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with STEVEN T. SEAGLE
Interview
by: Russ
Ray
 
© 2001 DC/Vertigo Comics |
Our guest
this time in The Big Question was nominated three times for
the Eisner Award for his work on Vertigo's Sandman Mystery
Theater. He's also written for House of Secrets
(which he revisited earlier this year with the Facade
miniseries), as well as Alpha Flight and X-Men
for Marvel Comics. Currently, he's the co-creator (along with
artist Kelley Jones) of a book YOU should be reading, The
Crusades.
Our guest
for this Big Question: Steven T. Seagle!
THE BIG Q&A
Q1.
One of the major hooks in The Crusades is that it's
grounded in historical facts and legends. How much research
was required to lay the groundwork of the story and how much
research do you continually perform as you write the book?
A1.
I actually had the entire concept for THE CRUSADES in mind
before I started researching anything about chivalry and the
historical Crusades. Once I got the proposal in I spent about
a month and a half reading some general histories of The Crusades
and some books about specific knights and battles. As for
continuing research, I do have to find things out about each
crusade, and of course, every time our lead vixen VENUS drifts
off into her mind-wandering daydreams I have to find out what
it is she already knows through her fact-checking career--anything
from how wine is made to who had the first toilet on earth
to what an "anal pear" is (see issue 10 if you want the answer
to that one!).
Q2.
Of all the colorful characters in the book, I think Anton's
acquaintances at the coffee shop might be the most clever.
Are they simply Marx's comic foils or will they play greater
roles from time to time?
A2.
The gang at "Slice of Heaven" (the dessert shop where shock
jock ANTON MARX goes to write his daily newspaper column)
are designed to remind the readers, and ANTON himself that
he is not his radio persona. They bring him back down to earth.
From the feminist agenda of LYSSA, the erotic novelist, to
the press starved mirror that is BRADEN & BLAIR, hopefully
the world's only twin gay brother sex performance artists,
to guerilla filmmaker BRACKETT, they all serve to cast parts
of ANTON back on himself. They're very background in The Second
Crusade, but look for them to play major parts (if not be
cleaved into major parts) in The Third.
Q3.
The fight scenes are insanely brutal and bloody, and when
I discuss the book with people, the must-see scene that always
comes to mind is the guy getting his face smashed with a mace
in Urban Decree. Being a co-creator and the artist
of the book, how much input does Kelley Jones have with some
of those art-heavy battle sequences?
A3.
That was pretty insanely brutal, although I hear much more
about the "lance up the rump and out the mouth" from issue
3. People are shocked by what's going down in this book, and
that's good. All these "shocking" new wave super-hero comics
are not all that shocking because they are missing that violence
HURTS. Kelley doesn't miss that at all. And in a book that's
predominantly about violent justice, hurt is critical. Oh,
and Kelley is a sick bastard on top of that, too.
Q4.
The Crusades is a book that hasn't really gotten the
attention that it deserves, especially in comparison to other
acclaimed Vertigo series like Sandman, Transmetropolitan,
and 100 Bullets. What has been the response you've
received from fans and other comics pros on the book?
A4.
The reponse is great, and no the book hasn't received the
response it deserves for Kelley's innovations alone if nothing
else, SO GET TO IT! START GIVING IT THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES,
DAMMIT! Seriously, this is a book that is paced completely
unlike the current vogue. Nearly everyone who's written to
me got that after the first arc ended. These are slightly
longer stories. And you need to read a full CRUSADE arc to
get that, but if you do, you'll be rewarded with character
build and story arc. It's not an issue-by issue thing. But
I think that's a far richer read at the end of the day.
Q5.
The last I heard, the House of Secrets movie had stalled,
but there was still interest in a Sandman Mystery Theatre
screenplay. Can you comment on the status of those and any
other film projects you're working on?
A5.
I have no idea about any SMT screenplay. I'm here if someone
wants me for one, though, as I know those characters better
than anyone on earth this side of Guy Davis! I'm currently
writing several spec scripts. One is a Hitchcockian thriller
co-written with Emmy winner Joe Fallon, one is a political
thriller co-written with Duncan Rouleau, one is an action
adventure co-written with Joe Kelly, and the final is a sci-fi
action film written solely by me!
Q6.
Primal Force was a great book not only because it brought
back some characters that had been in the background of the
DC Universe at the time like Red Tornado and Dr. Mist, but
also because they weren't a white bread team that always got
along and were all good friends. You also touched on some
of those themes in Alpha Flight as well. What were
your favorite aspects of those books?
A6.
My favorite aspect of PRIMAL FORCE is that it seems to
have more fans now then it ver had when it was going! I really
enjoyed both books. Groups are always composits of individuals,
and individuals have differences, even ones that like each
other. If people can't get along with their dormmate or their
significant other, I can't imagine how super-heroes with weird
powers and big egos and tight costumes could. I liked how
thoroughly untrained PRIMAL was. And I was really pissed that
Marvel cancelled ALPHA FLIGHT as it was building momentum.
All the current talk about making the X-books unlike each
other had already occurred in ALPHA back then.
Q7.
Do you have any interest in going back to the DC Universe,
or are you set on staying with the mature style of Vertigo?
A7.
I wrote a GREEN LANTERN one shot John K. Snyder is painting,
a BATMAN BLACK AND WHITE that Daniel Torres is illustrating,
and I'm half way through a 128 page SUPERMAN hardcover that
Teddy Kristiansen is painting and Karen Berger is editing,
so I guess I do have some interest. I have to say, aside from
Eddie Berganza, no one has really ever approached me to do
any major DCU work, so I don't know if I have any other interest
because I haven't been made to think about it.
Q8.
You and Joe Kelly got to write the two core X-Men books
a couple of years ago. Your stories were very enjoyable. Why
did your run on the books end so abruptly, and what might
you have done if you had been on the books longer?
A8.
I just wish Joe Kelly and I could have done the X-Books under
Joe Quesada's watch. All we ever wanted was to be turned loose
and trusted to tell great stories. And we HAD great stories,
we had a year plan that was painfully interesting. But unfortunately,
we were constantly redirected by our editors to tell stories
that we knew would be second rate. We fought against them
and we lost. Our runs ended because we were tired of being
jerked around and not delt with honestly so we quit on the
same day.
Q9.
Just before Alpha Flight got cancelled that there was
a major campaign among fans to save it. Given the recent editorial
changes at Marvel recently and the obvious fan support for
your work on that title, would you revisit it if Marvel asked
you?
A9.
I don't know, I haven't been asked, and I don't spend a lot
of time speculating. If something is put before me I consider
it and make a decision. I enjoyed the characters, I think
the book had a unique feel. I think it is unfortunate it got
cancelled while still making money.
Q10.
I recently got an email
(I swear) from Col. Ahmed T. Mustafa from Nigeria saying that
he needed help moving 200 million dollars out of a foreign
account and all I have to do to claim 20% of the money is
send him my bank account information. Do you think it's a
scam?
A10.
Col Mustafa rules. Literally.
We'd like
to thank Mr. Seagle for taking the time to be our guest here
in the Big Question and shooting straight about certain topics.
You
heard what the man said: go tell people about The Crusades,
and if you've missed it, it's easy to get with the program
with only six issues out. This book is too good for you not
to be reading it.
As always,
if you have a suggestion for a Big Question guest, or if you're
a pro yourself and would like to drop by, contact Troy Brownfield
at psikotyk@aol.com.
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