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Posted on Jun 04, 2006 - 11:03 PM by Admin |
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Dawn Brown is one of the most talented writers and artists in the business, and more and more of Comicdom is taking notice! In fact, Dawn Brown has just been nominated for an Eisner Award for “Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition”! Discover for yourself why as The Comic Fanatic.Com sits down to talk with Dawn about her stunning graphic novel Ravenous, her earlier works, her less-than-pleasant publishing experiences and her cool “real job”! Read on for A Dialogue With Dawn Brown!
THE COMIC FANATIC.COM: Thanks for taking the time to talk to The Comic Fanatic.Com.
DAWN BROWN: The pleasure is all mine.
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TCF: Now, Dawn Brown may be a relatively new name to Comicdom, but folks have been sitting up and taking notice thanks to a little something called Ravenous. Tell us about this magnificent graphic novel.
DAWN BROWN: Am I new? I feel like I've been around a while! Ravenous is an original graphic novel inspired by several classic Edgar Allan Poe stories twisted together into something new. It's about an eccentric detective's journey into madness as he is hunting a ruthless serial killer.
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TCF: Who is the star of this story?
DAWN BROWN: The star of this story is Detective Mason. He's recently been relocated to this small town. Just when he fears things are too boring, too peaceful, this monster starts terrorizing the community. His victims are sliced in two through the middle! As Mason pieces together the clues, he slowly realizes he may be "involved" in more ways than he realized.
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TCF: What genre does Ravenous fall under? This is a tale that I found equally chilling, thrilling and mysterious.
DAWN BROWN: Thanks, Heath! I would say horror, or mystery.
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TCF: Ravenous is inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Specifically, which Poe tales help bring Ravenous to life?
DAWN BROWN: Specifically, The Pit & The Pendulum, The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death, The Raven, and the most influential one of all is William Wilson. Most people are unfamiliar with this story about a man who believes he is being tormented by a man who looks exactly like him. It's brilliant.
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TCF: Big Poe fan?
DAWN BROWN: Huge! Poe was one of the earliest to write about the dark sides of humanity. His stories speak volumes about who we really are - or who we have to potential to become on deeper, darker levels. He believed that within each of us lies the possibility to fall into madness and violence. It's just a part of our nature.
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TCF: One of the things I noticed while reading Ravenous was how the entire story flowed like a big-screen Hollywood thriller. Any chance of seeing Ravenous on the big screen someday soon?
DAWN BROWN: That would certainly be fantastic. Despite my Hollywood connections, I do not know how to make this happen. If anyone reading this has the power to make it so, please contact me! Heath, I'll cut you in on a finder's fee!
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TCF: SWEET!!
Well, I don't want to spoil it, but I just have to say that Ravenous has one of the best twist endings you'll never see coming!
DAWN BROWN: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Mission accomplished.
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TCF: You're a real do-it-all-yourself type, handling the art and writing on Ravenous. Is it easier for you bringing your own work to life?
DAWN BROWN: Yes, I suppose so. I've only worked on one project that wasn't my own. That was illustrating Vampirella in 2002. I am definitely interested in working with others. The fact that I do everything myself is more out of necessity than anything. But by now, I hope a have a large enough body of work to attract the attention of editors and publishers.
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TCF: Which do you enjoy more, the art or the writing?
DAWN BROWN: I love them both, equally! One drives the other.
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TCF: Handling both the writing and artistic chores must have been an incredible task. How long exactly did it take to create Ravenous?
DAWN BROWN: Six months full time all day every day to do the line drawings and another six months to paint it and fine tune the writing, while I resumed my day job. At that time, I was working on Michael Bay's "The Island". So it took about a year, total.
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TCF: I hear that congratulations are in order. Ravenous is up for a pretty prestigious award.
DAWN BROWN: Yes, thanks! I have been nominated for an Eisner Award for both Ravenous and Little Red Hot in the category of Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.
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TCF: When will we know if you bring home the Eisner?
DAWN BROWN: The evening of July 21, 2006.
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TCF: Any chance of a Ravenous sequel, or perhaps more Poe-inspired tales?
DAWN BROWN: There is such an extensive library of Poe's work, plenty of inspiration for further misadventures in the town of Good Fortune. I do not have a sequel in the works, but I'm not ruling it out.
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TCF: Now, as you mentioned, Ravenous isn't your first venture into comic books. Tell us about your first comic book work, Little Red Hot.
DAWN BROWN: Little Red Hot is about a bounty hunter searching for redemption. She is married to the Devil, literally. So he doesn't make things easy for her. In her world, evil is defined so clearly, but good remains unclear and elusive. She's constantly put through the ringer as she struggles to find things like faith and hope. As a bounty hunter, she's frustrated that she can't find what she's looking for.
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TCF: How many Little Red Hot miniseries were there?
DAWN BROWN: There are two 3-issue mini-series published by Image Comics. The first one came out in 1999 and the second in 2001.
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TCF: Have the Little Red Hot comics been collected in trade paperback yet?
DAWN BROWN: Yes, the first mini-series has been collected as a TPB called Little Red Hot: The Foolish Collection. It's available through Amazon. The second mini-series will not be offered as a collection in print.
