[PROCESS] AN INTERVIEW WITH DOUG WAGNER
Talking to the writer of DISSENT
Today we’ve got a special [PROCESS] interview with Doug Wagner, the writer of DISSENT, the latest story from LEGENDS Volume Two, our upcoming anthology edition featuring tales set in the 3 Worlds / 3 Moons Story Universe by some of the best creative teams in comics.
If you missed it, you can DISSENT Part One and Part Two now to catch up. Both stories are exclusively for our paid subscribers, so if you’d like access:
Now, here’s Doug…
3W/3M: Thank you for taking the time to play in our worlds and moons and for doing this interview! First, how'd you arrive at Three Worlds / Three Moons, and what drew you to wanting to work within this creative sandbox?
DOUG WAGNER: Well, just like everyone else, I’ve always been a HUGE fan of Mike del Mundo, Jonathan Hickman, Mike Huddleston, and Nick Spencer. I mean, if you’re into comics, how can you not be? Add to that, they’re creating this incredible universe that has endless possibilities, and I’ve only been able to sit back and admire all the other creators that were playing with 3W3M’s toys. So, when Molly reached out to me to see if I’d be interested in writing a short story, I jumped all over it. Well, as soon as I was able to get that frog out of my throat.
Given much of the foundations are still being laid in how the worlds and moons interact and the universe functions, what was your experience like coming up with a story that fit within what was known, and how did you find a way in based on what has been published so far?
As a creator, that’s always a tricky process. You wonder if your voice has a place and if it even fits into what’s already been laid down and what the team has planned for the future. I spent a few days reading and re-reading everything that had already been done and scribbling down any random ideas or thoughts that spring from that. After feeling like I had exhausted that path, I went through all those random scribblings and tried to narrow it down to about 5 ideas I thought I would really like to explore. I punched out each idea into a paragraph or two and sent it over to the gang. They helped me narrow it down to a single idea and we just sent notes back and forth until we had something we all agreed on. That process can be exhilarating and frustrating all at the same time. I don’t mean that in a negative way. It’s just all part of the creative process. Collaboration is a blast unless you’re the one struggling to find an answer to your story’s inevitable problems. Thank goodness I had Molly and the guys to help me through that.
What drew you to Heir, and how did you come up with each of the gangs, their names, their look?
That was all Molly’s fault! I asked if there was any way I could do something Cyberpunk-y. Molly responded with something like, “Oh, yeah! You could easily do Cyberpunk-y on Heir.” That sealed the deal for me.
In regard to the gangs, creating them was one of my favorite parts of writing this story. See, if it isn’t already evident, I love me some Cyberpunk. I feel like it’s still an untapped genre that has endless possibilities. When it came to the gangs, I started by coming up with the gang names. That’s just a process of connecting two cool sounding words together – one typically being a word that has a group connotation and another word that makes it sound techie. Then I’d say them out loud to check if I liked the rhythm and see if the combination made sense to me. For instance, “Vox Reavers” doesn’t resonate with me. I’m not even sure what that’d mean. On the other hand, “Vox Syndicate” totally does… well, at least to me. Sure, that process takes a little time, but I love that kind of stuff. After creating the names, their “look” kind of started writing itself. Neon Reavers would obviously have neon cyberware, right? The Morrow Hive would want to take on a bee like quality, yes? The only gang that I had to let bounce around in my head a little bit were the Cyber Furies. I knew I wanted to break typical trends and have a mostly female gang that was bad ass. After some thought, the logical choice for me was to make them all former military and special ops. Growing up an Army brat, I didn’t see any other choice than to have their armor have an Army fatigue feel to it.
You've worked on superhero and licensed comics, but your most recent projects have been creator owned. How does writing on those compare to Three Worlds / Three Moons?
Honestly, it’s a mix. A lot of the time with your typical superhero and licensed comics you have to play in a confined space. It’s rare you get to create new characters and even rarer that you’re allowed to do any world building or changing of the status quo. With creator owned, the entirety of the universe is your playground. Good or bad, you can pretty much do whatever you want with your characters and their world. Comparing both to Three Worlds / Three Moons, I was allowed to create my own characters and a lot of the world they lived in, but I also had to stay within the scope of what had been laid before me and where the founders would like to see the universe evolve. It was a fun challenge.
"Dissent" features designs by Tim Odland. How did he get added to the mix?
When Molly and I were first chatting up story, Molly mentioned she loved what Tim and I had done on Beware the Eye of Odin. Since Tim is one of my best friends, I asked if she’d like to have him join our little party. She jumped at the chance. I called Tim, he too jumped at the chance, and the first Molly, Doug, and Tim team up was born. Sometimes, it’s just that easy. You ask and everyone says, “Yes!”
Unfortunately, Tim wasn't able to draw the story himself, but Daniel Hillyard did a phenomenal job bringing Tim's designs and layouts (for part 1) to life. What made you think of Daniel?
Well, Daniel and I have been working relatively nonstop together for almost a decade now on our creator-owned books. I talk with him almost every single day. So, when Tim had to bow out for personal reasons, my first thought was to see if Daniel would take his place. This wasn’t just based on our friendship either. Molly and I both wanted someone that would step in and honor all the hard work Tim had already put in. Daniel is always professional, thoughtful, and respectful, and I knew he’d not only understand but WANT to honor everything Tim had done beforehand.
The gangs were able to work together and stop the Sisters Beneficent. How long do you think that alliance can last?
Hah! You just never know what people are going to do when it comes to love and war. How long can you trust former rivals to stand by your side? I think as long as the gangs all see there’s something in it for them to stay together the alliance will survive. The second a gang leader sees they could benefit from not sticking to the alliance, they’ll jump ship. Can a bunch of Low Grounds gangs with limited resources stay motivated against a cult with seemingly limitless resources, influence, and time? Only time will tell.
What do you think could be next for our fishy friend?
I think we’ve just scratched the surface of our fishy friend’s journey. He’s a potential doomsday weapon that has the possibility to wipe out entire planets or species. He was created solely for that purpose. His existence isn’t widely known yet in the Three Worlds/Three Moons universe, but a secret like that won’t stay secret for long. There are going to be a plethora of big players wanting to either get their hands on that fish or destroy it.
In case any of our readers aren't aware of your other works, which do you think would be the best one to familiarize themselves with and could you give them a quick pitch for what it is about?
This story is definitely more in my action/thriller space, so I’d have to recommend either Beware the Eye of Odin or Klik Klik Boom.
Beware the Eye of Odin (co-created with Tim Odland) follows three misfits Vikings as they cross through the kingdoms of Trolls, Earthen Smiths, and Frost Giants to return the actual eye of Odin to its rightful owner… the King of the Frost Giants.
Klik Klik Boom (co-created with Doug Dabbs) follows a mute assassin as she travels out of the Idaho wilderness for her first time in her life to New York City in order to avenge the death of her grandfather.
Now if you like what Daniel Hillyard has done on the art side of this story, he and I have worked on quite a few books together – Plastic, Vinyl, Plush, and I Was A Fashion School Serial Killer. They’re all dark comedy, horror books about serial killers and cannibalistic furries.
Lastly, what else can readers expect to see from you this year? If it's not been announced yet, is there anything you can tease?
At the time of writing this, I Was A Fashion School Serial Killer is hitting the stands, and Daniel Hillyard and I are doing a newspaper-style comic strip called My Little Sister is a Psychopath that will only be available through our bi-monthly newsletter. Past that, I’m working on a few other new projects, but I can’t exactly spill the beans on those without getting myself into a little hot water with my publishers.
I'm looking forward to reading the story! These process interviews are great. It was nice to hear how Doug approached 3W3M.