Eric Ratcliffe Interviews Tim Seeley
Welcome to a very special Why I Love Comics where I talk with Tim Seeley, independent creator and writer of Hack/Slash, one of the best horror books on the stands. We talk about everything from obscure horror to Loaded Bible.
Eric: First Tim, let me just say thanks for taking the time to do this interview with me on comicrelated.com and as the readers to my column know, I've become a huge Hack/Slash fan over the last year now. The first question I have is: how did your love of comic books start?
Tim: That's a damn fine question! Really, it all goes back to Saturday Morning cartoons, and SPIDER-MAN &; HIS AMAZING FRIENDS. I was obsessed with that cartoon at age 4 and 5, and liked to pretend I was web-swinging between couches. Then, my parents took me camping to my Aunt Darlene's cabin when I was 5, and as luck would have it RAINED the entire time. So, to entertain my little hyperactive ass, my parents took me to the campsite store, where my parents bought me a pile of comics including Spider-Man, and Hulk. My dad had read comics as a kid, so he knew the good stuff to get. The top of my pile was Amazing Spider-Man 230...an issue by Roger Stern where Spidey fought the Juggernaut. My mom read it to me a few times, and then I must have poured over it myself 100 times. I LOVED it. And right then and there was born a life-long love. I still have that issue... it's beat to hell...but, I still like to read the damn thing...
Eric: Must have brought a huge smile to your face seeing his recent return to the Spider-man books?
Tim: Heh, honestly, I haven't read Spider-Man in...MANY years. I lost it around the Clone stuff, and I never managed to get back the love. But, I mean, Spidey is a character I don't expect to change or grow with me...I grew up on him, he'll always be a personal favorite character, but I generally don't really read too many Spidey comics anymore.
Eric: Have you ever considered drawing/writing for everyone's favorite joke cracking web slinger?
Tim: I actually wrote a Spidey short story as a sample script for me or anyone else who wanted to draw. It was on my website for a long time... but I don't think it reflects the current status quo or anything...it was just the version of the character I grew up with.
Eric: You've recently come into some Marvel penciling work, is this something we'll be seeing more of? Tim Seeley's name on Marvel books? Or are you mostly staying with your indie stuff over all?
Tim: I'd say that's up to Marvel! I actually really enjoyed drawing EXILES, so I hope they find something else cool for me to draw when it's done. I'll always keep my indie stuff rolling, whether writing or drawing, but it'd great to work with the big boys.
Eric: Going into the indie stuff, Loaded Bible is probably one of the weirdest yet most entertaining stories I've ever had the pleasure of reading. How did the project come up? What was your attraction to Jesus and the Catholic church of the future?
Tim: Thanks much, man. I dunno that many people really enjoyed Loaded Bible. :) My immediate family is composed of lapsed Catholics. My mom and dad both went to catholic school, so they were familiar with the church and such, but they just weren't terribly religious. So, I went to catechism, and did all the stuff you're supposed to do, but really, I was taught at a pretty young age that the Bible was full of good ideas, but following it too close made you a nut. I was always fascinated with the character of Jesus though, maybe because his origin story is one borrowed so often in heroic literature, cuz, let's face it, it's a damn good story. Loaded Bible began as a sort of crazy idea my brother and I would toss back and forth when we were kids. And really, there was very little context... it was just naughty and sacrilegious, and it made us laugh to come up with ideas for it. But, following Bush's SECOND domination of the elections, I just got really mad. Republican or Democrat, I couldn't believe ANYONE had supported this guy. And that's when the context came into Loaded Bible. It became a story about fear and a retreat into irrational ideals and superstition, as seen through the eyes of the guy getting USED by it all, JESUS CHRIST himself.
Eric: So we are we getting a volume 2? Or has the story reached a stalling point with everyone working on new projects?
Tim: I'll be working on a Volume 2 asap. I have an artist and a plot..I just gotta make sure I get all the paying stuff done. :)
Eric: I definitely feel that it was a strong book that delved into some surprisingly deep material. Though where did the idea for the vampires come from?
Tim: The vampires in LB are an amalgam of all my favorite vampire lore into one cohesive mythology. I get a kick out of that kinda stuff. I suppose that's obvious from Hack/Slash. The vampires in Hack/Slash actually sort of more or less stand for humanity really...they're hungry, destructive and split into different casts, from low ranking to high ranking. And, mostly, they're bad. But there's good in them. The question I wanted to raise with the vampires is "Is it their FAULT they're bad? Are they just acting upon their nature? " That's something our Jesus has to consider...a parallel to the Biblical Christ.
Eric: Wow that is some powerful stuff you're playing with there, definitely. I don't remember a vampire story in Hack/Slash or is that going to be something coming up?
Tim: OH, sorry, I mean, Hack/Slash kinda does the same thing with Slashers....kinda making up a little joint mythology for 'em and such.
Eric: Moving into Hack/Slash a little for those not in the know, just how much of a cult horror fan are you Tim?
Tim: As for my horror geekiness...well, it's pretty sad/and or awesome. :) My fandom is in the blood though, so I feel justified. My dad introduced me to horror movies, cult flicks, and B-movies when I was a kid, and it's an affection I've kept up. I guess this recent Christmas would be a good example... I got Return to Sleepaway Camp, Student Bodies and Gong to Pieces from family.
Eric: Wait...hold up, there's a return to Sleepaway Camp?!
Tim: Yeah, RETURN TO SLEEPAWAY CAMP...just came out in like December or so. Got it for Christmas, though I haven't had a chance to watch it yet...
