Vito Delsante is a writer you should know

Lately, in creating a new comic concept, I’ve been looking at what makes a hero “super.” Is it clothes? Is it powers? Or is it something else?

I’ve come to the realization that it’s choice “C.” Because anyone can put on a costume but it doesn’t make you a superhero (best illustrated, so far, in Millar & Romita’s KICK-ASS). And folks with superpowers can go either way. So, by default, it has to be “something else,” but what is that something?

I’m starting to realize the effect of environment on characters (which is the point of this entry). In other words, setting and time & place are just as much a character as the people in costume (or out). As I said, recently, I’ve been tackling a creator owned concept that deals with a sidekick and his mentor’s legacy. In the plotting, I found it to be a straightforward superhero comic with a little bit of me inside. In the actual scripting, I found it to be the most cliche piece of fiction I’ve ever hacked out, and I feel that I’ve never hacked anything out. So, I took a step back. And in that retreat, I started to look at FALLOUT again.

FALLOUT is fantastic and yeah, I’d love for you all to seek out a copy of BEOWULF #7, but then you’d miss out on the whole story. Do yourself a favor, instead, and go here to see Dean’s art for the first 18 pages. This isn’t necessarily a post about FALLOUT, but rather, what it taught me a week or two ago, so let’s move on…

Remembering how FALLOUT came to be, it was suggested that the story be about a super-powered ex con. That was what I was given, so I had to fill in a lot. Is this ex-con a good man? Is he evil? Why’d he go to jail? How’d he get out? But I knew he’d be in New York City, and he’d lurk in places that I once haunted. The bars would be crappy hole-in-the-wall watering holes that had unfinished wooden floors and served only beer and shots of whiskey. The streets would be dirty and the gutters would choke on litter left behind by uncaring, apathetic individuals who once had a chance, but kicked that chance down a flight of stairs.

See that sentence there, in bold? That is what I was looking for with this new project. It’s pulpy, it’s noir, it’s dark. And only a hero can stand up in that kind of environment. Now, for it (the comic) to be a true noir, the hero would have to fail, or rather, not change and stay dark, which makes what I’m working on pulp (or maybe pulp noir). In fact, Edi Torres, my artist on this concept, suggested making the hero a villain at the end, but, I told him,

Making him a villain would certainly alienate him more and yeah, he’d be a stray forever. But one of my biggest themes in everything I write is redemption. I will watch my heroes fall a long way just to see they heights they’ll climb to.
(actual quote from my e-mail to Edi)

Which makes me a terrible noir writer (not like Brubaker or Rucka at all), but there you have it. So back to environment. I know what kind of character the hero will be (he was always supposed to be an “at the end of his rope” type) and I knew, looking at FALLOUT that this too would be set in NYC (in fact, I knew it would be 70s and 80′s NYC before the retreat). And all it took was FALLOUT to remember what NYC I would use. Giuliani NYC? No. Koch and Dinkins era NYC. Drugs, racial riots, and dirty dirty streets. The NYC I wasn’t allowed to venture out into.

That is where I plan on taking all of you…

with STRAY.

More to come…

Blame Caleb. This week, over on our “brother” site, Caleb posted a list of the 13 writers that influenced him the most, and it got me to thinking. So, I put this list together just to compare and contrast.

1. Kurt Busiek – Quite possibly the most important writer in terms of making me an actual comic book writer.  Back when I began writing…wait, let’s step back a second. At one point in my life, I thought of myself as an actor, and soon after, a screenwriter. I offered my services for “script doctoring” up on an AOL message board (very very early in the days of the internet) and I got two interested parties. Both, however, had comic book scripts they needed help with. I had no idea what I was doing or what they wanted. I had never even considered writing a comic book at this point. So, using what limited options were out there, I Yahoo’d “comic script writing.” What I got back (which remember, this is early in the days of the internet) was one of the greatest pieces on writing for comics that I could have found, and I STILL consider it my bible; It’s Kurt Busiek’s On Writing for Comics. If you want to be a comic book writer and have no idea where to start, start here! I may not know much and I may not be much of an authority, but I did write Superman…keep that in mind before you judge. Favorite Works: Arrowsmith: So Smart In Their Fine Uniforms and Avengers Forever. Why?: Arrowsmith is a great example of what a writer can do with history and what fiction can do with the imagination. Busiek (and Carlos Pacheco) create a world from the ground up and the journey this book takes you on is fantastic. They need to do more. Avengers Forever sees the same duo (in, I think, their first collaboration) using the old playground fantasy of “What if?” to create a team of Avengers from every time period to fight Kang the Conqueror (who is a time travel villain, natch). When I first met Tom Brevoort, the editor of the maxi-series, I told him that this book should never go out of print. He agreed (even though it’s still out of print…not his fault).

