A New Hope
Brian Pulido
by Lee Atchison <mailto:lia@sequentialtart.com>
From the heights of the bad girl craze, Lady Death ruled the roost. Brian Pulido's femme fatale inspired devote love, inspired venemous hatred, but mostly, she inspired people to talk about her.
Talking about Lady Death always reminds me of my friend Lynn. She's a tough, outgoing, and totally competent and confident woman who, not more than seven years ago, wasn't into comics at all. She lived three hours from town, in a tiny town in Nevada, and would go with her husband once every couple months into town specifically to visit the comic book store. One day, she spots a comic cover featuring a buxomy, bad girl. It intrigued her enough to pick it up. And she was hooked.
My point? It takes all types. And never think you know what a woman will like and what will draw her into comics. But Brian Pulido, at the very least, knows what will draw some women into comics.
So, while the Lady Death of yesteryear was the incarnation of the fun-loving, wicked bad-girls, Brian Pulido's new take on the Eldritch lady is more mature, self-aware, and grimly determined in her fight to free a Medieval Europe from invading forces. But she can still kick your ass.
Sequential Tart: Just like the wild and crazy frat boy who grows up to become a respectable, engaging leader and family man, it seems as if Lady Death's incarnation as a wild child has matured. If I recall correctly, Lady Death was originally a villain, and the stories were less about redemption and more about getting out of Hell by killing everyone on Earth. Can you compare and contrast the Lady Death of today versus the Lady Death of yesteryear?
<<...OLE_Obj...>>
Brian Pulido: The original Lady Death was a nearly unlikable bitch who used sex as a weapon. Her goals were insane. She wanted to extinguish all life on Earth. She was harsh, cruel, she was evil and she was in complete control. I quite liked her.
The current Lady Death is a misunderstood hero who fights for a world who doesn't understand her. She has her moments of anger, but she is much more understanding than the Lady Death of old.
They are both underdogs, both different, both misunderstood and they are both warriors who were shaped by circumstances out of their control.
ST: In the beginning, there was a lot of entertainment for readers in the fun, vicarious thrills of watching a bad girl at work. In fact, Lady Death's audience was not what you think of what you think comic book crowd. What reactions from your original audience are you getting towards this new version of Lady Death?
BP: It's hard to me to quantify. It's not like we've done a poll. I've talked to hard-core Chaos! fans who like or hate the new take. Same with casual readers. My guess is that it is split. You see, fundamentally all my Chaos! creations were very, very angry characters who constantly defied convention. They were bad guys. Some readers didn't want that to stop. I understand that very much. I love crazy, angry comics.
ST: Since going to CrossGen, there have been changes to the character of Lady Death. How and by what process did these changes occur? Is this a result of working with other talented creators and editors to flesh out an idea, or is this the natural evolution of a character you've known for well over a decade now?
BP: Mark Alessi at CGE wanted to try her in a "wholesome" action/adventure/fantasy direction. After writing edgy books for over a decade, the thought was refreshing. I took on the challenge and re-constructed her to make her more sympathetic, make her a character liked by more mainstream readers.
To be clear, I see nothing wrong with the original Heaven/Hell Lady Death. In fact, I'd like to see CGE do a six-issue mini-series and bring her back. Now that would be cool.
ST: Now that Lady Death has matured, will we be seeing any of the horror elements that were present in the original incarnation of Lady Death?
BP: In my next Lady Death story arc, which isn't titled yet, we will have horrific elements, but it still happening in the context of a fantasy/adventure story.
ST: Lady Death: The Wild Hunt sees a story set more in a dark fantasy world than that of horror. Based on the success of The Lord of the Rings franchise, what power does dark fantasy as a genre have to draw new comic readers in?
BP: My guess is that fantasy is a universally beloved genre. Sure it's been ghettoized by crappy stories, but if it is done well it appeals to a broad audience. Look at LoTR; you can't get much bigger than that sales-wise.
