After reading the first issue of TRON, I felt that I should interview the writers to gather their thoughts on writing a comic adaption of the classic Disney movie that was such a milestone in computer animation. After all, I would feel very lucky to be writing a cult classic licencsed property. Landry Walker and Eric Jones are both the co-writers of the comic as well as collaborators on a number of other Slave Labor Publishing projects.
The story is based after the TRON movie, with a new main character Jet Bradley who is the son of Alan Bradley, the original TRON programmer. The comic book is also based six months after the TRON 2.0 video game.
How did you get involved with the TRON project?
LANDRY: To make a long story short, we've been working with both Disney and SLG for several years. We harassed Dan Vado (President, Publisher of SLG) to death over the idea of publishing licensed comics, specifically TRON. From that, the SLG/Disney hybrid was born.
ERIC: TRON was always the one Disney property Landry and I were champing at the bit to work on, and we’d been angling to get our hands on it for years. Dan and SLG made the whole thing possible from a legal and financial standpoint, and we finally got to work after five years of pursuing the license.
Can you give us an idea of why there is such a big gap in between releases of each issue?
LANDRY: The gap between issues 2 and 3 was only about 8 weeks. As for the gap between issues 1 and 2, that would be another long story. I expect the book will fall more or less on track now. Previously, we only had one artist to produce the pencils colors and inks. Now we have Michael Shoykhet on pencils and inks, with Guru-efx on colors. Obviously, this speeds up the process a bit. Still, there will always be some unforeseen problems when dealing with a company as large as Disney. They're all great people to work with, but the company is so huge that any approval just slogs along very slowly.
ERIC: That sums things up pretty well. We’ve been plagued with production problems and lengthy approval processes, but I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel now.
Since you are changing artists soon, can you tell the fans what to expect from the new artist?
LANDRY: I'm really a huge fan of Michael’s work. I love the sense of design and energy he brings to the page. As for what to expect, well... good comic art, I would think.
ERIC: Yep, Michael’s art is really great – I think he’s going to be very successful in this industry because he’s the real deal; his storytelling is top-notch, and he’s an all-around pro.
Is there a chance we might see Kevin Flynn in the comic any time in the future?
LANDRY: That would be telling.
ERIC: Yes. No. Maybe. We’ll see.
Are there going to be visible tie-ins to the original movie?
LANDRY: Well, there already have been. More than most people realize. But going into more detail than that… again, that would be telling.
ERIC: Let’s just say it’s out there, and leave it at that.
Did you have to do a lot of research to write this series?
LANDRY: Not really. I mean, I've seen the movie dozens of times, I’ve read the novelization and the original script… that sort of thing, all label movie watching and video game playing as "research".
ERIC: I have no idea how many times I’ve watched the movie, but it’s many, many times. The only other research that’s been necessary has been more of a rumination on the concepts we’re exploring, and trying to figure out how far we can go with all this, without coming off as
What is it about TRON that appeals to you as a writer?
LANDRY: For me, I see the universe of TRON as one that is fluid. In the film, Flynn is consciously and subconsciously altering his environment to suit his needs. As he becomes aware of his abilities as a programmer within the computer, his power grows. He begins to rewrite his universe. It's the ultimate analogy for writing.
ERIC: True. I’ve said before that TRON is a limitless concept, and it allows for straight sci-fi just as well as it allows for more cerebral stories. If we’re doing things right, TRON: Ghost in the Machine is kind of both.
Would you say that a reader needs to see the original TRON movie before reading this series in order to understand it?
LANDRY: Well... we're trying to include enough information so that the story makes sense without needing to see the film. But a viewing would not hurt the process at all.
ERIC: I’d say those readers that have seen the movie will probably get more out of it, but those that have not will still get a full, satisfying reading experience.
If you could write another TV/movie or even game inspired property, what would you pick and why?
LANDRY: I have to admit, I hadn't really given it much thought. Both Eric and I pursued TRON feverishly. But any licensed work brings about potential restrictions, so there is a hesitation to work on them. Still… off the top of my head, I’d probably murder to work on either Doctor Who or something Farscape related.
ERIC: There are tons of properties that I’d love to get my hands on, though I doubt that many of them are strong likelihoods: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Ultraman, Evil Dead… I could probably come up with a hundred properties.
How does it feel to be working on a classic like TRON?
LANDRY: It's nice working on something with a pre-existing fan base. But it's weird, too. You have dozens of people watching over your shoulder, ready to tell you you're wrong with your interpretation. With our creator-owned material this is an impossible scenario, so it's new. I know we will not leave everyone happy with our take. I don't even want to try, because whatever we do to appeal to one fan will turn another one off. So we just focus on what WE like and hope that no one starts sending us hate mail.
ERIC: People definitely have their preconceptions, that’s for sure. As much as I wish we could just get everybody to set those aside and judge our book on its own merits, it’s not going to happen. I think Landry and I have a very clear idea of what TRON should be, and we’re running with that. You can’t please everybody.
What comics are you reading that you really enjoy at the moment?
