SE-G: Kei and Yuri make quite a team, but often, in the thick of things, they're a little too busy to show off their individual attributes. And especially for someone who's first trying to get into the series, I think the whirlwind of mayhem and near-nudity might be a little confusing. So I'd like you to please do us the favor of describing--individually these Lovely Angels from the perspective of the man who brings them to life.
AW: Yuri and Kei, respectively, can be seen as contrasting personifications of the dichotomous Apollonian and Dionysian philosophies. Wait, that's too complicated. Let's try this: 'YURI GOOD GIRL. KEI BAD GIRL. TOGETHER, THEY MAKE THINGS GO BOOM.' You get the picture, I hope. In any event, stay tuned, as I'll be delving deeper into their personalities and backgrounds, their pasts, presents and futures, in upcoming projects . . .
SE-G: These two are one of the, er, most "effective" teams the Worlds Welfare Work Association has put together. But for all the bad guys they bring down, there are usually at least a few hundred non-criminal casualties. Why do you think the WWWA really keeps them around?
AW: As Kei and Yuri are wont to protest, "It's not our fault!" That is, they assert that all the various disasters and catastrophes that have dogged their assignments weren't directly their responsibilities--"Would've happened ANYWAY," and so on. The so-called "Central Computer," the enigmatic artificial consciousness that administers the WWWA, apparently agrees with them, having absolved our heroines of culpability in almost every case. Luckily for Kei and Yuri, the pangovernmental WWWA (or 3WA) is entirely immune to public pressure, or they would have been ditched long ago.
Incidentally, I don't see the DP's penchant for disaster as catastrophic incompetence; rather, they are examples of the "Action Hero Syndrome" writ large. Whether referring to 007-style spies or gun-blazing, car-chasing cops, there's a long tradition of action-film good guys who wreak ungodly havoc whilst saving the world or otherwise punishing law-breakers. The characters of Kei And Yuri simply take this common trend of "destruction-in-the-service-of-good" to a whole new level, see?
SE-G: Ah, yes. I see. Speaking of the 3WA, is there any contemporary organization that exists today that you would compare it to? It's remained a fairly mysterious organization--will you ever delve into its inner workings to show readers exactly what it's all about?
AW: Here's a contemporary analogy for the 3WA: Imagine if the UN had a (literally) trouble-shooting pangovernmental enforcement arm, high-mindedly dedicated to "the preservation of mankind," able to operate freely in any nation's heretofore sovereign territory. Needless to say, this kind of organization, regardless of its public beneficence, would appear very threatening, indeed, to all kinds of people. Similarly, in the DP's future milieu, the WWWA ("shadowy supporters of ONE-GALAXY GOVERNMENT!") is perceived as menacing and alarming interventionist by a fair chunk of the human population; this issue is explored a teensy bit in the new miniseries.
SE-G: Is the original depiction of The Dirty Pair by Haruka Takachico as insane and sarcastic as yours? What was it about the original work that impressed you?
AW: The Dirty Pair have appeared in wildly varying incarnations throughout their history, from their creation in a series of novels by famed science fiction writer Haruka Takachiho through a half-dozen very different animated versions. Some of these manifestations of the Lovely Angels are extremely distinct from each other, to the point of mutual contradiction; it's hard to believe that, say, both the mid-80's anime video "Dirty Pair: Affair of Nolandia" and the current Sailor Moon-influenced "Dirty Pair Flash" series (both Takachiho-scripted, by the way) are about the same characters.
The American comics incarnation of Kei And Yuri is yet another distinct branch from this metaphorical "Dirty Pair tree," albeit a twisted, stunted branch at that. The DP comic tends more towards cruel humor and high-tech gadgetry than most DP renditions, and has a somewhat weirder, "wackier" take on the characters and their background . . . more on that later.
I was initially attracted to the DP concept, circa 1985 (!), for several reasons . . . First and foremost, the premise was FUN, full of high energy and humor. This was in distinct opposition to my previous work, which was adolescently angst-ridden, tortured and painfully earnest--and worse, LAME. Second, this seemed an ideal opportunity to utilize, within the American comics idiom (pardon the pretentious phrase), character designs and storytelling devices derived from manga, which I had recently discovered. Third, I knew that drawing cartoons about bikini-clad crimefighters was CERTAIN to gain me acclaim as a serious artist.