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TCF: Chane is a likable, easy-on-the-eyes character. Any chance of more Little Red Hot tales in the future?
DAWN BROWN: I certainly hope so, this character is very dear to me. At the moment, I am homeless as far as a publisher is concerned, so I do not have anything actively in development for print.
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TCF: Now, you also mentioned that you have done some work with Comicdom's premier vampiress?
DAWN BROWN: Yes, I illustrated 4 issues of Vampirella for Harris Comics. Issues #7 - 10, 2002.
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TCF: So, what's with the fascination with comic books? Were you a Comic Fanatic as a kid?
DAWN BROWN: You better believe it! I grew up on Batman and Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man in the 1970s. As an adult, I believe comics can provide the best storytelling venue. You can have creative control over every single aspect of your story. Dialogue, casting, action, editing, etc. It's not as cost inhibitive as film, for example. And it is possible to get your work distributed all over the world. I'm telling you that if I can do this, ANYONE CAN. It does require a tremendous amount of dedication and discipline of course, but it is possible. And I think THAT'S fascinating.
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TCF: Do you find the time to follow any comics today?
DAWN BROWN: Not too much, unfortunately. I am not inspired by what's out at the moment. I'm kinda freaked out by what's considered passable artwork by the “Big Two.” The indie market continues to shrink. It's frustrating. I miss the hey-day of the graphic novel movement in the late eighties. I miss Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz. Where are those guys?! The last books I really enjoyed were The Thief of Always
adaptations by IDW last year. Those were wonderful.
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TCF: As a writer and artist, who are some of your inspirations, aside from Poe?
DAWN BROWN: Miller and Sienkiewicz. And the great Marvel artists and writers from the mid 1970s.
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TCF: Any creators out there today whom you admire?
DAWN BROWN: Travis Charest, Ashley Wood, Jon Foster, Phil Hale.
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TCF: Are there any characters out there today that you would love to work on as either an artist or writer? Perhaps a dream project of sorts?
DAWN BROWN: Well, I have always wanted to return to my fandom roots and do something for Spider-Man or Batman, or Elektra, Daredevil, Superman. I would relish the opportunity to pay homage to those characters that were so influential to me growing up. Obviously, I don't know how to make this happen.
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TCF: I mentioned earlier that Ravenous read like a Hollywood thriller. Well, that may have been intentional, or at least by osmosis. Dawn Brown has the coolest “real job” in all of Comicdom. Tell us
what you do outside of comic books.
DAWN BROWN: I am a set designer for the film and television industry. That means I draw the blueprints for the sets!
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TCF: Okay. Here's your chance to impress everyone. Drop some names. Who have you worked with over the years?
DAWN BROWN: As much as I'd like to impress everyone, I have to admit there's a huge difference between working ON a Spielberg film and working WITH Spielberg. I've worked ON lots of big-name films but rarely - if ever - meet the directors or the stars. Sorry! But to indulge you a bit, Tim Burton, David Fincher, Clive Barker, Steven Spielberg, Steven Soderbergh, the Coen Brothers.
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TCF: Are you currently working on anything?
DAWN BROWN: I am working on the sets for Ocean's Thirteen at Warner Bros.
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TCF: Anything big on the horizon?
DAWN BROWN: That's an interesting question. As far as comics are concerned, I have no idea where I am headed next. The Speakeasy experience took a lot out of me personally, and I do not have any interest in going through anything like that again. I am not in a position to give my work away anymore. And what I mean by that, is the creator-owned deals like what Image and Speakeasy offer, you give the publisher your creation for free, this project you put your heart and soul into, and the publisher is under no obligation to deliver anything to you in return. No guarantee of distribution, profits, nothing. And if the publisher can't sell enough books to pay for all this, YOU get the bill. There is something seriously wrong with this system. It's basically set up so the value of what the creator contributes is zero. So getting back to answering your question, what's next for me lies in the hands of the editors and publishers out there. I am available and looking for a job in comics that pays with actual money.
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TCF: How do you find the time for comic book work?
DAWN BROWN: In between movie projects. That's the upside of being freelance!
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TCF: Assuming that you have any free time, what do you do with it? Any hobbies?
DAWN BROWN: I like being a couch potato.
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TCF: Last good movie you've seen?
DAWN BROWN: David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence"
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TCF: Last good book you've read?
DAWN BROWN: You mean without pictures? That would be Neil Gaiman's "Coraline".
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TCF: Any advice for the aspiring writers or artists out there?
DAWN BROWN: Be very careful of back-end deals. This means you get all the profits after all publishing costs are recovered. I have learned the hard way - there never is a back end. The stress of struggling to break even can erode the joy of seeing your work in print. Your work has a value, don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise.
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TCF: Dawn, it has been a great honor talking with you. Not that I think you will need it, but best of luck to you - not only with the Eisners, but with all of your future endeavors.
DAWN BROWN: Thank you very much, Heath. I sincerely appreciate the support. Keep up the great job on this wonderful website.
***************************
Huge thanks go out to Dawn Brown for taking the time to do this interview! Hollywood, publishers and everyone else! Sit up, take notice and find out more about the incredibly talented Dawn Brown at Dawn Brown.Net!
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