No one gets into comics to become rich and famous; for the most part, just working in comics is reward enough, and those who actually get to work in the field approach their careers with boundless enthusiasm. Philip W. Simon is no exception to this rule. Like a great many in the biz, he existed for a long time on the fringes of the comics profession, first as a fan, followed by writing about comics for both his English thesis and for "indy" magazines, then as a sales clerk in a comics shop. Coming on board at Dark Horse Comics three years ago, his enthusiasm has begun to pay off as he works on ever bigger projects with more responsibilities. This Spring, his latest editorial effort, Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus will hit shelves. Simon was nice enough to set aside time in his busy schedule to tell us about the project, among other things.

Adam Gallardo: Is Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus the first book you've edited?

Philip W. Simon: Well, I'm Collections Editor on the Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... series of trades (reprinting the old Marvel Comics work from the 70's and 80's) and on Mark Schultz's Xenozoic Tales trades, in which previously-published comic book material is reprinted as softcover collections. I had a run editing original comics material for the Dark Horse Extra, which was incredibly fun. I've also been an Assistant Editor on a bazillion comic books and trades (Flood!, Mac Raboy's Flash Gordon reprint trades, SpyBoy, Star Wars Tales, Blade of the Immortal, Dead To Rights, Ghost/Batgirl to name a few). Since Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus features material that's been printed in the U.K. in 2000 AD, I wear my "Collections Editor" cap for the most part. It'll be the first time that I'm acting as a Collections Editor on a monthly series though, and I'm immensely pleased.

AG: I was under the assumption that this was all new material. So it has shown up in 2000 AD previously?

PWS: This material is running in 2000 AD prior to being published in the States. It's running right now, actually, in 6-page segments in 2000 AD's weekly magazine. With our U.S. reprints, we're running them in 24-page segments, in 4 issues. Our American audience gets a "price break," since one doesn't have to buy 16 issues of 2000 AD if all you want is the Dredd/Aliens story. And you get some sweet extras in the letters column, like an artist's statement from henry Flint in issue #2.

AG: How did you come to edit this project?

PWS: I've been involved, as an Assistant Editor, on numerous "crossover" projects (most of them Aliens-related), so I'm familiar with both the approvals process (in which all Aliens-related materials are approved by the parent company -- 20th Century Fox Films) and with working with other comics companies on joint ventures. SpyBoy/Young Justice was a series that called for a lot of time and involvement from both Dark Horse and DC Comics' editorial contacts. I've been Dark Horse's "point guy" for the Batman/Aliens II and Superman/Batman vs. Predator/Aliens series, both published by DC Comics. To use those series as examples, when the editor at DC needs script or art approvals, he sends it to me first...then it's my job to get an approval from Fox Films. When Judge Dredd vs. Aliens rolled around, since I know the process and LOVE the characters, it sorta just fell in my lap. As a side note: Fox Films has been very cool with approving everything so far. I was actually afraid that some Judge Dredd vs. Aliens material would finally cross their line for gore, but they're approving some really violent images -- much to my delight! You can't have a Judge Dredd book without over-the-top violence. This certainly isn't an "Approved By The Darn Comics Code" book! Remember though: imaginary violence is imaginary.

For Judge Dredd/Aliens I'm working with Matt Smith from Rebellion publishing, who's the editor of 2000 AD. Matt sends me stuff at every stage to approve (script, art, covers), and I, in turn, have to get approvals from 20th Century Fox. Since Dark Horse sub-licenses the Aliens' world for comics, Fox has to approve anything Aliens-related. My contact there, Debbie Olshan, has been a DREAM to work with. Like I mentioned earlier, Fox has been approving some really grisly scenes that'll be pushing the envelope for comic book gore. Sensational stuff, but no more violent than, say, Lone Wolf and Cub, Lone Wolf 2100, or Blade of the Immortal. Matt and Debbie have both been great. I'm so pleased when new Henry Flint pages come in via e-mail! We're doing approvals electronically, then the final art files will be burned to cd and sent across the ocean to us from our pals at 2000 AD. The last stage for us here at Dark Horse (after plenty of proofreading) is to get our design pages approved by Fox and 2000 AD...then the book's off to the printer!

PWS: How did you get into comics/how long have you been at Dark Horse?

PS: Jeepers! Long story. I reckon the short version goes like this: I've read comics all my life. My Mom actually let me have comics before I could read, and I started reading with comic books. Spider-man was my first obsession. When I was working on my B.A. in English, I wrote my senior thesis on comics...justifying comic books as literature and discussing comics writer J.M. DeMatties' work, specifically. After moving to Portland and scoring a job at a comic book store, I wrote for a local magazine and lucked into an interview with (at the time) Dark Horse Comics' Editor-in-Chief, Chris Warner. Then I spoke with editrix Diana Schutz at a convention and she gave me practical advice and encouragement. Years later, after I'd just started on the road to a graduate degree in English (and a future in teaching!), Chris responded to an e-mail from me and asked me to come to Dark Horse and interview for an Assistant Editor position. Despite my sweaty forehead, nervous glee, and quirky writing style, I was hired! Phew! And that was the short version! Go to school!

