An Untimely Mystery in Space part 1

NOTE: A few months back, (okay, a lot of months back), I got the chance to catch up with upcoming Rage of the Red Lanterns artist Shane Davis about his last foray into the intergalactic, Mystery in Space. Through a series of flubs, the article was never published as intended. It'd be a damn shame to waste a conversation about comics, though, so here it is; represented for the first time.

Mystery in Space took the relatively low-profile character of Captain Comet out of the pages of the wildly successful 52 series and put him in a solo adventure full of intrigue, corruption, self examination, telekinetic future mutants, and talking dogs. The Jim Starlin collaboration also gave fans their first monthly opportunity to check out the work of artist Shane Davis. Refining a jagged style perfect for moody action stories, Davis proved up to the task of handling monthly chores, and was only taken off the book in order to work on the high profile Lightning Saga crossover in the pages of Justice League of America. With the release of the Mystery in Space trade paperback, as well as the solicitation for Shane’s upcoming Superman/ Batman story arc with writer Michael Green, we took the opportunity to get some final thoughts from Davis on the science fiction escapade.

Brendan: Your story was ultimately about building a better Comet; how did you set out to achieve that? Besides a younger, more action ready body, how is the character different that the previous iterations?

Shane Davis: Captain Comet's back story was that the character left Earth because he was so advanced he didn't fit in. Going into this project, I felt he should have an almost alien feel. He also has the ability to teleport. Tackling that, I wanted to give him an organic teleportation effect. For example, I love Nightcrawler and that "bamf" effect. So I went with lightening, which is also related to the characters telekinetic comet field. The discs on his outfit were added there for this reason. As well as, the addition of the strip down his spine to visually link it to his nervous system.
Brendan: This book was clearly more of a sci-fi book than a superhero one. When last we spoke, you talked a little about how you tried to emphasize that aesthetically, but specifically, what sort of visual tricks and cues make one genre different from other?
Shane: I went in saying it had to look sci-fi and not just like superheroes in space. Looking at a lot of sci-fi movies and games, I noticed scale played a big part in creating that feel. I tried to incorporate that scale into the project, and still find myself using that process in my current project. For example, with the space station I had the idea to have a star/sun in its center. This was to show that this civilization was advanced enough to harvest a sun and use it as a weapon. Major praise goes to Bob Schreck and Brandon Montclare for allowing me to do this!

Brendan: This series marked your first opportunity on a regular assignment. Not only that, but it was a launch of a new title. What sort of challenges did that pose, and what do you feel you got out of it?
Shane: I was thrilled at first to have an almost clean slate. I ended up putting a lot of heart into it; possibly too much at times. The biggest challenge it posed was to need to see things in a different perspective. Not only were the characters being updated, the whole environment needed to feel sci-fi, yet still believable to the audience. The majority of this updated transition sat mainly on Comet's design. What audiences may accept or would want to see today. Imagination was key!

Brendan: Working with Jim Starlin, did you notice anything different in working with someone who is both a writer and artist? Did it make his script any more or less specific?

Shane: Jim is a great storyteller, in my opinion. There was nothing visually confusing about any of his scripts.
This made storytelling more fluid. You can really tell that he had the visual in mind while he was writing it.

Brendan: With Mystery in Space, you were sequestered to your own corner of the universe. Your upcoming work will be on Superman/ Batman, two of comics' most recognizable icons. What freedoms are you afforded in the relative obscurity that the spotlight doesn't allow?
Shane: I have had to do variations on their costumes for story moments, so I've had a few chances to play with
their costumes. Superman and Batman are icons, and altering the basic design is just wrong. You really
can't design them better, so I went in knowing that. I don't expect people to love me for the variations, but
hopefully they’ll say that I did them well with what I had to do. In their normal gear, your liberties lay in interpreting the basics. The attitudes and contrast in their capes. The fact one wears a mask while the other takes off glasses is priceless. It's all contrast when you get these two together. It is for me, at least, especially when dealing with postures and shadows. I definitely have been leaning towards the creepy Batman. However, even though drawing these two icons is fun on its own, Comet offered a liberty of interpretation that is not all too well accepted when messing around with Batman or Superman.

My Net of the Interwebs

So I do a little writing. You may be the type who does a little reading. We should hang out sometime, and swap skills-

My first published work. Frank Quietly, or Vin Deighan if he likes you, was a phenomenal interview. It took a little time to get done, but as he consistently proves, quality can take time. I sorta flipped when it got linked to by The Beat. Shout out to DC/ Vertigo's Brandon Montclare for hooking up an intern with a big-shot.

My first batch of reviews for PopCultureShock. I worked with these guys for a while, and there was nothing like having a stack of eleven unread comics awaiting judgment. Adan and I would go on to debate the merits of Marvel's Civil War for, well, ever. I can't believe I held off without a Confession joke. I must have been nervous about first impressions. Well, these are my Confessions. Shout out to Laura Hudson for finding other stuff to do, and freeing up the roster spot.

