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Robert Napton Talks To Arvid Nelson About Warlord Of Mars #100

Published Sun, 20 Apr 2014 20:00:57 -0500

Robert Napton interviews his co-worker Arvid Nelson about their upcoming Warlord Of Mars #100. I say "interview", it's more like "intimate". I mean come on guys, get a room, seriously…

Robert Napton: Being lucky enough to collaborate with you on Warlord #100 I know how your story came to be, but please tell me like I don't know so we can share it with the readers.

Arvid Nelson: Yeah! I forget who had the idea for us to write two parts of the same story – was it you or moi? Bah, it doesn't matter. You had the idea for a plot involving a legendary sword, the Martian equivalent of Excalibur. I thought that was a terrific idea, and we came up with what we thought was a great look for the sword… until we saw Lui Antonio's design! His design was much better.

RN: The only marching orders we received were to use "Woola." How did that particular mandate influence your story.

AN: I think we both knew that both of our stories had to be essentially self-contained, and that Woola, not Carter, had to be the hero. It was quite a challenge, because Woola can't talk! But I'd say we both succeeded. Pat on the back for both of us.

RN: 100 issues is an amazing accomplishment. You led us all by writing all of Warlord and the first 10 issues of Dejah Thoris — did you ever imagine being able to completely adapt the first three novels in comic form.

AN: You know how it is, Robert! You start out with high hopes for every new series you write. Those hopes aren't always fulfilled, but in this case, they were. First of all, we owe Dynamite a huge heap of gratitude for getting behind the title and giving it a successful launch. The fact that we offered the debut issue of Warlord for $1 really helped it get off the ground. But by far and away, the lion's share of the thanks goes to the readers. Thanks to everyone for taking a chance and supporting Warlord of Mars.

RN: Unlike Tarzan, which was popularized in other media almost immediately after the novels were written, John Carter really only lived in books and really flourished in comics and with comic artists — why has the comic industry always led the way with John Carter of Mars?

AN: I think it's for the same reason that Lord of the Rings never really went "mainstream" until they made the movies – Mars, like Middle Earth, is a difficult world to visualize unless you have a hyper-active imagination. When you see the Lord of the Rings movies, you "get it" – no explanation needed. I think the same is true for Mars. Seeing is believing! Tarzan, of course, is a dude in a loincloth killing crocodiles and lions. Very easy to wrap your head around.

RN: Anything you'd like to say to the readers of all the Warlord books and specifically Warlord 100?

AN: I just want to reiterate my deep appreciation for our readers. From the outset we've tried to do Mars the "right" way, to stay true to the spirit of the original novels. We had to deviate from the source material occasionally, but hey – we always knew we weren't doing a "definitive" Warlord of Mars. The only person capable of that was Burroughs himself. I think our readers understood that and I hope, at the end of the day, our adaptation is the one they to come home to.