Comic Story Arc blog features opinion by local comic book reader

My friend John Daniels has restarted his comic book review blog, Comic Story Arc, with looks at Hatter M and Frank Beddor's new novel. Check it out.

JOHN DANIELS INTERVIEWS FRANK BEDDOR ON SEEING REDD

Our guest columnist returns as JOHN DANIELS INTERVIEWS FRANK BEDDOR ON SEEING REDD

First and foremost I want to thank you for taking the time to interview with me again.

The incredible sequel to the Looking Glass Wars is enthralling. Seeing Redd is the type of novel that could catapult you into literary history. Seeing Redd is the most awe-inspiring novel of the season.

How did it feel to see your book Seeing Redd which was just released on August 21st already topping the New York Times bestseller list?

Very, very satisfying. Having it at #4 on the NYT bestseller list the week it was released showed me that the momentum created by the Looking Glass Wars and Hatter M had carried readers to the next book and this was incredibly exciting.

How would you describe the atmosphere of Seeing Redd compared to the Looking Glass Wars novel?

Well…the dust has barely settled since the Alyssians trounced Queen Redd and she fled through the Heart Crystal to parts unknown. We return to a Wonderland in flux as the young queen Alyss attempts to rule a world she barely knows; a world where everyone is seeing Redd! Has Her Imperial Viciousness returned or it only black imagination? So in one word I would describe the atmosphere as TENSE in Seeing Redd. Book Two readers, assuming they have read book one, have already been introduced to Alyss and her Wonderland and many of the characters they will see again in Book 2. While LGW covered a 13-year period, Seeing Redd focuses on an adventure that takes place over a short period of time. There will be new characters introduced plus a heightened sense of immediacy as events and crisis follow in rapid order. Characters will again be traveling back and forth from Wonderland via the Pool of Tears but this time a new twist will be added as inhabitants of our world travel to Wonderland. These travelers are not exactly welcome as they are villains first introduced in the Hatter M comics. Much of the fun of the parallel story of Hatter M is crossing back and forth from different perspectives. While Hatter battled these villains on earth to save Imagination, Redd sees them in an entirely different light.


The depths of the characters portrayed in your novels are astonishing. Are there any characters returning from the Looking Glass Wars novel, and could you tell us some of the new characters in Seeing Redd?

Alyss and all the Alyssians return in full force for Seeing Redd as well as Redd and her murderous feline, the Cat. Villains introduced in the Hatter M comic mini-series will also re-appear in Seeing Redd as they join with Her Imperial Viciousness in the cause of Black Imagination. With regard to new characters, readers will be introduced to Boarderland and it’s alpha leader, King Arch, an avowed male chauvinist who loathes the idea of Queens ruling Wonderland. Aided by his henchmen, Ripkins and Blister, and the 21 warrior tribes, King Arch lays out his plan to dominate Wonderland like a master chess player. It comes quite naturally to Arch since Boarderland is a land of incessant gamers and gamblers. If you are a fan of anagrams, closely inspect the map included in Seeing Redd and see if you can decode the names of each of the 21 tribes. Hint: Each name is an anagram of a card or board game. Good luck!

Last time we interviewed I made a statement this could be a franchise in the making and this would be an incredible tale for a movie. How much is this in fruition?

I have completed the screenplays for the Looking Glass Wars and Hatter M. which I see as companion films. I am currently working on Book 3 of the trilogy and the screenplay for Seeing Redd. If I am fortunate enough to get the first two films produced then I would like to go on and produce the second two, which would create a 4 film series. In the franchise crazed studio world this amount of material has generated a lot of interest and excitement, however I’m holding out on making any deals. Currently, I have been having conversations with directors because the final and most important piece of the puzzle is my creative counterpart, the director who will take what I’ve created even further.

I first read Hatter M before the Looking Glass Wars; I have been a fan of your writings since 2005. How do you feel about the recognition you have received from all of the media and comic book reviewers?

I feel extreme gratitude for all the time and effort taken by these writers to get to know my work and help to articulate it to their readers. The positive feedback really helps by encouraging me to take the intuitive leaps that guide me with all of these projects. You think to yourself, “Oh man…is this too much?” But then you get this amazing feedback to go further and it just pushes you to keep trying for the high notes. It really is a collaborative effort on everyone’s part who enjoys the projects to keep them expanding and delivering what the LGW fans enjoy about the characters and their adventures.

Are you going to be coming to the east coast and doing any book signings or Comic -Cons, because you have loyal fans that would enjoy meeting a creative artisan as yourself?

I always try to do as many Comic Cons as I can physically and realistically fit in to my schedule because meeting the fans and talking about the work is truly ground zero for me. FRANK – ANY EAST COAST COMIC CONS SCHEDULED??????

Are you going to have a comic book about the Seeing Redd novel?

