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THE
OTHER SIDE OF VERTIGO-AXEL ALONSO.
By Marc Bryant.
Once upon a time, you could say the word "Vertigo"
to the average comics fan and what would probably came to mind
was mystical epics, fairy realms and dream kings who looked like
Goth rock stars. Nowadays though, Vertigo can just as easily conjure
images of crime drama, international intrigue and a hard-hitting
Texas minister who speaks with the power of heaven and hell combined.
With titles like PREACHER,
HELLBLAZER, 100 BULLETS, JOHNNY DOUBLE, CONGO BILL, THE HUMAN
TARGET, FLINCH, and the continuing series of genre anthologies,
DC/Vertigo editor Axel Alonso has been instrumental in redefining
what the Vertigo imprint means in terms of great comics storytelling.
In the first of a series of looks at the most prominent editors
in comics, POP IMAGE focuses on the man behind some of the finest
titles being published today.
"Boot Camp"
As a kid, Alonso enjoyed comics like SGT.
ROCK and the rest of DC's war books, MASTER OF KUNG FU, HERO FOR
HIRE, the odd BATMAN story, BLACK PANTHER ("He had a great costume.")
and the SILVER SURFER; as well as Warren's EERIE and CREEPY."
But never SUPERMAN. he was too perfect."
With a background in journalism, Alonso came to
DC as an assistant to the late Lou Stathis. When Stathis fell
ill, Alonso filled the vacancy and went on to launch his own projects
like UNKNOWN SOLDIER and the first of the
Vertigo genre miniseries WEIRD WAR TALES. For the first year,
he was afraid he'd made a bad decision. Now though, Alonso says
he's "like a pig in shit."
What the Hell Does an Editor Do Anyway?
The answer to that question varies from day to
day for Alonso. Generally, he spends a portion of the day -- usually
the early part -- harassing his freelancers for work. A portion
is spent reviewing work that has come in. And a portion is spent
editing scripts and/or art.
The editorial process is an enigma to most casual
readers and even some seasoned pros. Alonso's approach to the
job varies from project to project as he helps the creators put
their books together. "It really does vary, a book like
CONGO BILL or the anthologies, for instance, with
new talent involved, requires more supervision than say, PREACHER
which pretty much runs on its own steam."
As far as the actual process of getting a new
series or mini-series approved in the Vertigo offices, editors
work with talent to put together a proposal. When it's ready,
they submit it to Executive Editor, Karen Berger, for approval.
"I like to take a proactive approach to proposals, getting in
at the ground floor with the writer and/or artist. Finding a throwaway
character -- meaning someone who's unlikely to bail out Green
Lantern any time in the near future -- and figuring out a new
spin is one approach. Or finding the right talent to put together
a genre project that I think Vertigo would benefit from."
| "I
don't want fanboys. I want people who want to tell good stories" |
Finding the right talent is a skill that Alonso
has shown a particular skill for. He took a chance with many new
people in the anthologies like Brian Azzarello, Doselle Young,
Scott Cunningham, Danijel Zezelj and Eduard Risso. The gamble
has paid off with fresh new books like JOHNNY
DOUBLE, 100 BULLETS, and CONGO BILL. What was there in particular
that attracted him to these relatively unproven creators? "As
far as artists go, I look for a style that's easily distinguished,
someone whose work has a lot of cojones that just let's everything
hang out; someone with real personality that is doing their own
thing. For writers, we needed some new blood, as many of the regular
writers already had their plates full or had moved onto other
projects." The qualities Alonso looks for in his writers are creators
who are less influenced by comics than by prose or film. "I don't
want fanboys. I want people who want to tell good stories."
As far as his own influences go, Alonso has one
name on the list of editors whose work he looks to for inspiration.
"Archie Goodwin. I admire the way he worked with and encouraged
new talent, knowing when to get out of the way while still personalizing
each book with his unique point of view."
Audience Says.
