As the Kickstarter campaign for the Illustrated Edition of The Gods of Pegana is currently up and running, we are delighted to be joined by Jeff Alford. Jeff is the founder of Denver’s Wig Shop, a prestigious publisher and distributor of comics and art books from around the world. Jeff is working with artist Dustin Holland on the Illustrated Edition of The Gods of Pegana.
Hi Jeff, it’s so wonderful to have you here with us. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Jeff Alford – I live in Denver, CO and run the online shop Wig Shop, which specializes in small-run comics, zines, and artists books. I’ve started publishing books as well, and take on a big project when bandwidth permits!
Can you tell us about the origins of the Illustrated Edition of The Gods of Pegana and your history with The Gods of Pegana?
I’m a big fan of Arkham House, a publishing house that was started in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei. They put out the first major collection of stories of H.P. Lovecraft and went on to publish a really neat roster of Lovecraft’s “circle” – friends and fans who were influenced by his body of work. Learning more about this circle introduced me to the work of Lord Dunsany, who was a big influence on those writers as they were growing up. The Gods of Pegana is considered by many to be one of the major influences on Lovecraft’s idea of the Old Gods. It’s really interesting to be familiar with Lovecraft’s pantheon and see where some of the creative sparks came from.
The work was first published in 1905 and is in the public domain, and the origins of our book probably began when I was hearing about characters like Pooh and Steamboat Willie entering the public domain. I thought it would be really fun to do a project with a “lost” archival work like Pegana.
Dustin and I met years ago after I started Wig Shop and I like him and his work very much! We talk about books a lot and a chat about Dunsany sort of evolved into the book we’re putting out.
How would you describe The Gods of Pegana?
It’s an otherworldly reading experience. It feels like it’s from a time that we’re no longer connected to, when people dreamed with a richness that we can’t conjure anymore.
How did you find Dustin?
Dustin is an exceptional cartoonist and I’ve been stocking his comics since the early days of Wig Shop.
What made Dustin the right artist for the Illustrated Edition of The Gods of Pegana?
Dustin’s work buzzes with possibility. Flipping through his stuff, you’ll see he’s got a mixed-media nimbleness that finds this incredible balance between fine art and lowbrow. The Gods of Pegana is this kind of liminal thing between a literary novella and a totally bonkers fever dream, and Dustin’s the man for that.
What has it been like working with Dustin?
It’s been such a joy, more exciting than I can really describe. I’d get drops in my email of twenty new paintings, scores of drop caps and marginalia, and just be in awe of it all.
What can you tell us about the Illustrated Edition of The Gods of Pegana?
It’s the full text, overwhelmingly adorned with full-page paintings, illustrated chapter headings, marginalia and more. It’s completely wild and might land divisively with some readers. It’s not just a novel, and it’s not just an art book, but something new and strange and exciting.
With the Illustrated Edition of The Gods of Pegana, you are using crowdfunding and dealing directly with the consumers. Is that important to you?
It’s really important to us that we do the book justice and present it in the best format that we can. We’re hoping kickstarter gives us the privilege to do a more polished, formal production than if we were just doing something on our own.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
Thank you so much for your interest and for reading, and we really hope you like our book.
We would like to say a big thank you to Jeff for chatting with us, and wish him the best of luck with the Illustrated Edition of The Gods of Pegana.
Feel free to check out the Illustrated Edition of The Gods of Pegana on Kickstarter.
