Ask Pat Mills

[SuperSurfer]

My question would be:

Any plans to work with Kevin O'Neill in the near future? Your partnership was one of the most creative in comics, resulting in original and stunning work and I would love to see more. As far as I know it has been quite a few years since you worked together.

[Mardroid]

CPT RHODES that s threatening avatar you have there. I almost need to duck evrytime I scroll past it.

The scumbag officer from Day of the Dead right?

Great, nasty character.

[Jared Katooie]

"You want me to salute that pile of walking pus? Salute my ass!"

[I, Cosh]

How many times can you refry beans?

[ThryllSeekyr]

Question

Do you ever get anxious from all this fan input?

[Richard]

In the flashbacks to the Volgan Wars in ABC Warriors recently why did you decide not to include Happy Shrapnel, the only original warrior we've never seen outside of their original run?

Possibly because the flashbacks are all being told by the current ABC warriors reminiscing about their respective pasts, and Happy isn't around to join in the story-telling, being dead?

Also was it your intention that he appeared to be self-censoring? In the early strips he makes a buzz sound every time it looks like he is about to swear.

No, he originally intended to say fuck and cunt in a children's comic in the 1970s.

I need some more cynical cape bashing to cheer me up!

In the meantime you could read "The Boys" by Garth Ennis.

Do you ever get anxious from all this fan input?

My question would be "Do you ever get irritated by all this fan input?"

After all, he spends hours writing all these scripts for our entertainment, and then here on this very board people who have never had anything published themselves nitpick at them / tear them apart / spew hatred, bile and venom over them. No wonder he has a reputation for having a temper! Yet when I met him at a signing thingy last year he was the most patient and pleasant man you could hope to meet.

[House of Usher]

How many times can you refry beans?

My favourite question so far!  

In the flashbacks to the Volgan Wars in ABC Warriors recently why did you decide not to include Happy Shrapnel, the only original warrior we've never seen outside of their original run?

Possibly because the flashbacks are all being told by the current ABC warriors reminiscing about their respective pasts, and Happy isn't around to join in the story-telling, being dead?

Doesn't automatically follow that he wouldn't show up in another droid's reminiscences.

After all, he spends hours writing all these scripts for our entertainment

That wouldn't be a strong enough motive for me. I'd want to get paid for it. I'd expect some people to like it and some people not to like it, but I wouldn't expect gratitude, and I don't suppose Pat does either.

[rogue69]

Recently in an interview for the megazine, you hinted that 2000AD may be bringing back a classic character... any news on that?

the rumour is that Pat is trying to bring back Flesh & is waiting  on Matt to give him the goahead to write a complete series

[Colin YNWA]

If that is true it makes me giddly with excitment. May I ask rumours where?

[Cpt Rhodes]

CPT RHODES that s threatening avatar you have there. I almost need to duck evrytime I scroll past it.

The scumbag officer from Day of the Dead right?

Great, nasty character.

Yes it is indeed Captain Rhodes from Day of the Dead. A cool guy to talk to as well. Met him just before Christmas last year.

[Rio De Fideldo]

'"Also was it your intention that he appeared to be self-censoring? In the early strips he makes a buzz sound every time it looks like he is about to swear".

No, he originally intended to say f**k and c**t in a children's comic in the 1970s.'

I probably should have worded this clearer. When I read the ABC Warriors as a child I just thought Happy Shrapnel was a broken old robot who buzzed a lot because his voice box was broken or something. When I read it with adult eyes it was a revelation. The buzzes seemed to have been placed deliberately so at times of stress instead of swearing he buzzes. Therefore I was more interested in finding out if Pat had written Happy's dialogue so it could be enjoyed by both audiences, kids could enjoy Happy's grumpy nature and the teenagers could enjoy his 'almost' swearing.

'"In the flashbacks to the Volgan Wars in ABC Warriors recently why did you decide not to include Happy Shrapnel, the only original warrior we've never seen outside of their original run?"

Possibly because the flashbacks are all being told by the current ABC warriors reminiscing about their respective pasts, and Happy isn't around to join in the story-telling, being dead?'

I don't think this is an unfair question. The ABC Warriors in the 'present' are all reminiscing about their time in the Volgan Wars. Each character talk about meeting Zippo/Z who we eventually meet again in the strips 'present'. I was interested to find out why Pat decided not to use Happy Shrapnel, an already existing character who we know the Warriors fought with and decided instead to retroactively introduce a new 'old' character.

I honestly thought that when they were talking about meeting up with an old friend in the present it was going to be Happy. Particularly because we never actually saw his death, instead it was mentioned in a very matter of fact manner. "Happy had died in a bar room brawl".

[rogue69]

If that is true it makes me giddly with excitment. May I ask rumours where?
[Someone close to Pat. They told me they have seen the art work for the pre-view artwork for it & it's awsome /quote]

[TordelBack]

oh alright, if we're going to be super nerdy..

- How did the Martians (in ABC Warriors) survive the Torquemada era, being so close to Termight? 
- What were the plans for The Bad Man?  How was it going to fit into Dredd's history?
- Any chance of pushing for some Third World War reprints?

Should I throw any of those up?

[Jim_Campbell]

- What were the plans for The Bad Man?  How was it going to fit into Dredd's history?

Wasn't that Alan Grant?

Cheers!

Jim

[TordelBack]

Wasn't that Alan Grant?

-tccccch-.  Posting during breakfast = foolishness.  Of course it was Grant, don't know why I thought it was Mills.  Still curious though!