This isn’t really comics, but there’s a lot of comics talent attached, so I wanted to draw your attention to it. Alex Ness is the founder of PopThought.com; he’s also a poet who’s just released a book of narrative poetry called A Life of Ravens. Illustrating the poems are some names you know. Folks like Mike Grell, Josh Howard, Rich Koslowski, Paul Harmon, Alex Sheikman, and Peter Bergting.
Later this week, I’ll post a roundtable with those guys and some of the other artists involved. And art. There will also be art. Today though, I talked with Alex himself about the book and — in typical Fringe Benefits fashion — a ton of other stuff.
(Incidently, Alex is also a friend of mine and we’ve co-written a comic that should be coming out next year. Also, the monsters/robot book with Jason Copland he mentions below ended up being Kill All Monsters! with me as the writer, so, you know… full disclosure and all that.)
Tell me about the source of A Life of Ravens. Where did these poems come from?
I’ve written poetry since my earliest writing memories. So writing poems, that in itself isn’t unusual. But in this case it was inspired.
I’d been in a deep funk. Creatively speaking I knew I would never be in comics media as a paid reporter, so that led me to wonder what the point was. I had many contacts but I didn’t see myself as talented enough to do anything in the comics industry. So there was that.
But that was actually the least of things. In that year my mum had learned she had Alzheimer’s, which she took with the trauma such a discovery causes, my mum-in-law had cancer that was incurable, and then my brother had a massive heart attack; then another.
Looking at him unconscious, I saw myself, knowing he’s just a couple years older than me. I thought, “What legacy of work will I leave behind if I was to have a similar heart attack?” The only thing I’d ever done that people liked was my poetry. So I thought maybe.
But to begin with you have to blame Jason Copland. In 2005, he asked me to write a story that had monsters and robots fighting.
I said, “I don’t do creative writing.”
He said, “Sure you do.”
It was the same thing Steve Niles had told me. It was the same thing Beau Smith had told me. It’s using a different writing muscle, but it’s still writing. So I wrote and fussed over a series premise, themes, and setting. But I couldn’t birth it.
But, having done that, I was aware that I would be able, eventually, to write creatively. My brother’s heart attack revealed my need in stark detail to start now, but the seed was planted. So I wrote out a very long epic poem, and sent it out to friends and family.
First though, I sent it out to some professionals I respect: Jamie Delano, Mike Grell, and Steve Niles. They each wrote back that it was very good. Then I sent it out to people I knew who I greatly respected as writers, and they all said the same. Finally that poem was sent out to artists I respect, and one wrote back, “Let me adapt that to pictures.” I’d not even considered it. And I loved the idea.
So then I wrote to artists I respect and offered them my growing list of poems, and wouldn’t you know it, they all seemed to dig it. A couple of good friends in the industry liked the book, but chose not to do it, but many said sure. That list of names is impressive: Grell, Sheikman, Howard, Bergting, Harmon and Koslowski and shitloads more. The biggest step though was Bob Giadrosich coming aboard. Not only for his skills, but he also brought to the project a sense of purpose, and not only that, he took on many of the poems. His work is incredible and perfect for epic poetry.
So many of the poems came directly out of my despair, and fear, but also from a great backlog of creativity, and a prior lifetime of love of epic. I love fantasy. Tolkien, Dunsany, Howard and more just thrilled me with their work. Beowulf was a turning point poetically for me, as I read it and realized first how cool and powerful it was, but then too, that it was inspiring and beautiful as well. Only Lord Dunsany’s voice, I would say, was so beautiful as poetry in the telling of a story.
Can you describe the project? What connects the poems? Is it theme only, or is there a narrative structure as well?
It has 50 poems being interpreted by 26 or 27 artists, and there are even a couple of what might be considered sequential stories in there. I didn’t tell the artists what to illustrate. That was part of the attraction. Since poems are very much interpretive, we allowed the artists to interpret the poem and illustrate what they saw. 95% of the time I agreed with what came out, though in a couple cases I didn’t. But I’m content that we allowed the artists to do what they wanted, so no worries here on my part.
The narrative device is the Raven, and how the Raven is a watcher of human events. The bird doesn’t often play a role in the poems, and doesn’t always appear, but the title refers to the fact that Ravens watch us, unjudgingly, and that we aren’t acting in a vacuum. There’s no over-all narrative structure, except to say that war in Iraq has been on my mind and I’m unable to completely ignore it, even when creating epic poems that talk about elves and dwarves and monsters…
We’ve divided the poems into four sections: Conflict, Life, Tales, and Iconic, but really, ultimately, the same kind of themes surround it all. I believe those themes are accurate for the poems, but I think the unified themes will be evident.