2. Mark Waid – When I describe Caleb (or rather, his writing style/ability), I usually say that his ideas are “Morrison-esque.” Myself? I tend to think I’m more like Waid. Mark Waid was quite possibly the first writer, since Chris Claremont, that I followed religiously (and with Claremont, I only read his X-Men stuff). I followed Waid to some obscure characters (Ka-Zar) to some obscure companies (Empire for Gorilla Comics) and the one thing I’ve always taken from his work is how well he knows the characters and how much his words compliments the art (and artist). I’ve always called his work “traditional” but I’m not sure how accurate that is because he can be pretty radical when he needs to be; the guy wrote Flash and created “the Speed Force,” which was, at the time, a radical concept…and don’t get me started on how great Hypertime is/was/could have been). I may say that Waid and Morrison are two opposite ends of the spectrum, but really? They meet right in the middle. Waid is just more willing to play fair with you when Morrison is willing to mess with your head. And that’s the influence he had on my writing. Favorite Works: The Life Story of the Flash (co-written by Brian Augustyn) and Empire. Why?: Because Waid was at his early pinnacle with Flash. That man could do no wrong with that character and it’s because he saw himself as Wally West (not the Flash, mind you; Waid was Wally!) and that’s one of the most important things to writing any character in a work for hire situation. Empire is his creator-owned comic (with Barry Kitson) and I don’t care who you are, if you didn’t care for Golgoth, the lead character who is also the greatest villain in the world, then you’re a heartless bastard. This is a soap opera of Dark Towers proportions.

3. James Ellroy – You have to understand where I was in my life, literally. I was living in West Hollywood, up the block from the Whisky-A-Go-Go, across the street from the Viper Room. Of course I’d gravitate toward Ellroy! The guy wrote the book(s) on one of the best periods of LA ever; the sleazy 40′s and dirty 50′s. His writing style changed around the time of American Tabloid, into a more staccato, almost breathless, narration, but I prefer the stuff from before. His characters are scary and his settings are even scarier. I got my initial love of noir (neo-noir, I guess) from him, and as such, without James Ellroy in my life, there’d be no FALLOUT. Favorite Works: LA Confidential and The Black Dahlia. Why? Again, you have to know where I was in my life. I was living in Los Angeles, I didn’t know anyone, and I was trying to be an actor. I needed some kind of escape, and the place I chose was the LA of the past. Ellroy created a REAL world that I didn’t know existed, and it was fiction, with some truth thrown in. It never dawned on me until now, but that is what I tend to do with my characters. I take people who don’t exist, and I take a historical time period and mix it up. Ellroy taught me how to make fake people real.

4. James Robinson – There have been two comic book writers that, once read, turned me on to the idea of writing comics. This is the first one. I’ve gone over this a million times before, but for the sake of this “article,” I’ll elaborate. When I first read Starman, I wanted to write comics. Almost immediately. It was almost instantaneous. I recognized that the writer I wanted become was one that could put so many of his own fatal flaws and idiosyncrasies into this characters. Jack Knight might have looked like Tony Harris, but internally, he was Robinson. That led to me discovering his fantastic mini, The Golden Age, which was so good that they changed it from being an Elseworld to being canon (with, I’m sure, some exceptions). He’s a talented writer, and I count him as one of the tops in terms of influence. Favorite Works: Starman and The Golden Age. Why?: I pretty much laid it out above.

