Sheryl:
For the uninitiated, Von, tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
Von Allan :
I'm a Canadian writer and artist and I make comics. I've been doing that for the past few years and self-published my first graphic novel, "the "road" to god knows...," in October 2009. ""Stargazer" Volume 1," an all-ages graphic novel, followed in April 2010. And I'm just getting ready to publish the concluding volume of ""Stargazer""in the next couple of months. My main website is at http://www.vonallan.com and you can find links to both "Stargazer" and "road" there.
I came to comics pretty late. Actually, I came to art pretty late so I've been racing to grow and develop as both a writer and an artist. It's not been an easy process, but I certainly think I'm getting there.
Sheryl:
Your first graphic novel The "road" to god knows featuring a girl dealing with her mother's schizophrenia, was nominated for a Lulu award. This is an honor not usually accorded to male comics creators and at the time created a big stink. How did you feel about being nominated?
Von Allan :
I thought it was fantastic to be nominated. I was actually nominated in three categories and my wife in one other one. The uncontroversial ones (as far as I know) were the following: Best Female Character (Marie in "road") and Lulu of the Year ("road"). The controversial ones were the Kim Yale Award for Most Talented Newcomer and, to a lesser extent, the Woman of Distinction (Samantha's editing work on "road"). Now, to be very clear: we had no control over the nomination process. When the Lulu's nomination period began, I figured that I was eligible in two categories (Best Female Character and Lulu of the Year) and that was that. Since anyone can vote, I did what most creators have always done: I asked friends to vote and I suggested these two categories. My understanding is that when everything was tallied, we were nominated in the four categories I mentioned above. I was surprised mainly because I, like many other people, didn't think I'd be eligible for the Kim Yale Award. As it turns out, based on Valerie Gallaher's (nee D'Orazio, then president of the Friends of Lulu) understanding, the Kim Yale is open to creators of any gender. But the decision to allow my nomination was, as it turned out, very controversial; I wasn't actually bothered either way...I was honestly just pleased to be nominated at all.
My only frustration was that throughout this entire controversy very few people mentioned the positive reviews that "road" received from both the Library Journal (http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6722288.html?industryid=47115) and the American Library Association's Booklist Online (http://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=3931702). For a self-published first-time graphic novel, those were fantastic reviews from major review sites that don't often review self-published work. That's not an argument for or against the nomination of my graphic novel, but I think it would have given the situation more context and illustrated that "road" did indeed have merit.
Sheryl:
Your second graphic novel "Stargazer", comes in two parts. Is there a creative reason for that?
Von Allan :
Nope! More like a pragmatic reason. When one is self-publishing there's no upfront money or a regular page rate to help pay the bills. Since creating comics is so time intensive I felt it was a good idea to break the story into two parts and publish them separately. Hopefully that doesn't sound crass, but it was relatively important to do at the time.
It's not an ideal situation and I have mixed feelings about doing it. Why? Well, "Stargazer" was originally conceived as one complete story and that's really how it's meant to be read. I'm proud of the first volume and I think it works well on its own, but it definitely ends on a cliffhanger and raises more questions than it answers. In a sense that's exciting but I'll be curious to see what people think when they can read both volumes and see the entire story.
That said, reviews for the first volume were positive so this could be a case of the creator being a bit too close to the work!
Sheryl:
"Stargazer" also follows the life of a female protagonist. Do you feel that smart girls are under-represented in mainstream media or do you just like the challenge of telling stories from the vantage point of the opposite sex?
Von Allan :
Both. I definitely think that smart girls are vastly under-represented in media and especially in comics. There are exceptions, of course, but I really wanted to do a story that featured girls in the roles of protagonists rather than supporting characters or damsels in distress. And I didn't just want there to be one strong girl. "Stargazer" was very deliberately structured as an ensemble piece that featured three girls (Marni, Sophie and Elora), all friends but each different and with their own personalities. While the story primarily follows Marni, I think all three characters are strong and distinctive in their own right. They aren't perfect and they certainly aren't experienced and I think this plays a big role in the story. The mistakes they make are oriented around a lack of experience rather than stupidity or whatnot. I tried hard to base that on reality; the kids I've met are smart but they don't have a lot of life experience. As a result, context can be a problem. I kept that very much in mind when I was writing the script.
