Posted in: Comics | Tagged: chris roberson, Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Mike Raicht, the shadow

Chris Roberson Talks To Mike Raicht About The Shadow, Pulps, And Drawing Inspiration From Orson Welles

Published Thu, 28 Nov 2013 14:00:26 -0600

Ask most writers and they'll tell you their love of reading started when they were young and turned on to a specific genre. Sometimes it's science fictions, sometimes horror… for Chris Roberson it was the pulps and the radio shows that went with them. Mike Raicht chatted with Roberson about them and his current project, The Shadow.

MIKE RAICHT: What was your first experience with The Shadow? I know mine was my mom buying me the DC comic book series by Helfer and Sienkiewicz at my local comic shop in the late 80s. It was something she recognized from the old radio dramas her parents listened to and thought I would like it. I remember the covers and the interior art to this day. It blew my young 12 year old mind. Did you have a familiarity with the character before coming onto the title or did you have to draw on a lot of research?

CHRIS ROBERSON: I've been a fan of the Shadow since I was a kid. I think I first encountered him through the old radio shows which used to rebroadcast in the Dallas area, and I remember listening to those with my dad very early on. I got obsessed with pulps and old time radio and film serials and golden age comics when I was still in elementary school, and never really lost that obsession as I got older.

MR: When you first started writing The Shadow in Masks, Dynamite's pulp hero team up book, what aspect of the character came most easily to you?

CR: I've sometimes described the Shadow's characterization as "Spock With Guns." Because in a lot of ways, he functions as this ultra-rational, emotionless figure entirely devoted to the task at hand. He's a weird avenger of the night, this menacing figure, but he doesn't really get ANGRY, as such. He just does the job.

MR: On the other end of the spectrum, did you have a part of the Shadow's world that was foreign to you? Something that took some time to solidify and get just right in your stories? Maybe even that you're still trying to get just right.

CR: As much as I love the character, I sometimes find it hard to get into the mindset of a guy who laughs maniacally while dealing leaden death at the drop of a hat. Which is why I think it's always better to have the viewpoint character in any given scene be someone OTHER than the Shadow. We should never be too privy to what goes on in his head.

MR: If there was one issue of your run so far you could recommend to a reader who has never read The Shadow what would it be?

CR: I try to structure the beginning of each arc as a nice introductory moment, so I think that either issue 13 or issue 19 would be good places to start.

MR: What about an issue or moment which wasn't yours that informed your interpretation of the character?

CR: My personal take on the character was formed from listening to the old radio show with Orson Welles and reading the Walter Gibson novels, so I always recommend people check those out!

MR: I'm a huge fan of Giovanni Timpano. I had the opportunity to work with him on a GI Joe: Infestation arc a few years back. I found his realistic style to really bring a lot to the gritty, reimagined GI Joe universe. What has your experience been like so far? What does Gio bring to the table which makes him a great partner on this book?

CR: Timpano is great! I love the level of detail he brings to the pages, and he continually finds more interesting ways to handle a layout than I'd originally suggested. I've never been less than absolutely floored by the pages as they come in.

MR: You've had some amazing cover artists on your run. Alex Ross, Tim Bradstreet, Paolo Rivera, Francisco Francavilla, Chris Bolson, Dennis Calero! I know I'm missing some, but do you have a personal favorite? One cover that you feel defines The Shadow for you?

CR: I love far too many of the covers to pick just one favorite!

MR: One cool thing I love about working with Dynamite is writing stories from different eras. I felt while writing Dark Shadows that the 70's became a character all its own. In The Shadow, how is it working in 30's? What makes that time special and interesting for you and The Shadow's adventures?

CR: Like I said, I've been obsessed with the pop culture of that time period since I was a kid!

MR: What's next for The Shadow and for you? Any more Dynamite opportunities or any other work you're hip deep in at the moment that you can talk about?

CR: I'm currently hard at work on DOC SAVAGE, which debuts in December, with interior art by Bilquis Evely and covers by Alex Ross and John Cassaday. CODENAME: ACTION wraps up in another couple of months, and that's been a lot of fun to work on. And I'm still having a blast doing EDISON REX with Dennis Culver for my Monkeybrain imprint.