I met Drew Edwards at Uncommon Con last November when
my mom went and picked up a copy of the ashcan of his
online comic called Halloween Man. Seeing that this
is the October issue of the Collector Times, Halloween
Man seems like an appropriate interview; doesnt it? Ive
seen Drew a couple times since last November at
conventions in the Dallas area. If you happen to be
in the area, you should go to the conventions. You
might even get to see Drew there. Drew is an inventive
writer, and a really cool guy. You should go check
out Halloween Man for yourself at after you get through with
this interview.
Sidra:
We know youre a Texas creator. Were you born
in Texas and do you think that influences your
writing?
Drew Edwards:
I'm a Texan. Born, raised, and will die
here if I have anything to say about it! I love this state
with all my heart! I don't care how square that
sounds. To answer your second half of this question,
it's a major influence. Texas is steeped in heroic
myth. I also located Solar City (Halloween Man's home
town) in Texas because there aren't enough good
superheroes from the Lone Star State.
Sidra:
Out of sheer curiosity were you a writing geek
in high school like I was?
Drew Edwards:
I wrote mostly in private. I was what
you might call a thug/nerd in high school. I was
always getting in schoolyard brawls with jocks and
stoners. All kinds of hormone-fueled machismo, kind of
stupid when you look back on it. Hey, it seemed to
make sense to me at the time.
Sidra:
When did you decide you wanted to write a comicbook?
Drew Edwards:
I've always loved comics, they let me
escape my somewhat troubled life and provided me with
good role models. At the same time, I've always liked
monster movies and old sci-fi stuff, so early on I
started creating characters based off of that. My
first attempt at writing comics was a character called
"Jack Frost", kind of a "proto-Halloween man." Jack
was a pissed off, vampire hunting snowman. The first
of my many freakish monster fighters leading up to
Halloween Man. A local kid was going to draw it for me
and the school newspaper planned to print it. Alas,
they (school board) felt it was a bit too violent, so
Jack died an early death. Out of spite, I keep Jack
Frost on my resume however.
Sidra:
Why is Halloween Man a primarily an online
comicbook instead of a print comicbook? Do you think
that paper printing prices are so high theyre
discouraging indie print books?
Drew Edwards:
Cost is a MAJOR factor for me. Keep in
mind at this point, I'm making zero profit off this.
I'm lucky when I break even on the cost. Thankfully, my
art team and the various webmasters I've worked with
have been understanding of my money woes. God bless 'em!
I do however, like working in the online format, you
reach a lot of people that way. I would like to do
print sometime. Perhaps an ongoing series or a nice
trade paper back, but I'll always try and keep
Halloween Man online going because that's where the
beast was born. Online comics are still very young, so
there are some growing pains, but I'm glad to be a
part of it.
Sidra:
If you could write any book what would it be and why?
Drew Edwards:
I'd kill to do a Fantastic Four series
at some point. I'd make the Mole Man into the bad ass
he should be. Everyone down plays him to the other
"Fan4" villains, but the Mole Man could take the
world! He has all this super technology, "back doors"
to every country in the world, and a willing army of
giant monsters. Done right, he'd be next to
un-stoppable.
Then of course there's Guy Gardner, the greatest
superhero EVER!!! At this point however, I'd have to
arm wrestle Beau Smith over the chance to write a new
Guy series.
Sidra:
We know you like Guy Gardner. Youre so nice,
is Guy your alter-ego?
Drew Edwards:
I have my REALLY nasty moments just like
everyone does. That is the reason Guy works so well,
he's relatable. Far more than Kyle Rayner or Hal
Jordan ever are, that's not a knock on those
characters, mind you. Guy is just the most human of all
the Green Lanterns. Everyone who has ever felt stepped
on has a little bit of Guy in them. The part of you
that wants to mouth off to the cop who just gave you a
ticket . . . that's Guy there. Guy gives the finger to
authority, only in his case it's Superman and Batman.
Sidra:
Okay, Drew, heres your soapbox. Tell us what
you think about DC killing Guy Gardner?
Drew Edwards:
Well DC right now doesn't seem to care
about its second stringers. Which is a shame, because
they are far more interesting than a lot of the
headliners. The worst thing is, DC hasn't shown
definitively IF Guy died or not. Hell, give me a Guy
Gardner series and I'll make it a top twenty seller.
