The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde hit comic shops this past week. For those of you who have not had the chance to read this wonderful story, I highly suggest doing so. I had not heard of it until Comicbuzz head honcho, Shabbir, suggested it to me. There was drama, there was horror, there were whores. I cannot speak highly enough of it. These comics were quite under appreciated and probably lost in the plethora of super hero comics that come out on a weekly basis. It’s writer, Cole Haddon, was nice enough to come by the Pro Logs and explain a few things. If you don’t like spoilers…then go pick up the book and read it before reading this interview. We also get a bonus interviewer today. Comicbuzz’s main man Sabbir will also be joining me. The three of us will rock you so hard that we will make Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure look like Dora the Explorer…
Shabbir: Hi Cole, thanks for chatting to us. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Cole Haddon: First, thank you for taking the time to talk about my comic. It’s been a fun year, sharing this series with readers. As for who I am…I’m a screenwriter who lives and works in Los Angeles. I grew up in Detroit reading and obsessed with comic books. In fact, I thought I was going to end up drawing them. Unfortunately, what other artists could do in a month took me three or four. I lacked the speed with a pencil that I found with a laptop. In other words, I was better at telling the stories than illustrating them. Life took me around the globe a couple of times and eventually I landed here, in LA, where I slowly worked my way into the film business. Film was always my first love – Raiders of the Lost Ark was the first film I remember seeing, in fact – so I ended up right where I belong. But it’s definitely a thrill, after dreaming of making my own comic books for so many years, to finally be working in the medium.
Adam Messinger: So for those who haven’t read “The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde” can you give us a summary?
Haddon: It’s set five years after the events of the Robert Louis Stevenson novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The year is 1888 and London is in the midst of Jack the Ripper’s killing spree, what would later become known as “the Autumn of Terror.” A young Scotland Yard inspector becomes convinced that the Ripper is using the same serum that fuelled Mr. Edward Hyde’s rampage and, when he delves into the connection, discovers that Hyde isn’t, as London believes, dead, but is, instead, locked under Scotland Yard where he’s being studied to understand his madness. Against his superiors’ wishes, Adye turns to Hyde – who goes by Jekyll now, allegedly rehabilitated – for help. What begins with this alliance is a three-way game of chess with Adye’s soul on the line.
Shabbir: How did The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde end up being published by Dark Horse Comics?
Haddon: I originally pitched it as a feature film to a producer at Mark Gordon Company. He brought it to Dark Horse Entertainment, which agreed the idea would make a great film and, to put their money where their mouth was, they agree to publish the comic book series in support of that. We all went out and pitched the adaptation around Hollywood after that and wound up selling it to Skydance Entertainment. The scripts for the film and comic book were written simultaneously and, in many ways, symbiotically as a result.
Messinger: The use of characters from classic stories such as “The Island of Dr. Moreau” is established fairly quickly in the book. Why did you make the decisions to have them all take place in your universe?
Haddon: I have never believed for a moment that George Lucas had a grand plan for the Star Wars universe when he imagined Star Wars: A New Hope or its sequel. That’s nowhere more evident as when Padme dies after giving birth in Revenge of the Sith, but back in those pesky original films Leia remembers her biological mother being around. Consequently, it was important to me that I knew what happened in the second, third, fourth, and fifth mini-series. Which I do. That’s why Dr. Moreau is in there. That’s why the setting of the orgy is a place called Griffin Hall, which is the home of Lord Griffin…who doesn’t coincidentally share the surname of Dr. Jack Griffin the Invisible Man. These characters and events will continue to interact with, impact, and be impacted by actual historical events.
Messinger: There are a few discussions between the main character, Thomas Adye, and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde about morality. Jekyll/Hyde has openly abandoned his, while it seems like Adye is analyzing his moral boundaries. Was there anything you were trying to convey about morality through the characters to the reader or was it merely character exploration?
Haddon: The original Stevenson novella explored concepts of morality in Victorian England, and I felt it was important to do the same thing for the world I live in today. At least in order to stay thematically true to the source material. Jekyll hasn’t, I think, given up his morality in the my take. He’s given up on the idea of morality all together. Morality, to him, is a mad-made concept about control. It’s used by the Powers That Be, whether they be the government, the wealthy, or religion, to control the masses. He is, in that way, a prophet of sorts. Adye, a puritanical automaton who doesn’t know how to reason or even question authority – in fact, he’s drunk so much of the Kool-Aid that he wants to be part of that establishment – becomes his student. The push-pull between the two provides the debate about personal choice rather than mindless subservience. About reason and critical thinking versus unquestioning obedience.
Shabbir: Artist M.S. Corley gives the book a wonderfully distinct look. At what stage of the writing process did you start the search for an artist?
Haddon: As soon as the first draft of the comic book script was completed.
Messinger: How did you connect up with him?
Haddon: My editor at Dark Horse at the time was Dave Land. He sent me several artists to consider, but, while many of them were exceptional at their craft, none of them had the look or distinct style I was hoping for for Strange Case. I wanted someone to pick it up and look at the art and just know this comic book was something different. When I kept passing on Dave’s suggestions, he brought Mike Corley up. Mike didn’t have a large comic book background, but he had the distinct style. He drew up some concept art, which I loved. We then hopped on the phone and talked classic monster movies for an hour, which sealed the deal for me.
Messinger: What kind of input did you have with the art? Did you dictate much of the character or setting designs to Corley?
Haddon: Dictate is a strong word. I had a vision and Mike has a certain style. These largely lined up, so there wasn’t much disagreement, if any. What I knew was that I wanted the series to feel like a hybrid between old Universal Pictures monster movies and especially Hammer Films’ horrors. Mike got that and, together, we researched the hell out of the Victorian period for visual references; in books, on-line, in films, wherever. I’ve been paid to write this period in screenplays before, and already had a pretty good working knowledge, but not even that was enough. The details, right down to a wallpaper choice or the eclectic mix of furniture in a parlour, were important to me. Mike embraced that. I’d get screen grabs from him of old two-color Technicolor horror films, like Michael Curtiz’s Mystery at the Wax Museum. “What about something like this?” Then I’d throw something back, some other detail, like “What if you added this to that?” It was collaboration, from start to finish.
You must be thinking “What? This is the end?” Yep…until next week! As the title indicates, Cole will return to continue talking with Shabbir and myself! In the mean time, go read his comic. There’s a 90% chance you’ll wanna marry it.
-Adam
