David A. J. Berner (Senior Editor/Writer for Midnite Comics, Columnist of Outpost)

David A. J. Berner is the Senior Editor for Midnite Comics (www.midnitecomics.com), an online comics studio celebrating their one year anniversary this November. David is also a columnist for The Comic Avalanche's Outpost (www.comicavalanche.com/columns/outpost.htm) where he shares his opinions on many topics and how they relate to the comic industry. His Outpost column can be read at comicavalanche.com, and some excerpts can be found at midnitecomics.com under Editor's Outpost.

 

 

Brant W. Fowler: First of all, thanks for doing this interview with me. As you know, I have covered a few Midnite titles in my column and am a fan of what you all are producing.

1. Tell us a little about your background. Were writing comics always on the horizon for Mr. Berner?

DB: I feel like I should probably answer yes to that but no, not really. When I was at school, I read a lot of comics and I even used to create (at least what I thought were!) funny comic books of my own. They'd get passed around the class and were usually pretty well received but I never saw them as part of my future. What I really wanted to write was the next "War and Peace" or even the next "Catch-22". (I've been a frustrated novelist ever since!) I didn't think about comics as a medium for intelligent story-telling until some time in the 1980s when - thanks to the publicity given to it by Tim Burton's "Batman" - I discovered "The Dark Knight Returns".

2. From your bio on Midnite Comics' website you cite your favorite titles being The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, among others. These two particular titles have gained critical acclaim, but what about them appeals to you as a story teller yourself?

 

 

DB: Oh, far too many things to list - but I'll mention three! For a start, they are properly plotted. They may have been published in installments originally (like the novels of Hardy or Dickens, for example) but they're not episodic. The structure still stands up when you read the books as a single work. They've clearly been conceived as a single story from the outset and everything that happens carries the reader towards the conclusion. Secondly the characters are human and the way they react to the circumstances in which they find themselves is exactly the way we (or someone we know!) would react. Lastly, these are super hero stories!

It seems to me that many writers who say they want to write an "intelligent" comic book feel they have to step outside the mainstream to do it. What Alan Moore did with "Watchmen" was to show that super heroes - the lifeblood of the medium - can be well-written too. And in "The Dark Knight Returns" Frank Miller showed that you can even do it with one of the most well-established, even iconic (and so often ridiculed!) characters in the history of the medium.

3. Same question about your favorite writers, Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman.

DB: With Alan Moore, above all, it has to be his wit. Take "Top 10", for example. In many ways we're in the same territory as "Kingdom Come", exploring a future in which super heroes and their offspring are legion. But, whereas Mark Waid and Alex Ross have done a pretty good job of showing us larger-than-life heroes rising to the challenge of a crisis in a larger-than-life way, Moore shows us heroes as ordinary people, basically just coping with a life in which crises happen to be the norm. And what's more, he makes us laugh out loud at the same time and that's no mean feat!

Neil Gaiman is more difficult. I've never really bought into the hype that The Sandman "Library" tells a single, epic story. To me it's a collection of short stories, some of which work, while others don't. But there are so many of them and I think it's that breadth of imagination that I admire most. That and the individual personalities he manages to give to the Endless. The morose and detached Dream is something of an Eeyore for our times; Death is the slightly off-kilter girl everyone wants to date; and Delirium - once she comes into her own in "Brief Lives" (Volume 7) - is that wonderful younger sister who just brims over with excited enthusiasm, even if she does tend to leave a trail of destruction in her wake!

4. How did you wind up editing for Midnite Comics?

DB: Something of an accident, really. As I recall, I was trawling the web looking for artists (as writers do!) and potential publishers when I came across these two guys (Oscar Cavazos and Jud Cooper) who were talking about starting a studio for web-comics. What impressed me most about them was that - as well as their love of comics - they had an understanding that, if you are going to launch something like this, you have to treat it just as seriously as any other business. I'm not sure what made them think I'd be a good editor. I'd like to think they recognized I have a firm grasp of the importance of structuring a story properly but I suspect it was the way I kept correcting all their e-mails!

5. You also write for Midnite Comics. Tell us a little about those specific titles.

DB: My main title is the graphic novel, "Shades". You have to remember that every comic book writer in the UK has one ambition - to write a British super hero comic! Well, I'm no different and so "Shades" is my shot at that! Each of the characters in "Shades" is very much a product of 20th Century Post-War Britain and to some extent represents some aspect of what I see as the British national character (either positive or negative!) It does have a serious theme running through it but I haven't forgotten that a good comic book needs its fair share of fisticuffs too!

I've also worked on two of E.C. Nickel's stories, "Immortality" and "The Long Vigil". Nickel is a prolific Portuguese artist and sends us finished stories, complete with Portuguese dialogue and a rough English translation. My official role on those was to polish up the English although - to the extent the artwork allows - I have been known to change the story slightly along the way! In "Immortality", for example, the introduction of Stella (the ship's computer) as a character in her own right was my contribution and in "The Long Vigil" I sneaked in a couple of minor plot changes too. I hope Nickel didn't mind too much!

I also helped Rob Jones with the plot and some of the dialogue for "Perfect Storm", the spy story he created with colorist Andrew Hurst. That was the closest I've come to working on a "plot-first" basis. I tend to be a full-script person by inclination but it was quite fun trying to fit dialogue to panels after they'd been drawn. I think some of the early sequences in particular turned out pretty well.

