Hey folks, Harry here... Kevin Smith talks with Andrew from Gray Haven and we've got the skinny... My favorite part of the interview has to do with what celeb/famous type he would most want to see write comics. And is suggestion is DEAD ON TO THE 'T'. Read and see what you think!
Kevin Smith: The Gray Haven Interview
-by Andrew Goletz
He’s the writer and director of the incredibly popular Askewniverse films: Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and the forthcoming Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (see review in the movie review section). He also writes comics, bringing popularity and top ten status to such former castoffs Daredevil (Marvel Comics) and Green Arrow (DC Comics), as well as continuing his Askewniverse characters in the Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob and Bluntman and Chronic comic books (from Oni Press and Image Comics respectively). Kevin Smith recently talked to Gray Haven about his films, his comics and what’s in store for fans of both.
Ed Note: This interview was conducted prior to the San Diego Comic Con where Kevin announced at the Marvel panel that he would be writing an ongoing Black Cat series for the company beginning sometime next year. Ditto the Chicago Con where he revealed that he would be taking on a new Brave & Bold series for DC after his commitment to Green Arrow is over sometime next year. You won’t find any talk of those projects here, so if that’s what you want, get outta here.
GHM: How does one decide to go from being a fan of film to taking such a risk and going and doing one on their own?
Kevin Smith: I think all it really takes is an unwillingness to be reasonable. Every filmmaker needs to be unreasonable to a certain degree (that last term is important: "to a certain degree"). And by that, I don't mean they should be pricks who won't take "no" for an answer from their cast or crew; I mean they have to buck at convention.
Reason dictates, "people don't max out their credit cards and go make a movie." "That kind of thing's just not done around here; movies are made in Hollywood." You've got to be unreasonable to overcome that kind of thinking.
GHM: Do you recommend other new filmmakers follow the same path and use their cc to finance their dream projects?
KS: Absolutely. There's an example of the wrong kind of unreasonability to be found in here. For example, reason dictates that no one's going to give you hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars to bring your script to life. You shouldn't sit around waiting for that to happen or pester folks with money because you're being "unreasonable". If you believe in your script, use your own money and shoot it yourself. That, too, is somewhat unreasonable, though responsibly so.
GHM: You've said that Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back will be the final Askewniverse film. Does this mean we'll never see any of the characters again or is it just a break from focusing on this 'world'?
KS: The characters will pop up here and there in comics, once I get off my ass and start writing my 'Tales Gone Askew' book for Image. Miramax also wants to do a theatrical version of the 'Clerks' Cartoon, so the familiar characters will pop up there too.
But as far as live action goes, this is, indeed, the end.
GHM: Is the Clerks cartoon going to be the next film project you work on then? Will it be the same creative team that was on the ABC series?
KS: The nature of my involvement with the 'Clerks' cartoon flick can be summed up thusly: Dave Mandel and I will write the script, record the voices, and then turn it over to Chris Bailey and the animation folks who'll spend a year bringing it to life. We'll be checking in with their progress from time to time, and approving new character designs or watching footage when they've got stuff, but really, my job's kind of over once we've recorded the actors' voices. Based on all of that, it's tough to think of it as my "next project".
GHM: Why did you decide now, with this film, to break out of this world?
KS: Just felt like it was time to work without a safety net.
GHM: When all is said and done, what do you want fans to take with them from their experiences with these films?
KS: Hopefully they've laughed a lot. Maybe learned a thing or two, or were enlightened somewhat in the process.
GHM: What can you tell us about the JaSBSB?
KS: It's the funniest movie that will ever come out on August 24nd, 2001.
GHM: Have you decided/can you talk about what your next film is going to be?
KS: Something much smaller and much more quiet - more along the lines of 'Chasing Amy'.
GHM: Any change in the status of the Fletch film?
KS: We're getting there. But after 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back', I'd rather not rush into another comedy/joke-fest. I think a tone shift is in order to clean my palate for 'Fletch Won'. So the next flick will be this other film I was talking about.
GHM: Your DVDs are always loaded with extras. They're some of the few films that really take advantage of technology and the DVD experience. Why do you think that is?
