Steven Sykora 4000
Friday, April 25, 2008, 04:48 AM
<img src="/images/interviews/wagner.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Josh Wagner, author of Fiction Clemens; the story looking to be optioned to become a motion picture and described as “a sci-fi western with a pinch of psychadelia.”, recently spoke with Project Fanboy.
Steven: Josh, thanks for speaking with us today. Tell us, did you always want to get into the comic book industry?
Josh: Nope. I loved comics as a kid, and have always wanted to be a novelist, but I never even imagined writing for comics until I got the chance. Now I’m hooked, and I’m going to send a message back to my past-self suggesting that I get ambitious about it.
Steven: Fiction Clemens is a most unusual name for a very unusual character and story. Where did you come up with the name?
Josh: I can’t take credit for the name. My good friend Christian Olson came up with the name in the mid 90’s. He said, roughly, “This here name popped into my head: Fiction Clemens,” and made me promise to invent the character and write a story about him. Let it be said that I keep my promises to the hilt.
Steven: Fic first debuted in one of your previous works, “The Adventures of the Imagination of Periphery Stowe”. What was his role in that work, and what was that story about?
Josh: “Periphery Stowe” is far more fantasy and high-adventure than Fic. It’s also more abstract. In “Periphery Stowe” I was trying to do for fairy-tales what M.C. Escher did for art. Instead of staircases going up to the ground and twisting about mobeus-like, I wanted the plot to do so. Fiction Clemens made a guest appearance there as a transport pilot for the main character. Kind of like Han Solo for Luke, except that Fic takes my hero literally into the Mind of old Periphery Stowe.
Steven: Ape Entertainment recently picked up Fiction Clemens for publication. How did the wheels start turning to get Fiction Clemens and Ape Entertainment together?
Josh: It’s a long story, but ultimately it was all a matter of timing. The right people saw the movie teaser and the storyboards, and the book ended up in the hands of Silent Devil. Though the Silent Devil guys were fantastic and taught me a great deal, it just wasn’t the right home for Fic. The property transitioned to Space Dog, who hooked it up with Ape. Once I started to see the kind of books that Ape publishes, I realized that Fiction Clemens finally arrived exactly where he belongs. But I will always appreciate Silent Devil for opening those first doors.
Steven: Your style is quite unique, and Joiton seems to have captured the essence of your psychedelic dream. How did you come to find this amazing artist from Argentina?
Josh: I looked through about fifty portfolio submissions in all (mostly from on-line ads in places like DigitalWebbing), but as soon as I stumbled on Joiton’s work, I felt that immediate “click” feeling. He did some storyboard work for us while we were making the film teaser, and when the comic got picked up, Joiton was a shoe-in for the job. He really understood the world and the story on a gut-level, and was a breeze to work with.
Steven: The art in issue two seems a bit clearer than in issue one and I’ve noticed you’ve brought in someone new on colors this issue. What prompted the change?
Josh: We actually have a different colorist for each issue. We were on a tight deadline during production when we thought the book was going to Silent Devil. In order to meet the deadline Joiton staggered his pencils, doing a page from each book at a time. That way the colorists could be working on all three books at once. All three colorists have strong talents in different areas, but since Vero’s English was the best, I think I had an easier time communicating the changes I needed.
Steven: Fiction Clemens has got everything from two blind guys that can smell with deadly accuracy and seem to love sandwiches, a clockmaker with seemingly enormous power to mold society, and Pa Clemens who likes to go sky fishing for whales just to name a few. What can you tell our readers about the supporting cast of Fiction Clemens?
Josh: For me, a story is always at least 75% about the supporting cast—probably because my own life is defined so much by my network of friends. Dune Trixie is based on a gal I’ve known forever named Katie Ludwick. Pa Clemens came out of a short film that we were making with experimental filmmaker, Dan Woerner. Dan had dressed our buddy Brad up as a bizarre cat-fisherman, and put him on stilts hidden under extra-long jeans. When we put the top hat on him, I thought… “Man, he looks like he could be related to Fic.”
Steven: What do you think has influenced your own work on Fiction Clemens to give you the unique world that you’ve created?
Josh: I get to travel a lot, and I make time to see just how strange the real world is. I tend toward satire and allegory, which is why Fic doesn’t really fall into any certain genre. Most of my projects end up being satire pieces that were never intended to be satirical. Life is one damn big bizarre trip through the valleys of fate and the mountains of chance, and my storytelling style in Fic has always been about just trying to keep up with the kind of ideas that are too big to hold in two little hands.
Steven: Fiction Clemens is slated to become a motion picture. Who is putting this out, what has your involvement been with this, and what kind of budget are you working with?
