{"id":1239,"date":"2008-12-13T04:33:50","date_gmt":"2008-12-13T04:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kansascitycomics.com\/?p=1239"},"modified":"2010-03-13T05:25:45","modified_gmt":"2010-03-13T05:25:45","slug":"interview-alex-grecian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kansascitycomics.com\/?p=1239","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Alex Grecian"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Alex<\/a><\/p>\n

Behind the smile and friendly demeanor of Alex Grecian, there must lie some deeper, darker demons. After all, this is a writer whose Image Comics’ series <\/em>Proof is steeped in conspiracy theories, ancient monsters, and characters who die before their times.<\/em>Proof <\/em><\/p>\n

We caught up with Alex at the MO-KAN Comics Conspiracy show in Kansas City in the fall of 2008. During our interview, Alex didn’t really hint at any sinister past, though. Instead, he talks about his background in advertising, design, typography, comics art, and his eventual transistion into full-time comics writer and novelist. Not a hint of a demon.<\/p>\n

You can read the first issue of <\/a>online for free at the Image Comics site.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> Tell us about Proof<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> Proof <\/em>is an ongoing series about The Lodge, a top-secret government organization jointly funded by the US and Canada. The Lodge is headed by a mysterious man named Leander Wight whose goal is to ensure that humans and cryptids live in harmony.<\/p>\n

Cryptids are monsters that might actually exist, creatures that have been witnessed, but never caught: The Loch Ness Monster, El Chupacabra, The Mothman, Bigfoot,… all cryptids.<\/p>\n

Speaking of Bigfoot, The Lodge’s star agent is a sasquatch. He’s the only non-human agent and he goes by the name John Prufrock. His friends call him Proof for short. He’s a stylish guy who cares deeply about his appearance and manners, but for obvious reasons he can’t interact with the public.<\/p>\n

Proof’s partner is Ginger Brown. She was a rookie FBI agent and was recruited by The Lodge after she met a golem while on a case in New York.
\n\"Proof<\/a>Other agents include Elvis Chestnut, who came to The Lodge after his mother was killed and inhabited by El Chupacabra; Wayne Russet, Proof’s best friend and lead cryptozoologist; and Noel Russet, Wayne’s estranged son.<\/p>\n

The first story arc [issues 1-5] was collected in the Goatsucker<\/a>\"\" trade. In it, we’re introduced to all these characters, plus an agent named Autumn Song, who isn’t terribly nice, but is good at her job. The second arc [issues 6-9] is called The Company Of Men<\/a>\"\"<\/em>, and will be collected this December. That book takes the Lodge agents to Africa in search of a baby dinosaur, then to Seattle to find Elvis a new suit.<\/p>\n

Currently, Proof is in the American Midwest, dealing with giant thunderbirds, in the arc Thunderbirds Are Go<\/em>, which also follows Ginger back to New York to wrap up loose ends in her life there.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> How did the idea for the series come about?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> A friend of mine made a joke about the reason why nobody\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s found Bigfoot: The CIA already found him and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s working undercover. It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sound like a joke to me. It sounded like a great idea for a story. As I began to explore what Bigfoot would want and why and how he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d work for the government, the idea took shape, layering over itself like a pearl.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> How did you connect with artist Riley Rossmo? What added elements has Riley brought to the series?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> Riley and I did a graphic novel called Seven Sons<\/a>\"\" <\/em>for AiT and enjoyed working together. When we finished Seven Sons<\/em>, we started casting about for something else to collaborate on. As soon as I started thinking about Proof<\/em> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and long before I had a title for the series \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he was the first and only artist who came to mind. Fortunately, he immediately saw as much potential in the idea as I did.
\n\"Proof:<\/a>
\nTo make a series like Proof<\/em> remotely believable, as opposed to cartoony and silly, the characters need to seem like real people. Or as real as a comic book about Bigfoot can get. Riley\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work stands out in many ways, but the thing I like most is his ability to convey facial expressions and body language in a way that allows the characters to communicate without dialogue. That makes my job much easier. He really breathes life into Proof and the supporting cast.<\/p>\n

