Thursday, August 14, 2008

Exclusive SDCC '08 Interview: Joe Hill - Issue 62

Author of one of the hottest comic titles released this year, Locke & Key, Joe Hill is well on his way to making a huge name for himself, not only as a New York Times Best-Selling author, but as one of the most imaginative and creative new writers to embrace the comic genre. And did I mention he’s the spawn of Stephen King? Choosing not to go by his famous literary last name, Joe Hill has successfully broken into literature without the help of his father’s illustrious career, but through his own unique and modern writing style which seems to touch at the very core of human nature. His first sold-out comic series, Locke & Key tells the story of a family thrown into a supernatural web of mysterious locked doors, hidden keys and ghostly apparitions as a haunting family secret is set free to seek revenge. I had the amazing opportunity to chat with Joe for a little while about his jump into the comic world…

What inspired you to start writing for comics?

You know, my very first professional fiction submission was a comic book. In the 80's, they had the Marvel tryout book, which was like half a Spiderman story. And if you were an artist, you were invited to draw the rest, and if you were a scripter, you were invited to write the rest. So I was 12 and I wrote my version of the ending, which got a formal rejection - I don't know why, 'cause I thought it was brilliant. I have something of a comic book imagination; maybe its because so many of my favorite writers work in comics - you know, Alan Moore is one of my favorites. I quote him in the beginning of Heart Shaped Box. Neil Gaiman - I was just crazy for Sandman in high school. One of my very very favorites is Brian K. Vaughn. I think he's the best writer of our generation, you know, it's unbelievable. So I've always had a desire to work in comics. It's something I'd always really wanted to do.

Where did the idea for Locke & Key come from? How did the series come about?


Well, I had put together this book of short stories, and I couldn't sell it in America. I did wind up selling it to a small press in England - this is my first book, 20th Century Ghosts. A lot of people think it's my second book, because it came out second in America, but, you know, it was actually my first box - it came out almost a year ahead of Heart Shaped Box. Around the same time I sold the collection, I also was invited to do a script for Marvel Comics. A talent scout there had spotted me.


That was when you wrote for Spiderman right?

Yeah, Spiderman...it's not a very good one - my Spiderman story was not very good, but writing it got the hooks in me and really made me want to do more. I just thought it was so exciting to think in terms of panels and reveals, you know. And I liked the flow of a comic... So I worked up some pitches for different ideas and I sent them in and they were all turned down. But, one of those was Locke & Key...and it wouldn't really go away. Every couple of months i'd think of a new key or something new I wanted to do with the characters and I had a very clear picture in my head of Bode, who's the youngest of the family’s three kids. I wanted to write about him... And then, Heart Shaped Box came out and did pretty well. The guys at IDW Comics got in touch with me and they said 'you know, we'd really like to take a couple of your short stories and adapt them into comics' and I said 'wait a second. I've got something else for you.' And that's how we wound up doing Locke & Key.

Do you listen to music when you write?

Someone once asked me, 'Did you do a lot of research for Heart Shaped Box?' and I said 'Yeah, I started researching at 14 when I bought Led Zeppelin 3... And I've been researching ever since!' What happens is certain stories get collections of songs around them. And then it's all I listen to when I work on the story - you could probably imagine what kind of music I was listening to when I was writing Heart Shaped Box.

Did you expect Locke & Key to be such a popular series?

No, I didn't expect it. I thought it would be more like the short stories - because Heart Shaped Box came out and did very very well. It was like all my daydreams all at once. You know, before Heart Shaped Box, I had written four novels I was unable to sell and for me it was like every wish coming true all at once. It was awesome...kind of bewildering. I thought, in the immediate aftermath, I need to do something low key and under the radar - something that no one will read. Just something that 9 or 10 people will read, you know, just doing it for me and a few other people as a way to re-center myself...um...to not be an asshole. What I didn't expect was that people really liked the comic and got attached to those characters. So what I guess I'm saying is that I was hoping for a no-pressure experience, but I didn't get it, because now it's important not to screw it up, so...I'll do my best with it. I hope I can pull it off...what If I screw it up though? I don't know...we'll see.

Joe Hill & Artist Gabriel Rodriguez of Locke & Key meet face-to-face for the first time at Comic-Con...


1 comment:

lollipop4598 said...

HAHA! Joe looks a lot like his dad. The comic is amazing, and I don't think there is much chance of people thinking he screwed up in the end. Its not like theres a right answer and a wrong one. It must be nice to write a comic. At least you have the artist in there with you. So it must feel less of an alone thing. Or maybe its more irritating. But anyway...amazing stuff! Us fans love what you have done, and I am sure we will like everything except the part where it ends and there is no more.