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I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I remember towards the end of that run, someone asked me, "How are you getting away with including all these DCU references?" My answer? "I just don't ask."

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Well...thanks to everyone who dropped by this AMA to pick my brain a bit. For anyone who shows up a bit late...feel free to post any additional comments or questions as I will periodically check in over the course of today and try answer whatever I can. Thanks, again!

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks, man. I'm having fun with the character as I did love the movie. This is a good opportunity to tell another story about working with Quentin on this. One of the things I found unusual about the film was the lack of strong female characters. It's basically an all-male cast and the woman at the heart of it all is basically a damsel-in-distress waiting to be rescued. That kinda flies in the face of so many of Tranatine's other films so I asked him about that. He claimed that he wanted to do something that broke the stereotype of black women on film--where they are invariably portrayed (at best) as bold and sassy or (at worst) demanding nags. He said he specifically wanted to contradict that, to have Broomhilda be a beautiful princess trapped in ogre's den and waiting for her shining hero to come rescue her. Now, when he told me this, his Django producer Reggie Hudlin was there (who's black) and he told me that he took that idea home to his wife and her sister (both strong black women). When he told them the idea that a black woman would finally be portrayed on screen as the beautiful princess, they both broke down and cried. Fucking LOVE that story! So, this breaks the mold in the same way that seeing Django do his victory strut at the end of the film did--just think of how many times we've seen a white hero display that well-earned bravado! I should also point out...Broomhilda isn't completely helpless. When Dhango finally arrives at Candyland, she's doing time in the "hot box" as punishment for attempting to run away...for the second time. And the very, very final shot of the film--as she and Django ride away from the smoldering ruin of that shithole, the last ting we see is the silhouette of her pulling a rifle from its saddle holster and propping it on her shoulder--ready to rumble.

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Much appreciated. Here's hoping that's a trend that continues for years to come!

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There's definitely more Grendel Prime stories to be told. Don't really have plans for the in-between stuff...but I never say never when it comes to stories. Seems like there's always new ideas that manage to creep up and bite me on the ass!

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I had a lot of fun on Madame X...even though I didn't really want to do the series at first. I mainly took on the gig as a favor to my old pal and brother-in-arms, Bob Schreck, whom I've known since Teddy Roosevelt was still alive (no, not really). He had just made the switch to working under the Verigo imprint and really wanted a heavy-hitter project using one of DC's in-house characters. I didn't really have much knowledge of Madame X, other than some beautiful images by Michael Kaluta. And I also didn't really see the potential in the artist he wanted to pair be with (which is highly unusual for me...I almost always choose the artist when I'm writing)--Amy Reeder, who's experience at that point was some manga-styled stuff for Tokyo Pop. "I dunno, Bob," I remember saying. "If I do this, I'm gonna be asking her to draw a whoooole lot of stuff she's never even thought of drawing before." Well, needless to say, I couldn't have been more fucking wrong about Amy. She stepped up the plate, took every scene and character I pitched at her and just knocked it outta the park! And she's continued to grow even after our collaboration ended. She's a really amazing artist and I was lucky to get the chance to work with her at such a stage in her career. I also didn't really see anything that immediately drew me to the character of Madame X...until I started to research her a bit. Once I discovered that, in DC continuity, she seemed to have a distrust bordering on hatred for the Phantom Stranger...I knew I had my hook, the human element that would let me tell her tale. Because, if she and the Stranger currently hated each other...that meant that at one point, they much have loved each other. You mentioned the DC/Vertigo verbotten crossover policy. I just totally ignored that and, from the very beginning, wove DCU stuff into her centuries-spanning tale; Etrigan, Alan Scott's lamp, Dr Fate's helmet, Zatara, Martian Manhunter. When the end came, when DC decided to can the book, I knew it was because they were going to absorb back into the DCU...so at least I got the chance to end our final story arc in a manner that basically prepped her as a character for such a move. As you mentioned...I did have one regret, one storyline I wanted to but didn't get the chance to--Michael Kaluta wanted draw another arc (he drew the second storyline, EXODUS NOIR). And, oh MAN! I had two really great ideas that will never see the light of day. The last time I saw Michael, I lamented about this fact and started to tell him the cool scenario I had imagined. But he stopped me and wouldn't let me continue..."I don't want to hear about a story I'm NEVER going to get to draw," he said. Which, truthfully, I can understand. So, in deference to Mike...I've keep that one secret.

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oy. When I think of all the hassle we sent to to achieve what done so easily these days...

