"GARY SPENCER MILLIDGE"
[RC] How, when and why did you first visit Strangehaven?
[GSM] In my dreams, before I was born, in my imagination and driving round in circles looking for a road to Speake's Point, the surfer's paradise.
[RC] Have you ever lived in Strangehaven? Do you still?
[GSM] No, but I visit occasionally and stay with friends.
[RC] Why did you choose to document Strangehaven village life?
[GSM] I did not choose, I was chosen.
[RC] Why did you choose the comic form to document life in Strangehaven?
[GSM] Everyone should play to their strengths, and mine happen to be well suited to producing a comic (design, storytelling, illustration)
[RC] What kind of art style do you aspire to?
[GSM] I think it's pretty obvious how my art has improved between issues 1 to 5. I hope to continue to improve and refine my photographic realism while simultaneously improving its flow and clarity. This has to be balanced with the fact that Strangehaven is a commercial product, and production time has to be taken into account. I continue to try to attract mainstream readers (and by mainstream, I mean from outside the current comics readership) by prodcing an attractive, accessible book which I hope will help in its own small way in broadening this shrinking market.
[RC] What comics do you read?
[GSM] Not as many as I used to. Self-publishing is a drain on my time and my budget. Superheroes have become dull, repetitive and unimaginative. Obviously I read a lot more self-published and independet comics as they're relevant to what I'm doing. Some of my favourites are (in no particular order):
Stray Bullets, Black Hole, Hate, Eightball, Ragmop, Sleaze Castle, From Hell, Peepshow, Cerebus, Kane, Tug & Buster, Tyrant, Acme Novelty Library , Sandman, Maxx, Strangers In Paradise, Hepcats, Cages, Berlin, Optic Nerve, Storyteller, One Bad Rat, Exit, Frank, Minimum Wage... and for nostalgia's sake, Batman and Fantastic Four.
[RC] Roughly how long, from beginning to end, does it take to produce an issue of Strangehaven?
[GSM] Too bloody long. A single page of artwork takes between 12 and 18 hours to produce. In addition, I have to research factual elements for the stories, put together the text pages, paint the covers, and also run the business side of things (dealing with printers, distributors, retailers, promotions, conventions, interviews, accounts, vat, ordering stationery, and a million other things).
[RC] Any plans for a Strangehaven Graphic Novel?
[GSM] I plan to collect several issues into "trade paperback" form in order to keep the whole story in print, and to open up new markets for the material. A whole new Graphic Novel would be far too time consuming to produce, although I have (very) tentative plans for a special issue or two some time in the future.
[RC] Will the story of Strangehaven be limited to the village or will it stray outside?
[GSM] Some stories may be told in flashback which involve sequences outside the village (e.g. Megaron's stories of The Amazon), but otherwise the village remains constant - in comparison to the fact that all characters, time periods, themes and even presentation are subject to change.
[RC] Who would you say influences you, both in and out of comics?
[GSM] Dave McKean, Alan Moore, Dave Sim, Lee/Kirby, too many to list. Authors; Douglas Adams, Arthur C. Clarke, any non-fiction. Movies/TV; Terry Gilliam, David Lynch, Patrick McGoohan. Music; Robyn Hitchcock, Steve Kilbey/The Church.
[RC] Why have you chosen to present this account of what has happened at Strangehaven as a fictionalisation?
[GSM] Who said it was?
[RC] How have you learned what you have learned about Strangehaven?
[GSM] Undercover surveillance and ancient voodoo ritual.
[RC] Have the names of people in the Strangehaven Strip been changed to protect the identities of Strangehaven citizens?
[GSM] No.
[RC] Why do you operate under the fictional persona of "Gary Spencer Millidge"?
[GSM] Okay, you got me there. I admit it, I'm really Elvis.
[RC] [LAUGHS] O.K. Gary Spencer Millidge, thank you very much
[GSM] Cheers.