Exterminators Exclusive Wrap Up Party
By Martijn Form
Hi Vertigolovers,
Well, I'm back from my well deserved vacation. Got sunburned quite bad as well as a dislocated shoulder from bodysurfing, but the good thing was that I re-read Jamie Delano's Animal Man run.
The best thing about this week's column is that you all are invitees to The Exterminators Wrap Up Party, "attended" by some of your favorite Vertigo creators. That's right! The final issue, issue #30, just hit the stores, and I want to tip my hat to this brilliant series that won't be forgotten by me or any of its fans. In my last column I brought you news that The Exterminators will be developed into a TV show by producer Sara Colleton who does the incredibly wicked show Dexter. So if you ask me, this project is in good hands.
Anyway, on to the party..
Well, I'm putting on my dancing shoes and some grease in my hair, and while the tuxedo is rented, it still looks quite sharp, so I'm ready to make my grandiose entrance to this fictitious party. I got all my Exterminators issues right here with me, so nobody can say that I haven't been supporting and loving this series. Now if I only can find my invitation, then we'd be all set…
The room is packed with creators, writers, artists, cockroaches, bugs and me. The mission of the day is to talk to some comic professionals who either worked on The Exterminators or loved the series. Oh, and to try not to make a fool of myself by getting wine and finger food stains on my rented tux.
The place is pretty crowded, but since I forgot to load my battery in my digital camera, you'll just have to take my word for it. The beverages and wine are chilled, and the finger food is quite tastey… although I do not trust the cockroach sushi or the fly takayori. The tempora larves are exquisite with a touch of soya sauce. (Damn, that's the first stain!)
I maneuver myself through the crowd and bump into Jason Aaron, the man who can Scalp anyone within a one mile radius. I'm trying not to shiver here as I ask him if he liked The Exterminators. He tells me:
I live about five minutes away from Tony Moore, so a lot of the time when I'd pop over to raid his fridge or steal his comics, I'd find him working on The Exterminators. And during those visits, I'd usually see some of the most disgusting sights I'd ever witnessed in a comic. I remember just him telling me about some of the stuff from issue #24 freaked me out for days on end. So that's why I don't go over to Tony's house anymore. But I never stopped reading The Exterminators. And really I can't remember the last comic series that made me laugh and cringe and check my peripheral vision for giant killer cockroaches as much as The Exterminators did. Bravo to Simon and Tony and everyone involved for such a great run.Aaron is a writer with a great eye for detail… proven by his notice of my soya sauce stain which prompts him to tell me to take care of.
When I'm back from the little boys room with my washed hands and shirt, I say hello to Chris Samnee, who drew The Exterminators #8, and he says,
I feel really lucky to have had the opportunity to work on such a unique title as The Exterminators. Not only was it a lot of fun, it also happened to be my first work for Vertigo. Being my first crack at the big leagues, it's definitely a landmark in my career.As Samnee takes a zip from his beverage, John Whalen, the writer of The Un-Men joins our little conversation:
When I found out I got the fill-in issue, I was really excited to take a crack at some gross-out stuff or swarms of bugs. Of course, my issue was gross-out free and almost entirely bugless, but it was such a nice character piece, I can't imagine it any other way. Simon spun a wonderful yarn over these past few years, and I'm glad I could've been attached to it, if only for an issue.
The Exterminators will be sorely missed. Thanks so much Simon, Tony, Jon, all the folks who came in to pinch-hit on the book in Tony's stead and all you discerning readers out there.
You can't out-gross The Exterminators. Believe me, I'veMy face is getting red hot. There are so many compliments being thrown around about The Exterminators, that I want to re-read the series then and there. I try to find a quiet corner, but someone pulls me by my rented jacket. I'm in shock and awe, not because someone spilled a drink on my rented pants (and matching underwear), but because it's artist Darick Robertson, the man who gave me nightmares with his Transmetropolitan books. Darick declares:
tried. But nobody does projectile slapstick better than Simon.
The Exterminators should not be getting cancelled. It just shouldn't. It has everything in it to be successful, with the exception of Tony Moore's absences. Of course, his absence lead to my presence on the book, and I truly enjoyed Simon Oliver's scripts and getting to collaborate with Simon. Way back when the team was getting put together, I was offered The Exterminators at the same time I had just gone exclusive with Marvel, so I had to pass. I'm only glad that I did, because Tony's stuff was such a great fit to follow Philip Bond's rockin' and creative covers that I relied upon the tones for the characters that he set. This series was funny, challenging, well drawn and smart.I wipe away the drool at the corner of my mouth to ask him a counter question, but he does a Batman on me and vanishes into the night again. Man, how does he do that?
Someone tell me again: Why is this book getting cancelled?
There is a gush of wind, and maybe a small flash of lighting, but the latter is probably my imagination, right? The gush of wind didn't bring any stranger but the genius himself, Simon Oliver, the man who created The Exterminators and a lot of my nightmares lately. Do you think Simon Oliver would mind if I kiss the ground he walks on even though a lot of bugs surrounds his shoes? It's not very journalistic, right? Simon turns toward me and relates this story:
The day after the last Exterminators issue came out, I was sitting at my kitchen table minding my own business. My wife came in to say something, but just as she was about to speak, her mouth dropped open and her expression changed to one of instinctive, deep-rooted horror.A tear forms in the corner of my eye, and then all of the sudden the fire alarm goes off. It seems there is no fire, but rather some party poopers, in the form of giant cockroaches, are circling the building. I panic. Women and children second, because I'm first as I scream like a little girl to the exit.