It is a definite possibility. If I were to do a ‘comic’ based on Redd I would want to do it in a similar fashion to how I created Hatter M which was created not as a comic book version of the character as readers were introduced to him in LGW, but as a stand alone series that is really an adjunct or extension of the novel. Through Hatter’s perspective readers are taken on an entirely different albeit connected adventure from what they have read in LGW. Redd’s comic book series would possibly be a prequel of the girl who would kill to become Queen or maybe an exploration of Wonderland when she ruled for 13 years where the four suit families were vying for power as they assemble their own armies.

How were the skeptics concerning you writing this fantastic story?

Debate is healthy. I welcome all forms of criticism and only ask that they read my books first.

As I read Chapter 32 in the book, I was so amazed how you incorporated our friend Mr. Dodgson. How does the Lewis Carroll society feel about you writing about their founder?

I have not had any direct contact with the venerable society, however, I believe via several anonymous posts to our forums that there may be a divisive ‘curiosity’ developing within the society and that some of the members have opened their imaginations to the possibility that there was much more to Lewis Carroll than history had recorded.

You have surrounded yourself in the company of some great artists in the past such as Ben Templesmith and Liz Cavalier. Now in this novel Seeing Redd you have artwork by Vance Kovacs, Stephan Martiniere, and Nate Barlow. How have the contributions of these artists helped in spreading the glow?

Working with the people you named (as well many, many others you did not) has been an alchemical explosion of creativity that has not only helped to spread the glow but since the very beginning has revealed that imagination glows brightest when the effort is collaborative.

Which is more demanding and fulfilling being a movie producer or being a writer?

Both are demanding and fulfilling, as is any job where something of value is accomplished. The difference I noticed most was that when you produce a movie you have to rely on other people on a daily basis while when writing it is solely up to you to deliver that day’s pages. When writing you stand, or fall, alone on each day’s work. This makes for an intense experience and your daily moods correspond to how well the writing is going which can turn you into a functioning manic/depressive.

Is there any advice you would give aspiring writers?

They always tell you to write what you know. I think this is boring advice. If you know it already where is the fun for you? I say go out and discover something you do not know but are incredibly interested in and write about that. At least you will have a good time doing it and if it is something you find fascinating chances are others will too or at least enough people to support your ongoing authorial efforts.

What would you like fans to go away with after reading "Seeing Redd"?

An intense desire to know what happens in Book 3.

As always, it has been a pleasure talking with you. Mr. Beddor, your creativeness and written artistry are that of a modern day genius. Thank you and the multitudes of creative artists that work with you to bring us the readers an incredible novel about the real Alyss of Wonderland.

Seeing Redd - John Daniels's guest book review

The landmark sequel to the Looking Glass Wars will have the reader Seeing Redd.
By John L. Daniels Jr.

Seeing Redd
Writer: Frank Beddor
Publisher: Dial Penguin books
Artwork: Vance Kovacs (Front, Back cover, part 1 art)
Artwork: Steven Martiniere (Part 2 & 3 art)
Map design: Cold Open and Nate Barlow

While growing up, one may have a family member whom you may not get along with, or is not as sociable with the family. What if the family member was someone you trusted? The family member may be very close to your mother, so close as to be your mother’s sister, your Aunt.

Your Aunt is supposed to be the one who can take care of you in a time of need. Your Aunt is someone who can nurture you, guide you and even lend a helping hand in teaching. How disturbing would it be if she is the very one that wants you annihilated?

In this sequel to the Looking Glass Wars, Seeing Redd, now a New York Times best seller, is the must-read of the season. Read how a family member can be vengeful and compelling against her own niece.

In the first book the Looking Glass Wars, Alyss escaped from Wonderland with her bodyguard Hatter Madigan. Alyss returned to Wonderland to defeat her Aunt and banished her along with her assassin, The Cat, into the Heart Crystal.

In this sequel, the Aunt escapes the prison of the crystal maze within the Heart Crystal. Aunt Redd has the ultimate plan to recapture the throne of Wonderland. She has already killed Alyss’s loving parents and only Alyss remains of royal heirs to the throne besides Redd. If Aunt Redd can find Alyss, she'll carry out her sinister plan to kill Alyss and rule Wonderland once more as the last heir to the throne. Can Alyss keep control of her queendom along with her new bodyguard Homburg Molly? In addition, where is Hatter Madigan? He has not been seen anywhere in the surrounding lands of Wonderland.

Astonishing reading awaits with strong characterization, thrilling adventure, and mystery in this extraordinary tale of the battle of Wonderland.

This incredible book is written by Frank Beddor after the success of his first novel The Looking Glass Wars , also a best-selling book on the NY-Times bestseller list. Mr. Beddor also has written an award-winning comic book based on the novel: Hatter M by Desperado publishing and Image comics. What can this successful Hollywood producer possibly accomplish next?

