John Fultz and Primordia

Many English professors love the classics. And only the classics. Show them Beowulf or Wuthering Heights and watch them smile. But show them Neuromancer (William Gibson) or American Gods (Neil Gaiman), and you might get a placating nod, at best. But John Fultz is not merely an English professor. He's a professor with a taste for good fiction and a feel for interesting fantasy. He counts the greats among his favorites, but he also finds plenty of time for more modern works. It is a combination of new and old that fuels John Fultz. His new epic comic series, Primordia, began running in September. I had the opportunity to ask John a few questions about his work, both in and out of the classroom, and what has inspired him to become a writer of comics.

What made you decide to start teaching?

John Fultz: Seven years trapped in a cubicle. Seriously, I used to write and edit business magazines for a living. It was deathly boring and a pointless way for me to be spending my days. So I plotted my escape.

My life's ambition is to be a Storyteller. So I determined to earn my teaching certification, and as an English teacher I'm telling stories literally every day. I'm analyzing the great stories--usually the masterpieces of literature--and discussing them with students constantly. Last year I taught Ken Kesey's masterpiece ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST to a couple classes of juniors. It was a fantastic experience. I'm turning young people on to the power and majesty of the written word; and I'm teaching them how to write their own stories, how to see beyond the surface of simple plot into the themes and meanings that lie beneath all works of literature…and life itself.

I'm battling ignorance and apathy on the front lines everyday--as all teachers do--and I'm making a difference in kids' lives. We're helping to build better humans. There are few greater feelings than seeing a kid who hated books a few months ago telling me how much he or she loved the novel we just read; or writing a great paper that he or she wasn't capable of writing before taking my class.

I'm not only a storyteller, I'm an advocate of the Written Word itself, a devotee of the immense power of Storytelling. I tell my students "Writing is Magic," and it's true.

Teaching literature is the best job I've ever had, and I find it incredibly rewarding spiritually and emotionally…if not financially. :) And nothing inspires me more as a writer than reading/analyzing great works of literature. Great art inspires great art.

How did you get your start writing fiction?

Fultz: I've been writing stories in one form or another ever since I was a kid. Back in college I took creative writing classes and started sending my fantasy stories out to WEIRD TALES magazine. Fifteen years and a drawer full of rejections later, I finally managed to make my first sale to them. It took many years of acquiring life experience, reading the work of great writers, and just writing, writing, writing, before I discovered how to really tell a story…that is, a story good enough that people will pay to publish it.

In the mid-90s I started an online science fiction magazine called COSMIC VISIONS, and that was a great experience as well…editing other writers' work helps improve your own. So at this point I've sold three stories to WEIRD TALES (the first one appeared in issue #340), three tales to BLACK GATE, one to DARK WISDOM.

As for PRIMORDIA, it represents my first professionally published comic book--and the fulfillment of a five-year dream. I've also finished a big fantasy novel that I'm currently shopping around. It's called CHILD OF THUNDER, and it's about The Giant Who Was a Man, and the Man Who Was a Giant.

What is it about the comic medium that appeals to you?

I was reading comics before I learned to read… I used to make up my own stories by looking at the pictures. So I grew up with comics; they're as much a part of my life as my actual relatives. The only time I didn't read them was my four years in high school…I suppose because I thought I had outgrown them.

But when I started college I discovered that comics, like me, had grown up. There were books like Frank Miller's SIN CITY, RONIN, and ELEKTRA ASSASSIN coming out, as well as Alan Moore's WATCHMEN and SWAMP THING. When Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN and Peter Milligan's SHADE THE CHANGING MAN started coming out, I devoured those on a monthly basis.

The comics medium is fantastic because you can literally do anything with it. It takes millions of dollars and hundreds of people to make a single movie, but you can tell massive stories with comics in only a few months, with a few people, and comics never have an "off season," unlike TV series where you have to wait for new episodes for half the year. Comics are gateways to alternate universes where anything is possible. They open the doors of our minds to the realms where archetypes live and breathe, where storytelling and art combine to create something truly unique and wonderful. What's better than looking at an amazing piece of artwork? Looking at a series of amazing pieces of artwork that tell a story. There's nothing quite like it. Give me comics over movies or TV any day…the possibilities are unlimited.

What are some of your favorite works of fiction?

