Ron Marz is a comics creator I’ve been following for quite a while on Twitter (and so should you — his @ link is at the bottom of this page). So when it came time for him to be the first “10 Questions” about a graphic novel, well, all I have to say to that is “fuck yeah.” Here’s Ron to talk about his newest, Ravine, at Top Cow.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF: WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?
My name is Ron Marz. I write comic books, from company-owned stuff like “Green Lantern” and “Silver Surfer” and “Star Wars,” to creator-owned work that I love like my own children. I dabble in videogames and other kinds of storytelling too.
GIVE US THE 140-CHARACTER STORY PITCH:
It only seems like there’s 140 characters in “Ravine,” but in reality it’s only about two dozen characters in the first volume. Uh … wait, that’s probably not what you meant, right? “Ravine” is a series of epic fantasy graphic novels, the kind of thing that would be racked with Tolkien and George R.R. Martin. The first volume is out this month.
WHERE DOES THIS STORY COME FROM?
Croatia. The artist and co-writer on “Ravine” is Stjepan Sejic, my Croatian buddy with whom been collaborating on monthly comics like “Witchblade” and “Artifacts” for seven years or so. “Ravine” is a story that Stjepan’s been putting together for the last decade, crafting an entire world. A few years ago, he asked me to join him on the story and dialogue, so now we’re co-owners and co-conspirators.
HOW IS THIS A STORY ONLY YOU COULD’VE WRITTEN?
Well, I think in this case, it’s a story that only Stjepan and I could have done together. It’s very much a collaboration, which is one of the core strengths of doing comics. Comics are a blend of words and pictures that create something you can’t get from either of those alone. So a writer and artist come together and create something unique to them, to their collaboration. “Ravine” would be a different project with anybody else working on it.
WHAT WAS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT WRITING RAVINE?
I think the sheer size of the graphic novel was something I wasn’t used to. Generally in comics, you’re writing single issues of about 20 pages of story and art, that are then put together in collections. So you’re generally working in smaller chunks, writing an issue of one title, jumping to an issue of a different title, then back again. The variety keeps you interested and motivated. If you’re stuck on one issue, you can jump to another and make progress on that. In this situation, I was working on all 160 pages of “Ravine” at once, and having to set other things aside in order to make the print deadline.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN WRITING RAVINE?
This was a bit different from the way Stjepan and I usually work together, in that the typical process is me writing a script with art direction and first-draft dialogue. Then Stjepan paints the pages digitall, after which I go back in and write the final dialogue for the letterer to put on the page. With “Ravine,” Stjepan painted the pages, gave me a sense of the dialogue, and then I did a complete rewrite of it. I had to immerse myself in this new world, but it actually proved to be a boon creatively, because I could come to it with a fresh eye, and make sure we were properly introducing all the characters and concepts. It was a bit different way of working, but in comics, the important part is the finished product, not how you get there.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT IT?
I grew up on this kind of story, on Tolkien and Burroughs and Robert E. Howard. So I’m really pleased that we’re bringing this kind of epic fantasy to comics, in a package of this size. It’s slowly changing, but comics are still dominated, to large extent, by the same superheroes we all grew up with. The kind of story we’re doing in “Ravine” is large scale and extremely visual, so I feel like comics is a perfect vehicle to tell it.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME?
Well, Volume 2, which is another 160 pages, will be out in the summer, so we’re already well into. Though I think I’ll plan the schedule a bit more loosely, so I can work on a palette cleanser here and there when I need to.
GIVE US YOUR FAVORITE PARAGRAPH FROM THE STORY:
How about a favorite page instead? (click for bigger)
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU AS A STORYTELLER?
More “Ravine,” more comics in general. I’m writing the monthly “Artifacts” title for Top Cow/Image, with more coming up from them as well. My creator-owned “Shinku” title is still coming out for Image, and later this year, I’ll be launching a comic called “The Protectors” for Athleta Comics, which is a publishing company started by Israel Idonije of the Chicago Bears, who is a huge comics fan, literally and figuratively.I also want to carve out time this year to do some more prose work. I’ve got a children’s book and a YA novel I want to get off the ground. Too many ideas, too little time.
Ron Marz: Website
Troy L says:
Ron Marz is one of my favorite comics people. His stuff is well done and amazing.
February 14, 2013 — 8:41 PM