Talent Dialogue: Nick Tapalansky / Alex Eckman-Lawn (Awakening)

The comic press can't deny Awakening: the dark thriller from Archaia Studios that's been making quite a name for itself the last few months. The book doesn't have to do much to stand out as its distinctive art style more than puts it in its own arena. Readers are excited to be getting something fresh and innovative, and publishers are hopefully taking cues on the quality of production we want and expect. Here to throw down some knowledge about Awakening are writer Nick Tapalansky and artist Alex Eckman-Lawn.


Tom Mattson (Newseed): Let’s talk about the reactions the book has been getting both critically and from a sales perspective. Are people buying it? Do they like it? What type of expectations did you have before the responses/numbers started coming in?

Nick: So far it’s definitely been really positive. Being put out by a smaller publisher, even one that’s got the reputation and pedigree of ASP means that, unfortunately, fewer shops tend to order the book which puts it in front of fewer people. But, then again, that’s why Al Gore invented the interweb. Between getting the word out on message boards, advance previews, our MySpace page for the book, and awesome reviews, even people who might otherwise never see the book can get into it. As a result, we even made it into the Top 20 hottest books at TFAW.com, a really great online comic shop.

Alex: So far people have been great, and really supportive. We’ve had people in other countries demanding to know how they can get issues of the book shipped to them and, sadly, people in this country who demand to know where they can get our book and why their shop isn’t carrying us (that’s a very good question, why AREN’T you stocking thousands of issues of Awakening, comic shop owner?). Basically, once people get their hands on us, they seem to want more more MORE, so that’s been really encouraging.

Nick, when you set out to write this story was this the type of art you were envisioning? When you saw Alex's work did you say, 'that's it, that's exactly what I've been picturing,' or was it more, 'hey, I didn’t know I wanted this but I sure as hell do.’?

Nick: Oh, it was definitely always something I was really looking for with the book - something moody that could, in its own way, convey as much of the story through style and execution as the script itself. I spent years looking for it and with Alex it was immediately a perfect fit.

Alex: Awww, babydoll. We were meant to be, weren’t we?

Nick: Yes my pookums. Yes.

Did the decision to work with Alex cause you to re-imagine or change your work? You’ve said you prefer script writing because you have a tendency to be more visual. Does that mean you give specific descriptions of what you want Alex to create in each panel, and if so have you approached that differently than you would have with a more traditional comic artist? How do the two of you communicate what should be on the page?

Nick: No change at all, although like with any project you definitely learn to cater to the strengths of your partner in crime – I definitely know what Alex likes to draw and I'm fully aware when I’m torturing him. As for the script process, they are pretty full scripts with a panel-by-panel description. Depending on the supreme importance of what’s going on, sometimes the panels are super descriptive whereas other times I like to give him some wiggle room. A prayer for the wild at heart kept in cages!

Alex: Yeah, Nick’s script was one of the things that made this project irresistible to me. His writing is really descriptive and, I thought, strikingly visual. He painted a clear picture of the scene before I ever picked up a pencil. Of course, being the pain in the ass that I am, sometimes I do make changes to the page if I think something will work better visually, but it’s a give and take. He wins some, I win some.

Nick: But we’re both satisfied afterwards, turn over, and go to sleep. Just don’t tell the girlfriends – they get jealous.

Alex, could you explain the process behind the art for those of us too oblivious to understand what it is we're looking at? The photo-manipulation aspects make sense but block printing? Does that mean you're literally carving each of these images into blocks, dipping them into ink, stamping them out, and then prettying them up a bit?

Alex: I’d be glad to do my best and explain. The thing is I don’t always know how I’m going to attack a page until I’m right in the middle of it. I try and get a sense of the tone, the mood of what’s happening in the script, and then see what technique makes the most sense. To clarify, I do not use actual wood blocks. The comparison has been made (by myself a few times, so I’m sorry if I’ve confused things) but the woodblock look was actually done entirely digitally. My secret’s out!

Makes sense. Using actual blocks seemed like it would take an abhorrent amount of time and effort. My mind was set to blow. Still though, what type of an undertaking is this compared to if you were doing the project with a more conventional pencil-n-paper approach? How quick are you with the digitals?

Alex: You’re right! That would be a pretty obscene amount of time/work for each page if I were really cutting blocks and stuff. Not impossible mind you, but very tough. In fact, doing it digitally is a fairly speedy process, though it does give me the opportunity to continually cut and add to my figurative block of wood. My process in general can be pretty time consuming though, since there’s a whole boatload of layering going on. I tend to add color and texture by piling on layers, until I’ve built up an image I’m satisfied with. Sometimes it can take a couple hours, other times, days. But that struggle and mystery is what keeps things fun, right?

Struggling is one of my most frequent activities. The visuals in the book are said to be an emotional representation of what people are thinking and feeling. How literal is this statement throughout the course of each issue? Does the style of art consciously shift with the moods of the story, or is that our own perception/imagination?

Alex: The look of the art absolutely does change from page to page. On a big splash I may decide to go with a more painted look or go crazy with photo manipulation and collage, while a simpler page with two characters talking may be the woodcut look. On a page with lots of action, I may feel like its necessary to bust out a pencil and draw out pieces. Hopefully it all feels cohesive because the art really supports what’s happening in the story.

How has working with Archaia been? You teamed up after slipping samples to someone at a convention, so obviously they were enthusiastic about the direction and style of the project. Since then though, how much influence (if any) have they had on the final outcome we're seeing on the shelves? Were there any aspects of the art or story they were interested in seeing changed or expanded in any way?