KS: It just makes sense to me. I was a movie fan before I got to make movies, and if I was still just a fan, a packed DVD of a favorite film of mine is what I'd drops some bucks on.
And it's fun for us to put these DVDs together. It's a hoot to record the commentary tracks with long-time friends like Mewes, Mosier, Vincent, Lee and Affleck. It's a relief to share the cut footage with the fan-base, because you finally learn whether cutting the stuff in the first place was a good idea or not. It gives one a real sense of closure on any given project to pack it all up together and put a bow on it.
GHM: From film to comics. How did you make the transition?
KS: Fairly simply. The two mediums aren't that different. Comics actually force me to be more visual sometimes.
GHM: How did the Daredevil gig come about?
KS: Joe Quesada asked me, and I said yes. Then I balked. Then I ultimately said yes again. I'm glad he was patient with me through all my vacillating, because it was such a satisfying experience overall.
GHM: You took two characters (Daredevil and Green Arrow) that had been forgotten about or ignored by fans and made them into top 10 books. Why do you think you were able to do something with the characters that others weren't?
KS: I don't know that I necessarily did do something with the characters that others hadn't. It just comes down to sales, really. And in terms of sales, the day job (film) helped me get my foot in the door. Folks hear or read that I'm working on a comic, and they want to check it out, if for no other reason than to watch me fail in a medium that they feel I'm carpet bagging on. That kind of curiosity, coupled with the built-in audience those characters have, make for strong sales.
GHM: What made you choose GA and DD as characters you wanted to work on. Wouldn't most people try for Batman or Spider-Man?
KS: Too high profile. If you're going to fail, do it more discreetly.
And I've gotten to write both Batman and Spiderman in both 'Green Arrow' and 'Daredevil', so that curiosity has been sated.
GHM: Any plans to return to Daredevil or is that impossibility with Brian Michael Bendis taking over as perm writer?
KS: Since our run on the book ended, Joe and I are always kicking around the notion of doing a graphic novel, rather than doing another arc in the regular run. Sooner or later, we'll get to it.
GHM: Are there any other mainstream characters you'd like to take a shot at?
KS: Mainstream? No. But there are a few B and C listers I'd like to try.
GHM: Like who? Is there anything in the works, or is this just thinking out loud?
KS: Black Cat over at Marvel.
GHM: What other Askew comics are in the works?
KS: The aforementioned 'Tales Gone Askew', which'd be a series of stories about lesser characters in the Askewniverse (Steve-Dave and Walt, Julie Dwyer, etc.). Then there's also the 'Bartleby and Loki' one-shot I'd like to do with Scott Morse. Also the 'Mallrats 2: Die Hard in a Mall' mini.
GHM: Is there a time frame for the other View Askew comic books and when they'd be released?
KS: No idea yet. I imagine I'll have a better idea once the new flick comes out and the desk is a bit more cleared off.
GHM: How's the collaboration with Mike Oeming going?
KS: Seems to be going well. I haven't had much contact with Mike, outside of the emails we trade. The flick's kept me preoccupied most of the year, so I haven't actually gotten to meet the guy. But I did get his 'Bluntman and Chronic' stuff into the flick, as well as onto the packaging of the soundtrack. I'm a Mike Oeming fan.
GHM: Are you a fan of Powers and Hammer of the Gods?
KS: Like I said, I'm a Mike Oeming fan.
GHM: Why did you make the move from Oni to Image?
KS: Bob Schreck was the reason we were at Oni to begin with. When he left, there didn't seem like much of a reason to stay. Joe and Jamie are nice enough guys, but my relationship wasn't with either of them - it was with Schreckles. We stuck around for about a year after Bob went to DC, but it just felt strange - sort of like going to a party at a stranger's house with your friends, who then leave, and you're left staring at the hosts, politely smiling.
Then there were some money issues that kind of instigated the move as well. Scott and I had let Joe and Jamie's Oni re-invest into the company profits we were due for some of our books - roughly twenty grand. The idea was the loan would help them stay afloat during the Schreck transition and they could continue publishing comics that weren't necessarily ours. But then these ads started popping up in Diamond's Previews catalogue for Oni books. The significance of this is that when we joined up with Schreck and Oni, we'd decided - with Schreck - against big, costly, splashy ads in Previews, opting rather to let the books sell themselves. Suddenly, that ethic was changing. And what's more, that ethic was changing on our dime - on books that weren't even ours. After that, it just seemed like it was time to go.
