James Turner (Writer of "Rex  Libris" from SLG Publishing)

James worked in multimedia until he took the leap into freelance illustration six years ago. He's been making pictures ever since, and his work has appeared in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Elle, Red Herring, The Walrus, Reader's Digest, The Chicago Tribune, and Popular Science, among many others. His first graphic novel, Nil: A Land Beyond Belief, was published in 2005.

 

1. For those who didn't get a chance to pick up "Rex Libris" so far can you give them a bit of a rundown on the story and characters?

JT: The story follows Rex Libris, Head Librarian at the Middleton Public Library. He's over two thousand years old, as are his colleagues Circe (a reformed troublemaker), Simonides (an ambitious telekinetic bird and former sophist philosopher), and the library administrator, former Egyptian god Thoth. Hypatia, a young woman who has recently earned her Masters degree in Library and Information Science, has recently joined the team. She's twenty-six, so there's bound to be some intergenerational conflict. Their library sits atop the most potent ley point, an energy hub, on the planet, which attracts all sorts of unusual, and occasionally dangerous, readers.

2. This premise had me cracking up especially the first issue with the Demon Samurai wanting to check out a book. Where did the story or inspiration for it come from?
 

JT: The idea comes from idle speculation. I just combined the fantastical with ordinary life, a very common creative device, and thought about what would happen if a public library had a more... eclectic clientele. That led to the combat trained librarians who would be required to deal with the unusually powerful and disruptive patrons. The librarians and characters will enter into the narrative of books in the library, as each book creates a separate universe, a bubble like extension out of our own, a quantum (Ah, quantum...a wonderfully useful and little understood term non-scientists like myself can use to justify all sorts of silliness) dimension that exists between the lines, as it were, of our own reality. So this will allow for me to have an awful lot of fun. I can play with classic characters and locations like Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle's Lost World (I think that's in the public domain now; at least I will be able to, I believe, use the concept of a lost world in Antarctica), the Yahoos and Lilliputians from Gulliver's Travels, and so on. I'm pretty sure Alice in Wonderland is old enough for me to reference as well, and Jules Verne created a number of interesting places that I'd like to have Rex visit. It's all meant to be lighthearted, and the humor is meant to be first and foremost, but hopefully I can point people towards interesting material that exists outside the comic as well.

I think Rex is a part of a genre, mundane fantasy or daydream. Flights of fantasy out of the mundane, the ordinary. It's always grounded in an aspect of our real lives, but throws in supernatural elements and adventure to spice things up, or uses monsters and magic as manifestations of our own internal feelings/emotions, as you'd see on Buffy. Emotionally true if literally false. Like ancient mythology, as Joseph Campbell might point out.

Fantasy stories often are about things totally disconnected with our world, that we cannot relate to, but the daydream story stretches from the mundane into the fantasy world. Think of The Last Starfighter, or any comic or film that has some ordinary person leading a secret life fighting evil. Superman is a classic example of this. He's ordinary, just like all the rest of us, until he takes off his glasses. Everyone wants to think of themselves as being special. Superman succeeds because it is emotionally true, but it's false if taken literally.

3. Is "Rex Libris" a mini series or infinite right now?

JT: Rex is an ongoing series.

4. The style of the book is unique. What lead you to choose that kind of look?

JT: I wanted a look that had a bit of a Jack Kirby feel, only simplified. It's my own flat, graphic take on comic book art. I wanted something more approachable than the art in Nil, something that would reflect the more kinetic nature of Rex. I had a some negative feedback on the look from several publishers. I'm just happy that SLG was willing to give it a chance.

5. What lead you to SLG with "Rex Libris" and how has that been for you?

JT: SLG has been great. The first submission I made was of Nil: A Land Beyond Belief, which, based on their name alone, seemed like a good fit. It's a dark social satire. It took eight months for them to get back to me (comic publishers are swamped with submissions these days), and they asked me if I had any other projects. I'd already put together a small hand stapled edition of Rex in May-June, which I used as self-promotion (as well as submitting it to some publishers) but I hadn't submitted it to Slave Labor. I wasn't sure if it was a good fit, didn't think they'd like it. Thankfully I was completely wrong. You just never know with publishing who's going to like, or dislike, what. As it turns out, Rex fits quite nicely with the SLG sense of humor.

6. Any other books on the horizon for you outside of "Rex Libris"?

JT: I've got two graphic novels that I started when I was finishing Nil up. I thought I could do those, a children's book, Rex, and my freelance illustration all at the same time. I have since realized that this is just hopelessly unrealistic. I've abandoned the other books until I get a better idea of how long it will take me to get issues of Rex finished, and if I have any energy left over for other projects. Sometimes you have to just sit and watch the Simpsons.

7. What is your dream book/character to tackle?

JT: Hmm. A redo/continuation of Little Nemo? Of course, I'd only want to do that if I could work with Winsor McKay (sp?), and he is, regrettably, rather dead.

8. What writers and illustrators have influenced you in your work to this day?

JT: I have a wide range of influences, from Joan Miro, Victor Brauner, and Paul Klee to Aubrey Beardsley and Egon Schiele to Jack Kirby, Moebius, and Herge. I love Picasso and Kathe Kollwitz and the psychedelic stylization of Richard Lindner as well. For writing, in terms of influence on Rex, it's a more difficult question. The Monty Python troupe, I think, has been a huge influence on absurdist humor throughout the English speaking world, and they've certainly influenced Rex Libris, as has Douglas Adams (Adams I believe was also influenced by Python, while earlier absurdists like Salvador Dali might have influenced or informed Python). Of course these are more television (script writer?) influences than literary ones. Voltaire's novelette Candide, a light book but a classic one, has a delightful sense of humor. Something to aim for, anyway.

9. Are you also a comic collector and do you remember your first book?

JT: I don't collect comics really, except for a few limited series. I picked up the Moebius Incal series, for example, and I occasionally buy graphic novels now. I like it all lumped into one big read. When I was a kid my favorite comics were The Fantastic Four, Tintin, and Asterix.


10. Anything your fans don't know about you that would make them ask Rex to revoke you card?

JT: I'm going to have to plead the fifth on this one. (CHEAP)  -MR.A
 

                                                             
Mr. A: As always I must ask...What piece of advice would you give your fans who are also writers/illustrators themselves?

 

JT: I'm not sure I've been doing this long enough to be one to offer advice. I'd say that trying to do independent comic books is a lot like trying to break into acting. If there's anything else you can do, do that. If not, act or do independent comics. Why? Because for most of us, neither option will be particularly lucrative, especially not in the short run. If it's your passion, however, let nothing dissuade you. Persevere for long enough and you're bound to get somewhere. It helps to be stubborn and pig headed. Develop a thick skin and don't listen to other people, at least not too much. Follow your inner voice. Of course, I have no idea what I'm doing, so take anything I say with a great big grain of salt.

 

 

Thanks, Mr. Avalanche