Matt Smith is the current editor-in-chief for 2000 AD, and has been so longer than any other person in the magazine’s history. So when time came for someone to step in and write a Judge Anderson strip for IDW, he was an obvious choice. Following up the events of “Judge Dredd: Year One” (also written by Smith), “Anderson: Psi-Division” tells the tale of a young, brash Cassandra Anderson and begins 24 years after the events of “Year One.”
Firstly, thanks for taking the time to talk! To start, can you tell us about the process of getting an IDW published Anderson story off the ground? Did IDW come to you specifically for a Year One follow up, or was this an idea you’ve had simmering for a while?
Matt Smith: Back in September 2013 I asked Chris Ryall at IDW if there was anything else I could write for them, as Year One has been fairly well received. He replied that the next Dreddworld mini-series he was considering was a Judge Anderson one, and asked if I would be interested in scripting that. I most certainly was, and started thinking about the fact that Anderson was born in 2080, the year Year One is set. So, no, IDW didn’t come to me specifically for a Year One follow-up, I thought I could tie the two together.
The story is focusing on a young Judge Anderson, so when it is described as a Year One follow-up, is that in reference to this being her first year on the street or is it in terms of theme and story line?
MS: It’s not strictly Anderson’s first year on the streets – it’s set in 2104, so Anderson’s 24 years old, a few years out of the Psi-Academy. She’s hot-headed and irreverent, but given a certain amount of leeway as she’s Psi-Div’s best telepath. It’s a follow-up more in the sense of story threads being picked up.
How’d Carl become involved in the project? Was he your pick or did IDW play matchmaker?
MS: Chris asked me if I had any artists in mind, and I suggested Carl. He’d done a phenomenal job on the Trifecta finale back at the end of 2012, and I love the sense of character and detail he brings to the pages. He’s doing outstanding work on this Anderson series, really capturing Cass while going to town on the cityscapes.
Yeah, that Trifecta chapter was great, particularly the big splash he opened it with! I’m curious what it was like hashing out the look and feel of this new Anderson story. Did he have a clear vision of it from the start? How much direction did you offer him?
MS: I think you’d have to ask Carl about vision. Apart from asking me for refs for a few things – there are elements and locations that hark back to Dredd stories past – and a few questions about characters, he’s gone ahead and done his thing, taking direction from the script. One of the exciting things about producing a comic is seeing the artist stamp his own interpretation on it.
I’d imagine that as EIC of 2000 AD you’d be more accustomed to receiving Judge pitches as opposed to giving them. Once you were on board to do this story, what was pitching the concept like?
MS: Fairly painless. I sent over the outline for what I had in mind, and it was accepted. Chris’s one request was that it was lighter in tone than Year One, so I’ve tried to make Cass’s dialogue and narration more sardonic than Dredd’s.
You’ve overseen your fair share of Alan Grant penned Anderson stories over at 2000 AD. What’s your working process like with him when these stories are being developed, and how will his vision of the character impact the Anderson in this series?
MS: I’m a fan of the Anderson stories that Alan (and John Wagner) wrote in the 80s and 90s, like ‘The Possessed’, ‘Hour of the Wolf’, ‘Childhood’s End’, ‘Engram’, etc, so when asking Alan for new stories, I’m keen on street-level psi-crimes for Cass to investigate, and he always comes back with something that’s both unusual and fun (and occasionally quite dark). Alan’s been very good at developing her character and her relationships with her fellow Judges, so we’ve seen her progress from a slightly disrespectful young woman to a world-weary fifty year old. I’ve tried to emulate that sense of character in the Anderson for this series, balancing the fact that she’s a cop but also very empathetic with the citizens.
Continued belowI think it’s great that IDW has been doing reprints in addition to new content. Is there any talk of a line of Judge Anderson classics from IDW?
MS: No, no plans for a line of Anderson classics. The next Dredd story being reprinted by IDW is a coloured version of the original Dark Judges series, where, of course, Anderson makes her first appearance.
When it comes to IDW’s 2000 AD license, do you or anyone on your staff have any involvement or oversight in terms of story or direction? Or is IDW given autonomy because of their track record with other properties?
MS: Yes, IDW have been very good at sending over everything for us to approve – from story outlines to scripts to pencils to covers and trade collections – and I give my feedback. If anything’s glaringly wrong – or there’s something I’m not keen on – then I point it out, but I feel it’s important to let them do their own thing with the license, and not micro-managing it at every level. Part of the attraction and joy of 2000 AD is the variety of stories and art styles, with creators bringing their own take to a character or strip, and IDW’s 2000 AD worlds are an extension of that.
Is that the same approach you take to editing the weeklies?
MS: I’m quite clear on what I do and don’t like (like most editors, I imagine, I commission material that I think I would enjoy reading in the prog as a punter), and especially with Dredd you have to know what works and what doesn’t. But at the same time, I’m careful to give the creators the room to tell the story they want to tell and how they want to tell it, rather than hammer it into the shape the editor wants it to be. A few judicial prunes, tweaks, suggestions… But it’s the creators and characters that sell a comic – no one buys a comic because of who the editor is.
Your time at 2000 AD has been pretty fruitful, it seems. Between the fantastic Dredd movie, IDW’s mindful shepherding of the characters here in the US, and of course your move into digital distribution of the magazines, I’d say 2000 AD is enjoying some long overdue widespread success. What is different about today’s comics market that makes these successes possible?
MS: I think it’s important to state that without a publisher behind 2000 AD willing to see the potential in the comic, then this expansion wouldn’t have happened – prior to Rebellion’s acquisition of 2000 AD there were very few trade collections being published. Now, we’re putting out one or two books a month, on top of 256 pages of comics a month. The exceptionally popular Judge Dredd Case Files series hadn’t been done before in book format, and it’s paid off. Similarly, Rebellion embracing digital distribution – and creating the iOS app in-house – has given us a far wider reach, and increasing our subs base. PR droid Molch-R has been doing sterling work on the social networking sites, increasing its visibility. Ease of access in today’s market has led to many of these successes. Also, a lot of it is down to people behind the scenes having faith in the comic and seeing its potential – and of course the very talented writers, artists, colourists and letterers producing great work!
“Anderson: Psi-Division” will be available in August from IDW Publishing. 2000 AD is available every Wednesday from finer comic shops everywhere, from 2000ADonline.com, and via the 2000 AD Newsstand app for iPad and iPhone.
