With the release of Out of Alcatraz #1 from Oni Press on the 19th of March, we are delighted to be joined by Eisner Award-nominated Christopher Cantwell and Russ Manning Award-winning and Eisner Award-nominated Tyler Crook. Christopher is the creator of Halt and Catch Fire and co-showrunner of The Terror; he has written many comics, including Iron Man and Briar. Tyler has written and illustrated many comics, including Harrow County, The Unbelievable Unteens and Lonesome Hunters.
Could you please introduce yourselves to our readers?
Tyler: My name is Tyler Crook. I’m a comic book artist and writer best known for my work on BPRD: Hell on Earth, Harrow County and The Lonesome Hunters.
I’m Chris Cantwell. I’m a comic book writer and screenwriter, probably best known for co-creating and running the TV show HALT AND CATCH FIRE on AMC. I’ve also written Doctor Doom, Iron Man, and such books as She Could Fly and Everything.
Could you tell us about the origins of Out of Alcatraz?
Chris: This project actually started as a pilot for a limited series that I wrote on spec in 2019. I’ve never adapted any of my script work into comic work so this is a first for me.
For anyone not familiar with the Alcatraz escape, what can you say about it?
Chris: In 1962, three prisoners made it off Alcatraz Island in a handmade raft and disappeared into San Francisco Bay. The US government believes they likely drowned but there is alluring evidence to the contrary. They may have successfully escaped.
When did you first discover the Alcatraz escape?
Chris: I learned about the escape most in depth from a trip to SF in 2009, where I did the after hours tour of the island prison.
Tyler: Alcatraz and the escape feel so culturally ubiquitous that it’s hard to pin down the moment I became aware of the story. It’s just always been there.
How much research did you do into the Alcatraz escape?
Chris: I researched as much as I could about the three convicts who escaped, as well as the fourth who didn’t make it out, Allen West. I also researched the investigation by the US Marshals, FBI, and local authorities. The history of that era in California culturally was also very significant in my research.
Tyler: I didn’t have to do much research about the actual escape from the island because that barely takes place on the page. But I have had to do a lot of research on clothes, cars, interior design etc. There is one scene that takes place in the police station in Redding California. I couldn’t find a photo of the building that they used in 1962 so I ended up calling the main library in Redding and asked them if they knew of any photos and sure enough, they were able to find a photo from a local history publication. Shoutout to Darcie the amazing librarian that helped me out!
Tyler, visually, what was your aim for the series?
My goal was the same as it always is, to tell a story in a way that engages the reader intellectually and emotionally. I spent part of childhood in the Central Valley of California and I still remember what it felt like to ride my bike out among the farms in the summer heat. So I tried hard to capture the feeling of that specific place.
Christopher, how would you describe Frank, John and Clarence?
Chris: All three men had been successful at escaping prisons before. That’s why they had been transferred to Alcatraz which was believed to be inescapable. Morris in particular had quite a high IQ. All of them had had run-ins with the law since their early teens. They had committed robberies and burglaries but that was the ceiling of their violent crimes. They were resourceful. The Anglins were close, brothers.
But it’s important to note that what we do in our book is dramatize what might have happened to them, who they might become after a daring escape and how it would change them, as well as the resultant obstacles they would face on the run in 1962 America.
Tyler, has it been a challenge creating the visuals for the series?
Tyler: Drawing comics is always hard. Haha. I think the big challenge for me drawing this book has been getting the cars right. I’ve never been a car guy but I felt it would be a really important part of getting the whole setting to feel legit. So I’ve put a lot of effort into getting better with drawing cars and trucks and to be honest, I think I’m doing an OK job with them.
Christopher, has it been a challenge writing the series?
Chris: Writing anything is challenging, but this has a level of authenticity and delicacy to it that needed to be well balanced. This is also not a superhero comic story, so it’s not wall to wall spectacle. It survives entirely on character driving everything forward.
What was your aim with Out of Alcatraz? Do you feel you have achieved your aim?
Chris: I aimed to tell a human story about people wrestling with the idea of freedom. Within themselves, within the world. I also wanted plenty of grit in the characters who are all in survival mode. It’s a sparse beautiful story. I think we pulled it off and that’s hugely due to Tyler’s incredibly evocative art.
How would you describe Out of Alcatraz?
Chris: It’s a crime story, but it’s also very much a human drama and a portrait of America in 1962, which is definitely relevant to now.
Tyler: I usually tell folks that it’s a Crime / Suspense story about what happened to the men who escaped from Alcatraz. I also like calling it California Noir.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
Chris: Come for Tyler’s work alone just to gawk at it. It is gorgeous.
Tyler: Just tell them I said “hi.”
We would like to say a big thank you to Christopher and Tyler for chatting with us. We would like to wish them the best of luck with Out of Alcatraz.
