Scarecrow Has A Brain in John Arcudi's Rumble

by Vince Brusio

John Arcudi is one of those writers who have been around for…well…forever. Let’s see, The Mask, B.P.R.D.,Major Bummer, Doom Patrol…shall we continue? So let us just agree that the man’s career which kicked off in the 90s is one that lists so many books, it’s safe to say that he’s done a little of everything. So the question becomes, when you’ve done almost everything, what comes next? What challenges you? The answer, it seems, is Rumble, Vol. 1: What Color Of Darkness? TP (APR150618). Because a comic that features a scarecrow with a big sword that’s a sort-of hybrid of Fight Club and Clash of the Titans pretty much breaks through the barrier of “ordinary” comic book fare. In this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview, John tells us a little bit about Rumble, and how it’s going to be a book that we’ll probably read…leaning sideways. Onward!

Rumble, Vol. 1: What Color Of Darkness? TP (APR150618) is in comic shops June 24th. Collects RUMBLE #1-5.

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PREVIEWSworld: For those who may not be up to speed, can you please tell us the basic story behind Rumble, and how you came up with the idea for the story?

John Arcudi: Rumble introduces the reader to Rathraq — a scarecrow with a big sword and an even bigger chip on his shoulder. He’s come to town looking for revenge. On whom is not entirely easy to tell at first, but trust me, he’s got a list!

As for how I came up with the story, it’s been in my head for so long, for years — and it’s seen several different versions —  so I can’t tell you, really, where it came from.  It’s an amalgam of all the things I love about comics and movies, that much I can say.  

I think in the solicitation we called it, an action adventure fantasy with some horror and some humor thrown in.  That’s pretty accurate.

PREVIEWSworld:  Can you tell us a little about the back-and-forth that went on between you and James Harren as you both developed the book? How did you two work together? Who filled up the other’s Inbox with multiple questions? 

John Arcudi: As I said, Rumble started in my head years ago, but when I met James it started to make more sense.  James suggested things that started pushing me into different directions, and his sketches gave me even more ideas — but there’s been a bit of back and forth on that, too.  I have firm ideas in my head about some of the characters, so poor James has had to put up with my verbal “redesigning” of some of his sketches.

PREVIEWSworld:  If you had to explain Rumble to an audience (say you’re at a Comic Con panel), what would you say that would help them draw comparisons to other like-minded stories? Would you throw out comparisons to movies like Eraserhead or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?

John Arcudi: Boy, that’s tough because, really, I never thought about patterning Rumble after anything else.  I just wanted to do something that I thought was different and that would be fun, but if you’re going to put me on the spot, I guess it’s sort of a hybrid of “Fight Club” and “Clash of the Titans” — with dialogue by Louie CK — and that still doesn’t really describe what we’re doing.

PREVIEWSworld:  Without giving anything away that would act as a spoiler, what would you say is one of the pinnacle moments in this first issue that would make you “geek out” and blog/Tweet?

John Arcudi: My guess is most folks are gonna love the last page, but for me, it’s really page 19.  We’ll see how people react.  The truth is, as the series goes on, there will be more and more “geek out” moments.

PREVIEWSworld:  If fans can contact you on social media, which site(s) would you mention?

John Arcudi: Of course they can!  Twitter @ArcudiJohn  and on Facebook.  Not a lot of John Arcudis out there, so you shouldn't have much trouble finding me. James Harren is also on Facebook and his Twitter account is @JamesHarren1.