Fultz: I'd better answer this in terms of favorite authors and examples of their best work: My favorite authors are Tanith Lee (TALES FROM THE FLAT EARTH; LIONWOLF), William Gibson (NEUROMANCER; VIRTUAL LIGHT; PATTERN RECOGNITION), Lord Dunsany (A DREAMER'S TALES), Clark Ashton Smith (TALES OF ZOTHIQUE), Robert E. Howard (CONAN, KULL, and many others), Darrell Schweitzer (MASK OF THE SORCERER--a modern masterpiece), Fritz Lieber (FAFHRD AND THE GREY MOUSER), Thomas Ligotti (THE NIGHTMARE FACTORY; the world's greatest living horror writer), Jack Vance (TALES OF THE DYING EARTH), A. A. Attanasio (THE DRAGON AND THE UNICORN), R. Scott Bakker (THE PRINCE OF NOTHING series), Jeff Vandermeer (CITY OF SAINTS AND MADMEN), H.P. Lovecraft (THE DREAM-QUEST OF UNKNOWN KADATH), Patricia MacKillip (THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD), Robert Silverberg (NIGHTWINGS), Harlan Ellison (DEATHBIRD STORIES), Brian McNaughton (THE THRONE OF BONES); and of course Poe and Shakespeare.

You say the comic is a descendent of ancient forms of literature. Tell us what you mean by that, exactly.

Fultz: Well, the most ancient forms of literature were cave paintings. Then there were hieroglyphics, the most ancient form of writing were pictures. So comics are older than anyone might imagine.

Our first instincts to communicate using non-verbal methods was to use pictures. There's also something about the ongoing epic, or odyssey, that comes from the ancient world and the tradition of wandering bards, or storytellers (like Homer). Comics do this very well, since monthly comics are basically ongoing sagas, i.e. epics, and they usually involve heroes of some kind. The oldest stories were about heroes: BEOWULF, THE ODYSSEY, THE ILLIAD, GILGAMESH…it's no coincidence that Neil Gaiman (probably the most successful comics writer in history) has been chosen to write the new BEOWULF movie. Comics are also the mythology of the modern day. Look at Jack Kirby's work, for example: THOR, THE NEW GODS, THE ETERNALS, these were literally modern-day translations of the myth-sagas that our ancestors told around their hearth fires.

As for superheroes (the lifeblood of monthly comics), these are simply new versions of the ancient myth figures…as well as ideals of ultimate human potential. Every generation develops legends and myths that reflect and define its society, and you can find ideas recycled from era to era. Comics are such a powerful form of storytelling because they reach back into that primordial memory that we all have…that thrill of sitting in the cave near a warm flame listening to a Wise Elder tell you about the battle between Wulf and the Thunder Lizard…or the bard who sings of St. George and the Dragon…Hercules and the Hydra…and so on. Comics are the perfect blend of Art and Story…an art form where the ancient techniques of narrative come alive with fresh relevance and power.

Tell us about the writing process for Primordia. What is a day of writing like?

Fultz: I tend to write in isolated segments of time, since I'm not an "every day" writer. I have a day job teaching literature, so I write when time and inspiration coincide. With PRIMORDIA, I started writing the story five years ago, and was originally intending to illustrate it myself. Luckily, I soon decided that I needed a more capable artist, and after a few aborted attempts, I linked up with the Mighty Roel. I had the first "chapter" already written at the point. When Roel came onboard, his interpretation of the pages inspired me even more. Likewise, each new bit of script that I delivered inspired him to raise the bar on his own work. It's a terrific synergy, and that's the joy of writing comics…collaboration.

So I would lock myself in my room for an entire weekend and hammer out ten or twenty pages. Eventually I had the entire story finished. Then I always go back and revise, revise, revise. Someone once said "There is no such thing as good writing. There is only good re-writing." So true. When the finished pages come in, I go back to the script and revise it again. My goal (as any comic writer's should be) is to create a perfect synergy between word and picture. I massage the text so that it flows perfectly with the images as Roel created them. Later, when the letterer sends me pages, I see the words flowing across the pages, and I always make a few last-minute changes. So it's a constant process of refining, revising, perfecting, and I keep pushing myself until the textual part of the comic is as perfect as the illustrated part. It has to be a perfectly balanced blend…like a Yin-Yang symbol. That's comics writing to me.

Where did Primordia come from? What was the thought process that went into it?

Fultz: PRIMORDIA is my vision of what a "perfect fantasy comic" should be like. It is first-and-foremost a fantastic adventure, but I wanted to eliminate the concept of "Good vs. Evil." That's an over-used, simplistic concept. It's been done a million times. So my characters are neither wholly "good" nor wholly "evil." We humans are capable of both…it's the choices we make that determine if we're monsters or saints. PRIMORDIA was inspired by THE SILMARILLION, TARZAN, QUEST FOR FIRE, THE FIRST KINGDOM, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, CONAN, THE ODYSSEY, TALES FROM THE FLAT EARTH, PALEOLOVE, and many more influences.

