohen]

this book was a huge disappointment... completely wrong characterization of tMwNN... not to mention that chronologically "the good, the bad & the ugly" happens before "for a fistful of dollars"
bought this book solely based on faith in gage's writing... apparently my faith was misplaced...

[C_Striker]

I bought the 1st issue and liked it, but I haven't seen the movies since I was kid, so I little fuzzy on some of the references…I’ll be back for issue #2

[Fahad]

I completely agree with Seth.
I was whole-heartedly disappointed with the issue, this was TMwNN in name only (no pun intended). His voice wasn't there, his swagger wasn't there, and the art was something left to be desired. This is the kind of series that SCREAMS to be handled by a team that worships Sergio Leone, that memorized every frame of every movie of his.
I hope this series is given a chance (I'm not trying to be cruel, but I mean with a different creative team) to recover from this false start.

[strucker]

After 40 years since the movies, it's a refreshing air
to the mythos.

I don't want a continuation, or a reenactment...Just a
good read with a decent artist.

[Guicho]

Originally Posted by sethcohen

this book was a huge disappointment... completely wrong characterization of tMwNN... not to mention that chronologically "the good, the bad & the ugly" happens before "for a fistful of dollars"..

Far as I can tell, there's nothing in the book or the interview above that contradicts the implied continuity of the movies.
If anything he's got to have spent/lost/or gotten rid of the money he gets at the end of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, to end up where he's at in the beginning of A Fistful of Dollars (A guy who's going to hire himself out for a fist full of dollars).
So what happened to all that money? Is probably exactly what we are going to see unfold here,

As far as capturing the mood and tone of the movies, I agree there is something missing here. Maybe more extreme close ups, expressions and nuances showing mood rather than saying it. With long dragged out establishing shots and the tremendous Leone wide shots all seem to be missing here (did they not watch the movies? .)
Also everything looks a bit to clean and bright. I think Mathews and Cariello did a better job capturing what is needed in Lone Ranger #1.
Also TMWNN does come off as a bit to chatty, and willing to offer up information, of course he was talking to a grave marker at the end, so the only ones listening was us.
It's a good enough set up though, not great like it could have been, but I'll gladly check out #2 to see where this is going.

[Mrfixit1]

Well tarnation!

As a huge fan of the G&P Jonah Hex series and a western fan in general, I was hoping this would be the next good old west pick-up. I'm even a bit of a Gage enthusiast. Guess I'm not sure if I should give this a try or not now.

I wish Streets of Glory 5 would come out. Seems like it's been forever.

[monsterZERO]

I was super excited for this when I heard about it and I wasn't disappointed in the least... really looking forward to issue #2.

[POWRSURG]

Originally Posted by strucker

After 40 years since the movies, it's a refreshing air
to the mythos.

I don't want a continuation, or a reenactment...Just a
good read with a decent artist.

and zombie covers!

[DSNG]

Not a big fan of comics based on Westerns... cos unless you have a dynamic writer/artist duo...it just plays out like a boring movie, in which you know EXACTLY whats going to happen next. 'The man with no name'... I know they're tryin to be true to the original, but.. after over 20 years... I wouldn't mind a new name, which would point to a continuation of the original... Still hope the Dynamite title does well... we'll see...



MY FREE SFA WEBCOMIC. UPDATED 5 TIMES A WEEK. [NSFW]

[Uthor]

Originally Posted by sethcohen

this book was a huge disappointment... completely wrong characterization of tMwNN... not to mention that chronologically "the good, the bad & the ugly" happens before "for a fistful of dollars"
bought this book solely based on faith in gage's writing... apparently my faith was misplaced...

There's a continuity to the movies? As far as I could tell, they are different stories told around the same man, but I saw nothing to imply that they were all set in the same universe (kinda like Arthur C. Clarke said the 2001, 2010, etc, books had the same elements, but are of parallel universes instead of being in continuity). I think it's just fans injecting the continuity.

Saying that, I, too, was pretty disapointed. My friend who's never seen the movies also thought it was lack-luster. Too much dialog. Too cheesy dialog. Where are my expansive vistas and extreme closeups? It might shape up to be a decent western (I'll give it another issue or two, I guess), but it doesn't feel as part of the Man with No Name series. And that's what I liked best about the movies; how they felt (you have to admit the stories themselves aren't too original).

[miah]

i have now read 4 things by Christos Gage...

annihilation conquest: Quasar - this book was terrible. beat me over the head terrible. this is so bad that it made me remember the name Gage so that i can be wary of what he does in the future.

midnighter #8 - i actually liked this one.

authority prime - 1, 2 - i was on board but havent got around to seeing where he has took it yet

and this book... which i will say was pretty boring and dissapointing.

[52Crisis]

Originally Posted by miah

this is so bad that it made me remember the name Gage so that i can be wary of what he does in the future.

Yep ... Union Jack was more boring than Stormwatch PHD ...

[Guicho]

Originally Posted by Uthor

There's a continuity to the movies? As far as I could tell, they are different stories told around the same man, but I saw nothing to imply that they were all set in the same universe (kinda like Arthur C. Clarke said the 2001, 2010, etc, books had the same elements, but are of parallel universes instead of being in continuity). I think it's just fans injecting the continuity.

