The Perhapanauts Take Australia: Todd Dezago Talks Danger Down Under #3

The Perhapanauts: Danger Down Under

hit the stands last week, and series co-creator and writer Todd Dezago joined ComicBook.com to discuss it. Without further ado, we're going to get right to that. Remember that these "commentary track" interviews are spoiler-intensive and that you should buy a copy of the book and read along with us before you get spoiled. ComicBook.com: So--Gef starts out the issue and he's quite a bit more helpful than he was last time around. What's the deal with that? Todd Dezago: Yeah, Gef isn't a bad guy--just a pain in the ass. He operates on another level, one that we only get glimpses of, and so his personality and perspectives are way off. But he is a member of the Australian Team and does have their best interests in mind. ComicBook.com: Gef really is kind of a liability in high-danger situations, isn't he? The whole thing with having to stop and address the other half of his conversation? Dezago: There are times...though I like to think that Dr. Botsford--the Director of the Australian Facility--has as much trouble with Gef as the Chief has with Choopie. Gef does bring something to the table and, attitude be damned, they must outbalance the negatives of having him around. Now, do all of his teammates agree with that equation...? Certainly not Emo Woody Franson. ComicBook.com: Sampa's "the beast inside me" line is a bit Incredible Hulk to me. Was that on purpose, or just that you're playing with some of the same themes? Dezago: Well, being 'possessed by demons' goes back in literature a lot farther than the Hulk. Certainly Robert Lewis Stevenson drew on this concept in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dickens would talk about character that were "overtook by demons when he was in the drink", and Alighieri spoke of the monsters dwelling within men in the Fifth Circle of Dante's Inferno. So, yeah, I guess it's a similar theme. ComicBook.com: What exactly is the nature of Merrow's powers? Dezago: Merrow is a water elemental. She is made of water. She can control water and, much like, say, Iceman, can draw it from the air around her and project it in waves and splashes. ComicBook.com: How much guidance do you give Craig, in terms of character design? I always find his process interesting, considering that he's not inventing from whole cloth. Dezago: Hmmm. That's funny. Despite the fact that most of our characters are cryptids, derived from folklore, myth, and legend, I kinda think that he is creating from whole cloth in the sense that, we read or look at the descriptions given by eyewitnesses and then bend and tweak them for the purposes of the characters we require. Big, for example, underwent a series of designs and such to project the sense of both strength and intelligence. His face changed and morphed so much in the first few days to reflect the incredible brain that was working behind those otherwise preternatural eyes. Craig determined that Choopie's reality was much darker than our own and that he would require his infamous goggles to protect his eyes. When it's a cryptid, he shapes them to be what we need. With the rest (the humans) I usually just throw a basic description for a character at Craig and he brings them to life. ComicBook.com: The team unit here is an interesting one; they don't seem to work together as well as the Americans do. Everytime we turn around, there's some girl getting left alone with the bunyip! Dezago: Ha~! What book are you reading?! Usually it's a female team member staying back to protect one of the guys. ComicBook.com: As a writer, do you get attached to the new characters quickly? They're likable enough but in the back of the reader's head, there's always "What about MG and Arisa?". Dezago: Well, Russ, you know better than most that we had been working on this story for a long time. Had The Perhapanauts been able to sustain and monthly audience, this story arc would have taken place in issues 7-11 of an on-going series--just a blink in Perhapanauts continuity and then--maybe--we'd get back to looking for Arisa, MG, and Hammerskold. As it is, this was too interesting of a story for us not to tell--not to investigate--and I'm hoping that the Readers who are worried or concerned about the missing members, will stick with us through Danger Down Under! to find out what their ultimate fate might be. As for the new characters, I do get used to them rather quickly. They're an interesting bunch and I've enjoyed getting to know them. ComicBook.com: Sampaquita's role in this story is interesting--it seems from this issue that she's being set up to be the Big Hero in the next chapter. Do you worry about having her do a 180-degree turn without spending a lot of time on developing that change, or do you think it's actually better to have it be a bit of a surprise? Dezago: Ah, Russ--You always read ahead. You think you know what's coming, don't you? You don't. <g> ComicBook.com: I love me some Matthew Dow Smith. How'd he come to draw one of the backups? Dezago: Check out the current post on my Perhapa-blog over at Perhapanauts.com where I tell exactly that story and sing Matt's praises. Yes, he's awesome! ComicBook.com: And this diversion--it's actually quite key to the central story outside of the Australia mission. We talked just last month about the idea of the Chimaera as the Lex Luthor of the 'Haps, this notion that he'll always be out there. Is that something we'll see come to fruition in Danger Down Under or are you planting seeds for later stories? Dezago: Again, this all would have rolled out rather smoothly had we been able to continue with the Perhapanauts as a monthly book. If the Chimaera is Lex Luthor, then Salazar is...who...? Braniac? Or Craig said it better; he is our Ras Al Ghul. His appearance and involvement here leads very much to an upcoming story arc where his plans are put into play--and Big needs to make some big decisions. ComicBook.com: Obviously there's a lot of backup artists keen to work with you and Craig on this book. Would you consider doing a miniseries without Craig one day, assuming that the fit was right and Craig was down with it? Dezago: I love doing fun and/or thrilling back-up stories with good friends like Matt Wieringo and Lauren Monardo and Leanne Hannah--and I have plans to do much more of that in the future. As far as the main story goes, as much as I appreciate and enjoy the artistic help that we've gotten from such talented guys as Matt(hew Dow Smith) and Eric Henson, it wouldn't feel like a Perhapanauts story if Craig wasn't involved. To me, anyway. It's just the way it's gotta be. I'm currently listening to the audiobook of Keith Richard's Life and am amazed at how similar his and Mick's songwriting process parallels the way Craig and I create a Perhapanauts tale. ComicBook.com: Matt Wieringo's backup, on the other hand--that's pretty much a total diversion. I don't really see much in there that's part of a "bigger picture," although it was a ton of fun. Choopie has always been a fan favorite, but has Karl stepped up into that role as well? Dezago: We created the Par-ha--or the Perhaps--just to be able to tell those kindsa fun, and again, or exciting stories just to broaden the Perhapanauts experience. When Matt and I were dreaming last year about what kinda story we should do together--he and Christian (Leaf, inker on that tale and several others) and I are all CRAZY horror movie fans and so that seemed like a given. But when Matt and I also talked about the Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns, I knew we'd hafta let Choopie go back to the Par-ha and settle the score he imagined needed settling. ComicBook.com: I think you should sell a print at conventions of Choopie doing the "Smooth Criminal" dance. Just saying. Dezago: Yeah, Matt made me laugh out loud with that--with some of the expressions and body language in most of the Choopie panels! Pure fun--great comedy! ComicBook.com: Did this series used to be out of five? If so, was it a sales concern or a creative one that scaled it back? Dezago: Is it not five? It is five. I'm really--reeeeally bad with numbers, Russ--is it not five?