Ten Questions with Dan Phillips

He's talented, foulmouthed, opinionated but most of all Dan Phillips is the absolute best reviewer in comics(IGN) and for my money also one of the best minds. I was given the pleasure of interviewing the incomparable Mr.Phillips via email. enjoy.

What drew you to comics? What still keeps you reading them today?

A – First off, I want to point out how surreal it is to be on the other end of one of these Q & A sessions after conducting interviews for IGN for the past four-plus years. With that out of the way, I should probably just dive into answering the questions – one thing I’ve come to hate in my experience interviewing comics writers is when an interviewee dances around the questions, hides behind snark, gives boring stock answers or all of the above.

I guess the short answer is that I’ve always been drawn to comics, from the days my dad would read old Batman issues to me. The long answer is that my interest in comics ballooned from a casual enjoyment to a full blown obsession upon my first exposure to Batman: The Animated Series. That brilliant show had a profound impact on me, carving a vicious little scar across my impressionable mind that exists to this day. That show led me to a comic store – a trade of A Death in the Family was the first thing I remember buying with my own money and absolutely loving – which led to a love of all things Bat-related and, finally, an interest in all comics.

As for what keeps me reading them today, I could probably write a hell of a lot about that topic. Again, the short answer is I truly do love the art form. I’m paraphrasing here, but I believe it was Harvey Pekar who said something along the lines of “you can tell any story with words and pictures.” I truly believe that comics offer a chance to capture unbridled imagination more so than any other medium. When they’re done right, comics are more creative, original and exciting than any other art form. I also do love serialized stories a great deal, which is why I’m also becoming a giant fan of television as an art form, though it will probably always come in a distant second to comics.

2. What's the state of comics today?(from both the writing and production side)

A - Although I’m certainly as guilty as anyone of sometimes focusing on the negative aspects of the industry more than the many positives, I do firmly believe that comics are at the highest quality they’ve ever been both in terms of creativity and production values. More money than ever goes into the production of comics and hiring talent, and although some companies and creators are guilty of putting out trash, there are more outstanding comics out there than there has arguably ever been at any one time – granted you’re willing to go hunt them out among all the shitty books out there.

Look, there will always be people who claim the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby/Steve Ditko heyday of Marvel was more prolific in terms of generating new ideas, or the British invasion of the eighties was a more sophisticated era of creativity, or even those that look at the Image days as some sort of creative high point (believe me, they exist). But I think those people are more than a little delusional, and are probably letting their nostalgic connection to those periods cloud their judgment. I for one grew up with the Batman and Superman comics of the Knightfall/Death of Superman era, and though I still enjoy those books on some level to this day, I would never be stupid or crazy enough to say that era of comics was across the board better than it is now. We truly are living in a new renaissance in terms of quality and creativity, and I think the good greatly outweighs the bad.

3. Where do you think comics will be in ten years? And what role do you think digital will have?

Comics will always exist in some form or another. Whether or not they exist as we know them – specifically in floppy form sold through direct market stores – remains to be seen. I happen to be of the belief that comics will always exist in printed form, both in floppies and trades. But I will admit I think it’s entirely possible that the current business model of distribution as we know it can crumble at some point and have to be completely remade, even if I don’t think it’s likely. What I am sure of is that digital will change things to a huge, unimaginable extent – for the better, I believe. The current business model is archaic and designed to get comics in the hands of a shrinking audience. Any avenue designed to reach new readers such as digital distribution should be welcomed, not feared by short-sighted shop owners and publishing dinosaurs desperate to hold onto their small piece of the dwindling pie.

4. There's been much talk about the future of the Superhero movie, with Scott Pilgrim and Kick Ass under performing at the box office. Are super hero movies a trend that's coming to an end or a legitimate genre that's here to stay?

A - This is a bit of a loaded question that can be answered from a lot of angles, and I think you’re asking a lot of different things here. First off, I believe Scott Pilgrim and Kick Ass under performed at the box office for a number of reasons, the least of which being the public’s fatigue with comic-inspired movies. If you ask most people out there, I’d venture most had no idea those movies were even based on comics.

Besides being a well-spring for new ideas, Hollywood loves comics – and will continue to loves comics – because they allow producers and execs to see a visual representation of what the movie will look like before they plop down a single dollar for a script. Comics are, among other things, ready-made storyboards for a prospective movie. That won’t change, and I believe producers and execs will continue to scour comics for potential source material.

Whether or not the superhero movie will remain as popular as it is now is another question entirely. Superheroes are a hit because they represent American mythology people can relate to on a primal level whether or not they’re comics readers. It’s our culture’s version of the hero’s journey, in many respects. The Greeks had Hercules. We have Batman, Superman and the X-Men.

