Coming next month from Image Comics, a new book is debuting set on the pulp high seas of the 1940’s by Kel Symons and Mathew Reynolds. In it, Captain Jack Harper and his crew on the Venture explore mystery and adventure with a Firefly meets Raiders vibe. And with today being the FOC (Diamond Code DEC130492), we chat with both Symons and Reynolds about the creation of the book and its influences, as the series gets ready to take new readers by storm this February.
Read on as we chat with Kel and Mathew about high seas adventures, pulp heroes and more.
So how did you two initially come about working together?
Kel Symons: Total luck. I was perusing one of my geeky website haunts – io9 – and came across some art Mathew had done – sort of the continuing adventures of Indiana Jones. It was very cool stuff – all done in silhouette. Anyway, I stalked him on the internet, reached out and before you know it we’re talking comics (this was about five or six months from the release of “I Love Trouble” and I was already thinking about what to do next). “The Mercenary Sea” was born from those discussions.
Mathew Reynolds: I have read Kel’s response to this question and I’m not sure what he’s trying to pull here. Modesty I guess. The fact is, we met while doing some mercenary work in the South China Sea in 1938. We decided 76 years ago that we’d tell our story when the world was ready… so.
It happened just as Kel said.
How was the series created? Did you come up with it together?
KS: I love timeless adventures like Raiders of the Lost Ark – I could watch that movie every week (and sometimes I do). And other stuff I grew up on – King Kong, The Land that Time Forgot, countless sci-fi movies since 1976. Mathew and I started talking about all that, and his love of GI Combat comics, and Edgar Rice Burroughs tales, and eventually the idea of doing a story set against the backdrop of the beginnings of the war in the Pacific emerged. There was an old radio drama I’d heard once, many years ago, about a bunch of Americans crewing a Chinese submarine against the Japanese – sort of like The Flying Tigers underwater. That inspired the background. And Mathew had this story he was working on, I think it was called Bayonet – about mercenaries aboard a ship in the 30s or 40s. There were lots of other influences – I was a huge fan of Firefly, so I wanted this ensemble cast of misfits trying to make a living on the fringes. We both love Howard Hawks movies – To Have and Have Not and Only Angels Have Wings – some of which creeps in here. There are at least half a dozen other inspirations, but basically it all came together and gelled into “The Mercenary Sea.”
MR: I’m fascinated with characters that don’t have super powers or super technology to aid them in a deadly situation. I’m also fascinated with the jungle warfare of WW2 and the Vietnam War. Lush wild environments full of danger. If some booby trap doesn’t put your lights out a leopard might. If you get thrown into the sea, the sharks might eat you. If you are hiding from the Japanese in a river on some forgotten island, you might get hit by a crocodile. DANGER at every turn. Few things fuel my imagination like the original King Kong film. The opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark does the same thing for me, South America 1936. I loved war comics as a kid. “G.I. Combat,” “Blazing Combat,” “Star Spangled War Stories,” “Sgt. Rock” and I LOVED Larry Hama’s “G.I. Joe.” Kel and I started talking about our love for that stuff. I think we realized real quick that if we’d have lived in the same neighborhood as kids, we’d have been hip deep in the nearest creek or river with our bb guns and our canteens hunting for dinosaurs or lost treasure. “The Mercenary Sea” was borne of that love of adventure.
Continued belowI also understand that the book was under a different title originally. How did the decision come about to change this?
KS: I originally wanted to call it “Venture,” which is the name of the tramp freighter that travels to Skull Island in King Kong – I made our lead, Jack Harper, a huge fan of that movie. And that’s what he names the boat. But Image had a title called Venture a few years earlier. We toyed with calling it “Tiger Shark” which was to be the name of the sub when they were sailing with the Chinese navy, but I could never wrap my head around that one. There were a few others in the running, but basically, I wanted our title to evoke a strong sense of adventure and excitement, but also encapsulate the world we were going to play in.
And then Mathew did up a long list of potential titles, and “The Mercenary Sea” just leapt out at me. Like a “Eureka!” moment. True story: I approached Bill Willingham at the Image Expo last week – my one fanboy moment that week – told him what a huge fan I was of “Fables,” and introduced myself as a writer. He was very nice, and asked what I was working on. When I told him it was a book called “The Mercenary Sea” he sorta blinked at me and said “That’s a great title!” So I guess it works.
