Flint's doing one of his annual MASSIVE chats with Pat Mills for the podcast this coming Tuesday.
If anyone has any genuine questions they'd like him to put to Mr Mills then drop them in here and I'll make sure they're passed on.
I'd like to see the big question addressed. Does he have more control over "his" characters than other writers? I would be interested to know just how much editing, or lack thereof, the work of Pat Mills is subjected to.
I stress: this is asked with all respect. I still weep for Charlie the robot.
Quote from: bluemeanie on 01 March, 2014, 07:00:11 PM
If anyone has any genuine questions they'd like to put to Mr Mills
Half the board have just stopped typing facetious responses. I love Mills, so here are my fanboy inquiries:
- Can you talk a little about the creation of Crisis, particularly how it changed from the original conception of a superhero comic for resale to the US market to something which published an Amnesty International Summer Special. Because of the political elements in your own work, some see the way that comic became focused on social and environmental issues as a result of your influence - how much creative input do you feel you had on the title in general?
How did Carlos Ezquerra come to be the artist for the first book of Third World War? Was it just a matter of good timing that he was ending his long tenure on Strontium Dog as Crisis was being created, or was the opportunity to finally work on stories he had a greater financial stake in an incentive to try something new? Do you and Carlos still own the rights to that material?
How do you feel about working on characters you created but do not own? John Wagner's stand on remuneration for the exploitation of IP's he created resulted in a cut of merchandising and a stake in the fortunes of The Megazine, but 2000ad creators still jumped ship to Toxic (and US titles) around that time. If Fleetway had offered creator rights on your characters could we have been spared the period where today's millionaire comic superstars ruined classic 2000ad strips?
Or ask about connecting stories! Is everything he's ever done linked? :D
Does Pat have any original art of what he has scripted over the years and if so which of these are hanging on the wall these days.
What work of his own is Pat most proud of, anything at all, does not even have to be in the comic medium.
thanks
james
What artists does he regret never having had the chance to work with, from the U.K comics scene or International?
What does he think of the comics of Alejandro Jodorowsky, if he is aware of them?
Thanks.
Pat seems to have forged a reputation for himself in Europe with Slaine and ABC Warriors (do they do okay?), as well as his own series, a market that I believe is bigger than the US one. Does he think there are any other 2000ad strips that would do well on the Continent - I'm thinking Dante for example?
Secondly does he think Rebellion might be better pushing to break in say France rather than the US, 2000ad seems to have more in common with the what I read of Cinebook Books rather than what I read of the US market?
Following on from Sauchis Crisis question - Ian Gibson was pencilled in as the original artist on Third World War - why did Gibson back out? I know I asked this Q of Gibson, but then the interview never happened?
The final book of Nemesis seemed to bwe two books merged into one - there was a 3 part Langley drawn NEmesis recap story around prog 900, which seemed to suggest a return and resolution for the character in a similar way to how the Horned God opened with a similar recap... then nothing for years and the Hammer of the Witches/Warlocks is swiftly sidelined - was this an example of the "editorial interference" he bemoans, or just a case of Pat having an idea and then having another idea that grabbed him more, (something that I detect in his writing quite a bit, which is one of the things I love and I suspect one of the things that frustrates others about Pats style)
With the imminent IDW reboot of Rogue Trooper, could Pat elaborate a bit on his work with Gerry Finley Day in the early years of the comic? I know he's talked about it before, but I'm interested in the role of the editor in 2000AD: with weekly comics being a collaborative process, was the editor essentially just another accepted creative partner? From this persepctive, was the Tharg/GFD relationship really much different from Wagner/Grant, in the way that two perspectives worked together to create magic scripts?
And if so, why does GFD still get stick for the level of 'editing' his work required, when Wagner & Grant are rightly lauded as one of the great creative partnerships? Nobody expects great writers to draw their own strips, so why should they automatically be expected to edit them too?
Toxic was the comic which piqued my interest and drew me back into comic books in my mid 20's. It's healthy dose of cynicism and adult humour was the perfect combination.
20 years on with comics being slightly more mainstream, do you think Toxic (or a contemporary version of it) would fare better or worse if it were released now?
Cheers
Pat Mills is often regarded as a Punk, by critics and fans alike - I'd like to know if he sees himself as a Punk.
