Batton Lash interview from Write Now #9 Preview by TwoMorrows Publishing

Counselor of the Macabre

The Batton Lash Interview Conducted via e-mail November, 2004 By Danny Fingeroth

atton Lash studied cartooning and graphic arts at the School of Visual Arts in New York, where his instructors included Will Eisner and Harvey Kurtzman. After graduating, he took on various art-related jobs, including doing pasteups for an ad agency and being comic book writerartist Howard Chaykin’s first assistant. As a freelance illustrator, Lash did drawings for Garbage magazine, a children’s workbook, the book Rock ’n’ Roll Confidential, the Murder to Go participatory theater group, a reconstructive surgery firm, and other projects. In 1979, Brooklyn Paper Publications asked Lash to create a comic strip and he came up with “Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre,” which ran in The Brooklyn Paper until 1996 and in The National Law Journal from 1983 to 1997. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Lash drew W&B stories for such publications as TSR’s Polyhedron, American Fantasy, and Monster Scene. Original Wolff & Byrd stories also appeared in a number of comic books and anthologies, including Satan’s Six, Mr. Monster, Munden’s Bar, Frankie’s Freightmare, Crack-aBoom, The Big Bigfoot Book, and Murder by Crowquill. Since May, 1994, Wolff & Byrd have held court in Supernatural Law, their own comic book series from Exhibit A Press, which Lash established with his wife, Jackie Estrada. Exhibit A has published several collections of the comic book issues (most recently Mr. Negativity And Other Tales of Supernatural Law) and two collections of the weekly comic strips, as well as four specials featuring Mavis, W&B’s intrepid secretary. The comic book is currently under option by Stampede Entertainment, which is developing it as major liveaction film. Lash’s non W&B work has included art for Hamilton Comics’ short-lived horror line (Grave Tales, Dread of Night, etc.); The Big Book of Death, The Big Book of Weirdos, The Big Book of Urban Legends, and the Big Book of Thugs for Paradox Press; and Aesop’s Desecrated Fables for Rip Off Press. He also wrote the notorious Archie Meets the Punisher, the 1994 crossover between Archie Comics and Marvel Comics. As writer for the Radioactive Man series for Bongo Comics, he shared in the Eisner 2002 Best Humor Title honors. He was nominated for two Harvey Awards in 2003 and for three Harveys in 2004.

DANNY FINGEROTH: Where’d you grow up, Batton? Where’d you go to school? BATTON LASH: I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I attended a parochial grammar school and James Madison High School, whose alumni included EC publisher Bill Gaines and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, for what’s that’s worth!

DF: Were you writing and drawing in elementary or high school? BL: Oh yeah—I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing and drawing. I’d do lousy in school, but I always got an “A” for compositions. My father would give me scratchpads when I was a kid Batton Lash and Jackie Estrada at WonderCon 2004. and I’d make my own comics (he would staple them for me). In high school, I “graduated” to drawing on Bristol with pen and ink. I was always doing cartoons for friends and family.

DF: Was there anybody in your early life that inspired or encouraged you in creative directions? BL: I had an aunt who was my biggest supporter, booster, and cheerleader when I was a kid. It wasn’t that my parents weren’t interested in my creative endeavors, but I had four siblings, so they had their hands full! My Aunt Ann worked in Manhattan—the proverbial single career woman. She went to museums, the theatre, and art galleries. She would often take me along, introducing me to New York and its culture. For a kid who only knew Brooklyn, it was very exciting to go to the “city”! My aunt would always ask me what I was working on, read my little homemade comics, and encouraged me to be creative. And she still does! I was very fortunate I had someone like that in my life. DF: How’d you end up going to SVA? BL: I would read bios of cartoonists and most of them would say they attended the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. When I decided that I wanted to have a career in comics, I figured that was the place to go! DF: Was SVA a good experience? BL: Yes it was. I met a lot of great people. In my second year, I was in the right place at the right time when Will Eisner and Harvey Kurtzman became instructors at SVA. Ironically, although I went there to get into comics, I was discouraged from doing so! Will and Harvey were both very generous to me, but they didn’t think I had “it.” So I had to expand my horizons. During my years there, I stopped reading comics for BATTON LASH | 41

