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Josh Howard Q&A: Deadly Obsession

Posted: Tuesday, May 11, 2004
By: Sylvain Lebleu

Josh Howard is a name to watch. He’s a multi-skilled creator with an ability to tap into the zeitgeist of youth culture – some suggest he’s a new Joss Whedon for the comics world. The first Dead @ 17 series was a surprise hit for the Dallas based publisher Viper Comics, and promoted with blockbuster style enthusiam: “The ultimate battle between good and evil is about to be fought in the most unlikely of places, and the outcome will depend on the choices of one teenage girl.”

With the recent launch of the second mini-series, tantalizingly subtitled “Blood of Saints”, Howard took time to talk with SBC’s Sylvain Lebleu.

Sylvain Lebleu: On Dead @17 you write, draw and ink. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of being a one-man-band versus an artist/writer team-up?

Josh Howard: The advantage is that I get the final word on everything. The major disadvantage is the workload, which can be daunting at times.

SL:You said in a previous interview, “Most all my writing comes from things I've experienced or people I've known. Even though the story has some fantastic elements in it, it comes from very real feelings and emotions.” Why did you choose to integrate those fantastic elements rather than writing a more personal and grounded story?

JH: I would love nothing more than to write a personal and grounded story, and I fully intend to one day soon. That's where my heart is. Most of my favorite comics have no fantastic elements at all. But I chose to start out with something a little more mainstream, or commercial, because I don't want to be one of those who struggles my entire life over a black and white indie comic that may or may not ever get noticed. I want to make a living at this.

SL: What motivated your decision to write a story about two teenager girls rather than two teenager boys or a boy and a girl?

JH: It just seemed more interesting that way. I can't see the story working with two male friends or a guy and a girl. Nara and Hazy's friendship is what drives the story.

SL: What can you tell us about Dead @17: Blood of Saints? Will there be new characters and what's in store for Nara and Hazy?

JH: There are a couple of new characters… most important being Violet, who returns from the dead like Nara. But unlike Nara, she chooses the other side. Nara and Hazy have begun to grow apart end up having a falling out, which affects the course of the rest of the series.

SL: When you write a story do you try to write so it fits you style of art or do you just write whatever you'll have to draw it or not?

JH: Well, I do write to my strengths, although I will purposely write things I don't want to draw to keep challenging myself or to keep me on my toes. But you probably won't see Nara and Hazy in a car chase in downtown Manhattan anytime soon.

SL: When you start working on a script. How do you play with the fact that you write and pencil the story? Do you treat both tasks separately or both have influence over each other?

JH: I'll write the script until I feel its pretty solid. But once I start drawing, different avenues of inspiration instantly open up. I will think of things I never would have thought of if I wasn't drawing it myself. Blood of Saints #2 in particular has 2 scenes that where radically changed once I started drawing it, and the story was much better for it.

SL: How is it to work for Viper Comics? What kind a creative freedom do you have over there?

JH: I can't imagine a better place to start. I have total creative freedom… they completely trust my decisions as an artist and creator.

SL: It's never easy to release a new series and even more when it's from a new publisher. What was the toughest moment and choices you had to go trough while working on Dead @17?

JH: Viper was dedicated 110% to getting the book out there and into as many hands as possible. All I had to worry about was making sure the book was as good as it could be. I knew this could've been my one and only shot, so I had to make it count. I poured my heart and soul into it.

SL: Now that you have finally breakthrough and that Dead @17 has gained a lot of visibility, how are you dealing with the pressure and expectations created by success of the first series? Did you change elements of the story in order to meet the expectations?

JH: Working on Blood of Saints has been pretty nerve racking, not knowing if people will follow me where I go with it, because its not just a rehash of the first series. I could've have easily gone that route and just put in more zombie hack-n-slash, but that was never how the story was intended to go. I haven't changed anything, other than to please myself… I'm the only audience I'm really concerned with.

SL: What's more appealing to you, continue working for smaller publishers and create you own material or trying to get hired by bigger company like DC or Marvel and why?

JH: It just depends. I would love to reach the largest audience possible, which is of course with the larger companies. But I'm not really itching to work on Spider-Man, or anything like that. If I happen to work for one of those companies one day, fine. If not, that's fine too. I enjoy doing my own thing. As long as I'm doing comics, I'll be happy.

SL: Why did you choose to write funny books rather than movie script or books?

JH: I considered all those options, but I'm definitely more of a visual creator. Besides, I figured if I could become successful in comics, those options would still be open to me.

SL: Are you trying to write or draw for other medium than comic books, Are we going to see some Josh Howard animation movie?

JH: I would love to! It just depends on what comes my way.

SL: Which character is really is the most important to you Nara or Hazy and why?

JH: Nara is the most important, hands down. She is my voice in the series.

SL: What is so appealing about horror comics that it made you choose to use this style rather than any other?

JH: It wasn't really a conscious choice… that is just my style. When I initially created the series, it didn't really dawn on me that I was doing a horror comic until someone pointed it out to me. I was just writing what I thought was an interesting story.

SL: Do you have any other upcoming projects beside Dead @17: Blood of Saints?

JH: Yes. There is a D@17 one shot coming out in August that is a collection of different tales set around the first series. I will also have a new book coming out in the fall that's a little different than Dead@17. It's a fun sci-fi / superhero / adventure story about a hero and his female sidekick.