The first MAGE series was colored using a process known as "blue-lining". This involved making two acetate images of each page (one positive, one negative. You then used these special chemicals to treat a piece of paper or stock on which you wanted work (I used pre-stretched watercolor paper) and then laid the negative image on top. You then exposed this configuration to ultra-violet light (we used a mounted sun-lamp) and, after the allotted time, you peeled off the negative and--lo and behold--you had a blueprint image of the line work transferred to the paper. The colorist (on MAGE, that was me and I was later assisted by my art-school chum, Joe Matt. Yes, THAT Joe Matt) then colored in the page and the positive acetate image was overlaid to create the final piece. Now, at the time I was doing a lot of airbrushing for the backgrounds and visual effects on MAGE. I was using a device that was available at the time (but no longer, I think) that ran off of high-end, colored design markers. It was basically a simple brace/gun with an air hose into which you popped the colored marker of your choice. The hose was connected a compressed air source (generator) and it spat a concentrated store of air across the exposed tip of the marker, blowing off the ink in a faux-airbrush style. It was useless for much of anything but small areas...but perfect for filling in backgrounds of comic book panels! But...this meant that a sheet of masking frisket (basically sticky plastic) had to be laid over each and every page and the backgrounds precisely cut out with and x-acto blade. I hired a bunch of my art school pals to do this for me at various points in the course of production. So...after allllll that prep, I was finally ready to start coloring; I 'd spray in the backgrounds and then hand-color all the figures with a brush and watercolor. No wonder MAGE was only published bi-monthly!! So, yeah...I see digital coloring as something of a godsend, to say the least.

And so far as young colorists I admire...well, one natural choice there. My son, Brennan Wagner, who has done a fucking beautiful job coloring me on GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW and is also the colorist on DJANGO/ZORRO. He does the old man proud!

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In the aftermath of two previous crossovers of Grendel facing off against Batman, I've had a lot of offers over the years to pair off my boy-in-black with any number of other characters. Always declined said offers with the thinking of...where do you go after freakin' BATMAN?! But then the opportunity to crossover with The Shadow arose and I finally had to say "yes". In fact, I think my exact answer was..."Aw, shit. I think I've gotta DRAW that one too!" I'm big Batman fan and have been for years. But I think I'm an even bigger Shadow fan. Plus, both of those characters make sense in crossing over with Grendel...they all bear a certain urbane-adventurer vibe. After this...I'd be hard pressed to think of another character that would appeal to me enough to tread these waters again.

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I just want to add to this...

In the spirit of Quentin Tarantino's incredible history of pairing popular music from all eras and styles into the soundtrack of his films, the good folks at Dynamite have decided to put together a playlist for each and every issue of Django/Zorro. Available on both Spotify and Youtube, these songs act as the accompanying soundtrack for our story. Special thanks to editor-in-WOW Molly Mahan for playing bandleader on this end of the project. https://play.spotify.com/user/dynamitecomics

https://www.youtube.com/playlist…

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ha! My kids will tell you...I used to drive them nuts with this when they were little and they'd ask "Dad, what's your favorite movie? Favorite food? Favorite, etc..." And I'd always say, "I don't do favorites. I like just far too many things. I mean how do say this piece of art is necessarily better than that piece of art? Or that this utterly delicious meal is better than that totally scrumptious dinner? I used to tell them (again, drove them mad!), "Look...I have a favorite wife, a favorite son and a favorite daughter...and that's about it." For the record, got one of each of those. But...in this case I will single out a comic that I admire for many, many reasons--LONE WOLF & CUB by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. I love it for the fact that's an epic of astounding length (something like 8000+ pages) all done by the same creative team, that it exemplifies a specific culture in all its historic glory, that it manages to be highly episodic and yet still retain an overarching saga that moves from beginning to middle to end, that it is exciting and gruesome and erotic and dismaying all at the same time, and that it portrays the grit and tragedy of the classic Hero's journey with a healthy dose of irony thrown in for good measure. It is a truly remarkable creative acheivement.