My latest project for Midnite Comics is "The Spires", a fantasy story without elves, orcs and goblins. We only have a few pages live on the site so far but, as you'll see in the pages we'll be releasing over the next few weeks, the artist (Fabrizio Pacitti) is doing an excellent job in bringing to life the rather strange collection of characters I've lined up for this one!

6. Who are the artists on your titles and where did you find them?

DB: I've already mentioned some of those with whom I've worked - E.C. Nickel, Rob Jones, Fabrizio Pacitti. And I simply have to make special mention here of Harsho Chattoraj, the artist who's working with me on "Shades". I'm sure you're well aware that artists prefer to work on short projects. Well, in total, "Shades" comprises 16 chapters (plus prologue and epilogue!) and, as planned, will require the artist to work in a number of different artistic styles. That Harsho agreed to take this project on and continues to work with me in bringing it to life speaks volumes for his commitment.

Adam Buechler is the artist who brought the idea of "Weathermen" to us. He's currently working on that title with Oscar. Then there's Charles Swinford who did such an excellent job on capturing the rather unpleasant but also very tragic figure of Harold in "Harold's Picture". Those are all the artists who currently have work on the site. Behind the scenes, though, Ulises Curiel is preparing some stunning work for a new title ("Dead Man's Chest") which is being colored by Bill Key.

We tend to recruit our artists through the internet. Well, to be honest, there is no other way we can meet them! Harsho is in India, Ulises is in Mexico, Adam in Canada and Fabrizio divides his time between Panama and Italy. I'm based in the UK and Nickel in Portugal. I think pretty much everyone else is in the US. For me, this is one of the key strengths of the internet. I'm constantly astonished when I read forum posts looking for collaborators in specific towns. I mean, I know it would be ideal to get together with your partners for a few beers now and then but - when it comes to creating a quality project - wouldn't you prefer to work with the best partner in the world rather than the best of those who happen to live in your town?

7. Any other works of your own coming out through Midnite or any other publisher? Any print comics?

DB: Midnite Comics definitely has plans to bring out print versions of its titles (and, yes, that includes mine!) It's been part of the original business plan from the outset and, in 2006, we're looking to make that a reality. As far as other publishers are concerned, the creators at Midnite Comics always retain at least 90% of the rights to their work and so, once a title is complete, we all have the freedom to seek a mainstream publisher for it. I certainly believe some of the titles we are producing are of a sufficiently high standard to attract interest there.

In the near future, I do have one short project which has been green-lit but that's for inclusion in an anthology which the publisher is still keeping under wraps and so, sadly, I can't say anything about that. As soon as I can, I promise you'll be among the first to know!

I'm also working on the first issue of a series called "Whisper" for a private publisher. The artwork for that is looking spectacular so far. If all goes according to plan, I expect that to see print some time next year too.

8. What does the future hold for Midnite Comics? Will we see a turn from online to print anytime soon?

DB: I'm not sure about "soon" but, yes, as I say - print is definitely part of our plans for the New Year. There will also be more merchandise available. We've had several requests from readers asking whether they can buy a T-Shirt with their favourite Midnite Comics' character emblazoned across the chest and so we'll be seeing what we can do to make that happen, hopefully before Christmas. Most important of all, however, we have a number of new titles already either in production or at an advanced stage of planning. They'll be launching in 2006 and will, I'm sure, quickly become as popular as our existing comics.

The first thing you'll probably be seeing from us, though, is a new recruitment drive! Having made such a strong start in our first year, we're obviously keen to keep the momentum going and, for that, we're going to need even more artists and writers! Pencillers, of course, are always in demand and Midnite Comics is no different to any other studio in that respect. But we also need colorists to support Oscar and Bill as well as letterers. We'll be advertising all those positions shortly.

9. What does the future hold for David Berner in the world of comics?

DB: That remains to be seen! I certainly have no ambition to work for DC or Marvel (or even Image for that matter). The idea of working to a monthly deadline on someone else's stories which will, ultimately, be owned by the publisher holds no appeal for me whatsoever! Of course, if any of those houses want to make me a huge offer for one of my works after I've written it, that's another matter entirely!

My ambition has always been to keep control of my own stories and tell them in the way I want them to be told. So far I've been lucky enough to be able to do that. "Shades" is fully written now so I guess my immediate plans are to finish the scripts for my two mini-series, both of which are 4-parters. "The Spires" is two parts written with Parts 3 and 4 still to write. The other (a vampire-themed relationship story called "Hunted" ) is almost finished but I do tend to revise and re-write my scripts several times before I unleash them upon the world!

10. In closing, are there any other comments or advice you'd like to leave with our readers?

DB: Well, if you're a would-be comic creator, then keep creating. Submit your scripts and artwork to us at Midnite Comics if you want. Obviously I can't promise we'll accept it but - unlike a lot of other studios - we do try to find time to give some sort of constructive criticism which might help you in the future.

Alternatively, if you just enjoy reading comics, then keep reading! Remember to tell every skeptic you meet that TIME Magazine just voted Alan Moore's "Watchmen" one of their 100 best novels of the 20th Century (or, at least, those written since 1923!) Oh, and visit www.midnitecomics.com on a daily basis! (That's after you've been to Comic Avalanche, of course!)

 

 

Brant: Thank you for your time, it has been a pleasure as always.

 

Thanks, Brant W. Fowler