The Grand National Interview: Marvelous Matt Fraction.

Matt Fraction is a man with the ability to bend your mind. From his creator owned books “The Five Fists of Science” and “Casanova” to his current runs on “The Immortal Iron Fist” and “Punisher: War Journal” to upcoming runs on “The Invincible Iron Man” and “Uncanny X-Men,” whether with Ed Brubaker or by himself, Matt Fraction is giving you some of the best stories in comics.  

And luckily, Matt was nice enough to take time out of his busy schedule, to answer some questions about his works, Hollywood, the Chicago Cubs, Mr. Belvedere, and the craziest very special episode you ever won’t see.

And you’ve got to respect a man who’s been photographed sporting such a rockin’ beard.   

The questions begin…AFTER THE JUMP!

Before your most recent works, the most well-known book of yours is ”Five Fists of Science,” could you tell us about it, because I think it’s a really interesting premise?

I looked up the etymology of the phrase “Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work,” and lo and behold it was your friend and mine Mark Twain.  And I dug deeper and found that he and Tesla were pals.  Almost immediately I thought they fight crime! and then as I dug a bit more i discovered that what they REALLY got up to was in fact much grander– they wanted to save the world!

The stranger the truth, the more my small fictions paled.  It was such an incredible story– Twain and Tesla, joining forces to end world war– that it just had to be a comic book.

I know I’m just spitballing here, but would David Bowie be perfect casting for Nikola Tesla?

He wasn’t bad in THE PRESTIGE but, if you go for Tesla in his prime, he’s a dead ringer for Ralph Fiennes.

With a mustache? Yes.

On the Immortal Iron Fist and upcoming issues of Uncanny X-Men, you co-write the issues with Ed Brubaker, can you take us through the writing process?

Hm.  It’s a bit like wondering how hot dogs get made.  You could find out but you’d probably never eat a hot dog again.  So forgive me if I’m vague:

We came up with the superarc together, with a lot of back and forth.  It was Ed’s most brilliant wife Melanie, however, and her ENTER THE DRAGON poster, that inspired the heart of the second storyline.  So we beat out the story with one another, so we at least know the big moments, the twists, most of the ending, etc.  Then we just sorta bounce around a document until a script falls out at the end.  Some months we’re very much co-writers, some months I’m almost solo with Ed acting like a very hands-on editor. 

See?  Isn’t it just better to eat a hot dog?

I’ll admit that maybe the answer could have used a Schoolhouse Rockish treatment, but I’ll stand by the question.

Also, hot dogs are gross.*

*The Grand National Championships Mileage of Hatred may vary.

Anyhoo, tell us about your one-shot on Young Avengers Presents? 

Two Hawkeyes enter– one Hawkeye leaves.  It’s Clint vs. Kate in a Bro-on-Bow Superbrawl to break the bank and determine, once and for all, the One True Hawkeye.

Alan Fucking Davis is drawing it.  I bet he’d be mortified to see himself referred to that way.

Awesome. Is there anything that we should be on the lookout for in your upcoming run of Invincible Iron Man?

The ultimate failure of Tony Stark’s philosophies and politics.  All of his nightmares coming true– by the end of the first issue.  His arch rival, rising from nothing to extract brutal revenge that confounds conventional fighting techniques.  New technologies beyond mortal comprehension.  International acts of superterror.  Tony Stark’s ultimate sacrifice.  An aftermath that has to be seen to be believed.  And the greatest work of Salvador Larocca’s career. 

It’s the perfect comic book for fans of the movie. 

Let’s talk Casanova. It’s one of those comic books that comes from a seemingly dead genre in comics. Did your desire to write an espionage book limit your publishing options?

I think between being near-totally unknown and wanting to do CASANOVA, yeah, that’s a fair statement.  But when Image asked me to pitch them a series, I was convinced I’d never be asked again, so I better swing for the bleachers with all I got.

I guess that kind of explains my general work philosophy these days.

Nice. Now as I have read in previous interviews that your experiences on Casanova with Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba have been about as good as any, without naming any names, have you had any artist horror stories that you’re willing to share?

Oh, no, I’ve been completely blessed, really and truly.  I’d work with any of my past collaborators again, no questions asked, any day of the week.

In the initial issue for Casanova, you wrote in the afterword that this was an attempt at translating the Phil Spector wall of sound into comics, and I guess the question is what would that look like in script form?

Like any other comic script, only longer.  CASANOVA is the shortest book I write, and yet always, always takes the longest.  It is brutal and ferocious.  I have a pretty specific destination in my head, microawareness of where I need to go to get there, and absolutely no clue as to HOW.  It’s an exhausting mixture between total micromanagement and complete improvisation.