How did you go about collecting the artistic talent for the book?
Actually, it’s a very long story. But since you asked… I’ve been an interviewer, and know many people in the comics industry and fine arts world. I’ve tried to dig into their being and help present their work for others to see and to promote their work. So, I’ve made many friends in the art world. Whether people will believe me or not, cynicism being what it is, I meant only to present their work and personality to reveal those artists to the public. I had no ulterior motives. But those friendships born from interviews, allowed me to ask each of those artists as a friend to jump aboard.
It was a feeling, every time one said, “Yes,” of amazing grace and appreciation. So to answer you directly, I asked the people I respected and who’s work I loved to join in. And most asked said, “Yes.”
Who’s your personal hero?
It depends really, on what aspect of my life we’re discussing. Professionally speaking, it’s Timothy Truman and Mike Grell. Both exemplify professionalism and personal worth. In the domain of spirituality it would be Martin Luther King Jr. He lived what he believed and helped a people achieve equality. In terms of everything else, my uncle Leo Orluck taught me to believe in myself, after a lifetime of quite the opposite teaching by various people in my life.
What’s your morning routine?
I go to bed around 3 am every late evening, so getting up at 8 am is quite a chore, but my boy has to get ready for school and I need to help him with that. So after he leaves I hunker down at the computer, get some busy work done and then by midmorning take to sending emails to pals.
What’s your favorite item of clothing?
I have two: a New Orleans Saints hat (it reminds me of the reunion of Saints and seeing my long missed family who’ve passed) and my Dorsey Levens 4XL Packers jersey. I really liked Dorsey and love a giant shirt.
What do you always have with you?
Oy vey. I have very little that I always bring with me. My wallet is a collection of plastic cards that retailers enjoy. I wear clothing; not stylish, but comfortable. I wear slippers or go barefoot if I can.
What’s always in your refrigerator?
My wife loves chocolate, my boy loves meat, I love bananas and tomatoes. I drink a ton of Diet Mountain Dew, so I guess that more than anything else.
What’s your favorite food?
I love Spicy Tuna Rolls from Kabukisushi.com and they are my favorite food. But if we consider what I would consume daily it would be tomatoes and rye bread.
What’s your fitness routine?
I roll over in bed and break a sweat. What the hell do you mean fitness routine? You think I got this body by exercise? HAVE YOU SEEN ME LATELY?
What superstitions do you have?
I believe quite little in the realm of superstition if you consider belief to be an active thing. There are quite a few things that I accept passively, but I think they just might be true instead of believe they are true.
What do you do to procrastinate?
I play my son’s XBox. I hate it. I would rather play N64 Pod Racing. It’s easily my favorite game, but I’ve played it so much it’s rather worn through. I also sleep.
What’s your biggest self-indulgence or guilty pleasure?
Books. I buy them without any sort of ability to say no. I’d also say, and it’s somewhat embarrassing to me, I’ll buy toys for my son without a moment of thought. I just adore him, and adore seeing him excited.
What gadget can’t you live without?
My computer? I guess not. I could live without it. I wouldn’t be as happy, but there it is.
I guess my car.
What’s your most prized possession?
It used to be my leather couches, but after 15 years of use they look, umm, rather worn. I really don’t have a single prized possession, but my library of books, however valuable or not, is something I enjoy having.
What kind of vehicle do you drive?
2000 Mitsubishi Galant. Gold in color; 130,000 miles. It’s a wonderful vehicle that’s had wonderful reliability.
What’s your next big purchase going to be?
I plan on buying very little. I’m content. However I think that there’s a chance that we’ll consider moving in 3 years or so, when my son enters middle school. This area is wonderful, but we want him to have every opportunity to achieve his goals. So perhaps a house.
What’s your favorite place in your home?
For years and years I longed for a king-size bed; now I have one. I like to stretch out in my bedroom, even if not sleeping.
What’s your greatest artistic strength?
I think visually, so when I write words I evoke images. As such, it allows artists I work with to create images from my words. I’d be an artist if only I had the talent instead of just the vision.
What’s your greatest artistic weakness?
I have no hand-eye coordination that would allow me to create the images my mind conjures. I see it; I can’t put it on paper or computer screen.
Do you play a musical instrument?
I took three years of piano lessons, and more in the clarinet, but I haven’t played either in more than 2 decades. So if I do play it, I’d say I play badly.