Cheers
Any more Requiem, Claudia or other Vampire Knights and what chance of Claudia getting an English collection?
Will Heavy Metal still be publishing his stuff post company sale?
Seeing as he has the Midas touch on discovering artistic talent are there Any good new artists taken his fancy?
Which of Pat's creations would he most like to see adapted into a movie and why?
Quote from: Trout Trousers on 01 March, 2014, 08:32:08 PM
Or ask about connecting stories! Is everything he's ever done linked? :D
Good question! I think it is fairly well established that ABC Warriors (and hence Robusters) links to Nemesis, Savage and even Judge Dredd. Never thought Slaine had any connection though :lol:
On a serious note, where will we able able to access the completed interview - assume a link will be posted on this thread?
If you could pick one "dead" story to bring back to 2000AD (not necessarily one of yours) which would it be, and how would you modernize it (if at all)?
I absolutely loved Nemesis the Warlock and felt there was still a lot of directions that series could have went in rather than bringing it to an end. The characters and the universe were absolutely magnificent. On the other hand, I've noticed that many fans have expressed the view that Slaine should have ended after the Horned God.
Does Pat ever regret the decision to end Nemesis? And has he ever felt that that he perhaps picked the wrong strip to end?
As much as I'm immensely enjoying 2000AD in its current incarnation, it can hardly be classified as a kid's comic anymore. If we're speaking completely hypothetically, if he were given the job of creating 2000AD today - as opposed to almost 40 years ago - with the intention of it appealing to 2000AD's initial target audience - a kid's sci-fi and fantasy comic - how would he approach it? More to the point, and bearing in mind I can't remember the last time I even SAW a kid in a comic shop, what does he think a comic needs to do nowadays to grab a kid's attention? IS there anything a comic can do...?
Will he let me do a one-off Nemesis strip for Zarjaz if I ask him really nicely? Haha! I have to ask.
Was Terror Tube originally meant as a one off or did Pat already have an outline of what became Nemesis Book One?
Quote from: blackmocco on 02 March, 2014, 04:14:43 PM
what does a comic needs to do nowadays to grab a kid's attention? IS there anything a comic can do...?
License an established property and give away a free bit of plastic with every single issue:
(http://c.mmcdn.net/continual/images/community/blog/moshi_magazine/moshi_mag_24.jpg)
That Mortal Kombat tie-in strip showed us the way. If Rebellion wanted to attract younger readers,
2000ad would be like
Look-in, with a couple of strips based on phone apps, telly shows or films, and the rest of the mag packed out with puzzles and text features.
Quote from: sauchie on 02 March, 2014, 04:45:29 PM
Quote from: blackmocco on 02 March, 2014, 04:14:43 PM
what does a comic needs to do nowadays to grab a kid's attention? IS there anything a comic can do...?
License an established property and give away a free bit of plastic with every single issue:
(http://c.mmcdn.net/continual/images/community/blog/moshi_magazine/moshi_mag_24.jpg)
That Mortal Kombat tie-in strip showed us the way. If Rebellion wanted to attract younger readers, 2000ad would be like Look-in, with a couple of strips based on phone apps, telly shows or films, and the rest of the mag packed out with puzzles and text features.
OOOhhh stickers!!! Haha!
Quote from: blackmocco on 02 March, 2014, 04:47:39 PM
OOOhhh stickers!!! Haha!
We can laugh, but every discussion about why there are no comics on sale on the high street anymore tends to ignore the fact there are several dozen of them packing out the lower shelves of any supermarket magazine rack, because they're not the kind of thing
we want to read.
Kids don't want to read (and colour in) magazines of strips based on original properties for the same reason they don't want their mum to buy their trainers from the market. Unless it's a trademarked item they (and more importantly their peer group) recognise, it's crap, ugly, and it smells. Thread derailed.
Quote from: sauchie on 02 March, 2014, 05:06:49 PM
Quote from: blackmocco on 02 March, 2014, 04:47:39 PM
OOOhhh stickers!!! Haha!
We can laugh, but every discussion about why there are no comics on sale on the high street anymore tends to ignore the fact there are several dozen of them packing out the lower shelves of any supermarket magazine rack, because they're not the kind of thing we want to read.