5. Roy Thomas – This is the other writer. I can’t remember when exactly I came up with the idea of The Mercury Chronicles, my magnum opus that I swear will eventually be published, but I do remember where I was; in a bathtub. I thought of this character and his name and his basic look, but I didn’t know when it would take place. Throughout my reading life (there’s got to be a better phrase for that), I’ve been drawn to the 30′s and 40′s. I watched old movies, listened to Big Band, and listened to veteran’s stories about WW2…and, as a result, loved comics about superheroes in the same time period. So, as you can imagine, I was drawn to The Invaders and The All-Star Squadron. It comes as no surprise, then, that both were written by Roy Thomas. I don’t know that I learned anything about writing from Thomas, but I know that my love for Golden Age themed comics (if not actual Golden Age comics) started with him. Favorite Work: All-Star Squadron. Why?: Because while standing in line at a Genovese drug store in Staten Island, NY, little Vito Delsante saw the very comic you see below and his grandfather bought it for him, thus creating a bond between us that, in essence, continues to this day.

6. Garth Ennis – The influence felt by the work of Garth Ennis has nothing to do with curse words. It comes in the form of heroism. Try to follow me here. Garth Ennis writes some real characters…real and flawed. Garth’s gift is his ability to observe and listen and absorb, and find a way to use that in his work. His observations are deadly accurate making his characters…I’ve said it already. I love reading Garth’s books because it’s inspiring; if you can write a character like a Garth character, you’re next hurdle is crafting a story around him/her. Favorite Works: Preacher and 303. Why?: Preacher is, dare I say it, a modern Odyssey, a true contemporary epic. The less said about it, the better, because when you talk about Preacher, you honestly start to get jealous. It’s perfect. 303 is, to my memory, one of the most recent war stories that really gives a different POV on war. And to be honest, it’s not all about war, but it is about soldiers. See? Back to characters.

7. E.B. White – I went to the well for these next two. Stuart Little was one of the first stories I read on my own (after a Disney Big Little Book on Pinocchio) and I still remember the feeling of satisfaction after I read it. I also wanted to have a pet mouse. And then I watched a cartoon based on one of his other books. You might have heard of it. It’s called Charlotte’s Web and before anyone asks, yes, I cried (I was a kid, after all). I don’t know what actual influence he had on me or what lesson he taught me, but there’s no denying he had some hand in turning a reader into a writer. Favorite Works: Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. Why? Because I otherwise hate anthropomorphic fiction. And because they’re fantastic books.

I’d only repeat myself by elaborating on the next 6, so I’ll post the authors and my favorite work(s).

8. L. Frank Baum

9. Chris Claremont

10. Lawrence Block

11. Dan Slott

12. Darwyn Cooke

13. Charles Schulz

Maybe one day I’ll get around to elaborating on the last 6 because I could tell stories about Dan Slott.  Ditto for Darwyn.

Continued from this week’s 13 Writers Who Have Influenced Me post, I figured I’d bring up one of the writers I neglected. I’ll probably get to the rest as the week goes on.Lawrence Block…here’s the funny thing about Lawrence Block. I wasn’t always into his work. That’s probably because I only discovered him within the past two years. It was really by accident. I was in the Mystery/Crime section of the local B&N and looking for a James Ellroy book…any James Ellroy book…and came across an entire section of Hard Case Crime novels. Brubaker recently did an interview with the publisher in CRIMINAL and it’s worth tracking down (I forget the issue number, but it’s the current run, so it should still be available at your LCS*). I didn’t have that interview…I just saw a cool Glenn Orbik cover and said, “Hey, Glenn Orbik!” (Orbik used to do Batman covers and I had this sweet Arkham Asylum poster he did, so I was a big fan.) I looked through them and saw this:
I have to admit that the redhead on the cover kind of drew me in (btw, the cover is by Chuck Pyle). Grabbed the book, paid, and immediately got to reading. Hooked. Hooked in like a walleye (Click here for an excerpt). I was reading Grifter’s Game around the time that Tom Spurgeon interviewed me last year, and it really shaped a lot of my answers. I realized that, unbeknown to me, I was becoming more and more influenced by the noir I was reading. In fact, I can point to the very moment where I was thinking about Block and the book I was reading at the time. Tom and I were talking about FALLOUT (the best example of my noir influences) and he asked:

SPURGEON: What is the exact quality you’re responding to there? Is it just that specific edge to it?
DELSANTE: If I say it’s what I know, I sound pretentious, right?
SPURGEON: Maybe. A little bit.