ST: Lady Death: A Medieval Tale gives us the sense of an epic storyline. A year later in story time, we arrive at the start of Lady Death: The Wild Hunt. When progressing the storyline along that quickly, how do you keep from losing your old readers? And with the preexistence of back history, how do you get your new readers up to speed quick enough not to lose their interest?
BP: That's the challenge, huh? I'm treating it as a new chapter. I don't want to insult readers of LD: AMT, rather I want to take characters they were reading about and change them from enemies to allies, and from allies to enemies.
The entire mood and tone of the series is darker, more grave.
ST: You're working with the talented Jimmy Cheung on Lady Death: The Wild Hunt, and it's natural that the artist put his own spin on the character as well. What is your working relationship like, and how do you juggle your visions of Hope?
<<...OLE_Obj...>>
BP: We established some ground rules. We agreed that Jim could envision Lady Death as he saw her. He came up with her look, her hair and her armor. Honestly, it is not how I see her, but we have that agreement.
Both of us have had some adjusting to do to work together. Simply put, we have radically different approaches to telling a story. One is not better or worse, simply different.
When I knew Jim would be on board I figured I needed to write a story that would utilize his talents. Besides being a good storyteller, his stuff is very explosive. Literally. He draws magical and power like nobody. Up until now Lady Death didn't have much command of her powers. With Jim on board I thought it would be a waste not to tap into his wild displays of power. So I put it year later, imagining Lady Death is a warrior now.
ST: Speaking of the writer-artist dynamic, you've worked with great artists over the years. As a writer, how do you feel out your options when working with artists? Have you ever deliberately tried something new or different, trusting that your artist can handle it? Or do you find yourself holding back because you don't think it'll make the transition to visuals well? What are the challenges that you have to overcome?
BP: I'm going to tell the story I want to tell and do my best to "cast" the best the artist for the story. I've been spoiled by working with greats like Steven Hughes, Jim Balent, Justiniano, David Brewer and Ivan Reis.
Frequently artists exceed your expectations; sometimes they don't. It's all part of the game, you know?
Have I tried something new or different? Yeah, with each artist.
ST: Everyone loves a good misunderstood anti-heroine. Why do you love writing about one?
BP: I see a lot of myself in Lady Death. She is an outsider. She's different. I've perceived myself that way in comics. I came in did something completely different with Chaos!. Some people got it, and when they did, they were hard-core. When they didn't, they felt compelled to attack. I've loved both sides. That's the way it goes with things that are different. People feel compelled to attack. Of course, in our heyday, we loved it when we created controversy.
Lady Death is persistent. She will never stop. I'm geared the same way, for better or worse.
ST: Say what they will about bad girl characters, you've always written women not as victims but as victors and post-modern hellcats. And in this newest incarnation of Hope, we see a young woman who is coming into her own as a leader and freedom fighter. What inspires you to choose female protagonists, and how do you avoid the common stereotypes?
BP: Candidly, some of it was dumb luck. I'd love to tell you it was part of a master plan, but at some level I was the right guy at the right time with the right character. Part of it is economic. I am known for writing edgy female characters. Part of it was my upbringing. I was raised mostly by my sister and mother, so it is natural for me to view women in leadership roles. I have zero issues with it. I wish we had a female President right now instead of monkey boy George Jr.
How do I avoid stereotypes? That's a good question. I've never pondered that. Maybe I spend a lot of time letting the characters simmer in my brain so that by the time they go on the page they seem like living breathing people. I don't really know.
Thanks for noticing that I write women as post-modern hellcats. You get it. I've gotten ragged on lots of times that my stuff degrades woman. This usually comes from male readers who don't actually read the books. These are the same guys spending time in the bathroom with the latest Maxim magazine.
I have a rock-and-roll attitude towards life. It's natural for me to like exaggerated, scantily clad gals who kick ass. And I have lots of female readers who are totally cool with it.