Kids don't want to read (and colour in) magazines of strips based on original properties for the same reason they don't want their mum to buy their trainers from the market. Unless it's a trademarked item they (and more importantly their peer group) recognise, it's crap, ugly, and it smells. Thread derailed.
I kinda thought the thread was called "Any questions for Pat Mills?" but I could be wrong.
Quote from: blackmocco on 02 March, 2014, 05:48:47 PM
I kinda thought the thread was called "Any questions for Pat Mills?" but I could be wrong.
Flint's been doing this for a while; I'm sure he isn't planning just to read the thread out loud, and verbatim, to Pat.
Sauchie, it's not that I'm not interested in having this discussion (I am!) but this doesn't seem like the right thread to be doing it in, is all. This is just to gather questions to ask Pat. In previous interviews with the man himself, Flint usually does ask the questions verbatim from the forum.
following on from Alex's questions on Toxic 1990:
is there any possibility of getting conclusions to Fear Teachers & Muto Maniac, and i do understand John Hicklenton has passed on & Mike McMahon would not return to the project,( I am a huge fan of both, buy the way) It would be nice to see this work in print again with conclusions an maybe even continued?
thnks
james
I would like to second that question about which original art (if any) Pat Mills has held onto?
For me, he has always picked the best artists (it seems that all my original 2000ad art are fom his works!) so I'd love to know who he rates highest of the artists?
Also, on a less trivial note, might I request that Pat be able to forward an (preferably) unpublished script to me which I might be able to use to coax my painfully shy brother into taking up art again. People like Walt Disney (Paris studio) were persuing him, so he's a talent, but he utterly gave up and I'm sure if his favourite writer could send him something it may encourage him to take up the pencils again. I think everybody, especially 2000AD,might benefit if this happens...
I always wanted to ask Mr. Mills this in person, but he's never over in Ireland..
Cheers,
Ken
Ps: if you're not going to forward this request, please PM me, so I'm not awaiting a response that will never come..
Quote from: Call-Me-Kenneth on 02 March, 2014, 09:00:38 PM
I always wanted to ask Mr. Mills this in person, but he's never over in Ireland..
You just missed him by a few weeks Kenneth! http://forums.2000adonline.com/index.php/topic,39569.0.html
I'd be interested to know if he has any original art too.
Regarding the question of which artist Pat rates the highest I'm pretty sure he's going to say its whoever he's working with now.
Quote from: Link Prime on 02 March, 2014, 10:42:36 PM
Quote from: Call-Me-Kenneth on 02 March, 2014, 09:00:38 PM
I always wanted to ask Mr. Mills this in person, but he's never over in Ireland..
You just missed him by a few weeks Kenneth! http://forums.2000adonline.com/index.php/topic,39569.0.html
I'd be interested to know if he has any original art too.
Regarding the question of which artist Pat rates the highest I'm pretty sure he's going to say its whoever he's working with now.
I don't believe it........ :'( I had no idea...gutted.
I'd all like to re-phrase my earlier question: who he rates the highest of the artists he's worked with and what does he consider the best body of work that an artist has produced for him?
Quote from: Call-Me-Kenneth on 02 March, 2014, 11:01:38 PM
I don't believe it........ :'( I had no idea...gutted.
Shit, man.
Would be worth your while emailing Big Bang Comics (info@thebigbang.ie) and getting on their weekly email list, they regularly have top creators signing in store (this very week Declan Shalvey & Jordie Bellaire will be signing the new Moon Knight launch).
Mills was certainly a coup for them though.
Cheers Link.
Out of complete ignorance, I thought that, if anything, he'd show up at forbidden planet. Even though I originally hail from dundrum area, I've never even in Big Bang comics, this is something I obviously have to change, I'm kicking myself that I missed the chance to have a drink with the man.
I just did a quick calculation in my head about he much I've spent on his stories (original art, graphic novels etc) and it is frankly dizzying....
Quote from: Call-Me-Kenneth on 02 March, 2014, 11:01:38 PMI don't believe it........ :'( I had no idea...gutted.
It was his second visit to the
aul sod, in an official capacity, in the last few years though I do believe he visits relations here on a regular basis.
