SHAZOOM!

No such thing as Irish Comics??? Wronnnggggg!!!

There are, and you might be surprised at the quality and themes:

Sneak peek:

Scans from "The League of Volunteers" from leading Irish publisher "Atomic Diner"

 

“Róisín Dubh”  Cover (2) from another of the “Atomic Diner” stable of Irish comics:

The themes and stories draw on the rich 4000 year heritage of Irish culture and folklore from the ancient Keltic Druids and Magic, powerful Gods and malign Spirits, Indomitable Heroes and Warriors, Superheroes in their own eras, to 'Dracula' written by Dublin author Bram Stoker and modern Irish history of conflict and wars of liberation against Engliish rule right up to the present day.

In a recent interview, publisher Rob Curley spoke about his work:

League of Volunteers is an original team book. With so much already done in the genre of comics, was it difficult in creating these distinct characters?

R.C. To be honest it wasn’t that calculated. I had wanted to do an Irish themed book and the original characters I came up with were Roisin Dubh and Glimmer Man which then led onto the League which seemed to open a floodgate of ideas. Somewhere along the line with GM I just thought it would be cool to place him in a team book, I did some research and tried to come up with a cross section of characters that would represent different facets of Ireland.

Blood Rose was a character that stuck out ; a strong female character seems to be a theme in the Atomic Diner books. Is this something you think about or was their creation very much organic?

R.C. I have to say it was more organic but, that’s not to say I’m not aware of the lack of female characters in the comics medium. At the moment I’m working on two new male characters so it really depends on what’s going through my mind at any given time.

With so many characters, and only 2 issues to showcase them all so far, we’ve seen the announcement for the Black Scorpion one shot with Stephen Downey. Can you tell us a little about this?

R.C. As you say there are a lot of characters and for the moment giving them all their own series is a bit out of reach so I think it’s a good idea to showcase them in one shots and this way we can give a little bit more of their history and background. The Black Scorpion issue is looking really well. Stephen Downey is a great artist and it’s always exciting to see what he’s going to send back from the initial script. The story is set in WW1 and involves soldiers swapping tales of their sightings of the Scorpion, we also showcase a British team of heroes called Legion Brittania so I’m looking forward to seeing what people make of them.

League of Volunteers is very much set in an important time in Ireland and the characters have links to other historical periods of note. Do you feel a responsibility in maintaining those heavily Irish elements when you add in the more extravagant themes (say Nazis and Vampires, etc)?

R.C. First and foremost the League is a fantasy comic but obviously people have opinions on their history and it differs from person to person, especially when your talking about subjects like the emergency. I do feel some responsibility not to lean too heavily on either side of the argument about our place in the war and hopefully we can be respectful of the history but still have some fun with the stories.

League of Volunteers, Jennifer Wilde and Roisin Dubh all have black and white art in common. Is this due to budget, because it would be very difficult to imagine any in colour since it suits each book (differently) so well?

R.C. To be honest it is to do with budget but, as you say, the black and white does suit the feel of the books. I may venture into colour at some point and see what the reaction is.

You co-plotted both Jennifer Wilde and Roisin Dubh with Maura McHugh, who scripted. What’s that collaboration like?

R.C. There is collaboration in all the books, whether with another writer or if it’s me and an artist. Everybody brings something different to the work. With Maura it’s very easy and because she is such a talented writer there is very little editing involved with her scripts.

Next year should see some of the creative teams mixing it up a little. I’m editing a couple of stories for the League at the moment done by other writers and Barry Keegan is also doing two of his own League stories, one of which he will also draw himself. We have a couple of new writers who have already established themselves both in comics and novels respectively and who’s names we will announce soon. At this stage I fell very comfortable working with other writers and its always a thrill to see what other people do with the characters.

The Irish comics scene appears to be on the rise. Have you seen a significant difference as both a writer and comic shop owner?

R.C. I have certainly seen a big increase in my own publications which I think has a lot to do with the subject matter and it has proven to me that there are a lot of people out there willing to read comics if you give them something to peak their interest. As for the shop it’s a very positive time with DC’s New 52 which has proved to be a massive success so like the Irish titles, comics need to keep broadening their horizons to attract new readers.

What particular writers, in or out of comics, have informed your work?

R.C.There are certain writers I like in comics, people like Brubaker, Morrision and more recently Scott Synder but I don’t feel they have influenced me. I think the biggest influence on my writing has just been my love of different genres and in more recent years an interest in history.

                                  "Róisín Dubh" Cover #1

Maura McHugh scripter for "Róisín Dubh" talks on her contribution:

Your first two comics, Róisín Dubh and Jennifer Wilde, came out this year. You’ve also written a third project for Womanthology, a short titled ‘The Nail’. Can you tell us anything about it and could you briefly explain the concept of Womanthology for those unfamiliar?

