It’s easy to say for the whole Mignolaversity team that both writer John Arcudi and artist James Harren are amongst are very favorite creators and very favorite people in comics. Both immensely talented and a joy to talk to, Arcudi and Harren fit into the class of creator whose work qualifies as “buy on sight” for all of us.
So when Image Expo arrived before San Diego Comic Con this year and their new collaboration at Image was revealed in the form of “Rumble”, a new ongoing series that was billed as “a scarecrow-Conan fighting in a Louis C.K. TV show directed by David Fincher.” That type of mash-up is hugely intriguing, and since, everything we’ve heard and seen about the book has gotten us even more excited for the book.
We reached out to Arcudi to chat about the book and to help dig deeper into the world he and Harren are creating in the book, and in the process, we became convinced that this very easily could be the best of the new books announced at the vaunted event this year. Read the interview below, and feast your eyes on three brand new pages (on top of the already existing preview) from the first issue in the process. If you’re not a mega fan of James Harren already, this book will certainly make you one.
Also, for more information on the book, follow both John and James on Twitter, as well as the official Rumble Twitter account. The book arrives in December, and I highly recommend getting your pre-order in as soon as you can.
John Arcudi: “Rumble” is a concept I’ve been working with for years. It’s gone through a few different iterations, but it wasn’t until James and I talked about it that it felt like it would really work as this larger, more complex storyline that had “legs.” Part of that, of course, was having lots of time to think about it, getting older, getting better, but having the right artist — well, you can’t do it without that.
The series has a few core characters, and the one everybody seems to be interested in is Rathraq, scarecrow warrior God — well, that last part might be stretching it. He’s seen better days, and he’s just not willing to let go of those old times. He thinks he’s just as tough as he used to be and he acts that way. The modern city he’s arrived in, that’s seen better days, too — and it’s the collision of the old times, Rahtraq’s old world, and the modern (but far from “new”) world of this half-sleeping urban urban decay that creates a lot of tension. Bartender Bobby LaRosa is stuck in this crappy city but, of course, a sword swinging scarecrow makes it decidedly crappier. And when Rathraq’s old world colleagues start showing up, it’s even worse! I don’t know, trying to break it down, it seems to sound simpler than it really will be in the book, but it’s the relationships between these two and all the other characters that really fills things out.
The first five issues will establish this world, an array of characters human and otherwise — and the tone of the series. It’s such a big world with so many directions to go in, it’s the kind of thing I love to do — and I hope I do it well.
You and James have put together some of our absolute favorite work in the Mignolaverse in previous collaborations, and we couldn’t be happier to see you doing your own thing on this book. What is it about James that makes him such a superb collaborator, and now that you’re getting into the meat of the series, do you find that you and James are working together any differently than you would on, say, “B.P.R.D.”?
Continued belowJA: Yes and no. In one way, the process is very similar. I hand him a script, we get on the phone and toss back and forth designs, then he sends me layouts, etc. That’s all familiar, but this is a brand new series, a brand new world, a brand new set of characters and themes, so we both have this sense of giving birth to something, you know? That metaphor is a bit awkward, but it’s fairly accurate. And James seems to be more comfortable tossing out ideas to me about this character, or that plot-point. Since I’m essentially the editor on “Rumble”, that’s a completely different dynamic for him — and for me.
As for what makes James a good collaborator, the easy answer is “look at his work! Look at those pages!” And that easy answer actually does apply in this case. James’s ability to depict action and violence really effectively, his dark, moody environments, that’s all going to come into play on “Rumble” a lot. When I saw what he did on “The Long Death,” a little light went on in my brain. So this series is a perfect fit for James.
One thing that stood out a bit when the announcement dropped was that the two of you have a relationship working closely with Dark Horse, and some commenters on our site were surprised that “Rumble” didn’t end up at DH. How did the book end up at Image, and what appealed to you about putting a book out through them?
JA: That’s a much bigger question than I think anybody realizes. James and I talked about the pros and cons for months before we offered it to anybody. Long lists, long talks, and more than a little anxiety about making the “right” decision. I can’t really give you a full answer in this short space, but I can tell you that Eric Stephenson’s enthusiasm was a big, big thing in Image’s favor. I’ve been doing this a long time and I’m used to handing in pitches for a series and waiting days — usually weeks — to hear back from a company, but Eric gave me his unqualified and excited “yes” in less than an hour! Any freelancer out there knows how great that feels; to have a gung-ho publisher — and they’ve remained so all the way down the line. They’re confident, and that is contagious as hell! So yeah, we made the right decision.
JA: Just so we’re clear, it isn’t just Rathraq and Bobby. There’s Del, a skinhead who’s a little too much… or everything! and Timah Golshiri, a grad student who has a hard time believing anything either Bobby or Del says. And there are others, so in that regard, it is a bit like BPRD. It’s not just one main character, it’s a story about a whole city and what’s happening to it. We do, however, have a set number of issues in mind, but not a small number. Also, it’s not like it’s written in stone. Things may develop in a way that will require us to make that set number higher.