encouraging. Recalling all this now, brings to mind Eisner’s recent observation about the state of the business: “I’ve seen this industry die five times already!” Somehow, the medium rises anew again and again—despite atrocious business decisions! (By the way, my interest in comic books was rekindled in the early ’80s. There were exciting and interesting titles like Love & Rockets, American Flagg, Cerebus, Zot!, and many others. It was a veritable Golden Age for the independents!) DF: What did you learn at SVA that you’ve carried along with you since then, especially from Kurtzman and Eisner? BL: Both of them stressed that there was more to comics than Marvel and DC. I especially remember Harvey saying that to do comics, you’ve got to get away from comics. I didn’t quite understand that at the time, but he was absolutely right. It’s important to have a commitment, but sometimes a person can get too close to their passion and lose sight of the bigger picture. Both Kurtzman and Eisner were very critical of my work back then and rightfully so. Now, I say this all in hindsight, because at the time I was crushed. But I did appreciate their honesty. Like I said, I needed to broaden my horizons. I began to read voraciously—anything but comics. It’s a big, wonderful, interesting world out there with all sorts of great, inspiring things in the culture (plus, getting some life experiences under your belt doesn’t hurt, either!). I’d like to think that it paid off, because years later, both Will and Harvey were very supportive and complimentary of my comic Wolff & Byrd.

the first time in my life and went cold turkey. I believe that was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. DF: Really? After a lifetime of reading comics, didn’t you suffer from withdrawal? BL: Not necessarily. At the time—this would be 1974—I was getting pretty disenchanted with comic books. I still liked comics; I didn’t like what was happening to comics. Maybe I was just outgrowing them, but I thought the wild creative streak of only a few years earlier was missing. I sensed a mean-spiritedness was creeping into the stories. Everything was so cynical—or maybe I was just more knowledgeable about how the business operated. Nevertheless, I believed there was a malaise in the industry that was filtered through fanzines, convention panels, and finally, the comic books themselves. In fact, whenever Eisner and Kurtzman had a “pro” come in to lecture, almost all of them would warn us that there would be no comics industry by 1980! Not very

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DF: Any other teachers there who affected you? BL: Too many to go into detail here! But a few stand out: There was a copywriting teacher, Regina Ovesey, who I learned a great deal from. Although her course was generally about creating ad copy, she taught the basic fundamentals about writing, which I thought was invaluable. There was also a playwriting teacher, Bob Auletta, who was very encouraging; I learned a lot about structure from his class. Two drawing teachers, James Kearns and Jerry Moriarty, were terrific. The administrator of the SVA Alumni Society at the time, Tom Gill (probably best known for drawing The Lone Ranger), was the first pro I ever got to know. He was incredibly patient and encouraging with all the aspiring comic book students. DF: Who else went to school with you that we may have heard of? BL: I was in “foundation” class (first year) with cartoonist and Punk Magazine founder John Holmstrom; animators Russell Calabrese, Tom Sito, and Yvette Kaplan; Bob Wiacek, who became a popular inker for Marvel and DC; and Peter Zeremba, who was a painter in school but went on to form the band The Fleshtones. When I was in my last year at SVA, Joey Cavalieri and Mike Carlin (now editors at DC Comics) were in their foundation years. Apparently, Peter Bagge was attending SVA the same time I was, but I didn’t know him. DF: Have you ever thought about actually becoming a lawyer? BL: No. I always wanted to be a writer and/or artist when I grew up, preferably both! DF: What was your fallback plan if art and writing didn’t happen for you?