When it comes to comics in particular, I had a variety of imagery in my mind. Probably the most striking was Marc Swayze's early design work on Mary Marvel. He did a brilliant cover for Captain Marvel Adventures #19 that has stayed with me for quite some time (side note: I did a post covering this more in depth at http://Stargazer.vonallan.com/2010/11/marc-swayze-mary-marvel-and-Stargazer.html). I liked that his version of Mary was younger than how other people often depicted her. I also suspect that it influenced Jeff Smith's design work for his "Monster Society of Evil" mini-series a few years back. Frankly, I think it's sad that there doesn't seem to be room for younger characters in comics today. I wanted to challenge that a bit with "Stargazer" and try to show that stories featuring kids can be engrossing. Respecting them and not belittling them is a big component of that.
Another reason is personal; my wife and I know a number of people who've had children recently, and many of these kids are girls. When I survey comics and pop culture in general, I don't see that many positive role-models out there. There are some, sure, but not enough. I wanted to create a comic that would hopefully address some of this. I won't know for a few years if I've managed to accomplish it, but here's hoping!
To your second point: yeah, I do enjoy the challenge of trying to write different types of characters. With "road" I created what I hope (and what reviews have said) is a believable portrayal of two teen girls and I thought it would be an interesting challenge to try and create believable younger characters. I think I've managed to accomplish that.
Sheryl:
Both graphic novels deal with loss in some way, Marie with the worsening condition of her mother and the challenges of facing puberty without that support system and Marni is dealing with the death of her grandmother. Was that deliberate or a coincidence?
Von Allan :
Very deliberate. It's actually why I chose to have Marni's name echo Marie's name. The main difference between the two, at least as I see it, is that Marie is a bit older, with more life experience, and she's better able to think things through and communicate her problems to her best friend, Kelly. Marie's problem in "road" is really one of letting go. She realizes that her mom is in a very personal form of hell and that the schizophrenia is overwhelming her. Marie is forced to come to the realization that she cannot solve this problem for her mom. She loves her deeply and wants to help, but all she can do is offer her support. Whether her mom is able to overcome her problems is ultimately a solitary battle and Marie cannot fight it for her; she simply doesn't have the training or the skills to do more. At the same time, Marie is also learning to navigate her own life and learning how to stand on her own two feet as she becomes a young woman.
One of things I wanted to do with "Stargazer" is revisit and re-examine that whole concept of letting go from the point of view of a younger character. Marni, like Marie, is dealing with loss. Unlike Marie, Marni is having a very difficult time letting go of her grandmother. She's unable to talk with her parents about it and even discussing it with her friends is very difficult. She's very alone. When, during the course of the story, she's confronted with someone who may be her grandmother, she can't talk to her friends about it; she's unable to question it, while Marie, if confronted with a similar situation, would have been able to, I think. It's a difference between the two characters; their life experience, their ages, and so on. Marni is groping for answers.
Sheryl:
The thing I really like about ""Stargazer Volume One" is its Wizard of Oz moment, when Marni and her friends step out into this alien landscape. Do you think that taking the girls out of their familiar environment gives you the opportunity to show us something about the girls and/or the human condition?
Von Allan :
Yes, though not so much about the human condition. What I wanted to do is strip away the world of adults that most kids are forced to deal with everyday. In "Stargazer", when they suddenly find themselves somewhere else, they realize that they are truly alone. There are no other adults, no other people (at least in the beginning), and the girls are left to their own devices. It was never meant to be a hardcore survival story. Rather, I wanted to show that through friendship and ingenuity they can solve at least some of the issues that they are facing. There's a contrast: they can work together to solve some of their more immediate physical problems, but communication on a deeper emotional level is far more difficult, especially for Marni.
I think part of what interests me about this type of fantasy story (one in which the known world is taken away and replaced with something alien) is how the characters react. The girls not only figure out a way to survive but they actively begin problem-solving as they try to discover a way home. Part of the situation they face is just one of alien-ness. The world they encounter is very different than the one they know and it's also changing on them quite rapidly. When they first appear, for instance, it's almost like the world is in late autumn. As they begin to explore it, life begins erupting all around them. They don't have answers for this but they are aware of it. How they deal with the strange world and their surroundings, how they rationalize it and survive in it, is a big part of the story.
Sheryl:
Who is the audience for "Stargazer"? Is it an all ages graphic novel or do you have a specific audience in mind?