LANDRY: Prince Valiant. The old Fantagraphics collections of the original strips.
ERIC: I really like Loveless from DC, and just about anything with Darwyn Cooke’s name on it will get me to buy it, but I’m mostly an indie comics fan. The fact that there was a new Acme Novelty Library this year made me very happy.
Can you tell us a little about yourself so the readers can get to know the minds behind the comic better?
LANDRY: I could go into deep detail, but I wrote an autobiographical comic in the early ‘90s that covers most of it. Let’s see. I grew up with what are now some of the biggest rock stars in the world. I spent a brief period of time in prison. That was fun. I worked for 20th Century Fox when I was 17 and was the road manager for a hot oil wrestling team when I was 18. I grew up with a family in the entertainment industry and despised it. Decided to avoid it all by becoming a writer. Not the brightest move, I submit.
ERIC: There’s no way to top any of what Landry just said, except that I can vouch for the veracity of it all: he ain’t lyin’, folks. Me, I grew up in the suburbs. I went to high school, did some time in community college. Worked in a comic book store. God, my life is boring.
Are there any other projects you two are working on and do they involve more TRON?
LANDRY: Yes, we're working on additional TRON material besides this one series. We also do regular work for Disney Adventures Magazine on a series called Kid Gravity, and we have our other SLG books, Little Gloomy and The Super Scary Monster Show.
ERIC: We’re always coming up with new projects; it’s really just a question of how many of them we’ll be able to produce before we’re old and senile. Off the top of my head I can think of five properties we’ve developed that are ready to go, but we’re still smack in the middle of TRON, Kid Gravity, Little Gloomy, Super Scary Monster Show and a few other projects that are still unannounced. We’ve definitely got a lot more to come, but I’m seriously thinking we need to start selling our ideas outright, just so these things wind up seeing print.
How far in the future have you planned issues for TRON?
LANDRY: Thirteen issues in my mind. Maybe only seven. Depends on where we decide to call it a day.
ERIC: We have the story structured in such a way that we’re allowing ourselves a lot of leeway. The series will be exactly as long as it needs to be, and we’ll know how long that is when we get there. Is that vague enough?
Why do you think readers should pick up this series?
ERIC: Because if they don’t, we’ll be out of a job. Also because it’s a really good story, really good art, and not – I repeat NOT – predictable, and we’re giving people a lot of value for their entertainment dollar. But seriously, it’s mostly the job thing.
LANDRY: He’s being serious. We need to pay rent.
Thank you very much Landry and Eric for your time. I hope TRON can continue for several more issues because I'm having a blast reading it. For more information on this title, you can go to the Slave Labor Publishing website and I also recommend giving their other titles a look too.
The story is based after the TRON movie, with a new main character Jet Bradley who is the son of Alan Bradley, the original TRON programmer. The comic book is also based six months after the TRON 2.0 video game.
How did you get involved with the TRON project?
LANDRY: To make a long story short, we've been working with both Disney and SLG for several years. We harassed Dan Vado (President, Publisher of SLG) to death over the idea of publishing licensed comics, specifically TRON. From that, the SLG/Disney hybrid was born.
ERIC: TRON was always the one Disney property Landry and I were champing at the bit to work on, and we’d been angling to get our hands on it for years. Dan and SLG made the whole thing possible from a legal and financial standpoint, and we finally got to work after five years of pursuing the license.
Can you give us an idea of why there is such a big gap in between releases of each issue?
LANDRY: The gap between issues 2 and 3 was only about 8 weeks. As for the gap between issues 1 and 2, that would be another long story. I expect the book will fall more or less on track now. Previously, we only had one artist to produce the pencils colors and inks. Now we have Michael Shoykhet on pencils and inks, with Guru-efx on colors. Obviously, this speeds up the process a bit. Still, there will always be some unforeseen problems when dealing with a company as large as Disney. They're all great people to work with, but the company is so huge that any approval just slogs along very slowly.
ERIC: That sums things up pretty well. We’ve been plagued with production problems and lengthy approval processes, but I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel now.
Since you are changing artists soon, can you tell the fans what to expect from the new artist?
LANDRY: I'm really a huge fan of Michael’s work. I love the sense of design and energy he brings to the page. As for what to expect, well... good comic art, I would think.
ERIC: Yep, Michael’s art is really great – I think he’s going to be very successful in this industry because he’s the real deal; his storytelling is top-notch, and he’s an all-around pro.
Is there a chance we might see Kevin Flynn in the comic any time in the future?
LANDRY: That would be telling.
ERIC: Yes. No. Maybe. We’ll see.
Are there going to be visible tie-ins to the original movie?
LANDRY: Well, there already have been. More than most people realize. But going into more detail than that… again, that would be telling.
ERIC: Let’s just say it’s out there, and leave it at that.
Did you have to do a lot of research to write this series?
LANDRY: Not really. I mean, I've seen the movie dozens of times, I’ve read the novelization and the original script… that sort of thing, all label movie watching and video game playing as "research".