BL: I thought I could always go into advertising. In fact, advertising did turn out to be my “day job” in the early ’80s. I wrote copy, did illustrations, comps, paste-up and mechanicals (paste-up and mechanicals? Those were the days, eh?), whatever was needed. It was an agency in downtown Brooklyn (a small agency, but the largest one in Brooklyn!). I was on staff for close to five years, until I was confident enough to go freelance. Luckily, I’ve been working steady as a professional cartoonist since then... knock wood! DF: What were the circumstances that led The Brooklyn Paper to ask you to create a strip for them, the strip that became Wolff & Byrd? BL: In the late ‘70s, before the ad agency job, I was schlepping my portfolio around town. If a business had an art director, I’d try and get an appointment! On a friend’s recommendation, I went to The Brooklyn Paper, a local weekly in (where else?) downtown Brooklyn. The Paper was happy with me—I was able to work fast and I was pretty dependable. I think living in Brooklyn helped! As a lark, I suggested to the editor that every newspaper should have a comic strip, and I offered to do one. Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre grew from that. Since all the courts and scores of attorneys were downtown, I thought a strip about lawyers would get some attention. DF: Was that your first “big break”? BL: Yes—I was able to get my chops on the job. Seeing the work in cold print every week was an education unto itself. I definitely think it was a big break. Doing Wolff & Byrd led to so many positive things in my life. I’m really grateful that Ed Weintrob and Beverly Cheuvont, the publisher and editor, respectively, of The Brooklyn Paper, gave me the green light to do it! DF: Wolff & Byrd is a rarity on several levels. It comes out consistently. It has a consistency of look and tone, and yet also is always full of surprises. How do you keep it familiar and yet fresh? BL: I appreciate that, Danny. Although I’ve been doing Wolff & Byrd/Supernatural Law (first as a strip, then as a comic book) for over 25 years, I’d like to think I’m still learning and still developing the series to be as entertaining as possible. I’m always striving to build the better comic book! I try to do a comic book that I would’ve enjoyed reading. I always liked a light-hearted approach, with resourceful characters who have romantic yearnings. I think that there are stories everywhere. Current events, certainly, are a source, but friends, family, community, pop culture, life experiences—good and bad—are all grist for the mill. I’m sure every writer and would-be writer reading this knows what I’m talking about. Everything’s material! DF: Let’s back up a little. Weren’t you Howard Chaykin’s assistant at one time? BL: Yes, for a brief time in the spring of 1977, when my days at SVA were winding down. I met Howard through his first wife, Dinah, who was a classmate of mine. I was Howard’s first assistant; I worked on Empire, an early graphic novel that had an original script by Samuel Delaney. I liked Howard and was flattered that he would ask me to work with him. Now, I don’t

want to give you the impression that I became his protégé—I don’t think Howard knew exactly what to do with me. He could be brutally honest and abrasively opinionated. I was a real greenhorn and tried my best but was untimely intimidated by Howard (I chalk it up to my post-adolescence awkward age!). In addition, I was pretty apathetic toward comics at that point, so my disinterest and nervousness weren’t winning points! DF: What did you learn from working for/with him? BL: Don’t be intimidated by someone trying to help you! Seriously, Howard loved comics but had many interests besides comics. He had a wide range of interests in books, politics, movies, and music. And an opinion on everything. What I got from Howard was that if you intend to go into any field, it’s important to bring something new to the table—and don’t be afraid to speak up! DF: Did you ever try to get work from Marvel or DC? BL: No. I really didn’t think Marvel and DC would be too interested in my work. Besides, I didn’t have that desire to

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work on characters I read as a kid. I wanted to write, draw, and more importantly, own my own material. Of course, I did do a book for Marvel back in 1994: Archie Meets the Punisher. That was a crossover with Archie Comics. I happened into that because I knew the Archie editor, Victor Gorelick—he had actually lettered my strip for me for a while. Over lunch when he was visiting San Diego, he happened to mention that he and Tom DeFalco at Marvel were always joking about doing something wacky like an Archie-Punisher team-up. I said that I could see that working. He told me to come up with a pitch if I really thought so. I did, Marvel went for it—and the rest is history! DF: Was Archie/Punisher an enjoyable experience? BL: I had a ball! I like to think that shows in the end results. Punisher editor Don Daley was just great to work with. I have fond memories of that project, since I was working on it around the time I moved to San Diego, got married, and set up Exhibit A Press. It was an exciting time! DF: If you got an offer from Marvel or DC today, would you take it? BL: That would depend! It might be a lark, but I’ve heard enough horror stories about office politics that make me wary. Again, to be fair, the “big two” may have heard horror stories about me to make them wary! DF: Your Bongo work shows you’re extremely familiar with the fads and phases of mainstream comics. Do you still read a lot of them? BL: All of the Radioactive Man stories I do for Bongo are cribbed from my days as a fan. I don’t follow the monthly DC and Marvel titles and haven’t for years. I’m not the audience for those books and I shouldn’t be. However, I will always read anything new by Eisner, Chaykin, Kyle Baker, Paul Pope, and Frank Miller. I think Chris Powell’s The Goon is a hoot. Rick Smith (Shuck) and Bosch Fawstin (Table for One) are talents to watch. And the minicomic world has a lot of great

