INTERVIEW: Buddy Scalera
Interview Conducted by Dan Coyle

7 DAYS TO FAME, a three issue limited series from After Hours Press and writer/creator Buddy Scalera, has a premise that initially sounds like another reality show satire: a show where people spend a week describing their life, and then kill themselves on the air. 7 DAYS TO FAME, whose first issue shipped a few weeks ago, isn't just about poking fun at reality TV. Scalera's story has bigger fish to fry, and the first issue, in addition to showing the horrific effects of suicide, showed the kind of incident that would lead to a premise like killing yourself live on TV becoming acceptable. It's a rather disturbing book. I interviewed former Wizard staffer Scalera when he made his comics debut five years ago as co-writer on Jimmy Palmiotti's DEADPOOL run and recently caught up with him to discuss his new series.

You've done plenty of creator-owned work, like the graphic novel NECROTIC, and had a lengthy run on Marvel's DEADPOOL, but you've been off the comics radar for the past few years. Where have you been?

Not far. I've still been doing some stuff, it's just mostly below the media radar. I did three multimedia CD-ROMs in the Visual Reference for Comic Artists series. As a writer, I did a couple of projects for small indies that unfortunately did not come out. Sometimes that happens.

So, what kind of work have you been doing outside of comics?

Mainly I am a father of two children, so that takes up a lot of time. But I have a day job where I develop interactive multimedia for the web. It's pretty cool and it keeps my technical skills sharp. I've also been working on my next photo reference project, which should come out in early 2006.

I've also been doing some freelance writing gigs here and there too. But mostly I have been trying to develop this story, so that it's something worth reading.

Was there any particular incident or event that sparked the creation of 7 DAYS TO FAME?

It was a gradual process that started over 10 years ago, when I was producing a small cable-access television show. I was watching some of the early reality television shows like The Real World, Cops and American Gladiator, and started to wonder how far they would go. The rules of cable-access are much different than network television, and there was this show from out of California that had naked porn stars. Someone sent me a tape and I just could not believe what they were able to get away with.

Then I did some web design work a site that showed some pretty gory pictures, stuff like suicides and murders. On [my website] brooklynbizarro.com there were all kinds of things like jokes, party pictures, naked chicks, movie reviews, music reviews, original art, and, of course, bizarre pictures of dead people. One of the things that disturbed me most was the fact that the most visited section of the site was all this gore stuff.

So there wasn't any specific inciting event. It was more of a gradual thing that came organically from the things I was involved with at the time.

What's your process? Do you write Marvel style? Full script?

Full script, since I want the artist to know as much as possible about the scene when he draws it. Plus full script lets them know how much space to leave for dialogue. The dialogue sometimes changes in lettering, but at least they have a good sense of what's happening in the scene. I think that Marvel style probably works well when you're doing a monthly book and you have a really good ongoing relationship with the artist.

Tell me about the art. How did you go about finding the right illustrators for this minsieries?

It's always hard to find the right artist. It really is. You need to find someone who shares a similar vision and that is not easy. I have specific things I want to see with my collaborators, so I sometimes have to wait a long time until I find the right people. The first issue features pencils by Nick Diaz. I have known Nick a long time. He did a book with me several years ago that never actually came out. But we have stayed in touch and when this opportunity arose, I knew he was the right guy. Nick stayed on for the first issue and has moved on to new opportunities. The second and third issue will be by Dennis Budd and Joe Caramangna. These guys are recent Kubert School graduates and they have just produced the most amazing pages. These guys are going to be doing mainstream work very soon. In fact, I made them promise me that they wouldn't accept any offers until they finished my book. They're that good.

You've commented in the press materials that many people you've spoken to about the series probably would expect to see a show like 7 DAYS TO FAME, and what's more, they'd probably watch it. How does that make you feel about the culture today?

I think it has more to do with human nature than with culture. We are all curious about death, since it's an inevitable part of our lives. We know it's going to happen to us eventually, but most of us don¹t think about it much. There's a big curiosity factor when someone commits suicide. We all want to know why it happened, although not all of us are interested in seeing the actual act or aftermath.