"What the Fuck" was all she could say, as her finger rose to guide me to the windows just behind my head. Slowly I turned to find house flies, literally fucking thousands of house flies, quietly and stealthy crawling around on the inside of the windows only inches from where I sat.
Despite their large numbers they hardly made a sound, and more were arriving, their numbers slowly swelling. I don't know if my wife had interrupted a sneak attack, but we didn't wait to find out.
Working swiftly we set up a cluster of sugar water fly traps, took our two young children and left.
When we returned three days later, the smell of death was heavy in the air and the traps strained under the weight of fly corpses.
I don't know if this incident was tied in to my work on The Exterminators or how the flies would have known. I just wished they'd each brought the fucking monthlies.
The Exterminatorsmay be gone for now, but the threat lives on.
But a man looms out of the darkness and into the spotlight. It's the artist himself, the man Tony Moore. His eyes calmly look at my wetted pants. Some folks aren’t meant to be heroes, and I'm one of them. But Tony says:
Working on this series was one of those kinds of treats that an artist who leads a life much more charmed than mine might get once or twice in his lifetime. As much as it was an honor to work for Vertigo, a house I'd revered since high school, it was also a thrill to meet and work with Simon Oliver. He's smart, hilarious, and perverted, all of which he put into scripts that played well to my personal strengths and affinities. Exploding guts and gore, bizarre creepy-crawlies, and the dregs of humanity... that's pretty much what I do best.He hands me a manila envelope and says to spread the word: "Hopefully this will help…"
Pinning down my favorite moment would be a hard task. I was especially proud of the way issue #24 came out. It had a bit of everything in it, and I had a blast getting to draw all kinds of perversion and a guy whose head had turned mushy and burst open with tons of butterflies.
Seriously, picking a favorite moment would be like choosing a favorite child, and I'm proud to say that our children have been some of the most vile things printed in comics, all of which made me laugh out loud to draw.
I've been a lucky man to get to work on a book like this. Hopefully the collected volumes will help the series continue posthumously to find an audience. Getting to work with Simon, our editors, and all our brothers in arms on the book was a thrill and an true honor, and a chance I'll always be thankful I received.
AFTER-PARTY
Back home, safe and sound, because the giant cockroaches were just part of the Wrap Up party, I open up the manila envelope.
Wow. Tony Moore just gave me a piece of his paradise.
Let me show you the exclusive material he handed over to me:
Studying these sketches, I am bit sad that this series is over. For now. On the other hand, these pieces of art give me a new purpose in live. I have to spread the word. I have to spread the word for the world to hear that The Exterminators is an extraordinary series that ended with a big bang. The writing is spectacular, the humor better than Monty Python, and the gore an inspiration for generations to come.
It shouldn’t be forgotten, and it will not be forgotten. You the readers of this series should all be ambassadors. Messengers to deliver the gospel of The Exterminators. Go out into your neighborhood, get that foot in the door, and make people believe. There is hope for us Bugs-bee-Gone guys and gals, and there is work to be done.
But first let me get out of my wet pants, and change into my self-made Exterminators costume. Man, the shop who rented me the tuxedo is sure going to charge me for the dry laundry costs.
See you Vertigo and Exterminators believers in seven.
P.S. The party seemed to be strange figment of my imagination, but the quotes from the comic pros were not! Special thanks to John Whalen, Chris Samnee, Jason Aaron, Darick Robertson, Tony Moore, and Simon Oliver for playing along!
Written by Simon Oliver; Art by Tony Moore; Cover by Philip Bond Collecting the first five issues of Vertigo's twisted new monthly series, The Exterminators: Bug Brothers follows the dysfunctional adventures of exterminator Henry James and his freakish supporting cast as they take on the cruel chaos of nature in the dirty corners of Los Angeles--only to stumble upon a secret that could well reverse the positions of exterminator and pest! Written by Simon Oliver and illustrated by Eisner-nominated artist Tony Moore, this volume will make your skin crawl — in a good way!
Vertigo | 128pg. | Color | Softcover | $9.99 US | ISBN 1401210643 | Mature Readers
Written by Simon Oliver Cover by Philip Bond; Art by Tony Moore, Chris Samnee and Ande ParksIn this stunning volume collecting The Exterminators #6-10, Henry and Stretch get an emergency call to dispose of a black widow that's been terrorizing the local S&M club. But what they encounter will change the course of their newfound mission.
Vertigo | 128pg. | Color | Softcover | $12.99 US | Mature Readers
Written by Simon Oliver; Art by Tony Moore, Mike Hawthorne and John Lucas; Cover by Phillip Bond In this volume collecting issues #11-16, the Bug-Bee-Gone boys bury one of their own while another member of the team remains missing, but the business of bug-killing must go on.
Vertigo | 144pg. | Color | Softcover | $14.99 US | Mature Readers
Written by Simon Oliver; Art by Darick Robertson, Ty Templeton and John Lucas ; Cover by Tony MooreCollecting issues #17-23 of the acclaimed series! In this volume, with art by Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan), the Bug Bee Gone gang faces an invasion of the giant, killer cockroaches known as the Mayan Hisser.
Vertigo | 168pg. | Color | Softcover | $14.99 US
Written by Simon Oliver; Art by Tony Moore and others; Cover by Philip Bond
It's the explosive final battle between Bug-Bee-Gone and the killer cockroaches! The fate of humanity hangs in the balance in this stunning conclusion to the The Exterminators epic collecting issues #24-30.
Vertigo | 168pg. | Color | Softcover | $14.99 US | Mature Readers
Note: Vol. 5 On Sale November 12, 2008
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