Plus he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impossibly fast!<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> Over the first dozen or so issues of Proof<\/em>, have you found that the series has diverged from your original plans?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> In some ways. We started out with a rough blueprint for the entire series and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still intact. The ending for the series will still be what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always been. But we went in with a lot of wiggle room to explore things along the way and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s allowed us to have fun and discover aspects of the characters and situations we didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t anticipate.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> What surprises have come up along the way?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been a couple of characters who were supposed to die or disappear and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve come back. Elvis Chestnut in particular took on a life of his own and has become integral to the resolution of the entire series. Originally, he was going to be eaten by the chupacabra in issue two. The final issue of Proof<\/em>, though, would be much less satisfying without him, so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be around to contribute to it.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> What other projects do you have in the works?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> I have a series of all-ages graphic novels coming out, with Kelly Tindall on art. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re called Squeak!<\/em> The bizarre adventures of a pet mouse. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also hard at work on a mind-blowing miniseries called The Colony<\/em>, a children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s book, and a couple of other things that I probably shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t talk about yet.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> How does your screenwriting and prose work affect your comics work?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re night and day, really. Writing for comic books is much more difficult and restrictive than, say, writing novels or short stories. At least for me. My tendency is to want to explore every avenue that presents itself with a character and you have that freedom when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re writing a novel. As long as the structure is sound, you really don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to worry about how many pages are in a chapter. But in comics, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re constantly watching the pace, making sure you can fit everything you need in those 22 pages for an issue. Plus, each page is like a chapter, where you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to be aware of your beats and have a mini-beat fall at the end of the page, prompting the reader to turn to the next page. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s much more challenging for me and a reason I think a lot of novelists don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do well when they make the transition to comics. Of course, many do, but some are probably turned away by the demands of the medium.<\/p>\n

The upside, though, is the collaboration. If I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m working with a really good artist, someone like Riley, I get to see the story filtered through him and that gives everything a new dimension it wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t otherwise have. I love it.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve only written one movie treatment and hated every minute of it. That was an adaptation I was asked to write by a production studio and the source material was a terrible comic book series. I agreed to do it before I read the comic and then my heart sank once I actually got the thing and started taking notes. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to take another stab at a screenplay one of these days, writing an original story or adapting something of my own. But the challenges there are tenfold what they are in comics. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not careful, I think the story can take a backseat to the demands of the medium and you get kind of lost.<\/p>\n

For now, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m really happy writing comics and crime novels.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> Do they cross pollinate in some fashion?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> Each kind of rejuvenates my creative batteries because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m exercising different muscles. But writing novels taught me to sit down and write at the same time every day and set a goal for myself. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s become my routine and without it I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be able to get much done.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> I think it’s interesting that you’re also the book’s letterer. As a writer, what are the benefits of having that level of control on the placement of your words?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> Oh, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s enormous, really. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s helped us to remain on-schedule, for starters. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to sweat the dialogue too much, so Riley never ends up waiting on me for scripts. The script I send Riley is pretty detailed, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take the time to go back and choose the words in the dialogue, write another draft of it. Once I get the art back from Riley, I can make my tweaks and reposition things to match the art well and help the flow and pacing. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also the point at which I realize Proof wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have phrased a certain sentence the way I first wrote it, etc. I love being able to have that one last swipe at things before it all goes off to the printer, a final draft on the page.<\/p>\n

I do hate doing the sound effects, though. I cheat on those quite a bit.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> I understand that you also create fonts. That’s an unusual sideline for a writer. How did your typography work come about?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> I became fascinated with fonts when I worked as a pager \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s someone who lays out publications \u00e2\u20ac\u201c for a printer-publisher. They had hundreds, maybe thousands, of fonts on their servers because each magazine they published used a different set of typefaces. But there was no organization to any of it, so in my spare time I put together a font library for them, consolidating everything and learning a lot about fonts as I went along. They used a program called Fontographer to fix damaged fonts and I gradually taught myself how to use that software to make all-new fonts. That eventually turned into a sideline for me.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> How has your background in advertising affected your comics career?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> I started as an illustrator and idea guy. I was headhunted after doing freelance work while I still worked for that publisher I mentioned. I was a busy guy. From there, I was able to move into just about every aspect of ad work, except sales and media buying. I wrote copy, gave presentations, and managed to work my way into directing TV spots. My primary function, though, was to brainstorm new campaigns for clients.<\/p>\n

Learning to storyboard for TV and hit deadlines definitely helped me think visually and put a book out on time every month. It was incredibly useful training.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> What made you decide to leave advertising and write full time?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> Well, I started to hate my job. The country was going through a recession and about half of my co-workers at the agency were laid off. The atmosphere became extremely political and onerous. I was also stupid enough to sign a non-compete contract when I started there that specifically kept me from doing comic book work. At first that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t so bad because I was so busy I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have time to even think about comics. But the less happy I was at my day job, the more I wanted to write my own stories as a creative outlet.<\/p>\n