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stuff going on; I really like Pat Lewis’s work, as well as Alex Grecian, Jesse Hamm, Chris Juracich, and Ellen Linder—just to name a very few! I could be here all day, citing the good stuff! There’s so much excellent work out there, which I mostly get to see at small press shows like APE and SPX. DF: Your wife and business partner, Jackie Estrada, has spoken in an interview about how it’s hard to market “middle ground” comics like Supernatural Law, which fall between mainstream superhero material and intensely personal comics. Can you speak about that a little? BL: You mean “The New Mainstream.” I do not consider superhero comics “mainstream” reading material; they are a niche market. And I believe most of the “alternative” comics are glorified art-school projects, which have a limited appeal. However, a lot of the independent and creator-owned material is more general-public friendly. The general public is just unaware it exists! There are plenty of comics—usually found in the back of the Diamond catalog—that are not superhero/collectible enough for Wizard or alternative/artsy enough for The Comics Journal to cover. I’m referring mainly to genre material that has solid stories, engaging characters, and, more often than not, spiffy black-and-white artwork. I hope I’m making myself clear here. I’m not antisuperhero comics or even anti-artsy comics. But the direct market has been in a steady decline for quite a while now. I think it’s resigned not to go after new readers; the plan seems to be to squeeze every last dime out of the regular customers, who are by and large superhero fans. After ten years of publishing, I have to give in and say that the direct market is a not only a superhero market, but an insular one.

DF: Can you elaborate? BL: The spin of late is that revenues in the direct market are up. I’m sure they are—but not because the customer base has increased but because Marvel and DC are putting out a lot of expensive superherooriented books, not to mention high-priced

Interior pages to Sonovawitch trade paperback. [© 2005 Batton Lash.] superhero-themed statues, figures, and tchotchkes. Retailers have informed me that they have to drop independents to clear their budget for the latest widget from the big two that might become a collectible. It doesn’t matter if those independents have regular readers. The direct market is at best tolerant of titles like Supernatural Law. At worst, it’s indifferent to the point of hostility. There are exceptions, of course. There are retailers across the country and abroad who have the right idea and reach out to new customers. They will try to get them hooked on comics that would appeal to their sensibilities. But those retailers are a small minority. It’s heartbreaking that most of the independent stuff gets overlooked or dismissed in the direct market. Even Bongo, with recognizable characters such as The Simpsons, are considered too “alternative” for many retailers. A few years ago, a really intense, sincere comic called Junkyard Wars by Josh Shepherd came and went due to lack of attention and exposure. The failure of Castle Waiting by Linda Medley is particularly shameful. Here was an ideal title for all ages and especially for females, young and old. But the direct market wasn’t interested. I don’t believe the marketplace decides if these titles live or die; I believe the retailers decide for the marketplace. Is it any wonder that manga has had such an impact on younger readers?

