Decapitated Dan: Hey Jim,thanks for taking time to talk with me about
The Crow: Skinning the Wolves .
Jim Terry: No problem, Dan - thanks for digging me out of my cave.
DD: First of all lets talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?
JT: I'm Jim Terry, comic book "creator". Quotations are there so I don't take myself too seriously.
DD: How did you find yourselves getting into making comics?
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| Cover to issue #1 |
JT:
I've always loved comics, but I took a break for a while in the 90s - I
didn't care for the direction they were going in and wanted to pursue
different creative avenues. I'd written some screenplays and was close
to getting something done, but too many cooks in the kitchen was killing
it for me. Like so many others today, I decided it'd be better to do a
"graphic novel" of my script. Little did I realize how intensely I'd
rediscover my love for graphic storytelling - it soon became the only
thing I cared to pursue.
DD: How did you come on board to work with James on
The Crow: Skinning the Wolves?
JT: I had xerox pages of my book
LIE DOWN LOW
with me at a convention in the early 2000's, he was there, I threw them
on his table and disappeared. About four years later he sent me an
email saying he just got around to looking at them. We ended up liking
many of the same artists, writers and filmmakers, and cared about comics
and visual storytelling in similar ways. I'd been working on my craft
for around ten years by then, and he liked where I was with that so when
the opportunity arose he asked if I'd like to be a part of it. I would
have drawn grass growing for him, but the story he gave me was... well,
it's right up my alley.
DD: So what can you tell me about
The Crow: Skinning the Wolves. What's it all about?
JT: It's
a World War II era story set in a prison camp - The Crow has returned
to deal some justice to the SOBs running it, show them that life should
not be the disposable thing they believe it to be. He just does it in a
mean, mean way.
DD: Who are the main characters?
JT: There
are a couple prisoners we focus in on, particularly a young girl and
her mother - they are the moral eyes. There is The Commandant, a man
obsessed with chess, Wagner's Ring Cycle, and stomping out the lives of
others with nonchalance. And of course there is The Man - with a Crow
perched on his shoulder, ready to do some damage. But the less you know
about him the better - at least for now.
DD: Where did this idea come from?
I guess James has been knocking this idea around for some twenty odd years.
DD: If you were to give this book a movie style rating (G, PG, PG-13, R, X) what would it get, and why would you say that?
JT: It's
definitely a hard R. I won't sugarcoat it, there is plenty of violence
in these pages, and most of it is graphic and brutal. The setting itself
is, to me, enough to warrant a more mature outlook.
DD: In terms of horror what can we expect?
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| Interior art from issue #1 |
JT: Well,
as I said, we're not shying away from the violence in this book. Now I
know that gore doesn't automatically denote horror but I think the
overall tone of the book is macabre enough to put it in that category.
Besides, I think my graphic sensibilities lend themselves to the horror
realm with or without my intentions.
DD: What are you hoping readers can take away from this story?
JT: First
and foremost, I'm hoping readers will find something they're not used
to seeing. There are sooo many books on the shelves today, it's a bit
overwhelming - not to mention the myriad digital options - so I'm hoping
for a unique experience. If it can get people interested in what went
on over there, that's great but not our prime goal. I'd love to just
tell a good yarn, and if there are any aspiring artists out there who
are inspired to drop the mouse and pick up a brush, that'd be fantastic
too.
DD: Where can people go to order the first issue? What is the Diamond Code?
JT: The order code for issue 1 is OCT12 0354 and it will be on the shelves mid-December.
DD: Can we expect more
Crow work from you in the future?
JT: We'll
have to see what James is up to, what IDW has planned and if this book
connects with readers. I'd love to, though! It's a universe I'm very
comfortable in and have a great respect for.
DD: Can you talk a bit about your experiences so far with working in comics?
JT: I
liken it a bit with busting into film. Very difficult and if you're a
character actor (as I am) and not some handsome, generic dude you have
to dig your heels in and take what you can until something comes along
that can help define you. I've been working alone on my books for some
time, but it's all been growth. Page 1 is different than page 50, you
know? But so far I've just been trying anything and everything that
comes my way, I try not to say no to anything unless I absolutely can't
do it.
