On Saturday July 9th, 2011, don’t miss Ink Pen Mutations Press’ double book release party at The Hive Gallery, 729 S. Spring Street in Downtown LA from 8p.m. to midnight. Get directions
With live music, art, and book readings and signings, this unique LA underground press, which focuses on the union of experimental literature and provocative artwork in the form of storybooks, will present SICK! By author Kalamity J and artist Kasl, and Van Wyck and the Clan of the Sour Hand, the third installment to the Van Wyck graphic novelette series by author Chris Cobb and, for this installment, artist Chadwick Reinheardt.
Both books are limited edition and Ink Pen Mutations Press will be giving out free “Sick” ball caps and free “Van Wyck 3” t-shirts while supplies last.
The LA Books Examiner had the great opportunity to sit down with the Van Wyck Books author, Chris Cobb and artist Chadwick Reinheardt for an interview. Please take a few minutes to read more about these local talents.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Christopher moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, where he received his BA in English (Fiction Emphasis), with Honors. He currently resides in Sierra Madre, California.
Q. Why blend noir with sci-fi?
A. In the most general sense I see sci-fi as the ultimate playground for human potential; inventions, innovations, a place where you’re free to reach beyond what is possible, just to see what’s there. Noir is sort of the opposite of that; it’s all about man at his lowest—greed, adultery and his capacity for murder. So I think it’s an interesting juxtaposition, a great fit, with a lot of creative potential there.
Someone recently threw the phrase “Apocalypse Noir” at me, and I like it, I think it sums that idea up perfectly.
Q. How does working with an illustrator affect your process?
A. The collaboration has become everything that this project is about. I actually wrote all the stories (there are 5) together, so I already have most of the illustrations in mind. Then when I’m paired with the artist, I get to show them the previous books and discuss what illustrations I’m looking for.
At first I wanted to give the artists a lot of latitude, let them be a part of the decision-making, the creative process. But I actually found that to be the worst thing; they’ve got so much on their plate already. Looking back I can see how that having no parameters can be paralyzing. So I appreciate how Scott and Lance (Scott Griffin and Lance Richlin, artists for the first 2 books) put up with me. They’re trying to satisfy me and the publisher, and not being given any direction on how to get there is a bit of a jerk move.
So working with Chad has been great. Although even with my specifics, he still had to follow the art concepts started in the first 2 books, which he did brilliantly. And he got to put some new things out there, fill out some of the visual mythology that the next artist will have to honor.
And that’s one of the coolest things that I didn’t even consider initially; how all of the illustrations tie-in together, and how the world of the books grow from that.
Q. Where did Van Wyck come from?
A. I met with Mother (aka Ave Rose, publisher, Ink Pen Mutations) and she was looking for a serialized concept for her publishing house, a continuing series. And I was tossing around this LA concept in my head, sort of a pastiche of my favorite sci-fi and noir moments; like in the first book there’s a vague and terrible event, then this mysterious woman enters, and there’s a kidnapping. So our hero drives out to this wasteland. There’s even a moment where a character mentions staying away from “the Forbidden Zone,” which is my favorite moment from Planet of the Apes.
Anyway, Mother was receptive and wanted to see words on paper. So I began writing it on a flight to New York. On the cab ride into Manhattan, I saw the sign for the Van Wyck Expressway, and I thought, that’s him, that’s his name, that’s who he is.
Q. Terrorism gets heavy play in your writing; why?
A. I was 21 and stranded in Las Vegas the week of September 11th. For me, it became the moment when people stopped hating us in theory and started hating us in practice. And I think that that day became a keystone moment for me, and probably for most people my age. So I can’t even think of writing something that isn’t at least tangentially associated with it. April 19th in the book is essentially 9/11, only taken further.
And it wasn’t just the action of that day, but the reaction to it that was so interesting. I was fascinated at how quickly people agreed to sacrifice liberty in exchange for safety, or even just the illusion of it. Because it felt like the people in charge were just as scared and clueless as we were; that their solution to the problem was to pile a bunch of bureaucracy on top and try to weigh everyone down. Fear masked with red tape. It didn’t feel like there was a lot of smart thinking behind most of their decisions, like they went for the easy answer instead of the smart one.
So we were left on our end with just a lot of fear and paranoia. And that became everyday life, and that was so strange to me I had to try and capture it.