I had an opportunity to interview Mr. Beddor at the launch of the comic Hatter M and The Looking Glass Wars. Check in soon for a new interview with a modern day genius about his new novel Seeing Redd.

The Battle for Wonderland, the assault of the Redd and the defending the power of White continues.

Interview with Paul Karasik

DC native and comics blogger John Daniels conducted this email interview with Paul Karasik and has made it available to ComicsDC. Thanks, John!

Interview with Paul Karasik:

How did it feel to give a book signing and talk in your hometown of Washington D.C. at Politics and Prose?
I received a terrific reception at Politics and Prose. It is a wonderful bookstore and Thad, the guy who runs the graphic novel department, really knows his stuff. In other words, he likes the same things I like!

What caught your interest in writing this book about Fletcher Hanks?
I first heard of Hanks over 20 years ago when I was the Associate Editor of Art’s Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly’s RAW magazine. We reprinted a Stardust story and I never forgot it.

Four years ago a friend sent me a link to a Hanks tale on-line. I began to dig around, found some more of ‘em, and eventually came upon the answer to the true life mystery, “Whatever Happened to Fletcher Hanks?”

Where you amazed, as I was, that little was known about this ingenious artisan?
I have been amazed by several aspects of Hanks’ work. Although formulaic to a degree, each story is startlingly inventive in design and feel. Readers will not be bored by the 15 stories. In fact many people are asking for Volume 2!

Another amazing fact is that nobody has “discovered” his work until now. Many fans and collectors have asked, “How is it possible that I never heard of this guy before?!”

How would you compare his drawing style too artisans of the golden age?
Hanks is unique in that he is the first auteur in the fledgling field of the comic book. Most comic book stories at the time, and up to the present, were created by a team: individual writer, penciller, inker, and colorist. Hanks was a one-man-band, an auteur with a distinct personal vision that he burned into the pages of his work.

How much did you enjoy the meeting with his son Fletcher Hanks Jr.?
It was a life-changing experience as I describe in my comics Afterword.

In the Afterword, it seems you almost had a question as to whether his son was Fletcher Hanks himself?
At first, I thought that Hanks Jr. was Hanks Sr. It soon became apparent that I was speaking with the son who had his own story to tell. A grim story.

Do you yourself collect any comic periodicals? In addition, if so what is your most memorable character or comic that you would define as piquing your interest in the medium?
My first comic book was an issue of Adventure Comics from 1966. I was seduced by the crisp four-color pantheon of the Legion of Superheroes. You got a lot for 12 cents. It took one comic book and I was hooked. I still have all those old D.C. and Marvel comics in plastic bags in my basement, but it is nothing compared to some of the collections made available to me by a few serious collectors who contributed stories for the Hanks book from the hermetically sealed comics vaults.

You are an author of other books; could you tell the readers about some of your other works?
My most famous work was a collaboration with artist, David Mazzucchelli (Batman: Year One). Together we adapted Paul Auster’s novel, City of Glass. It was listed as one of the 100 Most Important Comics of the 20th Century by the Comics Jouranl.

I collaborated with my sister, Judy, on a family memoir, The Ride Together. The ground-breaking comics/prose format tells the story of growing up with our oldest brother who is autistic.

My gag cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker and Nickelodeon magazines.

How did you feel with the response of the sales of this remarkable book?
I am floored by the reception of this book. It completely sold out within a month and we are now awaiting the second edition to arrive from Malaysia. It is a good thing that Fantagraphics put a few cartons away for my book tour. Even then, at San Diego Comic Con, we sold out by the morning of the second day. I have nine reviews at Amazon, all five star raves. After years of toiling away at this project in the studio it is really gratifying to have such a positive response.

What is your favorite story from the book?
My sentimental favorite is also really one of the strongest: the Stardust story from Fantastic #7 that we reprinted in RAW. It is a plot by Gyp Clip to remove all the gravity from Earth, thus sending all the humans spaceward and leaving the planet free for plunder. Gyp and his thugs chain themselves with huge iron chains to prevent themselves from floating away.

What is it that you would like readers too walk away with your writing and presentation of this remarkable book about Fletcher Hanks?
Things are not always as they seem. Our heroes can become villains, and regular everyday Joes can become heroes.

Are you currently working on other works that readers and fans would like to know about?
My next project is to set out to educate the world that everything that you need to know about making comics can be learned from three panels of a certain Nancy comic strip by the great Ernie Buchmiller.

I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer questions at ComicsDC.

I also would like to thank the staff at Politics and Prose for reserving me a signed copy of the book.

DC comics writer John Daniels interviews Septagon Studios head

You can read it at "Interview with Nick Defina" by John L. Daniels, Jr., Comiccritique.com, 2007-06-27.

The interview is about the new studio's new comic book, Scorn.