What talent do you covet?
I wish I could more fully realize the creations from my work. I can write their motives and emotions, their histories, but I have difficulty making them talk. I admire Brian Bendis for his clear superiority to everyone else in making dialogue such a part of his work.
What’s your best memento from your work?
I’ve received a great many things over time writing about comics since 2002, but the greatest single item was a hardcover of Metal Gear Solid by Ashley Wood. Signed, limited, and he drew something inside. I love Ashley Wood’s work and this was especially wonderful to receive.
Another great memento, but not directly from the work, was when I was terribly ill and going in for two surgeries in 2004. Timothy Truman sent me a buttload of original art pages. I was so blown away by his kindness.
What household chore do you absolutely hate to do?
I hate picking up my son’s toys. I also hate stepping on his toys, but if I don’t pick them up, I step on them.
What obsolete item can you not part with?
My enormous collection of VHS tapes will eventually be unplayable. Until that day, every tape that dies is unreplacable and I’m screwed just a little more.
What’s your retreat?
It used to be laying on my king size bed; having my cat purr, laying on me while I’m reading poetry. But my cat’s gone now, so the whole relaxing part is intertwined with a sort of mourning. Perhaps when I get a new cat that will change.
Do you collect anything?
I collect books about various military events, poetry collections, and speculative fiction.
Do you have any hobbies?
I used to collect stamps, movies, comics, games and more. Now I write. That’s really most of all I do.
What movie have you seen more than any other?
From Here to Eternity I’ve watched over 30 times, The Crying Game about 20 times, and just about every Godzilla movie prior to Godzilla 1984 I’ve seen many dozens of times.
What book have you read more than any other?
I’ve read Icerigger by Alan Dean Foster more than 5 times, various books of the Bible numerous times. I’ve read certain Robert E. Howard books and stories dozens of times. His work is always enjoyable regardless of how many times I’ve read it.
What are you always asked at parties?
“Do you really think that?” I’m relatively famous amongst family and friends for being unable to not say what I think. It gets me in trouble. But I’d have it no other way.
What’s your evening routine?
Do stuff with wife and boy until 9 pm, then settle in with caffeine and food and write til 3 am. This routine is almost unchanged, it happens nearly every day/night.
What do you always have at your bedside?
Poetry books, true crime books, a phone, and a light.
What do you obsess over?
My mum’s Alzheimer’s causes me great worry.
What’s your travel routine?
It comes in many phases.
Phase one: Avoidance. I hate travel.
Phase two: Acceptance. I realize I must travel.
Phase three: Irrational Fear. I imagine everything that can go wrong.
Phase four: Obsession. I think about the crash for days on end.
Phase five: Packing. I travel light. Only taking what I need.
Phase six: Traveling. I take meds that make me happy and get on the fooking plane.
Phase seven: Arrival. I relax until I have to leave again.
What’s the worst thing about traveling?
I’m 6’4” and 280 pounds, I hate being crammed in a seat meant for someone nearly half my size.
Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
Some people you want to meet to see if the legend is compatible with the person. Other times, you want to speak with a person who’s inspired you through what they’ve created.
I managed to write many people I respected who have since passed away. I was an able writer of letters prior to the internet. So for me, and perhaps a million other fanboys, I’d like to meet Jack Kirby and tell him how much his work meant to me. He is the one person I failed to contact prior to his passing.
What’s the greatest misconception about your life?
We’re all constantly judged by others. In my case, the comic world’s most outspoken critics are highly intelligent, logical sorts of people. I might have a relatively high IQ but I’m not worried or concerned over the same things as those judging me are. I’ve been called a hippie and, but for drug use, I would agree. I like being content; being happy. Life is good. I’m not interested in the bad things of life. So when I interview, I’m going to ask the questions as an interviewer that interest me. And as a reviewer, I’m going to read books and comics that I like, and I’m going to talk about them positively.
I’m not a sycophant or a panderer. Cynics will always judge you on false motives, because their beliefs override their ability to understand yours. I just like what I like, and I’m interested in what I’m in interested in. Beyond that, it’s just too bad if my interests don’t match up with others. Or if my interview questions don’t ask what you want asked.
What are you going to work on tomorrow?
Shit. I’m a hippie. All I do is what I’m inspired to do. I’ll likely to write two poems and post them at my blog, My Space page or update the site Dead to My Flesh, and perhaps plot out or research one of the many other projects I’m working on.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Good on ya for getting the book done and out there Alex. I can’t wait to read it!
September 18th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Oh sure… blame the Canadian…