DF: Did you have much interest in monsters and/or the supernatural before you came up with the idea for W&B? BL: If you’re asking if I had an interest in the supernatural because I believed in it, I’d have to say no. My interest is strictly on an entertainment level. I see the conventions of the genre as fun and love the look of it. I adore all the old Universal monster movies and the cheesy horror and science fiction movies from the ‘50s. I used to read horror and ghost stories as a kid, too. I read Marvel comics before the superheroes were introduced and loved those kooky Kirby monster stories. The moody Ditko five-pagers made quite an impression on me, too. And of course, I was just crazy about Creepy and Eerie when those magazines first appeared. DF: The whole “feel” of Supernatural Law is informed by Kurtzman and especially Eisner. BL: God knows I try, Danny! They’re two of the best! DF: What do you think you—and comics creators in general— can learn from them? BL: Less is more. Most of the stories that secured Harvey’s and Will’s reputations were less than ten pages in length! The two of them are largely responsible for the language of comic book storytelling that is still being utilized today. I think

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about Rosemary’s Baby one day. If Rosemary knew she was carrying the devil’s child and wanted an abortion, would even the most religious zealot be able to sanction that? Sounds like a Wolff & Byrd plot, and I did it for issue #10—as a takeoff on romance comics. Another time, someone mentioned to me about praying to save souls, I thought, what if someone sold souls on the black market to the morally corrupt—and that became the basis for issue #26, which was also a takeoff on Vincent Price B-movies. I’ve always thought of goofy things like that, so I guess daydreaming pays off! I also like to do homages, parodies, and pastiches. For instance in issue #39, I did a werewolf story in the style of Chris Ware, which I titled “The Scariest Kid on Earth.” Often, I will also pull something out of my personal experiences and incorporate that into the back stories of Alanna Wolff, Jeff Byrd, and Mavis. DF: Your website (www.exhibitapress.com) is quite elaborate. What do you get out of it? Do you think a website is a necessity for comics people today? BL: For comic creators, the Internet gives us the chance to have a 21st century “Bullpen Bulletins Page” with a website. It’s cheap, fast, and relatively easy to connect with readers, editorialize, plug projects, etc. It’s intimate and immediate. One of the things that brings a lot of traffic to our site is all the photos we put up after events like San Diego—people want to see what all the various comics creators look like. And I also love the comics blogs. I’m not sure they help sales vis-à-vis comic stores, but there’s a lot of passionate discussion and more often than not, they’re funny as hell. DF: Would you ever do a comic for the web? BL: I’m going to do a new Supernatural Law story online in early 2005. I’ll still be publishing the comic book, but I want to reach a wider audience and new readers. Websites, the Internet, and e-mail are changing everything. The Internet is totally advantageous to the entrepreneur. Cover to Sonovawitch!, writer/artist: Batton Lash, trade paperback collection of Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre. [© 2005 Batton Lash.] Kurtzman, with his war stories, Mad, Goodman Beaver, and even the unfairly maligned Little Annie Fanny, tried to comment on the human condition, always reaching for a truism via the comics medium. With The Spirit, Eisner showed how flexible the comics form is by using The Spirit—and his environment— as the epicenter for whatever type of story he wanted to tell, whether it be comedy, drama, parody, social commentary or even in rhyme. Now, I don’t think they hit it out of the park every time. But when they did, it was a grand slam. I think the work they did 50 years ago is still relevant and it’s in every cartoonist’s best interests to seek out and study their work. DF: Where do you typically get the ideas for Supernatural Law? I ask because it’s such a specific kind of story you need to do for a comic like this. BL: I think I have a sense for absurd situations. I just let my mind wander and an idea evolves. For example, I was thinking

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DF: Any advice for people trying to break in, either to the Big Two (or Three) or trying to do their own thing, as you have done? BL: Don’t let anyone discourage you. If you have the passion and the burning desire to be creative, you’re going to do it no matter what. No offense to the Big Two (or Three), but they can be closed shops at times and very cliquish. I always advise people to develop and own their own material, so they won’t always be at the mercy of other people’s characters. DF: Any books, courses, etc., you’d recommend for aspiring writers or artists? BL: When I was in Regina Ovesey’s class in SVA, she assigned Shrunk & White’s Elements of Style to read. It’s fundamental to all kinds of writing. There’s a reason it’s a perennial! Also, it’s important to read non-fiction. As time goes on, it’s difficult for me to get into fiction the way I used to, sad to say! But I’m always looking for something that will get my creative juices flowing and I always like to have at least a kernel of truth to put into my stories. Probably the most important advice I can give to aspiring writers (even to some professional writers!) is

that it’s important to remember to know when to speak up and when to shut up. A person can learn a lot just by keeping quiet and listening. Everything’s material!

tone or pacing. My thinking is that since the main characters are attorneys, there is a risk of too much copy! So I try to find an interesting visual for each page before a script is finalized.

