Indie Edge May 2015: Matt Wagner

This month’s featured creator is Matt Wagner.

Please tell us a bit about yourself!

My career began in the early ’80s as part of the first wave of comic-book creators who were finally able to own and control their artistic efforts, free of corporate hegemony. My very first efforts were independently published titles that have since gone on to be considered something of a hallmark in that spectrum of our field — Mage (Vol. 1: AUG100441)and Grendel (Omnibus 1: FEB120053). As the years have progressed, I’ve also enjoyed the opportunity to put my spin on a variety of licensed characters, many of whom were some of my personal favorites as a young comics reader. Some of my more recent efforts in that regard include some high-profile projects for DC Comics; the prestige-format series, Trinity (APR050327), as well as two successive mini-series featuring the Caped Crusader, Batman and The Monster Men (JUN060153) and Batman and The Mad Monk (JAN070265), all of which I both wrote and drew. I’ve also written quite a few adventures of some classic characters for Dynamite Entertainment including Zorro (Year One Vol. 1: SEP083918), The Green Hornet (Year One Omnibus: JUN131006), and a personal favorite, The Shadow. I’ve really led a rather charmed life in comics, being able to pick and choose whatever projects I like while straddling the line between mainstream exposure and my own indie narratives.

What are your favorite projects you’ve contributed to over the past decade?

I’m usually pretty enthusiastic about whatever project I choose to take on so I’ll just point to my last three efforts in response to this.

As I mentioned above, I’ve been a big fan of The Shadow since my early teen years and so it was a particular thrill to be able to help redefine his origins in a ten-issue (recently collected) series for Dynamite, The Shadow: Year One Omnibus (MAY148009). That was followed by an even greater dream project when I had the chance to pit the Master of Darkness against my own character in the three-issue, prestige-format series, Grendel vs. The Shadow (JAN150130), which I both wrote and drew. The hardcover collection of that series arrives in stores the third week of May.

And I’m most currently in the midst of yet another cross-over series, writing the Django/Zorro series in collaboration with famed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, the first official continuation of any of his movies. Like I said… it’s a charmed life and I’m livin’ it!

What are you currently working on?

Once again, I’m lucky enough to have the chance to contribute to the legacy of an iconic character that had such a strong influence on me as a young reader — Will Eisner’s The Spirit. I first discovered The Spirit in the black-and-white, magazine-sized reprints from Warren Publications in the mid-’70s… and was blown away by the artistry of a master storyteller, the likes of which I’d never seen in the comics of that time. I can honestly say that seeing and experiencing The Spirit in my youth ultimately led to my career as a comics author. It’s such an immense thrill and a professional honor to be able to participate in this fashion for the milestone 75^th anniversary of such an influential and iconic character!

What fun titles are you reading?

Saga (Vol. 1: AUG120491)—Like a lot readers, I’m addicted to this ongoing series from creators Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples. Saga exemplifies all the classic aspects of the most classic comic books — incredibly inventive action and settings combined with a compelling soap-opera narrative that leaves the reader on the edge of their seats at the end of each chapter. But despite all the galactic oddities, thrilling adventures and witty dialogue, what makes Saga so enduring is the heart of the story’s core — a young family trying to survive the obstacles that are so familiar to any of us; day care, in-laws, unemployment, substance abuse, societal acceptance… and maintaining love throughout it all.

Lady Killer (Issue #1: DEC148311)—A more recent ongoing series from my dear friends, artist Joelle Jones and writer Jamie S. Rich… I’ve actually seen the entire progression of this narrative — from a few drawings and ideas by Joelle through to the story structure and final dialogue provided by her longtime collaborator, Jamie — and it’s been a real joy to see it all come together in such wonderful fruition! A wry, witty and bloody feminist take on the familiar hired assassin tropes, Lady Killer is a thrill-ride all decked out in the most fashionable accessories and snappy artistic design. I’m dying to see where these able creators take this tale of a government contract killer masquerading as a suburban mom. Or… is it the other way around?

Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey GN (APR141230)—I really enjoyed this OGN, published last year by writer/artist Nick Bertozzi. This historic tale of an ill-fated expedition to the South Pole is a thoroughly engrossing look at how human beings fare and survive in the most harrowing natural conditions on Earth. The reader is never quite sure of what unexpected turns this narrative will take and how, or if, our band of adventurers will endure. The story portrays how grit, determination and a surprising degree of camaraderie all contribute to mankind forging ever outward in their quest to know and understand the world around them.