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On top of being a respected creator in his own right, he’s also
president of Beckett Comics, one of the most creatively dynamic
companies today. But with Beckett’s recent move to Image Comics, Jeff
Amano, and the company that he spearheads, may finally be reaching the
much wider audience that they deserve.
We spoke to Mr Amano recently about the move and his upcoming graphic
novel Ronin Hood of The 47 Samurai.
Wayne Ree: How have things been for you since Beckett came under the umbrella of Image Comics? Less hectic?
Jeff Amano: Ultimately, it WILL be less
hectic – once we successfully make the transition from our current
process to the new one. So far, the experience of working with the
Image crew has been enjoyable and very professional. Plus, we’re
getting a significant number of emails, calls and convention comments –
all saying basically the same thing – they’re supportive of the move
because it will mean better presence in the marketplace.
Wayne Ree: What changes can we expect from Beckett, both creatively and in terms of practices, as a result of the move?
Jeff Amano: Creatively, we plan on
continuing our focus on solid three-Act stories with fresh storylines
and characters. In other words, we don’t have any serials in the works
right now. Production-wise, there are many significant differences –
the primary one is the focus on complete stories in the form of graphic
novels rather than producing them in single issues first.
Wayne Ree: Could you tell us a little about your upcoming graphic novel Ronin Hood of The 47 Samurai?
Jeff Amano: Like our other titles, Ronin
Hood is a blend of the familiar with the fresh. It starts off looking
like simply a samurai version of the Robin Hood legend, but it quickly
becomes something much, much more.
Wayne Ree: Ronin Hood is clearly a re-imagining
of the legend of Robin Hood, but how did the idea of setting the tale
in Feudal Japan come about?
Jeff Amano: The history of the Yakuza
clearly tells us at least two things – first, that the Yakuza see
themselves as the true lineage of the samurai in modern times. Second,
that like the post-war samurai, they see themselves as protecting the
weak and the poor from the greedy and the wealthy. The numerous
historical accounts of these facts along with the true story of the 47
Ronin that I’ve heard since childhood made “Ronin Hood” a natural. I’m
surprised no one’s done it before.
Wayne Ree: Gabriel Benson said in his afterword
to The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty that you helped him to decide on the
genre for the story. As both a writer and a reader, what do you believe
is the appeal of taking such familiar fables and placing them in
seemingly mismatched settings?
Jeff Amano: I believe it’s taking the
familiar and making it fresh. It’s NOT about creatively finding direct
parallels for each and every detail of the original with the
re-imagining (although that can be fun in a “Trivial Pursuit” kind of
way). Re-imaginings are about using the freshness of the new form to
bring contemporary illumination to the original core.
Wayne Ree: The last story you provided the
interior art for was Fade From Grace. Do you have any plans to return
to illustrating stories any time soon?
Jeff Amano: Definitely. But drawing takes a
lot longer than writing and plotting so I’ll have to pick and choose. I
definitely want to do both for the rest of my career.
Wayne Ree: Beckett has produced some very
impressive books from some equally impressive creators. What writers
and artist would you, personally, like to work with?
Jeff Amano: There are so, so, so many. More
than I could possibly have time for. I’ve enjoyed working with Gabe, of
course, as well as David Mack, Craig Rousseau, Giulia Brusco, Ivan
Brandon and many others. Oeming and I have talked about doing something
together – we just haven’t quite found the right project or time yet.
I’d love to work with Bendis – then I’ll have worked for the complete
MOB!
Really, I’d love to work with anyone that wants to do
something really fresh and yet still holds to classical storytelling
and myth making. I’m not interested in what unfortunately seems to be
the common mode of comic book character/story creation: think of a
gimmick, make the gimmick the hero’s power, then work a familiar story
or relationship dilemma out of what logically fits with that power.
In my opinion, there is no shortcut to what Joseph
Campbell refers to as, the “hero’s journey.” No journey – no hero. In
comics today, we have a lot of “journey-less” characters with powers.
Wayne Ree: Thanks so much for your time, Mr Amano.
Ronin Hood of The 47 Samurai will be released in September, with the trade for Fade From Grace due out in November.
The trade for The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty is now available in stores.
For more information on Beckett Comics, check out www.beckettcomics.com.
Wayne Ree.
Staff Writer, Divergingcomics.com
DivergingComics.com
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