Talking with Writer R.S. Carbonneau |

R.S. Carbonneau is one up and coming writer to watch, bringing a much needed voice of intelligence to the medium. Here, Richard C talks to Richard C…

Richard, what has impressed me the most about your comix is the intricate degree of research incorporated, the historical references and quotations, etc.
Are you a philosophy professor masquerading as a comic book scribe? What is your background?

Just a student of St Autodidact University. No campus, no professors, no other students; it’s just me, a stack of books, and a
lot of notes. I’ve worked in comic shops and bookstores most of my life, in between other odd jobs. I’ve always had a real interest in literature, the occult, and religion. After doing about 10 years of Catholic School I took in a year at Emerson College, then ditched the institutions for some life learning.
The Marvel, Jack Parsons’ comic book biography, took me about three years to write. Most of that time was spent doing research; from visiting libraries and spending hours with books to driving around Old Pasadena and taking pictures; I read books on the era, studied the slang, read the same books Jack Parsons read, listened to the same music. The authenticity that people are seeing in the comic comes from that. When I was living in L.A. and working in Pasadena I’d drive by or across the Colorado Street Bridge every day, which is a recurring visual metaphor in the comic. I’ve never dabbled in rocketry, but I read up on chemistry just enough to make the lingo sound authentic.
Robin Simon received numerous emails from me loaded with photo reference. He’s got an amazing skill at delivering the feel and style of the era. I think his contribution more than anything else gives the story a real sense of place.
So, philosophy professor, no. But I have a real passion for writing comics.

Aside from your comics research and studies at Hard Knocks U, what writers and thinkers have you battled with? Who are your metaphorical teachers?

I would like to have thrown down with Nietzsche, I think it would’ve been a fair fight. In all honesty Nietzsche was the first major thinker to resonate with me in my youth. I still agree with a lot of what he wrote, though most of his better work was probably conceived with a head full of syphilis. The ideas of the uber-mensch, the rejection of values and morality, and self-liberation were really attractive to me as a rebellious lower middle-class kid. Reconciling his philosophy with my own was akin to a battle, the kind of fight that ends with no victor, but from which I walked away enriched.
Once I tuned in to drugs and alternative lifestyles in my later teens I was drawn towards a lot of those more esoteric writers and
philosophers, like Robert Anton Wilson. R.A.W. seemed to have worked out a philosophy that stuck with me. The concept of Quantum Psychology especially would lead me to answer that he is certainly a metaphorical teacher as you say. In no small part because the book “Quantum Psychology” has these self-guided classes that my friends and I used to do in my kitchen back in Boston. We learned a lot about each other, and it was perhaps more meaningful than anything I ever learned in a classroom. You should get the book and try it out, it’s fun stuff. And reading R.A.W lead to Terence McKenna, Timothy Leary, Aleister Crowley, JAMES FUCKING JOYCE, and the list goes on, including Philip K. Dick who is a huge influence as well.
Of course the list of comics influences would be long and predictable, so I’ll spare you.

I am quite familiar enough with RAW’s legions of dynamically discordian works to think he would’ve gotten a kick out of your Zoroaster strip.
What are your intentions, what are you saying with this comic?

The comic Zoroaster In Aethiopia has been described (by me) as “Conan” meets “Last Temptation of Christ.” It’s a thinking man’s sword and sandal adventure.
It’s a story about a seeker, one who has lost faith and is seeking to regain it. It’s also a story of moving away from the dangers of slave morality and blind faith towards a more rational world-view. Historically Zoroastrianism was the first monotheistic religion. But this story separates Zoroaster from whatever the historical reality of the man may have been. I take Nietzsche’s approach, putting “Zarathustra” in a series of faith-testing conflicts, putting him through the crucible of hell-fire and dogma, and seeing what comes out the other side, all the while using him as a mouthpiece for my own questions and beliefs. Why do people cling to religion? Why is it an excuse to wage war and act out atrocities? Why do people treat each other like shit most of the time? What compels us to do good, or speak-out against perceived injustice? It’s as much an exercise in ontology as an exercise in etymology: as
the story progresses I trace every major monotheistic Western religion back to the sun-god cult of Aten under the reign of Akhenaten in Egypt. Most of this is done through Crowleyan/Joycian word-play, but narrative themes play into it to, following the Christ myth, Judaism, and even conspiracy theory back to Egyptian mythology and ritual.
And finally it’s an exercise in narrative. A variety of artists will tell the story in a series of vignettes. Though the stories are linked chronologically, they each depict a different aspect of Zoroaster’s world. From the wise warrior seen in Sergio Carrera’s photo-realistic comic pages, to more abstract artistic impressions of the time, to full-on cartoon-style slapstick.
It is full of action and sex too, but that’s the honey that makes the medicine go down.