Index of Brendan (formerly Laura) and Adan's Picks, Pans, and Scans. I had a lot of fun with the BAAPPAS gig. Holler if you hear me to Jon Haehnle, for hooking the gig up.

The stalled This is Why They're Hot series of articles, where I try and reverse engineer what makes comic writers successful based on their earliest, most complete work. I had really high hopes for this concept, and hope to find venues to continue the exploration. I started with the most mysterious man in comics not named Alan Moore, Warren Ellis. I also ended with Ellis. Again, look for this concept to be retooled and re-upped. Adan Jimenez gets the props here, for editing this document during rush hour at a comicbook store on a Wednesday.

We sent that series off in style with the massive and all encompassing BLAAPPAS Finale. This was all of our favorite comic of all time. You may have picked up, but I like telling people what I like, especially when its friggin' awesome.

Talk about the right book at the right time and you get quoted in press releases, like I did for Halo #1. As far as I'm concerned, if Marvel posts my writing on their website, then I have written for them. Don't argue semantics with me, Quesada, just CTC.

I'm going to be one of those "I was there when," guys and show my review for Red 5 Comics' Atomic Robo #1. Just a really good comic, and I'm glad it got the much earned recognition with their Eisner Nomination.

Same deal for Johnny Hiro #1. I'm not above wanting credit for being on the ground floor. Fred Chao also was kind enough to throw shout outs me and everybody else who wrote about him in the last issue of the series, so he and his 4X Eisner nominated-ass gets a certified BIG UPS.

My first exclusive! Matt Wagner's Madame Xanadu Vertigo series was announced at last year's San Diego Comic-Con. We did this over the phone, another first for me, and man was Matt Wagner awesome. We shot the shit, and he managed to convince me that somehow Madame Xanadu was, like, really cool. Thats a big deal. Big time shout out to Bob Schreck for introducing me to the comics' legend, and for being one in his own right.

A follow up with MX artist Amy Hadley. Her work is stunning, and soon everyone will know.

Cliff Chiang and Green Arrow/ Black Canary. I wish I would have talked to him more about Doctor 13, which is now one of my all-time favorite stories.

Shane Davis is as good a superhero penciler as there is right now. I think with his latest run on Superman/ Batman everyone is starting to figure that out.

Infinity Gauntlet #1 is the first comic cover that burned itself into my brain, so when I got the chance to talk to writer/ artist Jim Starlin for his work on Mystery in Space, I was pretty geeked. I later got a chance to double dip into the kings of the cosmos with artist Ron Lim.

A quickie with the legendary Neal Adams. Whenever DC does publish his collaboration with Frank Miller, it will be ON.

One of my first reviews for Newsarama and shotgunreviews Best Shots, Greg Pak's Warbound #1. I try pretty hard to give the high visibility comics every chance to sink or swim on their own. It bums me out how indy- cool- intellectual types shit on high-selling books just for the sake of doing it, and it bums me out equally when mainstream readers don't look critically at what makes their favorite books good, or when they just buy slavishly and bitch. The people who run the Big Two aren't idiots, so when they invest resources into stories, it is worth giving them a shot.

I also try and find books that I think have crossover appeal, mostly so my friends who don't read comics will read my reviews. That was the case with this Best Shots Extra for Virgin's Buddha #1. I might have been a little easy on this book just to try and encourage people to try it, but in retrospect the comment listed is right, they should just read Tezuka's version.

I love Elephantmen, and so should you. Pulpy sci-fi and talking animals in a dystopian future. Don't be stupid, read that book.

Again, telling everyone what my idea of awesome is, this time for the Best Shots' 2007 Year in Review-review. Notable is James Stokoe's Wonton Soup, a title that should pop-up on way more radars. The only problem is that when I read something this good, and when the creator is close enough to my age that I can identify his or her influences, I get very jealous. Then I cry myself to sleep. So thanks for being awesome, jerks.

Lastly, last week's Best Shots. My Amazing Spidey was done, in part, because the Newsarama boards can't help but get themselves intensely riled up whenever anyone discusses the recent shake-down to Spidey continuity. Sometimes you have to shake the jar of bees, or, if you prefer, kick the dog with bees in his mouth and when he barks he shoots bees at you. Either way, I think that Brand New Day has been a resounding success, and no matter what a married dude tells you, there is a shitload more hijinx when you're single. Sorry guys, thats the trade-off.

So I think thats most all of the good stuff, and, y'know, some of the okay stuff. Nice little handy list so you don't have to Google me, baby.

That is a lot of Nerd-words, so next time we'll discuss something truly gangsta-riffic, like the Muppets.

Not that comic's aren't gangsta. Or even, Gangsta Large.