DD: Other than
The Crow, what other books are you working on at the moment?
JT: I'm working on an independent book called
THE UNDERNEATH with Chicago writer Tom Stillwell, which is a lot of fun and should be completed soon. You can find more about it at
http://www.underneathcomic.com/. I'm also (when I can) working on my crime epic
LIE DOWN LOW, a modern noir concerning low level criminals trying to justify their existences. Heavy! Always irons in the fire.
DD: What is the most horific thing that has happened to you at a convention?
JT: I'd
hate to say it, but the soul-crushing, spirit smashing monotony of
having EVERYONE pass the table without looking at the work. I'm sure
many creators out there can sympathize. If you're not a used car
salesman at those things, it's hard to get anyone interested long enough
to see the value of what you're trying to do. That's a horrible
feeling, experiencing that over a very long weekend. Other than that I
love cons! Ha ha!
DD: Were you into any horror titles growing up that lead you to want to work on a book like this?
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| Jim Terry's take on Decapitated Dan |
JT: Absolutely. I was a passionate reader of
CREEPY, EERIE
and anything else I could get my hands on. The EC stuff was a bit hard
to find so I didn't discover that until later but now it's a profound
influence on my work. I drool over Bernie Wrightson, Tim Vigil, Timothy
Truman, Corben, not to mention James O'Barr's gritty work... the list
goes on and on and I could fill a book with my heroes. I still have the
Twisted Tales written by Bruce Jones, with the cover by Bernie that used to give me
butterflies in the gut every time I read it. Proud member of the Fango Family here.
DD: What comics are you currently reading?
JT: Ah, I was reading
SCALPED until it recently ended, I'm liking
FURY and dug
SPACEMAN...
HAWKEN
was a lot of fun! Usually anything Steve Niles puts out. There's a lot
of great work coming out of Chicago as well, Tim Seeley's horror stuff
is great, Mike Norton's dipping his pencil in that world...
OFFICER DOWNE is nasty fun and
SMOKE AND MIRRORS
was great. Mostly I dig backwards though. I have a steady diet of EC
books I go back to, learning about guys like Alex Toth and Will Eisner
and Harvey Kurtzman and the legends that built the foundation we all
stand on now.
DD: So where can readers find out more about this book, and about yourself?
JT: I
think I told you everything there is about me, but my website is
www.woundedbutdangerous.com if you want to swing by there and scope some
work. Keep checking IDW's website for more info about
SKINNING THE WOLVES, and please give it a try when it arrives!
DD: So in summary give me a quick recap on
The Crow: Skinning the Wolves and why fans should give it a try.
JT: Again,
there's a lot of honest sweat in this book, it's old-school and brass
knuckled and its heart is on its sleeve. If you come away from it not
feeling there's passion on every page, I certainly haven't done my job.
If you stick around through issue 3, hopefully you can close the book
and just softly say, "damn".
DD: Thanks so much for your time Jim.
JT: Thank you Dan, sorry for giving you a Tolstoy length interview!
To find out more about Jim go to
http://www.woundedbutdangerous.com/
To find out more about The Crow: Skinning the Wolves go to
http://www.idwpublishing.com/
"I personally have to tell you all to check out this amazing book. As a matter of fact, if you like me and follow what I do, you can easily thank From the Tomb Magazine for that. Back when I was just going by Dan, it was an email that I had with writer Peter Normanton that started the nickname Decapitated Dan. I owe a lot of thanks to Peter for helping get me to where I am today. Working on the From the Tomb Website and store is what lead me to begin doing reviews and interviews. So basically it has all snowballed since I was introduced to From the Tomb Magazine! This book collects some of the greatest things ever covered in the 28 issues, and some new material that was meant for issue #29. Maybe if we all buy a copy will can see From the Tomb Magazine emerge from the grave!" - Decapitated Dan