MR: I was pushing for “Tiger Shark!” I thought the title would look great on a cover. Luckily, that title just didn’t grab Kel… he was right. “The Mercenary Sea” is a much better title.
I made a list of titles, just spitballing, and came up with “The Mercenary Damned” or “The Mercenary Sea.” We settled in the second option. I love the title.
While we see them every now and then in comics, a lot of people claim to love pulp fiction. What is it about pulp comics that you find inspiring?
KS: Well, this is where we’re going to find I have a deficiency… I can’t really think of any “pulp” comics I read. I certainly read a lot of pulpy sci-fi as a kid – Golden Age era classics, “Amazing Stories,” etc. I was a big fan of film noir, so I read a lot of Chandler and Hammett. The James Bond novels, which I think have very pulpy origins – there’s a reason why Fleming and Chandler became friends. I only recently discovered Robert Howard’s Conan tales, and really love them. But most of my influences when writing this were from movies and tv. Star Wars. Raiders. Jaws. Every flavor in between. This was where I lived. If I could make stories right now using action figures and Legos, I’d be doing it.
MR: My first heroes from childhood were pulp characters. The Lone Ranger and Tonto, Zorro, Tarzan and I loved Conan. Doc Savage was a favorite. Jonny Quest was a huge influence on me. The opening credits for Jonny Quest drove me nuts, I loved that show. For me, it comes down to playing and make believe as a kid. It’s not easy to be Spider-Man when you are 7. I tried. Slinging webs and walking up walls is hard to pull off. ANY kid with a stick can be Zorro. I was Zorro most of the time. Then Raiders came out. From that point on, I was JONES.
KS: Hey, who the hell wasn’t? When I learned being an archeologist had absolutely nothing to do with punching Nazis and being dragged from trucks I realized I needed to consider other career paths.
What particular pulp stories or characters do you find influence your work on the series?
KS: Thing is, I didn’t necessarily set out to write a “pulp” tale, so I don’t know if I can answer that for you. I just wanted to write a fun story that I’d like to read. Every time I write something, I’m really writing it for me. I’m the audience – it’s got to be something I want to read or see. So, I’m a fan of Raiders, Land that Time Forgot, Firefly, To Have and Have Not – all those things I already mentioned. That’s what influenced me. And sure, there are some pulpy tropes drawn from that stuff, and I think “The Mercenary Sea” would be right at home in the pages of Black Mask magazine. But I can’t say it’s what I set out to create. I mean, seriously, if you can splice my pop culture, geek DNA into a storyline, it’d probably be this one.
Continued belowMR: My biggest influences on this project are Jonny Quest and the Filmation cartoons from the 70’s, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, Star Trek: The Aniamted Series, the Zorro/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour and Flash Gordon. Also hugely influenced by Edgar Rice Bourroughs Caprona stories, The Land that Time Forgot and The People That Time Forgot.
In terms of what you guys like or dislike about pulp stories, is there anything you decided right away you HAD to have in this book? Or even vice versa?
KS: Again, don’t know if I can give you a good answer to that, based on my answer above. But I will say that you certainly want to avoid clichés, and giving the reader the feeling they’ve read this a thousand times before. But there’s also something comforting in reading a story that’s in a genre or style you already know you’re programmed to enjoy. And you’re going to run into those tropes – the gruff action hero, the greedy fortune-hunter. My task is writing them to adhere to an archetype, while feeling, even if it’s just a little bit, that this is a fresh take on something old. And if not fresh, then certainly fun.
MR: I wanted jungle combat and a diverse team of players. Kel delivered that in spades.
Did you guys do a lot of research in order to capture the setting or tone of 1930’s pulp action?
KS: Not a lot, actually… I’m a big fan of accuracy when it comes to story-telling. Like I’ll be the guy who says “Oh, they didn’t do that back then, or you can’t put a silence on a revolver.” But I’ll also be the first to proclaim dramatic license when it comes to something I think works for the story, even if it’s not exactly historically accurate. I subscribe to the theory Stephen King writes about, saying you should know your subject matter, but research it only as much as you need it to support the story, and keep it all deep in the background. So “The Mercenary Sea” is not intended to be a travelogue of the South Seas in the late ‘30s. The geo-politics of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Or an instructional manual of the workings of a World War I-era German U-Boat. It’s just supposed to be a fun read.