In regard to 'fanboys', Scott Cunningham and Danijel
Zezelj's CONGO BILL has received some flack
on the message boards from " continuity hounds who insist that
(a) creators work within the strict confines of previously established
continuity, and (b) that the title character be the central character
of the miniseries. UNKNOWN SOLDIER drew some of the same criticism.
Scott, Danijel and myself chose CONGO BILL for a miniseries because
we thought he was the perfect character to tell an appealing story
set against a fascinating backdrop. Our preferred audience was
comics readers looking for a good story, not fans who insisted
on a strict quota of Congorilla action panels."
Regarding the audience, Alonso has " no @#$!#
idea." where the majority of new readers comes from; long-time
comics readers who are making a move from mainstream titles to
more adult stuff, or people who are newcomers to comics altogether.
"Our reader base is probably long-time comics fans, some of whom
are, as you say,"making a move from mainstream titles." With books
like PREACHER, TRANSMET, 100 BULLETS and,
of course, THE SANDMAN, however, there is evidence that non-comics
readers heard a buzz somewhere and took a peek."
Points of Pride.
| "The work I'm most proud of
personally is the anthologies because they serve a dual purpose,
entertainment and the cultivation of new talent." |
When asked what awards his books have won, Alonso
answered that the only one he was sure of was
PREACHER's 1999 Eisner Award for Best Series. And,
he "only knew that, because it's on the cover of the book!" "At
the risk of sounding ingenuous, awards don't mean much to me.the
things that really make me proud about a project I've been involved
with are (a) when a professional I respect has good things to say
about the book. For instance, it was wonderful receiving compliments
on HUMAN TARGET from people like Garth, and Greg Rucka (b) when
I receive thoughtful, articulate feedback from the readers, and
of course, (c) when the sales are good. The work I'm most proud
of personally is the anthologies (WEIRD WAR TALES, GANGLAND, HEART
THROBS, STRANGE ADVENTURES, FLINCH), because they serve a dual purpose,
entertainment and the cultivation of new talent."
The final litmus test though, comes from Alonso's
wife. "She's a major prose reader without the prejudice or baggage
that can go along with a lot of comics reading. She reads everything.
When I can hand her a story, and she enjoys it, I know I've done
what I set out to do." Complete stories have become a hallmark
of the Vertigo line, with the abundance of mini-series and titles
with a set ending like
PREACHER, SANDMAN, and TRANSMETROPOLITAN. Many Vertigo
titles seem to be produced mainly as loss leaders for the popular
collected editions, trade paperbacks, hardcovers, etc., but Alonso
says the editors are only encouraged "to put together good comics
-- i.e. good stories. If they do well - financially and/or creatively
-- then the collection will usually follow."
Coming Attractions.
Some of the upcoming highlights from Alonso's
stable include the follow up to WEIRD WAR
TALES, featuring stories by Garth Ennis, Greg Rucka, Chuck Dixon;
the debut of the new HELLBLAZER creative team of writer Brian
Azzarello and the legendary Richard Corben; and FOUR HORSEMEN,
Axel's contribution to Vertigo's V2K event, by Robert Rodi and
Croatian artist Essad Ribic
A further look into the future reveals a a high-profile
war comics project; WEIRD WESTERN TALES,
the next installment in the genre anthologies, and an EL DIABLO
one shot by the ever-prominent Brian Azzarello; and the much-anticipated
finale to PREACHER.
As far as dream projects go, Alonso says that's
already in the works as well, offering only one word of description:
"Blaxploitation."
*******
Much like record producers, the irony of the comics
editor's occupation is that if they're doing their job well, you
can't tell they were even involved. To bring out the best in a
creative team, to guide the storytelling process and insure that
everything goes smoothly from conception to print is no easy task.
But, with one of a kind works like PREACHER, 100 BULLETS, and
CONGO BILL, Axel Alonso makes it look easy, the mark of a true
master of any craft.
Marc Bryant is Features
Editor for PopImage.
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