But at the end of the day, the superhero movie is a genre – it happens to be a very versatile genre, but it’s still just a genre. And any genre – be it horror, sci-fi, westerns or whatever – runs the risk of being over-exposed in theaters. Particularly when many of them are poorly and haphazardly made.

5. My favorite quote of yours (besides Hey now) is ..."Comics is a medium not a genre." I was hoping you could elaborate on that phrase a bit.

A - One of the biggest problems currently facing the industry, I believe, is the disproportionate number of superhero comics dominating the market. I love superheroes as much as anyone, but there’s absolutely no reason, other than the shortsightedness of publishers looking to retain the readers they already have rather than grow their audience, that the number of superhero titles out there should so greatly outweigh the number of crime comics, horror comics, romance comics, fantasy comics and comedy comics combined.

Yes, comics are a medium, not a genre. By that, I mean that comics are simply a vehicle to tell stories or make artistic statements; just as prose, stage, screen, poetry, music and painting are all simply vehicles to tell stories and/or make artistic statements. What stories you choose to tell, and what artistic statements you choose to make, among other things, determine the genre. Genre is a subsection of medium or form. And comics are without a doubt a medium or form. I hope that makes sense. This is another topic I can probably babble on about for hours.

What’s important is that we’re slowly changing the common, mainstream perception that comics and superheroes are synonymous. No, comics are a medium, and superheroes are a genre common to the comics medium.

6. Where do you think the comic industry has room to grow? Where is the industry missing the mark in that respect.

A - I think I’ve hit on some of this in my previous answers, but let’s dive in some more, because god knows the industry has room to grow in many directions. First and foremost, we need to grow our readership and audience by any means necessary. If that means abandoning the old business model, moving into digital distribution as a viable alternative to the direct market, changing the types of stories we tell or all of the above, so be it. We need more people reading comics. The sales numbers – as unreliable as they might be - support the argument we’re losing readers faster than we’re bringing them in – at least in terms of who is going to the store on a weekly basis. Trade sales might indeed be on the rise (some would argue against that, but I won’t), but in the end, aren’t most trades just a collection of individual issues? There’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to get more people reading comics individually. If millions of people are willing to watch a show like Lost or Sons of Anarchy in serialized form, why wouldn’t they be willing to read a comic story in a similar fashion?

Of course, we haven’t even gotten into the topic of piracy and the role it’s playing on sales and the growing reality that comics are at in all-time high in terms of popularity and approaching new lows in terms of actual sales. But that’s a topic for another day. I for one agree with the sentiments recently voiced by Mark Waid and Image Publisher Eric Stephenson, that piracy may in fact do more good than bad, and that publishers are fools for looking at those who read pirated comics as little demons to be feared and persecuted, rather than interested parties willing to take the next step into purchasing comics.

7. What are you reading right now, in terms of comics. If you were stranded on a dessert Island but somehow you could miraculously have comics delivered to you which ones could you not live with out.

A - It probably goes without saying that I’m enjoying Morrison’s Batman work quite possibly more than I’ve ever enjoyed another era of Batman comics. And seeing how Batman is my all-time favorite superhero character, Morrison’s Batman would have to go on that list. I’m also a rabid fan of the crime/noir genre in any medium, so books like Scalped, Criminal and Stumptown also rank atop my list of favorites. Darwyne Cooke’s Parker adaptations have been sublime.

Chew is a funny, original, subversive and immensely enjoyable book month in and month out. The same goes for Eric Powell’s Goon (when it actually appears), which is one of the most demented and awesome books ever created.

On the Vertigo side of things, I cherish Unknown Soldier and hate that it’s ending prematurely. The Unwritten is a great, incredibly imaginative book that reminds me in many ways of Sandman. There have been some true gems in Vertigo’s new Crime line of OGNS, but a few stinkers as well. I’ve never been the biggest Hellblazer nut, but much of what I’ve read with the character I’ve enjoyed.

In general I tend to follow creators more than characters. I’ll give anything Warren Ellis writes a try. Same goes for Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, Robert Kirkman, Joe Kelly and Joe Casey (his Godland is a must for any Kirby fan). And that’s only talking about current comics. I can go on forever about classic favorites, but I’ll leave that for another day except to say that Gotham Central fulfilled my two loves – Batman and the crime genre – more than any other comic ever.

8. I know that the Superman franchise is near and dear to both of our hearts. What's the state of Big Blue these days.(Looking for your thoughts on the OGN,next movie and JMS, run and even War of Supermen and New Krypton if you're so inclined)

A - Superman IS near and dear to my heart, so this is another tough question to try and answer in full.