Sidra:
Youve got a beautiful, model fiancé. Our
theory is the reason you got her is you have
conversational skills beyond "Who would win if . . . "
Whats you advice for the fanboys and fangirls out
there?
Drew Edwards:
Hmmm, I'm the Don Juan of comics am I? I
don't feel I did anything special beyond being polite.
With that in mind, anyone's approachable. I don't care
if someone has an extra head, make them feel normal
and you will hit it off. Stunningly attractive people,
are still just normal folk at the end of the day.
Sidra:
Its one thing to be able to write, its
another thing to be able to track down artists to draw
for your writing. How do you manage it?
Drew Edwards:
The internet was a huge help again. I
found my original artist Jeff Wood on the net. My
current colorist Clint Davidson I found on the net as
well. I later met Terry Parr at a convention, we hit
it off. We have a creative kin-menship. We both love
monster movies, old comics, and punk rock. It's real
fun to work with him.
Sidra:
Where did you come up with your idea for Halloween Man?
Drew Edwards:
Well the idea of a character who is
slowly made less human looking over time is an idea
I've always played around with. I've always been
interested in people who were deformed for some
reason. I used to read a lot about sideshows and the
like, so most of my early superheroes were deformed.
Solomon's look evolved out of that. He will mutate
more as the series progresses.
My love of monster hunters came STRONGLY from the film
"Ghostbusters." I still watch it about two times a
year. The feel of "Halloween Man" is closely tied to
"Ghostbusters" and the Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four. At
least I hope I've captured that feel.
The idea of a monster hunting other monsters isn't a
new one, I suppose. From "Hellboy" to "Vampire Hunter
D," it's a great theme. I just hope people like my take
on it.
Sidra:
Man Goat is a unique vision. Where did you come
with the idea of the character and are we going to see
his role in the comic expands?
Drew Edwards:
I'd like to take total credit for this
but I can't. Man-Goat is based on one of my role
playing game buddy's characters. A loser hero named
"Goat Guy." I bought the rights to the character but
at the point the comic was going to be drawn, the
character had been changed a lot. It didn't feel like
"Goat Guy" to me anymore, too much had been changed. I
had pretty much created a new character who looked
somewhat like "Goat Guy." So I dubbed the character
"Man-Goat" and un-leased him on the world.
Ron will have parts in the stories depending on the
need for him. I have a big supporting cast, so I have
to balance it out. Later on down the line I have big
plans for him. In some ways, he's the most heroic
character in the series.
Sidra:
The thing that sticks out about Halloween Man
is the depth of the characters and the realistic
dialogue between the characters. Do you draw a lot
from real people and real life or do you just imagine
how situations would happen naturally?
Drew Edwards:
I draw a lot on people I know. A lot of
Lucy's dialogue is taken from things Jami says.
Man-Goat is a combo of a lot of people I know. Solomon
and Nickodemis are different parts of my personality.
I have no idea where Morlack's dialogue comes from. I
guess I get in touch with my inner, dirty, old man.
While the characters in Halloween Man are larger than
life, I do try to keep them relatable. I have to put
myself in their shoes a lot.
Some days I'm left wondering what someone would say
when faced with a caveman from outer space or a
vampire robot from hell. Sometimes it works, sometimes
it doesn't.
Sidra:
Do you have a plan for the way that the course
of the book will run or are you figuring it out as you
go along?
Drew Edwards:
I'm in it for the long haul. I've got
plans for at least 50 issues, beyond that I have some
other ideas that aren't as worked out. It's going in a
direction, one that people will be more aware of in
coming story lines.
Sidra:
And two more questions . . . when can we look
forward to our next issue of Halloween Man and what
can we expect in the future?
Drew Edwards:
The next installment should be in early
October. Then, we are going to try for more regular
installments after that. But its hard with everyone
involved having to work day jobs. But like I said, we
are in it for the long haul. These stories will be
finished. Here's a few hints of the future! More
trolls, more Man-Goat, and giant cockroach agogo!
Solomon battles the Loch Ness Monster ! Lucy battles a
cyber punk gang! Look out for PRESIDENT Vincent Price,
the place superheroes go when they aren't popular
enough, and a MEAN son of a gun called the Phantom
Hood! Thats a lot and any more would be telling
kiddies ;)
Guest Interviewer Sidra Roberts