When my wife got pregnant, we both wanted our son to have a stay-at-home parent. My wife had a better-paying job, I hated my job, and it seemed logical that I could freelance from home.<\/p>\n

The original plan was for me to be a freelance advertising illustrator. But I started writing comic book pitches and scripts and before we knew it I was working full-time to break into comics as a writer. I guess I just finally decided I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to have any more opportunities to follow my dream. And I was awfully lucky to have such a supportive spouse.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> How did your early work in The Factor<\/em>, 24 Hour Comics<\/em>, and Seven Sons<\/em> come about? What did you learn from those projects?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> I was introduced to Nat Gertler<\/a>\"\" at a convention when he was looking for artists. I had a portfolio because I was drawing my own stories and he invited me to draw a couple of projects for him, including The Factor<\/a>\"\"<\/em> and Licensable Bear<\/a>\"\"<\/em>. I also wrote and drew a 24-Hour comic, somewhere in there, and turned it into a mini-comic, which I sent around to creators and publications. CBG gave it a glowing review and for a while it looked like I had a shot at breaking into comics. But, then I went to work for the agency that wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let me do comics work.<\/p>\n

When Nat put together the first 24 Hour Comics<\/a>\"\"<\/em> book \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which was edited by Scott McCloud and included stories by Neil Gaiman and Stephen Bissette \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I was fortunate to have Scott choose my story for inclusion. That encouraged me to go after comics work again.
\n\"Proof<\/a>
\nMostly what I learned from those projects was that I shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t draw. And if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to carve out a career, you shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t lose your forward momentum. By disappearing entirely for a five year period, I ended up having to start all over again.<\/p>\n

Seven Sons<\/em> was a different deal altogether and came much later, after I quit the agency. I decided I really didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the chops to draw comics and should just stick to writing. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d met Riley Rossmo and sent him a list of, I think, 16 story ideas. He picked Seven Sons<\/em> and we put together the graphic novel together, which we sold to the first publisher we approached: AiT. We kept our momentum and used Seven Sons<\/em> to help us sell Proof<\/em> to Image.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> Nat Gertler seems to have had a major impact on your early career. Tell me about his influence, and others who have had an important role in your development.<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> Nat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a great guy and was very good to me. It was useful to draw from someone else\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s script because I learned some of the fundamentals of formatting. But I chafed at having to draw someone else\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s stories and basically figured out the hard way that drawing wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the part of the process that I liked. Poor Nat didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get my best work. I really wanted to be doing what he was doing, not what I was doing.<\/p>\n

I was lucky, early on, to have a number of people who encouraged me and gave me confidence. Batton Lash, who writes and draws Supernatural Law<\/a>\"\"<\/em>, and his wife, Jackie Estrada, who runs the Eisner awards, were terrific. They saw some potential in me, I guess, and introduced me to lots of other comics folks. My wife and I even stayed in their home on our honeymoon! Ande Parks and Phil Hester gave me tons of advice and some early opportunities. My first published work was as an uncredited inking assistant on a Caliber book Ande inked. Paul Fricke, who co-created Trollords and inked a ton of DC stuff, was also a great source of advice and became a good friend. Dave Sim and Eddie Campbell also took time to talk and write to me and help me figure things out when I was just starting out. And Brian Wood actually gave Riley and me the introduction to Image that led to us pitching Proof<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This industry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s full of generous people. Networking\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important in just about any field, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s probably easier in comics because there are so many gifted people who are willing to share their time and knowledge.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> When did you first begin creating comics?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remember. My son\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been drawing his own comics since he was two, so I imagine I started at about the same time.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> What was your family situation at the time, and did that affect your interests in comics?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> My dad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always read comic books. One of my earliest comic book memories was sitting at the dining room table, reading my dad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s copies of the Warren Spirit reprints. So, yeah, having comics around and having a parent who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a professional writer, I guess it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not hard to put two and two together.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> What were your biggest early influences?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> The first comic I can remember picking apart and examining to see how the creator did what he did was The Spirit. Eisner was, and is, a huge influence. Peanuts was a big deal for me too.<\/p>\n

Probably the most influential early comic for me, though, was an issue of DC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Showcase<\/em> that heralded the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153new\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Doom Patrol. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never heard of The Doom Patrol before, but it was clear that it was a team that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been around since long before I was born. And the whole team (with the sole exception of Robotman) got killed in that issue. Here I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d just found out about these weird characters and they were suddenly gone. That was huge for me. The idea not just that comic book characters were mortal, but that continuity could move forward and things could change. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an exciting idea.<\/p>\n

