Yesterday I had the chance to talk to Mark Waid on my first ever phone interview. Mr. Waid was a champ about it and so here's my short and sweet interview about the upcoming Legendary Entertainment release of Shadow Walk. In case you forgot or simply don't know what Shadow Walk is, here's the synopsis for the graphic novel releasing on December 17th. “As I Walk Through The Valley In The Shadow of Death.” Is the Shadow of Death a metaphor or could it be a real place? Three separate incidents – in 1914, 1948, and 1968 – in a valley near modern-day Iraq seem to give credence to those who believe it’s real. In each instance, all occurring during a time of war, a group of soldiers disappears and is never heard from again. Satellite photos over the Valley displays images that seem to defy the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Firsthand accounts and video – previously never before having seen the light of day – from all three incidents portray remarkably consistent tales of men being mutilated and god awful shrieking that could only be from a demon or monster. -- Dustin) What’s the one thing you hope readers take away from Shadow Walk?
Mark Waid) I want them to have a really good time. I want the story to stick to the ribs. I want them to take away some of their own questions about Faith and spiritualism. What is worth believing in? If you have nothing else to believe in can you believe in yourself. I think it’s a good story if they can walk away with their own questions at the end.
How much research did you have to do for the book given the fact that each character is an expert in their own field of study?
Max Brooks undertook the research, God bless him. He’s is something else. Max’s job, he did the heavy lifting. He created an incredibly dense and bible about this place mythical place that has it’s antecedents through history and human culture. We talked about the team of characters we wanted and then he and Thomas Tull, who knows some people in cutting edge military science, went from there.
When writing Shadow Walk, did you have to put aside any of your own ideologies or did some of your own come into play in the story?
Luckly I had with a big enough cast of character all with a different Ideologies, a little of me goes here and there, and I didn’t have to pack it all down but rather spread it around. I was also able to work with characters that didn’t share my point of views and that meant getting in their heads. Hopefully none of the characters sound like me and you come away not knowing the author’s intent.
How was working with Shane Davis on the project, did you need to guide his visuals at all or did he come through all on his own?
He came through on his. We talked about these things, but with someone as imaginative as Shane you don’t rope him down and chain his wrist. You let him go wild. After he turned in some of the characters designs for some of the more grotesque it got my imagination going and I knew how far we could push this thing. -- A big thank you to Mark Waid and Legendary Entertainment and be sure to check out the graphic novel on December 17th.