Brian Wood, bringing the noise.
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Brian Wood is according to some the most prolific writer to enter the comics industry in years. With the publication of his miniseries CHANNEL ZERO (which was collected in a TPB and is now sold out) Brian burst onto the comics scene and turned a lot of heads. PopImage has been lucky enough to talk to Brian not only about his work but his views on society. During the course of the interview it was revealed that Brian is the new writer on MARVELīs GENERATION X, so if there is something that looks like itīs way of the established track this is the reason. A new voice for the 21st century has been found and Brian Wood is screaming from the top of his lungs.
When did you decide you wanted to do comics?
In art school, in like 93, when I discovered VERTIGO comics. I come from a painting background, real "fine art", and VERTIGO comics were the only comics out there that I could possibly see my work applying to. It was art, to me, not comics.
Which artists have influenced you the most?
Oh man, I could go on and on about this. All sorts of artists, from comics to fine art, to design. Probably Lee Hyun Sae, from Korea, is my biggest comics influence. I look at lots of American Pop Art and German Expressionism. Neville Brody is great, for modern design works.
Where there any particular VERTIGO books that swayed you or was it because they are so different from the rest of mainstream?
I love Dave McKean, and the other painted comics. DEATH was and still is one of my alltime favorites, the first miniseries. ARKHAM ASYLUM, too. Anything that didnt fit the comic book stereotype, the superhero stereotype.
I also was into indie, underground style comics, like HATE, from FANTAGRAPHICS.
Were you just interested in illustrating or did you want to do your stuff from the beginning?
Orginally, I just thought I would be an illustrator. I never considered myself a writer, I never thought I would be. I was all about the art at that point. I started writing my comics in art school because I didnīt like the way anyone else I know wrote. Iīm a control freak, so I figured I better learn to write, or I would be stuck with lame scripts. But I didnt view the story as being really all that important, so my early comics were visually great, huge splash pages, great scenes, and the writing was just sorta there, pretty bland, very boring. I just didnīt care. I have since worked harder to train myself to actually write.
Who did you turn to in order to learn?
I just read a lot of books. Iīve always read a lot of books, usually 2 or 3 a week, so I just sat down and started writing, and practiced. As far as comics go, I read lots of Frank Miller, and my early comics show that. I stopped doing that after awhile, and just started jotting down notes, stream of consciousness-type stuff, and writing about what pissed me off. I realized I have a lot of shit I wanna say, so I just ranted. I listened to people around me, really listened, and picked up a lot of good information that way. Now when I write, I just bring up stuff from deep inside my brain. The projects I am working on now, I am focusing on the writing, much more so than ever before.
So we are going to be seeing a more writing consious Brian Wood in the future but will the art remain b/w with heavy inks or will you be doing some color work?
| I am a suspicious person. I tend to assume the worst. |
I will do color if I can find a company to let me, but I just love black and white. I am also open to finding other artists to draw my stories. For a change, it would be nice to just write without having to worry about drawing it too. That way I can write really crazy, insane scenes, and let someone else figure it out! But if I do that, I will always have another story I can draw. The art is always first, for me.
Who would you like to work with on such a project?
Top of the list is Philip Bond. I have been thinking about this a lot recently, because I am about to submit a series of proposals to major companies. So my list reads: Philip Bond, Lea Hernandez, Sean Philips, and believe it or not, Jim Lee and J Scott Campbell. I have one story in particular I would love to see either of those guys draw. Philip Bond has a clean, tight, ultra-stylish style. Grant Morrison's KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND is great
You are also working on some projects on which you do the art and others the writing, how are they coming along?
Warren's story, you mean? So far so good, I guess. Still waiting on the final script, but I have read a sampling of what the story is about. Real dark stuff. Warren is good at picking artists that really compliment the project. This book will be hard, dark, and stylish. Lots and lots of black ink.
It will only be published online right?
Online is what Warren last mentioned to me. Published online initially in installments, and later collected and printed as a book. I also have a couple ideas for comics based on the 'zine my girlfriend Michelle Lo writes, but thatīs it.
If CHANNEL ZERO is anything to go by you hate censorship and all it stands for
I think censorship is inherently evil. It usually stems from fear and paranoia, not out of any real concern for people's welfare.
But censorship rides strong in America and demands are being made for a stricter bill.
The current push in America to clamp down on the entertainment industry is pretty silly, only because its totally the opposite of what we should be doing. Itīs much easier for parents to blame video games for their kids going psycho and shooting up a school than it is to blame themselves for doing a shitty job raising the kids. Itīs silly, but also pretty scary, because these laws will no doubt be passed and put into effect.
What is your opinion on what is going on at WARNER BROS/DC regarding self censoring? Is it right for the executives to make decisions like that? Incidents like the PREACHER cover and the recent resignation of Warren Ellis from HELLBLAZER. Both titles are after all VERTIGO.