Josh: Well, to set the record straight, Fic is no longer in production. Once the comic book was picked-up, Impossible Clock Productions (a Missoula-based company) forestalled its plans in order to see how things went with the comic. We may take it up again, but to be honest, having a comic publisher take over the story was a relief, as Fic was beginning to look like a big-budget production. I still hope someone wants to make the movie someday, and Ape and SpaceDog are both pursuing options. I would love for Terry Gilliam to get his hands on the book and decide to direct it…a man can dream, can’t he?
Steven: Do you read any of the bigger mainstream comics from companies like Marvel and DC? If so, what are your favorite titles?
Josh: Back in high school I read everything Marvel, and a few DC titles (Detective, JLA, Batman). Now days I still read a few of the Ultimate books, but my tastes have been moving away from both the Marvel and DC universes for a while. Nothing against them; I think lately both companies have done a great job revitalizing their old storylines, but most of my reading these days comes from companies like Ape, Desperado, Dark Horse, and Image. I just grabbed a handful of books from Penny Farthing Press this weekend at NYCC, and will be digging into those soon. Some of the Vertigo titles are excellent as well. I also really enjoy thoughtfully crafted comics with simple art and complex characters—the sort of stuff you find in “The Best American Comics” anthologies.
Steven: Are there any titles currently out there that you would like to write for?
Josh: It would be a dream come true to write for any of the established titles. Just to be able to work with something that already has a solid backstory, characters who are well-known—you know, not to have to build that foundation myself. It would be a very powerful feeling to have so many subtle details to play with—that a whole audience of readers will ALREADY be sensitive to. That would be amazing. But to narrow that down… Batman. I’d love to write just one issue of batman. That would make my year. And if I could co-write a sequel to the Maxx with Sam Keith, I’d do that in a second… or just get Sam his coffee while he wrote it. That would be fine, too.
Steven: Anything you’d like to plug while we’ve got you here?
Josh: I just learned that 24Seven vol. 2 was nominated for an Eisner. I’ve got a story in there, and I’d like to plug everyone’s positive thoughts into that circuit board. I have a few other projects on the horizon. “The Adventures of the Imagination of Periphery Stowe” is getting a reprint this summer. I have a story in “Outlaw Territory”, an Image book releasing this fall, and another story in “Negative Burn 19”, which should hit the shelves this month. Then there’s Orcusville (www.orcusville.com), a daily webcomic I write for every now-and-then, though Steve Saunders handles the bulk of it. He’s a riot!
Steven: Thanks again for speaking with us and we can’t wait to review the next installment of Fiction Clemens!
Steven: Josh, thanks for speaking with us today. Tell us, did you always want to get into the comic book industry?
Josh: Nope. I loved comics as a kid, and have always wanted to be a novelist, but I never even imagined writing for comics until I got the chance. Now I’m hooked, and I’m going to send a message back to my past-self suggesting that I get ambitious about it.
Steven: Fiction Clemens is a most unusual name for a very unusual character and story. Where did you come up with the name?
Josh: I can’t take credit for the name. My good friend Christian Olson came up with the name in the mid 90’s. He said, roughly, “This here name popped into my head: Fiction Clemens,” and made me promise to invent the character and write a story about him. Let it be said that I keep my promises to the hilt.
Steven: Fic first debuted in one of your previous works, “The Adventures of the Imagination of Periphery Stowe”. What was his role in that work, and what was that story about?
Josh: “Periphery Stowe” is far more fantasy and high-adventure than Fic. It’s also more abstract. In “Periphery Stowe” I was trying to do for fairy-tales what M.C. Escher did for art. Instead of staircases going up to the ground and twisting about mobeus-like, I wanted the plot to do so. Fiction Clemens made a guest appearance there as a transport pilot for the main character. Kind of like Han Solo for Luke, except that Fic takes my hero literally into the Mind of old Periphery Stowe.
Steven: Ape Entertainment recently picked up Fiction Clemens for publication. How did the wheels start turning to get Fiction Clemens and Ape Entertainment together?
Josh: It’s a long story, but ultimately it was all a matter of timing. The right people saw the movie teaser and the storyboards, and the book ended up in the hands of Silent Devil. Though the Silent Devil guys were fantastic and taught me a great deal, it just wasn’t the right home for Fic. The property transitioned to Space Dog, who hooked it up with Ape. Once I started to see the kind of books that Ape publishes, I realized that Fiction Clemens finally arrived exactly where he belongs. But I will always appreciate Silent Devil for opening those first doors.
Steven: Your style is quite unique, and Joiton seems to have captured the essence of your psychedelic dream. How did you come to find this amazing artist from Argentina?