DF: What percentage of your time is spent doing commercial work (aside from the Bongo stuff) as opposed to working on Supernatural Law? How much time is spent on the Bongo stuff, percentage-wise? BL: It’s hard to say. I’m not a 9-5 type of person. Thinking is a large percentage of the work. Getting the plot and structure of a story to click—having it percolate in my head—means I’m usually living with it 24/7. The commercial artwork comes and goes; you know how freelance work is, Danny—feast or famine! Sometimes I’m swamped, other times it’s slow. When it’s slow, I can devote more time to Supernatural Law. DF: In a perfect world, would you only work on Supernatural Law? BL: Absolutely!

DF: Do you work Marvel style or full script? BL: Since I’m writing and drawing the same story, I don’t have to type up a script proper. It’s far more important to me to get the structure of the story rock solid. Dialogue can always be finessed. Having said that, I’m always rewriting the dialogue through each step of the art. I do thumbnails on Post-It Notes, which is the basis for more elaborate roughs, which are blown up and light-boxed on Bristol board. I make dialogue notes, and as I go along I jot down questions to ask my legal consultant, Mitch Berger. I then take all my notes and write a script in a notebook, longhand. After getting notes from Mitch about any legal nuances, I write the dialogue on Post-It Notes and place them on copies of the original art, indicating captions and word balloons for Jackie to do the lettering.

DF: When you write a story you’re drawing, do you start with a script and then draw it, or do you start with the art, or a little of both? BL: I start with an outline that stems from a one-line idea scribbled to myself (such as “black market souls”). I will then use the outline and break it down point by point, which gives me a good idea how many pages the story will take. Since comics are a visual medium, I figure out the most visual element of each page early on. Sometimes that changes the

DF: When you write for someone else to draw, such as Radioactive Man, do you approach scripting differently than you would when you write something for yourself to draw? BL: It’s the same process, except that I supply a typed, finished script, complete with “stage directions.” I also insist on being able to do layouts of the story for a penciller to follow. I think if you are writing for artists who do not write their own material, you have to be specific in what you want. Blame that Kurtzman influence!

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DF: Ever have writer’s block? If so, how do you deal with it? BL: I’ve never had a problem coming up with ideas or writing per se. That said, every story I’ve ever done had a point where I either got stuck on a plot twist or got bogged down on a dialogue exchange. Whenever that happens, I take a walk. Or take a shower! No kidding. Somehow, the gears start moving again and I come up with what I need so I can move ahead. By the way, I’ve always got the next issue—or the next Mavis story—bubbling in the back of my head while working on a current issue. DF: What about artist’s block? BL: Some days are better than others! Frankly, the story is much more important to me. Tastes in comic art is so subjective. I think readers will cut slack to an artist whose work may not be quite “there” as long as there are sharp writing, appealing characters, and interesting situations. Although comics is a visual medium and good art is important, an entertaining story is always at the core of comics. DF: Have you done much or any work for Hollywood? Is that something you want to do more of? BL: Not really. I wrote a screenplay in the late ‘70s that had some minor interest from Hollywood, so I went to L.A. but I was completely wet behind the ears. As they say in The Producers, “Everyone’s a big shot!” Schmoozing with Hollywood-types gets old fast. Everything was “hurry up and wait” and you always got a “definite maybe” for an answer. A way to get around the B.S. is to do it yourself, of course, but even a small indie film or