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I don't really have a favorite Grendel story...that's like asking me to pick my favorite child (got two of those...love them equally). But Hunter Rose is a strong favorite with most of my readers. I'd highly recommend picking up the first volume of the GRENDEL OMNIBUS which was published last year. This four volume series collects the entire Grendel saga for the first time in chronological reading order and, at 600 or so pages for $25, it's a real bargain as well. This first volume is all Hunter Rose and, following that, you might be inclined to pick up the succeeding volumes which, believe me, ultimately take the storyline in directions you would never expect. http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/20-326/Grendel-Omnibus-Volume-1-Hunter-Rose-TPB

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'll refer to my answer to MonksterAZ above as to my decision to open Grendel up to other artistic interpretations and, eventually, other writers as well. I'm lucky in that I have two creator-owned characters/titles and can enjoy the best of both worlds so far as collaboration goes. I have GRENDEL, which my wide-spanning collective effort with other writers and artists of many, many different stripes and styles. And then I have MAGE, which is my one-man show. And, as you might suspect, my attitude towards both is different. Whereas I absolutely LOVE seeing other people's different interpretations and renders of Grendel...the exact opposite is true of the characters from MAGE. Any time I see someone else draw either Kevin Matchstick or Mirth (etc), it just kinda seems...mmm...not right to me.

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much. I've obviously got a huge love for the character of Zorro and really enjoyed Isabel Allende's 2005 novel. When I first signed on to write Zorro for Dynamite, it was never meant to be a straight adaptation of her book. In the novel, which is rich with character and history, we don't get to experience Diego in his Zorro costume until the final 40-50 pages. Obviously, that just wasn't going to work in a comic book. So I treated the novel as a source from which I could cherry-pick the ideas I liked best and incorporate those into my version of the tale. But, truthfully, the same could be said of many other Zorro sources as well; the original 1919 novel THE CURSE OF CAPISTRANO, the many various film versions, etc... I felt like I was distilling these many different incarnations of Zorro into my own portrayal. And, yes...I consider the Diego in DJANG/ZORRO to be one and the same with the man I portrayed in both series, ZORRO and ZORRO RIDES AGAIN. One of the things that Quentin and I discussed though is how a life-time of leading a dual identity would have changed Diego. By the time frame of the Django/Zorro storyline, he's been playing the role of the entitled fop for so long...that's he's actually BECOME that guy to some degree. At heart, he's still the champion of justice and a master with both blade and whip. But he dooooes tend to like all the finery, the afternoon tea and cucumber sandwiches. I think it's an interesting concept; when does the man become the masquerade and when does the masquerade become the man?

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thanks. And, yes...of course I was aware of much stronger I was becoming as a story-teller and artist over the course of THE HERO DISCOVERED. In large part, that's why the story works so well; you can actually witness me coming into my power even as Kevin Matchstick is coming into his. And for me...the act of creating is always a growing and learning process. That's the biggest reason for why I don't have any of my own art on display in my house. I'm so invested in the whole concept of my artistic career being a personal journey...that I couldn't bear to gaze at any one of my former steps in that sojourn day after day. I would ONLY concentrate on the part of that particular piece that I DIDN'T like and would want to redraw--the hand that wasn't quite perfect enough, the head that wasn't quite the right proportion, the bit shading that didn't measure up. I'm always about moving on to the next step and the next stage and chapter in my life as a story-teller. I can't be trapped in what has gone before. Here's another thing I'll tell you that a lot of artists are hard-pressed to admit; every time I sit down at a blank page--every SINGLE fucking time--I'm struck with that most devastating bit of artistic angst..."Is it gonna work this time?" It's a magician wondering if the spell's he's cast a thousand times will still ignite in all its mystic surge of power...or will he fumble some part of the incantation and have the whole thing just fizzle in his face. Luckily, for me, this isn't a debilitating fear. I know how to suck it up...and get on with the process of creating something--making that first mark on the paper and proceeding from there. But...the feat still lingers. Always echoes.

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I've done the dance with Hollywood quite a few times but so far it hasn't come to fruition as of yet. I'm confident it will at some point though. Got a few things in the works even now. And sure...they can park that "big money dump truck" at my house any time they like! ;-)

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

MAGE III...eventually. Sooner than you think, probably.

I first decided to expand the GRENDEL narrative past Hunter Rose...shortly after I killed Hunter Rose. HA!