Josh: I looked through about fifty portfolio submissions in all (mostly from on-line ads in places like DigitalWebbing), but as soon as I stumbled on Joiton’s work, I felt that immediate “click” feeling. He did some storyboard work for us while we were making the film teaser, and when the comic got picked up, Joiton was a shoe-in for the job. He really understood the world and the story on a gut-level, and was a breeze to work with.
Steven: The art in issue two seems a bit clearer than in issue one and I’ve noticed you’ve brought in someone new on colors this issue. What prompted the change?
Josh: We actually have a different colorist for each issue. We were on a tight deadline during production when we thought the book was going to Silent Devil. In order to meet the deadline Joiton staggered his pencils, doing a page from each book at a time. That way the colorists could be working on all three books at once. All three colorists have strong talents in different areas, but since Vero’s English was the best, I think I had an easier time communicating the changes I needed.
Steven: Fiction Clemens has got everything from two blind guys that can smell with deadly accuracy and seem to love sandwiches, a clockmaker with seemingly enormous power to mold society, and Pa Clemens who likes to go sky fishing for whales just to name a few. What can you tell our readers about the supporting cast of Fiction Clemens?
Josh: For me, a story is always at least 75% about the supporting cast—probably because my own life is defined so much by my network of friends. Dune Trixie is based on a gal I’ve known forever named Katie Ludwick. Pa Clemens came out of a short film that we were making with experimental filmmaker, Dan Woerner. Dan had dressed our buddy Brad up as a bizarre cat-fisherman, and put him on stilts hidden under extra-long jeans. When we put the top hat on him, I thought… “Man, he looks like he could be related to Fic.”
Steven: What do you think has influenced your own work on Fiction Clemens to give you the unique world that you’ve created?
Josh: I get to travel a lot, and I make time to see just how strange the real world is. I tend toward satire and allegory, which is why Fic doesn’t really fall into any certain genre. Most of my projects end up being satire pieces that were never intended to be satirical. Life is one damn big bizarre trip through the valleys of fate and the mountains of chance, and my storytelling style in Fic has always been about just trying to keep up with the kind of ideas that are too big to hold in two little hands.
Steven: Fiction Clemens is slated to become a motion picture. Who is putting this out, what has your involvement been with this, and what kind of budget are you working with?
Josh: Well, to set the record straight, Fic is no longer in production. Once the comic book was picked-up, Impossible Clock Productions (a Missoula-based company) forestalled its plans in order to see how things went with the comic. We may take it up again, but to be honest, having a comic publisher take over the story was a relief, as Fic was beginning to look like a big-budget production. I still hope someone wants to make the movie someday, and Ape and SpaceDog are both pursuing options. I would love for Terry Gilliam to get his hands on the book and decide to direct it…a man can dream, can’t he?
Steven: Do you read any of the bigger mainstream comics from companies like Marvel and DC? If so, what are your favorite titles?
Josh: Back in high school I read everything Marvel, and a few DC titles (Detective, JLA, Batman). Now days I still read a few of the Ultimate books, but my tastes have been moving away from both the Marvel and DC universes for a while. Nothing against them; I think lately both companies have done a great job revitalizing their old storylines, but most of my reading these days comes from companies like Ape, Desperado, Dark Horse, and Image. I just grabbed a handful of books from Penny Farthing Press this weekend at NYCC, and will be digging into those soon. Some of the Vertigo titles are excellent as well. I also really enjoy thoughtfully crafted comics with simple art and complex characters—the sort of stuff you find in “The Best American Comics” anthologies.
Steven: Are there any titles currently out there that you would like to write for?
Josh: It would be a dream come true to write for any of the established titles. Just to be able to work with something that already has a solid backstory, characters who are well-known—you know, not to have to build that foundation myself. It would be a very powerful feeling to have so many subtle details to play with—that a whole audience of readers will ALREADY be sensitive to. That would be amazing. But to narrow that down… Batman. I’d love to write just one issue of batman. That would make my year. And if I could co-write a sequel to the Maxx with Sam Keith, I’d do that in a second… or just get Sam his coffee while he wrote it. That would be fine, too.
Steven: Anything you’d like to plug while we’ve got you here?
Josh: I just learned that 24Seven vol. 2 was nominated for an Eisner. I’ve got a story in there, and I’d like to plug everyone’s positive thoughts into that circuit board. I have a few other projects on the horizon. “The Adventures of the Imagination of Periphery Stowe” is getting a reprint this summer. I have a story in “Outlaw Territory”, an Image book releasing this fall, and another story in “Negative Burn 19”, which should hit the shelves this month. Then there’s Orcusville (www.orcusville.com), a daily webcomic I write for every now-and-then, though Steve Saunders handles the bulk of it. He’s a riot!
Steven: Thanks again for speaking with us and we can’t wait to review the next installment of Fiction Clemens!