Posted in: Comics, Image, Marvel Comics | Tagged: Comics, deadpool, image, marvel, middlewest, skottoe young

Talking with Skottie Young: Leaving Deadpool and Working Hard on Middlewest

Earlier this summer I got a chance to talk and ask some  questions of the great Skottie Young at ACE Comic Con in Seattle.  Due to technical issues this video was unusable until now.  All the parts of this interview are still timely though as Skottie Young hints at his upcoming Marvel project and talks a lot about Middlewest and some I Hate Fairyland all while signing … a lot of comics.

Highlights from part 1:

1^st  major story for Middlewest will end with issue 18, but there is still plenty more story beyond that.

Any influence from the Wizard of Oz on Middlewest was completely unintentional on Skottie's part.  He felt Lord of the Rings or Neverending Story were more of an influence on his writing for Middlewest.

Sometimes a creator doesn't realize where influences come from until far later as Skottie realizes that the way he draws grass comes from Sam Kieth's The Maxx.

Leaving Deadpool at issue #15 came from a pitch Skottie did that he wasn't sure anyone would be behind at Marvel, but Marvel really loved it and wanted it on the schedule so something had to give … and it was writing Deadpool.

Skottie's Young Marvel covers are going to continue on for quite a while.

Skottie's one page in Fantastic Four #1 from last year came about because Dan Slott had a joke idea and Tom Brevroot reached out to Skottie to draw it.

Sex Criminals #25's Skottie Young variant cover came from Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky being after Skottie for a cover for a while.

Skottie still has a desire to "torture Gert more" so an I Hate Fairyland anthology is still something Skottie will do at … some point.

There are no plans for more Bully Wars at this time … due to sales.

Highlights from part 2 where we talk a lot about Middlewest:

Skottie started working on Middlewest with another artist who got another great opportunity.  Jorge Corona was working on several books at the time, such as Boom's Big Trouble In Little Chinam but Skottie pitched him the idea of Middlewest and Jorge was in immediately, starting on design work right away.

Abel's name in Middlewest does not come from the Bible. The name just fit the theme of the book and ended up having more meaning as the book has gone on.

It was pitched to Image as quest story, father / son conflict, a Neverending Story / Muppet movie / Labyrinth meets Miyazaki movie with magical realism elements; the real world but with something weird right under the surface.

Retailers were promised there would be no break month for Middlewest #1 through #12.  So when #12 ships in October there will be a one month gap with Middlewest returning right before Christmas 2019.

Skottie is still thinking how Middlewest will eventually be released in hardcover.  Like Monstress or Saga, he is thinking of doing the hardcovers at natural story breaks so issues #1 through #18 to him makes the most sense.

Jorge Corona did 99.9999% of the design work.  Skottie only involved himself twice in the design work, once with Abel's design, and a second time recently with something upcoming in the book.

Skottie finds collaborating with other artists much easier now and being the writer and he can't seem himself drawing for other writers much, if at all, in the future.

By the end of issue #12 of Middlewest readers should be "on the path" to understanding "what the pink stuff is".

And a great sketch of Ripley from Alien.

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