Interview with Sharky! author Dave Elliot

Don’t know the name Dave Elliot? Well, he’s worked at DC, Marvel, 2000AD and Heavy Metal, just to name few places. Over 25 years in the comics scene, our Retrenders team catches up with Dave Elliot about his new Sharky! graphic novel published by Titan Comics.

+++++++++++++++++++

RTNDR: You have worked with artist Alex Horley on many projects, what is the work relationship like when you guys do a project together? Is there much collaboration on story building and character designs?Dave Elliot: Both Alex and myself have very similar influences. Kirby, Frazetta and John Buscema are all at the top our lists. We have had enough of those fevered fanboy chats late into the evening that even before we started we both knew what the other wanted to do. For Sharky some of the character designs were set but Alex made them his own and then we built from there.

We wanted to do something that was a tribute to those creators as well, so in true Kirby style we wanted to come up with as many ideas as possible and then throw them in. I think after all the decompressed storytelling of the last 15-20 years Sharky must read like a roller coaster ride. I think we managed to get enough ideas for 20 comics in those original four issues.

RTNDR: As you mentioned in the Sharky! graphic novel a origin story of Gunmetal is coming, can we also get a story arc on Thor Stormhausen (Max to her friends)?

David Elliot: You’ll see Thor again in issue 256 of Heavy Metal this month. She makes a brief appearance with Sharky in a new Maximum Force story where Sharky tries to get Max Carnage to get back in the game and help him build a new team.

RTNDR: How about a kick-ass team-up of Thor Stormhausen and Vampirella?

Dave Elliot: That would be awesome and a lot of fun.

RTNDR: In Sharky! Volume 1: When Titans Clash! there are lots of special guests like Savage Dragon, The Mask, Madman and Wildstar. How did you come about grabbing these characters?

Dave Elliot: I knew all the creators so I just asked them for permission and they said yes. It was just a brief use and all for fun. Those creators got that. Sharky has since gotten to team back up with Mister Monster as well as meet El Zombo in Monster Massacre.

RTNDR: We know that working on a monthly comic book series takes lots of time and energy, so will there be like a Sharky! mini-series in comic book format?

David Elliot: Never say never. I do have an idea for a Maximum Force mini-series that I am building towards in a Heavy Metal series and Sharky is one of the founders of the team. It’s where I will do the GunnMetal origin.

RTNDR: You are relaunching more Atomeka Press comics under Titan Comics, what will comic book readers see down the pipeline from Atomeka?

Dave Elliot: Well I’ll continue to be doing more work with Heavy Metal magazine and next year will be the first collections of my ODYSSEY and WEIRDING WILLOWS comics. We’ll also have the first (of many) CARPEDIEM collections by Rhoald Marcellius and W.H. Rauf from STELLAR Labs. I’ll also have two more volumes of MONSTER MASSACRE in 2014 and the 2nd volume of A1. We’ve also started on our 2015 line-up, a taste of which you’ll see in Heavy Metal issue 265 on sale in a couple of weeks.

++++++++++++++

Retrenders would like to thank Dave Elliot for taking some time answering our fanboy questions. Please be sure to check out all the Sharky! goodness at Titan Comics.