They have that right. People like Warren also have the
right to accept it or not. I don't care for censorship, but to be honest,
I have a hard time feeling outrage at something like this. It happens
often enough, we should be used to it.
| I think censorship is inherently evil. |
Time Warner acted like what they are, a big corporation
with lots of different demographics they must keep happy, and this time
we lost. I think that the fact a book like PREACHER even exists
at DC is commendable. We need to keep this is perspective, I think.
On a personal level, I think its rotten, and I can only imagine the disappointment
and frustration Warren feels right now.
Do you believe others will follow where DC leads?
Not as much. Smaller companies can get away with more.
On the issue of the next president of the united states....do you then feel that no matter who becomes president that the entertainment industry will suffer?
I agree with that. Regardless of political party, any president wants to be popular. These Parents groups and special interests groups will continue to rise in number and power, and no politician can afford to ignore them. That is the basic concept behind CHANNEL ZERO, and the Clean Act.
You have said that you have a 300 page CZ graphic novel in the works when is that to be expected now that the MARVEL job has come up?
Well, actually, I have retooled the 300-page PEOPLE
into a smaller, easier-for-me-to-handle PUBLIC DOMAIN. I was thumbnailing
PEOPLE out about a month ago and realized this was getting totally
out of control when I started to reach the 200-page mark, with no end
in sight. That would have driven me insane, trying to do something like
that. So I filed away most of the planned stories and chose the three
best ones, which will appear in the PUBLIC DOMAIN graphic novel,
which I have scheduled for a mid-to-late 2000 release. Too many parts
of CZ were rushed, and I feel bad about that. PUBLIC DOMAIN
is a CZ book, but different. I am beginning a shift from old themes
to new, focusing on side characters, getting into people's lives. The
first CZ series was this huge concept crammed into five
floppy comics, all war and alienation and revolution and hope. I painted
this huge umbrella of a concept, and now I want to look at the people
underneath. Its also a attempt, in a way, to create my own warped version
of a indie-style, slice-of-life comic, the sort of story that first pulled
me into comics. Stuff like HATE, or the DRAWN AND QUARTERLY.
They look at life, at youth culture, at popular culture. That's what PUBLIC
DOMAIN will be about. But it is still a CZ book, and will be
recognizable as one. Youth alienation mixed with global supermarketing,
future shock blended with 90's street soul. 
Do you find any cinematic influence creeping into your work? Some of the panels (I use the term loosely) in CHANNEL ZERO's first run suggest "storyboard" or camera angle framing, and not just the ones featuring Jenny's broadcast.
I think that comes from being a fine artist adapting to panel work. I like sprawling layouts, big images, lots of black and negative space. In CZ #4 for example, I experimented with single-panel pages. Some were tiny on the page, and some filled the entire page, and I think that issue was my favorite if only for the reason of ignoring what is considered "acceptable" page layout and content, and just doing what I want. I did get a lot of angry emails from people who were pissed that I was "wasting space" on the page and they somehow didn't get their money's worth from the book.
Should comics have soundtracks, aiming for that total art/media experience that Matt Howarth used to try and promote with POST BROTHERS? If so, what would be on the CHANNEL ZERO soundtrack?
I have my own personal soundtrack, but I hesitate to impose that on my readers who may not agree. It reminds me when I was young, before MTV. We would listen to our music and get our own pictures or ideas in our heads about what the song was about, how it made us feel. But then videos came along and sorta ruined that for us. If I see CZ with a old school punk and reggae soundtrack, lets say, that may ruin it for the kid who hears junkyard or something when he reads it. But what I usually play for background music when I draw is hiphop, and some 60's jamaican reggae. I was weaned on punk rock, but I feel that belongs to a different era. Underground hiphop is the music of the new revolution.
Do you think the current social, political, and cultural chaos in New York City is just an intensified indicator of the world as a whole, or an omen of ill tidings?
| The current push in America to clamp down on the entertainment industry is pretty silly |
Intensified indicator. In NYC now, we have rich white people being kept happy and content, at the expense of the poor and/or disadvantaged. I feel this is an indicator of the direction America is moving in. It is also moving in the direction of my America from CZ, which provides me with equal parts elation and horror - its nice to see predictions come true, but these are predictions of very bad things indeed.
Is the cultural drama genre (books like CHANNEL ZERO, TRANSMETROPOLITAN, DOWNSIDE, and FAX FROM SARAJEVO) the next big creative push? Or has this all been around for ages, and it's just becoming popular now?
Culture is ramping up, I think. Issues are becoming important
to people, the media is steadily pushing its content into our faces. The
web has turned so much of us into "publishers" and "creators". The population
at large is becoming very empowered, so politics and social issues impact
on our lives more than ever before.
