I've known Texas writer Drew Edwards for years. As the writer of the comic Halloween Man, Drew is as prolific as he is entertaining. In this interview, we discuss his latest trade Halloween Man: Superdeformed and the changes going on with his character and in his life.
Sheryl:
Your Halloween Man: Superdeformed. comic comes in a digest size, rather than a trade paperback size. I like that. What was the rationale for publishing it in that format?
Drew Edwards:
There's two reasons. One it's a little more cost effective. It's cheaper for me and cheaper for the buyer. Also, I just like the look of it. It reminds of me of the old comic digests you'd get the store.
Sheryl:
You redid Halloween Man's origin story. What did you change and why?
Drew Edwards:
Because I was 18 when I wrote the original version. I'd like to think I'm a better writer now. Think of it as a singer going back to an older recording. I just wanted to flesh it out and tie up some of the wrinkles. Beef it up and improve it. There's a lot of about the earlier stories that don't make a lot of sense.
Sheryl:
I notice that each story in the book has a different coloring scheme, some are colorful, some are noir. How much input did you have with the artist on how you'd like the story to look?
Drew Edwards:
I was fairly hands off with the art team with most of the stories in the TPB. I felt like I'd get better results if I just let them have fun. It's what this project is about after all.
Having said that, I do have my opinions on how things should look and I'm not shy about voicing them. But I'm not a troll about it. At least, I don't think I am. Heh.
Sheryl:
Obviously this is an alterative history to our universe. How was Dallas destroyed in WWII? Have you written a story about it yet, or do you plan to?
Drew Edwards:
In Halloween Man's world, the war spilled over on to American soil. Dallas was destroyed by Nazi supervillains. I don't really have any plans to directly show it in flashback or anything. Although it will be more directly addressed in the future.
Sheryl:
I note you have moved a couple of places since we last talked. Why did you leave Dallas? Do you think a change in scenery gave you inspiration for which you could write different stories?
Drew Edwards:
I moved from Dallas because my of ex-wife's career. She's a Marilyn Monroe impersonator and Las Vegas is a logical place to be for that kind of thing. When we divorced, the first thing I did is move back to my beloved home state of Texas.
Las Vegas is a very...well...to be blunt...it's a dark place. It's built on broken promises and lost dreams. So I think the stories I wrote there took on a much more cynical tone. When readers get to the stories I wrote in Vegas, I think they'll know and they'll be a little taken back at the sudden change in tone.
Sheryl:
You must have been a fan of horror movies as a kid. What are your favorites and why?
Drew Edwards:
My all-time favorite is the Bride of Frankenstein. It's such a lovely, sad, funny film. Though I'm also a huge fan of the Friday the 13th series.
Sheryl:
Halloween Man: Superdeformed is a collection of some of your stories. How did you decide what to include and what to exclude? Were you going for iconic characters or significant stories or an underlying theme?
Drew Edwards:
We picked the stories that seemed to fit best together visually. There were one or two stories that I would have liked to put in, but we didn't have the room. So buy a lot of copies and we'll put 'em in the second TPB. Heh.
Sheryl:
I notice that the underlying theme in your stories in Superdeformed is one of alienation and belonging. Is it a social commentary about being different in society?
Drew Edwards:
It totally is! I think it's a common link that both monster movies and superhero comics share. So it's natural to find it here in a splicing of both genres.
Sheryl:
I really LOVED your superhero romp! It was a pure joy to see the subtle satire involved. You seemed to lampoon both DC and Marvel quite well. Was that your goal, because man, it made me laugh out loud.
Drew Edwards:
Well, like all good spoofs, it comes from love. I grew up reading Marvel and DC comics. So when goofing on superheroes, it's the natural way to go.
Sheryl:
Now I am curious, your last story in the book hinted about a new direction for Halloween Man. What direction are your taking Solomon Hitch and Lucy and company?
Drew Edwards:
It's just going to get a lot harder for them I'm afraid. Things are going to get real bad, really fast.
Sheryl:
I see you built a story about El Muerte, an old Texas legend. Are we going to see stories featuring the Marfa lights and aliens or El Chupacabra?
Drew Edwards:
Maybe. You'll just have to wait and see.
Sheryl:
I read you are relaunching your website. Is it going to be at the same URL and what can we expect to see there?
Drew Edwards:
It's the same URL, but it's going to be monthly!
Sheryl:
Where can people order Halloween Man:Superdeformed. for themselves?
Drew Edwards:
Sheryl:
Anything you'd like to add?
Drew Edwards:
