The Big Question with Darick Robertson: 12-9-02
The Big Question with Darick Robertson
Interview with: Aaron Mehta
The name Darick Robertson has been synonymous with the great work of fiction Transmetropolitan for the past five years.
Now it’s over, and he is free to cause havoc across comicdom. Darick is an extremely nice guy who is very much in touch with the fans, so instead of beating me senseless when I sent him an email, he responded.
THE BIG Q&A
Q1) What is it like to be tied to a series for as long as you were to Transmet?
A1) Gratifying.
Q2) What made you agree to join Ellis for the long haul?
A2) He’s an excellent writer and I recognized that years before he got popular. As miserable as it gets, I’d work with him again in a hot minute.
Q3) If you look through most Transmet issues, you can find some sort of graffiti calling for the people to “free Steve Chung.” Who is Steve Chung and why should we free him?
A3) “Free Steve Chung” came about as a reaction to things about cities I was absorbing at the time. I would notice as I was out walking about, that I’d often see posters and things like that, such as sprayed-on stencils on the sidewalk “Free such and such” or “Justice for Blankety blank” and I would know nothing about these cases and feel concerned and stupid. I felt that element needed to be in the book. There’s a strange desperation in appealing to the masses for justice by spray-painting a stencil onto a sidewalk.
Why “Steve Chung”?
Steve Chung, who is posting about this very message board as I type this, is free. Back in 1997 Steve was writing a letter to us faithfully every month (still does) detailing each page and commenting on it (usually with terrible puns) I then heard he was doing this for a number of DC titles and was fairly infamous for it. I figured anyone with this much time on their hands must be trapped in his basement with nothing but a computer and comics and that’s just sad. He should be set free! Someone should set him free! FREE STEVE CHUNG!
Q4) In issue 24 (the final issue from The New Scum TPB) there is a giant party scene filled with supposed “friends” of Spider’s. I recognized Joe Quesada (wearing a Daredevil shirt, no less…), but who were all the other guys?
A4) Various friends and associates. Jimmy Palmiotti is pictured over Joe’s shoulder in that same panel.
Q5) Did Ellis give you really detailed scripts, or did he give you a basic outline and let your crazy mind come up with stuff?
A5) You can see this and portions of scripts on the Transmet Message board under the topic ‘request a script page’ [Editor’s Note: ] http://www.transmetropolitan.com/cgi-bin/teemz/teemz.cgi?board=_master&action=opentopic&topic=8&forum=Message_Feed
Q6) Speaking of your crazy mind, how much of the weird things in the city were from your own creativity and how much were placed by Ellis?
A6) None of them were placed by Ellis. He wrote the book. Even the things he suggested, which were usually in a sentence like “Do a full page of crazy city stuff” were placed by me. Sometimes he’d request specific things, but mostly it was me having my fun.
Q7) Where is the City supposed to be? Come on, you can tell us…
A7) We never really established it other than it’s American and in my mind it’s the entire country coast to coast. All of the US is one giant teeming city.
Q8) Best and worst times you’ve had in comics.
A8) 1992 when things were booming and I was getting mad rich, and the worst was 1994 when it was all over and it looked like I might be unemployed and paying a massive IRS bill, wiping out all my savings. Best time after that was the first 2 years of Transmet and now.
Q9) Are you British? Everyone seems to be British nowadays in comics. (Feel free to comment on why this is. The water, maybe?)
A9) No, I’m American. The Brits do comics from a different perspective. They care more about the story than the continuity and think outside the box more often. Too many American artists and writers (myself included) come at comics from a place of reverence and the fanboy inside them is still popping a boner knowing that they’re doing these majestic, beloved characters from their childhood’s. The English get that way over stuff we don’t even read, like Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper from the 2000 AD comics. American characters are just amusing to most of the guys I know and work with. Except John McCrea. He loves American super heroes.
Q10) If you answered “no” to number 9, then how did you get popular in comics? It seems like a requirement to be British these days…
A10) Tenacity and devotion to doing the best job I can. Phil Winslade and Garth Ennis have both dubbed me honorary Brit, probably because I can keep up in the pub.
Q11) Have you ever encountered censorship at DC? After the whole Authority thing, everyone seems to be looking at DC as the big bad censorship monster.
A11) A bit more than I appreciated, but all in all not too much. It was always over stupid stuff, like Spider peeing out a window or a perceived thing rather than a literal thing.
Q12) Speaking of The Authority, what are your thoughts on how The Authority played out?
A12) Sadly I have no idea, other than I know it was canceled and Paul Levitz hated it.
Q13) What are your plans now that your giant arse story is done? Any more Space Beaver?
A13) Hell no. No one wants to read Space Beaver. If I was filthy rich and didn’t need to live on my work I’d create Space Beaver again, but it would be a very different book. It would break the fourth wall and be all about my disillusionment with the comics industry. Right now I am cozying up to the Marvel teet and going to suckle for a long while.
Q14) What you are reading right now?
A14) This interview. {Somehow I knew he was gonna say that…..}
Q15) What are you listening to right now?
A15) My wife running the shower and my fingers tapping the keyboard.
Q16) Unfortunately, I only got into Transmet through the trades- The same reason I don’t know what’s happening in the Authority… Which means I lack a certain amount of knowledge- for instance, the correct spelling of knowledge? (just kidding) as to missed issues or late issues. Did you ever have trouble with deadlines?
A16) Constantly, but I never missed an issue. Let’s just say my trouble with deadlines stemmed from Warren’s trouble with deadlines.
Q17) If not, how did you avoid them, and what advice would you have for certain artists on certain high profile books who take a long time to get them out?
A17) I should get advice from them, because I have a family to support and I can’t afford to not put out work and do this for a living.
Q18) Any random sputtering noises you would like to add for the entertainment of the readers?
A18) The cheese! The cheese is on fire! {God help the cheese. Amen.}
We at Sshotgunreviews.com would once more like to thank Señor Robertson for answering our questions. Darick can be reached at his website, darickr.com, or at the home of Spider Jerusalem, transmetropolitan.com. He also hangs around the Transmet message boards.
As always, if you have someone that you’d like to suggest for a Big Question, let Troy know at psikotyk@aol.com.
