Coming next year from Dark Horse is a new original graphic novel called “LARP!” The book, the first in a proposed series of three, is written by Dan Jolley and Shawn deLoache and illustrated by Marlin Shoop (“G.I. Joe Vs. Cobra,” “Grimm Fairy Tales: Myths and Legends”). Jolley is an acclaimed Young Adult author (the “Alex Unlimited” series) who is no stranger to comics, having written “Firestorm” and the Eisner nominated “JSA: The Unholy Three” for DC among otherss, as well as writing video games like “Transformers: War for Cyberton.” His co-writer, deLoache, is currently writing the webseries “The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy.” I spoke to the co-writers about the project’s origins, their own history as high school nerds, and why Shoop was the right artist for the book.
Written by Dan Jolley and Shawn deLoache
Illustrated by Martin ShoopGLEE MEETS GAME OF THRONES!
Lifelong nerd Pete Ford’s been living two lives since starting at his new school—in one, he’s a member of the cool crowd and the tennis team, and in the other he is Lord Blackmane, scourge of the Southern moors. It’s probably best if the cool kids don’t find out about that, but hiding Pete’s live action roleplaying gets harder when he falls for a teammate. Can Pete have it all, or will his separate lives collide, threatening all his friendships? And what of the shady other club trying to horn in on the LARPers’ game space?
1. From acclaimed YA author Dan Jolley (Warriors, My Boyfriend is a Monster)!
2. A coming-of-age story for nerds and jocks alike!
3. Value-priced series!
4. For fans of Community!$9.99, 80 pages
Available May 13, 2015
So, gentlemen, when did the idea for “LARP” originate? Was this something you guys have been working on developing for some time, or was it a relatively quick birth?
Shawn deLoache: To be perfectly honest I can’t really remember. Dan and I are always tossing around numerous ideas…I think this was during one of our weekly mind melds (we burn incense, meditate to where our minds are one…and then order pizza and play Wii). I do know that as soon as we started batting around ideas we were absolutely in love with it. The experiences these kids go through are ones either Dan and I have gone through, or people close to us…mix in comic books and LARPING and well, it was honestly a blast to write.
Dan Jolley: I’m not really clear, either, on when exactly we decided to do this story about LARPing, but the seed of the idea had been bouncing around in my skull for freaking ever. My older brother went off to college when I was a first-grader, and he got involved with the Society for Creative Anachronism, which was very much a forerunner of LARPs today. So I got to hear all about these guys who put on suits of real armor and beat the ever-loving crap out of each other with weapons made of rattan wood. Then, many years later, when I started working at Icarus Studios on the MMO Fallen Earth, I discovered that I was surrounded by LARPers; when I was hired, almost the entire Content Department knew each other from LARPing. Consequently, I got a crash course in all the mechanics and personalities and storylines and such. Then when Shawn and I decided to do this project, we got to put our own spin on it, and make the whole thing kind of unique.
I think it is refreshing to present a protagonist that doesn’t so easily fall into a box of “nerd” or “jock” or “music geek” or whatever. What were you guys like in high school? What parts of Pete come directly from you guys?
DJ: I was a full-fledged, card-carrying nerd all through high school, and that lasted until…uh…today. But if we’ve done our jobs right, we’ll be presenting characters who go through relatable ups and downs, and have problems that are common to all teenagers, not just nerds or jocks or whatever. The star quarterback may not seem anything at all like the shy girl who sits in the back of class and never talks to anyone, but peel away the emotional exteriors nine times out of ten you’ll find they share more similarities than differences.
SD: I kind of was Pete in High School…at least the last two years. Freshman and Sophmore year I think I was seen more as the “full nerd.” I was kind of a teacher’s pet, an open comic book/ sci-fi fan, had glasses, was (and still am) unable to tan, and with my face was constantly at war with the dark lord ACNE. But by Junior year I was suddenly friends with everyone…the “cool kids” thought I was funny and thought it was cool that I trained in martial arts, I did plays so was in with the drama crowd, and as I was (I hope) genuinely nice and friendly I suddenly was a man of both worlds…a Day Walker if you will.
Despite still having somewhat of a stigma in pop culture, role playing is more popular now than ever – why does that world appeal to you as a storytelling setting?
SD: As a story teller who writes mainly fiction, I write about powers and worlds and adventures that I’ll probably never get to have. With “LARP,” all the things these kids do, all the fun, all the action…is something I, YOU, WE CAN DO. I may never be able to swing from a web (though I let spiders bite me just in case) but I can put on a bad ass costume and have epic fun battles with friends!