But to me the heart of any good fiction is interesting, believable, three-dimensional characters. So PRIMORDIA is an epic fantasy that approaches characterization without relying on genre tropes and stereotypical hero/villain roles. I hope my readers will see Alleyar, Driniel, Vega, and the other characters as individuals, not easily categorized types. Of course, what really brought PRIMORDIA to life was Roel's incredible artwork. It's a case of terrific synergy because we love working together. Even though he's across the country (in Georgia) and I'm here in Southern California, it's a close working relationship. That writer/artist synergy is what makes our book special.

What is it like collaborating with an artist? Were there any conflicts?

Fultz: Working with Roel is a dream come true. I've had so many false starts and artists who bailed out because of unavoidable circumstances…doing a creator-owned comic is not something you get paid for up front. It's a MASSIVE investment of time and energy…PRIMORDIA is a true labor of love for Roel and me. He gets a thrill from seeing my scripts and I get a thrill from seeing his art. That's where the magic comes from. Roel is also very humble…even though he's an amazing artist, he's always open to my input, and will change anything that I request. He knows that serving the story is more important than showing off his art muscles--and he has some serious muscles--and that his talent shows through the best when the story itself is the ultimate goal. I can't imagine a better working relationship…we've already started an amazing new project that will eventually follow PRIMORDIA. Getting new pages in from Roel is always the highlight of my day…he constantly amazes me.

How closely do the images on the page match the images in your head as you're writing?

Fultz: Pretty darn close, actually! The key to this is the working relationship with Roel. I'm pretty good at writing down exactly what I want, and when Roel puts his personal spin on it, I'm often delighted that it looks better than what I originally imagined. It's like playing in a band…you're playing your instrument, but when the other musicians join in, you create something greater than the sum of its parts, and it's beautiful.

Did you begin in comics? If not, how did you make the transition?

Fultz: I've sold prose stories to WEIRD TALES, BLACK GATE, and DARK WISDOM magazines, mostly fantasy and horror. I started out doing my own indie comic, NECROMANCY, in 1999, drawing and inking it myself. I got some great comments on my writing from publishers and pros, but after four issues I realized that a) I was not up to professional art standards and b) I took far too long to illustrate an issue. So the trick was finding a capable and dedicated artist…which was NOT easy. It was a long, hard road but I finally teamed up with Roel, and comics history was made.

One of the people who had liked my indie comic was Mark Smylie, founder of Archaia Studios Press (and creator of ARTESIA). I met him at the '99 Wizard World Chicago and had been seeing him every year since then at the San Diego Comicon. When I finally approached him about PRIMORDIA, he recognized Roel's art immediately. Back in the 90s, Roel and Mark were publishing indie comics at the same publisher. Roel's comic was a little-known masterpiece called THE SEVENTH SYSTEM, which came out around the same time as Mark's very first ARTESIA series. So Mark, being the genius that he is, knows greatness when he sees it. He knew I could write, he knew Roel could draw, and he wanted to publish PRIMORDIA. What he also insisted on was that we bring onboard a colorist (originally the book was going to be black-and-white). This was an incredibly smart move because our colorist, Joel Chua, is our secret weapon. He took Roel's incredible art to a whole new level.

What is your advice to writers looking to break into comics?

Fultz: Persistence. Persistence. Persistence. It also helps to be a bit mad. Look at yourself not as a Comics Writer, but as a Writer. Get your work published anywhere and everywhere you can. And listen to editorial feedback…the idea is to improve your work so that everything you write is better than the last thing.

The other side of it is networking. It WILL take you years (unless you have an uncle or a best friend who's a comics superstar), so just accept that fact. Like Sun Tzu said in "The Art of War," you must learn to lose before you can learn to win. Rejection will be the spectre that haunts your every move. So you need to realize right away that you are writing for YOURSELF, and that most of what you write will never see print. Go to the cons and meet everyone you can. Go every year, and always have some new project to show. Get something in print. When people see you as a "real" writer, i.e. you've gotten stuff published, they will start to take you seriously. Most importantly: Never give up. But if you do, that's okay too. There's more to life than writing comics, really. To truly find what you are looking for, you must stop looking. Is that Zen enough?

Why should our readers pick up Primordia?

Fultz: Because it's epic fantasy the way it should be done. It's a comic book odyssey full of compelling characters, gorgeous artwork, eye-popping colors, and mythological bombast. It's your brain on drugs with no lasting side effects. It's unlike anything else you'll see on comics racks, and will satisfy your craving for really good comics.

We want to thank John for taking the time to answer our questions. Primordia #1 is available in stores now from Archaia Studios Press.