Home > COMICS > WIZARD Q&A: MIKE COSTA and FIONA STAPLES
WIZARD Q&A: MIKE COSTA and FIONA STAPLES
Questioning Authority: The writer and artist behind Wildstorm's 'Secret History of The Authority: Hawksmoor' chat about the new mini
By John Coleman
Posted 3/26/2008
With Wildstorm's release of Secret History of The Authority: Hawksmoor this week, Wizard Universe caught up with the creative team behind the book to ask them about the experience working on the title. For each of them, this book marks a first; for Mike Costa, it is his first comic work, and for Fiona Staples, it's her first work in the superhero genre. Each had a lot to say about their creative processes and what they hope the book does for the enigmatic leader of The Authority, Jack Hawksmoor.
WIZARD: Since its creation by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, The Authority has been a big hit for the Wildstorm imprint. What is it about the characters that you think has made them so successful?
MIKE COSTA: I think it was an example of another sea-change in comics. It was a microcosm of what Stan (Lee) and Jack (Kirby) did in the '60s, or what Alan Moore and Frank Miller and a bunch of other guys did in the '80s, and what the Image guys did in the '90s. It's a couple geniuses who were born to make comics coming in and re-inventing the entire idiom. The Authority was popular because it set out to be "the next big thing" and it was. It captured and codified everything that comics needed coming out of the stormy, turbulent '90s. It was a big, crazy thrill-machine, and it decompressed all of the density that had weighed down comics like a millstone. It took 60-year-old concepts and re-built them into something dangerous and new. Sure, it was cynical and hollow, but it was meant to be hollow. Now it's up to our generation of creators to fill it all up. The Authority cleared the table by yanking the cloth and smashing everything. Now we get to reset it. It's a fantastic time to be making comics, and Ellis and Hitch are two of the big reasons.
FIONA STAPLES: I think the characters are appealing as a reaction to mainstream superhero comics. They just go a little bit farther in everything they do, and they cross lines that other characters (and comics) can't. And it's racy and gory.
What is the most interesting aspect of Jack Hawksmoor from a creator's point of view?
FIONA: It's the way he treats being a superhero as a full-time job, and puts on a business suit to beat up bad guys. Jack knows he would look ridiculous in a leotard. And his powers are exceptionally cool and unique.
MIKE: His powers, for sure. Jack is in the awesome position of being right in that rare no-man's land of having powers that are at once totally unique, and also largely unexplored.
But equally unexplored is who Jack is as a person. What goes on in his head. One of the most important goals I had in telling the story of Jack Hawksmoor's past was figuring out his emotional arc. I mean, think about it—when we first meet him in Stormwatch, maybe he's a little gruff, but he's also idealistic, compassionate, and he actually cries when he's forced to kill those first few times. I had to figure out the way to get there from a guy who's basically been the victim of horrifying, disfiguring abuse all his young life, which basically turned him into an isolated freak. Doesn't sound like that kid would turn out to be the most well-adjusted guy, you know? So working that out was really the most interesting part.
Of all the characters in the Authority, Jack Hawksmoor might be the most mysterious. Is that an aspect of the character that appealed to you? Or would you rather have had someone whose origins and history were a little more fleshed out? Since there have been very few solo stories featuring Hawksmoor, did you find that challenging or liberating?
MIKE: Liberating for sure. In going back through all the old Stormwatch and Authority back issues, I discovered that Jack actually has more details revealed about his past than many of the other members. Which, really, still isn't much. But it was just enough to give me some mythology to build upon—basically I'm hoping this gives me a foundation that readers are already familiar with to really build some new, unseen aspects of Jack's character out of. It's the best of both worlds, really.
From the preview pages, it's obvious that the rest of the Authority will play at least a minor role in the story. Based on the title, however, we'd have to assume that this is mostly a story about Authority Leader, Jack Hawksmoor. What type of story did you feel would suit the character best? Is it over the top action, in the traditional Authority style? Or is it more grounded, going back to Jack's earlier days as an urban crime-fighter?
MIKE: Excellent question—because this is exactly what I asked myself when I started on the project. The purpose of the "Secret Origins" series is to illuminate the pasts of The Authority's main cast and let the reader get to know them better in solo adventures, so I wanted the story to be very rooted in who Jack is and what he does. Jack obviously gets his powers from cities, but it was really important for me to not tell a story that just happens to take place in a city—but to try to tap a genre that is specifically "urban." And given that a few of Jack's early solo adventures involved murder-mysteries, a noir/detective angle seemed to fit perfectly. So the first issue hits all the notes—brooding internal monologue, moody, atmospheric San Francisco nights, a femme fatale, and a body murdered under mysterious circumstances. That all said, it's an Authority book, so it also has a giant robot and a huge action sequence on the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a delicate balance between the intimate and the over-the-top but I try to keep it all grounded in that pragmatic, Raymond-Chandler style.
With a name like Secret History of The Authority, it would make sense that the story is from Hawksmoor's earlier days. Yet the preview pages seem to take place in the present. Will the story be mostly a flashback, or will it be a blend of present and past?
MIKE: The main story is a flashback. The first seven pages of the first issue do indeed take place in the present, because we felt it was important to have a framing sequence for the reader—to show who Jack is now, and then jump back to show how he became that guy from the person he was. We return to the present at the end of the final issue, but the bulk of the six-issues is a story that takes place just before Jack is recruited by Stormwatch.