I guess to start I’ll say that for a number of reasons, many which allude me, DC has struggled for the past two decades with Superman, their oldest and most identifiable superhero character. I think both the company and the creators they choose to handle him by and large are very intimidated when it comes to taking chances with the character, chances which would get people talking about the Man of Steel in a way they haven’t since DC killed him off. Many are just too precious with the character and the mythos, ultimately leading to an ever-growing mountain of forgettable, stale Superman comics. I also think the character’s near-invulnerability plays into writers’ struggles to craft exciting stories around him; many are simply unable to challenge the character morally and intellectually while still telling the type of bombastic, action and spectacle-driven stories people want from the property. I definitely don’t think taking Superman out of most of his books, moving him off Earth or having him neglect his duties to walk across the country are wise creative decisions if the idea is to remind people why Superman is arguably the greatest superhero of them all.

The only modern writers to really show a great handle on the character, for my money, are Morrison, Geoff Johns, Joe Kelly and Mark Waid – these guys have all shown the ability to honor the mythology while making interesting statements about Superman and what he means to people, all while taking enough bold chances to make for exciting, entertaining stories. Millar likes to claim he has the perfect Superman story in mind, but I’ll believe it when I see it. I long ago stopped paying credence to the garbage that comes out of that guy’s mouth.

As for JMS’ Superman: Earth One, which I recently tore to pieces in my review for IGN, I pretty much said everything I wanted to about that project without getting into spoilers. I hated most of the changes JMS made to the property in an effort to make him hip and modern, not because they were changes, but because they ran in the face of what I like about the character and why I think he’s such a powerful fictional creation. The alien invasion angle was dull and derivative, the core villain a thin caricature. Most importantly, I don’t think he said anything interesting about the character, and worse, failed to honor what makes him great to begin with. If you want me to get into greater detail than that I will at a later point. For now let’s leave it at that. Let me just reiterate that my reason for hating Earth One had nothing to do with opposing to any creator making changes to the mythology. Like I said, the character needs more creators willing to take a chance or two and tweak the character for modern audiences. I just think JMS failed rather miserably at the task, even if I admire his willingness to try. JMS is nothing if not daring.

Finally, I’m pretty pessimistic about this new movie, although I’m trying my damndest to keep an open mind. I generally don’t like Zack Snyder as a director, and thinks his interest in the visuals of filmmaking usually lead to him neglecting important things like story. Hopefully Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer’s script provides him a blueprint to tell a compelling narrative, but some of the earlier reports indicate they’ve created more of a story outline than an actual script. We’ll see.

9. We now have a title for the long awaited Batman movie. In typical Nolan fashion he's spoon feeding us information. The latest is that he's not using the Riddler as the villian for the new movie. Who do you think he will use and which villains would you like to see him use.

A - I have absolute faith in Nolan’s vision of the Bat-universe, so if he’s opposed to using the Riddler, I’m fine with that. By now, after his first two stellar movies, I think he’s proven he deserves the benefit of the doubt. I think by now it’s also a foregone conclusion he’ll be using Catwoman in some capacity, and my guess is as a femme fatale and morally ambiguous love interest for Batman. I think she’ll straddle the line between ally and rogue, as she so often does, rather than serve as the film’s chief antagonist.

Whether the belief is irrational or not, I still in my gut feel like we haven’t seen the last of Two-Face. It’s clear they intended to have Ledger’s Joker around for a second go around, and his tragic death obviously changed those plans. I think that may be why Two-Face’s fate was left more ambiguous than it possibly would have been if Ledger hadn’t die before the end of production. I think they left the window open for Two-Face to survive for a third film despite alluding to his death at the end of Dark Knight. But I could be very, very wrong.

10. Tell me about your band.

In addition to my work as a freelance writer, I also play in a band called The Frank Stalloners. We’ve been playing together in some form or another for close to ten years, but only in the past two have we gotten our act together and started writing our own material and gigging out hardcore. We gig out all over the NYC area, and our sound could best be described as “roots rock,” or more specifically, a cross between rock, blues, funk and R&B. You can check our songs out for yourself at our myspace, facebook and Band Camp pages, which all house the first three tunes of the demo we’re currently hard at work on. By all means, google us, follow us on twitter, facebook us, and let us know what you think. And if you’re so inclined, come check out a show and say hello if you’re ever in the NY area. At the very least, we know how to show others a good time.

Myspace.com/thefrankstalloners

Twitter: @frankstalloners

http://www.facebook.com/TheFrankStalloners

http://thefrankstalloners.bandcamp.com/