Culturally, watching the deaths of others spans back to the time of Gladiators and has followed us throughout history. There have been public hangings and beheadings in many cultures and time periods. And even in present day America, we record the capital punishment and allow select people to be in the next room to witness the event. People are naturally curious. I think a lot of people would watch the first suicide, but I don't know how many people would want to watch after that.

Would you ever go on a reality show?

The right one, yeah. I mean, technically, game shows are reality shows and so is the news. But I know what you mean when you say reality shows, and yes, I would, depending on the show. I would want to go on Fear Factor to drive a car off a roof or something. I love that stuff. I'd be out as soon as they asked me to eat bugs or brains though. I don't think I'd want to be on a show like Big Brother though. That kind of high interpersonal drama is more fun in a scripted TV show. I wouldn't want to live it.

One of the reasons that the reality show craze is so popular, it's been said, is Americans are more and more hungry for their 15 minutes of fame. While I think that's a good indicator of why people go on reality shows, I've also felt that the reasons people watch them are quite different: it could be argued that the success of shows like The Simple Life and Newlyweds and more recently, Kill Reality, is that they instill a false sense of superiority in the viewer- we watch them because they enable us to feel better about ourselves for not indulging in inconsiderate behavior, or just being a schmuck. Do you agree, and does that inform your thinking behind 7 DAYS TO FAME?

Wow, that's heavy stuff.

First, let's talk about the 15 minutes of fame thing. This was a concept pushed by Andy Warhol, who said sarcastically that in the future everyone would have 15 minutes of fame. I don't think that statement was intended to be about "fame" in the movie star sense. It also includes infamy, which is definitely something that plays a role in 7 DAYS TO FAME.

The fame I am talking about is people wanting the world to know and understand them. I would imagine that most people committing suicide feel they have a "reason" that they have to end their lives. Many of them write a suicide note, so people around them can understand why they did this. But who can summarize a lifetime in a note? So when people are doing this, they are trying to tell the world something about themselves.

There are a lot of reality shows out there. I like and watch some of them because they have really interesting stories about people. Some of them are just pure schlock. And not that anything is wrong with that because I have watched some of the schlocky ones too. Just like regular, scripted television, you get good and bad stuff.

I think a lot of people watch reality shows because the like to watch how other people react in certain situations. They can identify easily with the people, which is something they can't always do when they watch scripted television. There's also a strong communal feeling you get from reality television. You know these are real people responding to artificially constructed "real" situations, but you are curious to see how they react to the new challenges, conflicts, and situations.

You are right on a certain level. I think a lot of people watch shows like Newlyweds to laugh at how "stupid" Jessica Simpson is. Once there's a buzz, people want to see it themselves. Although in the case of the show Newlyweds I think the joke is on us. Jessica, while not the most informed person in the whole world managed to take her career to a whole new level.

Without that show, she'd just be another pretty pop singer. Now she's appearing in movies and television specials. Like I said, I think she may have been a little under-educated in certain areas, but I think the dumb blonde thing was a bit of an act. She sort of snuck up on the world, you know? So anyone who had a false sense of superiority over Jessica Simpson may find themselves a little disappointed.

Finally, is there anything else you'd like to say to readers who may be squeamish about the subject matter?

I want people to know that this comic book is not a parody, nor does it make fun or light of suicide. It is a serious and thoughtful discussion of the media and what people are willing to do to be "famous." Suicide is not funny and I certainly am not advocating suicide in any way. Just because I am writing a story where people commit suicide, doesn't mean that I support suicide. I've written about murder, violence, mayhem, and other unpleasant things, but I don't support them either. This is fiction. I write fiction.





Be sure to check out www.ahpcomics.com for more information on 7 DAYS TO FAME and After Hours Press.

7 DAYS TO FAME issue 1 is in stores now, with art by Nick Diaz and a cover price of $3.99.

 

Dan Coyle is a regular writer for PopImage


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