And it may be why I still have a tendency to kill off characters as soon as I start to get attached to them. Riley\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s saved several Proof<\/em> characters from certain death.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> From where do you currently draw your inspiration? What do you do to recharge your creative batteries?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> Personally, I like to write in more than one medium to keep things fresh. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m desperately trying to carve out some time to finish my third crime novel, which I think is the most ambitious project I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever written.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> Ambitious in what way?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> When comic book writers try their hand at writing prose, they tend, at least in my opinion, to overcompensate for the lack of pictures and end up writing horrible, flowery stuff. Neil Gaiman’s an exception, of course, and I’m sure there are others. But the two media exercise completely different creative muscles and that takes some adjustment.
\n\"Proof:<\/a>
\nAnyway, my first prose novel was kind of a mess and I put it away. It’ll never see the light of day. The next two I wrote were much better, I think, leaner and more focused. I’m really proud of them. This third (or fourth, depending on how we count them), is written in the first person, which is trickier than third person perspective, and it’s much darker and more serious. I’m trying to tackle some big issues, within the context of a detective novel. Hopefully I’m able to pull it off, but working on it is honestly exhilarating.
\nKansas City Comics:<\/strong> What is it about comics that appeals to you as a creator?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> Writing a book is a solitary experience. So is writing a comic book script, but then someone else takes that script and turns it into something else. I guess I love the collaboration more than anything. And that really doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t apply to writing. I have no interest in collaborating with another writer. I like seeing my work taken to another level, though, that process of transforming it into another art form.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> Describe your typical writing routine.<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> I get up between five and five-thirty every morning, seven days a week. I drink a pot of coffee while I read and respond to email, check the Proof message board and catch up on the day\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s news. Then I get to my desk before the sun\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s up and start writing. I usually leave off between scenes so that I can think over the next day\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s scenes later in the day when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not writing.<\/p>\n

My wife comes down a little after seven and I send her off to work then get my son up and ready for school. After I take him and get back home, I eat breakfast and then get back to work. In the afternoon, I do production work, color-correcting Proof pages, writing letters and pitches, lettering and putting together back-matter. Then I pick my son up from school and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just dad, taking care of him and making dinner. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a nice routine.<\/p>\n

I try to pattern my life after the main character, a writer, in The World According to Garp<\/em>. That was my favorite novel for a long time and another big influence on me.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> What is the typical starting point of a story for you?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> The vast majority of my writing time is spent trying to figure out where to begin and end scenes and massaging the transitions between scenes. Every scene starts for me with the characters, thinking about what they want and what they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to get accomplished in that scene. The characters are always the starting point. In fact, I began my third novel with no plot and no idea where I was going, just the relationship between two brothers, one of whom is learning disabled, and the detective agency they inherited from their father. I love exploring what makes people tick.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> How do you judge when a story is “done” and you can stop revising it?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> When Riley calls and says he needs more script pages. [Laughter]<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> What’s the most common advice you give to others who want to work in the comics industry?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> It might be presumptuous for me to give advice at this point in my career, but since you asked\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a long two-part answer, but it really all boils down to a single word: write!<\/p>\n

I think too many aspiring writers give too much weight to ideas. They treat ideas with reverence. An idea is just the first step in a story. And the easiest step. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a tool to get you into the process. If you want to write, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to get your hands dirty and actually write.<\/p>\n

An aspiring writer came up to my table at a recent con and asked for some advice. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d spent years working out his epic comic book series and he was stuck. It sounded like he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been stuck for a while and he wanted to know how to break past whatever roadblock he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d run into so he could keep going with his masterpiece. My advice to him, which he clearly didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t appreciate, was that he should abandon it and move on to another story.<\/p>\n

Since Proof<\/em> started up, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had a fair number of people email me with this same problem and I always say the same thing. Being a writer is about writing. Yes, absolutely, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to work through story problems. But if your story is growing barnacles instead of actually moving forward, then you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not writing, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re just mulling something over.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s much easier to build an epic in your head than it is to sit down and build individual scenes and characters. But without those things, you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a story.<\/p>\n

And if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve only got one story to pitch to companies, your chances of breaking in aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t swell. I spent three years writing at least one new pitch a week before a single one of them was picked up by a publisher. Some of those were pretty good, but they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t meet the editorial needs of the publishers I sent them to and they were rejected. If I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d put all my eggs in one epic basket, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d still be spinning my wheels now.<\/p>\n