As a weird sidenote, I should mention that I was eighteen years old, younger than Kei and Yuri are supposed to be, when I first started doing DP related work. In the decade-and-a-half since, they haven't aged much, while I have aged precipitously. It's like a skewed version of The Portrait of Dorian Grey, except that, in this version, the artistic image stays the same and all the bad stuff happens to me. Sad.
SE-G: How much of The Dirty pair's outrageous personalities (as shown in your comic) comes from you, and how much was influenced entirely by the anime?
AW: My initial conception of the characters was largely extrapolated from watching nth-generation, untranslated dupes of The Dirty Pair anime, circa 1985; since I didn't understand Japanese, my first impression of Kei and Yuri was based on strictly their behavior and the "tonal quality" of the voice acting--not on what they were actually saying. Many years later, I saw translations of said animation, and discovered that the characters' dialogue, and the characters themselves, were very, very different from what I had imagined.
So, from the start, my "vision" of the Lovely Angels' personalities was divergent from the source material, and has become more so ever since. I've built up entirely different backgrounds and motivations for Kei and Yuri, given them traits and eccentricities cribbed from (gasp!) real people, and just all-around twisted them to fit my personal Platonic Ideal of the Lovely Angels. Is this starting to sound creepy? Again, just think of this as yet another variant branch from the vast conceptual tree of the Dirty Pair.
A particularly notable variation between the animation and the American comics version: in the translated anime of the DP, Yuri generally comes off as a genuine airhead. In my conception of the DP, however, she's clearly much more intelligent than Kei. Go figure.
SE-G: Kei and Yuri have been involved in many outrageous adventures/disasters . . . what's your favorite Dirty pair story and why?
AW: Actually, my favorite Dirty Pair story (of my own devising, that is), would probably be "I Honestly Hate You," the wee eight-page, black-and-white story tacked onto the end of the Dirty Pair: Biohazards collection. It's short, punchy, fairly humorous, and uses the terms "mise en scene" and "oeuvre." Unlike much of my other DP work, it isn't plagued by overplotting and cramped pacing. Feel free to buy ALL the books in my Dirty Pair oeuvre, so you can compare and contrast for yourself!
Also, "Hate You" represents the end of my large-scale use of hand-cut screen tones for clack-and-white shading. I feel a warm, nostalgic glow when I look at this luxuriously-toned story, saying to myself, "Thank God I don't have to use that hideously-expensive and time-consuming crap anymore!"
SE-G: I don't know much about the new Dirty Pair series, except that the Lovely Angels are sent on a mission that takes them outside the United Galactica, which is pretty much their standard domain. Will you describe the series a little without giving too much away?
AW: In the thrilling new miniseries, Run From the Future, Kei and Yuri travel to Nimkasi Habitat, a remote space colony located beyond the civilized confines of the United Galactica. There, out heroines are given 100 minutes to extradite 50 assorted terrorists and technocriminals from this wretched hive of scum and villainy. So the miniseries becomes a race against time, highly episodic in structure, as the Lovely Angels plow through arrest after bizarre arrest. The story is a chockablock with technology advanced to the point of fetishism; Kei and Yuri, to put it mildly, display ultra-tech gimmickry and amazing "cyberalbilites" never before hinted at.
I should hasten to add, though, that Run From the Future is more than just "technofetishism!" Yea, verily! Cruel humor reigns and sarcasm runs rampant! Dozens of colorfully-twisted subcultures are mocked mercilessly! Action, action, action! Everybody's kung fu fighting! Expect unexpected scenes of dance and romance (sorta)! Burly thugs are pathetically humiliated en masse! Orcas and chihuahuas are abused! By the end, Kei and Yuri face fates worse than, or at least equivalent to, death! Wackiness and mayhem ensue!
SE-G: So, we can expect a kinder and gentler Dirty Pair, here?
AW: In one way, yes. For once, Kei and Yuri don't actually shoot anybody. (Pause for round of post-Columbine applause) Instead, they use a bewildering array of non-lethal technology to incapacitate their quarry. No use of projectile or plasma weapons, but plenty of electrocutions, seizure inducements, tailored chemical agents, and good, old-fashioned beatings. Not to mention the rarely-seen jujutsu "liplock." Really.
Damn. Need we say more? Pick up The Dirty Pair: Run From the Future, before this Adam-Warren-fueled psychotic adventure burns down your local comics shop. Look for issue #1 January 26.