MMcH It’s an anthology of comic book strips created solely by women, with all profits going to charity. It will be published by IDW Publishing in December. Artist Renae De Liz originated the project with the intention of offering women with different levels of experience the opportunity to showcase their work.

The theme of the anthology is heroic, so when I was looking for an idea I considered the different types of heroic acts from the big to the small. In the end I was inspired by the true story of how a woman coped with being unjustly incarcerated in a prison in 1950s Hungary. I was thrilled when my short script was accepted by editor Suzannah Rowntree. The artist for the strip is Star St. Germain.

It’s been a privilege to be part of the project, which has been run professionally and with tremendous energy. It raised $109,000 via Kickstarter and is the most successful comic book project ever funded this way.

Both JW and RD have a strong female lead. Is that something you feel strongly about in creating comics and writing?

MMcH All female (and male) characters in a comic book should be interesting in some fashion, but if they are the lead characters they need to capture the attention of the reader quickly. As a writer it is my job to intrigue the reader with the protagonists, irrespective of their gender.

I love writing both Róisín and Jennifer as they have quite different backgrounds and motivations. I want them to be dynamic, complex and believable, so I feel strongly about putting that on the page. If I was writing male lead characters I would have the exact same goals.

The 1920′s is an interesting period to set a comic. We see a myriad of unique characters and a style of fashion due to this in the first issue of Jennifer Wilde. Was it this era that inspired the comic or was it more to do with the Oscar Wilde aspect?

MMcH Rob Curley pitched me the central concept of the story – of a woman solving a mystery with the help of Oscar Wilde during the 1920s. Part of what attracted me to writing the series was the ability to explore the era. Oscar had been dead for a generation, so technically it wouldn’t have mattered what era he popped back into semi-existence, but the 1920s is an excellent fit for him.

It was the first ‘modern’ decade of the twentieth century, recovering from the trauma of World War I, but seized with an indefatigable energy and optimism. I tried to infuse that spirit in Jennifer, and wrote her as a playful, curious but haunted woman.

Róisín Dubh is a far darker book and is very much set in Irish lore. How does it feel to be tackling a famous tale like this in a new a novel way?

MMcH Horror tends to be the default genre I write in so that was an attraction for me to this story. The original ballad, ‘Róisín Dubh’  was written in the 16th century and is part of the aisling(fantasy dream) song traditions. In it the lover – Róisín Dubh – is a metaphor for Ireland.

Actually, I wrote Róisín as an antidote to that tradition. The aisling songs usually portray Ireland as a woman, and often in a Romantic light as someone who has been wronged by another – England in this case. She’s rarely described as strong or proactive. Yet, Irish mythology is littered with fierce goddesses and women. They were never the sort to sit around and wait on men, and they usually had an acerbic tongue.

So, Róisín is based on the older tradition of Irish stories. I’ve been a mythology nut since I was a kid, so weaving in the Irish mythological elements into the Róisín Dubh storyline has been hugely enjoyable. We have a rich tradition and I love being able to delve into it and celebrate it.

 You worked on both JW and RD stories with Rob Curley, but you script them. How much details do you work out when scripting, say panels wise, etc; and how much is left or worked on with the artists?

MMcH I write full scripts, which means that I write how many panels there are on a page, and sometimes I describe the layout. This allows me to establish the rhythm of the story and lets me figure out how to pace it. I aim to go for enough detail per page and panel to establish the scenes and characters while allowing the artist room to enter into the story and bring it to life.

Once the pages start coming  it’s always fascinating to see how the artist has responded to the story. Sometimes the artist will decide to change the layout, and I’m always delighted when that results in a more effective visual.

After you have been working with an artist for a while you also get a sense of how s/he works, and where you need to give more detail and where you can give him/her plenty of leeway.

I only get irked if they drop lines of dialogue! I aim to write efficient dialogue, but sometimes space constraints mean I need to re-write it to economise even further. I’m happy to do that if a dropped line omits something I deem important to the story.

It’s important in comic books to be able to collaborate well and fairly. It affects the project otherwise.

How are you finding the Irish comics scene thus far? Any quandries?

MMcH I’ve found the Irish comic book scene to be supportive and friendly, and I’ve no complaints! I’ve also met a lot of talented, funny people so it’s really enriched my life. Long may it continue to evolve and prosper.