Interview continues below preview pages
Speaking of the book's pages, I've got to say that they look great. Fiona, considering the artists who have worked on the characters in the past and their distinctive styles, did you find that their work influenced how you approached the book? Or did you try and establish your own unique take on characters?
FIONA: Thank you! I went through a lot of the previous Authority books trying to figure out what direction to take with the art. They've been drawn so many different ways by now that I'm not sure there is a single definitive style to be associated with the characters—I think each artist that draws them does it their own unique way, so I am doing the same. Not necessarily to "leave my mark" on the character, but also because I couldn't draw like Bryan Hitch or Frank Quitely if I tried. It would be embarrassing for everyone if I tried to ape their styles.
Since you work without an inker, how do you handle the process? Is it something that you do as you go, or is it more the two-step process that is a more traditional approach in the medium, where you draw the pages and then ink them later on?
FIONA: I'm working 100 percent digitally on this book, using Photoshop CS3 and a 12" Cintiq. So my pencils aren't literally pencils, just rough digital sketches, and my "inking" is when I go over those drawings again and refine the lines with a smaller brush. We are on a very tight schedule so I usually do all the pencils first, then send them to be lettered while I finish the inks and colors.
Of all the Authority members, Hawksmoor is the one that looks the least like a traditional superhero. Do you feel that affected how you approached the book from an artistic standpoint?
FIONA: Totally. I've never drawn superhero stuff before so I think this is a good character for me to start with. Since Jack doesn't look like a traditional superhero, maybe it's okay for this series not to look like a traditional superhero comic. The story bends the genre as well, dipping into mystery and sci-fi territory quite a bit—so I'm trying not to worry about making it look like a "superhero comic," which I have very little experience with, and just focusing on telling the story and creating a mood and a sense of the urban environment.
As I said earlier, Hawksmoor's origin is a bit vague. He was abducted and altered by aliens to be the ultimate urban human. Any chance that this story will expand on that origin in any way? Or are you introducing any other elements of his past that perhaps haven't been seen yet?
MIKE: Both, actually. Jack's origin plays a huge part in the story. If you remember, while Ellis established that Jack was constantly abducted and altered by aliens throughout his childhood, Mark Millar later revealed that it wasn't actually aliens, but instead it was people from the 70th century who were so advanced they only seemed like aliens.. Since then, there's been some confusion as to which explanation is the "true" one. I can tell you—in this series, as Jack investigates what's going on in and with the city of San Francisco, the answers lead to some surprising places about who Jack is and why he can do the things he can do. We'll fill in all the gaps. Well—maybe not all. What fun would that be?
Like I said before, taking the readers on that journey—from Jack basically being an isolated, angry guy to the true hero we know him as today—that's what the story is really about. And in order to get there, he's going to have to answer some questions about where he comes from, wrestle some demons from his past and a few giant robots.
Without ruining anything for readers—what is the part of this series that each of you is most proud of? What is the point in the story where you really think you will "wow" your audience, either with a really cool action sequence or a really powerful character moment?
FIONA: I think the final showdown will be pretty spectacular, but I can't ruin it by saying anything about it! Also, I'm proud of myself for learning how to draw water and cigarette smoke.
MIKE: Wow, this is a tough question. I really did my best to make sure that there's at least one really great action sequence/slap in the face/cliffhanger per issue, if not more. The character of Juliet (our story's Femme Fatale) in particular I think is going to surprise a lot of people. She's got Jack's number, and they have some great scenes together. Though this is a story about Jack's past that's going to throw a lot of light on who he is and where he comes from, I was determined to avoid just unpacking a lot of stagnant exposition. I wanted to make sure things kept moving and asses kept getting kicked. That said, as a writer, I have to say there's a sequence in issue five that I'm particularly proud of. It was the thing that took me the longest to figure out, and when you guys read it you'll know what I'm talking about. I hope you like it.
Really though, looking at Fiona's art, I'm insanely proud of the whole thing. I can't tell you guys how amazing she is, and how fantastic her work is. I mean, seriously. This book looks incredible. I know that's not really fair since I can't take credit for how good she is—though I wish I could—but the pride more comes from how lucky I am to have a finished product that looks this amazing. This is my first book, and I've been reading comics for 20 years. That's more than long enough to know that normally, when a writer breaks in his first book is supposed to be drawn by someone who got fired off of drawing the comic-strips you get in knock-off Hasbro action-figure packages, so I know exactly how incredibly lucky I am to be working on such a cool character with such an incredible team. This book is going to make Fiona Staples one of the hottest, most sought-after artists in comics, mark my words. That, more than anything, is something I'll look back on with pride a couple years from now when she's too big for me to work with again.
Finally, what is on the horizon for each of you? Any other Authority members you would like to take on?
MIKE: Wildstorm has such amazing plans coming up that really, this is the best time to be a part of their universe in years. So many awesome shake-ups are coming—you're spoiled for choice with awesome characters.
That said, Zealot's always been a personal favorite of mine, but out of the Authority I really would love to do something with the new Doctor, Habib Ben Hassan. We hardly know anything about him except this: one minute the guy's about to detonate himself as a suicide bomber, the next he's suddenly empathically connected to every living organism on the planet as the Shaman of the Global village. If that's not a compelling setup for a character, I can't tell you what is.
FIONA: I'm working on another WildStorm book after this—not an Authority one this time though! If I had the chance to do another Authority character, it would be the Doctor. The new one is an interesting guy with his keffiyeh and haircut and strange origin.
