Crime Never Stops Normandy Gold

Get ready for an original 70s-themed adventure as part of Titan Comics Hard Case Crime comic line. Read our interview with writers Alison Gaylin and Megan Abbott for Normandy Gold #1 (APR171977) in comic shops June 14!

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PREVIEWSworld:  is the latest title in Titan Comics' Hard Case Crime line. What can you tell us about the story of Normandy Gold?

Alison Gaylon: Normandy Gold is a small­ town sheriff who infiltrates a Washington D.C. callgirl ring in order to seek out her missing sister. She winds up in a shadow world of kinky sex, violence and government corruption - and embarks on a quest for vengeance.  Normand y Gold takes place in the 70s and it's based in part on the 70s conspiracy thrillers that Megan and I love-- Para lax View, Three Days of the Condor, etc.

Megan Abbott: All stories with morally ambiguous and complicated male heroes, many thirsting for revenge.  Alison and I wanted to fashion a female version of that hero in Normandy. She's hard as nails, driven, an outlaw who will do whatever it takes in pursuit of her sister.

PREVIEWSworld: You've written numerous prose novels. What differences have you found writing comics?

Megan Abbott: I also write for film and TV, which is a closer match. But in all three cases, I begin with character. It has to start with finding his or her voice. One of the great thrills of comics over novels, though, is the power of the visual to convey so much.

Alison Gaylon: In writing novels, you are writing in much deeper detail, trying to bring all five senses to the page. Writing graphic novels, you are limited to visuals, which is actually a lot of fun and kind of freeing. It's really exciting to see an artist bring those visual descriptions to life.

PREVIEWSworld: What made co-writing the series a must? And what's it like writing for an artist?

Megan Abbott: I love working with Alison. We've been friends for a decade and come from the same crime-fiction DNA and also the same movie-inspired spirit. And we're both thrilled to work with Steve Scott, who brings everything to such vivid life.

Alison Gaylon: Megan and I wrote the script together a while ago. She is not only a great friend but one of my favorite authors. She shares my love of the time period and genre and she's an incredibly captivating writer. It was a terrific experience collaborating with her. Steve Scott is such a talented artist and he has a great cinematic aesthetic. Not only can he create realistic and compelling action scenes, he draws these very real, expressive faces, bringing great depth to the panels

PREVIEWSworld: What can you tease about Titan's new Normandy Gold series?

Megan Abbott: Oh, boy, we try to cover the waterfront: sex, violence, rage, despair, bloodlust, kink and, of course, a little bit of heart. Normandy is a complicated, conflicted and occasionally dangerous hero, but she is a hero.

Alison Gaylon: Normandy is a really badass character who will stop at nothing to get to the truth. Think Dirty Harry or Charles Bronson in Death Wish, only in the form of a woman with a dark past.

PREVIEWSworld: Why is now the best time to bring this comic to readers?

Megan Abbott: The 70s are certainly back. I'm also a writer on the new HBO show The Deuce, created by David Simon [The Wire] and George Pelecanos, which airs later this year and takes place in the 70s. But perhaps most of all the Washington D.C. of Normandy Gold — one suffused with scandal and Nixonian paranoia — well, that seems to be back with us right now too!

Alison Gaylon: A corrupt, sleazy and overreaching government, brought down by female rage. Seems a pretty good time for that, in my opinion.