The idea is priceless: take some werewolves, put them on the moon so that they’re always able to use their power. Next, throw in some vampires, who are already undead and able to exist without oxygen. Then, make them fight.Solid %*#(&% gold, right?!?!
Well, if you think so too, then you’re probably like the rest of us who are kicking ourselves for not thinking up this idea and pitching it to Dark Horse President Mike Richardson.
Lucky for Dave Land, already being an editor here at DH, he had the chance to sell the concept to the big man, who, of course, thought it was great.
There must be something in the water-cooler around here, because this follows the other awesome concept that changed the lives of sci-fi fans forever -- Aliens versus Predator -- dreamed up by Dark Horse editor Chris Warner.
I recently got the chance to ask Land some questions about the project between his busy editing schedule. His answers, not surprisingly, are as clever as his concept.
Werewolves. Versus Vampires. On. The. Moon. – How did you come up with this concept?
I think I was drunk. No . . . that came later. The details are a bit fuzzy, but I do know that Jennifer Aniston was there. Although she wasn’t directly involved in coming up with the idea. I’m not sure how the conversation started, but it was outside a restaurant and I was talking with friends about obvious ideas for stories. Werewolves on the moon came up since werewolves get their power from the full moon. To me it seemed like a no-brainer. And it also logically followed that there’d be vampires living up there on the dark side as well, since vampires love the dark. That was the spark that started the Werewolves on the Moon: Versus Vampires fire.
How did Matt and Shawn Fillbach become involved with the project?
They were the first people I thought of when I was thinking about who would draw the story. After I pitched it to Mike Richardson and he said he liked the idea, I emailed the Fillbachs with basically just the title. Within minutes they’d emailed me back with some concept drawings. It sat for a while after that, but thanks to their prodding the project finally took off.
As an editor, you seem to work on a variety of titles at Dark Horse, from Fear Agent to Achewood, and everything in between. But, there’s a consistent undertone of humor in most of the books you work on, why do you think that is?
Because humor makes life possible. I have this condition where if I stop laughing, or at least giggling internally to myself, I could die. I’m just naturally drawn to humorous or absurd material, so that’s reflected in a lot of the books I edit. Plus at the core I think comics are just supposed to be fun, so I strive to champion those types of books.
What made you want to write Werewolves On the Moon in a humorous way instead of making it a straight-up horror book?
The whole concept is absurd, so I think that humorous was the natural way to take things. I think it could have been a straight-up horror in the hands of another creative team. But between the Fillbachs and myself there was no way there wasn’t going to be a humorous edge to this story.
What challenges have you encountered transitioning from editor to writer?
I think that working as an editor has helped me as a writer. The challenge, if you can call it that, with this project has been in co-writing the book with Matt and Shawn. I’m used to working with a full script, but on this project I wrote up the story outline, then the Fillbachs thumb-nailed the whole issue with dialog. They’d add things or take things out. I’d go back and suggest changes or revisions from there, and then they’d go to pencils. So really it was collaborating, bouncing the story back and forth, until we’d found something we were all happy with. It was a new process for me, but I think it worked out nicely in the end.
Which do you like more, editing or writing?
Both are pretty fulfilling. But there’s more of a sense of accomplishment in writing. It’s great to start with nothing and build a story and end up with a fully realized comic. There’s pride in editing, in seeing a project through, but creating something, even something as nutty as Werewolves on the Moon: Versus Vampires is pretty cool.
How do you tell the Fillbach twins apart?
It’s not that difficult since they aren’t actually twins. Although when talking to either of them one-on-one it’s beneficial to refer to the absent brother as the “less handsome one.”
If you could be any character from one of the books you’ve worked on, who would you be?
From Werewolves, I’d probably be Stan. Not that I’d want to be, just that I can relate to his level of doubt and worry more than any of the other characters. But if I could be any character from any of the books I’ve ever edited, I’d have to go with Tony Millionaire’s Sock Monkey. That would be fun.
When it’s all over, and the moon is shimmering in blood, who are you betting on – werewolves or vampires?
I have to pick the werewolves just because vampires are douchebags. But in the end, who knows who will end up winning.
Read the entire first issue of Werewolves On the Moon: Versus Vampires #1 by clicking here!