BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO Earlier this week we talked with Ryan Schifrin about his work with SPOOKS. Now, we've got collaborator Larry Hama under the bright light to reveal some details about the Department of Supernatural Defense's military arm, the SPOOKS.
THE PULSE: Who are the SPOOKS?
LARRY HAMA: Well, it's actually S.P.O.O.K.S., which is an acronym. I don't know if I ever actually knew what it stood for. But then, I have no idea what S.H.I.E.L.D. or U.N.C.L.E. stand for- even the meanings of ones I made up myself, like NPOTM and RUOTMOMO are lost in the labyrinth of my memory. I think I actually had an acronym for COBRA, but it fell by the wayside very early on. I digress-- SPOOKS posits that that not only do supernatural forces exist, but that there are dark elements of these forces our there who pose a clear and present danger to our national security. There is an ultra secret DEPARTMENT OF SUPERNATURAL DEFENSE to counter this threat, and SPOOKS is their military arm. They are hi-tech soldiers who have bullets tipped with silver, or ashwood, or packed with garlic. They have holy water grenades and stakes instead of bayonets. Their tanks can fire beehive rounds packed with silver-pointed ashwood flechettes. Their medics can perform exorcisms.
THE PULSE: What did you know of SPOOKS before being approached to work on this tale from the mind of Ryan Schifrin?
HAMA: Never heard of it.
THE PULSE: What does one have to do to become a member of this elite government group?
HAMA: I guess I will figure that out if it ever has to be explained. The problem with figuring out EVERYTHING beforehand is that you are very liable to paint yourself into a corner.
THE PULSE: How is a group like those of SPOOKS different from the G.I. Joes you've written so many adventures about?
HAMA: Not that different at all. I mean, Serpentor was a dead guy-- in fact, he was a whole lot of dead guys. The dynamics of these types of groups is pretty much the same. I found writing the Avengers and various X-Men titles to be very much the same as well. Writing solo characters like Wolverine and Spider-Man is a completely different challenge.
THE PULSE: What was it like going from Storm Shadow to the SPOOKS? Did you have some kind of readjustment period or was it a smooth transition to go from those characters to these?
HAMA: I'm not particularly enamored of any of the genres I have worked in for over thirty years. I'm really a duck man. My dream project was always Uncle Scrooge and the Junior Woodchucks. Carl Barks was the MAN! So, all of this stuff is the same to me, whether it's Storm Shadow, or Robot Boy, or interstitials for PBS Kids, or Osprey Graphic History, Wolverine, GI Joe, Batman, whatever-- they were all just jobs, and exactly the same. Not to say that I didn't like working on SPOOKS. If I didn't like it, or like the people, I wouldn't have bothered in the first place. Life is too short to go around tying millstones around your own neck or sticking your own hand in the blender. And once I get into it, I get INTO it-- I got really ramped working out some of the battle scenes .... But it's just not ducks, know what I mean?
THE PULSE: What are some of the things the SPOOKS are facing in this four-part limited series?
HAMA: Vampires, werewolves, sorcery, undead, reanimated corpses, giant crab monsters, a sphinx, and probably a few more weird ones I am forgetting.
THE PULSE: Which member of the SPOOKS cast did you identify with the most? Why?
HAMA: Writing the stuff is different from reading it. You have to identify equally with all the characters as you write each one, or it all falls flat.
THE PULSE: Who or what influenced you the most when you were collaborating on this?
HAMA: I was listening to Tom Waits' "Mule Variations." That's real good for getting into the mood. So is Pink Floyd's "Animals." I also tacked up a print of Goya's "The Dog" on my bulletin board-- one of the scariest paintings ever produced. What is he looking at????
THE PULSE: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced working on these issues?
HAMA: Drawing armies.
These stories are written "Marvel style," which is to say that instead of a full script that indicates panels, Ryan wrote a "plot" which more or less tells the story in words alone. I studied that plot and "wrote" the visual storytelling. That is, I did rough layouts for every page and rough sketches for the covers. Sometimes I have to make major changes or condense scenes or expand action sequences to make it all work as a comic. I make it plain to the artist that these are not really layouts per se, but indications of the visual storytelling. It is easier and faster for me to draw a scene than it is for me to describe it in words. If the artist can improve on the shot or tell the story better in some other way, he is totally free to do so. After the comic is completely penciled, Ryan takes first pass at dialog and captions. I tweak, rewrite or approve that final script. I have always contended that I am not a writer, but a penciler with a word processor.
THE PULSE: Were there any big roadblocks or stumbling blocks you had to overcome to script this? If so, how did you manage to get through it?
HAMA: Forcing myself to fill the first empty sheet of paper with pencil marks that make graphic sense is ALWAYS the biggest challenge.
THE PULSE: How much of a role did R. A. Salvatore play in the creation of the comic?
HAMA: My input was more editorial and visual than anything else. I took what Ryan boiled down from what Mr. Salvatore wrote, and made it into my own poor form of visual storytelling. I am not a writer, as I keep saying over and over. I am penciler with a word processor. Or, in this case, without a word processor, since most of what I did was with pencil, in the form of layouts. I have never been too concerned with the words. I like to see the story told with pictures. When I actually do pick up comics, I hardly ever read them. I just look at the pictures. If I can't tell what the story is about from just the pictures, I usually can't finish the book. If I want to spend my time reading... well, there's a lot of Doestoevsky I haven't read yet. Rereading Milton and Blake is pretty invigorating as well.
THE PULSE: What was it like collaborating with Ryan Schifrin on this project instead of writing it solo?
HAMA: Well, he did all the hard parts. Like setting the boulder moving. Nothing worse than sitting in front of a black piece of paper or a blank screen waiting for inspiration to come barreling out of the ether and poke you in your kundalini eye. He's also very cheerful and positive in contrast with my own glum self.
THE PULSE: What kind of edge does Schifrin have with his film experience that you found invaluable when working on a project like this? Was he kind of thinking outside the traditional comic book box, since he isn't a veteran comics creator?
HAMA: He's seeing a bigger picture in many ways, and he's got a lot of energy. He's also a lot better at dealing with people in general than I ever was or will be. Ryan is like a cheerful perky chipmunk, and he's always seeing the sunny side of things. Also, his sense of childhood wonder is remarkably intact. Back in 1994, I was already characterizing myself as a "curmudgeon" in print.
THE PULSE: What did you think of the art once you saw some pages from the series?
HAMA: Blown away. Adam [Archer] is really good, and he keeps getting better. A real learning machine. The "acting" of his characters is developing nuance. A superior draftsman in every way.
THE PULSE: Why shouldn't PULSE readers miss SPOOKS?
HAMA: It's a totally killer comic with terrific art and characters who will stick to your ribs! Maybe it's old-school in the best ways. Fifteen years ago, an editor at Marvel told me my stories were "old-fashioned." When I asked him what he meant by that, he said, "your stories make sense and they're about characters you want to like."
THE PULSE: What other projects are you working on?
HAMA: A lot of stuff I signed NDAs on, another project with Ryan called OMEGA TEAM, and a graphic novel with Tony Salmons that I am rippingly ramped about.
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It is good to see Larry Hama working again. His G.I. Joe and Wolverine were great stuff. Incidently, I know his cousin who lives here in Sacramento...
Posts: 163 | From: Sacramento, CA | Registered: Sep 2003
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