<<...OLE_Obj...>>
Comics are about exaggeration. There is so much exaggeration that people don't see it. One form of exaggeration is physical. Look at Hulk or Superman. These are exaggerated male body types. Another form of exaggeration is behavioral. Characters in comics we love act very differently from us. They are heroic. They take incredible chances against insurmountable odds. This is very unlike the average, bottom-feeding, hate-spewing Internet fan geek who only has guts when he's in cyber-space. Imagine, these guys admire heroic characters like Spider-Man, Batman or Superman but are little narrow-minded hateful trolls that complain about everything, yet take no actions themselves. But I digress.
ST: Having gone through some harrowing times in the last five years, how have you seen yourself grow? Even in terms of being a businessman - wiser and more savvy from past experiences - how does that affect who you are now and what you want to do in the future?
BP: Yeah, I've learned many, many lessons and they've been very public, haven't they? Long before Chaos! filed for bankruptcy, I diversified into other, more stable businesses. The comics industry is based on nostalgia and trends. It is an art form to ride both waves, particularly if you are an independent. Imagine, between 1996 and now, twenty-two companies - maybe more - have started up and failed in comics.
I've learned to seek opportunities in industries where people want products or services on a much bigger scale than comics. Todd McFarlane learned that early on and got a lot of criticism for it.
I am clear that I am not suited for long-term management of a given operation. I'm a great starter, but I grow bored fast. I absolutely love the freedom I've had since the company closed. About six months after we shut down and the dust settled - so to speak - I woke up and realized I didn't have to attend the weekly grind of meetings, budgets, etc. It was an unexpected outcome.
ST: What do you have coming up in the next few months?
BP: On April 2nd we are launching an all-new collectible mail order company called www.chaos-store.com. I've banded together with several people and we will present over 600 Chaos! Comics related items to fans across the globe. We've been working on the back end of the site since January. The site itself is really informative and provides background information and my personal opinion on the books I published at Chaos! Comics.
I've completed principal photography on a horror short shot on film. It's called There's Something Out There. It's about a couple menaced by a murderous garden gnome! We had an 18-person crew and we had a blast. It's coming together easily and I intend to complete it around May 1st. I will use TSOT as my calling card (or director's reel if you will) to my contacts in LA. I plan to offer it to the comics market in October. The DVD will have a "Scary" version and a "Bloody" version, a "making of" featurette, over 350 production stills and lots more.
After Chaos! imploded I never intended to write comics other than Lady Death. Then Avatar publisher William Christensen lured me back to the dark side offering me complete me creative freedom. He wanted and encouraged my over-the-top sensibilities. So I created Belladonna, Unholy and Gypsy for Avatar.
Belladonna will appeal to fans of CGE's Lady Death and to fans of the old-school Lady Death. It takes place in Wexford, Ireland, in 951 AD. On Colleen MacGrath's wedding night, which will unite two powerful Irish families, they are all slaughtered by Viking hordes. Now a year later, the spirit of the Celtic goddess Morrigan possesses Colleen and she wants vengeance!
Unholy is set in modern day Detroit. It's about a rebel teen named Penny who is a non-believer. After a fatal accident she's "drafted" by God to be His assassin. As a fallen angel she is caught in a shadow war waged on city streets, in plain clothes, between Heaven and Hell.
Gypsy is a work-in-progress. This story has that crazed Chaos! flavor, but for the moment we want to keep the details under wraps. Suffice to say it is a period piece that deals with the prejudice leveled against the gypsies of Europe in a dark, supernatural way.
I am spearheading the CBLDF Celebrity Auction at Wizard World Chicago this year. Expect a rip roaring good time with booze, great donations, celebrity auctioneers and did I mention booze? This is an election year and that is a sure sign that politicians are going to look to restrict our freedoms. Look at what is happening to Howard Stern right now. I'm looking to raise mucho dinero to fill the funds buckets in anticipation of the inevitable attack. George Perez has generously donated one of the Sojourn/Lady Death covers to the cause and that quality of donation is representative of what we are looking for. Interested fans and creators can check cbldf.org <http://www.cbldf.org> for more info in the coming weeks.
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