Von Allan :
Definitely all-ages. I wanted to do a dark fantasy story that anyone could read, but that a younger reader could also enjoy. While I think it's scary at times and very sad in places, it's not done in an overly graphic mature readers kind of way. I don't have any problems with work geared for adults. I believe that one of the best things to have happened to comics over the past 20 years is the development of a more diverse range of material than what we've seen in previous decades. At the same time, though, there has been a loss of true all-ages material and that's a shame. I also don't believe that all-ages means that kids have to be the showcased characters. Far from it. "Stargazer" happens to be about kids, but I think that material can feature adults and still be all-ages.
Sheryl:
This alien landscape has good elements and sinister elements in it. In the "road to god knows . . ." I never felt apprehensive reading the story. There are moments in "Stargazer" where I do. Is that intentional?
Von Allan :
Yup, absolutely! "Stargazer" is a dark fantasy, plain and simple. It's not so much that the landscape is overtly hostile to them, but it's also not benign. They are lost in a very different world and that world works differently than what they've come to know on Earth. This actually plays a major part in the second volume and helps explain some of the mysteries and coincidences that the girls experience in Volume One.
Sheryl:
What can we look forward to in Volume Two of "Stargazer"? Will all of the questions raised in Volume One be resolved?
Von Allan :
For the most part, yes. Do I answer every single thing, though? No. And that's deliberate. There are certain things that I've left open-ended, mainly because I don't think resolving every single thing adds anything to the story. If anything, it would bog it down. If I've done my job right, there should be at least a few moments of "Oh, that's why that was the like that." Hopefully it catches the reader off-guard and challenges some of their thoughts of the first volume. It's also one of the things that makes me the most nervous. See, I understand the story and its various nuances since I'm the one who created it. My main job, though, is to try to communicate the story to the reader in the best way I know how. For most readers, I'm hoping that when they finish the final page of Volume Two there's a moment of clarity and understanding. And then, when they re-read both volumes, they can reinterpret situations with a new context. That would be fantastic for me!
Sheryl:
When can we look forward to seeing Volume Two in print?
Von Allan :
Soon! It will arrive in better comic book stores, book stores and through online retailers on October 12th. It's also pre-orderable in the August 2011 edition of Diamond Comic Distributors' Previews catalogue with an order code of AUG111259.
Sheryl:
You use the graphic novel format to tell your stories rather than comics. Why?
Von Allan :
This is a case of distribution concerns trumping format. It's not because I believe in one format rather than the other. I love periodical comics as much as I love graphic novels. I feel, though, that when one is starting out and still trying to get established as a creator, having as many distribution avenues as possible is a pragmatic way to go. With a periodical comic I'm primarily reliant on comic shops. With a graphic novel I broaden access, chiefly through book stores, online retailers, and libraries. That's critically important. If someone hears about my work and would like to try it, that broader access makes it easier for them to find me. With a periodical comic, it would be far more difficult. Not impossible, but more difficult. It's also been much easier to keep my work in print and that's something else that's important to me. When publishing periodical comics this becomes challenging: you can have copies of issues 1, 3, and 4 on hand...but if you're out of stock of issue 2, do you reprint? If you don't, you might hurt future sales because it's harder for someone to collect an entire run. If you do, then you might overestimate demand and wind up having too many copies of issue 2. This becomes harder if you're only selling 1500 copies or so. Or, you could collect all the single issues in a trade paperback and let the individual issues go out of print.
Graphic novels have advantages when it comes to situations like this. The drawback is the amount of time that goes into creating graphic novels. Volume 1 of "Stargazer" is 122 pages long and Volume 2 is 110. While those numbers include extra features and the like, it's still quite a bit of work before the material is collected and published, which is hard to plan and budget for. However, once I'm more established, I'd really like to explore periodical comics. I think Terry Moore's work flow (24 page comics published every 6 weeks) is admirable and a very good template. Of course, Moore is incredibly well-established now and has an audience that's eager for new work. For a lesser-known creator, it's very difficult to do something like that and be successful. This has been made very clear by both conversations with my rep at Diamond, discussions with retailers, and my own analysis of sales patterns. If I can't make it work, then what I may wind up doing is something closer to bande dessinee: full-colour comics in a hardcover format that are roughly 48 pages in length. Possibly combined with webcomics. We'll see.
Sheryl:
What is your next project after "Stargazer"? Do have anything in mind yet?
Von Allan :
I do, but I'm still in the early brainstorming stage. So I can't say very much about it yet! It'll be a departure from my previous work, though, and I think that's a very good thing.
A preview of "Stargazer" can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/l/OAQBCKI-IAQC_rC2xMtCTlr6TvvPmx1oWT--m_1oZOcQrEg/stargazer.vonallan.com/2011/07/stargazer-previews.html
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