Q. Who influences you and your writing?
A. Philip K. Dick, definitely. He’s shown me that you can tackle a lot of out-there sci-fi concepts in a pretty straightforward manner. A lot of people don’t know this about his work and I think are scared of it for that reason, but to me he’s so easy to read and so hard to put down. Although I could say the same for Ira Levin and J.G. Ballard, which is funny because they proved that sci-fi isn’t just a genre but a legitimate part of literature.
Patricia Highsmith, who did all the Ripley books. The world she writes from has so much moral flexibility which has been helpful in terms of the world I created for the books.
Adam Hall and his Quiller books. A lot of people don’t know about him but his Cold War spy novels are masterpieces. So much of what makes them good is the interior world of the hero, very wry and sardonic but very calculated. Quiller was an inspiration for the character Van Wyck.
Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett of course, for the concepts they created and are still used today. And you can throw James Ellroy in there for his characters which seem two-dimensional until you give them a few pages to stretch their legs.
I owe all of them a debt for the Van Wyck books.
Q. What’s next for Chris Cobb, and when can we expect to see book four?
A. I’m taking a small break from the Van Wyck series so I can work on other projects, but parts 4 and 5 are already written. In the meantime I have a graphic novel about these three teenage sisters who become witches coming out next year—sort of a Wicked-meets-Watchmen—and I’m currently writing a full-length murder mystery novel involving sex robots in LA.
Born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and transported to Oregon at a young age, artist and author, Chadwick Reinheardt, was immersed in the forests of rural life which helped shape and develop within him a keen sense of serenity on the edge of chaos. From the trees of Oregon, to the asphalt of Los Angeles, Chadwick consistently tries to capture the stillness of a singular moment in everything he creates.
Q. How many different images make up one illustration - where do the photos/images come from?
A. Each varies in complexity and the number of images needed depending upon the degree of fantasy desired in the end result. Meaning, if something fantastical is needed, it will generally require many layers of images. A typical Van Wyck illustration is composed of 10 to 30 separate images that are then layered, adjusted to match each other in depth, perception and tone, photoshopped and manipulated into the end result.
Ideally, I take the photos myself. Starting from an original is always best and produces the greatest clarity and realism. Any additional photos I aquire from various sources of license and royalty free stock photography.
Q. What is your process in designing the illustration?
A. My process generally consists of first envisioning the end result, then deciding how to best conduct a photoshoot of models to get as close as possible to the original vision. Starting with a base image, I then start building a scene of imagery over, around and behind it to add depth, interest and a direction for the viewer to focus on. After the images are layered, I begin to ensure they are all visually in perspective. If it is not possible to take original shots, then I simply build an image from scratch from pieces of stock photography. A blood drop here, a shell casing there.
Q. Do you work in any other mediums aside from photoshop?
Aside from digital work in photoshop, I am a painter (acrylics) as well as an author.
Q. How difficult is it to work with an author who already has a vision of what each illustration should look like?
A. Challenging to say the least, but rewarding as well. Challenging in that the writer’s original vision is a tough thing to top. At times, the vision the writer has in his head is seemingly impossible. One of the rewards as an illustrator however, is to be pushed by this vision and decipher what the author is truly trying to capture. Being a writer as well as an artist I believe helped me to read between the lines and understand Christopher’s intent and vision on a different level.
Q. As you are the third illustrator in the series, how difficult was it to remain consistent with the prior illustrators visions of characters and places previously established?
A. Very difficult. The first Van Wyck established certain visuals which had to be maintained, specifically, the sour hand tattoo. In Van Wyck 2, the faces of characters were introduced which forced me as an illustrator to maintain continuity. As artists our styles of art could not be more different, and I knew I could not simply draw and paint characters as the other prior artists. However, what I could do was take images previously established, scan them and recreate them in my own way. For example, the Bob Franks posters throughout Van Wyck #3. Bob Franks was established visually in Van Wyck 2. The posters are a result of manipulating direct imagery from the prior edition.
Q. Where can readers see more of your work?
A. Additional work can be found on my Face Book site 2~Chord Publishing.
Learn more about Chris Cobb at the official Ink Pen Mutations Press website and Facebook page.
See more of Chadwick Reinheardt's art at Flickr and his Facebook page
Frank Mundo is the author of The Brubury Tales, which is available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Borders in paperback and in eBook.
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