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Bishop Interview Part 3
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Audio
dramas from Big Finish |
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Do you go
the recording sessions of the audio dramas? Ever been tempted to try your own
skills on the mic?
I've been to most of the recording sessions for my audio dramas. I was gutted
to miss the taping of my latest Dredd disc, War Crimes. It was written as a two-header,
just two characters in a room. To make that dynamic, interesting and introduce
plot revelations without resorting to cheap surprise was a tough challenge. Happily,
War Crimes has been the best received of all my Dredd audios to date. Among my
ambitions is to write radio plays, so it's a boost to know I can make a success
of the two-hander format.
If you go to almost any audio drama recording, you usually end up helping create
crowd noises and reactions. But my acting is limited to the local amateur dramatic
group, which is probably the best place for it.
In the audios, you have created some great secondary characters, are we
going to see any more of them in the future?
I don't know, to be honest. I've written five Dredd audios for Big Finish and
vowed War Crimes would be my last. Also I've recently written my fifth Dredd novel
(Kingdom of the Blind, published by Black Flame in November) and vowed that would
be my last for that medium. So I'll be lacking in opportunities to revive my own
creations if I stick to my guns.
Thrill Power Overload was a massive success with Megazine readers, offering
a surprisingly candid look at the development of the comic. Are there any plans
to produce a collected version of this?
Titan turned it down, perhaps because they were about to lose the licence to publish
2000 AD graphic novels. I negotiated with another publisher for most of a year
before they decided it wasn't for them - that was extremely frustrating. So Rebellion
and I are talking about possibilities. When TPO was running in the Meg Rebellion
had no background in book publishing and I was reluctant to have the company take
on the book rights (I only sold first British serial rights on TPO to the Megazine).
Now Rebellion are much better placed to publish a book version of TPO, especially
with the DC deal opening up the US market as well. So fingers crossed it will
happen. There's a lot of material that didn't make the serialised version for
reasons of space. The Megazine chapters ran to about 80,000 words. A book edition,
revised and expanded, could easily hit 120,000.
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The
latest Dredd novel |
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Were there
any stories that you had to leave out of TPO for fear of offending anyone? And
how difficult was it to get the interviews? How different was the TPO experience
to Blazing Battle Action?
Some things were left out of TPO because they were in danger of being libellous
or certainly very offensive to some people. In some cases it will have to wait
until after people are dead before the full story comes out, and perhaps not even
then. Most of the interviews were easy to get, thanks to my having worked on the
Megazine and/or 2000 AD for all of the 1990s. Some people took a while to track
down - Gerry Finley-Day proved elusive, I almost despaired of finding former IPC
publisher John Sanders - and some I never did find. If anyone knows the whereabouts
of Tom Tully or Alan Hebden, please let me know! My biggest regret was the three
men who declined to be interviewed - Alan Moore, Alan Mackenzie and Richard Burton.
If the TPO book happens I'll certainly approach the latter two again and see if
they've changed their minds. Happily Alan Moore has been giving plenty of 2000
AD-related interviews since TPO so I'm not short of material for quotes from him,
even if I haven't interviewed him myself.
Blazing Battle Action was a different kettle of fish because I knew very little
about the comic going in. I had to assemble a near complete collection of Battle
(some 650 issues) and then start reading them. Finding the creators was a lot
harder - some are dead and most didn't go on to work for 2000 AD, so I didn't
have contacts for them. The editorial staff also proved very elusive to find and
Pat Mills declined to be interviewed by me for it, apparently due to unhappiness
with some elements of TPO.
Fortunately John Wagner gave me some invaluable insights into his work on the
comic, and former Battle Dave Hunt was an absolute star and very generous with
his time.
Your column for Comics International often offered a welcomingly jaded
look at the comic book industry. Why did you decide to call it a day on this -
and is there a chance you'll take up columnist work again?
I ran out of things to be angry about. To be honest I only go to a comic shop
once a month now. There aren't many US comics that excite me, so I found it hard
to have something new to say. Right now I'm buying Sleeper, Bone, Gotham Knights,
Strangers in Paradise and not much else.
Are there any characters, 2000AD or otherwise, that you would like a chance
to write? Are there any characters that you think should be consigned to the waste
bin, never to return?
If it comes off, I could be writing a 2000 AD novel featuring one of my favourite
characters - I hope I can do him justice. I'd like to have a crack at writing
Dredd in strip form, where the character is at its purist. There's an obscure
old DC series I'd love to revive for Vertigo, but I need to get more comics writing
under my belt first.
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The
Phantom, written by David Bishop |
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A lot of your
contemporaries have made the leap in to American comics, have you never considered
taking the plunge? In your experience, what is the main difference between the
UK and US comic industry?
Before I contemplate tackling the US market, I need to write more (and more successful)
stories for 2000 AD and/or the Megazine - they are the accepted stepping stone
to acceptance by American editors. Most of my comics writing currently is for
a costumed hero called The Phantom. The fortnightly is originated in Sweden, published
across Scandinavia, in Australia and India. It sells more copies just in Sweden
than 2000 AD does across the world.
I've scripted a dozen issues
of that title since going freelance and my stories have been voted most popular
by readers the last two years in succession.
The main difference
between the US and UK comics market is size. There are hundreds of titles published
each month in America, compared to a handful in Britain. But in the UK you can
approach editors directly and get quick feedback. I'm told getting a new idea
accepted by a major US publisher can be a long and painful process. DC's commissioning
process can be elephantine in its gestation, whereas the same thing can be achieved
in almost no time at 2000 AD or the Megazine.
What do you think the comics industry needs to do to evolve over the coming
years?
A better quality of storytelling, from creators and editors. More diversity of
material. Escape the direct sales comic shop market. Find and nurture new talent,
but don't throw aside experienced, able creators simply because they are over
50. Improve and diversify distribution channels. Don't expect movies to save comics.
What can we expect to see from you in the future? Any plans for another
TPO/Blazing Battle Action style feature?
The next few months for me will include at least two new novels, a double disc
audio drama, several more issues of The Phantom and a lot more. No more TPO epics
are planned for the moment from me, but I'd like to get the TPO book moving. Right
now I've got enough work to keep me going until October - beyond that, who knows?
Judge
Dredd Bad Moon Rising is available now from Amazon |
