Matt Wagner Talks Magic, Madame Xanadu and More
Posted by bob in Comics, Interviews on June 29th, 2008
Writer/Artist Matt Wagner has been a powerhouse in comics since he gained attention with Mage back in the 1980s. Since then, he is perhaps best known for his character Grendel, published at Dark Horse Comics. He is no stranger to DC Comics, having produced works featuring the big three — Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman — along with smaller projects. This week, his first Vertigo work arrived in the form of Madame Xanadu. Last Sunday we profiled who she was and today, we speak with Matt about his approach to the new ongoing title.
FM: Hey, Matt, it’s been a while since you delved into the supernatural. What do you find alluring about the subject?
Matt: Well, let’s face it…dealing with the supernatural is, for a writer, just unadulterated fun in all respects. It’s like the doors of the Imaginarium have been thrown wide open and all its many toys are ripe for the playing. I tend to utilize a certain structured sense of narrative so it’s really fun to be able to mix that up with an “anything-can-happen” sort of approach.
FM: Mage also dealt with magic, how will this be different?
Matt: Right off the bat, this is a far more feminine approach. The main character is female and privy to a very ancient form of mysticism so the magic tends to strike a decidedly intuitive and contemplative tone. You won’t find any bombastic magical battles here because that’s just not what the character’s all about. Again, she’s a seer so her magic is more geared towards uncovering secrets (and, by reflex, maintaining them as well) rather than inflicting any sort of damage or engaging in direct conflict.
FM: You’ve previously dabbled in DC’s magical worlds with The Demon. Was that a good experience?
Matt: In some ways, yes. In some way, no. That was my first gig for one of the big-league publishers and I think it’s fair to say that neither I nor DC were quite prepared for what that would entail. I had no experience with the tried-and-true mechanics of mainstream comics’ production and, at that point, DC had no clue on how to deal with a do-it-yourself sort of indy creator. In the end, I’d have to call that series a failed experiment on my part but also crucial step in my maturation as a professional comic book artist and writer.
FM: DC recently ended its ninth age of magic and introduced its tenth age with rules partially constructed by Michael Moorcock. How does that influence your work here?
Matt: I had no idea that was the case. I tend to ignore official continuity whenever I get the chance. Or, I guess I should more accurately say, I tend to cherry-pick official continuity every chance I get. I incorporate the parts I like and that jive with my own sensibilities and I just ignore the parts that leave me cold. Truthfully, considering the vast amount of story material that’s been published by DC over the years, I just don’t see any other way to do it and not just go crazy trying to keep everything straight.
FM: Why Madame Xanadu? What’s her appeal?
Matt: Again, the magic aspects are always a thrill but her version of magic is a bit more subdued and not so very bombastic. That really plays into my own storytelling instincts and provides the opportunity to tell a more sophisticated, suspense oriented tale as opposed to what might be considered a more “comic-bookey” sort of narrative. As it turns out, that’s totally in line with the Vertigo vibe as well. Plus, her longevity enables me to tell stories set all over the map and the timeline. This initial origin arc is broken up into two-issue chapters and the story not only jumps all over the globe but also through the centuries as well. Lastly, I’d have to say that, Madame Xanadu is a bit of a blank slate and that’s part of what attracted me to the project as well. Certainly, she’s got a distinct history in the DC continuity but not many people are familiar with it which, of course, provides me with a ripe opportunity to put my own stamp on the character right out of the gate.
FM: What can readers expect month in and month out?
Matt: “Tales of Mystery and Imagination.” Heh.
FM: Xanadu has been previously linked romantically with an incarnation of the Spectre, back when I edited the book. So, what does she see in the Phantom Stranger?
Matt: We actually add a new element to her eventual relationship with the Spectre near the end of the opening story arc. The whole deal with including the Phantom Stranger and weaving their continually troubled relationship through this first story line stemmed from a bit of the current continuity with which I was initially unfamiliar–the fact that she holds a certain distrust and even outright animosity for the Stranger. I thought that was a great opportunity to explore and define an emotional conflict that hadn’t yet been revealed; how did they come to stand at such opposite ends from each other. What led to that eventual rift?
FM: Romance between two beings, seemingly immortal, must have a different dynamic. Do you agree?
Matt: Well, when I say there’s a romance between these two characters, I want to point out that it’s more accurately described as a gothic romance. It’s not like these two go on dates together and make plans for the future. Their paths are repeatedly crossing and not always in the most friendly fashion. Still, they feel a certain kinship that’s somewhat distinct in that they’re very different from most of the other (mortal) people that they encounter. There’s a possibility that they could and should be together at some point. Whether that ever truly works out is the whole point of our tale.