play can cost a fortune. And there are still many people you have to deal with: cast, crew, investors, etc. That’s a lot of personalities and other people’s money to work with. I’m really a bad businessman, so producing wasn’t for me. Comics are gloriously low-tech and an inexpensive medium... and I don’t have to worry about crews of people. I could have far more control over my work. And since most Hollywood types are comics fans, my work gets in front of them anyway! DF: What’s the status of the various options on Supernatural Law? BL: Although the option was with Universal for five years, it is now back with the independent producer who originally took the project to Universal, Nancy Roberts of Stampede Entertainment, Nancy and her partner, S.S. Wilson, are two creators of the Tremors movies and have written a new Supernatural Law screenplay, which I think is terrific. Their script has a lot of set pieces that are taken from the comics, so how can I not like it? I hope there will be something exciting to announce regarding the movie in early 2005. DF: Talk a bit about running your own publishing company. Do you publish anything other than things related to your own work? BL: No. Exhibit A Press was established to just publish my work. That’s a job unto itself! I wouldn’t want to be responsible for someone else’s career. DF: What are some important lessons about self-publishing that you’ve learned? BL: It’s tough work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s paramount for a comics creator to control his/her work. Of course, it helps to be in business with my wife so that we can split up all the business chores, including things like creating posters, dealing with bookstore distributors, preparing to exhibit at shows, updating the website, and that sort of thing. Jackie’s the most organized person I know, and that’s an asset when it comes to publishing! DF: Do you consider yourself more a writer or more an artist, or is there no distinction for you? BL: I consider myself a cartoonist. I believe writing is just as much a part of cartooning as drawing is. DF: Would you or have you ever written anything that’s straight prose? Any interest in short stories, novels, etc.? BL: Yes. I’d love to do some articles, too. But I am not a fast writer; everything I do takes more time than it should! DF: Everything you do seems to have some kind of humorous slant. Have you ever wanted to do something that’s not humor? BL: I really have no desire to play Hamlet. Like I said earlier, I always enjoyed comics (and other media, for that matter) that had a light-hearted touch, so that’s my natural approach to writing. DF: Talk a little about the working process you and Jackie have. BL: Whenever I have an outline written, I will read it to Jackie and see what her reaction is. If she’s laughing at some of the plot points, I know I have a winner. On the other hand, if she doesn’t think a particular plot works, she will tell me. And she will be correct in her evaluation. I trust her instincts and opinions. I will then block out the story and show her the visuals. She will read my final “draft” of

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Interior pages to Sonovawitch! trade paperback. [© 2005 Batton Lash.] the dialogue when she gets ready to letter the copy. That’s when her blue pencil comes out. Jackie’s an excellent editor. She’s got “real world” experience, having been a professional book editor for over 30 years. She copyedits, cleans up my twisted syntax, and punches up dialogue (but doesn’t rewrite). Jackie’s editing is invaluable, and my work has improved because of her editing. It’s fashionable for comic book artists to poo-poo the importance of having a hands-on editor, but I think a lot of cartoonists need editors. Remember what I said earlier about getting a little too close to the thing you’re passionate about? A lot of comic book artists sometimes lose the scope of their story and stray into either obscure or esoteric areas—or both! A good editor does more than correct grammar and make sure the book is on schedule; a good editor will have a good sense of story to keep the creator on track. DF: What’s coming up (in early 2005) that you’d like to plug? BL: I’m doing a Wolff & Byrd crossover with Vampirella that is scheduled to come out in Vampirella Magazine early in the year. Jackie and I are also discussing a change in format for the Supernatural Law series that may involve increasing the number of pages, for instance. And since we believe that the bookstore market is the place to find our kind of readers, we

are working on putting together a trade paperback that will collect the first eight issues of the comic book series. We have three trades out now that encompass issues 17 through 36, but the original collections we did of the first 16 issues—four issues a piece in what we called Case Files— are out of print. But seeing as how that material is now ten years old, I am doing a “director’s cut”—going back to the original art and redrawing some faces I wasn’t happy with, relettering everything, and retoning all the pages in Photoshop, since back then I had actually produced the book by putting down handcut halftone screens on stats. We’ve come a long away! Oh, and I’m having fun working on an issue of Radioactive Man that parodies Steve Ditko’s Charlton comics; I’m writing and pencilling the three stories and Michael T. Gilbert is inking them. DF: Thanks, Batton. This was really informative and fun! BL: Thank you, Danny. I enjoyed doing it.

THE END

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