Brian Wood's The Massive hits shelves tomorrow. We sat down with him for a brief set of questions to add to long list of comics media about the series that has garnered epic launch appeal. Get to your local retailer tomorrow and snag a copy of Issue #1 before it disappears off the shelves.
Dark Horse Comics: You've said before that there is a natural progression of your work from Channel Zero to DMZ to The Massive. What lessons have you learned and what focus do you have going into this new series?
Brian Wood: I learn something with every project, usually about what doesn't work, and I try to improve a little bit each time. A constant refinement, as a very conscious, very deliberate action. For The Massive, I took the world building of DMZ and meshed it with the "man against the elements" aspect of Northlanders.
DHC: How much do real events in the world inspire the work you do?
BW: History tends to inspire me the most, whether it be ancient or modern. Those are the books I read, and I find that even when dealing with very topical issues, it's better to look back in time a bit, to avoid that sort of "ripped from the headlines" feel that can make a story feel dated in short order.
DHC: You've used comics as an avenue for activism, not only for comics, but the modern world. Why do you think this is an often overlooked aspect of the comics medium?
BW: No one wants to feel they're being preached to. I learned that the hard way. So it's a real trick to tell a story that not only handles that carefully, but also can stand on its own if the reader opts not to engage on a socially conscious level. Meaning, if someone just wants to read The Massive for the action, whatever message or topicality it may have doesn't get in the way of that.
DHC: What challenges or obstacles have you faced thus far, in terms of character or storytelling, that you think really made the comic better once you found a solution?
BW: One of the failings of DMZ, to use a harsh term, is the lack of character development of the main character. Some of that was deliberate—he was created to be a sort of everyman, a portal for the reader, and so he didn't become a fully fleshed-out character for some time. With The Massive, we're making a huge effort to fully describe the main cast in the first volume, including using the exclusive back matter to help.
DHC: You're creating some exclusive material for the print edition of the series. How does this help you build the depth of the world in your mind as you continue the series?
BW: Twenty-two pages of story, once a month, is just not that much space. I think a lot of readers don't realize that. It's very limited real estate, physically limiting, so a lot of story detail and background and perspectives just can't make it onto the page. The back matter allows me to tell a richer story.
DHC: Is there an existing property that you've always wanted to work on, but never had the chance to?
BW: My brain doesn't usually think that way—I've always wanted to make new things rather than tweak someone else's ideas. That said, I'm dying to do a comic about Joan of Arc, if that counts. Or, as a next best thing, an adaptation of Robert E. Howard's Sword Woman.
DHC: Thanks, Brian looking forward to the launch of The Massive tomorrow (June 13th, 2012).