Nick: The guys at Archaia have been great – it’s funny, our original pitch was just something we were trying to get feedback on and Mark hooked right in. Joe Illidge, the line editor over there, has been an amazing asset to us – because of the creator owned nature of the publisher and the properties there it’s never a matter of imposing things on us but rather making suggestions and helping us to put out the best book possible. As for the story and art though, all of that is what it was when we came to them on day one.

Alex: Archaia has been really cool in terms of kind of…hm…they take a laissez-faire attitude to us for the most part, and that’s great. Every now and then we get notes from Joe telling us to fix some stupid mistake we’ve made, but no one has told us to change the direction of our book, or the way it looks. They’re really supportive and seem most interested in making great comic books. What more could we ask for!?

Alex, you turned down several comic projects prior to this one. Now that you’ve had the experience, do you think it’s one you’re interested in coming back to again? Was it what you expected?

Alex: It was and it wasn’t what I expected. It is a lot of work, and really time consuming, as I feared, but I was mostly just being a big baby about it. I think I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to handle doing sequential work (something I hadn’t done since I was about 12). I think that I’ve kind of figured out how I want to work, and things are really starting to come together. Of course I’m always learning, and I hope to always be improving, but at this point I feel fairly confident, and not as horrified as before, haha! So yeah, I’d love to do more comic book work! I’m actually working on a couple other things now. Hopefully we can talk again, when those come out!

Nick, you’ve said that horror “reflects society in a lot of ways, where you can manipulate and explore personalities. Horror offers a way to see the best & worst in people.” On the surface level I can see how that statement would apply to many of the zombie and gorewhore films in which people are reacting to unbelievably brutal life-and-death situations. Everyone has to make a black & white virtue driven decision, and we call it a statement about culture and the soul. Then, they are slaughtered in ground-breaking high definition. Awakening doesn’t seem to be quite that simple in scope however. Is there anything specific you are setting out to say about society and its members? Are the events in this story built around a particular theme you’re willing to divulge?

Nick: I can’t even begin to say how happy I am that you said “gorewhore.” Seriously. Probably one of my favorite new words.

As for the scope and theme, there are absolutely some specific statements I’m making and as the story progresses that’ll hopefully become clearer. I do have to say that one of the things I love about any creative medium is interpretation – I’ll be thrilled when it’s done and I’ve said what I wanted to but I’m even more excited to see what other people take from it. We can get a little deeper into this after the first arc is done and I’m a little more free to discuss it without spoiling the world.

Daydreamer Milon, publisher TBD. Do tell.

Nick: I wish there was more to tell there, but right now it’s still really early on. That’s a project I’m planning on delving into with my buddy Mark Holmes, another name to look out for. I’ll be back to talk more about that when it really gets moving.

Looking forward to it! Real quick, outside of work, when all this is just fun and enjoyment – do you guys read many comics? Do you follow current ongoing series, and if so which ones? If not, what’s keeping you away? Are there things you feel are missing from the current lineup of available comic titles? Either way, do you see yourself becoming more interested in reading comics now that you’ve worked in them?

Nick: I grew up on comics and I’ve pretty much maintained a healthy addiction, though my tastes have changed pretty dramatically. As for what I pick up now, it’s pretty all over the place. I’m a big fan of Umbrella Academy so far and it’s probably one of my current top picks. I’ll take a gander at whatever new horror might float my way too. Fables is another favorite, as is Perhapanauts. There are some mainstays for me, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man – I’m a pretty big Marvel whore when it comes down to it but that’s a perennial fav now in an age when some longstanding titles just aren’t reliable anymore. I’m a huge sucker for Spider-Man.

Alex: Yeah, I grew up with comics as well, though I was more into some of the early guys. I loved Jack Kirby, though I didn’t know who he was at the time. The benday dot days I guess. I took a break from comics for a long while, and then found a bunch of artists that really excited me, like Dave Mckean, Phil Hale, Kent Williams, and lately Ashley Wood, James Jean, etc. and who doesn’t love Mignola? I tend to follow artists I like more than books, I guess. I hope that doesn’t get me hated.

List three albums we should be listening to while reading Awakening.

Nick: For me? Hmmm…

1. Ghengis Tron – Dead Mountain Mouth
2. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – F#A# Infinity
3. Zero 7 – Futures

Alex: Ooooh, good question. (and good call on the Genghis Tron, Nick) I really wish I could burn a cd for everyone who picks up the book, but this will have to do for now:

1. Liars – Drum’s not Dead
2. Wolf Eyes - Human Animal
3. The Locust – Safety Second Body Last

Seriously, putting those on while reading the book will make for one INTENSE experience. What I was listening to while I MADE the book was a mix of death metal and old radio shows though. And that’s not a joke.

What can we expect from the rest of the series? Clearly there’s a great deal we don’t yet know. Just how much is still to be revealed? Will we be surprised by where things go from here?

Nick: Well, if you’re not surprised I’m going to ask where you stole my outline from. There’s a lot more to come as we slowly trek through the rest of the year in Park Falls – the first half of the series really does function as a specific arc and when that wraps up the story takes another dramatic turn. You guys are into really bright, happy stories right? Because the second half of the series is all rainbows and puppies.

Seriously.

Alex: Nick’s script is like a surprise punch in the face. You can try and get ready but it still might break your nose.

Thanks a bunch guys! We’ll check in with you again as the series rounds out this first arc and into its latter stages.

Alex: Thanks a lot, this was fun!

Nick: Thanks, Tom!

Archaia Studios have released the first three of ten issues of Awakening and it is certainly still accessible to new readers. Be sure to let your comic provider know if you're interested in checking out the next issue! For more, hit up these links:

Newseed's flamboyant review of Awakening # 3 | Link
Preview pages | Link
Awakening on Myspace | Link
Archaia Studios | Link