AG: Let's talk about the book a little more. What's the concept behind this book?

PWS: The Aliens, nature's most adaptive and deadly killing machines, have been set loose in the futuristic Mega-City One by terrorists trying to wipe out the city's protectors, the Judges. Judge Dredd, a squad of elite Judges, a special team called The Verminators, and old Mechanismo Droids are all called into battle against the Aliens. The city has to throw everything it has against the Alien infestation! And nobody knows who started it! I dig the idea of Mega-City One's Judges being on the offensive (searching for the anti-Judge terrorists) and on the defensive (Alien infestation!) at the same time.

AG: Are you a fan of Judge Dredd?

PWS: Very much...since I was a young teen. I was introduced to Judge Dredd through friends in a local punk rock band, the Zen Bastards. Their lead singer (Wade?) had some Judge Dredd images on t-shirts and raved that Judge Dredd could kick any American superhero's butt. He showed me some issues of 2000 AD, and then I hunted more of them down for myself. I found a motherlode of old 2000 ADs at the Acadiana Book and Comic Shop in Lafayette, Louisiana, and the crazy styles and comics violence caught my fancy. I was growing up in the rural South, eager for stimuli, devouring comics and books and music and just starting to learn about comics from other countries. I started picking up the comics-sized U.S. reprints of Judge Dredd and now I have a pretty decent Dredd collection at home. Titan's publishing some cool, oversized trade paperbacks, and I've been getting those. I have an ancient Anthrax t-shirt (the metal band) that features Judge Dredd on the front...a prized possession. So yeah, I'm a Dredd fan. A Dredd comics fan.

AG: Any surprises that happen in the book that you can let us in on?

PWS: Judge Dredd...impregnated by a facehugger! How can even Judge Dredd survive a chestburster? How will our writers work this one out? Oh, boy! I haven't seen the final pages, so even I don't know yet! That's the big one. Also, a lot of Judges get killed, as Henry Flint pushes the envelope with 2-D violence.

AG: You've mentioned Henry Flint a couple of times, tell us the rest of the book's creative team.

PS: John Wagner and Andy Diggle wrote the story and join phenomenal Dredd artist Henry Flint who's handling both pencils and inks. We'll have 4 different cover artists. So far we have Greg Staples on issue #1 and Kev Walker on issue #2. Frazer Irving (artist on Dark Horse's Fort! Series) just turned in some killer inks for issue #3's cover!

AG: Some of the creators are big wigs in the 2000 AD world, how did they happen to come on board?

PWS: My understanding is that they all love Judge Dredd and the wonky, dangerous universe he inhabits. Side note: I probably wouldn't last ONE HOUR in Mega-City One...I'd jaywalk or whistle too loud and get sent to the slammer for 50 years. It's a crazy world to play with! Weird rules to live by. Great characters.

AG: And Diggle actually used to be an editor there at 2000 AD. It seems unusual that he'd be writing this character he used to edit.

PWS: Not so unusual. It happens a lot in comics, actually, especially after you make good ties with creators and then keep in touch. If you decide to "go freelance" and try to make it as a writer, of course you'll visit your old haunts for work. My understanding is that Wagner invited Diggle to co-write the story with him. Diggle knows the Dredd universe inside and out. Drokk!

AG: Are there more editing projects from you on the horizon?

PWS: Yes, I'm editing Adam Gallardo's first foray into monthly comics with his superhero homage, The Purple Wonderling and Scantily-Clad EuroBabe. Seriously, I have some cool books coming out soon. I'm assisting on the latest SpyBoy series (the three-issue SpyBoy: The M.A.N.G.A. Affair) and also the quarterly Star Wars Tales and the upcoming Rocket line of sweet, original adventure comics (Lone, Syn, Hell, GoBoy 7, Galactic, and Crush to name a few). On my own, I'm wrapping up some work on reprint collections, which I really enjoy doing and hope to do a lot more of. Star Wars: Empire #7 features Cam Kennedy's return to drawing Boba Fett, and I'm the Assistant Editor on that one-shot. I think that's all I can say right now, but there are some incredibly amazing projects to be announced this year that I'm overjoyed to be a part of...you'll see...!

Those waiting to read The Purple Wonderling and Scantily-Clad EuroBabe (and who isn't) will have quite a wait, but anyone looking forward to Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus only has to wait until March 19, when the first of four issues hits comic shops. The miniseries is written by John Wagner and Andy Diggle with art by Henry Flint.