Eric Shanower

Eric Shanower's name has become synonymous with well-crafted, thoughtful comics storytelling. From the OZ series of graphic novels to his current depiction of the Trojan War AGE OF BRONZE (1998 Eisner nominee-"Best New Series") , the elegance and beauty of his artwork is matched only by the attention to detail that shines through in every panel.

Where did the original idea for a comic like AGE OF BRONZE come from?

The idea for AGE OF BRONZE sprang from one specific occurrence. I often listen to books recorded on audiotape while I'm painting or inking. In February of 1991 I was painting my last OZ graphic novel, THE BLUE WITCH OF OZ, and listening to The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam by Barbara W. Tuchman. As I listened to Tuchman's chapter about Troy, I thought: the complete story of the Trojan Cycle would make a great comic book. At that time I had several other projects planned, some of which happened, some of which didn't, so I just jotted down on a piece of paper a couple notes about the Trojan War and filed it away in my Ideas File. After Blue Witch, I turned my attention to other things, primarily a graphic novel set in ancient Egypt which never went far past the proposal stage. The Trojan War, however, kept tugging at my attention. By autumn of 1991, I was seriously researching the subject for a comics retelling of the story.

Some secondary influences on my decision to do AGE OF BRONZE were books such as THE KING MUST DIE and THE BULL FROM THE SEA by Mary Renault (her retelling of the Theseus legends), THE GOLDEN FLEECE by Robert Graves (his retelling of the Argonautic expedition), and the television adaptation of Graves's I, CLAUDIUS.

One of the several reasons that the graphic novel set in ancient Egypt never happened was that the archaeological research was overwhelming. We have a great amount of information about New Kingdom Egypt. We have far less archaeological information about Greece and Turkey of the 13th Century BCE. While not a snap, it's not as much of a burden to assimilate. That certainly was a relief at the time I began to research the Trojan War, and made the project easy to slide into.

Were there any other historical comics that have had an influence on AGE OF BRONZE?

...the visual aspect of comics is useful to give students a picture of whatever subject...

BLUEBERRY by Charlier and Giraud (Moebius). I really admire the great sweep of that series and the structure of an underlying plot thread carrying through many episodes. I'd like to capture a similar sense in AGE OF BRONZE which tells a story with a similar sweep and structure.

I'd like to make clear that AGE OF BRONZE is not based on history--it's based primarily on myth and legend, and secondarily on permutations of those myths and legends. The archaeological trappings, while important for texture and as historically accurate as I can make them, are subordinate to the story. The historicity of the Trojan War is a great debate of its own, and not one I deal with in AGE OF BRONZE.

Comics have great potential for teaching that just doesn't seem to be utilized as much as it could be. Any comments?

It depends on what's being taught, of course. Certainly the visual aspect of comics is useful to give students a picture of whatever subject is being studied. As you say, the potential for teaching is there, but in practical terms how many comics exist today that can be useful in a classroom? I'm certainly not doing AGE OF BRONZE to serve as a teaching tool--it's dramatic not didactic. But I think my comics might help students studying some aspect of the Trojan Legend to gain a visual concept of the characters and setting. If my version of the story can generate an excitement for the source material--whether it's Homer, Sopohocles, Euripides, Apollodorus, Virgil, Ovid, Boccaccio, Chaucer, Shakespeare, or something more obscure--that's great.

Your body of work suggests that you really enjoy adaptations. How does the process of adapting a body of work to comics differ from developing a concept from "scratch"?

In the case of AGE OF BRONZE, many things are already given to me that would not be there in an original concept. The characters of the Trojan Legend are already established. The most important of the characters already have personalities. I do not plan to add any important characters of my own, not even bit players if I can find an established one who will serve. The basic outlines of the plot are familiar to most of western civilization, but the details of the plot are many and diverse. One of the fascinating things about AGE OF BRONZE is making all the different and conflicting versions of the Trojan Legend gel into one smooth narrative. It's very exciting when this process goes well. That process is absent in an original concept, though there is a similar feeling when an original concept begins to take on its own life.

Doing OZ comics was different from AGE OF BRONZE. I did not have OZ plots beforehand. Just as for AGE OF BRONZE, I had established characters to work with, but the OZ stories I wrote were completely my own. My desire to tell my own OZ stories began in childhood and OZ was something I was familiar with for many years. My intense plunge into the Trojan War began only just over eight years ago and was prompted by my specific decision to retell the story in a particular manner.

Once in a while I become concerned that my major works so far are not creations of my own, but only take me into worlds created by others where I play around with other peoples' characters. But right now AGE OF BRONZE is what I want to do, so I can't worry too much that the basic idea isn't mine

What do you like most about working on AGE OF BRONZE?

The best part is when the script seems to be working well. There are many times when I have differing versions of the story to choose from, times when I have to figure out a way to substitute a human element for the original myth's supernatural element, and times when I have to pretty much create a new scene of my own to fill in something left vague in the source material. When I find satisfying solutions to these sorts of problems and they hang together, I enjoy working on AGE OF BRONZE the most.