I predict we will see a lot more of it as time goes on. But I have always
found that small press/indie books like HATE and DIRTY PLOTTE
fall into the "cultural drama" category. I have always been very influenced
by indie comics.
Could you ever do a "Spandex hero" book?
Of course. I was not raised on comic books like so many creators were, so I don't have that deep-seated love for the medium that they do, so my superheroes would be quite different from what is expected. I would jump at the chance. I have quite a few proposals in the works, actually.
Why do you think you were chosen for the GENERATION X job after having written a book like CHANNEL ZERO?
Maybe CZ and Warren's GEN X have a lot in common? Itīs hard for me to speculate as to what Warren was thinking when he sent me that email, but judging on his ideas for the book, it called for someone versed in american youth culture, who can write smart, socio-politically active characters, without pandering or speaking down to anyone. Similar to my work on CZ I feel. time will tell if he made the correct choice.
What is your deal with MARVEL, do you stay as long as Warren does or longer?
I have an open-ended arrangement with MARVEL. I will stay on the book for as long as everyone involved is happy. Especially myself.
So far you have only done one miniseries that has been published, does the idea of a monthly book scare you?
Ahem, five indie books, a miniseries, two stand-alone's,
a one-shot, a sold-out Collection, and a plethora of shorts in other comics
all over, thank you very much. Heh, but yes, I get your point. No, the
idea of a monthly doesnt scare me at all. I know I can do the work, and
it is only writing, unlike at IMAGE CENTRAL, where I am writer/artist/letterer/designer/cover
colorist/production artist/promoter, etc... 
You have strong opinions on censorship as is evident in CZ and your infostream newsletter, you see MARVEL's policy of CC-approved work affecting yours?
Not really. I know what I am getting myself into here. I am not expecting to be able to waltz in and turn the place on its head. I know going in what is expected of me, and there is also a sort of satisfaction with working under tight restrictions, because it makes your accomplishments that much more significant.
Moving on please tell us a little about the concept of "art-bombing". The term's seen a lot of use lately, but I don't think there's ever been a concrete definition presented (if that's even possible!)
I don't know who invented the term, but as it see it its the concept of taking art out of its conventional venues, like magazines, galleries, museums, basically anywhere you expect to see art, and "bombing" it in totally unconventional spaces and in unconventional ways. it usually is political or social in nature, but doesn't have to be. Can also be called "art terrorism".
Do you consider yourself a comic artist, or an artist who just happens to do comics?
I consider myself both. I am a comics artist, but I was an artist first. I try to approach my comics from the same mental mindstate as I had when I would do sculpture and paintings. There really should be no difference. I am a web designer now as well, but that doesn't mean I am not a comics artist anymore, or a fine artist. Its all the same for me.
What is best in life?
My girlfriend, my cats, and food. Doing good work, seeing the public react to it. Doesn't matter if its positive or negative, just as long as it has a effect on people.
I know that you were working on t-shirt and a cd cover for a band. Do you think that will help your career or are you doing it for fun...perhaps a bit of both?
A bit of both. It was fun for me, and it also provides some of my readers with the opportunity for them to ger shirts with my art of it, something they have been asking about for ages.
You think online retail will ever kill off the local comic shop?
I have pretty strong opinions when it comes to the web, whether it be retail or publishing or whatever. I would be very upset if online retail killed off even a small percentage of local shops. I understand that websites have little or no overhead, and can offer good discounts, but that "overhead" they don't need is jobs and the "local shop ambiance", which I think are two things you should not fuck with. I like browsing the racks of my shop, looking through bins, admiring cover art. Clicking on squares of light on my screen leaves me cold.
Would you have selfpublished CZ if you had the funds had image not picked it up?
Yeah, probably. Although I would have exhausted all other possibilities first. Iīve self-published before, and have no desire to go back. It requires such an immense effort to do it right, and you can never be guaranteed good results.
Do you think anger is creative tool?
Hell yeah. I don't use it as a tool, I am generally in pretty good spirits while I work. (laughs)
If you could say only one thing with your work, what would it be?
Do what you want, not what you think people want you to do, not what you know sells, not what you think is "right" or "acceptable". Just do what you feel like doing, and fuck those who give you flak for it.
Are you a a paranoid man? Do you believe that just because they arenīt watching that doesnīt mean they are not out to get you?
I am a suspicious person. I tend to assume the worst.
I also believe there is more to something that just what is on the surface.
I don't like to use the word 'paranoid", it sort of brings to mind someone
who lacks reason and stability, a crackpot.
I believe that "they" are out to get us, simply because "they " can, and
that's usually enough of a reason for most.
Any parting shots, final thoughts, or poignant observations?
Our culture is defined by our youth, I think. Its an over-used catchphrase, but they really are our future. Lets not be so quick to dismiss them as second-class citizens, or even worse, ignore them outright.
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Relevant Links
www.brianwood.com