GRIMJACK is the name to remember. Back in the 80s and early 90s Grimjack cut a bloody path through the industry. Blessed with great writing and great artists that book for many readers of comics was the monthly work to save for last because you knew it would not fail to entertain. When FIRST Comics went belly up in 1991 it sent into limbo Grimjack and the creative talents who still had stories to tell. Flash forward to 2004 and through many assorted efforts, but most led ably by Mike Gold, Grimjack is now returning to comics. This is an interview with John Ostrander and Tim Truman with commentary by series editor Mike Gold and Publisher Ted Adams of IDW Publishing.
Alex Ness: OK Who is GrimJack?
Tim Truman: The meanest sombitch in the valley. The "valley" in this case is CYNOSURE, a pandimensional city where (as the adverb implies) all the dimensions intersect. Some are permanently attached; some phase in and out. Cross the street and you may cross into other dimensions where laws
of physics change. Guns work here, magic works there, swords and a bad attitude work everywhere.
John Ostrander: Hence JOHN GAUNT: mercenary for hire. He does all the nasty jobs people are too polite, squeamish, or (if he likes you) poor to do for themselves. On the streets he's known as GRIMJACK.
Gaunt was born in a section of Cynosure called THE PIT. As a boy he was sent to fight in the ARENA. That's where he grew up, fighting gladiator battles, until he eventually won his freedom. So Gaunt knows how to fight, how to win, and how to survive.
Soon after he won his freedom, Grimjack fought in the DEMON WARS when Hell came into phase with Cynosure. During the Demon Wars he found and lost the great love of his life, a gentle,
spiritual lady named RHIAN. She died tragically, and her death still haunts him. Embittered, he fell in with a group of cutthroat, time-travelling bounty hunters called the LAWKILLERS. This was another very dark period of his life.
Eventually he broke away from the Lawkillers and joined the TDP-- the TransDimensional Police-- Cynosure's police force-- but managed to get himself fired for conduct unbecoming. Gaunt wound up with a group called CADRE-- the equivalent of the CIA in Cynosure. finally, he left CADRE and went into business for himself, operating out of a bar on the lip of the Pit called MUNDEN'S.
TT: It's a rich concept. Gaunt is obviously a guy with a long past. He knows he's getting a bit long in the tooth but can still kick ass. A true role model for us baby boomer types who refuse to play dead. And it all happens in a great place-- a pan-dimensional city called Cynosure where anything can happen. What I always enjoyed about drawing Grimjack is that anything goes. I could throw whatever comes to mind and it fits. With Grimjack, John and I could and can always do any kind of story we want-- detective, spy, western, noir, fantasy, horror, science fiction, funny animals. There is lots of humor, action, big themes and a great supporting cast.
AN: You are having collections of the series with framing stories. That implies TPBs, and the lot. But fans are looking for new stories among the materials being released. What do you see coming out of this as far as new books? And what format do you guys see this coming out in, monthly books, larger anthologies with both new and old? Tell us! Tell us now.
JO: We'll being doing TPBs of the original material and the first one will have a new framing story of eight pages. We also are planning a six issue miniseries. The mini will be regular size. Personally, I have LOTS of GrimJack stories stored up but we'll have to see what the sales are on the first mini and the first TPB. If people tell us they want more, they will GET more.
TT: There will be a collection of graphic albums reprinting the old stories. I painted a new cover and John and I concocted a brand new, 8 page framing sequence for the first album. I hope we'll do similar new sequences in the following reprint albums as well. Eventually, we hope to do a trade
collection of the Munden's Bar backup stories, too. In the meantime, there'll be a new monthly miniseries-- hopefully more if the fans go for it (and I feel pretty sure they will). John and I are currently working on an all-new six issue story that IDW will be publishing. I'm really excited about this. I want people to see the current state of my artwork. It's really gone through some refinements over the last two years since I've been doing non-comics illustration work and teaching.
AN: What level of foreknowledge will be necessary to understand this work?
TT: None. It doesn't even require a brain, really.
AN: And, how continuity intensive do you hope to make this?
TT: We're consciously fashioning the new story so that beginners can jump right in. We want new readers to be able get right on board. . Any new GJ book would be specifically set up for that. Trust me on this. However, there'll b lots of great candy in there for "old timers" as well. Not to worry. It's going to be quite cool. John Gaunt the way we like him.
