Pirate Queens, Barbarians and Superheroes: The Full Interview with Brian Wood

We spend a Hyborian Age with the 'Conan' scribe

By: Dan Casey

From a hard-hitting look at our own War on Terror to vicious Vikings, comic book scribe Brian Wood has created some of our favorite titles (and video games) to date. Now, the prolific writer is tackling the Herculean task of penning the upcoming Conan the Barbarian for Dark Horse. We sat down with him to discuss redesigning an icon, his influences and why he and Conan are setting sail on the pirate-infested waters of the Black Coast.

GeekChicDaily: Brian, you began your career as an artist. Can you speak to making the transition from pencilling to writing? Has your experience pencilling influenced your writing?

Brian Wood: Honestly, it's been so long since I was attempting to have a career - or even a steady job - as a comic book artist that it's almost impossible to make the comparison. When I was a working artist I had yet to become a working writer. There was no transition to be made. That said, I enjoy writing much more than drawing, and I like to think that having an understanding of drawing makes my scripts easy for other artists to get a grip on. I tried to keep things as simple and clear as possible, and am always mindful of making it enjoyable to draw.

GCD: What are your influences -- writers, illustrators, or even sources outside the comics universe -- when it comes to comics?

BW: Non-fiction, mostly. That's where my ideas come from, and I am an obsessive researcher. I tend to not read a lot of comics, and less and less of them with each passing year. I don't want to live in a closed circuit where the comics I make are informed by the comics I read. I was to have as expansive a world of influences as possible. Non-fiction fits that bill nicely, and I avoid the risk of accidentally apeing another writer's style. 

GCD: You're basing the 25-issue run off of Robert E. Howard's classic "Queen of the Black Coast" story. Why did you choose this particular story? 

BW: It was chosen for me. It was the gig that Dark Horse offered me. And it was a no brainer. As you said, it's a fan-favorite. It's also a major piece of American pulp literature and I was beyond flattered to have a shot at it. So I pitched out the 25 issues, flew out to Portland to meet with my editors and with Mike Richardson, and it was off to the races. It's been a really pleasant experience, and the act of, or the art of, adapting the novel is a fun challenge, much more than I might have guessed. It's a creative experience I havent ever had before.

GCD: The "Queen of the Black Coast" is a very short story. Did you find this made it more difficult to plan out a 25-issue run or did it provide you with unexpected creative freedom?

BW: Well, there is a middle section to the original story that is undefined, but spans years. That will be the bulk of the 25 issues and allows me to create adventures for Conan and Belit entirely from scratch. What's tricky about that is using the clues and context that exists, such as it is, in the original to inform the creation of this new material. Meaning, it all has to fit and make sense and feel cohesive. 

GCD: Were you a Conan fan growing up? 

BW: I knew who Conan was, certainly, thanks to the movie, but that was pretty much it until adulthood when I discovered the comics. And then some of the novels. I wouldn't call myself a fan, though. I've met a few diehard Conan fans online, and I am not even in the same universe as they are in terms of knowing this material.

GCD: You and artist Becky Cloonan have worked together quite a bit over the years since 2003's Channel Zero: Jennie One. Can you speak to your creative process as a team? How is it working together again? Is it easier or harder since you two have collaborated so much over the years

BW: I think its so easy. There's so much earned trust between the both of us, and familiarity, that we basically leave each other alone. I know that sounds funny, but for me its the best sort of collaboration. We stay out of each other's hair and get the job done.

GCD: From what we've seen so far, your Conan is much more rakish, flying by the seat of his pants and has a more realistic physique to boot. How has it been designing a character who is typically portrayed as a musclebound behemoth by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jason Momoa (and the artists who have drawn Conan prior)?

BW: Well, he's young in this story, both literally and also in terms of worldly experiences. We took our cues from the source material for that, and his physique, and I'm really taking to heart that classic line about Conan's "gigantic mirth and gigantic melancholies." That's fascinating, to a writer. I think there is this perception that Conan is this grim character, battle scarred and super serious, but nothing could be further from the truth, at least in his early years. I suspect we'll continue to catch a lot of flak for this, but nothing could be truer to the character.

Belit is also Conan's first true love, and with that comes a lot of ups and downs and emotional moments. Our Conan is a very human Conan, very relatable.

GCD: Although they're very different, do you find that your work on Northlanders has informed how you'll approach Conan's world? How do you approach writing a "period" or "genre" piece like these?

BW: They are more similar than you think. Not in the details, but in a general approach. A guiding principle in writing Northlanders was to stick as close to real life as possible, to use research and common sense to dictate the stories. With Conan I do the same, but the research is that of the world of Conan. Common sense still comes into play, but there are rules to follow to stay consistent with the character. It's all just a matter of knowing what targets you need to hit, and making sure you hit them each time. 

GCD: What do you find is the biggest difference between working for indie companies and working for the larger publishers like DC and Marvel?

A couple years ago I would have been flip and answered "money!", but the financial state of the industry ain't what it used to be. Working at the Big Two is not as lucrative as it once was, and so it becomes more about freedom and creativity, being able to tell the story the way you want it to. You have a lot more of that at the smaller companies who seem more willing to take chances. DC and Marvel are very busy trying to maintain their margins and market share.

GCD: A quick tangent: The Couriers is such a widely regarded book which many people wanted to see made into a film. What are your thoughts on the upcoming Joseph Gordon-Levitt bike messenger movie, Premium Rush?

BW: I don't know much about that movie, but it's about time we saw a bike messenger movie. Quicksilver is pretty dated!

GCD: You must be inundated with comics; what titles are you currently reading and enjoying? 

BW: I mostly follow my friends' work, and I find myself reading a lot of X-Men and Marvel comics, what with Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen and Warren Ellis producing great stuff these days. A few titles at Image, like Heart and Prophet, and I'm keeping up with Scalped at Vertigo.

GCD: In the spirit of classic What If? comics, if there were a character or book you could have created, who and what would it be?

BW: Man, who knows?  Most times when I have a feeling like that, I just create my own version of it. I think that's a much better approach to take.

Conan the Barbarian is on sale February 8, 2012 from Dark Horse. For more on Brian Wood and his exploits, check out his site.

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