While attending Baltimore Comic-Con, comic writer-artist John K. Snyder III took a break from meeting fans to chat with Scoop. He talked about his new project, the Eight Million Ways to Die graphic novel adaptation, his appreciation for noir, and what he likes about attending conventions.
Scoop: How’s it going this weekend?
John K. Snyder III (JKS): It’s going terrific. It’s great to be here for the 20th year of the Baltimore show. It’s fantastic.
Scoop: What do you like about Baltimore Comic-Con?
JKS: I like that it’s an actual comic convention. You come here and you see writers and artists and fans and everybody has a genuine love for the medium. It’s just great to be a part of this group. It’s people who really have a sincere love of comics. It’s great to be around.
Scoop: What have your fans been asking about this weekend?
JKS: Well, I had a graphic novel come out and it’s an adaptation of mystery writer Lawrence Block’s book Eight Million Ways to Die, featuring his detective character Matthew Scudder. I’ve been working on the adaptation for some time now and it’s just been out recently, so I’m answering a lot of questions about the making of the book and some of the stuff that’s in it. I’ve been talking about my career and the series Fashion in Action and future plans for both properties.
Scoop: What made you want to work on Eight Million Ways to Die?
JKS: Well, I’ve always had an interest in noir, going all the way back to being a Dick Tracy fan when I was a little kid. I’ve been interested in the film noir scene and I did a series back in the late ’80s called Leo Kragg: The Prowler, which was kind of a take on The Shadow. So, I’ve always had an interest in it and with the growth in the graphic novel formats, hardcover, with the ability to do longer stories that are self-contained, I really wanted to get back to doing something with the noir genre. This book was the perfect choice. It’s a little bit different than some of the more slam-bang noirs. It’s deep. It was a great subject to deal with and I’m looking forward to doing more in the future. The writer, Lawrence Block, was very happy with the adaptation and it’s been great to get acquainted with him during the process. I’m looking forward to doing more with the series.
Scoop: What else are you working on right now?
JKS: Well, I’m working on a couple different projects, but I can’t really give the details right now. I’m getting into doing some illustrations for a project. I’m very excited about that. I’ll probably be able to talk a little more about that near the beginning of next year.
Scoop: Are you attending more conventions in the coming months?
JKS: Right now, I’m going to be busy with the project I can’t talk about yet [laughs] so I’m staying put for a little while.
Scoop: What do you like about coming out to cons?
JKS: It’s just great to meet the people you are doing the work for. It’s great to see the enthusiasm for the medium. Also, because you spend a lot of time isolated, working on your projects, to actually get to talk to other creators and writers about their working process, and get the chance to meet new people, and discuss the possibility of new collaborations on new projects. Again, it really gets down to the fans and having that one on one to be able to see the people who buy the books and read the books. Being able to interact and listen to what they like is really the biggest joy of all.
I just want to thank all of the staff, Mark and Shelly [Nathan], and everybody that puts together the Baltimore show year after year. It’s been a pleasure and an honor to be a guest here at the show since its beginning. I wanted to say a special thank you to all of them.