I don’t know for sure if it’s “what I know,” but it, and the two Block books I had read at the time, shaped that answer. It’s funny how those things come in and set up shop in your head.There’s a definite difference between Block and Ellroy, too. Ellroy is like a pit bull and he clamps down on you with a secure, penetrating bite. Block is more like an anaconda in that he wraps himself around you and slowly squeezes until you lose your breath. I don’t prefer one writer to the other; I enjoy the feeling I get from reading both, but man, I can’t wait to dig into my next Lawrence Block book.

****By the way, I’m currently reading Brad Meltzer’s new book, The Book of Lies. So far, it’s really good. I want to read James Owen’s second Chronicles book, but I’m still in the process of moving into my new abode, and many many many books are still up at my mom’s garage in Long Island. Soon, very soon.

*EDIT: In the comments section, Caleb tells me the issue is Volume 2/#4. And I’d be slipping if I didn’t say that Volume 2/#5 is out this week.

Earlier in the week, I wrote up 13 Writers Who Have Influenced Me. One writer who I didn’t rank, but who deserves mention, is J.M. DeMatteis.

Before I lose my place and train of thought, I have to point out something that was not known to me until today; DeMatteis has a blog, which I wish someone told me about. Not only that, it’s in the most obscure place (or rather, in a place I would never think to look), Amazon.com. If not for Blog@Newsarama, I would have never known about the true origins of one of my favorite stories, Kraven’s Last Hunt (which, in my opinion, just might be the greatest superhero story ever). Take a trip over and bookmark the blog, like I just did.

Now, I have to admit that my DeMatteis education is limited; I loved his Justice League International stuff, the Kraven story…and that’s about all I can recall off the top of my head. No Brooklyn Dreams. No Moonshadow. At least, not yet. I’m sure I’ve read (and loved) his superhero stuff without knowing that it was him, but I’m getting away from the point.

Marc once gave me a great piece of advice that I’m going to impart to you all:

“Write like it’s the last thing you’ll ever write.”*

It sounds so simple and so obvious, but it’s really one of the best things you can hear as a young writer. A modicum of talent will get you pretty far (I’m living proof), but it’s really attitude that gets you farther. If you write with the mindset of, “This is my only shot so I have to make it a good one,” every time you sit behind the keyboard, you’ll always be hungry. A hungry mindset leads to some remarkable developments. Being (and staying) hungry has led me from Scooby-Doo to Superman and has led me to focus on my own ideas/concepts. It’s powerful stuff. So, I’m sharing that one with the noobs and neophytes in the room.

By the way, I’ve only received three pieces of advice on writing, and this was the only once I actually asked for (the other two came from Dan Goldman and Greg Rucka).

*I’ve mentioned this on my LJ before, so forgive me for repeating myself.

The NY Press has an interview with the author of Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk.  It’s pretty decent, but the article has a good piece of advice, almost a call to arms, that comic writers, established and starting, should see.  Ready?

“Books have so few advantages over other forms of mass media, which have continued to develop over the last century,” Palahniuk says. “They’ve gotten so good and have trained their audience to be so smart. The audience gets smarter, the technology gets smarter, the movies get smarter, but books still hold onto this 19th-century model, which is comforting but can’t compete with the immediacy of movies or television.”

Palahniuk’s shocks strive to capitalize on the uniquely intimate connection to the reader’s imagination that fiction enjoys. “I think the advantage that books still have is the intimate nature of consumption,” Palahniuk says. “You make an ongoing consent and effort to read a book so a book can depict things that are so extreme and so challenging that movies could never get away with. I want to play to that strength. I want to tell the stories that really only books can tell.”