MR: I do TOO much research. I’ll get lost for hours studying Japanese combat boots and vintage fire arms. It’s not meant to be history book quality though, It’s meant to be a BLAST. An escape into a world of adventure with a group of people that you enjoy.
What can you tell me about the protagonist, Captain Jack Harper? Where did he come from?
MR: Harper, for me, is a mixture of Han Solo and Marlon Brando’s Rio from One Eyed Jacks.
KS: Well, Mathew’s right – Han Solo, for certain. At this point in the article, it’s redundant to say Indiana Jones. He’s the sort of swashbuckling “I stick my neck out for no one” hero, that always stands up for the right cause when he’s needed. Guess that’s more Rick from Casablanca, though. But Bogie’s in there, too. I mean, come on, you create a character like Jack, there’s only one overriding principle behind it: Man, I wish I was this guy.
And what about the other characters? Do you find that there is anyone in the series you think will stand out?
KS: I have a feeling Mathew’s going to say Stack (Smokestack Johnson, our ex-prize fighter). I can tell when he’s drawing him there’s some real affection there. I think Jarreau might stand out – but then he’s sort of our comic relief, in a sense, so that might be too easy.
MR: I love Harper, but I really like Stack’s “voice”, his tone. I’m also fascinated by the Pacific islander, Kev. Kev is sort of like our Snake-Eyes.
KS: Yeah, Kevin is this taciturn islander, who’s kind of a bad ass. When I came up with him, I told Mathew that he’s going to have to look Robert Tessier for character design. Tessier’s this imposing actor who was in a few Burt Reynolds movies, like Hooper and The Longest Yard. But I remember him most for his role as Robert Shaw’s sidekick in The Deep (a highly underrated film). Anyway, Tessier is involved in this brutal on-screen fight – perhaps my favorite movie fight. He’s named Kevin in our series because nobody can pronounce his actual name. But in reality he’s named Kevin because it’s an homage to Tessier and that was the name of his character in The Deep.
Continued belowOne thing that was pointed out to me is that the book sounds like a grounded/pulp answer to “traveling crews on adventures” stories like Firefly. Would you say that’s a fairly accurate description for the series?
KS: I don’t know that it’s all that grounded. I mean, it’s not a space freighter, sure, but Venture is the next best thing to Serenity, I think. Or the Millennium Falcon, as Joss’s influence are a matter of public record. As I said earlier, Firefly was definitely one of the inspirations. In fact, whenever anyone asks me what “The Mercenary Sea” is about, my quick and easy answer is: It’s Raiders meets Firefly.
MR: Raiders meets Firefly with a little Magnificent Seven and The Dirty Dozen thrown in.
And how is the working relationship like so far on the series? What do you guys find is the general give and take?
KS: So far our working relationship has gone pretty smoothly. I honestly can’t think of any real speed bumps we encountered. As for give and take, it’s probably pretty close to me sending multiple emails to Mathew, crying “Where’s that art, Buck!?” That sound accurate, Mathew?
MR: That is accurate. Kel gives me a ton of freedom and he’ll occasionally let me throw in some action beats and gags as long as they serve the story well.
Something that a lot of people are latching onto in the media is that Image isn’t welcoming to new talent anymore, but as new talent at Image do you feel like that’s a misconception?
KS: Of course. Who is saying that? I mean, sure, a lot of big name talents are gravitating to Image lately, for obvious reasons – the ability to own your own work and work in an incredibly nurturing environment. Image would be crazy not to want to work with them. But Image is still turning out comics from relative unknowns – Mathew and I are certainly testament to that. They give you a chance other publishers probably wouldn’t.
How far are you guys looking into the future of Mercenary Sea?
KS: We definitely want this to be an ongoing series, and I have the next few adventures already in mind but not scripted yet. Guess we’ll see how the first few issues are received and go from there. But there are more stories we want to tell with these characters. A lot of stories.
But I know how it ends, for sure. That is, I know what the last panel will be. We just need to get there.
MR: I can’t wait until our crew gets to the lost island of KOJI-RA.
“The Mercenary Sea” #1 launches February 12th, 2014. The Diamond Order Code is DEC130492, and the FOC is today! So let your retailers know now that you want this book.