Quote from: Call-Me-Kenneth on 02 March, 2014, 11:22:00 PM
Out of complete ignorance, I thought that, if anything, he'd show up at forbidden planet.
Ah, Pat was in Ireland as a guest of Big Bang, so would have been bad form to sign elsewhere.
Cheers for the info guys, if anyone hears about him coming back over, please get in touch!
I'd be interested in Mills's views on women portrayed in 2000AD and comics in general. Does he feel they are over-sexualised and objectified? I'd be interested in this in relation to his recent Flesh strip too.
Quote from: sauchie on 02 March, 2014, 04:45:29 PM
Quote from: blackmocco on 02 March, 2014, 04:14:43 PM
what does a comic needs to do nowadays to grab a kid's attention? IS there anything a comic can do...?
License an established property and give away a free bit of plastic with every single issue:
That Mortal Kombat tie-in strip showed us the way. If Rebellion wanted to attract younger readers, 2000ad would be like Look-in, with a couple of strips based on phone apps, telly shows or films, and the rest of the mag packed out with puzzles and text features.
At the risk of being tarred with the
'he's the loon who keeps doing stuff with Lego' brush, I keep coming back to the possibilities of getting kids into various 2000AD strips via Lego.
My boys (three and nearly five) are all too aware of Spider-Man, Batman, Darth Vader et al. through their peers and it seems that a lot of that comes back to Lego. 2000AD the comic (even back issues) isn't suitable for them yet but there are so many characters and stories that would work really well as Lego sets and I want my kids to grow up as familiar with this stuff as I was. Lego comics abound, and it would be a great way to brainwash kids with something a damn sight more interesting than all the other tat I see on display...
So, to turn that waffle into a question...
Pat: If you were seven years old and 2000AD Lego was available, what would you choose: a
Ro-Busters playset (Mr. Ten Percent, Ro-Jaws, Hammerstein, Mek-Quake - maybe a Praying Mantis and a building with half a rocket stuck in it) or
Flesh (Claw Carver, Reagan, a Trans-Time base plus dinosaurs and tasty-looking TT employees). Your pocket money will only stretch to one...
Will we ever see any more Finn?
Quote from: JOE SOAP on 02 March, 2014, 11:28:54 PMIt was his second visit to the aul sod, in an official capacity, in the last few years though I do believe he visits relations here on a regular basis.
Third, I met him after he did a panel at the Electric Picnic music festival. Total gentleman!
RE: Shako - thank you.
I'm not even sure you take much interest in the wider comic industry, but the big talking point recently was Grant Morrison persistently drawing attention to the many instances of non-consensual sex in Alan Moore's work (the inference being that this demonstrated an unhealthy interest in the topic). What's your own opinion on the use of rape in fiction generally - especially the way the sex-murder of a girlfriend or wife is often the inciting incident which sets the male hero off on a quest for revenge?
Bonus question: do you have any illuminating anecdotes about either Moore or Morrison?
Favourite colour?
Pet Peeves?
Come on we can make it like a Smash Hits magazine interview!
Quote from: Skullmo on 04 March, 2014, 05:17:49 PM
Favourite colour? Pet Peeves? Come on we can make it like a Smash Hits magazine interview!
He's already answered all the usual
who would win a fight between a shark/polar bear/T-Rex/Hitler questions in his work.
Will Slaine ever cross over with the rest of the Millsverse?
I would love to see him battle ABC Warriors.
What character from any era in comics and created by someone else would Pat most like to write?
Is there anything about 2000AD that Pat would have done differently in retrospect?
Some of the best laughs I had all year were in your strips. The bit in Defoe where they're hacking the still-living and complaining Spiriter up to burn him in the furnace of the car, and the brilliant full page of Quartz saying "YES, HAMMERSTEIN, I AM YOUR FATHER" were piss your pants funny.
Most writers of comics (and films based upon comics) seem afraid to balance comedy and drama in the same narrative. Do you think this is (A), because they feel the uneven tone will confuse the reader; or (B), because the big boys laughed and called them silly for reading comics when they were kids.
Some folk mention that you've made some kind of political allegory during the course of a story as if that was a criticism in and of itself. I think even apparently politically blank material such as the Transformers movies are communicating an ideology, but why do you think some folk show such reflexive resistance to politics in entertainment?