The second part of my answer ties into the first, really. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to sit down at a specific time every day and write something. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re stuck at some point in your masterpiece, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not gonna get much actual writing done. After a few days of that, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re probably not gonna bother to sit down at your computer or your typewriter or your yellow legal pad. And if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not writing, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not a writer, are you?<\/p>\n

When I write a novel, I set a daily goal of 2,000 words. When I write a comic book script, I aim for two complete scenes a day, however long those may be. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always reach those goals, but there have been days in which I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve exceeded them, so I know it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s possible. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve also been days in which everything I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve written has been worthless, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to sit down and do the work. You can revise or trash your day\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work later.<\/p>\n

Writing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a job and I think you have to treat it like one. If you sit around and wait for your muse, she may not show up. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to force her to show up by sitting and typing or writing longhand, if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s your preference.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> What are the biggest mistakes you’ve seen other creators or aspiring professionals make that hurt their chances to advance their careers?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m really going to come across as arrogant when I attempt to answer this. Hopefully I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t completely disappear after I shell out advice about other folks\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 careers.<\/p>\n

Again, I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a big mistake to bank on a single idea or story or series. Or medium. Brian Bendis has pointed out that, no matter how popular a creator is, he or she usually has a shelf-life. I could point to several creators who were huge at one time, but who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve virtually disappeared from comics now. I think we should all keep as many oars in the water as possible. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing a company-owned book, you should also be doing a creator-owned book. Besides, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a big proponent of creator-owned books; that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where this industry gets fresh ideas, new talent and passion. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re writing comics, you should also be writing novels or short stories or plays or films. Or all of those.<\/p>\n

But I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think you should abandon one medium for another. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to break into comics, you should be doing it because you love comics, not because you think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be easy. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not. Comics shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be a stepping stone to another medium.<\/p>\n

If you are lucky enough to break into comics and make a name for yourself, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to remember that somebody\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reading what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve written. You owe that readership your best work, every single time.<\/p>\n

When it comes to aspiring professionals, the biggest mistake I think you can make is to give up. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to be rejected again and again. Even after you break in, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to get some rejection. Develop a thick skin and keep moving. Writers are like sharks. You have to keep swimming or you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll die. So send that rejected pitch somewhere else and write a brand new pitch for the contact who just rejected you. Stay on the radar. If you have talent, the only reason you won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t break in is if you give up.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Comics:<\/strong> Okay, here we are near the end, so it’s time to get philosophical: How would you sum up the most important “big idea” that you’ve learned in life, in or out of comics?<\/p>\n

Alex Grecian:<\/strong> This is a tough one. Maybe it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s this: empathize. If you can put yourself in other people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoes, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll obviously be a better writer, but I think you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be better at everything else, too. If you can get inside your boss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s head, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have a better idea of what he wants and how to give it to him. If you can see things from your wife\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perspective, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be a better husband to her. If you somehow grasp what your toddler needs, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be able to communicate with him and head off tantrums before they happen. By empathizing with others, you can become a better person yourself.<\/p>\n

And you can create more well-rounded characters too!<\/p>\n

–END–<\/p>\n

You can read the first issue of <\/a>online for free at the Image Comics site.<\/em>Proof <\/em>
\nCheck out the official Proof <\/em>message board<\/a>.
\nAnd there’s a ton of Proof <\/em>content and inside scoop on the Proof <\/em>fan blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Order Alex Grecian’s books from <\/em>Amazon.Com using these links:
\nProof Volume 1: Goatsucker<\/a>\"\"
\nProof Volume 2: The Company Of Men<\/a>\"\"
\nSeven Sons<\/a>\"\"
\nThe Licensable BearTM Big Book of Officially Licensed Fun!<\/a>\"\"
\nThe Factor<\/a>\"\"
\n24 Hour Comics<\/a>\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

(c) 2008 Comics Career LLC and Alex Grecian. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Behind the smile and friendly demeanor of Alex Grecian, there must lie some deeper, darker demons. After all, this is a writer whose Image Comics’ series Proof is steeped in conspiracy theories, ancient monsters, and characters who die before their times.Proof We caught up with Alex at the MO-KAN Comics Conspiracy show in Kansas City … Continue reading “Interview: Alex Grecian”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[337],"tags":[44,163,341],"class_list":["post-1239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-creator-interviews","tag-alex-grecian","tag-interview","tag-proof"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kansascitycomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kansascitycomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kansascitycomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansascitycomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansascitycomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansascitycomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1239\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kansascitycomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansascitycomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansascitycomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}