Brendan Deneen on The Ninth Circle, Devil's Hopyard and The Island of Misfit Toys

Veteran comics and film writer, editor and producer Brendan Deneen has a bunch up his sleeves in 2014. He's reissuing Scatterbrain, his comic book writin debut from 2006, as Devil's Hopyard on iVerse with art by Spawn artist Szymon Kudranski; his debut novel The Ninth Circle is also available for order, both in print and as an e-book. He's also got a new graphic novel available for pre-order based on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer's Island of Misfit Toys. So...yeah. It's a busy year. Deneen joined ComicBook.com to discuss his various projects. Devil's Hopyard really holds up, and Szymon's art is great. Will it be available digitally sometime soon? Thanks, Russell.  Yes, I believe issue #1 is currently available over at iVerse. Why the title change? The original seems more in the vein of what's "hip" in comics at the moment; it may be less representative of the acutal content, but the one-word, vague title thing is kind of in. See also: Saga, Revival, Clone, Outcast Rich Emms and I discussed this at length.  Ironically, Scatterbrain isn't the star of this story.  It's Jack Anderfold (the cop) and the city of Devil's Hopyard itself.  We liked the idea of pulling the focus away from a superhero who actually barely appears in the first issue, let alone the whole mini-series. Is The Ninth Circle coming out through an imprint of Macmillain or did you stray from your day job to find it a home? Permuted Press published The Ninth Circle and I couldn't be happier.  They put together an amazing cover and have been really great about getting the word out about my debut novel. You've got a pull quote on the cover from Jay Bonansinga. What's it like working with he and Kirkman on the Walking Dead novels? It's been amazing.  I was one of the first (if not THE first) people to reach out to Kirkman back in 2003 about film/TV rights to The Walking Dead.  I was working at Dimension Films as a development executive.  I stayed in touch with Robert for years and when I landed at Macmillan and knew the first season of the show was in production, I figured a book series could be a good idea.  I had no idea how huge the TV show would prove to be…. Has it been instructive working with other novelists, in terms of giving you more of an idea of process when writing a non-comics novel? I've been working in film/publishing for fifteen years and yes, it's been hugely instructive working with novelists and screenwriters.  I have learned what to do and what not to do in a big way, and also how the industries work as a whole.

It seems like even though this is more "adult" than the Rudloph book, The Ninth Circle still retains a bit of an almost mythological feel to it. Is that a fair reading? Absolutely.  The Ninth Circle could best be described as magical realism.  It's based on Dante's Inferno, so there is a really dark, gruesome thread running through the book but it's also a coming-of-age story.  I think high school or college kids who are studying Dante's Inferno will love the parallels. You've always been steeped in licensed properties, but both of these projects are original material. Are you starting to step away a little bit from stuff like Flash Gordon and Casper? I like doing a mix of both.  We are in talks with a number of licenses (on the comic front) but we also want to control more IP.  So, most of what comes from Ardden from now on will be original concepts which I will then leverage in the film/TV markets. Meanwhile, you've got The Island of Misfit Toys on the horizon. That certainly looks to be THE, OFFICIAL version licensed from the cartoon, no? I'm not at liberty to discuss Misfit Toys in detail but as you can see from the Amazon listing, this is the real deal. Can you give me a quick elevator pitch on each of the three projects? THE NINTH CIRCLE When Dan, 16, runs away from a terrible home life to join a circus, he has no idea what he's getting himself into. Based on Dante's Inferno, THE NINTH CIRCLE follows a young man's coming-of-age as he travels with the circus through nine states. With the Ringmaster as his guide, Dan finds himself falling in love with the Bearded Lady but hated by almost everyone else, including the Strong Man, the Lion Tamers and The Sword Swallower. Meanwhile, he discovers that the performers have uncanny abilities and dark secrets, especially the person who's looking to destroy the circus from within. THE ISLAND OF MISFIT TOYS Two days before Christmas, a terrible snowstorm arrives and Charlie-in-the-Box is lost at sea! King Moonracer quickly puts together a band of Misfit Toys to rescue him. Together with Yukon Cornelius and Abominable the Snow Monster, the Misfits embark on their greatest adventure yet. But one question remains—will they save Charlie and return to the island in time for Santa? Or are the Misfits doomed to spend another Christmas without a little boy or girl to love them? Based on the beloved original television classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Misfit Toys make their debut in their first-ever original story and graphic novel. A thrilling middle-grade adventure that's perfect for youngRudolph fans. Find the Misfit in you. DEVIL'S HOPYARD Jack Anderfold is a disgraced cop who's desperate to regain the glory years that have passed him by. He blames the mysterious Scatterbrain, who has recently appeared, for all of his problems but deep down he knows it's his own damn fault. When he gets a chance to take down the costumed vigilante, however, Jack finds himself drawn into an increasingly dark series of events that will ultimately affect him and everyone he loves.