Sachs and Soulsearchers

Originally published August 20, 1993, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1031

It is very, very rare that I use But I Digress as any sort of forum for self-promotion. I figure that there’s enough advertising in the rest of the paper, so you don’t need to turn to this column to read even more. Even the coverage of my Romanian trip was more of a travelogue and description of my experiences than a concerted ad for any film ventures. I feel uncomfortable about singling out any projects and talking about them as projects.

However…

(There’s always a “however.”)

I have had the same question repeated to me enough times at the recent Dragon*Con that I think it safe to consider the following more along the lines of an informational guide. Furthermore, the two projects I’m going to bring up both involve marvelously talented artists, so I can further rationalize that I’m not plugging myself so much as some great talents who are involved with interesting comic titles.

Consider this, then, fair warning that I’m about to discuss my own work. However, to be fair, I will further down also discuss a musical project involving a comic series that I am not involved with any way, shape or form. So if you wish, you can skip this rather self-serving portion of today’s symposium and jump down.

The question I was getting at Dragon*Con was, more accurately, two questions back to back. The first question was invariably as follows:

“Are you going to be doing any work for Image?”

The answer to that, of course, is no. Now I would presume that those who posed the question were unaware that, having dared to be politically incorrect and criticize Image in the past, I am and always will be persona non grata at those hallowed halls.

And since the Image implosion was only very recent news, they were likewise unaware that all creator-owned projects that were non-founder generated had been invited to take a cruise in the Bermuda triangle. Nevertheless, my succinct “no” invariably generated a follow up question, namely: “Well, are you ever going to do a project that’s your own characters?”

This is, of course, as opposed to taking a character and trying to make him my own (the Hulk, for example). Apparently Image had done such a thorough job of convincing fans (and some pros, too) that they were the best, brightest game in town, that readers simply assume that any creator-generated project will naturally have that magic “I” on it.

And when asked this question, my response would be, “Yes, I have two projects coming up shortly: Soulsearchers and Company should be out any time, and Sachs and Violens will be out in September.”

Sachs and Violens at least some people have heard about, since it’s published by Epic– though, since it is an imprint of Marvel, some people have apparently assumed that it’s a Marvel title and, therefore, work-for-hire. Several professed astonishment that I had created it.

At least when I told them it was pencilled and inked by George Perez (and gorgeous work it is, too), I didn’t get know-it-alls proclaiming, “Well, it will never come out.” They’d all seen Future Imperfect. They knew what George could do.

The title has been getting some promotion. The most upbeat I’ve been able to find is the retailer who said, “You may actually have produced a `Heavy Hitters’ title that might sell,” which is not what I would call a ringing endorsement. On the other hand, when I first started on Incredible Hulk one fan told me, “Bet they cancel it soon,” so I figure I’m making progress.

Furthermore, there’s going to be merchandising tie-ins with S&V, including t-shirts and card sets from Comic Images, and a statue of the beauteous J.J. Sachs by Randy Bowen studios, who did the nifty statue of Death currently on the market.

Not only that, but George and I will be doing a reading from S&V at the San Diego Comic Con (tentatively scheduled for Sunday, 11 AM), complete with slide show presentation.

So the promotion is out there, and the mention of Sachs and Violens did engender some recognition. A few “Ohhhh yeahs.” That sort of thing.

But nobody had heard of Soulsearchers and Company.

I mean nobody.

No one had read Richard Howell’s articles about the Fear City saga. No one had read Cat Yronwode’s columns about Claypool Press, the independent publisher who’s producing the line which Eclipse is distributing.

No one knew about the series. No one had heard of Claypool. One retailer informed me that, when he got his distributor catalogues, he turned right past the Eclipse information because “they never come out.”

I’ve had people tell me that they’d love to see me do something other than superheroes. Tossing the challenge back to me, as it were, since that’s precisely what I said I’d like to see the Image guys do back when they first started. Sachs and Violens isn’t superhero so much as hyperhero… all the most insane elements of the superhero comic distilled and refracted through a fairly cracked glass.

Soulsearchers isn’t standard superhero at all. The characters and situations are a mixture of Ghostbusters, Moonlighting, and Rocky and Bullwinkle.

And nobody knew about it.

People tell me they’d love to see me work for a small, independent publisher instead of just Marvel and DC. Well, I’m doing that. Claypool, a newly formed publisher of (gasp!) black and white comics. You can’t get smaller and more independent than that.

And nobody knew about it.

People tell me they love the humor in my work, and want to see more of it. Soulsearchers is light, whimsical and offbeat. The third issue, due out in September, features a parody of the Sandman, which may very well be one of the funniest things I’ve ever written.

And nobody knew about it.

People tell me that they read anything of mine that’s out there.

And nobody knew about it.

