In honor of Dark Horse Maverick's one-year anniversary, Schutz has put together Dark Horse Maverick 2000--an impressive collection of short stories representative of the talent behind the Maverick line.
I spoke with Schutz recently about her work with the Maverick creators, the upcoming anthology, and what the future holds for the most respectable imprint in comics. She was a little tired when we talked, having just stepped off a luxury cruise liner after spending a week on the first annual "Making Waves" benefit cruise for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fun--poor Dydie!--but she still had lots to say. Read on for a behind-the-scenes look at where Maverick has been and where it's going.
SE-G: Now that we're nearing the one-year anniversary of Dark Horse Maverick, what would you say you are most proud of in regard to the imprint?
DS: Probably not any one specific project, because that would just be too hard to choose. But I'm proud of establishing the imprint in the first place because I think that something has long been forgotten about Dark Horse, namely that this company's foundation was the commitment to creators and creators' rights and to more adult, interesting, and thematically complex comics. With the advent of all the licensed comics that Dark Horse does so well--and consequently has been identified with--I think that the comics-buying public has largely forgotten this company's roots. Maverick was an attempt to remind everybody about our roots, and as well, to reestablish the spotlight on the creator.
SE-G: When you speak to these creators, do you hear feedback from them about how they perceive the impact of being involved with Maverick?
DS: Frank in particular has been really helpful, really complimentary, really supportive. Of all the creators I work with, he was the one I spoke with before talking to Mike Richardson about creating this imprint.
I think that, within the context of the Maverick imprint, Frank's work now has a better fit. There's a rationale with how his comic books fit in with the other comic books in the imprint, even though they're wildly disparate. You know, Sin City and Horror of Collier County are sort of on opposite ends of the spectrum, but they fit together because they are personal creations, labors of love.
SE-G: What about guys like Rich Tomasso, speaking of Horror of Collier County? Do you think he was treated a little better, perhaps, because of his involvement with Maverick?
DS: I think so, yes. I believe the imprint helped to focus the spotlight a little more closely on some people who might otherwise have gotten lost in the shuffle. Horror of Collier County, I think, is a good example of that. Given the vast number of books Dark Horse publishes each month, it's easy to lose sight of some of the more eclectic or not as widely known titles. And again, I think the imprint has worked well for people like Rich, and even for comics mainstays like Harvey Pekar. I think American Splendor has been helped by Maverick in the sense of putting it more in the spotlight in the Diamond catalog, if nowhere else.
SE-G: Talk a little about the technical aspects of what it means to be involved with Maverick...there's the special section of Diamond Previews, the benefits of group promotion, the whole concept of each creator doing their own horse head in lieu of the standard Dark Horse logo...
DS: It was actually Mike Richardson's idea to have a different horse head to use for Maverick books instead of using the traditional Dark Horse chess piece Mike originally designed. Frank had done this great horse head for 300, and it was exactly what Mike had in mind, but the problem was, did we just want to arbitrarily impose Frank's horse head on everyone? It ran counter to the whole spirit of independence behind the Maverick imprint. And it was Mike Richardson who came up with the fabulous idea of letting each creator design their own individual horse head. And that's been a trip--everyone's had a ball with it.
So last year at San Diego we came up with the idea of doing individual buttons with each creator's horse head. You know, "Collect them all." They went like wildfire. And it's always fun to see what each new creator who comes on board will do.
SE-G: It almost seems like you could psychologically determine how each creator arrived at their horse head design. The first time I saw Frank's I though it looked a lot like pictures of him...He always poses for photos with his head tilted down, looking right at the camera, just like the horse he drew. And Will Eisner's horse head is sitting on a brick base, which you can attach a lot of symbolic meaning to...
DS: (laughs) Like that he's the foundation of the industry? Yes.
They all seem to reflect their creators fairly accurately. Paul Chadwick's, for instance, is very illustrative and understated, like so much of Paul's art--very beautiful. In the same way, Tony Millionaire's hobby horse was perfect for Sock Monkey. The horse heads are a small touch, but they impart a lot of information.
SE-G: Let's talk a little about the future of Dark Horse Maverick--as early as this summer things are getting really interesting. Tell me how Will Eisner ended up a Maverick.
DS: More to the point, how did he end up at Dark Horse (laughs)? Will had been getting published at Kitchen Sink, which we sadly lost last year, and Denis Kitchen, who is a long-time friend of both mine and Mike Richardson's, approached Dark Horse about the possibility of publishing some of Will's new work, in particular, his latest graphic novel, Last Day in Vietnam. I believe Denis also spoke to DC at the same time, because he had previously negotiated all the Spirit reprints with them, as well as the reprints of Will's previous graphic novels. I think Dark Horse was chosen to publish Last Day in Vietnam because we proved to be a little more flexible in regard to what we were willing to do for Will, not the least of which is the fact that the graphic novel will be out in time for this year's San Diego Con.
So that's been a real treat, because...my God, I'm working with Will Eisner (laughs). He's a master. He's brilliant. He's 83 years old and he's still working in his studio every day creating comics!
SE-G: I'd say new book from Will Eisner is a nice perk (laughs). What else is coming up? Are there any new, young talents you've got lined up for Dark Horse Maverick?