Lest rumors swirl on the 'net, let me just make this clear: I don't dislike Joe and Jamie, nor do I think they did anything underhanded. They just weren't the guys who invited me to the party, and the party they threw in Schreck's absence wasn't one I felt comfortable attending - especially when I was helping to pay for it. No big deal, really.
It'd be nice, however, if they mentioned - from time to time - that Jay and Silent Bob built Oni. One can sneer at that notion all they'd like, but the simple truth is that without the 'Clerks' books (and the reprinting of Miller's and Bisley's 'Bad Boy') Oni falters and tanks in year one. I'm kind of proud of that. We helped build a comics label.
GHM: Do you still have a good relationship with Oni?
KS: I still read some Oni books. But I haven't spoken to either Joe or Jamie in some time. Maybe at ComiCon this year.
GHM: Which ones do you read?
KS: Alright... you got me. I haven't read an Oni book in awhile. Which is no statement on the quality of their stuff; just a statement on a lack of free time that's plagued me for the last year.
GHM: Although Green Arrow is selling phenomenally well, there have been a few criticisms of the book. How would you respond?
KS: The book's still a top ten book. After six issues, it's still in the top ten. Very few books can make that claim beyond their initial issue. In fact, issue five wound up being the #3 book in the country for that month, according to Diamond Dateline, published July 11th, 2001. When all orders were totaled, Green Arrow #5 ranked as the third highest selling comic in the nation. There are over 140,000 copies of Green Arrow number one in print.
That's how I respond to the critics. The fact of the matter is that this book isn't for everybody. It was never
meant to be. If you like your comics to be quick reads, steer clear of 'Green Arrow'.
I like to write comics I'd like to read. Based on the numbers we're doing (and the pre-orders of the book have actually gone up, month-to-month, from issue one), a lot of folks are enjoying the book. If folks don't like how the story's unfolding or they don't like to read so much dialogue, I urge them to stop buying the book - because it's not going to change much over the course of the storyline. I'll move at the pace I feel comfortable moving at, and I'll continue to pack the page with as much dialogue as makes sense to me. If folks don't like it, there are any number of other comics they can pick up in Green Arrow's stead.
GHM: Another sticking point is what seems like a continuity error with Oliver Queen not remembering anything after his days on the road with Hal Jordan even though he was alive (in comic time) for years later.
KS: Wait and see.
GHM: Your name brings in new readers, without a doubt. What celebrity would you like to see write a comic and which comic would you want them to write?
KS: Sooner or later, I'm going to get Quentin to write a comic. He called me after 'Clerks' #1 came out and told me how much he dug it. I urged him to do a 'Jules Walks the Earth' comics follow-up to 'Pulp Fiction'. He declined, but one day, I hope to get him to agree to it. Quentin writing comics would be huge.
GHM: Do you think it'd be cooler for Quentin to write a comic based on his own creation or take on a superhero?
KS: His own creation.
GHM: Aside from celebrity writers or artists, how do you think the comic industry can get more attention from the real world?
KS: I'm sure the 'Spider-Man' movie will do a lot to elevate the mainstream media's attention to comics.
GHM: What'd you think of the trailer?
KS: I thought it was phenomenal. I've been a "professional" (ie - paid to do it) filmmaker for the last seven years now, and while I'm not what you'd call jaded, my enthusiasm for popcorn flicks has waned a bit. That being said, when I saw that trailer, goose bumps that've long sat dormant immediately stood at attention. It was like seeing the 'Batman' trailer back in '89. I've never traded on my status in the movie biz before, but after seeing that trailer, I really wanted to call Sam Raimi's office and say "Tell Mister Raimi that the guy who made 'Clerks' will do anything shy of chugging Mister Raimi's cock in exchange for an editing room peak at 'Spider-Man'."
For the second half of Kevin Smith’s Interview with GHM, go to GrayHavenMagazine.Com
