Interview with Garth Ennis
Interview by Paul Fiander
Garth Ennis has a vast catalogue of work and recently he has been handed back the rights to three of his beloved Vertigo properties, details of which you can find below the interview. We were able to pose a few questions to Garth on this move to Image Comics and the books in question.
3) ADVENTURES IN THE RIFLE BRIGADE is full of oddball characters, where did your inspiration for the Brigade come from? Ennis: Partly it's the British tradition of "stiff upper lip", as so wonderfully exemplified by war movies of the 40s and 50s. Partly it's the all-action ethos of some of the war comics I enjoyed in my childhood, including a couple actually drawn by Carlos Ezquerra. Rifle Brigade is a parody of those stories, as I say, and Carlos' artwork is wonderfully suited to that- his characters are always such individuals, and there's an element of caricature to some of them that I find quite irresistible. So he's the perfect artist when you want to take a step over the edge of sanity. 4) BLOODY MARY is a look at a Third European conflict, how did you decide on making Mary Malone the central figure in the series? Ennis: Mary was actually inspired by a character Carlos had drawn in one of his sketchbooks. He let me take a look through it to see if inspiration would strike, and amidst dozens of other wonderful designs was this grim, dangerous-looking woman with a weary air about her- not your typical unlikely comic book babe, but an older person worn down by life. I think the nun idea came later, but ti may have been suggested by what she was wearing in the sketch. Long time ago now, about '92. |
1) Garth how did the move come to republish these titles at Image?
Ennis: I got the rights back to these and a couple of other Vertigo projects a little while back. With the new War Story series launching at Avatar the obvious thing to do was to take the two ex-Vertigo War Story collections there, but Bloody Mary, Pride & Joy and Rifle Brigade are all stand-alones. I'd heard good things about Image, and this seemed like a good opportunity to dip a toe in the water, as it were. 2) ADVENTURES IN THE RIFLE BRIGADE and BLOODY MARY are both stories are set within the theatre of War (although different conflicts) what is it that draws you to writing stories based within this arena? Ennis: Usually it comes down to my interest in military history, but Bloody Mary is sci-fi (more or less) and Rifle Brigade all-out comedy, so that doesn't really apply. Mary probably comes more from the interest in future war stories I had as a kid- some of the stories I liked in 2000AD such as Rogue Trooper or The VCs played their part,, as did movies like Aliens and The Terminator. Rifle Brigade was also inspired by comics from my childhood, as well as old British war movies I saw around the same time- although it's very much a parody of those. 
|
5) PRIDE & JOY is rather different to the other two titles you are releasing can you tell us a little bit about the story of Jimmy Kavanagh?
Ennis: Jimmy at first seems like something of an everyman, a widower raising his young daughter and resentful teenage son in rural New England. But it turns out he has something of a criminal past, which is about to catch up with him in the worst way possible- putting his kids firmly in the sights of an extremely dangerous foe. Worse still, some of Jimmy's own actions from the bad old days return to haunt him as well. He has a debt to pay, one he's been trying to forget about for far too long.
6) Do you plan on going back to any of these series and creating new volumes in the future?
Ennis: No, they're all complete stories. I think that's what gives them their strength.
7) Are you planning on bringing more titles to Image in the future? New or Old?
Ennis: It's been a good experience so far, so I may well do that. Little tricky figuring out exactly what would be appropriate- the Image deal is a good one if you can guarantee Saga or Walking Dead numbers, but so many things seem to fall by the wayside. I'm reminded of Vertigo, actually, where you had half a dozen successes and about a hundred failures.
Our thanks to Garth and look out for more news/reviews here and on the Image website.
A few details on the incoming titles.
About BLOODY MARY, art by Carlos Ezquerra (Release date: March 9):
In a world only slightly worse than our own, a third great European conflict has dragged the major powers into a lethal war of attrition. Now, Mary Malone, the most dangerous assassin in a land of killers, must face both a man who cannot die and a crazed cult leader whose flock are all too ready to die for him.
Garth Ennis (Preacher, The Boys, War Story) and Carlos Ezquerra (Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Adventures in the Rifle Brigade) present an action-packed tale of future warfare and a heroine whose faith lies firmly in firepower.
About PRIDE & JOY, art by John Higgins (Release date: May 4):
Still mourning the loss of his wife, Jimmy Kavanagh lives quietly in the backwoods of New England, raising his devoted daughter and resentful son. That is, until fate comes calling in the worst way and Jimmy's criminal past threatens to destroy his family.
About ADVENTURES IN THE RIFLE BRIGADE, art by Carlos Ezquerra (July 2016):
World War Two was never like this.
Determined to win the war on their own, the Rifle Brigade are Britain's top commando team—skilled, deadly, and with no more grip on reality than absolutely necessary. Gasp in awe as Captain Darcy, "Doubtful" Milk, Sergeant Crumb, Corporal Geezer, Hank the Yank and the Piper give Adolf's jackbooted goons the thrashing they richly deserve...
First, the team are required on a job so crucial, so deadly, so utterly top secret that even they don't know what it is. Then, in the Eisner award-losing "Operation Bollock", our heroes are set to track down a famously missing part of the Fuhrer's anatomy—determined to wrench the missing gonad from the hands of their oldest enemy. Garth Ennis (Preacher, Kev, Dicks) and Carlos Ezquerra (Judge Dredd, El Mestizo, Bloody Mary) go off the rails entirely—with a story so insane that it originally appeared backwards.
In a world only slightly worse than our own, a third great European conflict has dragged the major powers into a lethal war of attrition. Now, Mary Malone, the most dangerous assassin in a land of killers, must face both a man who cannot die and a crazed cult leader whose flock are all too ready to die for him.
Garth Ennis (Preacher, The Boys, War Story) and Carlos Ezquerra (Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Adventures in the Rifle Brigade) present an action-packed tale of future warfare and a heroine whose faith lies firmly in firepower.
About PRIDE & JOY, art by John Higgins (Release date: May 4):
Still mourning the loss of his wife, Jimmy Kavanagh lives quietly in the backwoods of New England, raising his devoted daughter and resentful son. That is, until fate comes calling in the worst way and Jimmy's criminal past threatens to destroy his family.
About ADVENTURES IN THE RIFLE BRIGADE, art by Carlos Ezquerra (July 2016):
World War Two was never like this.
Determined to win the war on their own, the Rifle Brigade are Britain's top commando team—skilled, deadly, and with no more grip on reality than absolutely necessary. Gasp in awe as Captain Darcy, "Doubtful" Milk, Sergeant Crumb, Corporal Geezer, Hank the Yank and the Piper give Adolf's jackbooted goons the thrashing they richly deserve...
First, the team are required on a job so crucial, so deadly, so utterly top secret that even they don't know what it is. Then, in the Eisner award-losing "Operation Bollock", our heroes are set to track down a famously missing part of the Fuhrer's anatomy—determined to wrench the missing gonad from the hands of their oldest enemy. Garth Ennis (Preacher, Kev, Dicks) and Carlos Ezquerra (Judge Dredd, El Mestizo, Bloody Mary) go off the rails entirely—with a story so insane that it originally appeared backwards.