Maura Mc Hugh follows in a long tradition in Ireland of gothic horror in literature, popularised by Bram Stoker's "Dracula", first published in 1897:

Abraham Stoker; born Nov. 8, 1847, Dublin, Ireland, died April 20, 1912, London, England

 As a child, Stoker had a serious debilitating illness which had him confined to the family home and bed on many occasions until his teen years when he made a remarkable recovery and was able to attend Trinity College, Dublin, where he became a noted student athlete and sportsman.

Turning to fiction late in life, Stoker published "The Snake's Pass" in 1890, and in 1897 his masterpiece, “Dracula”, was first published in London.. Written mostly in the form of diaries and journals kept by the principal characters—Jonathan Harker, who made the first contact with the vampire Count Dracula; Mina, Jonathan's wife; Dr. Seward; who realises the true nature of Dracula, and Lucy Westenra, a victim who herself becomes a vampire—the story is that of a Transylvanian vampire who, using supernatural powers, makes his way to England and there victimizes innocent people to obtain the blood on which he lives.The  popular novel enjoyed equal success in several versions as a play and as numerous films derived from the original book. Hollywood, in particular, has reason to be grateful for Stoker’s creation.

Stoker wrote several other novels—including “ The Mystery of the Sea” (1902), “The Jewel of Seven Stars” (1904), and “The Lady of the Shroud” (1909)—but none of them approached the popularity or, indeed, the quality of “Dracula”.

But, before Stoker, there was Joseph Sheridan LeFanu :

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu; born , Aug. 28, 1814, Dublin, Ireland,died Feb. 7, 1873, Dublin.

Of french Hugenot descent LeFanu was writer of many ghost stories and mystery novels, celebrated for his ability to evoke the ominous atmosphere of a haunted house.

Le Fanu belonged to an old Dublin Huguenot family and was related on his mother's side to Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he became a lawyer in 1839 but soon abandoned law for journalism.

“The Purcell Papers”, written while he was a student, show his mastery of the supernatural and were collected in three volumes in 1880. Between 1845 and 1873 he published 14 novels, of which” Uncle Silas” (1864) and”The House by the Churchyard” (1863) are the best known. Written in dense prose of the Victorian era, the novels are hard going for modern readers but, worthwhile for the extended description of the characters and their surroundings and the flow of language employed.  He contributed numerous short stories, mostly of ghosts and the supernatural, to the Dublin University Magazine, which he owned and edited from 1861 to 1869. “In a Glass Darkly” (1872), a book of five long stories, is generally regarded as his best work. Le Fanu also owned the Dublin Evening Mail and other newspapers. His vampire story “Carmilla” is likely to have inspired Stoker’s later Dracula novel. The introduction of the female(and lesbian) vampire was unusual for the times but has survived and inspired several movies "Vampyr" (1932,Germany, Dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer), in the British Hammer Studios:  "Vampire Lovers"(1970), "Lust for a Vampire"(1971), and one by French auteur Roger Vadim - "Blood and Roses"(France 1960).

                                     "Vampyr", 1932, Germany, Dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer.

                         "Blood and Roses", 1960, France, Dir. Roger Vadim. w. Mel Ferrer, 

                            Elsa Martinelli Annette Vadim.

                                                      "Blood and Roses", (1960,France)

            "Vampire Lovers" (1970,Great Britain, Hammer Studios w. American International)

                              "Lust for a Vampire" (1971, Great Britain, Hammer Studios)

Not comics, but an intriguing entry into pulp horror in 1940's Ireland was a series of Irish language paperback books aimed, believe it or not, at 12-16 year old school students and published by the official Government publisher An Gúm. The covers, with their lurid artwork similar to pulp horror familiar to US readers and their antique Gaelic typeface are a unique artifact in the history of Irish publishing:

  The books were authored by English born Charles Saunders, who moved to Ireland with his Irish mother at a young age and was schooled here becoming adept in the Irish language quite quickly and began writing as Cathal Ó Sándair

as can be seen on the covers. I60 in all, Ó Sándair's books mainly covered the adventures of P.I. Detective Réics Carló, as in the two above but, he also created a Western hero, a Caribbean Pirate, and space Captain adventurer similar to Buck Rogers. He also wrote

"Bullets are Trumps ", part of the British Sexton Blake series under the pseudonym "Desmond Reid".

An Gúm also produced an Irish translation of Stoker's "Dracula" in 1933 which was reissued in 1997 as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Stoker's famous novel in Dublin that year:

The new illustrations were provided by Romanian artist ION CODRESCU:

                  Ion Codrescu's " Dracula" for the 1997 edition in Irish by An Gúm, Dublin.

 

"I concluded from the beginning that this would be the end; and I am right, for it is not half over"

(Sir Boyle Roche, Irish MP, Dublin Parliament, 1790's).

Planetronix, EARTH,

24 Feabhra/February 2012