Saying that, I, too, was pretty disapointed. My friend who's never seen the movies also thought it was lack-luster. Too much dialog. Too cheesy dialog. Where are my expansive vistas and extreme closeups? It might shape up to be a decent western (I'll give it another issue or two, I guess), but it doesn't feel as part of the Man with No Name series. And that's what I liked best about the movies; how they felt (you have to admit the stories themselves aren't too original).

Although they are each stand alone stories, and Leone apparently developed them that way, the studio did promote for a few Dollars More as a sequel, implying it was the same character back,. In both the title and the look of the character. And in TGTBATU you see the character gradually acquire the hat and the serape he is introduced with in A Fistful of Dollars, implying a prequel.
Not much but it's there.
So yeah it's primarily a fan driven idea, but there is an implied continuity there if you want to see it, and Dynamite seems to be running with that, or at least not contradicting it.
Not sure what Seth's or anyone's beef is with that, until they actually reference something specific to the other films in a time line it's really a non issue, nothing they've said or shown so far as far as I can see would conflict with it.

[grphxkindaguy]

Originally Posted by miah

i have now read 4 things by Christos Gage...

annihilation conquest: Quasar - this book was terrible. beat me over the head terrible. this is so bad that it made me remember the name Gage so that i can be wary of what he does in the future.

midnighter #8 - i actually liked this one.

authority prime - 1, 2 - i was on board but havent got around to seeing where he has took it yet

and this book... which i will say was pretty boring and dissapointing.

Gage's Stormwatch PHD, Deadshot mini-series, fill-in Iron Man WWH issues, WWH: X-Men mini and Union Jack mini-series were all pretty good IMO...

[sethcohen]

Originally Posted by Guicho

Far as I can tell, there's nothing in the book or the interview above that contradicts the implied continuity of the movies.
If anything he's got to have spent/lost/or gotten rid of the money he gets at the end of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, to end up where he's at in the beginning of A Fistful of Dollars (A guy who's going to hire himself out for a fist full of dollars).
So what happened to all that money? Is probably exactly what we are going to see unfold here,

it wasnt in this interview, it was in a previous one where that was mentioned

[Mrfixit1]

Originally Posted by grphxkindaguy

Gage's Stormwatch PHD, Deadshot mini-series, fill-in Iron Man WWH issues, WWH: X-Men mini and Union Jack mini-series were all pretty good IMO...

I'll add to those his Thunderbolts one-shots(not as good as Ellis, but still good) and his excellent Iron Man annual.

[Guicho]

Originally Posted by sethcohen

it wasnt in this interview, it was in a previous one where that was mentioned

Where what was mentioned

[Tanjint]

I loved Gage's WWH: X-Men mini.

I also liked this issue. I have only seen AFOD, FAFDM, and the beginning and end of the Good Bad, The Ugly but I haven't seen the middle of it yet.

I'm down to buy this book for an arc and see if it satisfies. Me and my friends liked the first ish.

-T

[AJ Ryan]

I really dig the idea, because I loved all Clint's westerns and the Dollars trilogy most of all, but nothing I have heard has really made me keen to picking this book up.

It doesn't help that the first time I heard about this series it was from looking at that "zombie" cover.

Please stop with that stuff. Did we really need a zombie cover for the man with no name? ...really? ... REALLY?

[Uthor]

Originally Posted by Guicho

Where what was mentioned

I'm guessing that the continuity was mentioned.

[Guicho]

So, what about it?
He's griping about chronologically the good, the bad & the ugly happening before a fistful of dollars.

Originally Posted by sethcohen

this book was a huge disappointment... completely wrong characterization of tMwNN... not to mention that chronologically "the good, the bad & the ugly" happens before "for a fistful of dollars"

Since the story does not conflict with that, I'm wondering where they showed or said anything that does?
Link, anything?


.

[Mrfixit1]

Originally Posted by grphxkindaguy

Gage's Stormwatch PHD, Deadshot mini-series, fill-in Iron Man WWH issues, WWH: X-Men mini and Union Jack mini-series were all pretty good IMO...

While reading this weeks reviews I was reminded that for a few months Gage has been writing/co-writing the Avengers:Inititive series with Dan Slott. Slott obviously set him up with a great book before Gage got going but it has remained of fantastic quality. And from what I understand the 13th issue where Gage begins a new "season" with all new cadets is as good as anything Slott did.

Guess I'm saying I'm gonna pick up Man with no Name for Gage's writing regardless of the review. Thanks for helping me convince myself.

[Future Boy]

Deadshot's definitely one of my favorite miniseries ever, stormwatch seemed good from the issues i read, and union jack was awesome. i dunno, i haven't read the other stuff people've mentioned or this new one. but im thinking from these reviews that maybe ill skip this new one i dunno. i liked fistful of dollars.

[Uthor]

Originally Posted by Mrfixit1

While reading this weeks reviews I was reminded that for a few months Gage has been writing/co-writing the Avengers:Inititive series with Dan Slott. Slott obviously set him up with a great book before Gage got going but it has remained of fantastic quality. And from what I understand the 13th issue where Gage begins a new "season" with all new cadets is as good as anything Slott did.

Guess I'm saying I'm gonna pick up Man with no Name for Gage's writing regardless of the review. Thanks for helping me convince myself.

Wait, Dan Slott from first BND arc (which was okay; not great) and the terrible current arc of Amazing Spider-Man (which has almost no redeeming value what-so-ever)? And Gage "I Explain Everything My Characters Are Doing"? Guess I'm never reading Avengers: Initiative.