Postcards from the Ledge (No. 12)
You guys didn’t think I forgot about Incognegro, Vertigo’s book du mois, did you? Well, I was just getting my ducks in a row, for your information! I had a chance to speak briefly with Incognegro's writer and creator, Mat Johnson, about the processes that went into creating this original graphic novel. Enjoy!
Robert Murray (RM): What inspired you to create Incognegro?Mat Johnson (MJ): Several things, really. When I was a kid I used to joke about going incognegro with my cousin Ben, using our ambiguous racial appearance to become race spies (both of us are biracial). Later, I read about Walter White and European looking slaves who did just that. Then when my own twins were born, one of which looks more African, one that looks more European, it was like the last piece of the puzzle clicked.
RM: What kind of research went into this project? Can you name some of the resources that aided the realism for the early 20th Century South & New York City you created?
MJ: I've been researching the Harlem Renaissance for the last 20 years. As a professor I taught a Harlem Renaissance course, so the research was already done in the back of my head. I just needed the story to flush it out.
RM: Describe Zane Pinchback, the protagonist of Incognegro.
MJ: Zane is a white looking Negro who works as a reporter for a Harlem newspaper. He dreams of making it big in the arts, but is stuck doing an anonymous column called "Incognegro," where he risks life and limb to uncover lynchings in the south in the 1930s. He is a southerner by birth, and a New Yorker by choice.
RM: What was the most emotional scene to create during the construction of Incognegro?
MJ: One of the main characters dies. That was hard to do. Always is. But you have to let the narrative go where it must.
RM: In what ways has Warren Pleece's artwork enhanced your original vision for Incognegro? How smooth was the collaborative process?
MJ: Warren and I barely talked. He just got the script and ran with it. I couldn't be happier with the job he did. I really think it's some of his best work. He really captured the era, the drama, and the nature of the characters. I got lucky. It was an honor to work with him.
RM: Is the race commentary in Incognegro limited to the last century, or are there lessons for us in the here and now?
MJ: Well, that is our racial history. We, for better or worse, are a product of our racial history. I've actually been a bit surprised about some of the reactions to the piece I've seen so far, and the lack of knowledge many white American readers display about the period. Some didn't know that the lynchings happened in the 20th century. I saw one complaint that all the white people in this southern town seemed ultra-racist, and all the blacks scared of white people. What we call ultra-racist, the south of the early 20th Century would call the norm. And black people were petrified. Their lives were constantly affected by the whims of white folks.
RM: Are you attempting to draw fans of your novels to this graphic novel, or is this directed to a new audience?
MJ: Both. I would love for comics fans to see what I do, and go buy Hunting in Harlem, or Drop, or The Great Negro Plot. I also would love to show prose readers the glory of the graphic form. It's a win win for me, really.
RM: Did you have any specific fictional influences in mind when you created Incognegro?
MJ: Chester Himes was my favorite mystery writer for a long time. A lot of people have made a comparison with Walter Mosley, and I'm flattered by that: Walter is a daring writer who has not only defined a genre, he's pioneered into new ones. At the end of the day though, most of it comes out of my subconscious. Every story I read that I like finds its way into influencing what I do.
RM: Was the decision to create this work as a graphic novel due to the suspenseful nature of the plot (Zane trying to save his brother from lyching; a vigilante from Zane’s past trailing him)?
MJ: Yes. This is more of a genre piece for me, a riff on the classic conspiracy mystery, all with a character that had a super pseudonym, no less. So it just seemed to fit. I was planning to write it as a novel, but then I thought graphic and it just seemed to right.
RM: As you said earlier, the reviews for Incognegro reference similarities to Walter Mosley's works as well as noir fiction. Do you think this is fair?
MJ: Well, I think that fedora I have on the cover looks like it could have come out of Walter's closet. I'm pulling from the same mythic reserve that Walter does, and since I read all of his Easy Rawlins mysteries, I'm sure that helped me understand the form. And being compared to Walter is a compliment. But I'm also wary of race type casting. I've read a lot of other mystery writers as well, so I don't think just because I am black and I'm writing a mystery that that makes me a baby Walter.
RM: Do you have any other comic book projects you're working on? How about novels?
MJ: Vertigo and I are talking about future projects, so hopefully we'll see eye-to-eye on something soon. And right now I'm finishing up a novel that's a sequel to Edgar Allen Poe's Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym.
RM: One of my favorites! What comics do you read when you have a spare moment? Any Vertigo titles?
MJ: My favorite Vertigo book right now is Fables. I also dig DMZ and Exterminators. Outside of Vertigo, I have been loving Fear Agent.
RM: In one word, what best describes your feelings about comic books?
MJ: Blossoming.
Thanks, Mat! And thank you, readers, for dealing with me two times in the same week. Seriously, I hope you enjoyed this interview and I hope you get down to your local comic shop or bookstore and pick up Incognegro, a graphic novel that will surely thrill you as well as provoke some deep thinking. Well, that’s all for now. Next week, it’s the "Power Rankings for February," which you won't want to miss because there's a new Number One. Talk about a teaser! See you then!
Thanks for reading,
Robert
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