Blog-It Llama!

By Papa Llama - February 12, 2010

Every month’s competition for a contract with DC Comics’ online division Zuda gives us interesting new turns of events as readers rate and vote on ten new comics. This week Shawn Aldridge’s Island, Alone has moved up into the #1 spot. We spoke with writer Shawn right before the comic reached the top. We started by noting the story’s variety of fantastic elements, which had us wondering exactly what kind of story it utimately would become.

Llama: Will it be more science fiction or fantasy?

Aldridge: It will be more fantasy than science, though there will be some science elements to the story. The science elements will be mainly steampunk, but nothing too over-the-top. I mean Wharton won’t be making an analog computer out of coconuts or anything. The fantastic elements, though, will be over-the-top. What I like most about Island, Alone is that it’s set up in a way that the creatures and monsters can be anything. They don’t all have to be cut from the same cloth. If I wanted a unicorn that breathed fire, the story allows for it. (not to disappoint potential fans, but there are no plans for a fire-breathing unicorn at this time, but that would be sweet!)

Llama: Which came to you first – the world, the hero, or the plot?

Aldridge: Good question. To answer it requires a little background on how all of this came about. Several months ago, I posted on a few message boards that I was looking for artists to work with on Zuda projects, adding that the story/idea could be something I had or something based on what the artist wanted to draw. My only caveat being “no zombies.” Not that I dislike zombies, I just don’t feel I have much to offer that genre. I received a few (tons) of replies. One artist who responded said he wanted to do a non-T&A jungle girl story. My first thought was–Is that even possible? I mean the whole jungle girl genre is sort of based on women running around in skimpy outfits, right? But I loved the artist’s work, so I took the challenge.

Llama: How big a challenge?

Aldridge: I spent a few weeks or so trying to come up with my own spin on the genre. The first thing I decided was I didn’t want the girl to be weak, submissive. I wanted her to be the strong one, the hero. So many times in those stories it seemed the man always ended up as the hero, which always struck me as odd. Here you have this woman who’s managed to survive in the jungle on her own for years, yet when an outsider shows up she suddenly finds herself hanging above a pit of hungry tigers.

After that I had to figure out where the story was going to take place. I knew I wanted some fantasy elements to it, but didn’t want to base it on any predetermined mythos. Want I mean there is–I didn’t want it to be, say, set in a South American jungle and based on the myths/legends of that region. Then one night it sort of hit me. I’ve always had a fascination with old maps and how some contained these islands and continents that didn’t really exist. Old mapmakers would just fill empty space with fake islands and such for purely aesthetic reasons, though that didn’t keep people from trying to find them. The island Mayda was one such island. So, I had the idea–What if one of these “space-fillers” actually existed? What if there was a reason no one had found it, a reason why different maps showed it at different locations? The answers, of course, play a huge part in the overall story of Island, Alone. Not only that, the setting really changed the genre and feel of the story. It became less jungle girl and more “lost world.”

Llama: And the hero?

Aldridge: As for Wharton, he was actually the last piece of the puzzle.

Llama: What stories would you say have most strongly influenced you and shaped you to create Island, Alone?

Aldridge: That’s tough. I would say it’s probably a mix of everything I’ve read with some influences being more obvious than others. But when I sat down to write the script I really wanted it to have the feel of the supernatural and fantastic literature of the Victorian age or thereabouts. I’ve always loved how authors like Henry James, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edith Wharton, Edgar Allan Poe all approached works dealing with the supernatural and fantastical. There are times in those works where the reader isn’t even sure what is happening is actually happening or whether it’s all just in the mind of the protagonist. Obviously, H. Rider Haggard and Jules Verne are major influences also. Even a little Edgar Rice Burroughs. Oh, and tons of old pulp novels.

As for the comic book side of things, probably a lot of the old 40s and 50s stuff. The old adventure comics and such. Art-wise Rich’s influences are Jack Davis, Jack Kaman, Wally Wood, Steve Ditko, Burne Hogarth, Berni Wrightson, Frank Frazetta, Neal Adams, Ryoichi Ikegami, Rich Corben, Tim Vigil, Jack Kirby, John Romita, John Buscema, John Severin, Will Eisner, Will Elder, Jim Lee, Joseph Linsner, Todd McFarlane, Tony Moore, and Ryan Ottley to name a few. (Rich emailed me the list)

Llama: Collaboration is a tricky thing. For you two, how does the collaborative process work?

