Big Things: Jeff Parker

Ninth Art continues the first week of its new small press feature by throwing the spotlight on the man behind 2003's phenomenal sleeper hit graphic novel THE INTERMAN.
05 May 2003

Jeff Parker is best known for his recent adventure graphic novel, THE INTERMAN. Previously, he "bumbled around for about ten years doing fill-ins and short runs in comics. You didn't miss anything." He publishes under the company name Octopus.

BIG NEWS:

I'm going to somehow put out a new volume of THE INTERMAN every year, for a little while. I'm working on Volume 2 now. And some other terribly exciting things that can't be spoken of yet.

BIG BUSINESS:

Most of the freelance work I get isn't my preferred genre or story approach. I've long wanted to tell the kinds of stories that I want to read. Superheroes are great, but goddamn. With THE INTERMAN, I thought I'd make one book the way I'd like, and if I never made a living at this again, at least I did one thing I wanted to. The nice benefit: now people are interested in seeing me do the kind of works I enjoy.

I like almost all storytelling media (with the possible exception of Victorian pantomime), but comics has the most untapped potential and will probably always be my favorite to work in.

BIG TROUBLE:

Besides the obvious risk of financial ruin, the biggest risk is always this: What if no one likes the kind of comics I want to make? Is there a place for me in this medium? Especially when you work on a long project, it's easy to wonder if there's an audience for what you're doing. It's hard to keep your focus.

Conversely, there's another problem. Many people who can keep the determination and focus to bring their stories to light don't actually consider, "Is this thing entertaining?" They've simply created a fiction, and seem to think that's the end goal. Maybe I can abbreviate all that by saying the biggest challenge is being objective.

BIG SPENDER:

How can I afford to make comics? If you have some really good stories in you that instead of just killing trees would actually add to the body of quality comics, how can you not make it happen? We can all come up with reasons why we don't put our ideal books out, but how well is that going to console us when we're old and dying? History books don't include creators with great excuses, for some reason. You'll get no sympathy from innovators in other fields who had to risk a lot more than what it takes to get a comic book together.

BIG AMBITION:

I plan to do this somehow, but the three factors mentioned (two if you count money and time as the same thing) will determine when; I want Octopus to create comics for children, to fill the void left when Harvey Comics dissolved. I think they're the perfect things for making kids into lifelong readers, and absolutely essential to the health of our own industry.

After that I'd like to make biographical comics connected to literature, the sciences, the arts and so on, that could be sold to schools affordably. Comics is the most overlooked and potentially useful teaching tool available.

This would of course not be something I could do on my own. I'd need lots of help.

As for myself, I want to tell any kind of story that interests me, regardless of marketability. That's not the answer you want, though, is it? You want me to say "Futuristic-Sherlock Holmes-Tentacle Porn," don't you?

BIG UP:

Whose work do I look forward to? Kyle Baker. Eddie Campbell. Mignola. Mark Schultz needs to do comics again. Both Hampton brothers. Vittorio Giardino. Alex Toth, even though he only does a piece once in a blue moon. Carla Speed McNeil. Dan Clowes. You may have noticed I'm only mentioning writer/artist cartoonists. If I get into individual writers or artists, we'll be here all day.

BIG TIME:

I want to write a lot more. I have many stories I want to tell, and I couldn't possibly draw them all. And it'd be really useful for me to see other artists interpret my writing.

BIG FINISH:

I want to be remembered as the greatest President the US has ever had. And as someone who helped comics become a fixture in the average home again.

BIG DEAL:

Comics shops can order THE INTERMAN through Diamond (STAR 17628) or Cold Cut, and Amazon here in the states. UK readers can get it too, but you have to plead harder to your retailer. If the shops have trouble they can order direct from Octopus for the same 50% discount I give American retailers.

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