FM: Is it easy to tell suspenseful horror/supernatural stories in a serialized form plus breaks for ads?
Matt: Sure. I don’t find that those restrictions are really a problem. Just look at all the contemporary TV shows that do it on a regular basis—Lost and The X-Files just to name a few. And so far as the ads in comic books go…I think most readers accept those a necessary evil, same as the commercials on TV. Too bad we can’t TiVo our comics, eh?
FM: Did you find Amy Reeder Hadley? What’s it like collaborating with her?
Matt: That’s actually part of the more unusual aspects of this project, at least so far as I’m concerned. I’ve been pretty active in the comic book community for a pretty long time now and, as mentioned earlier, I’ve always approached most every project from the independent sort of mindset. That is, I concoct all my own projects based on a specific idea or desire I have to work with a certain character or concept. Granted, there have been a few exceptions to this rule over the years but, by and large, any project that I’ve been involved with has been self-generated. Even in the instance wherein I’ve worked with DC’s inhouse characters, it’s always been the situation that I approached them with a pitch to let me do my thing only using their toys as opposed to my own (Mage and Grendel).
In this case though, my longtime brother-in-arms, Vertigo editor Bob Schreck, basically presented the opportunity for the series, character and artist to me. All of which was, again, very unusual for me. Still, I love a good challenge and the fact that this was soooo out in left field so far as my normal method of approaching a project was concerned…well, I eventually agreed to come onboard. Similarly, the very idea that Schreck already an artist in mind for me was another big anomaly. As a artist myself, I’m usually pretty picky about whom I choose as a collaborator. Amy had come to Bob’s attention due to the fact that his assistant, Brandon Montclare, had worked with Amy in his previous position at TokyoPop. Both of them thought that she was very talented and deserving of a big break in the comics field. They also thought they needed to team her up with someone who was not only highly experienced but also had a real knack for collaboration. To Bob’s mind, I was the obvious choice to fit that bill. I’ve gotta say though…my initial reaction to her work was, “Hmmm….I dunno, Bob. I’m not seein’ the connection.” Additionally, I knew that the storyline I had in mind would involved a whale of a lot stuff that she’d had no previous experience in drawing; different time periods, exotic locales, characters of all ages and shapes. Regardless of my initial misgivings, I’ve also gotta say that Amy has absolutely delivered on all fronts. Her work on this book is just beautiful and I really think she’s got an amazing career ahead of her.
FM: Being an artist yourself, is it easier to write for another artist?
Matt: Oh, sure. I love writing for other artists! It only serves to broaden and expand my own visual outlook. I feel I’m particularly good at figuring out what an artist is good at drawing, what they’re real strengths and interest entail, and then writing to those aspects of their art. I’ve always worked in the plot-and-dialogue fashion as I feel this lets me strike a purer collaboration with my various art partners and, so far, it’s worked out great. Amy says she was at first a bit trepidatious when I described this method of working to her. This being her first real collaboration, she wasn’t sure how it would all work out. But, in the end, she now says she’s thrilled by this manner of working and finds it far more visually stimulating and easier to translate into actual imagery than the more traditional “full script” method.
FM: Are there challenges to writing a character you didn’t create?
Matt: Only in the fact that you’ve got to at least somewhat consider what other writers have done with the character. But I don’t really approach it differently from any other narrative. A story’s a story, after all, and my main goal is to simply tell tales that are engaging and that retain a certain narrative resonance.
FM: You’ve been an inventive storytelling for quite some time now, so tell me, what scares you?
Matt: HA! You mean in stories? Not much, truthfully. After a while, you realize that there’s a distance there that, as an author, always stands fully revealed to you simply to due the many times you yourself have stood behind that mysterious curtain. In real life…the safety of my family is the scariest variable that I could ever consider. Not so unusual, that…
FM: What else do you have on your plate these days?
Matt: Well, I’m currently writing another origin tale for Dynamite Entertainment, that being the one of the most classic pop-culture characters of all time….Zorro! The art chores on that one are being handled by Francesco Francavilla. Annnnnd….I’ve got a couple other things in the pipeline that have yet to fully come to fruition but I’m sure you’ll be hearing about them soon enough.
FM: Thanks for your time, Matt.
Matt: My pleasure!
