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)
"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,
