 |
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Interview with Rob Worley and Mateus Santolouco from The Revenant comic!
By Geoff Bough
Q: The story behind The Revenant is a classic tale of vengeance, can you tell us a little more about the story?
Rob Worley: The story takes place in the twin cities of Sapphire City and Jade Harbor. These places are so infested with crime and evil that the they're controlled by an enclave of gangsters who operate with impunity...until The Revenant appears. This ghostly avenger starts by dismantling their operations and then escalates to killing them one-by-one. The bad guys all fear this is someone from their past, one who used to run with their gang and who they wronged many years earlier.
Mateus Santolouco: Mr. Worley said it all.
Q: Tell us about the creative team working on the book and how you all came to work together on this title?
Rob Worley: I'm the writer of the book. I was asked to work on it by Shannon Eric Denton, who I collaborate with frequently. He and the great Keith Giffen had created the concept years earlier as a webcomic, and worked out a basic mythology for the character.
Mateus Santolouco: Well, Rafael Albuquerque introduce me to Shannon while he was looking for an artist for this book, he sent me some images and the basic plot. I really like the concept, and with the name of Keith Giffen involved I couldn't say no and got on board right away.
Rob Worley: We've also got Chris Wood coloring the book. He comes to us from the video game industry and he's doing a fantastic job. Like Mat, he's an amazing find and a nice guy to work with.
Q: From what I have seen of the book, it appears to draw on some of the pulp magazines and comics of the past, was there any title in particular that inspired the story of The Revenant?
Rob Worley: Well, obviously "The Shadow" is a big influence. Harry Steegar's "The Spider" as well. That's a much more brutal and sadistic character, and closer to our Revenant. And Shannon and I talked about "Dick Tracy" a lot, as we wanted to make sure all the villains had names that would make Chester Gould proud.
Mateus Santolouco: I was not very familiar with this genre, I knew a little bit of "The Shadow" and "Dick Tracy", but nothing of "The Spider". So Rob and Shannon feed me with a lot of references for inspiration and here we are.
Rob Worley: It's HUGE fun to see what Mat comes up with. We really wanted the design of the book to stand out and Mat is making that happen every step of the way.
Q: Can you tell us who is publishing the title and how we can get ahold
of it?
Rob Worley: The publisher is Desperado. The book is due in comic shops this September.
Now, if your readers aren't wired in to the world of comics, they need to know that it's important to go into shops and ask for the comic at the end of THIS month. That's when the shops have their first opportunity to order the book, and with a book like this they do it based on customer demand.
You can find out more about Desperado at www.myspace.com/desperadopublishing
Mateus Santolouco: So please, kids, DEMAND it I must say.
Q: Will this be an ongoing series or a limited run?
Rob Worley: This is being published as a graphic novel, so there'll be the one edition initially. The Revenant is unabashedly a character that's meant to continue and there are many stories to tell, so we'll keep putting out the books as long as we're able.
Q: Has there been any mention or possibility of creating a film of The Revenant? Is that something that you'd be open to?
Rob Worley: Yes on both counts! I would love to see The Revenant made into a movie, especially when I see things like 'Sin City' or '300', where complete worlds can be created for the screen. We've loaded up the graphic novel with so many strong visuals that realizing that it's possible these things can become movies.
Shannon and Keith have already done a lot of legwork generating interest in the film before I started writing the book.
Mateus Santolouco: I would definitively love if that happen. Revenant would make a excellent movie!
Q: What are some of your favorite comic titles that you're currently reading?
Rob Worley: I love "Fear Agent" for its balls-out, pulp sci-fi heart. "Hellboy" and the "Goon" both for being a weird blend of horror and hero. "Walking Dead" is the best zombie book in a very tired and crowded field of Zombie Books. Shannon's "Graveslinger" is a great western horror title. I like just about all the mainstream stuff that Ed Brubaker is writing: "Daredevil", "Captain America". And "Firebreather" just came back, which is good news for the entire world.
Mateus Santolouco: I'm not reading many recent books lately. Carlos Trillo and Eduardo Risso's "Border Line" is one of the things I'm very into right now and I had in my hands some issues of "Pirates of Coney Island" that I totally loved. Besides the old and good "Ken Parker" by Berardi and Milaso.
Q: Is there anyone in the comic industry who's work you admire?
Rob Worley: Not to sound like I'm sucking up to the Revenant's co-creator, but Keith Giffen, over many decades, has generated an amazingly diverse body of work. I love his humor books especially and marvel at the way he can fill up a page with dialogue and still keep the action moving. Ed Brubaker is a consistently great writer. Rick Remender is also generating great and diverse entertainment.
On the art side: Mat's studio-mate Rafael Albuquerque is very young in his career and he's already one of the best artists in the business. I'll buy anything that has his work in it. Same for Stuart Imonen, Eric Powell, Andy Kuhn.
Mateus Santolouco: Yeah, I'll have to go with Imonen too. His ability to change from one style to another completely different and still looks like a master in everyone of them is just mind blowing. Other then that, Paul Pope, Frank Quitely, Cheeks, Albuquerque and of course the one and only Adam Huges are some of the favorites.
Q: What are some of your favorite horror and zombie films?
Rob Worley: I think the original "Dawn of the Dead" was one of the first movies that severely damaged me. I remember fleeing the theater as a kid because it was so gruesome, and then going back to see it again. And the original "Night of the Living Dead", which I didn't see until later.
And I love the original "Nightmare on Elm Street" from which you'll see some influence in The Revenant.
And it may hurt my zombie-cred to admit it, but I love "28 Days Later" and the new "Dawn" as well.
Mateus Santolouco: I was a huge fan of "Friday the 13th" series and as a child I couldn't watch "The Exorcist" for many years, I was just too afraid of it. When the directors cut came out I saw it and love it. Zack Snyder "Dawn of the Dead" is a great one too, especially the end of it, the credits are the best ever in the movies.
Q: If The Revenant could battle any undead villain, who would you like to see him matched against?
Rob Worley: In my mind The Rev and Freddy Krueger are cut from the same cloth, with the main difference being: Freddy kills teenagers while The Revenat kills gangsters. I'd love to see them go at it.
Mateus Santolouco: Tuff question. I'll go with Jason then. Just to keep it in the family.
Q: Can we expect to see you guys at any upcoming comic or trade shows
this Summer?
Rob Worley: I will be milling around Wizard World Chicago and also be at Comic-Con in San Diego. Revenant is due out at a weird time in the convention cycle so I'm not sure what shows I'll be doing in direct support of the book.
Mateus Santolouco: Unfortunatly no. USA's consul didn't approve my visa last time I tried. Maybe next year if I got any luck.
Q: We're really looking forward to the book and wish you guys all the best with the title. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us about the book.
Rob Worley: Thanks! Be sure to "Friend the Fiend" at our MySpace page: www.myspace.com/revenantcomic
For a preview of The Revenant comic issues 1 & 2, check out:
Issue 1 Preview -- Issue 2 Preview
interested readers should give their retailers the Diamond Ordering Code JUL08 3913