Now, this is an interesting way to look at writing, and particular, writing for comics. We always forget that we have, what the movie companies call, “an unlimited budget.” We have an advantage over movies: They cost too much to make, cost too much to watch, and then there’s the DVD (the movie version of waiting for the trade). I don’t know how (or if) using shock value will sell comics. I sincerely doubt it. But the idea of telling stories that only comics can tell is freeing because comics can tell ANY kind of story. It becomes an issue of weighing shock value vs thought provoking. I don’t think Palahniuk could work well in comics (although I’ll admit, I’d be the first in line to read it). Shock value gets old real quick in a comic (or can), and you need more substance to keep them in the seats. But I’m just trying to get my fellow comic book writers out there to start thinking about stories that only comics can tell…

…but only after you figure out the story only YOU can tell.

What is “The Hip Hop Argument?” In comics, as struggling writers, we’re told that one of the best things we can do to be seen and get published is to hook up with an artist. I wish I could find the hundreds of writing advice websites out there that state this, but if you Google “comic writing advice” you can see for yourself. It’s a good piece of advice. Good, but not great. It’s a question of aesthetics. You choose an artist that represents what you, as the writer, can see in your mind’s eye, but can’t translate to a page. The artist is fantastic, loves working with you and you create some samples that you want to shop around to publishers. Now here’s where it gets dicey. Sometimes, it works, and you get picked up by a publisher and all goes according to plan…for the time being. Sometimes, it doesn’t, and this is where the Hip Hop Argument comes in.

Talent, when it comes to artists, is easy to see. Writers have to work just a little bit harder, and that’s why networking is such a big deal for us. We have to make an effort to say all the things that our art (words on a page) can’t immediately say. Which is why we’re recommended to find an artist to show how amazing a writer we are.

And then that artist gets signed to an exclusive contract, or something just as catastrophic.

The Hip Hop Argument has to do with guys who, when coming up together in the music industry, promise that when they make it big, “I’m going to come back for you.” They pave the way for their friends to have careers in the industry. But in comics, it doesn’t always work that way. It happened to me, in both regards. The positive one was when Dean recommended me for a back up in Batman Adventures, the first work I ever had published. Dean made it so that I could be seen…it was my job to keep my own foot in that door, and its been a struggle, to say the least. The second example happened when Jim Muniz was offered a job at Marvel on MK: Fantastic Four. The same samples that got him the gig (a Mercury Chronicles ashcan) did not have the same effect on my career. It was a long time ago, but it makes you wonder why it works in one industry but not another. Can comic pencils be compared to music? In a word, yes. I bring this up because, as I’ve tried to use this blog to dispense some writing advice, I think one of the big mistakes that up and comers make is that they think that words alone can sell a comic or an idea, and that’s just not the case. Comics have always been a visual medium, and that will never change. The point of today’s exercise is to make it clear that YOU hold the keys of your future in your hands, not your artist.

Has anyone else ever experienced this? Has anyone out there been on the good side of the Hip Hop Argument? The bad? Leave your anecdote in the comments.

I asked my mom and my older sister if they could remember what I used to read as a kid. My mom’s response:You were always reading.
I know That you like reading in the dark like Abe Lincoln.
I use to tell you to read in the light and you use to tell me Abe Lincoln use to read with a candle in the dark.
You mentioned, “Ben Frankin read by candlelight.”

Interesting, but not quite what I was looking for in the way of an answer. My sister, Maria, however, was more helpful:

hand hand fingers thumb i remember bc you liked the monkey (and you are a monkey), hop on pop, and the rest of the dr seuss books we had.

Two days later, Michelle and I were at the mall, where I walked into the Borders to buy the new Meltzer book. As I’m being rung up, what do I see behind the counter?

Needless to say, I added to my purchase.

Here’s the funny thing about…not the book, but about me, I guess. I sat in bed that night (or the night after) and read the book, and I was instantly transported to being a kid and learning how to read. The art is fantastic…on par with the best art in the best comics. I read it and could see how I learned how to read, but also, how I understood music at an early age. There is a cadence, a rhythm to the book…I found out that I still love this book. I wonder if anyone else has a book like this…something that they can clearly point to and say how it shaped them.

Cool, huh?

I have terrible timing.

I should have done this last weekend, but today’s meditation is on Dracula. The character and the mythology, specifically as it relates to comics.

*WARNING: LJ readers, I’m unable to do LJ cuts on WordPress (or at least, I haven’t figured out how to yet), so this might be a little long. I will do my best to entertain, so hopefully this’ll be worth it.