Aldridge: It is a tricky thing, especially when the original artist bails out. This goes back to my answer of which came first question. Right as I was finishing the script up, the original artist disappeared. Not sure what happened to him. Perhaps he fell victim to the island. So, Rich wasn’t around for a lot of the early stages of the creative process. That said, I don’t think things could have turned out better with Rich becoming the artist. His art really adds a layer to the story that I don’t think my writing alone could have accomplished. I mean, he fits it so perfectly. Plus, his creature designs are just brilliant.

When I work with artists, I want to give them as much freedom as possible. Unless I have something really specific in mind, I usually just say, “then a creature appears,” and let the artist use their imagination as to what said creature looks like. Plus that approach really kicks my imagination in the rear. I see how Rich approaches things, which opens up my mind to new ideas.

In doing the eight pages on Zuda, we emailed back and forth quite a bit. Rich would send me the pages at various stages of completion to see if they were want I wanted. I would email back–This looks great!!

Now, of course, Rich is a lot more involved in the overall development of the story. His art has really made me rethink some story elements, which is always a good thing. Case in point, he sent me a sketch the other day with the girl talking to some weird creature that had an eyeball for a belly. I knew immediately that creature was going to play a major role in the story.

Artist Rich Fuscia

Llama: How long did the process take?

Aldridge: The script took me probably a month in total to write. That’s including initial story idea to revision. I tend to spend more time revising than anything, weeding out everything that I don’t think adds to the story. Rich finished all the pages in about a month, too, if memory serves. His really quick with the pencil.

Llama: How hectic is this month for you?

Aldridge: On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say it’s an 8.5. Most of us, the competitors, have full-time jobs, a girlfriend, and what-have-you. So, it’s really tough trying to balance all of that and figuring out how to get as many eyes on your entry as possible.

Llama: Shawn, you’ve been through this before. Why are you putting yourself through this again?

Aldridge: Apparently, I’m crazy. Seriously, though, despite all the headaches and stress, the competition is genuinely fun. Plus, it’s nice to see that people enjoy something you’ve created.

Llama: What did your previous Zuda shot teach you?

Aldridge: Well, the first time around taught me not to stress too much. Losing a Zuda competition isn’t the end of the world. I was certifiably nuts by the end of that competition. I didn’t sleep and when I did all my dreams involved the competition. I think all of that doubled when we’re in 1st place through the first half of the competition, then we fell to 2nd. From there on out, I became obsessed with getting back to number one. I look back on it now and can’t help but laugh at how I was about it all.

Llama: And how did your previous Zuda entry benefit you?

Aldridge: I think previously competing in Zuda helped this time out in a lot of ways. Mainly, I was able to establish a decent fan base, find people who enjoyed my writing and the way I tell stories. Even found some good friends along the way. It also helps you understand the best and most effective ways to bring readers to your work.

It also helped me land a few writing gigs, which I don’t think would have been possible without Zuda.

Llama: What other kinds of stories do you hope to tell in the future?

Aldridge: Simple answer–good ones. I’m working on a few different things right now, a few of which are Zuda projects. They range from a story about a Kentucky coal miner to a kid who has gloves made from the rob of Merlin. I hope each of those projects have a different feel and explores different themes, which I hope is the case with anything I work on. I always want to challenge myself. It’s part of the reason I took on the initial idea of a non-T&A jungle girl comic. It’s not something I would have thought to write on my own, but in taking the risk I came up with something I’m really proud of as a story. There’s an old adage “Write what you know,” but I also think there’s a time when you have to write what you don’t know in hopes to learn something new.

Llama: And how far ahead do you have this particular story planned?

Aldridge: I know exactly how it ends. The middle may evolve here and there, but all the major points, twists, and such are pretty much set. It’s going to be one strange, strange trip. Where this is all heading isn’t where people might think. Here’s a few questions for readers to chew on: Why was Wharton the first to find the island? Who really found who? Why do different maps show different locations for the island?

Writer Shawn Aldridge

Island, Alone at Zuda: http://zudacomics.com/node/1774

Categories: Blog-It
Tags: Berni Wrightson, Burne Hogarth, DC comics, Edgar Allan Poe, Edith Wharton, fantasy, Frank Frazetta, H. Rider Haggard, Henry James, Interviews, Island Alone, Jack Davis, Jack Kaman, Jack Kirby, Jim Lee, John Buscema, John Romita, John Severin, Joseph Linsner, Jules Verne, Neal Adams, Rich Corben, Robert Louis Stevenson, Ryan Ottley, Ryoichi Ikegami, Shawn Aldridge, Steve Ditko, Tim Vigil, Todd McFarlane, Tony Moore, Wally Wood, webcomics, Will Eisner, Will Elder, Zuda, Zuda Comics