As the second arc begins in Casanova, your protagonist Casanova Quinn disappears from the storyline. Here’s a two-part question, is that the bravest thing you’ve ever done on the page? And did you ever doubt yourself making such a fundamentally bold move?  

The bravest thing I’ve ever done on the page is in CASANOVA #14, page 14,  Nice little symmetry there.  And what doubts I had about removing Cass from his own book were allayed by knowing the contents of that page.

Man, could I be any more cryptic?  Ossified lotteries shimmering downwards.  Tick tock, tick tock. 

As Casanova is fundamentally a high-concept story, have you had any meetings with Hollywood in regards to it?

A few.  Most have been disaster comedies.  Nothing more satisfying than being in rooms with executives and producers who tell you everything that’s wrong and unfilmable and bad about your book, and why your book isn’t a movie at all (no kidding– it’s a book), and that what you REALLY need to do is remove everything that makes it unique and worthwhile. 

And then reading that they’ve been fired a few weeks later because of all the bombs they’ve been connected with.

Well, regarding what seemed to occur in your Hollywood meetings, is there something to being the smartest guy in the room, or have you ever felt a need to dumb down your work to garner a larger audience?

Oh, I’m far from the smartest person in the room, but I do always seem to be the biggest CASANOVA fan in any given room.  It’s like BARTON FINK: I got a room full of writers that can give me that Barton Fink feeling but as you’re Barton Fink, I assume you have it in spades…

And no.  Dumbing down never ever leads to smartening up.

I know you probably get this question from a lot of people, but you have one foot in both the creator owned and mainstream fields of comics writing, and you were living in a perfect world, which field would you choose?

Well, a perfect world would mean that both of those fields, as you call them, would be as healthy and vital as the other.  

What I meant to say was, that if the expenses of life weren’t a factor, would you prefer to work in the mainstream or creator-owned field?

If the expenses of life weren’t a factor, I’d dick around with my wife and kid all day.

BUT you’re trying to get me to make a choice between the two, and of course I’d chose my own work, the creator-owned and operated work. Because the pride of ownership is ultimately invaluable.  I’m honored that I get to play with some of Jack Kirby’s toys.  But I honor Jack Kirby by doing CASANOVA, y’know?

I understand, and thanks for giving an answer to my most ham-fisted attempt at a question.

Anyway, let’s move away from Matt Fraction the four color hero, and move on to more personal stuff.

(Yeah, that was pretentious.)

Growing up, did you find any comic books or writers that influenced you?

Yeah, totally– Bill Sienkiewicz, Howard Chaykin, Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Garry Trudeau, Berke Breathed.  I was a sponge.  I loved it all.

Awesome.

Forgive me if this segue is a little out of left field, but I’ve always wondered, as a Cubs fan, would you replace Bob Uecker with Harry Caray on Mr. Belvedere and just how awesome would it be?

I would, and it would be 10,000 awesomes.  I would also replace Mr. Belvedere with Will Farrell doing his impression of Harry Caray AS Mr. Belevedere and not tell Harry Caray he was doing a Harry Caray impression.

META-BELVEDRE ROCKS THE PARTY THAT ROCKS THE BODY! 

Would the Harry Caray/Ferrell as Caray version of Mr. Belvedere mean the very special episode regarding Child Molestation become the greatest half hour of television of all time or did your premise just blow my mind?

It would be an episode where Wesley– played by a CGI Harry Caray, where they’d just map Harry’s face like a texture-map over a model of Shrek– played Dudley in a school play that was a faithful recreation the Very Special Episode of DIFFERENT STROKES where Mr. Carlson from WKRP– Harry Caray in a role that will surprise you– molests kids out of his bicycle repair shop.

SASSY!

Is Ron Santo a Hall of Famer?

Burning toupees aside– five consecutive golden gloves. Nine all star games in 15 seasons.  Totally diabetic.  C’mon.  Let him in.  Let him innnnnn.  Even Bill James agrees.  I’ll even forgive the season with the White Sox.

It is an idea whose time has come. Let Santo in. It gets Brewers and Cubs fans reaching across the aisle.

Anyway, before I let you go, are there any other projects you’d like to hype?

CASANOVA #14 wraps up the second CASANOVA story line and is the best thing I’ve ever written, surpassing CASANOVA #11.  Should be out by the middle of May.

Awesome. I’d like to thank Matt for taking the time out to answer my questions and provide an illuminating interview.

But before I let you go?

Here’s Casanova #1

Here’s a gallery on The Order. It is brilliant but cancelled. Grab a trade at the usual places.

Also, be on the lookout for Casanova #14. If a man mentions a work twice, it has to be good.

Thanks for coming.

Andrew