Uma exclusiva com Brian Wood, de DMZ!

Recentemente entrevistei, por email, o autor do excelente DMZ. Como fiz diversas perguntas, vou quebrar em duas partes, e manterei no original, em inglês.

Divirtam-se!

Comixs: You did some very successful indie comics, like couscous express, couriers and demo. However, before that, you had already worked at Marvel, with Warren Ellis! How was it that you started mainstream, went to creator-owned and now is back with a big publisher?

Brian Wood: I actually started creator-owned, self-publishing my own comics in college and then creating CHANNEL ZERO for Image Comics. That was my first serious book. After that I spent a year on GENERATION X at Marvel, but all the ideas I had for comics weren't really superheroes, and I realized I would better spend my time doing my own thing. Now, even though I am working for Vertigo, I still do creator- owned work.

C: Your career has been, let’s say, diverse: You’ve worked for Rockstar Games, for dot.coms, as a graphic designer and now as a writer. How was that? Can you tell us a bit of your career, how it started, and where you are going now? What can we expect from Brian Wood in the future?

BW: Well, you summed it up pretty well. Those office jobs were just to pay the rent while I worked on my comics career. I had made up my mind that I wanted to write and draw comics all the way back in 1996, but it wasn't until 2003 that I was able to stop working these day jobs, like at Rockstar Games, and support myself with comics only.

C: Specifically on comics: How did you break into the industry? What was the beginning like?

BW: I just worked and worked and worked and submitted proposals to anyone I could think of. Image Comics were the first ones to offer me a deal. It took a couple years, but patience is key.

C:Still comics: How does a writer enter comics? I see hundreds of articles on how an artist should submit stuff, but what about the writer?,

BW: Same way. This is not a simple question to answer, and there is no one way to answer it. But generally the best way to get work as a writer is to write comics. Self-publish, or find an artist and pitch books together. Show that you can actually do the work.

C: What is it like at DC/Vertigo? It seems that, nowadays, 8 out of 10 comics I read are Vertigo. Do you also feel that this publisher has such a huge share of the “adult” market? What is a working day for Vertigo like?

BW: I think Vertigo is the most exclusive publisher out there. They have a relatively small lineup of titles, and every single one of them has this level of quality and sophistication that you don't always see elsewhere. And they are a rarity in the American comics industry, offering the chance to do creator-owned work at a high level with good money.

My working day is always the same: I sit in my little office and write. It never changes!

C: What are you reading nowadays? Comics?

BW: Not many. I read Garth Ennis' PUNISHER, I read a lot of manga. I really like SCALPED, and I'll buy anything Warren Ellis puts out.

C: What is your process of coming up with a story? Do you have the overall plot and write chapters/issues, or do you treat each issue individually? How do your editors interact with you? Are you given a major storyline and then develop it?

BW: Well, my work is my own, so no one gives me storylines. I'll come up with an idea and roughly plot it out over five issues or so (or however long it is) and then just start writing the scripts. My editors are great. They have solid feedback and don't try to interfere when its not needed. Pretty much I work alone.

C: How long does it take to write an issue of DMZ, for example?

BW: I have no idea. It varies so much and I work on other projects at the same time. Maybe ten days?

C: How’s your relationship with Riccardo (desenhista da revista DMZ) ? Do you storyboard for him?

BW: No, I let him do all of that. I love Riccardo - I don't think he is capable of drawing anything badly.

Espero que tenham gostado. Em breve, a segunda parte da entrevista!