Josh Howard and Viper are treading new ground by treading old ground. The story of EVE was told in the book of Genesis of the bible, chapters 2 and 3, additionally in chapters 4 and 5. The Genesis story of Adam and Eve, temptation and the Fall, the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, and the populating of the world is one of both mythic power and religious significance. Within it are the mythic images of the Tree of Knowledge, the forbidden fruit, and the serpent as Satan, and explanations of the doctrine of original sin, and to many critics the cementing into Judeo Christian beliefs the role of women and men in the religious culture. I talked to Josh about the book, and his other works.
Alex Ness: Do you believe in a biblically accurate Eve? Was she made of Adam's rib and tempted him with the fruit of knowledge?
Josh Howard: Yes, yes, and yes.
Alex Ness: Won't writing a extra biblical account violate much of the warding in the bible from adding more to the completed work?
Josh Howard: No, because I'm not adding anything to the actual text of the Bible, nor am I trying to pass this off as anything but a work of fiction. The book of Genesis just happens to be my springboard. Having said that, I'm doing my best not to contradict anything that's been written.
Alex Ness: Describe Eve from a biblical perspective and counter that with your fictional Eve?
Josh Howard: Well, there's not really a whole lot written about Eve in the Bible, so it gives me a little room to play with. There's really nothing written about her personality or character, other than the fact that she gives in the serpent's temptation. Why did she do that? And why did she go straight to Adam and get him to do the same thing? Those are fascinating questions, and that is basically the conclusion to my story. So, there you go, you know how it will end. But the fun will be getting there.
I'm basically taking my cue from Genesis that Adam and Eve were perfect and without sin in the beginning. They also had no concept of good and evil. So my Eve is going to be naïve, curious, and have something of an animal instinct. She is not mentally ready for the world outside the Garden, but physically, she'll be something of a threat.
Alex Ness: Who will this book likely appeal to?
Josh Howard: I have no idea. Maybe no one. It's just something I thought was cool. I wanted to do a fun, fantasy-adventure series where almost anything could happen. This setting and these characters allowed me to do that.
Alex Ness: Do you endanger your "popularity" however that is defined, by working in the same sort work often? I love your work, expect Eve to kick ass, and enjoyed D@17 and Black Harvest, but there are similarities, no?
Josh Howard: I don't now. I think there are a some similarities between Dead @ 17 and Black Harvest, but I don't really see any between those books and Eve. They're completely different in tone, style, and genre. A large part of Dead @ 17 is about faith, destiny, and finding your place in the world. Eve, although it may be directly related to the source material, has really nothing to do with any of those issues or biblical themes in general. If it were, I wouldn't be doing it. That's what Dead @ 17 is for. Eve is about me having fun, period. In fact, at one point as I was developing it, a friend of mine suggested going a different route that would've been more along the D @ 17 route in terms of themes and tone. It sounded really cool, but it depressed me. It was because the fun was gone, which was the whole point to begin with.
Alex Ness: How is the D@17 ongoing series going to play out, will it be more or less condensed than the mini series, and what is the terminus point of that series, or is there one?
Josh Howard: I don't really have a definite answer to any of that. I like having more room to play and not having to worry about fitting everything into four issues. However, I don't believe in never ending comic series, so there will be an end eventually. Whether it will be in 20 issues or 50 issues I really have no idea at this point. There's a lot I want to do, so it's just a matter of letting it all play out.
Alex Ness: Describe for the readers of this, how you see D@17 playing in the comic market today, who reads it, what kind of feedback to you receive?
Josh Howard: Dead @ 17 is one of the only comics that has been able to do what thus far only Manga has been able to do. And that is, to get girls to read comics. I'm not saying this to toot my own horn, I just stating what I've seen and heard. I've heard countless stories from girls and from guys who have girlfriends that tell me that Dead @ 17 got them into comics. If I had to guess, I'd say my readership is split between guys and girls right down the middle - 50/50. It's not something I set out to do, but I think it's pretty cool.
Alex Ness: What role has Viper Comics played in your books, do they give content/ editorial input or mostly regarding format and marketing?
Josh Howard: Viper has always been great about letting me do what I do. I've proven myself to them, so they trust my judgment. Likewise, I trust them when it comes to the packaging and business end. It's a good relationship.
Alex Ness: What are your favorite comics right now on the stands?
Josh Howard: The last thing I read that absolutely blew me away was Doug TenNapel's Iron West. Other than that, I hardly know what's even on the stands right now. I don't get to the comic store too often these days. I always make a point to pick up whatever new Transformer stuff there is, but that's not so much a comic thing as it is a Transformer-fan thing. I've been following All-Star Superman, mostly because it distills him down to his essence and because it's drawn by Frank Quitely.
Alex Ness: Who is God?
Josh Howard: To quote C.S. Lewis, "If God thinks this state of war in the universe a price worth paying for free will...then we may take it it is worth paying."
Josh Howard reintroduces the mother of all babes this November with The Lost Books of Eve. The new bi-monthly series is primed to be a fun, action packed adventure and will alternate with Howard's new Dead@17 on-going series.
Journey back to a time when magic still thrived, dragons and fallen gods roamed the earth, and man was just a myth. The Garden of Eden was a place of perfect peace and tranquility. That is, until its keeper, Adam, went missing. Now, his newly created wife, Eve, must venture outside the safety of the Garden for the first time to go in search of her husband, all the while battling monsters, beast men, wizards, demons, and even the gods themselves. It's the fun and adventure of "Samurai Jack" mixed with the epic scope of "Lord of the Rings."
"We're thrilled to not only offer Josh's return to the world that started it all, Dead@17, but also a look into the future of his comic book career with The Lost Books of Eve," said Viper Comics President Jessie Garza. "The fun and action of this book will have a broad appeal to longtime Josh fans and new readers alike."
After Dead@17 #3 this October, the book will go on a bi-monthly schedule shipping in December, February, April, etc, while The Lost Books of Eve will ship in the intervening months with issue #1 in November, followed by issues in January, March, etc. "Two great books and fans still get their dose of Josh Howard every month," said Garza.
”Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, you