ERIC: I have no idea how many times I’ve watched the movie, but it’s many, many times. The only other research that’s been necessary has been more of a rumination on the concepts we’re exploring, and trying to figure out how far we can go with all this, without coming off as
What is it about TRON that appeals to you as a writer?
LANDRY: For me, I see the universe of TRON as one that is fluid. In the film, Flynn is consciously and subconsciously altering his environment to suit his needs. As he becomes aware of his abilities as a programmer within the computer, his power grows. He begins to rewrite his universe. It's the ultimate analogy for writing.
ERIC: True. I’ve said before that TRON is a limitless concept, and it allows for straight sci-fi just as well as it allows for more cerebral stories. If we’re doing things right, TRON: Ghost in the Machine is kind of both.
Would you say that a reader needs to see the original TRON movie before reading this series in order to understand it?
LANDRY: Well... we're trying to include enough information so that the story makes sense without needing to see the film. But a viewing would not hurt the process at all.
ERIC: I’d say those readers that have seen the movie will probably get more out of it, but those that have not will still get a full, satisfying reading experience.
If you could write another TV/movie or even game inspired property, what would you pick and why?
LANDRY: I have to admit, I hadn't really given it much thought. Both Eric and I pursued TRON feverishly. But any licensed work brings about potential restrictions, so there is a hesitation to work on them. Still… off the top of my head, I’d probably murder to work on either Doctor Who or something Farscape related.
ERIC: There are tons of properties that I’d love to get my hands on, though I doubt that many of them are strong likelihoods: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Ultraman, Evil Dead… I could probably come up with a hundred properties.
How does it feel to be working on a classic like TRON?
LANDRY: It's nice working on something with a pre-existing fan base. But it's weird, too. You have dozens of people watching over your shoulder, ready to tell you you're wrong with your interpretation. With our creator-owned material this is an impossible scenario, so it's new. I know we will not leave everyone happy with our take. I don't even want to try, because whatever we do to appeal to one fan will turn another one off. So we just focus on what WE like and hope that no one starts sending us hate mail.
ERIC: People definitely have their preconceptions, that’s for sure. As much as I wish we could just get everybody to set those aside and judge our book on its own merits, it’s not going to happen. I think Landry and I have a very clear idea of what TRON should be, and we’re running with that. You can’t please everybody.
What comics are you reading that you really enjoy at the moment?
LANDRY: Prince Valiant. The old Fantagraphics collections of the original strips.
ERIC: I really like Loveless from DC, and just about anything with Darwyn Cooke’s name on it will get me to buy it, but I’m mostly an indie comics fan. The fact that there was a new Acme Novelty Library this year made me very happy.
Can you tell us a little about yourself so the readers can get to know the minds behind the comic better?
LANDRY: I could go into deep detail, but I wrote an autobiographical comic in the early ‘90s that covers most of it. Let’s see. I grew up with what are now some of the biggest rock stars in the world. I spent a brief period of time in prison. That was fun. I worked for 20th Century Fox when I was 17 and was the road manager for a hot oil wrestling team when I was 18. I grew up with a family in the entertainment industry and despised it. Decided to avoid it all by becoming a writer. Not the brightest move, I submit.
ERIC: There’s no way to top any of what Landry just said, except that I can vouch for the veracity of it all: he ain’t lyin’, folks. Me, I grew up in the suburbs. I went to high school, did some time in community college. Worked in a comic book store. God, my life is boring.
Are there any other projects you two are working on and do they involve more TRON?
LANDRY: Yes, we're working on additional TRON material besides this one series. We also do regular work for Disney Adventures Magazine on a series called Kid Gravity, and we have our other SLG books, Little Gloomy and The Super Scary Monster Show.
ERIC: We’re always coming up with new projects; it’s really just a question of how many of them we’ll be able to produce before we’re old and senile. Off the top of my head I can think of five properties we’ve developed that are ready to go, but we’re still smack in the middle of TRON, Kid Gravity, Little Gloomy, Super Scary Monster Show and a few other projects that are still unannounced. We’ve definitely got a lot more to come, but I’m seriously thinking we need to start selling our ideas outright, just so these things wind up seeing print.
How far in the future have you planned issues for TRON?
LANDRY: Thirteen issues in my mind. Maybe only seven. Depends on where we decide to call it a day.
ERIC: We have the story structured in such a way that we’re allowing ourselves a lot of leeway. The series will be exactly as long as it needs to be, and we’ll know how long that is when we get there. Is that vague enough?
Why do you think readers should pick up this series?
ERIC: Because if they don’t, we’ll be out of a job. Also because it’s a really good story, really good art, and not – I repeat NOT – predictable, and we’re giving people a lot of value for their entertainment dollar. But seriously, it’s mostly the job thing.
LANDRY: He’s being serious. We need to pay rent.
Thank you very much Landry and Eric for your time. I hope TRON can continue for several more issues because I'm having a blast reading it. For more information on this title, you can go to the Slave Labor Publishing website and I also recommend giving their other titles a look too.
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