People also complain about art styles that are derivative, featuring nothing but muscle bound pumped-up steroid cases, fundamental lack of correct anatomy, and filled with tons of noodly lines to cover up the deficiencies. Oh, and they also say that there aren’t enough women working in comics today.

Soulsearchers features the artwork of Amanda Conner, who displays a crisp, charming line; a gift for facial expressions; clear and razor sharp storytelling instincts; and the thorough command of the fundamentals that are so lacking in other titles today.

And nobody knew about it.

Now there are plenty of reasons, of course, that Soulsearchers remains a fairly well kept secret. First, it’s black and white. The black and white glut of several years ago managed to poison feelings so thoroughly against the form, that unless one was a publisher with a previously-established audience (Cerebus, Elfquest), you can forget about trying to gather a readership.

Second, there’s a ton of material out there.

Third… I gotta admit, the cover for the first issue of Soulsearchers came out less-than-great. Apparently the printer had a fire sale on the color red, and poured so much of it into the cover that it came out looking garish and amateurish. Even if you saw it, you might very well judge the book by its cover. Hëll, why not? The fact that it’s a #1 without a hologram is already a strike against it.

Fourth, as noted before, it’s non-superhero… unlike the vast, vast majority of the aforementioned ton of material. All of which is being widely ordered and widely supported, because it’s the same kind of stuff that Marvel and DC and Image have been putting out. The concept of the independent publisher–the guy who’s trying something different–has largely been obliterated, with the rare exception of such things as Kitchen Sink Publications (another big smash seller). And as everyone and his brother churns out more and more superheroes, nothing else gets noticed. This isn’t whining or complaining on my part; this is a statement of fact.

Where the whining and complaining does come from, though, are those retailers and fans who say they’d love to see something different… and when it comes along, the retailers don’t order it and the fans don’t see it.

Which means that the old adage remains true: You get what you pay for.

Taking a guess, I’d say that the chances are good that–if you go to your local comic dealer–he’s not carrying Soulsearchers. Or, for that matter, any of the Claypool books. Or has ever even heard of Claypool.

So for those folks who keep asking me when they’re going to see certain things from me, the answer is: Stop asking me, because it’s already out there. Asking me won’t do a dámņëd bit of good. You’ll have to ask your local retailer.

And when he tells you it doesn’t exist, or that it never came out… you’ll just have to inform him otherwise.

But do so gently. These are difficult times, and his head probably hurts.

Speaking of Kitchen Sink, they are the publishers of the work of Mark Schultz, who produced Xenozoic Tales and the forthcoming Time in Overdrive. Furthermore, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is scheduled to make its animated debut on CBS this fall.

Adapting comics to animation is always a tricky business. Sometimes you get Batman: The Animated Series. Other times you get Fish Police.

Naturally it’s too soon to tell what will be done with (or to) Schultz’s work. But it’s not too soon to judge the in-production CD, Xenozoic Tales. It’s a three-years-in-the-making project from Schultz (the lyricist) and John “Chris” Christensen, the musician who is one of the driving forces behind the Beat Brothers label and the group Seduction of the Innocent (as well as Seduction’s CD, The Golden Age.)

The project had its genesis when Christensen met Schultz at a party some years back and burbled excitedly about doing a record that would incorporate the “spirit,” the “essence,” of such influences as Little Richard, Link Wray, New Orleans Rock and Roll, Professor Longhair, Eddie Cockran… but not, according to Christensen, “a nostalgic `Sha-Na-Na’ retread, (but instead) that spirit, that essence, done today. As if those guys had been progressing for the last thirty or so years.”

The project does not have a definite release label yet, nor even a set release date (although they’re aiming for Christmas of this year). What it does have is a series of nifty cuts featuring Schultz’s lyrics that cleverly evoke prehistoric imagery in a contemporary sensibility…sort of Bedrock and roll. This is combined with Christensen’s sturdy, confident beats that will generally have you tapping your toes throughout. (Geez, I’m starting to sound like Ðìçk Clark. It’s got a good beat and you can dance to it! I give it a 93!)

The tune “Cadillacs and Dinosaurs” was catchy, I thought, although the tribute to carnivores called “Cutters!” had promise; the version I heard did not yet have completed lyrics. Actually, the most affecting was “Ancient Eyes,” a slower, more thoughtful love song with some of Schultz’s best lyrics (“Then let the stars recall that in their gaze/Their ancient eyes could see/I loved you endlessly.”)

Hopefully you’ll be hearing some of the music when the TV show airs, although Hollywood certainly moves in mysterious ways. I will keep you all apprised when there’s a definite release date for the CD.

This has been a But I Digress infomercial. Next week we return you to your regular column, already in progress.

(Peter David, writer of stuff, noticed that on the cover of the new TV Guide (the one with the Ferengi on it) there’s a blurb that says, “William Shatner, from Trek to Tek.” Kind of makes you wonder if his next project is going to be called “Te.” Or maybe “Ek.”)