JO: I work in layers; there will be plenty of things that the old readers will get but, if you
don't, it won't hurt the story. The main thing, as was always the case, is the STORY. That, more than anything else, I think will be important to the reader, old and new alike. How good is the story? we focus on that and we'll get it all right.
AN: Will new stories in GrimJack's world be solely the domain of JohnO and TimT? Or will there be an effort to place as much new content out there with John doing the writing of all with Tim coplots and some pencils and other art talent?
TT: You bet your frostbitten Minnesota ass, bubba.
JO: It would be hard on new talent coming on GrimJack. Hard to draw with broken fingers. Because I suspect that's what Tim would do right now if you tried bringing anyone else on board. Tim's nicer than me, by the way, so let's not even TALK about someone else writing GrimJack. I might get. . .testy.
Just kiddin''.
No, I'm not.
TT: Only unless I get tied up with something else, like the defense of the p
TT: Uh... Actually, the letterer writes and edits all our stuff.
AN: Tim what aspect of John's abilities make him the perfect writer for GJ?
TT: The fact that we need each other so.
But seriously, folks, John injects a great of humanity into his characters. It's something that various Grimjack copyists have missed all this years. There's a tragic side to GJ, but Gaunt doesn't wallow in it. He shakes it off, the sort of mindset that one sees in many World War 2 vets. Plus there's a ton of humor in John's Grimjack tales. That's another thing that was usually missed.
AN: IDW has made it's announcement that it will be the publisher for this work. What do you think of their previous output (mostly horror and police works) and why are you confident that they will do a good job with this property?
JO: My answer is Beau Smith. I don't know the rest of the IDW team yet but I know Beau. Old buddy and big GJ fan. He'll make sure the word gets out there. IDW as a company is young, energetic, and hungry. A lot like First when it was just starting out, when it was REALLY hot. They really WANTED GrimJack. It's going to be really cool.
TT: It's a perfect fit. Being with Beau and Ted again is like coming home to Grandpa's house. Beau and I did a lot of work together in the 1980's and he was one of my very best friends. We fell out of touch after he quit Eclipse and did time with Todd McFarlane's company. They kept him pretty
busy, and I became pretty hermit-ish after a quick succession of deaths that happened around me-- my father, a favorite uncle, my best friend here in Lancaster, and of course John Ostrander's wife, Kim Yale. In any case, it's fantastic to be working with him-- especially on this. It's a very cool thing indeed. Hide the horses, Ma. The boys are back in town.
Also, along the same lines, it's absolutely fantastic to be working with Mike Gold again. He's been a real hero in this entire escapade. All in all, It's like a church homecoming around here.
AN: what reader labels do you see being placed on this? Will there be the same level of grit as past or with new tastes and a world 15 years older do you foresee more blood, mature action VIOLENCE and the lot.
TT: John writes it, gives it to me, I process it (briefly! Har!) and draw it. It comes out as it comes out. That's one of the charms of the Grimjack creative process. As far as the world being 15 years older, we're 15 years older, too.
I pulled very few punches in the old series, given the sensibilities of the age. (Hey, Mike! Maybe I can actually have Jericho Noleski give someone the finger, now?)
Mike Gold: As long as he gets it right.
Ê
AN: John will your work on Star Wars comics be reduced at all with your upcoming work?
JO: No reason for it to be. I've had heavier workloads than this in the past. If anything, it gives me more energy when I focus on more than one project at a time.
AN: Tim can we see a return of your other great epic Scout anytime soon?
TT: Yes. But Grimjack first. Just like the old days.
Mike Gold - Editor of Grimjack: As word was seeping out that we'd just about cut through the red tape that had bound GrimJack to a tree, we were approached by a number of different publishers about reprinting some or all of the First Comics work, and most of them were also interested in new material. That was great; that was the purpose of doing all those negotiations for two years, and it was paying off big time. But I thought we'd have to go out to the publishing community, not that they'd come to us in such number.
Each company had their pluses and many had people involved who were good friends. We found IDW to be the most attractive because of the very high-level quality of their production work -- quite frank
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