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Discussing Predator Vs Judge Dredd Vs Aliens with John Layman

Published Thu, 28 Jul 2016 14:00:49 -0500

Octavio Karbank writes,

OK: Tell me about Predator vs Judge Dredd vs Aliens.

John Layman: It's exactly what it sounds like, which is crazy fun. It was one of those writer things where you're really lucky when it lands on your lap.

OK: So you were just lucky enough to get to write the book?

JL: Well I had done an Aliens book with Sam Keith, Aliens: Inhuman Condition, and I worked a lot with IDW and they knew I loved Judge Dredd. There was a dance with IDW and the timing was never right, but eventually they asked if I would be interested in this. So of course I said yes! It was fanboy Layman getting to put on three different hats!

OK: Back in the 90s there was another Dredd vs series, where he fought the Predator and Aliens…

JL: But separate.

OK: But separate, yes. Did you go back and look at that at all?

JL: I actually did after I pitched, because I wanted my own original thing. I read it once my own original story was set in my mind, so as not to be influenced by it. There's actually some callbacks, but comics being what they are, you aim for maximum accessibility, so I didn't want readers to have to go back to read something else to understand this. It's a pretty basic concept: this versus this versus that. It respects the thing that came before it, while not being dependent on it.

OK: So then how is your version different from what we've seen before?

JL: I think it's crazier. I think storytelling changes every decade. I don't want to say that comics "date" themselves, because there's almost a built in negative that I don't mean, but just like styles of clothing or hairstyles, there are styles of writing. I think mine has a more contemporary vibe, if that doesn't sound condescending.

OK: How is it writing such iconic characters?

JL: I've written Batman, Spider-Man, Godzilla…the key is to respect the character and respect the audience, because the audience who comes for it comes becomes they have certain expectations and they have a love for a character. You want to give them what they love about the characters.

OK: How do you approach writing this book as opposed to something like Chew or anything else you've written?

JL: One page at a time. In this case you want to please the fans, the editors; you've got a lot of cooks in the kitchen with all the various studios, but everyone was super supportive and enthusiastic. A project like this you never know if it's going to be editorially a pain in the ass, because of all those factors, but it was smooth sailing and just pure fun.

OK: Can you talk about working with artist Chris Mooneyham?

JL: He's done some Predator work for Dark Horse and he did Five Ghosts for Image. I just met the dude, like, five minutes ago. He's not on social media so we haven't had much interaction, but he's a really nice guy, super talented. He's an artist who gets everything right and does it awesomely.

OK: All right, thank you!

Octavio Karbank is a writer and bona fide Whovian. Living in Massachusetts, you can find him on Twitter @TymeHunter and his blog www.cozmicventures.com

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