A lot of people locked onto the Louis C.K. angle that was brought up in the press release, and I’m not sure if that was something that came from you or if Image itself wrote that, but the idea that this might be a project with more humor than your recent work really appeals to me. For me, “Major Bummer” is a personal favorite, and your humor in that hit me in just the right spot. How important of an element will humor be to “Rumble”, and as a writer, how do you use it to cut the more action packed and horrific elements that this story is likely to have?
JA: No, that came from me. I was thinking of the show “Louie” when I said that, which is to say, it’s not a lot of gags or jokey jokes. We see Louie’s life and his struggles, and those of his kids, and there is some odd, sometimes dark humor that grows from those struggles. That’s how I see “Rumble.” Humor is not our primary goal, but if we want these characters to feel human (or I guess I should say “natural”) at all, then there will be some laughs. I mean, considering the surreal nature of this emerging storyline, how can it not bring out some comedy? I’m sure everyone’s been there — stuck in an absurd and even harrowing situation, but you can’t help but laugh.
Continued belowIt seems that this superstar team runs deep, as you have Chris Eliopoulos lettering and Dave Stewart coloring. They’re two of the absolute best in their fields, and they bring a lot of weight and power to a project in their own right. What made them the best fits for this project in your mind?
JA: Look, if you’re gonna have a series with James Harren art, you better bring the best in to give his work the showcase it deserves. I’ve been a fan of Chris’s lettering forever. It’s clear, dynamic, and has personality. I used to look at books i didn’t even like much just to see his lettering, and I’ve been trying to get a chance to work with him for years. And come on, Dave Stewart! Everybody knows what a genus he is. There’s nothing I can add. So what makes these guys a good fit for “Rumble”? Well, the fact that they’re the best.
You mention James’s ability to depict action and violence effectively as one of his many skills, and you’re absolutely right in that regard. The title, “Rumble,” evokes a certain type of violence – a gang fight, a brawl, a fracas – that is quite different from what we’ve seen from James in the past. What has his art highlighted in the scripts that has surprised you? What would you tell a fan of his work to expect from the book?
JA: Well, Rumble is also the sound of rolling thunder — and that’s not coincidental. “Rumble” is a book as much about street level ass-kickings as it is about sky-high adventure and epic stature. I’m sure that sounds like a contradiction, but the first arc will set the stage for the whole scope of action and story lines. As for the surprises James brings, I think they’ll be more for the readers than for me — and there will plenty of them.
With “B.P.R.D.,” you’ve worked in a shared universe for a long time, and you’ve worked closely with other collaborators to keep that book in line with the rest of the Mignolaverse titles. Is it liberating to step away from that structure for a bit and play in a sandbox that is just up to you and James to populate?
JA: Liberating? Sure, in a way, but the other collaborators at Dark Horse are just Mike and Scott in terms of writing the book. They don’t want me to step on their “Hellboy” or “Abe” toes (so to speak) and I don’t want them to step on my BPRD toes. It’s not like I have to check with a dozen other creators and editors. That’s just our thing, you know? A very free and encouraging environment. But “Rumble” is ALL ours, yes, and of course being able to tell our story with our characters is very gratifying.
JA: BPRD is “boots-on-the-ground” because I don’t know any other way to write that team dynamic in such a predicament. “Rumble” isn’t the same at all — no heavily armed squads hunting monsters — but I do like to explore the motives, needs, personalities, etc. of the characters so there’ll be lots of that. James will definitely be revealing the madness of “Rumble” in his artwork, but I’ll be going in there, too. It’ll be both things, I guess. More nuts than what you see in BPRD, but nothing like, say, Grant Morrison’s “Doom Patrol.” I don’t do enough peyote for that.
The way you describe this book sounds like something different, subject wise, than what you’ve done in the past, yet it sounds very much in your wheelhouse in how character oriented it is. How would you say this stands out as something different amidst your work in the past, and what challenges have you found as you’ve developed the book?
Continued belowJA: Probably I say this at least once in every interview I’ve ever done, but I’m just trying to tell a good story. That’s the challenge, each and every time. So to that end, I try to make all of my characters believable, I try to make them all “human” enough that you care what’s happening to them, all that. But sure, “Rumble” is very different from most of what I’ve done in the past, and different from most of what James has done. The challenge to keep this giant living scarecrow who thinks he’s Conan within the realm of what the reader will “buy” is a bit tougher than what we’re usually up against, but meeting that challenge is what brings a lot of the elements of the series together, brings cohesion to it all.
Comics as an industry has only gotten more and more diverse, subject wise, over the past few years, and a big reason why is the advancement of creator-owned comics. With that, it also means with so many other stories and ideas being told, it takes more to stand out. “Rumble” is a big turn for you and James, and with the more diverse industry in mind, what do you think makes this book stand out in today’s comics?
JA: All those other comics don’t have art by James Harren.
That’s a big deal, but beyond that, “Rumble” is not a series about a hero or heroine fighting one big fight. It’s not even a series about one character. As much we keep talking about Rathraq the scarecrow, there’s really a lot more going on. There’s a whole cast of characters and each will have a story. Where those stories overlap, well, that’s where the conflict comes from. It will not be boring, I assure you.