Eric: And you're telling me there won't be vampires ever in Hack/Slash?
Tim: I don't know if I can say there won't be vampires EVER in H/S, but I feel like the "universe" H/S is very contained, and the supernatural stuff rarely has anything to do with our larger storyline. I dunno, I guess a Michael Myers type killer seems almost out of his league if we have vampires running around, or at least, it takes away some of the scariness. But then again, I've had Evil Ernie, Firebreather and Lovebunny and Mr. Hell in this book..so, who's to say?
Eric: Yeah, that was fun little nod last issue. I think I saw almost every indie character I knew of. Who thought the idea up for that one?
Tim: That was a plan all along, which started with the Milk And Cheese appearance. I figured it'd get people talking as well as make sense in the story. It kinda worked. Turns out people don't talk much about indy comics...but it was fun for me nonetheless.
Eric: Hey, that's not entirely true and I'm sure people loved seeing their favorite indie characters popping up, even if they were trying to kill Vlad. Was it also a kind of nod to Phil Hester/Robert Kirkman/Andy Khun and all the other indie creators out there?
Tim: Yeah, and fortunately, I'm friends or at least acquaintances with most of those guys, so this was for me, for the fans and for the love of indy comics.
Eric: The little boy pulling the strings though, is he a character we already know of? Or is he someone brand new? Reminded me a little of Ashley for some reason though the last time we saw him he was an evil teddy bear.
Tim: It is Ashley, as he appeared in LAND OF LOST TOYS!
Eric: Going back a little, Tim, you couldn't let Cassie have just a little happiness in her life? Maybe letting her father stick around for a while? He was definitely a great character.
Tim: Cassie's dad was intended to be sort of a "ghost"... he zips in, makes his impression, and then he's gone, a victim of his own bad judgment. Despite his death, he'll have a huge impact on Cass.
Eric: I'm definitely like the whole riff on Cassie wanting to give up the fight, even if we all know that she won't be able to retire. I really like how you have the multilayered story going on. Do you find it easier to write that way?
Tim: I dunno if I find it easy, so much as I find it necessary. I think readers would lose interest if the book were just HACK and SLASH...nothing else...maybe that's why the title is a little ironic. And, for myself, I really need to be able to hold on to personality and motivations to make this fun for me.
Eric: So is this your Spider-man retiring thing for Cassie? Or is there a bit more depth to the rest of the story arc?
Tim: Well, that cover image is an homage to that classic cover and storyline...but, though there's elements of the "I quit" thing in Cassie's story, it plays out in very characteristic way...it's very much about Cassie realizing that she might actually live through this part of her life to get older, and that's going to have a profound effect on her. The concept actually comes from my own revelations as I get older...y'know, can I keep writing this teenage girl, can I find new ways to really get to know her.
Eric: How well received over all was the re-animator arc by the way? How much can we actually talk about it?
Tim: We can talk about it all damn day if ya want. I can't get a cease and desist for that. But I think the story went over really well... I wish it had been easier to find, but we're going to rectify that with the trade coming out and such.
Eric: So the legal mess has been cleared up? You guys are safe to distribute the trade? Any cool little "special features" going to be added in?
Tim: Well, it's kind of complicated. The legal stuff only applied to the three issues, and only because the distributor balked for fear of a lawsuit. It all comes up to the name "Re-Animator_ which Dynamite thinks it owns trademark to. But that gets into a whole 'nother mess, as in, "How could they own the name of a movie that came out 15 years before they started publishing comics?" Well, it's all a bunch of bullshit and legal evil. But, my story was officially with the film characters from the film "Re-Animator" and that story is important to H/S continuity. We'll make sure everyone gets to read it.
Eric: Getting to know your characters a little better has to become easier as you get a little older though doesn't it? Or is there the fear of the overall concept becoming stale?
Tim: There's fear of becoming stale, fear of riding something into the ground...all that. This is a creator-owned comic, which means I can make the choices concerning the characters, not a board of directors or stockholders. I don't have to keep things status quo. And that freedom just means I really have to treat my book right. There's no one to come in and fix it if I screw up. ;)
Eric: What's coming up in Hack/Slash that you can tease? Any other crossovers or big news?
Tim: Issue 25 is gonna be a big anniversary style issue, mostly just to celebrate that we made it two years as an ongoing indy book. The big storylines for the next year deal with this cult called the BLACK LAMP SOCIETY and a new character called SAMHAIN. It's gonna be a blast and will allow me to do a bunch of really inventive, over-the-top comics.
Eric: Any more crossovers or an annual to look forward to this year? Or is it too early to discuss it?
Tim: I'm working on doing SOMETHING SG related as I love those girls too much NOT too. I don't have any more x-overs planned immediately...got burned too bad trying to do the last one. But, there is the LIVING CORPSE annual which has Cas and Vlad in it, and is pretty hilarious. Check that out in the meantime.
Hack/Slash is monthly from Devils Due and issue 19 should be on shelves soon as well as the second omnibus for those that want to play catch up on a great title. Thanks again to Tim Seeley for doing this interview.
Eric Ratcliffe is a young writer/pop culture journalist/interviewer currently working on pitching a project named the Hunter chronicles. When not reading his weekly stack Eric can be found watching dvd's, playing on his 360 (gamertag: Zack Hunter) or just surfing online trying to find a scoop or two. Brand new to the Comic Related family, Eric is a fun new voice. Eric shops at TJ's Collectibles. Visit them on the web at www.tjcollect.com!
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