Ron: Is it possible to tell something about the start of this John Carter project?
Who started this project, was ERB Inc. the originator of the idea or was it because of the Dynamite Comics ?Roger: When I was approached by Marvel I was told that it was being produced because Disney, Marvel's owners, had initiated the project -- presumably because they have a film of the novel coming out shortly. And I think I'm right in saying that ERB Inc. were invited to look over the project as a courtesy - the novel is now in the public domain, but getting a good word or two from ERB Inc. was seen as a nice thing to have.
Ron: When did you get involved with this project and how were you selected to write the stories?Roger: I was approached in April 2011 and asked if I was interested in the project. In fact, I initially turned it down; but Marvel were very persuasive! They said my work on Thor: The Mighty Avenger was what prompted them to ask me - apparently it had the kind of tone they were hoping to bring to the project.
Ron: What knowledge did you already have about the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs?Roger: Pretty much nothing - I hadn't read the novels before; of course, I set out to rectify that as soon as I could.
Ron: Could you tell us how you prepared yourself to start this series? Did you visit ERB Inc. in Tarzana to see the old history of Burroughs' John Carter like the wooden model? (see my Tarzana Visit )Roger: I'm aware of this from my research, but I live in England, so traveling to Tarzana wasn't really an option. My preparation chiefly consisted of reading the novel several times, making copious notes as I went. And of avoiding looking at any other comic-book interpretations of the work - I wanted to make sure I wasn't influenced by anything but the novel itself.
Ron: Did you put any personal touch into the stories, like using relatives/friends as models for the characters in the stories or your own environment to act as model for the world of John Carter?Roger: Not too much - apart from the way any writer inevitably puts a bit of himself into the characters he writes. There's always that filter of your own experiences informing the way your characters react to situations.
Ron: How long did you work on each story?Roger: Usually I would spend 2-3 weeks on each individual script, working from a detailed outline of the whole series which took me about a week to work out before I began the actual scriptwriting - there was a bit of back-and-forth with the editors as we figured out what to leave in, what to leave out and how to handle various parts of the story.
Ron: Were there any stories which were disapproved or changed ?Roger: No - so far there has been very little interference from ERB Inc., apart from asking me to make a small change near the end of the final issue (which I was happy enough to make). It's been a fairly easy process.
Meet Roger Langridge
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Full name: Roger Balcombe-Langridge
Birthdate: 14th February 1967 Place of birth: Auckland, New Zealand Education: I have a degree (a BA in English) from Auckland University, New Zealand - which I've never used in any way whatsoever! Other work besides John Carter: I'm probably best known these days for my work writing Thor: The Mighty Avenger for Marvel and for writing and drawing Boom! Studios' Muppet Show Comic Book. Before that, I suppose my highest-profile work would have been my own self-published comic, Fred the Clown. There's plenty of my work available at www.hotelfred.com if you would like to know more. I'm currently working on a series called Snarked! (inspired by the works of Lewis Carroll) for Boom! Studios. |
Roger Langridge has been producing comics for over twenty years. Most recently, he has attracted critical attention for his work on the Harvey Award-winning Muppet Show Comic Book (Boom! Studios) and Thor: The Mighty Avenger (Marvel Comics); other works of note include Marvel's Fin Fang Four, Fantagraphics' Zoot! and Art d'Ecco (in collaboration with his brother Andrew), and the NCS, Ignatz, Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated comic book Fred the Clown. He currently lives in London with his wife Sylvie, their two children and a box of his own hair.
Variant Cover for Issue 1: Art by Skottie Young
John
Carter: A Princess of Mars Preview Art and Text
Feature Two:
A Second Marvel John Carter Series on the Horizon
John Carter: World of Mars #1 (Prequel)
preview
art by Luke Ross
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