And what the fuck did these people imagine Nemesis The Warlock was about?
Who are you reading at the moment, and who are your favourite authors or books (fiction and non-fiction)? I've noticed I'm reading less fiction and more factual material nowadays, is that just because I'm getting old?
I'm really interested in what you did taking Paul from Third World War and retooling him as Finn in 2000ad. I couldn't quite decide whether you were just reusing the name Finn for a different character, since the tone of each strip was so different, but it was a lot of fun to see how those characters changed depending on their milieu.
Did the idea for a strip featuring witches and alien overlords come first, with the idea of repurposing your eco-terrorist character an amusing afterthought, or was the thought of salvaging Paul, Eve and Trisha and the investment you and the readers had made in them your initial impetus?
Do you really get nothing in the way of royalties from Charleys War and other Battle reprints?
Will Third World War ever get a reprint?
Have you anyone else in mind to continue art duties on Flesh? I thought McKay was a fantastic match, energetic and expansive art, although it was obvious that those dreaded deadlines got the better of him towards the end. In the old days I feel Tharg might have given the story a break and filled a few weeks with Future Shocks while McKay caught up, but the present schedule of the comic doesn't seem to allow this kind of flexibility - or did we see something similar happen with Return to Mars, where there was a week's break?
As I mentioned in the opening post this was done Tuesday so apologies but any questions posted after that won't have been included. Think it might have been done Tuesday lunchtime too so even ones from that afternoon might have slipped through the net. Sorry
Also the question about getting an unpublished script seems more like a request than a Q&A question so is probably something you wanna ask him personally. Pretty sure he runs and reads his own Twitter if that helps.
Anyway, as before I think this was a MONSTER one so rather than cut it down it's gonna go out in a few parts. First one should be this afternoon, I'll update this once it's gone live.
Quote from: bluemeanie on 06 March, 2014, 11:55:50 AM
As I mentioned in the opening post this was done Tuesday so apologies but any questions posted after that won't have been included.
The last place one expects the conventional laws of chronology and causation to hold sway is a Pat Mills thread. Just go back and change it. ::)
Quote from: TordelBack on 06 March, 2014, 01:55:52 PM
Quote from: bluemeanie on 06 March, 2014, 11:55:50 AM
As I mentioned in the opening post this was done Tuesday so apologies but any questions posted after that won't have been included.
The last place one expects the conventional laws of chronology and causation to hold sway is a Pat Mills thread. Just go back and change it. ::)
:D
Are you going to heavily edit the answers and record some of your own responses to replace Mr Mills' because you think they are 'better'?
Has the interview gone up yet?
If so could I have a link - I have had a look but cannot find anything.
PART 1 is here! (http://2000ad.wordpress.com/2014/03/06/ecbt2000ad-ep155-pat-mills-part-1/) ;)
Quote from: Skullmo on 10 March, 2014, 06:28:25 PM
Has the interview gone up yet? If so could I have a link - I have had a look but cannot find anything.
GAH! Burdis beat me to it. Here's an iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/everything-comes-back-to-2000ad/id406982833?mt=2) link anyway, in case that suits you better.
Fay Dalton to be artist on the revived Accident Man? Mills notes down ideas for future projects as they occur to him, just like Alan Partridge:
http://2000ad.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/ecbt2000ad-ep156-pat-mills-part-2/ (http://2000ad.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/ecbt2000ad-ep156-pat-mills-part-2/)
My... God - Dalton/accident Man would be genius pairing
Quote from: Leigh S on 12 March, 2014, 09:36:12 PM
My... God - Dalton/accident Man would be genius pairing
To be fair, the idea of Dalton working on almost any
2000ad or
Megazine strip sounds like a
very good idea. Both Mills and Flint go on a 5-10 minute slavering rave about how fantastic and exciting Dalton is, and I share their bafflement (and relief) that she hasn't been pinched to work on games, films, or Alex Ross type covers featuring Big Two characters looking all Silver Age-y.
I've always thought he looks like Robert Plant....
Listened to the first part last night - Very good stuff so far. I can't help thinking 'ask this follow up question, ask that follow up question' whenever Pat touches on something :D
Thanks for asking Pat Mills one of my questions, was weird to hear him describe The Phoenix comic as middle class!