Carrera’s art is somewhat reminiscent of the great Gene Colan, whose influence I wish touched more of today’s artists. All of your collaborators thus far are incredible. What did the courting entail? Is it difficult for you to pitch these left field stories?

Gene Colan, huh? That’s a compliment indeed. Colan’s work has always been of the highest caliber, and I agree, sadly his style isn’t reflected too much in a lot of what we see today in mainstream books. Absolutely a legend, goes without saying. I would have liked to have worked with Sergio a bit longer than his six page stint, but he’s a busy guy these days and you’ll be seeing him around a lot more in the near future. Working with him was all business: a little sharing of personal information, some exchange of ideas and sketches, a little negotiation and lots of emails. He seems like a perfectionist to me,
making several revisions before the final art landed in my inbox. He’s a true professional, and will go far.
The search for an artist for The Marvel was a process. I had a lot of submissions which were very good, but the artists dropped out because of moral or ethical or monetary concerns, and that is the response I receive most often. I don’t write zombies or assassins or bad girls or whatever the hell is trendy. I don’t write comics with the market in mind, I just write what I’d want to read. That puts a lot of people off, especially given that I typically write longer pieces with a level of density to them.
I had answered many emails addressing the concerns above, and then came Robin. His style, his ability to create a mood, and his layouts told me he was the artist for the Marvel. His commitment and enthusiasm for the book, and for comics in general, led to us becoming friends and true collaborators. Most, if not all, of the design choices in the Marvel were his. Working with him has been a pleasure and a source of inspiration over these last three years.
Working with Jonathan Bass, who drew “Grope for Luna” which appears in Side:B, was also a lot of fun. I knew he was the guy from the start. He shared my appreciation of the subject matter, and captured my mannerisms quite well in the little autobiographical story.
Choosing a collaborator is different for every book. The artists with whom I’m working on Zoroaster are friends, strangers, and hired guns. Each is given a section of the story which I think plays to their strengths and would be the most fun and rewarding pages for them to
draw. I’m always looking for artists to continue the story, so if anyone reading this wants to email me some samples, go for it. What it boils down to is who is right for the story. The joy of working independently comes from the level of creative control afforded to the writer, certainly not from money. Working on webcomics and graphic novels is a labor of love, and my partners on these books all share an affinity for the subject matter, and a love for the
medium of comics, which are the most important factors. Knowing that someone “gets it” and is willing to help me share that vision is a great feeling. Especially if that artist is talented, has a vision of their own, and is professional and ready to be seen.

So what does the future hold for you? I know you have mentioned before the possibility of collecting the web-comics into printed editions, and please do consider that, as it would only add to your readership. These could well be in bookstores proper.
Still, what topics and themes would you like to explore, later on? Other than funny animal comix?

The Marvel IS going to be in print, most likely by the end of the year, by a publisher who values relationships with “proper” bookstores, as well as libraries and the direct market. I can’t get into too many details, but everyone should have their hands on a copy by 2010. Even if I have to hand-deliver them.
Someone once joked with me that I’m dealing with all of the world religions one-by-one, starting with Scientology and Thelema, moving on to Zoroastrianism and Judaism. I think the next story will take on Bahai and Hare Krishna. Seriously though, I’ve got a lot of stories to tell. Zoroaster’s story is far from over, and I’m already working on a “sequel” following his sidekick Atreus. I think I’m most excited about exploring the literary possibilities of the medium. Not by creating works that are comics which are considered to be literary, but rather books which can stand on their own against and with the literary traditions of our culture. I want to explore the boundaries between comics and consciousness. I don’t like the term “graphic novel” outside of Will Eisner’s original intent. I don’t believe that comics with some mainstream (and I’m not talking Marvel and DC, I mean Mainstream Culture) appeal should be called “graphic novels.” I think that term refers more to format than medium. Likewise, though I appreciate the term “sequential art,” I believe that all art without narrative is merely design. That true art speaks in narrative. Context is content. I like calling a comic book a comic book. The term “comic” does not simply mean a story with a happy ending. Dante’s masterpiece is called the “Divine Comedy” because comedy itself refers to art targeted and made by “the people.” It typically represents a struggle of the individual against society. I can think of no greater name for what I do than “comics.” Art made by people, for people, representing universal struggle.
After all, Alan Moore was a drop-out too. So what’s next for me? I’m gonna make some fucking comics.