DS: Well...because the marketplace is in a somewhat less than healthy state, it's difficult to provide a home for new creators, for young talents, and one way to do that is the anthology format. Anthologies--and monthly anthologies, certainly--have a hard time staying alive, so I decided to do an annual anthology. I'm starting with Dark Horse Maverick 2000, which will be out in July, as a means of showcasing some of the Maverick mainstays, as it were, and as a way of introducing some of the new kids on the block. It will, for instance, feature a cover by Frank Miller, and a story by Frank, along with stories by Paul Chadwick; a non-Usagi story by Stan Sakai--a little autobiographical, humorous tale about Stan and Sergio's trip to Norway last fall; there's a six-page Body Bags story by Jason Pearson, who believe it or not is still alive and still working in comics, and that six-page story is done (laughs); so those are four guys who are part of the Maverick stable--I hate to use that word, but there it is.
The anthology format allows me to work in a few up-and-coming artists, one of whom is Scott Morse. He's got a six-page Ancient Joe story for the anthology, which I hope I'll be able to use elicit interest, since Scott has pitched an Ancient Joe miniseries, which I'd really like to do. So I'm using this anthology to introduce his story to the readership, as well as to the powers-that-be here at Dark Horse. Then Dylan Horrocks drew a six-page, beautiful love story called "Western Wind." Dylan, of course, is the creator of the magnificent epic--possibly the most magnificent epic of '98--Hicksville. And then finally, Brian Ralph, a young, really talented kid who published a book called Cave In in '99, did a nine-page story called "Deep-Dig," which I think is reflective of the fact that he's got this day job he really hates (laughs).
SE-G: So this anthology is a good indicator of what might be coming from Maverick in the future?
DS: I sure hope so. I already have a few things lined up for the anthology for 2001, including a cover by Mike Mignola, and...an eight-page story by Denis Kitchen!
SE-G: Wow!
DS: Denis hasn't done any cartooning for years and years, but when I saw him last week on the boat, he told me about a story, and it's a good one, and I'm anxious for him to draw it and now he's kinda jazzed to draw it, too.
SE-G: So Will Eisner and the first Maverick annual are in the near future, and I have to say you've been quite a tease lately, talking about a Neil Gaiman project at the Maverick book at WonderCon...
DS: Neil's the tease (laughs)--let's establish that right now--Neil is the tease! I have two Neil Gaiman projects lined up for the next year. The first one is something called The Last Temptation, which was originally published by Marvel in '95. It was a three-issue color series under the Marvel Music imprint, beautifully illustrated by Michael Zulli, but the reproduction was less than stellar. We're publishing it as a trade paperback, 6"x9" format, similar to what we're doing with Will's book. It'll be printed on off-white paper in dark brown ink, so it will be available in a nice, affordable format that we can keep in print.
Following that, hopefully for Valentine's Day 2001--no guarantees!--we have a one-shot special called Harlequin Valentine, written by Neil, fully painted by John Bolton. It's a beautiful, quirky little romance story that Neil originally wrote as a short story, that is being retold in panel-to-panel continuity, in comic-book format, and John is painting everything. He's a magnificent painter and the perfect person for this project.
Also, look for another Grendel: Black, White & Red from Matt and his amazing artist pals, and a new Hellboy series, The Conqueror Worm -- both of those will hit in 2001.
SE-G: That sounds amazing. Now, here's the big one--now that Frank's announced his return to Dark Knight, a lot of people are wondering when he'll do something with Dark Horse again. I'd like to take this opportunity to put everyone's mind to rest that he's continuing to work with us.
DS: Oh, Frank is continuing to work with us. In fact, while he returns to do his thing with Batman, and before he even starts drawing Dark Knight, he's committed to drawing a short story for another anthology that I don't think I'm ready to talk about just yet.
SE-G: Fair enough.
DS: Save that for another interview. But I can say that in 2001 there will be a four-issue anthology that I have planned that Frank will be doing a story for--a non-Sin City short story. In addition--while the new Dark Knight is coming out--he and I are planning on releasing The Art of Sin City, which will be a coffee-table-style art book. I mean, Frank is such a great storyteller that I think sometimes people forget what a great artist he is and what great pictures he draws (laughs). I want to re-focus the attention on him as an artist, because--I tell you--when those pages come in, those big, full-size art boards with his original art, they take my breath away they're so beautiful. So this is a way to let other people have that experience, with the art being reproduced as big and beautiful as those originals.
In addition, and I really can't say anything about this, but once Frank is done with Dark Knight, he has plans to work with us on a very special. He and I have both already begun doing research for it. You know, when he did 300, I sort of came in editing that knowing almost nothing about the Greco-Persian war, and even less about the battle at Thermopylae. And it was only as I got into the series at some point that, for Christmas, Frank gave me a book written by a military historian that gave an in-depth look at the battle and its consequences for Western democracy. But I came into all of that rather late, and at the back end of 300.
But this new project--it is so exciting, and so interesting I want to be right on top of it, right from the start. So that's why I'm tagging along on his research, which has already begun. And that's all I'll say.
Keep your eyes peeled for Dark Horse Maverick 2000, on sale July 19.