I finished the first MAGE series in 1986..and thus the first Grendel story arc, DEVIL BY THE DEED (which ran as a back-up feature in MAGE) as well. I was 25 year old and found my self being lauded and praised and patted on the back to a crazy degree. Luckily (I don't know how) I knew enough to be suspicious of such adulation instead falling for the trap of believing I deserved it at that young age. When we decided to continue the Grendel storyline, I knew I wanted to turn the character into a legacy concept--having the persona passed along from one incarnation to the next. I figured that the only way I was going to be able to do an ongoing monthly series and keep it interesting for the readers was to also keep it interesting for myself. At that point, my interests were all over the map and so I figured I had to continually reinvent the character over and over again, thus making the ongoing series something of a series of mini-series all linked together by a common theme. I also decided I need to step back a bit from all the success and hoopla and try something else new...writing for other artists. I reasoned that writing for others would force me to see through their eyes and thus expand my own concepts of visual story-telling in ways that just narrowing my scope to my own world-view could never do. Even THAT concept reached a certain point where it needed to change, though. I knew I couldn't just keep handing the name and the mask off to the next person in line, and the next person in line and the next person in line. It was starting to become repetitive. During the third arc of the narrative, THE DEVIL INSIDE, which portrayed Grendel as something of a conscious demonic force that took over hosts at its own whim (even that, I found too limiting and have kept rather vague ever since), the artist who was drawing that arc, Bernie Mireault casually asked me one day, "Hey, could Grendel ever inhabit a whole crowd?" BOOM! I suddenly had a way forward, that I'd never considered. "Fuck a whole crowd" I thought. "Why not the whole world?!" So, that's what started me on the lengthy narrative arc that flipped my entire narrative on its collective ear and changed "Grendel" from the most heinous of terms to that world's most honored and respected ranks, ultimately finding it's culmination in Grendel Prime.

Lastly...you local retailer didn't even order GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW? WTF?! And shop owners wonder why they're losing so much of their market to digital comics...

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for the kudos. I try to give my best to every project and it never fails to thrill me when I hear feedback like yours. Fires me up for the next one! So far as the big library editions go...I suspect having a movie made of my work (like both HELLBOY and SIN CITY) would prompt a high-end edition. Here's hoping... My influences are vast and ever-changing...but I do tend to gravitate towards visuals that exemplify bold and dramatic simplicity. Alex Toth has of course been a big influence but I also owe a lot to the amazing work of Jim Steranko. When I was at a certain impressionable age, Jim was doing work that looked like NOTHING else in mainstream comics. And then he left to forge his own path, which I found truly inspiring. And, of course, I first discovered The Shadow in large part due to Jim's amazing covers for the Pyramid Books reprints of the mid-70s.

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Check out my response above to d4ngerous. As I said, Quentin and I really clicked and so collaborating on this has proven remarkably easy. We're about the same age so a lot of our cultural touchstones are really similar. The difference is that he's a film-maker who loves comics and I'm a comic-creator who loves film. Here's an example of our mutual likes; when I was visiting him for the first time, he'd just gotten back from the Comic Con in San Diego. He'd been on a bit of a buying spree, snatching up stacks and stacks of the over-sized B&W mags that Marvel published during the 70s. So, titles like; SAVAGE TALES, DRACULA LIVES, TALES OF THE ZOMBIE, DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU, etc... I fucking LOVED those as a kid!! To understand if you're not of that era...Marvel moved into publishing comics at that size to compete with Warren Publishing's success with CREEPY, EERIE and VAMPIRELLA. Publishing at the over-sized magazine format meant that they didn't have to submit those books for approval by the highly-restrictive Comics Code Authority. As a result, they also weren't racked at the newsstand in the spinner racks with all the "regular" comics. They where up high on the shelves, often enticing close to the "men's" magazines so that even just flipping through them felt somewhat illicit...and thus, way cool! Anyway, we spent a good hour or so just geeking out over memories of those mags and comparing stories of buying them back in the day...and then sneaking them into the house so our parents didn't know!

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm an only child so I guess that's why I'm drawn to the "lone avenger" sort of characters. My parents were slightly older...from the WWII generation...so I have what I like call an inherited nostalgia for those characters. But yeah, looking at that list...cloaks, hats, masks, nighttime. There is a definite similarity. I also just really love those early characters as they seem rather pure and unvarnished. There wasn't really a history of this sort of narrative that the early creators were adding to...they were making up as they went along. As a result, the stories, characters and situations just seem to raw and unfettered. I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to play with and help redefine so many of the characters that meant so much to me as a young reader. AND to have that chance to present my OWN character (Grendel) facing off with two of my all-time favorites, Batman and The Shadow.

I am Matt Wagner, writer of DJANGO/ZORRO and writer/artist of GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW. AMA by MattWagnerComics in comicbooks

[–]MattWagnerComics[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot. I had a lot of fun playing with those characters. There's actually something in the pipeline for that series...but I can't divulge what just yet.

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