I found CAGES such an interesting story that I wanted to know how the idea originated for it, and the result is this short interview with Xander Bennett, the writer and creator of this science-fiction graphic novel.
Is CAGES your first published story or have you published others?
BENNETT: CAGES is the first comic I ever wrote, and the first comic Mel ever drew, which I'm sure doesn't happen a lot! We owe a lot to Insomnia Publications for believing in our little sci-fi book.
How do you find inspiration for your writing?
BENNETT: Ah, that's the 64 thousand dollar question. Unfortunately, the answer's always less exciting than you'd expect. I read a lot of fiction, and I watch a lot of great TV shows. I also read a lot of history. History is a neverending font of stories and inspiration.
How did you come up with the idea of CAGES?
BENNETT: I believe it came from a news article I read about three children who had been raised in electrified cages by their parents. Pretty disturbing, and I guess it stuck with me. I took that simple idea and imagined a sci-fi background for it, because god knows I can't write anything without somehow adding robots to it.
Why did you choose the graphic novel route to tell your story?
BENNETT: I wanted to make a comic, basically. I've written screenplays, short stories and a novel (well, half of one!), but I never saw CAGES as anything but a comic. I guess I grew up with Gaiman's Sandman, which hooked me on the medium. From there I got into other Vertigo comics, then superheroes, and now I read art comix, manga, and anything I can get my hands on. I wanted to try my hand at a comic of my own. It was a big experiment, really; Mel and I had to learn the rules as we went along.
How did you find Melanie Cook who did an incredible job on the artwork?
BENNETT: Mel was a friend of mine prior to the project (and she still is, even after all the work I put her through!). I knew she'd studied art, so I very nervously pitched her the idea for CAGES, and she agreed to do it on the spot. Then she told me she'd never actually read a comic before. Luckily, that didn't stop her. I lent her some of my books to read, and the rest is history.
Are there any planned future volumes set in the world of CAGES?
BENNETT: Probably not, although it's funny how many people have asked me that. People seem to want more after reading the book, which I'm hoping is a good thing. I see CAGES as a very self-contained story, and I can't imagine doing a sequel any time in the near future. But never say never...
Do you have any other projects you'd like to let us know about?
BENNETT: Sure! Mel is currently doing the colouring on a new Insomnia Publications series called Cancertown. It's written by Cy Dethan with art by Stephen Downey, and it looks awesome. I'm also co-writing a project with the blazingly talented Josh Hechinger. It's a hitman romantic comedy called Under The Gun; kind of a screwball John Woo meets James Bond. We're about to start looking for an artist, which is always fun.
Thank you very much for this interview. I'm sure Melanie will do a fantastic job of the colouring on her new project, and Under The Gun looks like fun. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work. Good luck with your future projects!
Is CAGES your first published story or have you published others?
BENNETT: CAGES is the first comic I ever wrote, and the first comic Mel ever drew, which I'm sure doesn't happen a lot! We owe a lot to Insomnia Publications for believing in our little sci-fi book.
How do you find inspiration for your writing?
BENNETT: Ah, that's the 64 thousand dollar question. Unfortunately, the answer's always less exciting than you'd expect. I read a lot of fiction, and I watch a lot of great TV shows. I also read a lot of history. History is a neverending font of stories and inspiration.
How did you come up with the idea of CAGES?
BENNETT: I believe it came from a news article I read about three children who had been raised in electrified cages by their parents. Pretty disturbing, and I guess it stuck with me. I took that simple idea and imagined a sci-fi background for it, because god knows I can't write anything without somehow adding robots to it.
Why did you choose the graphic novel route to tell your story?
BENNETT: I wanted to make a comic, basically. I've written screenplays, short stories and a novel (well, half of one!), but I never saw CAGES as anything but a comic. I guess I grew up with Gaiman's Sandman, which hooked me on the medium. From there I got into other Vertigo comics, then superheroes, and now I read art comix, manga, and anything I can get my hands on. I wanted to try my hand at a comic of my own. It was a big experiment, really; Mel and I had to learn the rules as we went along.
How did you find Melanie Cook who did an incredible job on the artwork?
BENNETT: Mel was a friend of mine prior to the project (and she still is, even after all the work I put her through!). I knew she'd studied art, so I very nervously pitched her the idea for CAGES, and she agreed to do it on the spot. Then she told me she'd never actually read a comic before. Luckily, that didn't stop her. I lent her some of my books to read, and the rest is history.
Are there any planned future volumes set in the world of CAGES?
BENNETT: Probably not, although it's funny how many people have asked me that. People seem to want more after reading the book, which I'm hoping is a good thing. I see CAGES as a very self-contained story, and I can't imagine doing a sequel any time in the near future. But never say never...
Do you have any other projects you'd like to let us know about?
BENNETT: Sure! Mel is currently doing the colouring on a new Insomnia Publications series called Cancertown. It's written by Cy Dethan with art by Stephen Downey, and it looks awesome. I'm also co-writing a project with the blazingly talented Josh Hechinger. It's a hitman romantic comedy called Under The Gun; kind of a screwball John Woo meets James Bond. We're about to start looking for an artist, which is always fun.
Thank you very much for this interview. I'm sure Melanie will do a fantastic job of the colouring on her new project, and Under The Gun looks like fun. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work. Good luck with your future projects!
-
Sponsors and Ads
-
Browse Archives
-
Contributors