Or maybe I enjoy most the point when each issue is finished

Many creators have a specific soundtrack in mind when they're working on a project. Do you listen to anything in particular when you're working on AGE OF BRONZE?

I don't have any kind of soundtrack for AGE OF BRONZE, or for any other project. I'm not the type of person who thinks that way. My tolerance for distraction rises as the need for concentration lessens with the task at hand. I need silence when I'm writing, designing characters and settings, or doing page layouts. I listen to the radio or music on tape or CD when I'm pencilling and lettering. I listen to books recorded on tape or CD when I'm inking and painting.

Are there any downsides to working on a creator-owned project as opposed to working freelance, under the direction of an editor?

A good editor is a wonderful tool for a creator...

I'm not sure your question is clear. Freelance is freelance, no matter what the project. One can work on a creator-owned project with an editor. Are you asking about the difference between working on a creator-owned project versus a work for hire project? Work for hire is an odious practice designed to make money for publishers and keep artists and writers from controlling what they write and draw. The long-established practice in the commercial comics field is work for hire. Artists and writers are used to working this way for the major comics companies, so work for hire is not likely to disappear. Fortunately, in the past 20 years, opportunities have opened for artists and writers to own the work they produce, but a great portion of comics are still created under work for hire contracts. I have done work for hire projects and will probably continue to do so, but I care far less about those projects than I do the projects I own myself.

There is a downside to not having a good editor. A good editor is a wonderful tool for a creator to discuss all aspects of a project with. A good editor has both a knowledge of the creative process and a knowledge of the market. A good editor is a second pair of eyes to catch mistakes--unclear storytelling, misspelled words, etc. Without a good editor, I have to provide these things myself, or find someone who can. An editor is not a babysitter for a lazy artist or writer, but a good editor is a great safety net for a conscientious creator who uses all the tools available.

I've really enjoyed your work with Ed Brubaker-AN ACCIDENTAL DEATH, PREZ, and "Small Time" the story from the VERTIGO anthology GANGLAND. How do you guys work together? Are there any future projects in the works for the two of you?

Of the many comics writers whose scripts I've illustrated, I find working with Ed most artistically satisfying. I like all his work-- --LOWLIFE, DETOUR, SCENE OF THE CRIME--not just what we've collaborated on. We were friends before we ever worked together. We work together pretty traditionally--we decide to do a project together, he sends me the script, and then I draw it. I don't give any input, really, while he's writing--I have full confidence in his abilities. We sometimes have discussions while I'm drawing his stories, but there's usually not a whole lot to discuss.

Two exceptions to that last statement occurred with AN ACCIDENTAL DEATH. I was laying out the entire story in rough form, but when I came to one particular scene--the scene in "blacktown"--it just wasn't working--I couldn't draw it. I talked to Ed about this. He wrote another scene which ended up being much better, focusing more on the characters' attitudes about each other. The other exception was that page three of AN ACCIDENTAL DEATH--which places the story unmistakably in Guantanamo Bay--was not in the original script. I urged Ed to write that page as I was working on the last chapter of the story. I'm still not sure he thought it was the best idea, but I remain confident that it's important to the story (although I suspect it doesn't flow as well as it would have if the information in it had been integrated from the beginning). People at Comic Conventions still tell me every once in a while that AN ACCIDENTAL DEATH is one of the best comics they've ever read.

The comics story by Ed and me that you didn't mention was a one-page story printed in LOWLIFE #1 (I think) called "The Mighty Mutants of Maynardville." That was the first comic we did together and possibly the best work I did that year.

Ed and I have no plans now to work on another project together. I'm really busy with AGE OF BRONZE, and Ed seems to be getting steady work from VERTIGO. But who knows what opportunities the future may bring?

Are you working on anything in addition to AGE OF BRONZE?

I am pencilling a six-page section in a SUPERMAN-GREEN LANTERN SPECIAL written by Neil Gaiman with art by many top artists. Art Adams will be inking my pencils. I've agreed to draw a short story for an upcoming AMERICA´S BEST COMICS anthology. I don't have a script yet, but the story has something to do with PROMETHEA, and it's written by Alan Moore. I also have my own publishing company, HUNGRY TIGER PRESS, which I run with my partner, David Maxine. David edits our annual anthology, OZ-STORY, which contains stories, comics, and verse about the Land of OZ as created by L. Frank Baum. I contribute work to every issue--stories, comics, illustration, etc. The next volume, number 5, will be out mid-September, and I've illustrated five of the short stories and drawn the full-color back cover. HUNGRY TIGER PRESS will be publishing a brand new OZ novel in time for the holidays. It's called PARADOX IN OZ. The author is Edward Einhorn and I'm illustrating it--as well as doing most of the production and design.

There are also a couple other projects whose futures are too uncertain for me to say much about them. One is a book illustration project that's been on hold for nearly a year and the other is in connection with a motion picture that's not yet sold.