DJ: Yeah, it’s hard to find a better way to illustrate what’s going on in someone’s life, and for that matter in someone’s head, than taking the conflicts they’re facing and presenting them in a very literal, sort of metaphor-come-to-life way. Not that everything in our LARP has a direct correlation to what the characters are dealing with in their “real” lives, but a lot of it does.
With a story both rooted in reality and having a strong fantastical element to it, what were you looking for from an artistic standpoint? Was there a desire to have two totally distinct palettes for the various parts of Pete’s life?
SD: We wanted to have the LARPing clearly stand out from the “real world” despite the fact that both take place in the real world. We wanted to the reader, as well as the characters, to feel transported in those scenes…I mean, isn’t that the point of LARPing…to enter a whole new and amazing world?!
DJ: True. While Marlin’s style itself doesn’t change radically when he’s depicting real life vs. the LARP — the book doesn’t go from photorealism to manga, for example — the two “worlds” are definitely visually distinct. The care and detail he put into our steampunk LARPers and the “city” where their adventures take place is just gorgeous.
Marlin’s art certainly has a fantastical element to it, and he has worked in the fantasy genre before – what made him the right fit for this project?
SD: Well, not only is Marlin an incredibly talented artist…he was also very genuinely excited about the project. I find you get a completely different level of excellence when an artist genuinely. OH and the fact that he’s one of the Co-Creators of “LARP” doesn’t hurt!
DJ: I had been looking for a way to work with Marlin for something like five or six years. He and I had talked about doing another creator-owned project, a deep-space sci-fi epic kind of thing, but when all the pieces fell into place for “LARP!,” I knew he’d be the right fit for it. I showed his art to Shawn, who immediately agreed, and luckily for us Marlin was available and loved the project. So we were off to the races.
Dan, you have a long history with young adult novels – how is writing for a comics audience similar to that? Certainly, there is a large swath of the audience that is similarly aged, but it is a medium that is enjoyed by a variety of ages – does that change your approach at all, or does it, more or less, stay the same?
DJ: It’s really more about just excluding a few things. If you’re aiming at a YA audience, you don’t have lots of foul language, you don’t have lots of graphic violence, and you don’t have much in the way of on-screen sex. But as far as the stories themselves go, the conception and structure of them, I don’t really differentiate between YA material and non-YA. I mean, sure, if I want to tell a story about a group of human traffickers, that’s probably not going to be a good fit for the Young Adult audience. But if it’s something like a spy story, or a wilderness adventure, or LARP!, I just tell the story the way I see it. There’s no “dumbing down,” no “Oh, this concept is too complex for a YA audience.” Kids and teenagers are smart. There’s no reason not to treat them accordingly.
The solicit text mentions Glee, Game of Thrones, and Community as touchstones for the series – any you’d like to add?
SD- While not a show, I’m going to give props to Joss Whedon…he is one of my biggest idols, and his work has greatly influenced me. For a long time I hoped I WAS Joss from the future…but the older I get the less likely that’s becoming…guess I’ll have to make my own name!
DJ – It’s funny, I hadn’t seen Mean Girls before we wrote “LARP!” I just never got around to it, until I saw it on a plane on the way back from Poland about six weeks ago. (I spent three months over there working on the video game Dying Light.) But it really struck me how many elements were similar — I mean, it’s not a copy or anything, but a lot of the same emotions, a lot of the conflict of trying to lead a double life, really remind me of that movie. (Except with much, much less Lindsay Lohan.)
This is the first of three graphic novels – quite an undertaking. When can we expect the adventures to continue, and will the story be moving on from this initial setting, or do all three books take place in high school?
DJ: We definitely have plans to take our LARPers to a few new places, including a sci-fi/fantasy convention somewhat similar to Dragon*Con (I’ve spent a lot of time at that show, both as a fan and as a guest). But Shawn’s right, events might change depending on a few different factors. How’s that for cryptic?
SD: Best laid plans have a tendency of…catching fire and blowing up…so while we do have a story arc planned in certain settings, things could always shift if we get new ideas. We are still talking about when the next book will be released, but we hope for ASAP as we love the characters and the world!
Finally, if anyone out there is on the fence about checking this out, what sort of a spell would you cast to convince them? Or is this more of a situation a good old fashioned duel is more appropriate to settle the score?
SD: Pfft, why do I have to choose? I’m gonna shoot someone with SPELL BULLETS out of my enchanted mystically revolver called…Ned. BUT SERIOUSLY, if you are looking for a funny, heartfelt, nerdy romp I promise you that you will not be disappointed by “LARP!” Dan, Marlin and I are very proud of it, and are so grateful to all the fans who pick it up!
DJ: Yeah, what Shawn said. (Except with much, much less Ned.)