Moving on…

I’ve come up with a new concept and it involves the other “Bat” man. Without going into what the concept is, at least not yet, the impetus was really trying to find 1. a public domain character, and 2. a new twist on that character that fits with a story that I’m comfortable with writing. The title really came to me like a bolt of lightning. Like Mark Wahlberg said in Boogie Nights, I wanted a title that could “cut glass,” and I’m pretty sure I have it (it’s both corny and evocative and totally fitting).

Today, I was thinking of logo design (totally not my forte, but I’ve done all right in the past). Logos are extremely important, as important as art can be to a book. It’s not necessary for a writer to be this hands on, but I have a great relationship with my letterer of choice, Jeff Powell, and we always collaborate on logos that as the creator, I’m always happy with (see above).

Before I forget, Todd Klein, multiple Eisner winner, has a great dissertation on logo design. Check it out..

I’m digressing, but I had to get that out. In that headspace, I decided to look at some old Dracula-centric comics. Here’s what I found (and feel free to throw in some of your own in the comments):

You really have to read about this comic. So over the top and hokey, but I love it.

This looks like a horror comic.

This one is a little too frilly for me, but I love that cover art.

The legend. The one that really gives me the most in terms of inspiration.

I love the incorporation of the “sword” in the logo. And the art really fits with that logo, almost in perfect synchronicity. This is another one that inspires.

This is probably supposed to be a companion to “Tomb” but I like how they aren’t exactly on model with each other.

I love how ballsy this title is.

Nothing too risky about this logo…it conveys the title of the book, doesn’t detract from the art, but it’s a little ordinary.

What?

EDIT: Two new ones thanks to Steven over on LJ:

I had a busy day yesterday, which is why I missed the big birthday (thanks to Mark Waid for pointing it out). Batman turned 70 years old (funny…he doesn’t look a day over 30), which means I am just over half as old as Batman (I’ll be 36 in June). It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that I’ve been a fan for almost all of those 36 years (although, Superman took a lot of my attention up until I was about 5), and in reflecting on Batman, I thought I’d reflect on my experiences with the Caped Crusader.

My first published comic was Batman Adventures #9, a short 5 page story called “The Couch,” which dealt with Bruce Wayne going to a shrink and doing word association. The gimmick was that Bruce would answer the doctor’s line of questioning, but in reality, he was deflecting what he was really thinking, doing his best to protect his secret identity. It was short, sweet and to the point (and drawn by the incomparable Dean Haspiel), but more importantly, it got to the heart of the character. For me, it was somewhat fitting that the very first comic I ever had published was a character that I grew up loving. For me, Batman was my dad, the guy who, like Adam West, had to make a convenient excuse to do something else (which is really sad when you think about it), but he was also my hero. I saw my dad in Batman, and Batman in my dad.

In a way, I never stopped writing Batman, and I probably never will. I am a fan of detective stories, stories of people that suffer tragedy and overcome, and Batman is both of these and much more. I still read Batman stories, and I suppose I’ll never stop. I wonder…when I’m 66 and Batman is 100, will I still be reading?

Hey, will I have written more Batman stories by then?

Happy birthday, Batman.

And while you’re out celebrating, remember Bill Finger, the writer who penned Batman’s earliest stories that often gets forgotten.

I am as guilty of Googling my name as anyone else is…perhaps more so. I mostly do it to see who’s talking about my work, or if there’s a review out there, or sometimes, just to see what my name brings up. That’s how I found this…I guess it’s a profile of me, on this Random House-sponsored site, Suvudu. Feel free to check it out by clicking the image above. I just want to publicly thank whoever (Kyle M?) for writing such nice things about me. That, in and of itself, is a rarity, and really, he didn’t have to. It’s just really nice and shocking and makes me think I might be on to something with this whole comic book thing. I was thinking about it early this afternoon, and I said, “You know, if the comics industry was a woman, and she treated me the way the comics industry does, I don’t think I’d go back to her.” And that, in and of itself, is the way I feel about comics and the industry…that it abuses those that are drawn to it in a creative way. I feel like, sometimes, comics don’t want me, but likes having me around just because. What Kyle said, more or less, shook me out and feels like sunshine.