Originally published at Fangoria.com on July 17, 2011
Today we continue our conversation with Randy Queen, creator/author of Image Comics’ DREAMS OF DARKCHYLDE VOL. 1 (see part one here). Topics include the planned film version of his comic, to be directed by no less than John Carpenter!
FANGORIA: You are also the artist, as well as the creator/author of DARKCHYLDE. Do you understand the story better because you can visually lay out the panels? Does knowing about composition and poses help you better as a storyteller?
RANDY QUEEN: Being able to draw certainly is an asset as a storyteller, but it’s always challenging. All artists dream while awake, and I think we’re just receivers of the signal. The more disciplined you are, the stronger the signal gets. The more hours you sit with the muse, the kinder she becomes.
FANG: For DREAMS OF DARKCHYLDE, the artwork was provided between you, Brandon Peterson and Ron Adrian. How did you collaborate with other artists while staying true to your vision?
QUEEN: These artists are amazing, and when you start with gold, you usually end with gold. It was a joy and a privilege to also work with Brett Evans, Jimmy Yu and Sarah Queen as well, who brought so much life to the work with their beautiful colors.
FANG: On your website, there is a video of test footage by Academy-award winning Weta Workshop. Because this is live-action and you have an actress, how do you stay faithful to the character design of Ariel Chylde without compromising?
QUEEN: For Ariel, you’d want natural beauty, vulnerability and strength. You don’t want someone too strong, or too hard. There has to be a contrast between who she is and the creatures she can become. It’s a very, very complex and difficult emotional role. This is not a video game movie with a focus on effects. It’s a pretty intense character study, so when the effects arrive, you’re engaged, so they matter.
FANG: In the latest news, legendary director John Carpenter has been attached to adapt DARKCHYLDE. With the possibility of having new and even more readers, does this put pressure on you and your writing?
QUEEN: No pressure that isn’t already there. It’s taken a long time to get to this point, it isn’t something that came easy or arrived at my doorstep. I had to go out and beat the pavement, so anything that flies from here is a blessing only. John Carpenter is a master craftsman and one of our most important American directors. His sensibilities are no nonsense, and that’s what we need; we need craft and substance over spectacle. You can see spectacle in car commercials now; we’re all jaded. So we want to move your hearts and minds, not just your eyeballs—that’s the real power and potential of cinema. It’s our most powerful medium, so the opportunity to create is something I take very seriously; I have something to say.
FANG: What are you working on now?
QUEEN: The big things are the film and the young adult novels. I just signed with Kelly Sonnack at the Andrea Brown literary agency, and we are just so excited to re-platform the Ariel Chylde mythos in the young adult arena. It makes absolute sense to take that logical next step, so I can’t wait to see that materialize. Two very large mountains with the film and a series of novels, so please wish us luck.
At San Diego Comic-Con, we’ll be giving away free DARKCHYLDE movie posters and graphic novels signed by John Carpenter and myself, while supplies last at the Image Comics booth during my signing. We’re premiering a 3-foot tall fine art statue of Ariel Chylde from PopCutureShock Collectibles, which will be on display at the Sideshow booth. This is a large, elegant, classy, fine art sculpture; it’s just stunning! Also from Diamond Select Toys, we’ll have the new Ariel mini-mates and anniversary “Deadly Dreamer” PVC statue, which is 9-inches tall. We’ll have the new graphic novel collections for sale at the Image Comics booth, so it’s a very nice 15th anniversary celebration for Ariel. Please come by and say hello!
FANG: Where can an audience find info or more about your work?
QUEEN: I can be found at at the official site www.darkchylde.com, and I also post pretty frequently on Facebook, because they make it so easy to update.
